April 12, 2015
Scripture:
Let’s turn to Ephesians 2:1,5-7. This morning we started at the cross; we read about those that sat down and watched Him there. We connected it with Hebrews 10 and thought of the way He offered Himself once for sin and sat down on high. And because of that work we are also sitting down up there with Him. What a blessing it is to be brought into this work! God sees us in Christ right now.
Hymn 130 - To God be the glory, great things he hath done
Prayer
Nehemiah 9:6-15
When we began this chapter, we saw that after the Jews had finished building the wall, they had read the law and kept the feasts. Later, they came together to read the law again. They confessed sins, and worshipped and gave thanks to God.
Following this, they had a long prayer confessing their sin to God, and telling of His goodness by going through their history. The things they told about God are very similar to how we know God: they confess that He is Lord alone. Some people worship other gods, but there is only one true God.
Then, they begin to tell of the things God had done for them.
God is a Creator. By speaking, He created everything out of nothing. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Next, they saw how God preserved them all. God is a Sustainer. He keeps everything in creation in line. He has the earth at just the right spot so we don’t freeze or burn up, and He upholds it all. Read Hebrews 1:3. He is caring for all of His creation.
God is Sovereign. Just as a king is sovereign over the area he rules, so God is sovereign over all of creation. God chose Abraham, and decided that he would be the father of all the Children of Israel. God had chosen them, and they realized that.
God made a covenant with Abraham and found him faithful, and God kept His promise. He had promised the land for His people. God is a Giver. He is a keeper of His promises.
Then they recalled their time in Egypt and their bondage. The Children of Israel were in captivity in Egypt, but God led Moses. He brought the plagues, and brought them out of Egypt. He parted the Red Sea for them to cross through. God is a Deliverer. He delivered them from their bondage.
Once out of their bondage, they were in the wilderness. In the wilderness, God provided a cloud to lead them by day, and a pillar of fire by night. God is a Leader.
God gave Moses the ten commandments for the Children of Israel to live by. God communicated with them so they knew how to live according to His ways. He is a Communicator.
They remembered how, when they were hungry, He fed them with manna; and when they were thirsty, he gave them water. He provided for their needs. God is a Provider.
God is each of these things to us too. He is our Creator and Sustainer. He is Sovereign over us. He gives and keeps His promises to us. He delivered us from sin and Satan, and He leads us through life down here. He communicates with us, and has made a way that we can communicate with Him. And He provides for our every need. He provides for us here on earth, and has also given us a heavenly portion.
Acts 27:27-44
Paul and his shipmates drifted about for 14 days. Finally, at midnight, the sailors perceived that they were near to some country, but weren’t sure which. They still didn’t have any control over their direction, so they threw four anchors out of the stern to keep from being wrecked.
Some of the sailors then decided to jump ship with the small boat. Paul warned the soldiers, however, that these men had to stay in the ship for all to be saved. God had promised that all would be saved, but that was on condition that all stay with the ship; so the soldiers cut the boat loose. There is only one way of salvation!
Then Paul encouraged the sailors to eat, because they hadn’t touched anything for two weeks. He had told them that all lives would be saved, but that the ship would be lost. In front of all, he took bread, thanked the Lord, broke and ate it. His example cheered the rest, and His actions testified to his belief in what God had said. He was like Abraham, hoping when all seemed hopeless.
After they had eaten, the sailors threw all the rest of the wheat overboard. They discovered a certain creek and shore, and decided to ram the ship into it. This they did, and the front of the boat stuck fast. The back of the boat, though, was broken with the waves.
The soldiers under the centurion wanted to kill all the prisoners so that none of them would escape. Julius wanted to save Paul, though, so he kept them from killing anyone. He told all that could swim to jump into the water and make for land, and all others to float on boards and other wreckage.
If this story is a parallel to the church on the way to heaven, you’d like to think that some would make it to harbour under full sail. There were, however, dark, war-ridden periods of church history that were anything but biblical. Eventually came a time when Paul’s doctrines were heeded, and they helped bring things back on track.
Evangelically, we can see that these sailors tried what seemed right to them, but it didn’t work. Paul provided the only way of hope and salvation available. Personally, this story represents times in our lives that are confused, and we are operating without the map and compass of God’s word. There is only one right way, and we must stay on that path of truth. We need to not only be saved, but also to be preserved.
This story also shows that the Christian life isn’t a joy-ride, as many today make it out to be. There are tough times, but God is with us through them all. The Christian life isn’t made to be lived without Him! God made us, and takes responsibility for us. His hand is in all that happens.
The trouble Paul and his companions ran into was their environment. That was what they didn’t have any control over. The sailors committed themselves to the sea, but Paul talked to and committed himself to the One that was over the sea.
Hymn 200 – ‘Tis the hope of his coming
Prayer