December 25, 2016
Scripture:
Scripture:
Read Exodus 15:22 - 25. Moses didn’t understand the meaning that this story has to us. Our emblems are not pictures of the cross—as the tree was—but pictures of the Lord Himself.
Hymn 37 - Tell me the Old, Old Story
Prayer
Just before Jesus went to Jerusalem and the cross, He stopped in one of His favourite towns: Bethany. Let’s take a look at the story.
John 12: 1-8
Bethany was the town that Lazarus lived in. He was the man that Jesus loved, and raised from the dead in John 11. However, this time they were having a feast. Lazarus, Mary, Martha and Jesus were all at the table, and this picture can show us something about Christian character. The table represents fellowship, and it’s wonderful to be together with other believers, and have fellowship over the word of God.
Lazarus sitting at the table with Jesus represents communion. Mary typifies worship. She gave the Lord a precious gift, and worship is something that all the Lord’s people do. Martha shows us service. She didn’t always do it in the right spirit, but what she did was right. Once we’re saved, we should have communion with the Lord like Lazarus did, worship like Mary, and serve like Martha.
Communion is enjoying the Lord in your own heart. There was interaction between the Lord and Lazarus here; they had common thoughts and desires. That’s precious. We need to read the Bible; that’s how the Lord speaks to us. Prayer is how we speak to Him.
Next we have worship. We can’t worship the Lord—or serve Him—properly without communion. Worship flows out of proper communion; it’s the backbone.
Finally we have service. We can serve the Lord wherever we are. Maybe we don’t have much ability, but we can still serve. A Sunday School teacher was once teaching this to her students, and one little girl ask, “What can I do to serve the Lord?” The teacher looked around the room, and saw an empty vase.
“Why don’t you bring a fresh flower for that vase every week?” she said.
The little girl didn’t think that that was much of a service, but she decided to do it; and faithfully every week she brought a flower for the vase. One day the pastor of that church saw the vase and flower, and used it as an illustration in his sermon. That little girl felt so honoured to have done that service. What she thought was unimportant became important.
There’s another story of a hunchback that lived at the base of a mountain. Often he would see guides taking people up to the top of this mountain. One day one of the guides stopped and asked him, “How about I take you to the top?”
“I don’t think I can,” answered the hunchback.
“Well, let’s try it,” said the guide.
So off they went, and before too long the hunchback found himself at the mountain peak, and it was amazing. How did he make it all the way? He did his best; the guide did the rest. We can do our best to serve the Lord; He will do the rest. Maybe that service is making cards that will send an encouraging word to someone; maybe it’s shoveling snow; maybe it’s chopping wood. At any age, there is something that we can do for the Lord.
There was once a slave named Sam. Slavery isn’t a good thing, but Sam actually loved his master, and stayed by his side all day. If his master told him to do something, he would go and do it and then come back, eager for the next task. There was a lady who noticed this, and her prayer was, “Lord, make me more like Sam; eager to serve you.”
So, are we enjoying communion with the Lord? Are we worshiping Him? Are we serving Him as we should?
Colossians 4:14-18
Nymphas held the meetings in his house which is a privilege. There’s not always a meeting room where an assembly can gather, and it’s wonderful to see how houses open. This was an active service. Nymphas and Epaphras each rendered a different service, but all was done for Christ. Service can either be unseen or obvious. While Nymphas was welcoming believers into his home, Epaphras was in his closet.
From the book of Acts it appears that Luke was always with Paul, but he never talks about himself. It was always about the apostles and the work of the Holy Spirit. There would be a big hole in the New Testament without Acts. And here in verse fourteen we have a small statement about his dedicated life.
Paul seems to always include greetings from others in his letters. It is the Christian fellowship. Fellowship is having common thought and desire. This Epistle was dictated, written out, proofread, delivered, read, and passed on. It’s not like that today.
The fact that we have the Word of God is amazing. Don’t neglect it. Paul wanted them to read it and then share it with Laodicea. When you get to Revelation though, the church of Laodicea is at the bottom of the list. If they had taken the instructions in this epistle to heart, things might have been different.
I don’t know what Archippus’s ministry was. In Philemon he is referred to as a fellowsolider. It appears that Paul wrote the last verse as if to make it authentic so they knew it really came from him. There were others who were trying to corrupt God’s Word, and might have tried to write a letter and say it was from Paul. Paul has two things on his heart as he closes: “remember my bonds,” and “grace be to you.”
Hymn 358 - Tell me the story of Jesus
Prayer