June 16, 2019
Hymn 230 - I’ve found a Friend, oh, such a Friend!
Prayer
Psalms 103:1-8
Here David is expressing his gratitude. He’s telling his experience of his blessings in the Lord and how it has effected him. This is a Psalm of gratefulness. It starts and ends with “Bless the Lord, O my soul”. Bless means “express or feel gratitude to; thank”. In verse one David is giving his whole being to bless the Lord. We can take example of fans cheering on their team. They give everything to cheer them. We need to with “all that is within” us bless the Lord.
The enemy inside of us doesn’t want us to be grateful. In the Garden of Eden God gave Adam and Eve everything except one tree. Satan came and tempted them. When he did that they became ungrateful. Satan lies to us. He makes us think God is holding something back from us. Instead of focusing on that we need to as the song says “count our blessings one by one”.
In this Psalm David goes through many of his blessings. We have more to be thankful for than David. David lived before Jesus came down.
1 John 3:1
We can know God as our Father. David couldn’t. We also know Jesus as out Saviour. David didn’t. David wouldn’t of had the Holy Spirit either. These are blessings we have.
Ephesians 5:20
We aren’t to give thanks sometimes for somethings. It’s always for everything. It will be difficult to be thankful for everything especially during the hard times; but, we can look to God for help.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
We can give thanks in everything because we know it’s His will. He’s over everything. He sacrificed himself for us. We should be ever thankful.
Psalm 103:12
We know we have a north pole and a south pole, but when traveling east or west we are never going to reach a spot that is the definite east or west. Essentially, they don’t end. That’s how far he’s removed our sin.
We have so many blessings, both spiritual and physically. Let’s be thankful for them.
Lord’s Day June 16, 2019
Reading Meeting
John 13:1-30
We have a change of scenery entering chapter thirteen. The Feast of Passover happened many times, but this time Jesus was the Passover lamb on the cross. Later He was buried, rose from the dead, and left to return to heaven. He wanted to have time to speak to His own. We have a sequence of chapters of what He wanted to tell them. Chapter seventeen is then the prayer and Him going on to the cross.
We read in other places that His hour had “not yet come”, but here we read that it had. We can say that we never know what is ahead for us. Jesus always knew. He knew well what was His portion and He didn’t turn back - “He went forth”.
He was leaving His disciples in a world so messed up and mixed up to return to the Father. That must have been quite a reunion. We read about Him arriving on this earth and all the amazing things He did while here, but we don’t get much information on the day He returned to His Father’s house having completed the most painful assignment. While He was here He was the perfect representation of a perfect, loving, and gracious God. I love to think of what it was like on the other side of the clouds when He returned
The beginning of our chapter shows how He realized that He was leaving He loved ones behind in a world that wasn’t pretty. As He’s contemplating the events about to occur we can see that the disciples held a special place in His heart. It isn’t a human love - It’s special and never changes. Imagine a little group that the Lord says that “their Mine”. “He loved His own”. Many people are proud of the situation that they hold in life; but is there anything better then saying, “I’m one of His own”. What an ownership. In this chapter Jesus hadn’t yet paid the price of ownership, but He knew He would. He love was/is divine, eternal, and doesn’t end. His loved ones won’t be in the world forever. Someday will be the last day.
He could have focused more on what was ahead for Him, but He focused on who He was leaving behind and what they were going to go through. He now works on our behalf in glory.
In other Gospel we read of them preparing the upper room and the Passover. But in this chapter, by verse two, the supper is already ended. This last supper was not the institution of the Lord’s Supper. Judas wasn’t there for that. Judas’ betrayal shows an unregenerate heart. As soon as he is pointed out, he leaves. He wasn’t there for the Lord’s Supper.
The foot washing isn’t told in any other Gospel. Peter in his outspoken way challenged Jesus about washing his feet. It’s almost like he thought it was too low for Jesus. Peter was already washed in one way, but defilement of the pathway is what the Lord was dealing with.
Hymn 350 I will make you fishers of men.
Prayer