October 28, 2012
Scripture:
Hymn 294 - Around the throne of God in Heaven
Prayer
The Israelites were worshipping the idol Baal; because of this, the Lord had let no rain fall for three and a half years. Last time, we read of the contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. There, Israel saw who the real God was. The prophets of Baal showed that their god was not real when they were unable to start their altar.
1 Kings 18:40 - 46
It was Elijah’s prayer that the Israelites’ hearts would be turned back to God. Once they saw Elijah’s altar ignite, their words were, “The Lord, He is God!” Surely there was a change in the hearts of the Israelites, but there didn’t seem to be a change in the heart of Ahab. Instead of giving glory to God, he started to eat and drink. But Elijah, instead of eating and drinking, went to the mountain-top to pray. We can clearly see the difference between Ahab and Elijah: one was occupied in his own plan and the other was occupied with the Lord and His promise. Each of us can gauge our own heart by our prayer life and hunger for the Word.
At the beginning of the chapter, the Lord promised Elijah that rain would come and it did. God has made many precious promises to us in His word. He promised that He will never leave us, that He will supply our needs, and that He will come again. God wants to see the faith in our lives, just like He did in Elijah’s. There are two reasons why we should pray: one, it is a tool we use to make promises a reality; and two, prayer draws us closer to God and shows our dependence on the Lord. May our faith be strengthened by the promises in the Bible.
Luke 17
Jesus told the story of the rich man and Lazarus to the Pharisees, but He now starts talking to His disciples.
“Offences” are stumbling blocks, and it’s better to drown than to put a stumbling block in front of a young person. Romans 14:13 mentions stumbling blocks (following the solemn verse 10); and II Corinthians 6:3-4a mentions offences. There are three lists starting in II Corinthians 6:4 and going down to verse 10 (the “in” things in vv.4-5; the “by” things in vv.6-7; and the paradoxes in vv.8-9). These are all under the heading of “Giving no offence”. Think of the stumbling block we may put in another’s way if we fail to give no offence. For example, if one person leaves the meeting, often another, and another will leave. How many people stumble because of the actions of one person? It’s a serious matter. The Lord mentioned stumbling a young child, but this might also refer to babes in Christ. So we are warned: take heed!
The next issue is difficult. Often when people trespass against us we bite our tongues and don’t say anything for fear of offending them. But that’s not necessarily the right response. We need to wash one another’s feet and rebuke them; but we need to learn to do it in a way that doesn’t give offence. That’s why we need everything from the lists in II Corinthians 6. But what if our brother trespasses against us again? If he repents, forgive him. We should be thankful if a brother gives a word of correction. He’s trying to help us. There are some people, though, who, it seems, will never say that they’re sorry.
Repentance is judging ourselves, and it’s an important factor in salvation. Acts 20:21 tells us that the gospel is “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ”. God certainly forgives us, and so we should forgive others.
The twelve apostles felt the weight of this and asked the Lord to increase their faith. Our Lord told them that they didn’t necessarily need big faith, just active faith. The mustard seed was small, but it was alive. As we sometimes say, “It’s not the quantity, but the quality.”
Some people say that the sycamine tree is like our old nature. We need to go to the source of it and pluck it up by the roots. Connect this with Romans 8:13-15. We can’t truly “kill” our old nature, but we must hold it in a place of death.
The Lord knew that He was going to leave the disciples as sheep among wolves, so He was trying to teach them and prepare them for that time.
Hymn 334 - Glad T-I-D-I-N-G-S
Prayer
P.S. The “As unknown and yet well known” from II Corinthians 6 is on Mr.Darby’s headstone.