November 14, 2010

Morning Meeting

• Hymn 179 - Brightness of th’ eternal glory

• Scripture:

  • 1 Chronicles 16:1-7 - let us look at this typically. The ark is a picture of Christ. In the midst of the tent, the midst of the assembly. v.7-12 - This is a song of thanksgiving.v. 23-29 we have thanksgiving. v.25 - praise, v.29 - worship. It is like in the hymn, ‘reigns the Nazarene alone.Let us connect that to Zephaniah 3:14-17
• Hymn 121 - Glory unto Jesus be!
• Prayer
• Hymn 251 - Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour Thou,
• Prayer
• Hymn 317- How pleasant is the sound of praise
• Breaking of Bread
• Hymn 12 - Sing without ceasing sing
• Ministry: Revelation 4:1; 5:9-10
• Prayer

Ministry: Norman Burgess

Can we read a word or two from Revelation 5. Remember, this is a vision that the apostle John had. Read ch 4:1. Now read ch. 5: 9 - 10: “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”

Children’s Meeting: Philip Burgess

Hymn 332 - Christ the Saviour of Sinners came

Prayer

1 Samuel 17:1-10

Today our story brings us to 1 Samuel 17, which is the story of David and Goliath. David and Goliath is probably one of the best-known Bible stories. David is from Israel and Goliath is from Philistia. This story holds a picture, just like the servant was a picture of the Holy Spirit when he went and got Rebekah. Here, David is a picture of a saviour like Jesus, and Goliath is an enemy, a picture of Satan. Today we’re going to be looking at Goliath.

• Vv.1-3: Here we have a valley. On the hill on one side is the Israelite camp and on the other side was the Philistine camp.
• V.4: The first thing we learn about Goliath is that he is a champion. Now a champion is one who has been in many battles and won lots of them. The next thing we learn about Goliath is that he was very tall. He was nine feet, nine inches; if he was standing in this room (which is about eight feet high), his head would be in the room upstairs. Not only was he big, but he had a lot of armour.
• V.5: First he had a helmet of brass and a coat of mail. Now this is not the type of mail that we get at the door, all taped together; it is iron, woven together. This coat that he wore was 5000 shekels in weight, which is about 125lbs.
• V.6: Next he had greaves. Greaves are something that go around the ankles to give more protection. He also had a target of brass between his shoulders.
• V.7: In his hand, he had a spear; the tip of it weighed about 20 lbs. In front of Goliath was a man holding a big shield, to give him even more protection.
• Vv.8 & 9: So there they were, both armies on their side of the valley. Goliath came out from the Philistine camp and bellowed, “Send a man to fight me; if He loses, you will serve us, but if he wins, we will serve you.” It doesn’t sound too easy, does it?

• V.10: It seems that the Israelites felt very frightened. Have the Israelites ever fought the Philistines before? Just back a couple of chapters, when Jonathan and his armour bearer had fought the Philistines. At that time, God had helped them and had given them a victory, and we’ll see that He will send a saviour at this time, too.

  Reading Meeting: Luke 1:5 - 20

We can think of this as a drama; the curtains are opening on a new scene. When we look at the Old Testament, we see that things are not in good shape; only a few people are going on for the Lord. If we had asked at the end of Malachi, where would things be in 400 years, we would have guessed that nothing would be left, if no prophet came. But now, we see Zacharias and Elisabeth, of the family of Aaron, working in the temple. So, there are still some going on for the Lord. Although there were 400 years, God never let His testimony come to nothing.

We can see here that the Roman Empire is in control. They held the country of Israel at this time. However, it’s incredible to see that the first people “on stage” are going on for the Lord. We can see their state of soul in v. 6. God notes that they are righteous. There were several generations between the Testaments, but we can see that God recognises those who value the truth enough to pass it on to the next generation.

The temple we read about here is Herod’s temple; during those 400 years, the temple Ezra built was rebuilt by Herod. It’s interesting to note what is going on in the temple when God opens the curtains. You might expect to see priests performing burnt offerings at the brazen altar. It’s not that: we see Zacharias burning incense at the golden altar. The brazen altar is a type of salvation for sinners. The golden altar—within the Holy Place—is a picture of praise, an altar for the saint. In this picture, the Lord takes up our cause as saints, not our need as sinners. As the curtain opens, we see a cloud of fragrance going up to God. Zacharias and Elisabeth are in the right position and condition, going on for the Lord.

Hymn 366 - We are little children, very young indeed

Prayer