Pentecost +26 (Reign of Christ): Jeremiah 23:1-6; Luke 1:68-79; Colossians 1:11-20; Luke 23:33-43

‘In everything’Christ is ‘pre-eminent’ (Colossians 1:18).

* He is pre-eminent in our salvation.

In Luke 23:42-43, we read of the thief on the cross, trusting in Christ for salvation. Like the dying thief, we come to Christ in our weakness. He meets us with His strong salvation.

Deeply conscious of our sin, we know that we can do nothing to save ourselves. We must look away from ourselves to the Saviour.

In Him, there is redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:14).

Through Him, we receive the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of sins (Luke 1:77).

He is our Saviour. We look to Him and we say, Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to Your Name be the glory, because of Your love and faithfulness (Psalm 115:1).

* He is to be pre-eminent in our praise.

In Luke 1:68-79, we have a song of praise.

Zechariah worships the Lord: Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has come and He has redeemed His people (v. 68).

This song of praise – from the father of John the Baptist - is directly connected to the song of praise which came from Mary, the mother of Jesus: My soul praises the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour ... (Luke 1:46-55).

Like Zechariah and Mary, we are to praise the God of our salvation.

We are to give thanks to God for the gift of His Son - our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

* He is to be pre-eminent in our preaching.

Jeremiah warns us against the false prophets: ‘Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!’ (Jeremiah 23:1).

We are not to be like the false prophets. We are to be faithful servants of the Lord. God is calling us to be faithful.

To John the Baptist, God’s Word was spoken: “And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him” (Luke 1:76).

This is our ministry. We are to prepare the way for the Lord. We are to point away from ourselves, saying, “I must decrease. Christ must increase” (John 3:30).

We are to direct attention to Jesus, our Saviour, saying, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

-----

The Bible Readings are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary – Year C.

Pentecost +25: Isaiah 65:17-25; Isaiah 12; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13; Luke 21:5-19

* God is calling us on to glory.

What a contrast there is between those who belong to Christ - ‘My servants will sing out of the joy of their hearts’- and those who have refused to come to Christ for salvation - ‘You will cry out from anguish of heart and wail in brokenness of spirit’(Isaiah 65:14)!

God is preparing a great future ‘for those who love Him’- ‘I will create a new heaven and a new earth’. He is calling us away from our sins - ‘Past things will not be remembered. They will not come to mind’. He is calling us to His ‘holy mountain’.

How can we enter into our full enjoyment of God’s eternal salvation? God’s Word tells us: ‘I will pay attention to those who are humble and sorry for their sins and who tremble at My Word’ (Isaiah 65:17, 25; 66:2; 1 Corinthians 2:9).

Make sure that you belong to Christ. Put your faith in Him (John 3:18, 36).

* God is calling us out for service.

Think of God’s great future – and be changed here-and-now.

Thank God for His great future. Let His praise fill your life here-and –now.

How are we to serve the Lord? How is His eternal glory to shine in our life here-and-now?

- We serve the Lord in our speaking.

- We serve the Lord in our living.

- We serve the Lord in our giving.

* The glory of God in our speaking, living and giving

- Our speaking for the Lord arises out of our experience of His glory.

We experience His great salvation and we say, ‘I will praise You, O Lord… God is my Salvation… The Lord is my Strength and my Song…’ This is our personal worship.

Our experience of His great salvation inspires our personal worship and it leads us on to public testimony - making Christ ‘known among the nations’, telling ‘all the world’ what the Lord has done for us (Isaiah 12:1-2, 4-5).

- Our living for the Lord arises out of our experience of His glory.

We are to never tire of doing what is right (2 Thessalonians 3:13). What inspires us to keep on going, to keep on choosing the right way rather than the wrong way?

We choose the godly way when we have caught a glimpse of the glory of God.

We are tempted to lapse back into the world’s way of living. The Lord speaks to us of His great salvation.he gives us His strength. We continue to sing the Lord’s song. By our life as well as our words, we say, This is what the Lord has done for us.

- Our giving to the Lord arises out of our experience of His glory.

The ‘poor widow’ gave her ‘all’ to the Lord (Luke 21:1-4). True giving is a response to ‘the grace of God’. Learning to appreciate ‘the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ’, we will learn to give with ‘abundance of joy’ and ‘wealth of liberality’(2 Corinthians 8:1-2, 9).

Let us give ourselves to our Lord. True Christian living will not be easy (Luke 21:12; 2 Timothy 3:12). The Lord will be with us in all our difficulties (Luke 21:15, 18-19).

—–

The Bible Readings are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary – Year C.

Pentecost +24: Haggai 1:5b-2:9; Psalm 145:1-5, 17-21 (or Psalm 98); 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17; Luke 20:27-38

* Work for God.

‘“Why is everyone saying it is not the right time for rebuilding My Temple?” asks the Lord’. His reply to them is this: ‘Is it then the right time for you to live in luxurious homes, when the Temple lies in ruins?’(Haggai 1:2-4).

God’s people had forgotten about God. They were pleasing themselves - but they were not pleasing God!

God is challenging us to think about our way of living - ‘Consider your way of life’ (Haggai 1:5, 7).

We are to ‘obey the voice of the Lord our God’. We are to change our way of thinking - ‘the people feared the Lord’ - and living - ‘They came and began work on the House of the Lord Almighty, their God’. Let us obey God’s voice. Let us trust in His promise - ‘I am with you’ (Haggai 1:12-14).

‘“Be strong, all you people of the land”, declares the Lord, “and work. For I am with you”, declares the Lord Almighty’ (Haggai 2:4).

We are to work for God. When we commit ourselves to serving Him, the Lord promises His blessing: ‘From this day on I will bless you’ (Haggai 2:19).

To His faithful servants, God promises great blessing: ‘I will fill this House with glory’ (Haggai 2:7).

‘Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that, in the Lord, your labour is not in vain’ (1 Corinthians 15:58).

‘Who is on the Lord’s side? Who will serve the King? ... We are on the Lord’s side, Saviour, we are Thine ... Always on the Lord’s side, Saviour, always Thine.’

* Worship God.

Our work for God is to be grounded in worship[.

‘Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. His greatness is beyond understanding’. Let us worship our great God: ‘I will exalt You, my God the King. I will praise Your Name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise You and extol Your Name for ever and ever’ (Psalm 145:1-3).

The God whom we worship is so much greater than the worship we bring to Him.

Our worship is to be a ‘joyful celebration’.

We celebrate His great love: ‘The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love’.

We rejoice in His great faithfulness: ‘The Lord is faithful to all His promises’.

Here on earth, we have only begun to worship our great God. Our worship will continue in His ‘everlasting Kingdom’.

There, we will ‘praise His Name for ever and ever’ (Psalm 145:7-8, 13, 21).

Let us worship the Lord – “Sing to the Lord a new song … Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth” (Psalm 98:1, 4).

* Wait for God.

Worhipping God and working for Him, we await the Day of the Lord (2 Thessalonians 2:2).

We wait upon the Lord and we renew our strength (Isaiah 40:31).

Paul prayed for the Thessalonians and he asked them to pray for him.

- He prayed that God would ‘comfort their hearts and establish them in every good work and word’(2 Thessalonians 2:16-17).

- He prayed that they would enjoy peace: ‘Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in all ways’(2 Thessalonians 3:16).

- He asked them to pray for his ministry: ‘pray for us, that the Word of the Lord may speed on and triumph among you’(2 Thessalonians 3:1).

Paul was writing to the Thessalonians, ‘You keep on praying for us and we’ll keep on praying for you’.

Far too often, we forget. It becomes a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’.

We must not forget each other. We are to keep on praying for those who belong to our past.

We must remember each other - in prayer. Don’t forget to remember!

We’re not to live in the past. We are travelling towards the future – God’s future.

God’s future: That’s the reason we keep on praying for those who belong to our past. We pray that their future will be filled with His blessing

- filled with the comfort of the Gospel

- filled with the peace of God

- filled with the triumph of His grace.

We await the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him (2 Thessalonians 2:1). As we await the glorious future of God’s eternal Kingdom, may we grow strong in the firm conviction that He is not the God of the dead, but of the living (Luke 20:38).

-----

The Bible Readings are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary – Year C.

Pentecost +23: Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4; Psalm 119:137-144; 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12; Luke 19:1-10

* Keep on praying to the Lord.

‘How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but You do not listen?’(Habakkuk 1:2). There are times when it seems that God is not listening to us. What are we to do when we feel like this?

Are we to give up on God? Are we to stop praying? No! We must wait patiently for the Lord’s answer - ‘I will look to see what He will say to me’ (Habakkuk 2:1).

We must not forget His promise: ‘The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul that seeks Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord’ (Lamentations 3:25-26).

‘The vision awaits its time ... If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay’ (Habakkuk 2:3-4). Let us ‘live by faith’, awaiting the Day when ‘the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea’ (Habakkuk 2:14).

* Keep on listening to the Lord.

We pray, “Give me understanding that I may live” (Psalm 119:144). We look to God to shine His light upon our lives: ‘The entrance of Your words gives light’ (Psalm 119:130).

The Word of God brings light into our lives.

Sadly, many people ‘love darkness rather than light’. They refuse to ‘come to the light’. They prefer to remain in the darkness. They refuse to listen to what God is saying to them through His Word. Then, when things are not going so well for them, they blame God. They say, ‘It’s all Your fault’!

Things could have been so different. They could have learned to spend time with God. They could have learned the lessons of faith which are found in God’s Word. They could have learned to cope with life’s difficulties. They could have been filled with the strength of the Lord.

They would not be complaining against Him. They would be rejoicing in Him: He has ‘called us out of darkness into His marvellous light’ (1 Peter 2:10).

What about us? Are we listening to the Word of the Lord? Are we walking in the light of the Lord?

* Keep on walking with the Lord.

Here, on earth, we face persecutions and trials. God is calling us to have perseverance and faith (2 Thessalonians 1:4).

It will not be easy to keep on walking with the Lord. We could easily lose our way. There will be many temptations to leave the pathway that leads to eternal glory.

We must learn to look beyond our present to God’s future.

What will the future hold for us?

For some, there will be salvation. For others, there will be judgment.

- “For ‘all those who have believed’, ‘the Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ’will be a great Day, the Day of celebration, the Day of our salvation, the Day of ‘our being gathered to Him’(2 Thessalonians 2:1; 1:10).

- ‘When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven’, it will be a Day of judgment for ‘those who do not know God and do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus’(2 Thessalonians 1:7-8).

The Word of God is very clear about God’s purpose of salvation: ‘God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him’. ‘The Lord does not want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance’. ‘God wants all people to be saved’(John 3:17; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:4).

Alongside the promise of salvation, there is the warning – there will be judgment for those who refuse to come to Christ and receive His salvation.

Make sure that you don’t lose your way. Don’t say ‘No’ to Christ - and perish.

Make sure that you’re on the pathway to eternal glory. Say “Yes’ to Him and be saved: ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved’(2 Thessalonians 2:10; John 3:18; Acts 16:31).

* Keep your eyes on Jesus.

Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51; 13:22; 17:11), the place where He would be crucified for the world’s salvation.

‘Passing through’Jericho, He brought ‘salvation’to Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1, 9).

‘Near to Jerusalem’, He spoke about service (Luke 19:11-27).

- Jesus is our Saviour. He came ‘to save us’(Luke 19:10).

- He is also our Lord. He wants to ‘reign over’ us (Luke 19:27).

‘Salvation has come to us (Luke 19:9). As ‘good servants’, let us be ‘faithful’ to our Lord (Luke 19:17). Let us keep on praying to the Lord. Let us keep on listening to the Lord. Let us keep on walking with the Lord. In all our praying, listening and walking, let us keep our eyes on Jesus, learning, as we travel with Him, what it means to say, He is my Saviour, He is my Lord.

----------

The Bible Readings are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary – Year C.

Pentecost +22: Joel 2:23-32; Psalm 65; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18; Luke 18:9-14

* Call on the Lord.

Each of us is ‘in the valley of decision’ (Joel 3:14).

We must make sure that we are prepared for ‘the coming of the great and dreadful Day of the Lord’ (Joel 2:31).

God has given us His promise: ‘Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved’ (Joel 2:32).

The Lord promises great blessing to those who call upon Him.

He ‘will pour out His Spirit’ upon us. He will do ‘great things’ for us. He will be our ‘Refuge’ and ‘Stronghold’. He will fill us with ‘joy and gladness’. He will fill our hearts with ‘praise’ (Joel 2:20-21, 23, 26, 28-29; 3:16).

Make sure that you ‘call on the Name of the Lord’. Make sure that you do not miss out on the great blessings the Lord gives to those who call on His Name. Make your decision now - ‘I will call on the Name of the Lord’ (1 Kings 18:24).

* Rejoice in the Lord.

‘Let the righteous rejoice in the Lord’ (Psalm 64:10).

True joy in the Lord is not just a passing emotion, a feeling which doesn’t last for very long. When our ‘praise’ to the Lord is real, it leads to a changed life: ‘O God’, we will ‘keep our promises to You’ (Psalm 65:1).

Jesus shows us the great difference between a passing emotion, a feeling which doesn’t last, and a true conversion which leads to a changed life.

He speaks of those who ‘receive the Word with joy ... endure for a while’ and then ‘fall away’. He speaks also of those who ‘hear the Word and accept it and bear fruit’ (Mark 4:3-9, 16-17, 20).

How do you worship the Lord? Are you looking for a good feeling - and nothing more than that? God is looking for more. He wants us to live as ‘a new creation’ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

* Speak for the Lord.

We call on the Lord. We receive His salvation. We rejoice in the Lord. In Him, we have assurance of our salvation.

God’s salvation is not to be kept to ourselves. It is to be shared with others.

We are not only to be believers. We are to be witnesses.

We are not only to have the inward look - this is what the Lord has done for me.

We are to have the outward look - this is what the Lord can do for you.

In 2 Timothy 4:17, we see Paul the evangelist - the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it.

We are to be like Paul. We are to be evangelists. We are to proclaim the message of salvation.

We have called upon the Lord. He has saved us. We invite others to call upon the Lord, to be saved by the Lord.

In the Lord, we have found true and lasting joy. We invite others to come to the Lord and receive His joy.

* We pray for God’s mercy.

We call upon the Lord. We rejoice in the Lord. We speak for the Lord. These are not things about which we can boast.

We dare not congratulate ourselves – God, I thank you that I am not like other men. I call upon the Lord. They do not. I rejoice in the Lord. They do not. I speak for the Lord. They do not (Luke 18:11).

In all our calling upon the Lord, our rejoicing in the Lord and our speaking for the Lord, we must remember to pray – God, have mercy on me, a sinner (Luke 18: 13).

Calling upon the Lord, rejoicing in the Lord, speaking for the Lord. Where do these things come from? They come from the Lord.

He calls us to Himself. He gives us His joy. He gives us His Word.

- We call upon the Lord, trusting in His promise of salvation – Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15).

- We rejoice in our Saviour, Jesus Christ, giving thanks that He welcomes sinners (Luke 15:2).

- We speak the Word of the Lord, proclaiming the Good News that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).

We look at what we are – sinners. We look at what Jesus is – our Saviour. We look to Him and we say, To Him be glory for ever and ever (2 Timothy 6:18).

-----

The Bible Readings are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary – Year C.

Biblical and Theological Resources

• I hope that, in this rich treasury of spiritual resources, you will find something to help you “share the Good News”!

  
  

  Matthew Henry

  Calvin’s Complete Commentaries

  IVP New TestamentCommentaries

  Bible Pathway

  My Utmost for His Highest

  JohnWesley

  Bible Gateway
  Crosswalk
  BlueLetter Bible

• Bible Centre (New Testament)
• Bible Centre (Old Testament)
• Classic Bible Commentaries
• • John Zizioulas
  • More Bible Commentaries
  • Study Light
  • Third Millenium Ministries
• 
  
  • 
    
• 
  

• Commentary on the Old Testament by Charles Cameron Bible Reading Notes There is also a "Commentary on the New Testament". These notes can also be found at www.christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com & http://charlescameron.wordpress.com (123 pages) Download: FREE Commentary on the New Testament by Charles Cameron Bible Reading Notes There is also a "Commentary on the Old Testament". These notes can also be found at http://charlescameron.wordpress.com & www.christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com (86 pages) Download: FREE

Pentecost +21: Jeremiah 31:27-34; Psalm 119:97-104; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5; Luke 18:1-8

The prophet directs our attention to Jesus Christ

* ‘Set up road signs; put up guideposts. Take note of the highway, the road that you take’ (Jeremiah 31:21).

It’s so easy to take a wrong turning. You lose your sense of direction. You get confused. You’re not sure which way to go. You are lost. You are getting more and more lost all the time. You can’t find your way back home again.

You need someone who knows the way to come and be your guide. Is there someone who can get us on the right road again? Is there someone who can guide us safely home?

Yes! Jesus is ‘the Way, the True Way, the Living Way’.

‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. That’s what Jesus said.

Without the Way, there is no going.

Without the Truth, there is no knowing.

Without the Life, there is no living’ (John 14:6; Junior Praise, 89).

Let Jesus be your Guide. Let Him be your Saviour.

Let Him fulfil God’s promises in your heart and life – “I will put My law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God … I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” (Jeremiah 31:33-34).

The psalmist calls us to choose Christ.

* As you think of God’s precious promises, so wonderfully fulfilled in our Saviour, Jesus Christ, let your prayer echo the words of Psalm 119:103 – “How sweet are your promises to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” Standing on the promises of God, we receive strength to live to please God – “I gain understanding from Your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path” (Psalm 119:104).

Throughout life, we have to make choices.

Some choices are relatively straightforward. Others are very much more difficult. Some choices don’t affect the rest of our life very much. There are, however, choices which affect the whole of our life.

There is one choice which is more important than any other - Choosing the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour.

Those who refuse to choose are ‘double-minded’ (Psalm 119:113). They can’t make up their mind. They know that they should be following Christ - but they are still ‘in love with the world’. They are ‘lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God’ (1 John 2:15; 2 Timothy 3:4).

Make your choice.

Say to the world, ‘Away from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commands of my God’ (Psalm 119:115).

Say to God, ‘I have decided to obey Your laws until the day I die’ (Psalm 119:112).

The apostle calls us to receive salvation through faith in Christ.

* What is the greatest thing that the Lord’s servants can pass on to the Lord’s people? - ‘The Holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus’(2 Timothy 3:15).

They are to ‘preach the Word’in the power of ‘the Holy Spirit’(2 Timothy 4:2; 1 Peter 1:12).

When the preaching has ended, one thing remains - ‘the living and abiding Word of God’(1 Peter 1:12).

When all the words have been spoken, the ministry of the Spirit continues.

Through the ongoing work of ‘the Spirit of the living God’, the Word of God is ‘written’in the ‘hearts’of those who have heard the Word preached (2 Corinthians 3:3).

What kind of preaching do we need?

Do we need ‘teachers who will tell us what we want to hear’(2 Timothy 4:3)?

No!

We need preachers who will say ‘what the Spirit says to the churches’(Revelation 2:7,11,17, 29; 3:6,13,22).

Our response to God’s Word – Faith

The prophet has spoken. The psalmist has spoken. The apostle has spoken. In their words, we hear the voice of God. He calls for our response. He calls us to put our faith in Christ.

* The question is asked, ‘When the Son of man comes, will He find faith on earth?’(Luke 18:8).

- Our faith is precious. We must not lose it! ‘Don’t lose heart’(Luke 18:1).

- We are to have a humble faith (Luke 18:14). Pray, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner’(Luke 18:13). ‘Receive the Kingdom of God like a child’(Luke 18:17).

- We are to have a committed faith (Luke 18:22), always remembering that salvation comes from the Lord and not from ourselves (Luke 18:26-27). Our commitment can never be a way of earning God’s salvation. He always gives us so much more than we could ever give to Him (Luke 18:29-30).

- We are to have a Christ-centred faith, centred on His death and resurrection (Luke 18:31-33).

- Our faith is to be full of worship. Our eyes opened by Christ and to Him, we are to glorify God and give praise to Him (Luke 18:43).