POTD
Month: January 2021
Reflection on Exodus 37:1-38:31
Scripture
The people brought special offerings of gold totalling 2,193 pounds (about 1,000 kg).
Application
Bezael constructs the Ark of the Covenant ad the furnishings for the Tabernacle or Tent of Meeting.
We can let the numbers and details of the Tabernacle go past us because we have no point of reference. Here we are told that close to a tonne of gold went into the various furnishings.
It is impossible to compare values in our economy with the economy of the ancient world. In today’s money the gold is worth 84 million Australian dollars, and the silver is worth $40 million.
This was an amazingly costly undertaking for the people of Israel. They had only recently been slaves in Egypt, but now had resources to build this massive portable Temple.
It truly was a miracle of God’s provision.
Prayer
Lord, if you can provide that much gold and silver for a people in the wilderness, I know that you can supply what I need. Amen.
Today’s Sermon
Ephesians 4:5
Here is my commentary on Ephesians 4:5 . I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au
Ephesians 4:5
“… one Lord, one faith, one baptism,… “
Paul continues his list of things that unite christians.
We have one Lord, Jesus Christ, our Saviour and our Redeemer .
To confess that Jesus is Lord is to proclaim that he is the supreme ruler in our heart, and in our lives.
To say that Jesus is Lord is to deny every other idol that would seek to become lord in our lives. To say “Jesus is Lord” is to say that money is not our lord, that self is not our lord, the family is not our lord .
For people in the Roman Empire, there was a requirement that all people acknowledge Caesar is lord. This meant to swear allegiance to the emperor as the single entity that united all the tribes and nations under Roman sway.
At various times, under several Emperors, it was compulsory for every person to offer incense and publicly declare “Caesar is Lord.” This was not a problem for most people, and Jews were given an exemption, but for christians this was a big imposition. For christians Jesus is the only Lord, and even Caesar has to submit to Him. This became a flash point between the Kingdom and the Empire leading to widespread persecution .
There is only one Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ .
To say “Jesus is Lord” is to commit to obeying him in every sector of life. It is about obedience and loyalty. If an employer or a government asks us to do something contrary to God’s plan, then we respectfully refuse. As the apostles said in Acts 5:28, “ we must obey God rather than men.”
There is one faith.
Christ is not divided into denominations, and faith is shared across denominations.
Even where there is a variety of expressions of christianity, it is one faith. Although it often seems that the church is fragmented, the truth is that christians agree on 99% of doctrine, and disagree on relatively minor points .
Issues of church government, eschatology, the use of spiritual gifts, and so on, pale into insignificance compared to the central truth about salvation, the love and holiness of God, the hope we have in Christ, and the Trinity .
There is one faith. We are used to arguing about the marginal details that we forget that there is no disagreement on the important points of doctrine.
When we look at the New Testament, especially the book of Acts, we see a diversity of expressions of faith. There is no hint that the church at Rome is separated from the church at Antioch, even though they operated in very different contexts. They may have had very different worship Styles and doctrinal positions , but they were United in their love for the lord. A deficient faith does not mean no faith.
There is one baptism.
There are so many different beliefs about baptism that it is almost impossible to accept that there is just one baptism. There is infant baptism, adult baptism, sprinkling and full immersion. Some will only baptise in churches, while others will only that baptise in public spaces. Some baptise into the name of Jesus, but others baptise into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Some baptise immediately on profession of faith, but others say that teaching in the ways of the Lord must come first.
In all of that variety, Paul says there is one baptism.
Baptism is about being introduced or Incorporated into the Body of Christ. Whatever and however it is practised, it is a sign that a person has been welcomed into Christ’s Kingdom and therefore into the church .
Baptism is always a faith statement whether it is a child being baptised or an adult. In either case, we cannot see the future of the person, or whether they will remain true to Christ. All we know is that on this day this person (or their parent) is claiming to be a follower of Jesus. We cannot see if that is a true claim, or whether they will persevere to the end. So the church baptises people in faith.
The sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion carry the power of the Holy Spirit in an enhanced way. They are vehicles of God’s grace, and not just religious ceremonies. When the church baptises a person, the Spirit of God is moving.
Baptism represents a person dying and rising to new life in Christ. The old nature is drowned in the water, and the person is raised to eternal life in God. Baptism is about death and resurrection more than it is about cleansing.
This verse has often been invoked to prohibit a person from being re-baptised. This is not the intention here. If a person is baptised and subsequently leaves the fellowship of the church for a time, there is nothing to stop them from being re-baptised. The second occasion is as much a celebration of the “one baptism” as the first occasion .
Key points in this verse
- There is one Lord, Jesus Christ
- Christians must determine that nothing else can be lord in their lives
- We may disagree on doctrines or practice, but there is one faith
- There is one baptism into the one church
Reflection on Exodus 35:1-36:38
Scripture
So Moses gave the command, and the message was sent through the camp: “Men and women, don’t prepare any more gifts for the sanctuary. We have enough!” So the people stopped bringing their sacred offerings. Their contributions were more than enough to complete the whole project.
Application
The craftsmen begin the project of constructing the Tabernacle in the wilderness. The call goes out for people to bring the materials needed as a sacred offering to the Lord. The people respond so generously that Moses has to tell them to stop giving.
Has there ever been a time in the recent history of the church where a pastor has said, “Stop giving! We have enough already!”
There are two miracles in this episode.
Firstly, the people had faith and resources to give so freely to the project. Often churches and pastors have to plead with people to have faith to give generously to anything,
Whole books have been written and training courses have been developed to help pastors motivate their people to be generous.
Here in the desert, a nation of former slaves have miraculously got the materials needed. And they also have the faith in God’s provision for them to be able and willing to give.
The second miracle is for those in charge of the project to recognise that they had more than enough. They had the same kind of belief to know that God would provide all that they needed to complete what they had begun.
When we read through Exodus it is easy to focus on the failings of the Israelites. Here they show how great their faith really was.
Prayer
Thank you Lord for these people who show us how to give generously and faithfully for your works. Amen.
POTD
Life Matters
Our local newspaper, The Courier, has started publishing articles from local pastors.
I was up for the first one of 2021, published today
Life Matters
Keith Bates
Congratulations! If you are reading this, you survived 2020!
While last year seemed for many people to have more challenges than most years, 2021 stands before us seemingly bearing many opportunities and possibilities.
Any New Year, but especially this time around, feels like an opportunity for a new start, a new beginning, a new chance to be the person we would like to be. It’s ridiculous to place so much value on what is just another date on the calendar, but we have this wired- in expectation that we can do so much better if we try a little harder.
This is the appeal of New Year’s Resolutions of course. We take the opportunity to make a new start at doing those things which we know we should be doing. That is why January is the busiest month for gym operators and February, not so much.
Did you make a Resolution this year? How is it working out for you? I find that the chocolate is still calling me from the fridge as much as it ever does.
So we want to be better people, in some way, and most of the time we find it’s too hard. We can’t do it ourselves because we are too trapped into old patterns of living.
In the Bible we read this interesting passage: “But to all who believed him (Jesus) and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.”
Being reborn sounds like the ultimate restart. You can get to do it all over and maybe not make so many mistakes this time around. Better still, the things we have done that separate us from God are swept away and we get a new start with Him.
Maybe this year’s resolution could be a prayer: “Lord I want to follow you. Please come into my heart and give me that new start.”
Reflection on Exodus 34:1-35
Scripture
When Moses came down Mount Sinai carrying the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, he wasn’t aware that his face had become radiant because he had spoken to the Lord.
Observation
At the Lord’s command, Moses chisels two tablets of stone like the ones that had been destroyed. He takes them up Mount Sinai where the Lord meets with him.
The Lord promises to drive out other nations before them, but they must promise never to make a treaty with the people living in the land. They will lead the Israelites into all kinds of idolatry.
Moses stays on the mountain with the Lord for forty days and nights. The Lord inscribes the Ten Commandments on the stone tablets.
When Moses comes down from the mountain, he is not aware that his face is glowing from his encounter with the Lord. Aaron and the people become afraid of the radiance of Moses’ face. He then adopts the practice of wearing a veil, except when he goes to meet with the Lord.
Application
When we meet with the Lord or live in the conscious presence of the Holy Spirit, our countenance will change. We may not have a physical glow as Moses seems to have had, but we will be changed.
Pressure and stress will give way to peace. Animosity towards others will be replaced with love. The joy of the Lord will shine from us.
We are not usually aware of this because to us it is normal. However, when you see news items that show christians reacting to tragedy and non-christians in similar circumstances, the contrast becomes evident.
We do not have to pile on the cosmetics to look younger. No, the presence of the Holy Spirit will do that for us. Really, we should expect that if we dwell in the presence of the One who is Life then life will be shining through us all the time.
Prayer
Lord, I love your presence. Please help me to seek you out at every opportunity, to draw closer to you so that your life will flow through me. Amen.
POTD
Ephesians 4:4
Here is my commentary on Ephesians 4:4 . I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au
Ephesians 4:4
“There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to one hope when you were called.”
This verse begins what might be called Paul’s unity appeal. There is one God and one church. No matter how we express this, it comes back to one God and one Body united to him by faith.
All of the divisions and controversies; all of the doctrines; all of the different approaches to church life; these are nothing compared to our unity in Christ.
There is only one body of Christ. The church is organically linked under the Holy Spirit so that when one part hurts because of persecution or because of sin then all parts hurt.
If you ask how many churches are in a particular town or locality, the correct answer is “one”. If you ask how many churches there are in the world, the answer is still “one.”
The church is the Body of Christ and as such there can only be one body, one church. If it were any other way, we would say that Christ’s body is pulled apart, cut into many pieces or that Christ has many bodies .
Each expression of the one church, then, is in some ways deficient unless it actively seeks unity with other expressions of the church .
This unity is not denominational or institutional. This is an organic unity that grows in recognition that Christ is as validly present in another congregation as He is in my congregation..
In human terms, it seems that any true unity beyond denominational boundaries is impossible. On the other hand, God is the God of the impossible, and He delights to do what people say cannot do be done.
It is possible that the rediscovery of the apostles will provide a focus for unity in the future. Apostolic networks are based around relational connections and therefore transcend denominational constraints. It may be that the apostles bear witness to the organic unity of the church over and above institutional structures.
There is one Spirit over the church. The Holy Spirit who leads and directs me is the same Spirit who leads and directs you. The one Holy Spirit is the one who transforms people through His fruit (Galatians 5:22) and the one who equips the church with His gifts (1 Corinthians 12:7-11).
As stated in the previous verse, when Christians fight and refuse to enter into the unity of the Holy Spirit, it is they who are divided, not the Spirit .
While it is possible that evil spirits can afflict congregations and denominations, this does not affect the fact that there is one Holy Spirit that leads the church. If individuals, congregations, or denominations are deceived and pursue another spirit, the one Spirit of God is not removed or overcome by this.
We cannot say that my group has more or less of the Spirit than another group because the one Spirit is present in both. One group might be more receptive to the Spirit than another group, but this does not mean they have more of the Spirit .
In Acts 19, Paul meets with the church in Ephesus and discovers there they are lacking. He asks them if they received the Holy Spirit when they believed, and they say “We have not even heard there is a Holy Spirit.” So Paul baptises them and they receive the Holy Spirit with tongues and prophesying (Acts 19:1-7).
The ignorance of the Ephesian believers about the Holy Spirit did not mean they were not saved. They were open to the Holy Spirit and when they were properly instructed, they received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. This is not a different Spirit, but the same Spirit.
There is one hope to which we have been called.
There are not different heavens for different believers. There is not a Catholic heaven, an Anglican heaven, and a Baptist heaven. No, we all share the one hope in Christ.
We have been forgiven through Christ and are being sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Our hope of salvation is that we will be raised to eternal life with God.
This hope unites all Christians because it is the shared hope. It is the same promise given to all believers that we are counted as righteous in Christ. We died with Christ and we will rise with Him.
The Spirit of God is like a deposit guaranteeing that all the promises of God will be given to us in full.
At the moment we are limited by our flesh and blood bodies. Our souls have been corrupted by sin, and so we can only see eternity through partial vision .
But we have this hope, that by the grace of God we will spend eternity in a new heaven and earth, in never ending joy .
Key points in this verse
- There is one body of Christ
- The church is divided institutionally, but God sees just one church
- There is one Holy Spirit who cannot be divided even when Christians are divided
- We have the one hope in Christ that all who believe in Him will be raised with Him to eternal life
New Life Narrabri 