( Preached at Northcote
Bapt. 2004)
The Significance of the Six Books …..
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INTRODUCTION Sometimes a preacher takes but one text. But this sermon has fifty-two ….. chapters ! We are going to take a quick survey of six New Testament books and grasp ( I hope) their basic message.
O.K. … so it’s different. But that may help it stick
in one’s mind !
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(1) The
Epistle to the Romans emphasises the Necessity of the Gospel.
For the first two-and-a- half chapters , Paul reminds
the reader that man is a sinner in the sight of a Holy God.
Romans 3: 9Well then, are we Jews better than others? No, not at
all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or
Gentiles, are under the power of sin. 10As the Scriptures say,
"No one is good--
not even one.
11 No one
has real understanding; no one is
seeking God.
12 All
have turned away from God; all have
gone wrong.
No one does good,
not even one."
Sin shuts a person out of Heaven. Sin must be punished
… so ….
Paul continues to reveal that God took the initiative
and provided salvation for all who place their faith in His Son.
Romans 3: 21But now God has shown us a different way of being right in
his sight--not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the Scriptures
long ago. 22We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus
Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no
matter who we are or what we have done.
23For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard. 24Yet
now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through
Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. 25For God
sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God's anger
against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his
blood, sacrificing his life for us.
The
inability of man to save himself and the grace of God that provided a Saviour
reveals the necessity of the Gospel message … for salvation is found in no
other.
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(2) The
Book of Hebrews speaks of the Superiority of the Christian Faith over Judaism.
The writer explains, by quoting the Jewish Scriptures ( the Old Testament ) that the
Lord Jesus is “ so much better” than the angels , ( 1: 4) than Moses ( Ch. 3) , than Joshua ( Ch. 4)
than the High Priests of Israel ( Ch. 5-7) than the Old Covenant ( 8:6) than
the animal sacrifices (10:4,12) …
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(3) The Epistle to the Ephesians reminds us of
the Unity of God’s People.
Ephesians 4: 3Make every effort to keep the
unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4There is one body
and one Spirit--just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- 5one
Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is
over all and through all and in all.
Notice that it doesn’t say “try to be united” but maintain
the unity you have by being a part of God’s family. There is one head of the church …the Lord Jesus … and we are all parts of
His body. We all subscribe to the one Faith …those essential doctrines without
which one cannot call oneself a Christian. We were all baptized into the Body
of Christ by the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinth. 12:13) We all have the same Heavenly
Father.
Paul uses another illustration to describe the unity
of believers … we are all building blocks in His Temple. ( Ephes. 2:21)
It is sad when fellow-believers fight each other over
secondary issues … we are to
“make
every effort” to maintain our
God-given unity.
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(4) Philippians tells of the Joy that results
from our Christian Faith.
Sixteen times
in these four chapters Paul speaks of
“joy”, “rejoice”, “rejoicing” in spite
of the fact that he is a prisoner in Rome not knowing whether he will be put to
death or not. So what ?, he says. “ To
die is to be with Christ !” ( 1:23)
* He rejoices
that his arrest ( and the reason for it) has opened opportunities of
witness in Caesar’s palace (1:13) , and
that others are emboldened to preach Christ. (1:14)
* And he bids his readers to “ rejoice, and again I
say, rejoice !” (4:4)
Surely there is joy in knowing our sins are forgiven ,
that we have a Father who watches over us and a Great High Priest who
intercedes for us and a Holy Spirit who indwells us , and a Home in Glory-land bye & bye …
But, alas,
there are some Christians who need to
pray David’s prayer , “ Restore unto me the joy of Thy
salvation…” ( Psalm 51:12)
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(5) The Epistle of James reminds us of the
Out-working of our Faith.
For “ faith without works is dead.” ( 2: 20 ) The faith that saves … and of which Paul was speaking in Romans 5:1 … is the faith that proves its reality by obeying the Lord Jesus.
Works alone cannot save.
Could my zeal no respite know
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone –
Thou must save, and Thou alone.
But the faith that links us to the Saviour must be an obedient faith.
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(6) 1 & 2 Thessalonians spell out
emphatically the Hope of the Believer.
Jesus is coming again ! Every chapter in these two
brief letters speaks of that event.
He is coming to destroy the unrepentant sinner … and take His people Home. (2 Thess 1: 7-10) In this world of turmoil and woe we can “comfort one another” with this truth. ( 1 Thess 4:16-18) Hallelujah !
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CONCLUSION … Each Book of Scripture has a distinctive message … and we need to know them all for a satisfying Christian life.
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COMMUNION TALK
There is a rather delightful story of an elderly grey-haired
great-grandmother who hobbled into the police station.
“Officer,” she said to the sergeant behind the desk ,” I’ve something
to report.
“Yews madam , he replied ,”
what is it ?”
“Well , .. I was walking through the park , minding my own business , when
this young man rushed up to me , threw his arms around me , and gave me a big
kiss !”
“ Mmmm,” said the sergeant, “
where exactly did this take place?”
“In that park outside the town Hall,” she replied.
The sergeant noted it down.
“Can you describe the gentleman in question?” he asked.
“ Well, he was tall , good looking , blue eyes, dark curly hair … he
was wearing a brown jumper and corduroy
trousers.”
“And when exactly did this take place, madam ?”
She smiled coyly … and said , “ On this very day , fifty years ago.”
The sergeant put down his pen …gave her a puzzled look … and said ,
“Why are you telling me about it now?”
To which she replied, “ Well ,
whenever I walk through that park, the memory of it comes flooding back
… and I just like to tell some-one about it.”
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To this dear lady the wonder of that moment had never left her. It
lived in her memory as if it had taken place but yesterday.
And as we gather around the Lord’s table we should be reminded of ‘the
wonder of it all’ when the Son of God
died on the cross for your sins and mine. The memory of that event
should coming flooding back to us as we partake of these simple elements , the
bread and the wine.
And like the dear old grandmother , we should go forth from this place
wanting to tell others about what the Lord Jesus has done for us.
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Ron Tibbey , of European Christian Mission book shop , asked me to do a
report for the ECM conference in
2003. So I did …..
A Messenger Boy’s Lament
“Hullo, Donald ,” says friend
Ronald when he rings me on the ‘phone,
“
I’ve got a little job that’s right for you.
There’s
some books to be picked up … at Koorong
& at Word …
I
wonder if it’s something you could do ?”
So
off I go to Word, get the books that Ronald ordered,
Next
stop is Koorong shop some miles away;
While
I’m there I get a phone call …’tis our Ronald once again …
He
wants another book at Word … today .
So
back I go to Word where shop assistant says,
“Ronald
rang … and wants you to give him ring …”
“Hullo
Ronald,” says I apprehensively .. . and
hear his cheerful voice ,
“There’s
a book at Koorong .. . could you please, please, bring ?”
So
back I go to Koorong and gather books for him ,
And
race ‘em home to Ronald like a flash!
Says
he , “They’ve given you wrong order and quickly want ‘em back ”
so once again across the town I dash.
So
back I go to Koorong , swap books for the right ones,
Phone rings ! ‘tis Ronald with more
pleas ,
“
Could you call at Word, please, there’s a lady here
wants
a book that’s in their catalogue she sees ? ”
So
back to Word I go --& get out of
there before
The
phone it rings again … and there me find .
Then
back to E.C.M. and Ronald’s smiling face,
“The
lady’s gone,” he says , “She changed her mind.”
If
Ronald ever asks you to be a message boy
And
you think the trip may not be very far ,
Make
sure you do not answer any phone calls
Or
else abundant petrol’s in your car !!
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The following is adapted
from a poem I heard on the T.V. ( Benny Hill !! not Hinn ) ) …I’ve altered it quite a bit, dressed up like a Cockney farmhand, used a funny voice and did it at a social evening . …
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‘Twas
market day in the village
&
the crowds ‘round the stalls was quite dense,
but
what caught my eye.. ..was a stall piled ‘igh
with
musical instruments.
Then up to that stall came a little old man
….
‘is clothes was all tattered & thin,
but
his face came alight ..as ‘is eyeballs caught sight
of
a beautiful old violin.
He
‘eld it up to the dealer,
sayin’,
“ ’ow much is this one then ?”
The
dealer replied, “That’s a Stradivarius,
…. It’ll cost ya Four pound ten !”
“I
can’t afford that,” said the little old man,
and
a lump came into my throat;
For
him I felt sad … so I gave him what I had -
my
only Ten shilling note.
A
crowd had all gathered behind us
so
I quickly went round with ‘is ‘at.
When
I finished I found I’d collected Five
Pound
so
I took my Ten shilling note back.
Well
, we gave to the dealer the money
and
this old man, … so shabbily dressed,
picked
up the violin, … put it under his chin …
and he played like a man possessed !
He
played Fu-gues & cantatas,
and
Ora-ta-torios too.
by
composers like Johann , Sebastian,
Bach,
to
mention just a few.
He
played waltzes by Strauss and Die Flaudermaus
and
‘Tales from the Vienna Wood’,
and Tchaikovsky’s ‘Piano Concerto’ ….
but
he didn’t play that very good …
The
crowd were all hushed as the little old man
said
“I’ll now play with dexterity
a
well known tune .. that may make you all swoon -
‘The
Flight of the Bumble Bee’.”
Well! We’d never ‘eard anything like it
as
he played whatever he’d said ,
but
when the crowd clapped
something
in ‘is ‘eart snapped …
and
down he fell … at our feet … dead.
So
we gave back the feeler his diddle
(
Er … the dealer his fiddle,)
We
took back our money , but then
“
No ! no!” cried the crowd, in unison
loud,
“we’ll
bury him , with that vi’lin !”
So
‘twas then on that cold Tuesd’y mornin’
we
laid the old man to his rest,
and
we took that old fiddle …
…
laid it down on his middle,
and
we went away feeling depressed.
But
the angels all welcomed the little old man
when
he stepped into Heaven that day;
…’till
he took up the bow …o’er the strings it did go
and
those angels all howled with dismay.
They
put their wings over their ears
as
“Flight of the Bumble Bee” droned,
Three .. were sure they’d been stung !
six became quite unstrung -
and
the other ten thousand all groaned.
The
Stradivarius they then took from him
and
gave ‘im a ‘arp instead;
He
took one look at it .. and then ‘is head scratched it
saying, “By Gumm, I think I must be dead.”
So
if you pass by yonder graveyard
on
a cold wintry night you may see
a
little old man … with a harp in his hand…
playin’ ‘Flight of the Bumble Bee’.
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And lo ! and behold ! I just found last Easter’s mid-week Bible study . Here ‘tis !
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The Curious Case of the Easter
Triplets
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INTRODUCTION …. When it comes to a study of Numerology we need to be wary. Attaching meanings to numbers leads to all kinds of strange interpretations.
Who said that the number 286 means “ displacement” or that 37 indicates “ The Word of God”? Is it true that 7 and 40 have “a definite bearing on the time of the Second Coming “?
Such are but a few of the claims made in books before me as I write.
However it must be acknowledged that the number 7 in Scripture seems to symbolize completeness. And 6 may well have something to do with ‘man’.
The Apostle John uses such symbolism in Revelation.
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The Number 3 is stamped upon all creation … time ( past, present future); space
(length, breadth,height); kingdoms ( animal, vegetable, mineral); values ( good, better, best); man himself ( body, soul, spirit);grammar (1st person, 2nd. Person, 3rd. person ) … and there are many more ( I’ll give you 3 guesses what they are !! )
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But let’s look at about twenty 3’s connected with the Easter story !!
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SOME EASTER TRIPLETS Beginning in Gethsemane … only 3 disciples accompany the Lord Jesus ( Mark 14:23) … the third time they had done so (Mark 5:37; Mark 9:2) … and in that garden the Lord prays 3 times. ( Mark 14:41). Three groups of people send a mob to arrest Him (Mark 14:43) carrying 3 things !
( John 18:3) Three times the Lord affirms “ I am He !” ( John 18:5,6,8)
He addresses 3 groups (Luke 22:52) There follows three Jewish trials(before Annas (John 18:13), Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin’s evening meeting (John 18:24) , and then an early morning trial ( Mark 15:1).
It is during this second trial Peter denies his Lord 3 times. (Mark 14:72)
There are 3 Roman trials …before Pilate ( Mark 15:1-5) Herod ( Luke 23:6-11a) and back to Pilate. ( Luke 23 11b.)
Matthew 27:28-29 tells of the three mockeries of His Kingship … a scarlet robe, a crown of thorns and the reed .
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He is crucified at the 3rd. hour ( 9 a.m. ) Pilate places a notice upon the cross in 3 languages. (John 19:20) From noon until 3:00p.m. 3 hours of darkness cover the land. Three things are ‘rent’ in the Easter story … the veil of the Temple
(Matthew 27:51), the rocks (Matthew 27:52), and a little earlier, the High Priest’s garment. (Matthew 26:65) All of which speaks to us of the end of the sacrificial system , the power of death being broken and the cessation of a human priesthood.
“Many other women” were present but Mark only specifies 3 by name . ( Mark 15:40-41)
The myrrh ( John 19:39) brought by Nicodemus reminds us of the 3 gifts of the wise men ( Matthew 2:11) … Gold for a King ( and He was ! John 18:36), frankincense for a Priest ( and He was ! Hebrews 10:12)… and myrrh to quench the stench of death. A prophetic gift for the Babe … who was born to die.
Three tenses describe our Shepherd in the New Testament … He is the “ the good shepherd” who died for the sheep ( John 10:11) ; the “great shepherd” who rose again to be our High Priest ( Hebrews 13:20-21) and the “ chief shepherd” who is coming again. ( 1 Peter 5:4) Myrrh, frankincense and Gold !
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Three barriers were set up to keep His body from being stolen …the stone, the seal and the soldiers. ( Luke 23:66) To no avail. He arose “ after 3 days and 3 nights” (Matthew 12:40)
Mention must be said of the Triune God who is ever present in this Easter narrative …The Father planned it … the Son gave Himself a sacrifice for sin … and the Holy Spirit “quickened” Him from death. ( 1 Peter 3:18) And, we might add, the Holy Spirit inspired the Gospel writers to record these events , and their meaning , for us.
Such are some of the triplets of Easter.
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CONCLUSION … Three reactions to the message of the Cross ?
No! Only two. Belief or unbelief.
Saved or lost ? Heaven or Hell ?
The choice is yours.
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