bible

Reflection on Luke 2:8-20

/ newlifenarrabri / Leave a comment

Scripture

The angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “I bring good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Saviour- yes the Messiah, the Lord- has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David.”

Observation

An angel from the Lord appears to some shepherds minding their sheep near to Bethlehem. The angel tells them that the Messiah, the Saviour has been born. They will recognise Him when they see a baby lying in a manger.

A vast host of angels appears, praising God.

The shepherds decide to go and find out what is going on. They find Mary and Joseph with the baby lying in the manger.

So the shepherds tell everyone they see about what has happened.

Application

Shepherds don’t get angelic visitations- unless they have been drinking too much! How odd that the first witnesses to the coming of the Lord should be people of such ill repute.

Imagine if the local drug dealers were the people to see the angels.

These shepherds must have been wondering themselves how they came to be in this position. A whole army of angels. A tiny baby in a manger. The Messiah! The Lord!

The rulers didn’t see it! The priests didn’t see it! The religious leaders failed to understand it!

It was the shepherds who saw this thing.

This is encouraging for all of us. We don’t get overlooked by God because we don’t fit the picture of people’s expectations.

Any one of us can receive a revelation that will win nations to Christ.

It could be me.

It could be today.

Prayer

Almighty God, you reveal yourself to shepherds and princes alike. Please help me to see you and to know your presence. Amen.

Reflection on Luke 2:1-7

/ newlifenarrabri / Leave a comment

Scripture

And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first-born child, a son. She wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger because there was no lodging available for them.

Observation

The Roman Emperor Augustus decrees that a census must be taken across the Empire. Everyone must go back to their ancestral town to be registered. Joseph and Mary travel to Bethlehem, the city of David.

While they are there, Mary’s baby is born. She wraps him in strips of cloth and lays him in a manger.

Application

God’s plans never pan out as we might expect them to. Even a theological degree is no guarantee of insight into the ways of the Lord. The scribes and all the learned men of Israel knew the prophecies about the Messiah, but even they missed Him.

Jesus, the Son of God, becomes flesh and He establishes His Kingdom in the world. This Kingdom is nothing like the kingdoms and empires of this world.

There is a hint of this in the fact that His birthplace seems to be dictated by the whims of the Emperor. In this first power play between Jesus and the world, it seems that the world is stronger- until you remember the ancient prophecy that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.

Mary and Joseph did the parenting thing as parents have done for millennia. It is all so humble and ordinary.

How could this baby in a manger possibly be the Son of God who defeats all the kingdoms of the world and even the power of evil?

Prayer

Lord, you chose to come to us in weakness and humility, as a child. The all-powerful God comes in such a tiny package. Holy Spirit, please help me to understand the mystery of Christmas. Amen.

Reflection on Exodus 27:1-28:43

/ newlifenarrabri / Leave a comment

Scripture

“Insert the Urim and Thummim into the chest-piece so they will be carried over Aaron’s heart when he goes into the Lord’s presence.”

Application

This is a beautiful picture of the High Priest carrying God’s will in his heart. The Urim and Thummim were used to determine God’s will in specific issues. They were part of the High Priest’s ceremonial clothing.

Jesus is our High Priest. He did not carry the Temple title or role, but the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews gives Him this title.

Out High Priest carried God’s will in His heart. Everything He did was to please the Father.

The night before He was killed to pay the price of our sin, Jesus prayed, Father if possible please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet not my will but yours be done.”

We also are priests under the great High Priest. Therefore, the will of God should always be in our hearts. Above all other things, we should be wanting to say to God, “Not my will but yours be done.”

How do we live in the will of the Father? We must read the Bible daily to have God’s instruction in our heart. We must also cultivate the habit of listening to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer

Father, I desire in my heart to place your will over all other things. Please help me to make this a reality in my life every day. Amen.

Reflection on Exodus 26:1-37

/ newlifenarrabri / Leave a comment

Scripture

“Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the Ark of the Testimony behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.”

Application

The Tabernacle, and later the Temple, had a graduated series of areas that kept sinful people away from the glorious presence of the Lord. So gentiles, women, men, and priests could only advance so far.

Only the High Priest could enter the Most Holy Place, and then just one each year on the Day of Atonement.

By contrast, we Gentiles, who were once far off, have been grafted into God’s people. And in Christ we can enter the Holy of Holies, the place of God’s presence, at any time.

We need no elaborate cleansing rituals and sacrifices. All of this has been done for us in Christ.

We are all priests in God’s kingdom. Therefore we have not only a privilege but a responsibility to draw near to God, to pray and interceded for the lost- not just one day a year, but every day.

The curtain of the Temple was torn at the time of Christ’s death. The barrier to entering the presence of the Lord is gone.

So let us enter boldly to the throne room of the King of Kings.

Prayer

Holy God, thank you for pulling down every barrier between you and me. Thank you that in Christ you have provided the sacrifice for my sins. Amen.

Ephesians 4:1

/ newlifenarrabri / Leave a comment

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 4:1 . 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 4:1

“As a prisoner of the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” [ literally, the calling to which you have been called.]

Paul is a prisoner of the Lord ( or for the Lord), as was discussed previously. This was his calling at the time. He had gone from being an Empire traveller to being locked down to one location for the sake of Christ. The Ephesians were not called to the same calling of imprisonment, but they were called to live in a particular way .

The rest of Ephesians is devoted to the particular principles of following our calling in Christ.

The church is the ekklesia, the “called out ones”. So this idea of being called is central to the faith.

We are called by God, chosen by Him to be His representatives in the world. In Roman Society, the ekklesia were the called out ones, the assembly of people who represented the community and had authority to make decisions for the community.

As christians, our responsibility is to represent Christ to the world – that is our calling. This means that we are to live lives that are holy and honourable and which demonstrate at every level the love of Christ for the world.

Whether we are, like Paul, suffering for our faith or living in freedom, we are to live a life worthy of this calling to represent Christ.

We are to be holy first of all. This means that we must conquer the power of sin in our lives. In Romans 6, Paul tells us that in Christ we have died to sin. We must no longer allow ourselves to be slaves to sin, but rather be slaves to righteousness. The choice is ours, depending on what we choose to obey.

Holiness is not legalism. It does not mean learning a long list of what is and is not allowed. It means allowing the Holy Spirit to change our affections and priorities .

To be holy means to be set apart for God’s purposes. In the same way that sacred vessels in the temple we’re not put to ordinary purposes, we should make sure that our lives are dedicated to glorifying the Lord alone.

A life that is worthy of the calling we have been called to is one that is marked by love for other people. In simple terms, this means that we place the needs of others above our own desires. We look to serve them rather than ourselves .

Paul writes in later chapters how this principle of love should work out in normal relationships.

We should note here that love is a primary calling for all who follow Jesus. The Old Testament principle was to love your neighbour as you love yourself. Jesus gives us a new commandment – that we love one another as He loved us. This is sacrificial love .

Love is laying down our lives for the sake of others. Love is caring for people who can offer nothing in return. Love is standing up for those who are the victims of injustice .

Throughout history, Christians have had the reputation for going beyond the normal sense of duty to a neighbour. In ancient times, when people fled a town on the arrival of plague, christians stayed to minister to the sick and dying at the risk of their own lives. When unwanted babies were abandoned in Roman times, it was christians who recued and adopted them.

These two characteristics of holiness and love guide us in living a life that is worthy of the calling to which we have been called .

Key points in this verse:

  • Each Believer has a calling that is both unique and which is shared with other believers
  • We are called to a life of holiness that goes beyond legalismWe are called to a life of love for our neighbours which goes beyond society’s norms.
  • Love means laying down my life and my personal desires for the sake of other people.

Reflection on Exodus 25:1-40

/ newlifenarrabri / Leave a comment

Scripture

“Be sure that you make everything according to the patterns I have shown you here on the mountain.”

Application

I have to confess that I don’t get very excited about the items in the Tabernacle. Some people get great revelations about the shape and design of the various items. I am not wired that way.

But Moses was told to make everything according to the pattern that God showed him on the mountain.

According to Ephesians, we are temples of the Holy Spirit. Therefore it is essential that we build our lives on God’s pattern.

This means that we are to be holy- dedicated to God’s purposes. All of our ambitions and plans need to be surrendered to Him.

It means we are to be obedient. When we receive guidance from the Holy Spirit, we should follow Him and not our own thoughts. When we read something in the Bible we should obey it.

We are meant to be clean. That means we should not indulge in sin.

The Tabernacle was the place in the wilderness where people met with God. We should be the places where people come and find the living God because of our words and lifestyle.

Prayer

Lord, please make me into a living holy vessel for your purposes. Amen.

Reflection on Exodus 24:1-18

/ newlifenarrabri / Leave a comment

Scripture

The glory of the Lord fell on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day, the Lord called Moses from inside the cloud.

Observation

The Lord instructs Moses to come up to the mountain with Aaron and the seventy elders.

Moses goes to the people with all of the instructions the Lord had given him. He builds an altar and makes a sacrifice on behalf of the people.

Moses then goes up to the mountain with the elders. There they see the glory of God. They eat a covenant meal in the presence of the Lord.

The cloud of God’s presence covers the top of the mountain. After six days, the Lord calls for Moses to come up into His presence.

Application

Mount Sinai was a holy place because the Lord chose to reveal His glory there. The elders saw the Lord, and they were not killed by the experience.

Moses was called to go up and spend forty days in the glory cloud of the Lord. This is not something done lightly.

It is worship and holiness that allow us to enter into the hidden places of the glory of God.

Worship allows us to enter into God’s presence. In fact real worship- not just singing worship songs- attracts the presence of God. When we set our hearts in proclaiming the awesome nature of God, then it is like heaven inhabiting the earth.

Holiness is a heart totally sold out to living according to God’s plans for us. It is not about rules and lists of do’s and don’ts, but about so wanting more of God that He becomes the focus of our thinking and our desires.

Prayer

Father, help me to devote my whole life to you- my thinking and my doing. May I walk in the glory of our presence. Amen.

Ephesians – Half-Time

/ newlifenarrabri / Leave a comment

Here is my commentary on Ephesians . 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- Halftime

As we come to the half- way point on this journey through Ephesians, it is good to review what we have seen so far.

As in most of his letters, Paul start with the big picture issues such as the nature of salvation, Jesus, God, the church and so on. Only after talking about these issues does he move on to the practical issues such as relationships in the church, and how to relate to others in the light of what has gone before. In other words, we need good theology to establish good practice.

A few things stand out in the first half of Ephesians.

Firstly, God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. There is nothing that the Father would hold back from us. In fact, He can do more for us than we can ask or even imagine. We need to walk in the knowledge that He is a good Father.

Secondly, our relationship with God is His doing, not ours. We were chosen and predestined, and God sent His Son to be our Saviour. All we can do is believe and receive His gift.

Thirdly, God is building His church. In Christ, He has united Jews and Gentiles by providing the one means of salvation, that is, the cross of Christ. The church is the household of God, the temple of the Lord.

Fourth, the Good News of Jesus Christ is a new revelation. In the past, it was a mystery to be revealed. It was clear that we needed a remedy for sin, but nobody could imagine how it would come to pass. There were hints and unclear pictures given in the Old Testament, but after the death and resurrection of Jesus, it became obvious at last.

Finally, in his prayer at the end of chapter 3, the concept of the measureless love of God becomes the focus. We can be rooted and established in this love, and we can gain an appreciation for it. As we learn to receive this love, we can be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Reflection on Exodus 23:1-32

/ newlifenarrabri / Leave a comment

Scripture

You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh day you must stop working. This gives your ox and your donkey a chance to rest. It also allows your slaves and foreigners living among you to be refreshed.

Application

This chapter has laws relating to justice and religious requirements, including the sabbath and the great festivals of Unleavened Bread, Harvest, and Final Harvest.

Our society has completely abandoned the concept of sabbath. The idea that businesses and shops should shut down for one day a week seems quaint and old fashioned.

I live near a railway line, and it amazes me that even on Christmas Day and Good Friday, freight trains leave Narrabri laden with grain or coal. Really? We cannot stop moving non-perishable goods for even one day or two days in a whole year?

Of course, Covid has brought about forced sabbaths for many people because of lock downs and other restrictions. Many people have discovered the restfulness of avoiding the daily commute as they worked form home. Perhaps the Lord is using this pandemic to remind people of the need to rest.

Human beings need the weekly reminder to slow down and rest. We are more than work units or economic consumption units. There is a need for each of us to stop for one day a week, and rest.

Sabbath is trusting God to supply enough in six days to satisfy the seventh. In the wilderness He produced manna that lasted two days, but only on the day before the sabbath.

Prayer

Lord, help me to trust you for my needs, to put you at the centre of my working life, and to worship you in my sabbath rest. Amen.

Ephesians 3:21

/ newlifenarrabri / Leave a comment

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:21. 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 3:21

“To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen”

This verse concludes the doxology started in v. 20 and the prayer that commenced in v. 14.

To him[God] be the glory and in the church and in Christ Jesus.

The Church [the ekklesia, or “the elect,” or “the called out ones”] exists to bring glory to God. It does this in a number of different ways.

Firstly, by its existence the church is a testimony to the redeeming grace of God. The fact that millions of people from all nations gather together to proclaim the salvation that came from the death and resurrection of Christ is, in itself, glorification or an honouring of the Lord through space and time .

We were lost in sin with no hope of redemption. Satan, the accuser, reckoned that his strategy of destroying the race that was designed to carry the image of God had triumphed. Then there was the cross and the resurrection of Jesus. The church is a visible sign of the victory of God over sin.

Secondly, the church glorifies God through it’s praise and worship. “Where two or three are gathered in my name there I am in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20) Weekly the church sings praises to God, it proclaims Christ as its Saviour and Lord, and it celebrates the sacraments of baptism and holy communion in joyful obedience to Christ.

Thirdly, the church glorifies God by preaching to unbelievers and encouraging them to follow Christ. The kingdom of God, that is the church, is constantly growing as christians share the Good News with all people .

Paul links the glory of God in the church with Christ Jesus. This suggests that the glory of God being displayed in the church is similar in nature to that displayed in Christ. We glorify God in the same kind of way that Jesus did.

This should not surprised us as the church is the Body of Christ. The church is the present visible representation of Jesus Christ in the world and therefore glorifies God in the same way that Jesus did.

The peak of Jesus’ glorification was his crucifixion. It was his obedience even to death on the cross that glorified both Father and Son. When christians are prepared to lay down their lives for the sake of the gospel, they are glorifying the Father in the same way that Jesus did .

Paul asks that God be glorified in the church for all generations, for ever and ever.

The gospel is not about history. The effect of the Cross, while historical, extends through the generations.

God promised to Israel that He would bless those who are righteous to a thousand generations. We have a promise from God that He will bless all generations into the future.

The generations are to glorify God in the church. As long as the church is faithful in its witness, there will be people who will bring glory to God. Our work for God now is not limited to the present, but it will continue through the generations – not just the next one or two generations, but all generations.

To emphasise the point, Paul repeats it with the words, “ for ever and ever.” The church is not just a short-term endeavour. It is not just limited to the life of the Earth. It will continue to eternity. We will share in fellowship and worship together for ever.

So the church, “ the called out ones,“ lives now to glorify God and will continue that task for ever and ever. Now we do this Imperfectly, but we shall see Him face to face and we will then give perfect praise to God.

Key points in this verse

  • God wants the church to glorify his name now and for ever
  • We are the Body of Christ and continue His mission of bringing glory to the Father