Reading 1 – Lev 14:45

“It [the house which was still contaminated with “leprosy”] must be torn down — its stones, timbers and all the plaster– and taken out of the town to an unclean place” (Lev 14:45).

This all may be seen as a prophecy: Jesus Christ, in his role as the priest, “inspects” the “leprous house”, that is, God’s temple at Jerusalem — and he finds it polluted by the sins of the nation. Even after his first cleansing of the house, at the beginning of his ministry (John 2), the house’s condition grew worse (Mat 21:12,13). “You knew not the day of your visitation” (Jer 8:12; Luk 19:42-44), Jesus had said to the nation. By the end of our Lord’s ministry, his second “inspection” of the house revealed conditions just as bad as at the first: in the language of the Law, the house of Israel was incurably infected with the “leprosy” of sin and uncleanness. The only remedy was to pull it down and carry it away, stone by stone.

And thus it was done, even as the “priest” prophesied: “Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. ‘Do you see all these things?’ he asked. ‘I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down’ ” (Mat 24:1,2).

Reading 2 – Psa 115:5

“They have… eyes, but they cannot see” (Psa 115:5).

“Half dazzled peering through the lens,

Self-blinded by the test-tube’s reek,

They gauge the wave length of the tones,

But hear not the Creator speak.

“O fools and blind! O fools and blind!

The blinder since you think you see;

Tracing the veining of the leaf,

You miss the glory of the tree.

“The feather of the painted wing

You view with microscopic eye,

Laying each nerve and tendon bare,

Yet never see the butterfly.

“You seek the reptiles in the slime

Of oozy cave and cavern dim,

And see not circling overhead

The chariots of the Cherubim” (CA Ladson).

Reading 3 – 2Co 8:1-5

“And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will” (2Co 8:1-5).

The “good work” of giving to others has its origin, Paul says, not in man’s generosity but in God’s — and not just in God’s generosity in material things, but especially in His grace in Christ. When we understand this, then we see the need to abound in every good work — in acts of kindness, in visiting the sick, and in giving of our material blessings. There is a direct connection between God’s grace and our acts of concern for others, between God’s generosity and ours. And so there is a direct connection between the cross and the checkbook, between the empty tomb and the full collection bag. Those who have been bought with a price (2Co 6:20), the precious blood of Christ (1Pe 1:19), willingly give themselves to the Lord (2Co 8:5). Having made that commitment — of the entire being to Christ and to his Father — there is no question of the commitment of their material resources to the doing of good works. And so one “grace” surely begets another, and another.

Paul writes of the “grace of God” bestowed upon the Macedonians (probably the church, or ecclesia at Philippi) (2Co 8:1). Since this “grace” did not guarantee its recipients against either “severe trial” or “extreme poverty” (v 2), Paul must have meant the grace — or gift — of the gospel of salvation in Christ. So the Philippians gave generously to help others, even though they themselves were neither rich nor comfortable. They gave because they knew the joy of God’s love in Christ as God’s grace had abounded, or overflowed, toward others (2Co 8:2,7; 9:8).

Giving to the work of the Truth — whether it be for gospel proclamation or charitable assistance — is no mundane matter. It should not become just a habit or a tiresome necessity. Even though it should not be flaunted as a reason for pride (Mat 6:1-4), neither should its necessity be hidden away as an embarrassment (Mat 5:14-16; 2Co 8:3,4). It is nothing less than an opportunity, and a wonderful privilege, to contribute in a small way to the saving purpose of God. The printed appeal, which we have seen before — the cold figures on paper, which only an accountant could love — these may be the means by which other people may come to praise God for His grace, for present burdens eased and for futures made infinitely brighter. We need to “see” the circle of God’s grace growing ever wider, and to “hear” more voices being raised to praise His grace. And we need to remember, with our wallets and purses and bank accounts, no less than with our Bibles and hymnbooks, the one who “though he was rich, yet for our sakes… became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2Co 8:9). “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift” (2Co 9:15)!

Reading 1 – Exo 35:20-22

“Then the whole Israelite community withdrew from Moses’ presence, and everyone who was willing and whose heart moved him came and brought an offering to the LORD for the work on the Tent of Meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments. All who were willing, men and women alike, came and brought gold jewelry of all kinds: brooches, earrings, rings and ornaments. They all presented their gold as a wave offering to the LORD” (Exo 35:20-22).

Idolatry and immorality are often linked to such items of jewelry in the ancient Near East. The gold ornaments obtained from the Egyptians (Exo 3:22; 11:2; 12:35) were actually plunder (Exo 12:36). Possibly the gold ornaments had a direct association with the false worship of the Egyptians (cp Amo 5:26). And so the putting off of Israel’s ornaments and jewelry was an appropriate act of repentance, because these ornaments were similar to those which had been contributed to make the golden calf (Exo 32:2-4). These images seem to have had an idolatrous association with the past, with pagan gods. Thus, to put off these ornaments was to show Israel’s repentance over the golden calf incident.

It looks as though the Israelites never again put on these ornaments: “So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments at Mount Horeb” (Exo 33:6). Probably these ornaments, which the Israelites put off here, were later offered to God to be used for the furnishings of the Tabernacle (Exo 35:21,22). As implements of idolatry, these golden ornaments were fit only for destruction. But as tokens of Israel’s repentance, these ornaments were fit for use in the Tabernacle furnishings, in the very presence of God. In this way the “idols” of Egypt were still made to serve the One true God!

Reading 2 – Psa 93:5

“Your statutes stand firm; holiness adorns your house for endless days, O LORD” (Psa 93:5).

“We must be solid and consistent from outer surface to inner core. If we relax into foolishness or fleshiness in our non-ecclesial activities, our ‘holiness’ is a sham and a delusion. True saints are saints at all times, under all circumstances, or they are not saints at all. Holiness cannot be donned or shed at whim or convenience” (GVG).

Thus Isa 6:3 is brought to fruition: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

When Yahweh truly reigns (v 1), then all will be holiness to Him (v 5; Zec 14:20,21; cp Psa 97:12; 99:9). But it is also true that, even now, God’s spiritual House is — or should be — holy (1Co 3:17).

Reading 3 – 1Co 4:7

“For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” (1Co 4:7).

“The prideful individual nullifies Divine grace because he or she does not see the need for it. By whatever measure they have falsely valued themselves — be it works or knowledge or wealth or whatever — they have greatly overestimated themselves in the face of their Creator. The Pharisee, despite all of his knowledge of the Scriptures, did not understand who and what he was, but prayed instead saying, ‘God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are…’ [Luk 18:11]. The Pharisee did not see himself as a sinner — which was absurd. It is only when we see our utter worthlessness that we attain value in the eyes of God. As James puts it, ‘Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up’ (Jam 4:10)” (Kyle Tucker).

Reading 1 – Lev 8:12

“He [Moses] poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him to consecrate him” (Lev 8:12).

Three anointings in the Old Testament are typical of the Lord Jesus Christ in his three capacities, or offices, in the New Testament:

Moses anointed Aaron as a priest in Lev 8:12, typical of Christ in his role as the great High Priest. Elijah anointed Elisha as prophet in 1Ki 19:16, typical of Christ as the greatest of the prophets. Samuel anointed David as king in 1Sa 16:1, typical of Christ as the son of David, and future king upon David’s throne.

Reading 2 – Psa 107:8

“Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men” (Psa 107:8).

“If we complained less, and praised more, we should be happier, and God would be more glorified. Let us daily praise God for common mercies — common as we frequently call them, and yet so priceless, that when deprived of them we are ready to perish. Let us bless God for the eyes with which we behold the sun, for the health and strength to walk abroad, for the bread we eat, for the raiment we wear. Let us praise Him that we are not cast out among the hopeless, or confined amongst the guilty; let us thank Him for liberty, for friends, for family associations and comforts; let us praise Him, in fact, for everything which we receive from His bounteous hand, for we deserve little, and yet are most plenteously endowed. But, beloved, the sweetest and the loudest note in our songs of praise should be of redeeming love. God’s redeeming acts towards His chosen are for ever the favourite themes of their praise. If we know what redemption means, let us not withhold our sonnets of thanksgiving” (CHS).

Reading 3 – 1Co 16:1

“Now about the collection for God’s people…” (1Co 16:1).

“Speak to us, Lord, till, shamed by Thy great giving,

Our hands unclasp to set our treasures free;

Our wills, our love, our dear ones, our possessions

All gladly yielded, gracious Lord, to Thee.”

Reading 1 – Lev 1:1,2

“The LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting. He said, ‘Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When any of you brings an offering to the LORD, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock’ ” (Lev 1:1,2).

The offering was to be taken from the property of the individual. This was to be a fundamental principle: from his ordinary possessions, and out of his daily life, the worshiper was to find the means to give sacrifice and service to his God. God’s worship was not to be an extraordinary thing, something done by an elite few for the benefit of others, or something performed by an entertainer — for the amusement of onlookers. It was to be the regular devotion of the common man and woman — an acknowledgment that their God was with them every day, a presence in all aspects of their lives. So out of the common furnishings, the common fabric and tools of that day-to-day existence, they were to set aside a portion to be given to Him.

Reading 2 – Psa 103:14

“…who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion” (Psa 103:4).

We are also redeemed FROM all iniquity (Tit 2:14), from transgressions (Heb 9:15), from the curse of the Law (Gal 3:13), and from the Law itself (Gal 4:5), from among men (Rev 14:3,4), and from all nations (Rev 5:9).

We are redeemed BY Christ (Mat 20:28; Mar 10:45; Heb 9:12; 1Ti 2:6) and by God (Luk 1:68; 1Co 1:30).

We are redeemed THROUGH Christ’s life (Mat 20:28; Mar 10:45), his blood (1Pe 1:18,19; Eph 1:7; Col 1:14), and his death (Heb 9:15).

We are redeemed for ever (Heb 9:12), but only fully and truly and absolutely “redeemed” when Christ comes (Rom 8:23).

Reading 3 – 1Co 11:26

“For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1Co 11:26).

“At the Breaking of Bread, there is as it were a door opened in Heaven. To the left, against a sombre background, the modern disciple sees his Lord, praying in Gethsemane, suffering in Golgotha. To the right he sees a great glory, the Kingdom of God set up upon the earth, when God’s King reigns in righteousness, and His princes rule in judgment. In the centre he perceives two miniatures. The first is of a candidate for divine honour and immortality descending into the waters of baptism, over which waters there is this seal of the Spirit: ‘For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.’ The second miniature is of a table, on which are set bread and wine; all around is wilderness. Over the table the Spirit hath set this seal: ‘For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come’ ” (JB Norris, “First Century Ecclesia” 172).

Reading 1 – Lev 7:26,27

“And wherever you live, you must not eat the blood of any bird or animal. If anyone eats blood, that person must be cut off from his people” (Lev 7:26,27).

“The life is in the blood”: Lev 3:17; 7:26,27; 17:11,14; Deu 12:23. Blood is the source of life — its red blood cells supply oxygen and nutrients to every cell in the human body.

A very instructive contrast is intended here: Christ’s blood is a “transfusion” of life to us: “Drink my blood” (Joh 6:53-57; 1Co 11:25-27; Mat 26:27,28). What was FORBIDDEN — that is, the partaking of the natural blood, of other sacrifices — is COMMANDED of us, on a spiritual level — in the symbolic partaking of Christ’s “blood”. It is only through Christ and his shed blood that we may have life.

And so, as the Letter to the Hebrews emphasizes time and again, all the offerings and sacrifices of the Law of Moses could never take away sin… BUT the one perfect sacrifice of God’ Son could and did and has taken away sin — once and for all time, and — prospectively, and on the basis of faith — for all men!

Reading 2 – Psa 106:13

“But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his counsel” (Psa 106:13).

This is Exo 32:8. Literally, “they made haste to forget” (AV mg), that is, they wanted to forget! After the mighty works of Exo 14:21; 15:1 there came (starting only three days later! — Exo 15:22) the grumblings of Exo 15:24; 16:2; 17:2; etc.

“Their problem was forgetting. And forgetting came because of lack of understanding and of a deep intelligent impression. Day after day they witnessed the results of God’s mighty power on their behalf, and therefore lived by sight. But the impression made upon their animal minds was faint and superficial. They gobbled and grunted when He filled the trough, and squeaked and squealed when He did not, but they never really knew Him” (George Gibson).

Reading 3 – 1Co 15:10

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them — yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me” (1Co 15:10).

“Grace must find expression in life; otherwise it is not grace” (Karl Barth).

“I am not what I ought to be. How imperfect and deficient I am! I am not what I wish to be, although I abhor that which is evil and would cleave to what is good. I am not what I hope to be, but soon I shall put off mortality, and with it all sin. Though I am not what I ought to be, nor what I wish to be, nor yet what I hope to be, I can truly say I am not what I once was: a slave to sin… I can heartily join with the apostle and acknowledge that by the grace of God I am what I am!” (John Newton).

I AM WHAT I AM: May this not also be a reference to the Yahweh Name? Paul was a manifestation of the Name (Purpose) of Yahweh, in the world of that day!

NOT I, BUT THE GRACE OF GOD THAT WAS WITH ME: Paul is using the familiar Hebrew idiom here: “not only… but also”. “Not only did I work, but — especially — the grace of God worked with me!”

Reading 1 – Lev 3:2

“He is to lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting” (Lev 3:2).

By laying his hand on the head of the sacrifice before killing it, the offerer was to establish a close, personal link between himself and the sacrifice. First of all, it was to be his property (Lev 1:2); and secondly, he was to touch it and handle it, thus identifying himself with it.

All this is figurative of our relationship with Christ, who is the true and complete and final sacrifice for all sins. First of all, Jesus is one of us: his Heavenly Father made him a man, born of woman, born under the law (Gal 4:4), and thus possessing our own sin-prone nature (Rom 8:3; Heb 2:14). The Father did this, so that the Son, in his perfect life and self-denying death, could overcome that nature that was subject to sin.

Secondly, we emphasize this relationship in baptism, when we identify ourselves with his death, burial, and resurrection (Rom 6:1-4). Thus we show that he belongs to us, and we belong to him. In this way, and this way only, his sacrifice will have meaning for us — figuratively, we lay hands on Jesus, and he becomes OUR offering!

And thirdly, we remember that great sacrifice, and renew our connection with it and our dedication to it, in the regular breaking of bread. Thus — in a spiritual sense, we lay hands on Christ as we partake of the bread and wine — and he becomes “that… which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched” (1Jo 1:1).

Reading 2 – Psa 104:15

“Wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart” (Psa 104:15).

This could be better rendered: “And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, MAKING HIS FACE TO SHINE AS WITH OIL, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart.”

Following the AV mg (and other authorities), this verse describes not three products, but two: (1) wine that gladdens the heart of man, “to making his face shine; and (2) bread that strengthens man’s heart. Thus this verse mentions the two great gifts — bread and wine — by which we remember and celebrate our fellowship with the Father through His Son. Each Sunday the bread and wine are the means of memorializing the strength and joy of our new life in Christ.

Reading 3 – 1Co 12

“The body is one” (1Co 12:12). It is the Father’s wisdom generally to place believers together in “families”. The ecclesia is more often the object of concern than is the individual standing alone. We are all, whether we like it or not, members of a body. No man should live to himself; that would be selfishness, stagnation, sterility, and a direct contradiction of Paul’s elaborate allegory. The most important lesson of our spiritual education is to learn to think and to act unselfishly as part of the One Body, and not selfishly as a separate individual, even as regards our own salvation.

The body is one, yet it has many members (1Co 12:14). Some are less beautiful or more feeble than others (1Co 12:22,23), but these too are necessary. “God hath tempered the body together” (1Co 12:24); these individuals have been welded together with the ecclesia. In faith and obedience they have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. Those for whom Christ died must not be treated haughtily or indifferently.

Reading 1 – Lev 6:13

“The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out” (Lev 6:13).

The altar is the place where offerings are made to God, and since the only true offerings are those which are made in spirit and truth (Joh 4:24), therefore — in a sense — the only true “altar” is the human heart. This heart is a great altar indeed, and here — in my heart –the fire of divine love must be kept burning continuously.

God loves to see the hearts of His people glowing towards Himself. Let us give to God our hearts (Pro 23:26), all blazing with love, and seek His grace, that the fire may never be quenched; for it will not burn if the Lord does not keep it burning. Many foes and circumstances will contrive to extinguish it, so that its fire will grow cold (Rev 2:4); but if the unseen hand of the priest continues to replenish the fuel, and renew the sacrifices, it will blaze higher and higher. Let us use the Scriptures as fuel for our heart’s fire, so that our offerings will rise up to Yahweh as a sweet savor. May He touch our lips, and our heart, with burning coals — as He did with Isaiah (Isa 6:6,7).

Reading 2 – Psa 105:8

“He remembers his covenant forever, the word he commanded, for a thousand generations” (Psa 105:8).

Compare Exo 20:6: “And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.” Should this read “unto thousands”, or — as in Psa 105:8,9 — “unto a thousand generations”? Notice the italics in the KJV of Exo 20:5: “generations” is added there, by the translators, to give the sense; and so it probably should be here also. At any rate, Psa 105:8,9 (and Psa 103:17,18; Deu 7:9; 1Ch 16:15; Isa 51:8; and Luk 1:50) give us reason to add this word.

But is not “a thousand generations” a gross exaggeration? By any reckoning, there cannot have been more than about 300 total generations since Adam.

True, unless these passages mean spiritual “generations” in Christ, which can be “begotten” in rapid succession. A natural generation cannot be much less than 20 years, but a spiritual “generation” can be as little as days or weeks. The enthusiastic convert to the truth in Christ loses no time in converting a friend or relative to the same faith. And so on, and so on, until God’s mercy has been shown indeed to a thousand such “generations”!

Reading 3 – 1Co 14:20

“Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults” (1Co 14:20).

“God’s professed people — presumed heirs and rulers of the world to come — wasting their precious time and attention on the world’s baby-toys is like a pitiful lunatic millionaire picking through the garbage, mentally incapable of comprehending or enjoying his vast riches” (GV Growcott).

Reading 1 – Num 15:37-40

“The LORD said to Moses, ‘Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the LORD, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by going after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God’ ” (Num 15:37-40).

“What nation under heaven can show a feature of civilisation like this? Talk of the fashions for the month. Here is a fashion for ever! whose sole object was to keep before the mind the one thing most odious of all others to the taste of the followers of Parisian models. It shows more eloquently than anything else the place which God should have in human life, according to God’s view of the matter, and His view alone is the one which will prevail with the children of wisdom. All other views are bound to become as extinct as the vegetation of the carboniferous era” (Robert Roberts, “Law of Moses” 81).

Reading 2 – Pro 11:25

“A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed” (Pro 11:25).

“We are here taught the great lesson, that to get, we must give; that to accumulate, we must scatter; that to make ourselves happy, we must make others happy; and that in order to become spiritually vigorous, we must seek the spiritual good of others. In watering others, we are ourselves watered. How? Our efforts to be useful, bring out our powers for usefulness. We have latent talents and dormant faculties, which are brought to light by exercise. Our strength for labour is hidden even from ourselves, until we venture forth to fight the Lord’s battles, or to climb the mountains of difficulty. We do not know what tender sympathies we possess until we try to dry the widow’s tears, and soothe the orphan’s grief. We often find in attempting to teach others, that we gain instruction for ourselves. Oh, what gracious lessons some of us have learned at sick beds! We went to teach the Scriptures, we came away blushing that we knew so little of them. In our converse with poor saints, we are taught the way of God more perfectly for ourselves and get a deeper insight into divine truth. So that watering others makes us humble. We discover how much grace there is where we had not looked for it; and how much the poor saint may outstrip us in knowledge. Our own comfort is also increased by our working for others. We endeavour to cheer them, and the consolation gladdens our own heart. Like the two men in the snow; one chafed the other’s limbs to keep him from dying, and in so doing kept his own blood in circulation, and saved his own life. The poor widow of Sarepta [1Ki 17:9] gave from her scanty store a supply for the prophet’s wants, and from that day she never again knew what want was. Give then, and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, and running over” (CH Spurgeon).

Reading 3 – Luk 24:2

“They found the stone rolled away from the tomb” (Luk 24:2).

Was ever a mountain so “large” as the great stone which sealed Christ’s tomb? Truly, as miracles go, no miracle has been or could be so great as the one that caused this “very large” stone to be removed, and thus proclaimed Christ’s tomb to be open… forevermore.

Jesus had told his followers, “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him’ ” (Mar 11:23). Of course, we have trouble with moving literal mountains, even as we have trouble explaining this passage.

But seen from a spiritual perspective, isn’t the greatest “mountain” of difficulty — which no man can move — death and the grave? Engineers with bulldozers and explosives can move even literal mountains. But who among them can move the mountainous “stone” that covers the grave? Not a one!

And even the disciples of Jesus could not move such a stone from the mouth of his sepulcher… not at that time; they were weeping in sorrow, and hiding in fear. It was the faith of Jesus alone — though he was dead and unconscious in the tomb — that moved the hand of the angels of God, and rolled back the stone. It may be said that the greatest miracle that Jesus ever performed was this: the blood of this wholly righteous man cried out from the depths of the earth, and the Father heard!

Do WE, today, have faith to move mountains? The answer, I believe, is really another question: ‘Do WE have faith that the greatest “mountain” has already been moved?’ “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mar 11:24). Our faith may be — not a prospective — but a retrospective faith: we look backward, and ask, ‘Do I really believe that the “mountain” has been moved?’ If we truly believe that, then — it is absolutely sure and certain — ALL THINGS are possible for us!

Reading 1 – Exo 38:8

“They made the bronze basin and its bronze stand from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting” (Exo 38:8).

“After the altar of burnt offering, there is a laver or large vessel, filled with water, at which the priests have to wash (or lave) before entering into the tabernacle to perform its services. As the Lord Jesus and the saints are the antitypical Aaron and his sons, the significance bears on them; and bearing on them, bears also on all who will finally be reconciled to God… After sacrifice, washing — purification, making clean. This is no accidental order of events. In the popular conception of things, sacrifice would be enough, for the whole burden of their preaching is that the blood of Christ is the only essential for a sinner’s salvation…

“This is not an enlightened statement of the case. The blood is only an element in the process of reconciliation: after reconciliation must come reformation, if the reconciliation is to continue in force. The sinner must ‘walk worthy of the vocation wherewith he is called’ (Eph 4:1), and, if he do not, he will be rejected: so Paul says (Heb 6:8), and in preaching thus, he only re-echoes the plain teaching of Christ, who says, ‘Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away’ (Joh 15:2). ‘If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love’ (Joh 15:10). The unprofitable servant is to be cast out (Mat 25:30). We must walk as children of light (Eph 5:8) otherwise ‘we shall die’ (Rom 8:13)…

“Life after introduction to Christ is, therefore, a probation. This is the lesson of the laver. It is not enough to have God’s righteousness declared in sacrifice, and endorsed in our baptism into the death of Christ: we must wash in the laver. We must conform to the exhortation, ‘Wash you, make you clean: put away the evil of your doings’ (Isa 1:16). Literally this is done by subjecting the mind to the influence of the word of God. The word of God is always spoken of as the cleansing power (Joh 15:3; Psa 119:9; Eph 5:26), and, in actual experience, it is found to be so. Kept clean by the word, we shall be qualified for admission into the holiest, in the change to the incorruptible” (RR, “Law of Moses” 151,152).

Reading 2 – Psa 100:2

“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs” (Psa 100:2).

“Delight in divine service is a token of acceptance. Those who serve God with a sad countenance, because they do what is unpleasant to them, are not serving Him at all; they bring the form of homage, but the life is absent. Our God requires no slaves to grace His throne; He is the Lord of the empire of love, and would have His servants dressed in the livery of joy. The angels of God serve Him with songs, not with groans; a murmur or a sigh would be a mutiny in their ranks. That obedience which is not voluntary is disobedience, for the Lord looketh at the heart, and if He seeth that we serve Him from force, and not because we love Him, He will reject our offering. Service coupled with cheerfulness is heart-service, and therefore true. Take away joyful willingness from the Christian, and you have removed the test of his sincerity. Cheerfulness is the support of our strength; in the joy of the Lord are we strong. It acts as the remover of difficulties. It is to our service what oil is to the wheels of a railway carriage. Without oil the axle soon grows hot, and accidents occur; and if there be not a holy cheerfulness to oil our wheels, our spirits will be clogged with weariness. The man who is cheerful in his service of God, proves that obedience is his element” (CHS).

“Have one simple aim in life: serve God. This is the key to joy, here and hereafter. This alone has permanence. Natural life is composed of changing conditions and ended dreams — until at last all collapses in death, and the utter emptiness of it all is made pitifully manifest. It looks so interesting and attractive at first: lovely babies, carefree laughing children, active intensely-living young people, successful adults. But what is the point in it all? All ends at last in sickness, senility, death. What a mockery is anything that does not have permanence! Only one thing has permanence. Only one thing will be left when all the glitter of natural life is gone. Only one thing gets better and stronger and more valuable as life ebbs and the inevitable end comes to all. Serve God! Make that the spring of every action. Gradually, logically, methodically eliminate everything else from the spectrum of your supposed ‘interest’ and ‘enjoyment’, for this alone is real and lasting. Everything else in the world will fail you — yea, cruelly mock you — at the end” (GVG).

Reading 3 – 1Co 8:1

“Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1Co 8:1).

“[Paul] was not condemning knowledge, but simply stating a truth. Knowledge of the right kind is excellent, but even that may tend to inflate the individual who possesses it. Men may be puffed up even by their knowledge of the Scriptures, especially if their reading has been ill-balanced. Much charity is needed to guard against this evil and to make knowledge lead to edification. There are people who will say that it is only the dangerous ‘little knowledge’ that puffs men up, while those who have studied deeply are truly humble and never boast. This thought has been stated often, but it is not true. Indeed it would be difficult to define the words of such a saying. All the knowledge of mankind is only little. The most ignorant and the most cultured are only separated by a few degrees. It is quite true that intelligent people perceive the ugliness and folly of blatant boasting and so if they boast they do it more skillfully. Or it is possible for a man to feel himself so superior to the common run of humanity that he finds no pleasure in the admiration of the multitude. His detachment is a form of pride, and he may fall into the worst of errors by being puffed up against God” (Islip Collyer, “Principles and Proverbs” 128-129).

Reading 1 – Exo 39:43

“Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the LORD had commanded. So Moses blessed them” (Exo 39:43).

Moses inspected the finished work, and saw that it was all very good — it had been completed just as the LORD had commanded. This language echoes Gen 1:31: “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” In this correspondence of language, it may be seen that the building and furnishing of the tabernacle parallels the creation and peopling of the earth… because this was a “re-creation” of God’s world.

So Moses blessed the workmen in their work, just as God had blessed the man and woman in the beginning, as well as the seventh day (Gen 1:28; 2:2).

Reading 2 – Psa 102:15,16

“The nations will fear the name of the LORD, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory. For the LORD will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory” (Psa 102:15,16).

As a prophecy of the coming kingdom this is wonderful. The return of Christ will — eventually — cause all kings and other powers to acknowledge and worship him (Psa 72:10,11; Isa 60:3,9-12). He who was merely (if that is the right word!) King of the Jews will have then become King of the whole World (Rev 5:8-14; 11:15; 12:10; 15:4; Phi 2:8,10; Dan 4:17,25; Isa 24:23; 26:9; 45:23; Psa 22:27-29; 86:9; etc).

And it appears, from Zec 14:4, that Jerusalem will have been largely destroyed by an earthquake, and will need literally to be rebuilt before it can become the city of the Great King (Mat 5:35). But this is also a reference to the “new Jerusalem” — the embodiment of the glorified saints (Gal 4:26; Heb 12:22; Rev 21:2,9,10). In the last and best sense, it is there, through them, in immortal human beings which enshrine His character, and that of His Son, that God will truly appear in all His glory (Rev 21:3; 22:3,4)!

Reading 3 – 1Co 10:13

“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1Co 10:13).

“I am not going to try to convince you that you should relish, enjoy or otherwise celebrate adversity, but simply to realize that it is good for you. Because we grow in our faith and develop our characters, therefore we can have a sense of joy in adversity. In a way, each trial we go through is a gift from God — a gift of adversity. Some of these are small gifts while others are big gifts. They are all gifts in that God is working with us…

“What we are promised in the Bible is that we can get through the trial. Maybe we will not get through it with our life, our sanity, our wealth or our family, but we can make it through with our salvation. We are promised that ‘No trial has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tested beyond what you are able, but with the trial will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.’ What does this mean? Can we survive all trials? Yes and no. Eventually, one trial is going to take each of our lives. The promise is not that we can survive physically or emotionally, but spiritually. During the first century, as the Apostles were being murdered one by one, they did have a way of escape from their torturers. Their escape was death. Perhaps we long for a little better escape path than death, but in some cases, that is all that is provided. The promise is that each trial will be conquerable from the point of view of our salvation — period” (Kyle Tucker).