February 10, 2008
Scripture:
Let’s look at the last chapter of Leviticus, chapter 27. I just wanted to take a moment to look at a few verses. This chapter has to do with vows and redeeming possessions. When redeeming something, it was to be valued by the priest. Vv 12 & 13: “And the priest shall value it, whether it be good or bad: as thou valuest it, who art the priest, so shall it be. But if he will at all redeem it, then he shall add a fifth part thereof unto thy estimation.” There was the option to redeem it; it was not a law. But you had to add a fifth part of the value to the price. We have the same thought in v. 15: “And if he that sanctified it will redeem his house, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be his.” And v. 19: “And if he that sanctified the field will in any wise redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be assured to him.” The priest would give an estimate, the market value, and then there was a 20% surcharge to make the redemption. When we think of redemption, we think of the work of the Lord on Calvary: His blood was shed, redemption was made. But how precious to see the antitype of this passage, whether it be the Lord redeeming unclean man, the house of God, or the world itself! He made an overpayment; there is a credit balance to our account, so that God could not only forgive our sins, but also account us righteous. That is on our side. For God, He has gained more than He would have had if we had not sinned. If we had not sinned, the Lord would not have died to redeem us. He has been given honour in heaven and for all eternity because of this work. We received wondrous justification; He received glory in redeeming lost, undeserving man. We have remembered that work this morning; may it never be forgotten.
EG Hymn 338 – I love my Saviour, my precious Saviour,
Prayer
Last time, we talked about the end of time. We looked at a chart with the names of the seven churches written to in Revelation. Today I’d like to look at the 1^st^ one: Ephesus. Read Revelation 2:1–7. So this is the first church on the list; let’s turn to Acts and see how this church started. Read Acts 19:1–41. When Paul wrote his epistle to the Ephesians, he spoke of their love (Ephesians 1:15). But something happened: they lost their first love. Christianity is a matter of love: God loved us and gave His Son. We love Him because He loved us. But we need to ask ourselves, How much do we love Him? Do we love Him enough to read the Bible? To pray? To talk about Him? To be thankful for everything He does? The love we have for Him is not a human love; it’s a love God gave to us. The Bible tells us that we believe with the heart, not the head. This is a heart matter. I can’t emphasize how important this is. Twelve times in the New Testament we read, “Love one another.” Once would have been enough, but when it is repeated, we know it is important. When we are busy, our love for the Lord is usually the first thing to go. The Ephesians left their love for the Lord. We should enjoy our love for the Lord and grow in it. I urge each one of you to love the Lord and “love one another.”
I Peter 4:8–13
We just saw how Ephesus’ love for the Lord grew cold. Our brother is looking at the decline of the church with the children, and we find that it begins with the heart. This verse in Peter, v. 8, talks specifically about love among Christians. This is a very necessary exhortation. The verse starts with “Above all things”; it’s a top priority issue. We find ourselves in an assembly of people that we didn’t choose. We talk about staying away from worldly friends, which is somewhat easier because we choose our friends. But we didn’t choose the people we are around now; God did. We all hold to a code of conduct and feel responsible for each other. This type of social situation can cause friction, and unfortunately it does. Love is the oil that will help the joint run smoothly. Yet, this love is not something you can turn on or talk up. How do you make it happen? God is the source of love; Christ is the channel. If there is no inflow, there will be no outflow; you need input to have output; it’s a process. Read I John 5:10; there is also a correlation between obedience and love. Consider that the Lord loved us; he saw what He could make us. He knew our potential. He loved us all. This is important, because if we fail in this area, we could end up like the 7 churches, going downhill. Also, if we allow our love to grow cold, it can become hate, and then murder; that’s the full spectrum. This verse tells us how we should treat the aggravations of others. We shouldn’t gossip and slander: loves covers a multitude of sins. This doesn’t mean that we will not give correction if there is the need; but it needs to be done with love. Even in giving correction, people can become accusers of the brethren. We need to cover the sin, and yet correct it in love, if that is appropriate. May this 8^th^ verse be something that speaks to each of our hearts.
V. 9—This is an interesting verse. In business, if you want to get closer to a purchasing manager, you take him out for lunch? Why? You can talk, share, and get to know each other better. You can give him your sales pitch. Business people know the importance of this. It is important, too, for Christians to get together for meals, to talk about the Lord together and encourage one another. And although most of the exhortations we have seen are given to brothers, this is one that the sisters can do better.
V. 10—The word man here obviously refers to mankind: men and women, boys and girls. Darby says, “a gift,” which is a more accurate translation. Each of us has been given a gift that we should use for the Lord. Where gifts are spoken of in the Bible, we see they are not there for ourselves, but for the benefit of the body of Christ. It is up to us to be good stewards of our gifts; we must each faithfully and consistently use it. Yet there is something to remember here: in this day of small things, we may feel that we are short on gifts; we can deal with that. But may we never be short on truth. There are Christians today who have amazing gifts, but very little truth. May we use what gifts we have and stay faithful to the gifts God has given us.
LF Hymn 1 – Of all the gifts Thy love bestows,
Prayer