May 31, 2015
Scripture:
Let’s turn to Exodus 27 where we find a few pictures of Calvary in the furniture of the tabernacle. We will look at the brazen altar. Read vv. 1 - 5. The altar was about four and a half feet tall, but the sacrifices were put about halfway down into it, not on top. The sacrifice was slain, given to the priest who would put it in the altar to be burned. After it was put on the altar, the offerer would not be able to see it any more. This is just like the darkness that surrounded the cross, when God was pouring out the judgement for all the sins of many on Jesus. He was alone, forsaken. We see that here in this altar, even though this took place long before.
Hymn 333 - Come to the Saviour, make no delay
Prayer
Nehemiah has built the walls of Jerusalem. After the building was done, Ezra read the law of God to the people. They saw what their fathers had done was wrong, and they confessed their sin. They wanted to make a covenant to be faithful to what they had heard.
Nehemiah 9:38
Chapter 10 starts off with a list of the people who singed this covenant. Nehemiah is the first name in the list. Then twenty-two priests, seventeen Levites, and forty-four of the chief of the people signed after him. This sealed the covenant.
Those of us who are saved don’t live by a covenant, rather by the word of God. But we can still learn from the Children of Israel.
Nehemiah 10:28-32
They talked about God’s law, which was given to them by Moses. They promised to observe it. They entered into an oath that they would follow the law. Their hearts were open to receive instruction.
We have God’s word, the Bible. We can turn to it to find the truth, and instruction on how to live. We also must have open hearts so it can have an effect on us and teach us.
We must be careful of the friendships that we make. Our friends will have an influence on us for good or for bad.
1 Corinthians 15:33
Bad company can ruin good manners. It can turn us away from what we know to be true. The Children of Israel wanted to make sure they had right relationships. We need friends to encourage us in the Lord. We must also be careful with relationships online, not only in person. We should seek to honour the Lord with our relationships.
The Children of Israel also purposed not to buy anything from the people who were at the gates on the Sabbath day. We have the first day of the week; the Lord’s Day. We can gather together to remember the Lord’s death and resurrection. There is not a “Christian Sabbath.”
If a man borrowed money from his brother or neighbour, if it wasn’t fully paid at the end of the seventh year, he was forgiven. He no longer had to pay the debt. Jesus paid our debt of sin. We are offered forgiveness. God forgave us of a debt we couldn’t pay.
Ephesians 4:32
We are encouraged, in this verse, to forgive one another as we were forgiven (I John 1:9). If someone does something against us, we need to forgive them like Jesus forgave us.
Verse 32 of Nehemiah 10 talks of the “House of our God.” This phrase is used through the rest of the chapter. They set aside a certain amount of money each year to give to the house of the Lord. It helped to provide what ever might be needed for the temple. God gives us everything we have, and we can use it to honour Him.
We must have a heart that is open to God’s Word, and be careful of the friends we have and their influence. Honouring the Lord on Lord’s Day, and forgiving those who offended us - these are all different ways of how to be a light for the Lord in our daily path.
Ephesians 1:7-14
The glory of the grace of God and the riches of the grace of God are two different things, and our brother Steve Labelle brought those differences out recently. The glory of God’s grace is it’s character—what it is and does. The riches of His grace, however, is a quality measure—His grace is infinite and exhaustless. But for this grace, we wouldn’t be able to carry on.
What is glory? It is the manifestation of what makes God great. If a rich man gives to a poor man, he is sharing his riches. If he invited him to become part of his family, though, he would be sharing his glory. It’s like the prodigal son. The father shared his riches in giving him the robe, shoes, and ring; but he shared his glory when he restored his sonship. God has shared His glory with us. We have been invited into His family, and have a share in both the riches and glory of His grace. In His presence we are in Christ; seen in all of His beauty. We have been accepted in the Beloved, which means we have been accepted as the Beloved.
God didn’t gloss over the obstacle of sin between us: He removed it. We have been brought onto a righteous ground, through His “wisdom and intelligence” (Darby).
The will of God is no longer mysterious, because He has made it known. There have been many, though, to whom it was a mystery: some of the prophets probably wondered what they were being inspired to write about. The mystery was as to His will, and sometimes we can be astonished at what God’s will is, especially to those totally undeserving of anything good. We have been “blessed…with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ”!
God had a purpose to all that He did, and accomplished it at Calvary. He was acting for His own glory, pleasure, and delight. It made Him happy to rescue us! He is also in charge—is the administrator—of the times of man. One day—at the Millennium—He will gather together all things on earth and heaven together in Christ. That is another of His purposes.
Verse 10-14 speak of two people groups: “we” refers to the Jews, while “ye” means the Gentiles. When we were saved, we received the Holy Spirit. One of the Persons of the God-head now dwells within us. He is the earnest and seal of our salvation. Just as a rancher brands his cattle to show their ownership, so the Holy Spirit is a sign that we belong to God. That same rancher may be getting ready to put his herd of cattle into a beautiful fresh pasture, and—while he finishes branding the rest of the cattle—cuts a few armfuls of the grass for those done and waiting. That’s like us, with a foretaste of heaven and the Holy Spirit as one of our blessings.
It’s impossible for us to fully appreciate the blessings that we have been brought into. The unbeliever can’t, because the natural man can’t understand spiritual things, just as 1 Corinthians 2:14 says. These truths are foolish to unbelievers, and they declare it to be so. 1 Corinthians 2:14-16 tells us that we have been given the mind of Christ; which is precious to know with all the attacks on the Scriptures and God. Yet God has revealed Himself through three avenues: creation, His word, and the Lord Jesus Christ. He invites us, “Ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13).
As Christians, our question is, “Why me? Why am I so blessed?”
Hymn 369 — I claim for my own a King on the throne
Prayer