September 23, 2018
Hymn 358 - Tell me the story of Jesus
Prayer
We’ll look at the 22nd Psalm today. In the Gospel of Luke, we get the story of Jesus walking along with two of His disciples, explaining from the Old Testament all about His sufferings and death, and they probably talked about this Psalm, because it is about the cross (which is central to our salvation). The Jews condemned Jesus to death, but they couldn’t kill Him without permission from the Roman representatives: Herod and Pilate. We’ll see pictures of some of these people as we read this Psalm. We’ll also see some of what Jesus was feeling as He went through this suffering.
Psalm 22:1-2. The Lord quoted these first words while hanging on the cross. The Gospels tell us that He endured three hours of darkness in which He felt very alone. God the Father and Jesus were one in their unity; yet during those three hours God judged Him for our sins, and abandoned His Son. That may have hurt Jesus more than any physical suffering did. What a work He did for us!
Vv.12-15. The bulls here are a picture of the Jews. Bulls can get very angry and out of control, only wanting to destroy whatever is annoying them. The Jews were focused on killing Jesus, no matter what it took. These verses also show us some of the physical sufferings the Lord would have gone through: things like dehydration.
Vv.16-18. These dogs represent the Roman soldiers that crucified Jesus; those who pierced His hands and His feet. They had no heart; they were just there to do a job. They treated Jesus roughly, and gambled over His clothing. They were a cruel bunch of men.
Vv.19-21. In the Bible we are told that it’s Satan who goes about as a roaring lion. He wanted to kill Jesus too, and his power was death. However, God allowed this whole situation to happen for our salvation. He did hear His Son’s cries, and brought Him out of the grave in resurrection. Jesus died to pay for our salvation, but was raised from the dead. Just before He died, Jesus said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” His Father heard Him, and took Him to Himself. He died as a martyr for our sakes.
Vv.22,27. This morning we praised the Lord for what He has done for us. So much of what happen at the cross is a mystery, but this psalm was written so that we would understand it better, and be more grateful for it.
Lord’s Day September 23, 2018
Reading Meeting
Philippians 1:20,21; 2:5-11; 3:7-14; 4:10-20
We can give each chapter of Philippians a title.
If you are not motivated you probably don’t put as much effort into something. Magnify means to make bigger. There are many in the world today who belittle Christ and make nothing of Him. The Apostle Paul wanted to magnify Him. Not just in what he said, but also in his body. This was his desire. Some of us who are older sometimes wonder why we’re still here. It’s for Christ to be glorified. We don’t do it in our own strength. We need to be occupied with what He is in order to glorify Him. Christ is the model. It is His desire for us to be involved in His life. Paul as Saul was very motivated. He was tied up in all of it, but when he became a Christian he turned around and was the exact same way for the Lord. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these thing shall be added unto you.” Paul said he had it all because he had Christ. He was content in every state. He had it all because everything was added unto him. His motive was right.
Jesus said that He didn’t seek His own glory. He held the purpose of glorifying the Father. He stepped down from His rightful position in humility. He stooped so low and now He is given a high place. He was made in man’s likeness. He came to show us what man should be. He perfectly man and God; He is grace and truth. He was humble, obedient and He got death. He was always in the bosom of the Father, but on Calvary God’s wrath was poured out on Him. His exultation isn’t down here. People reject Him when you try to magnify Him. But God has exulting Him as Prince and Saviour. Can you imagine the other side of the clouds when He ascended. What was it to see the glory arrive back with everything perfectly done.
Where He is now is the mark we aim for. When you cross the finish line you’re with Him. If you don’t have a goal before you it’s not much of a race. Someone who is racing isn’t looking around them at other things. We’re told to lay aside every weight and sin. The weight is holding us back. The more we know of Him the more excellent He is to us. It is easy for young people to become occupied with objects. But the more occupied with the Lord the more wonderful He is to us. Other things will pale in comparison. You can see Paul’s effort shown in these verses.
When our thoughts are aligned with His we have the strength to do all things. It can be easy to miss use this verse. Paul was stuck in a prison when he was writing this. Paul’s “all things” didn’t mean all things. He was given strength for God’s will for Him. Strength to endure - that is real strength. It’s not the type of strength Samson had when he broke out of the city at his own will. His was a physical strength. The strength Paul had was different.
The bigger we see God the smaller our need looks Sometimes it’s hard to realize what our need actually is. God gives strength to rise above, because what God brings us to He will bring us through. There is a story about a millionaire who gave a bit of change to a beggar on the side of the road. It is said that he didn’t give according to his riches. But the Lord gave according to His riches.
Hymn 179 - Nothing but Christ, as on we tread
Prayer