January 1, 2017
Scripture:
Scripture:
Scripture:
Hymn 140 - Will your anchor hold in the storms of life?
Prayer
In the Bible, we get different pictures of how we grow spiritually; and we’re going to look at one of those today. We know that to grow spiritually takes time. A farmer doesn’t just get up one morning and say, “I think I’ll harvest some wheat.” No, there was a lot that he would have to do first if he wanted to harvest wheat; and it’s the same spiritually. Today, let’s look at the Bible picture of roots. Roots are the underground parts of plants and trees, they do different things; and they give us a spiritual picture.
Proverbs 12:3 tells us that the root of the righteous person will not be moved. Roots are like anchors: they hold plants in place so that they don’t fall over. As we said, they are also underground, so we usually don’t see them. This is like the private part of our lives; the part where we study the Word of God and pray by ourselves. Though many people don’t see us do it, studying the Bible will help anchor our spiritual life, just like the roots of a tree.
Next, Proverbs 12:12 talks about fruit. A tree needs to eat to produce fruit, and that’s what the roots do; they collect the water and nutrients needed. It’s important. In the parable of the sower, Jesus said that the sun scorched some of the seeds trying to grow because they didn’t have roots. That’s why we must be anchored and grounded in the Word of God; so we don’t fall when trials come. Also, we need to feed on the Bible so that we’ll produce spiritual fruit, like the service that we spoke of last week.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 says that the man who trusts in the Lord is blessed. Trust is like an anchor. We trust the Lord as our Saviour to save us, and as our Shepherd to lead us. We don’t have to be afraid, because we know He will guide us.
This tree in Jeremiah was planted by a river. It was always able to get moisture, and so it was always green. We need to be always feeding on the Scriptures. If we study them deeply, we’ll get the nourishment that we need. Even in a drought, when other trees would be dying, this tree was still able to get water.
Psalm 1:2-3. This man delighted in the Law of the Lord. That’s what we should feed and meditate on, because that’s how we’ll produce fruit. And not only will we produce fruit; but the tree of our life will not wither.
So, are we trying to grow roots? Are we reaching down for the water of the Word? Maybe we’re just reading the stories of the Bible, but it’s still good to have those in our minds. Time for reading the word should be in our schedules. The roots that we put down will keep safe and feed us in our Christian path.
1 Thessalonians 1
This is one of the most upbeat chapters in any epistle. The Thessalonians’ roots had taken in a lot from the Apostle, and there had been fruit as a result - work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope. It seems that this was a great little assembly, and the freshness of it is beautiful. I hope we’re an assembly like that. It’s obvious, though, that this wasn’t how it had always been. They had originally served idols. Paul, who had showed them the way of salvation, was now saying to them, “We give thanks to God always for you”. He was praising God for them. The Thessalonians seemed to drink in the truth and let it work. But it appears they were not clear on the Lord’s coming. They were rejoicing in salvation, and the souls that were being won; but there were others who were dying, and they were afraid of what they were going to miss.
At the beginning of Acts seventeen Paul is in Thessalonica, but at the end he is in Athens. This could be one of the first epistles, written between 53-54 A.D., because Timotheus is still with him.
In Ephesians the “in Christ” had an individual flavour. That’s not how it is here. It is to the assembly or church. God sees them as “in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ”, and as is typical of Paul it’s with grace and peace. Jesus is the One who came down so we could have intimacy with the Father. Christ is the anointed One. And God is the Father. There are two of the trinity brought before us in that.
So, this assembly was characterized by their “work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope”. The difference between the work of faith and the labour of love is that one is an action based on a premise, and the other is an action based on emotion. You might have the faith to do the work, but you might not be happy about doing it. We can also see all of these things again at the end of the chapter. In Revelation 2:2 the work, labor, and patience is there, but not the faith, love, and hope. These are things that are to be done from the heart, and the emotion goes with it. Paul does also mention these things in Colossians 1:3-5. In 1. Corinthians 13:13 the love, hope, and faith are mentioned. We need to take stock of ourselves. How are we doing?
Hymn 350 - I will make you fisher of men
Prayer