December 26, 2010

Morning Meeting

• Hymn 213 - On Calvary we’ve adoring stood

• Scripture:

  • Exodus 19:16 - The hymn begins with adoration, gazing on that cross and the Blessed One on it. The hymn ends by mentioning that the burning mount and its terrors and guilt are gone. We can gaze, not at the mount that brings terrors, but on the Lord, Who has given us life.
  • John 19:25 - “On Calvary we’ve adoring stood,” knowing love and grace not law. It is so precious that we can come to Calvary in adoration for the Blessed One who hung there for us.
• Hymn 283 - When we survey the wondrous cross
• Scripture: 1 King 18:38 & 39 - Let us look at another mount that involves the Children of Israel. This time it is Mount Carmel. Here again we see Israel observing. You know the story. The Prophets of Baal were there. The people were halting between two opinions. This is a picture of Calvary. We see fire again. Israel is like those in the gospel. They were gazing on the cross. “And sitting down they watched Him there.” They seemed very indifferent. The fire of the Lord fell as a consuming fire, v38. There were 12 stones in the altar. How many burnt offerings and sacrifices had been offered on the brazen altar in the temple? However, there was only one offering and that One endured a consuming fire.
• Prayer
• Hymn 345, book 2 - A shameful death He died
• 1 Corinthians 11:26
• Breaking of Bread
• Hymn 98 - Gazing on the Lord in glory
• Acts 1:10

• Prayer

  Children’s Meeting: Dennis Fox

Hymn 282 - What a friend we have in Jesus

Prayer

Luke 19:1-10

In this story we have two men, Jesus and Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus had a problem: he was a sinner. A sinner is one who disobeys God’s commandments. So, here we have Zacchaeus who was a sinner and Jesus, Who was a Saviour. Zacchaeus had everything this world could give him—riches, gold, and more—but he wanted something more. He felt that something was missing. What Zacchaeus was missing was salvation.

Then Zacchaeus heard that Jesus was coming his way. He got up in the morning and planned to go to see Jesus. Zacchaeus ran ahead of the crowd so that He would be able to see Jesus. Zacchaeus was interested in Jesus … and it turned out that Jesus was interested in Zacchaeus as well!

When Jesus went to Zacchaeus’ house, Zacchaeus repented of his sin and was saved. Zacchaeus realized even though He had riches and wealth, he was missing something most important. You can remember the principal behind this story with this little rhyme:

Zacchaeus planned his day to be with Jesus in the way

The Lord Jesus had a path for Zacchaeus; He also has a path for each one of us. Each morning, we should wake and pray that the Lord would help to plan our day in the way that He would have us to go in.

Reading Meeting: Luke 1:46 - 65

Luke 1:46-65

Last time we saw that both Elisabeth and Mary were filled with the Holy Spirit. Mary was magnifying the Lord, recounting what He had done. In her song there are quite a few references to Old Testament scripture. Mary was about to become the mother in the family that the Lord would be born into; and this shows that the Lord’s family respected the word of God.

Also, Mary didn’t pretend to be anyone special. She called herself a handmaiden of low degree. God had asked for her body and she had given it willingly, not trying to dodge responsibility like Moses had. Again we can be reminded that God is also asking us to yield our bodies to Him. To Mary, this was no struggle; rather she considered herself blessed, and gave the praise to God.

Mary calls God, “He that is mighty”. We sing “To God be the glory, great things He hath done”, but Mary made it personal and added “to me”. In connection with verse fifty, she saw not only the mighty things that He did to her, but also through her.

She also called God holy. By reading in the Old Testament about the burning Mount Sinai and the tabernacle, she could have gotten a sense of God’s holiness. That holiness was necessary for our salvation. We couldn’t be saved without it. That holiness should provoke a fear of God in us; and that brings us back to Malachi, because “They that feared the Lord spake often one to another”. That fear was passed on for four hundred years before it got to Mary; and we may well be thankful for the privilege of growing up in a home where the Word of God was precious.

“He hath showed strength with His arm” reminds us of the verse in Isaiah

53. That arm was a figure, because it turned out to be Jesus Himself. God dosen’t have a body, He is omnipotent; He’s everywhere, and here. It’s beyond comprehension.

Mary also said “He hath put down the mighty from from their seats and exalted them of low degree”. We see this in Israel’s history. Haaman was hanged, and Mordecai put in his place, Esther was made queen. Ruth, a Moabitess, was put in Jesus’ lineage. David the Shepherd killed Goliath and eventually became king. In Philippians 2 we see He that was ever in the bosom of the Father is brought to the cross, but then lifted to the Father’s right hand. You and I were dead in trespasses and sins, and are now joint-heirs with Christ. This is the way God works. In 1 Corinthians 1:27 it tells us that God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the mighty. It’s so much different from the world’s ways.

Hymn 357 - Something more than gold

Prayer