July 27, 2008
Scripture:
Ministry:
Exodus 37:6 “And he made the mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half was the length thereof, and one cubit and a half the breadth thereof.” The mercy seat. What is that? It was the top of the Arc of the Covenant, the covering that had the two cheribums facing each other on it. When Aaron went into the Holy of Holies, he sprinkled the blood seven times on the mercy seat and seven times in front of the mercy seat. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, and another translation of the Hebrew word that here is traslated “mercy seat” is “a covering”. Hebrews 9:5 “And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat” The New Testament was written in Greek, but the word traslated here as “mercy seat” also has the meaning of “a covering.” 1 John 2:2 “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” The word “propitiation” is the same Greek word and has the same meaning. The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is a covering for us. Why is Jesus’ blood different from the blood shed for sins in the Old Testament? The blood in the Old Testament was blood from animals. Jesus’ blood is the blood of God’s holy, spotless Lamb. When Peter talks about the precious blood of Christ, it is the Person of Christ that makes it so precious. When the Children of Israel were in Egypt, they were safe from the destroying angel, if they were covered by the blood. It is the same with us; if we are covered by the precious blood of Christ, judgement cannot touch us. Jesus that has saved us, and we are going to be with Him, all because He shed His blood for us. It’s a key thing for us to realize; the preciousness of Christ. It is then that we can see that there is a life that is out of this world. May His preciousness be something we cherish. May it grow deeper in our hearts each day.
Hymn 344 – Jesus, my Saviour to Bethlehem came
Prayer
Today we’ll look at Acts 20. We ended last time with Paul in Ephesus. At the beginning of this chapter, Paul went up through Macedonia and down to Greece, where he stayed for three months. Then he went back the way he came, through Macedonia and sailed for Troas, where others were waiting for him, v. 4. Read vv. 7 – 12. On the first day of the week, the disciples came together to break bread. Paul was planning to leave the next day, so he preached to them, continuing until midnight. They had many lights in the building, and it was probably gettting somewhat warm; that is what might have caused Eutychus, a young man sitting on a windows sill, to fall asleep. He fell out of the window, and plunged to the ground three storeys below, and was taken up dead. But Paul came down and embraced him, and brought Eutychus back to life. Then he went back upstairs and continued to preach until daybreak.
Then Paul continued his journey until he reached Miletus and sent for the elders of Ephesus. Paul had stayed at Ephesus for two to three years previously, so the Ephesian Christians knew and loved him well. The latter half of this chapter is his talk to them; let’s notice a few things. In v. 24, Paul tells them about how God had given him a work to do, a work that he wanted to complete. Last night at home, we read about the little maid; even though she was a captive in a foreign land, she served those around her to the best of her ability. That’s what Paul did, and that’s what we should do.
In v. 35, Paul quotes the Lord, who is the best example of these words! He gave his very life for us. We should be so willing to give our possesions, time, and other things to Him, and also to others.
Reviewing v. 21 of ch. 1, it’s important to realize that the prophecy was inspired of God; Isaiah or Ezekiel did not decide to try to write prophecy one day. Today, the gift of prophecy is more than foretelling the future; it includes speaking God’s word for the present moment. Prophets in the Bible usually showed up when the kings were reigning wickedly; they were commissioned to go the king and tell him what God wanted of him. And often what they wrote is applicable for us as well. These holy men were moved by the Holy Ghost to write. They dealt with God, they wrote His words; some were even told to act our their message.
As we start ch. 2, it seems that this chapter and the next are full of warnings, similar to those given by Paul in Acts 20. The first thing Peter says is that even as there were false teachers in the Old Testament, there are false teachers today. These people believe and propagate “damnable heresies”; interestingly, they are said to even deny “the Lord that bought them.” Are these people saved? Well, we need to see the difference between purchase and redemption. When the Lord died, He bought the whole earth with His blood; He bought the right to redeem everything. But only those who realize their sin and accept His atonement are redeemed. These people, denying that the Lord even has the right to redeem them, will bring swift destruction on themselves. They are, as Paul said in Acts 20, like vicious wolves, not sparing the flock. Many will be caught by their ways, because they hear the truth spoken of evilly. It used to be that the Bible was respected, but not any more; may we be kept from evil and go on in holiness and truth.
What these false teachers are doing is described well in Isaiah 29:15 &
The message in all this is to hold fast to the truth. What is our defense? We have the inspired Word of God; we have the Holy Spirit, we have present truth. We should be occupied with these things.
Hymn 279 – I’m waiting for Thee, Lord
Prayer