June 19, 2016
Scripture:
Ministry:
Read Revelation 4:11. In this part of Revelation, John is looking into heaven. He is seeing the future. In this verse, the Lord is being praised as the Creator.
But now, read Revelation 5:9 & 10. Here, the Lord is being praised as the Redeemer. We are able to praise Him in both way, and we will do that in His presence one day, when we sing a new song.
Hymn 42 The great Physician now is near
Prayer
Mark 5:22-24, 35-43
The third part of our chapter is about Jesus healing a child.
One of the rulers of the synagogue came to Jesus and bowed down before Him. His little girl was dying and He wanted Jesus to come and heal her. She hadn’t passed away yet; she was at the point of death. She was in a very critical condition. We’ve all heard ambulances going around with their sirens blaring, and lights flashing. Everyone stops for them. When you’re at the point of death, every second counts.
The ruler, Jairus, begged Jesus to come with him. He said, “If You just come and touch her, she shall live.” This is a father whose daughter was about to die. He was on his knees begging Jesus to come and see her. Well, Jesus went with him.
This is actually when the woman with the disease came up behind Jesus and touched the hem of His garment. You can imagine how Jairus was feeling during the whole episode. He was probably very anxious. Just as Jesus told the woman, “Thy faith hath made thee whole, go in peace,” a man came up to Jairus and said, “Don’t bother Jesus anymore; your daughter’s dead.” There is a saying that says “Where there is life, there is hope.” Well, the reverse is also true: where there is death, there is no hope. Jairus thought that while she was still breathing Jesus could heal her, but now that she was dead nothing could be done. Jesus gave Jairus some encouraging words. He said, “Be not afraid, only believe.”
They finally reached the house. Everyone at the house was crying, and weeping because the little girl was gone. Jesus told everyone that she wasn’t dead, but only sleeping. Well, the people, who had been weeping laughed at Jesus. They were mockers. Don’t be a mocker. Jesus was above the situation, and was in control. He ignored all of them, and went to the damsel. He started talking to one who was thought to be dead. He told the “dead” girl to arise. Those who were mocking, and then laughing were now astonished. What a different effect it had when they saw the one they thought dead rise up and walk.
Jesus is the Lord of life. He can give it, and did give it. He took the little girl raised her up and she walked. He told the parents to give her something to eat so she would be nourished and have strength.
Well, this finishes our three-part story. The man we read about was told go and testify to others about what the Lord had done for him. He was to be a testimony for the Lord. What a story he had to tell! We can also testify of what God has done for us. The woman who had the disease for twelve years was told to go in peace. She had been saved from her sin. She now had the peace of God, and peace with God. The girl was told to eat something so she would be nourished. We get spiritually nourished through the Bible. There is so much to learn from these three stories.
Philippians 4:8-23
Looking at this list, we can see that the thoughts of the world are very far from what Paul tells us we should be thinking about. Last we left off at “lovely”. What is lovely to the Old Nature is degrading to the New. This morning we were able to think about the beauty of the Lord; those are lovely things. When we were unsaved we dealt with the “muck rake” (Pilgrim’s Progress), and thought about muck. Now we’re saved, and are to think on lovely things.
There is so much strife and hatred today, but we can dwell on the things that are sweet to the Lord. It’s like the difference between Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon. In Ecclesiastes, the author was focused on things under the sun; we on the other hand are to set our minds on things above. Most things around have a bad report, but we can occupy with what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord. Isaiah asked, “Who has believed our report?” His report was better then what was happening in the nation of Israel at that point. God was revealing His arm; His Son coming to deliver us from our sins.
We can’t ignore evil, whether in our own lives or in the assembly. However, knowing and dealing with evil is one thing, dwelling on and occupying our minds with it is another. It will then affect us. We need to dwell on things that will help us have the right spirit before God and man. We need to gird up the loins of our minds, and keep them out of the dirt. As we try to do this, though, the Devil will try harder to make us think about wrong things.
Virtue and praise. Virtue is spiritual energy, moral courage, or effectiveness (e.g., the virtue of Christ’s blood). It’s good if we can find subjects to think about that are both virtuous and praiseworthy. It’s better to think about what we can praise than on what we can criticize. We should look for the positives.
Now, verse 9 shows us that we’re not just to think on these things, we’re to do them. What we think about affects our actions, though. Paul told the Philippians that he was their example; what they learned, received, heard, and saw him do they were to do. Paul practiced what he preached, and so should we. Others, especially the young, are watching us, and so is the Lord. May we learn to do these things, and that will take receiving, hearing, and seeing. The result will be that the God of peace will be with us. That’s precious. There is strife and conflict in the world, but there shouldn’t be in our homes and assemblies.
God is with us, even in turmoil. Verse 7 says he will keep our hearts and minds in peace. God’s peace is not the absence of trials, but His presence in trials. Even during his trial and crucifixion, the Lord had peace. When He was challenged, He didn’t answer back. He was on track with the program.
So may we remember that our thought life is very important. Whatever we love most will occupy our minds. May we love the right things!
Hymn 171 - On the lamb our souls are resting
Prayer