We are back...vacation recap
Just off of vacation
and so I thought we would ease back into our study of 1 Timothy
tomorrow and give some insights from our time away.
“Trains, Planes, and Automobiles” is the title of a movie that I have never seen but have heard about but it describes our modes of transportation for the week. We started with a two hour automobile ride to Chicago O’Hare thanks to Scott Pescetto and then a 2 1/2 hour flight to Tampa. Stephanie’ parents picked us up and we had an hour automobile drive back to the city of Zephyrhills. We had a couple days in the Florida sun before packing up the car for a 20 hour trip north that usually is 3 days long but we squeezed it into 2. A couple of days in the Michigan sun involved a lot of unpacking and the bringing out of many things to use for the summer on the deck. My big job was the trimming of 9 fruit trees and my shoulders are sore but the work was completed so hopefully a great harvest will happen this fall. The trip ended with a train ride from East Lansing to Mendota which was 4 hours to Chicago, a 3 hour layover which included lunch at the Protein Bar restuarant, and then a 1 1/2 hour ride to Mendota to be picked up by Kirk Lockwood for the automobile ride home.
What was one of the highlights of the trip? It happened Sunday morning because we were able to attend the worship service at the University Reformed Church in East Lansing where Kevin DeYoung preaches. I am so thankful for the times that I can attend a service as “someone in the pews.”
Being a part of a church plant and involved heavily in the music, I picked up the guitar enough to learn chords and strum along while I led the singing. I did this primarily to help me keep on pitch because some places that we met and set up in were not ideal acoustically to hear yourself. We had limited equipment at the time and so I went many times without a monitor to hear myself back and the guitar kept me where I was suppose to be. It got me listening to others playing the guitar and if you are an amateur and you hear someone really good you either are ashamed to pick it up again because you are nothing compared to what you just heard or it drives you to practice more. You really appreciate the talent that person possesses and that you were able to experience.
I feel this same way when I hear really good preaching. The message on Sunday morning was out of the park. I was writing down notes furiously of Pastor Kevin’s exposition of Exodus 12:43-13:16. He titled the sermon, “All I Ever Learned About Communion I Learned Through The Passover.” It was like a very gifted guitarist playing a beautiful ballad that when he or she was done I could hang up my “spikes” in the feeling of inadequacy or be challenged to continue practicing this gift given by the Holy Spirit to communicate God’s Word to God’s people. I would have really missed out if I didn’t rise up after that long 2 day car drive that got us in bed at 11 p.m. and climb back into that car to go to church for the 9:15 a.m. service. So let me share his points about communion with you this morning.
Communion, like Passover, is a family meal. They gathered for the Passover meal as families in one home to partake of one lamb as the sacrifice provided for all who gathered there. Communion is God’s family gathering together in one place, the local church, to partake of one Lamb, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, Jesus the Messiah, which was provided by God Himself. v.46, 47
Communion, like Passover, is an exclusive meal. In v.38 we find out that the Israelites were not alone when they left Egypt. They were a mixed group of people who were making the journey to the Promise Land. They are given specific instructions about who could celebrate the Passover meal. Here is the breakdown of the criteria.
v.43 - a foreigner living among them - another nationality - no
v.44 - a slave who is circumcised, one who accepted the physical sign that his or her God was the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob - could be another nationality - yes
v.45 - a sojourner or visitor temporarily there, passing through - could be another nationality - no
v.45 - a hired servant or day laborer, there temporarily - could be another nationality - no
v.48 - a stranger or resident alien who is circumcised, one who has accepted the physical sign that his or her God is the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob - could be another nationality - yes
The exclusiveness of the Passover meal was reserved for those who were circumcised, those who put their faith in the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. Communion is an exclusive meal for those who accept Jesus as the One and Only who give His body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. It is not for those who are have not made this statement of faith. An interesting note is that each of the words listed above are different Hebrew words to signify differing groups among the Israelites at the time.
Communion, like Passover, is at an open table. Participation in the Passover meal was not based on nationality or social status but on faith. A foreigner living among them or a slave who was a foreigner or a sojourner who was a foreigner who was passing through or a hired servant who was a foreigner temporarily working in the area or a stranger settled in who was a foreigner could partake in the Passover as long as they were circumcised. The circumcision was a physical sign of their faith no matter their nationality or social class. Communion is an open table to not just one nationality or one social class. It is open and inviting to all who believe and have received the Lord Jesus Christ as that, the Christ, the Savior, and the Lord, the Master of their lives.
Communion, like Passover, shows our need for redemption. A sacrifice was provided for the Passover meal that was a substitute for those who partook in the meal and were redeemed from the bondage to the Egyptians. The sacrifice was to be a firstborn that was without blemish or spot. In the communion meal, Jesus was the firstborn of Mary and also sinless. He was provided for by Father God for the sole purpose to be a substitute for those in His house, to redeem us, to buy us back from sin.
Communion, like Passover, gives us something to remember. The Passover is a time to remember “the powerful hand out of Egypt” which is mentioned in this passage in verses 3, 9, 14, and 16. The remembering of this fact was preparation to enter the Promise Land promised and provided by God. Communion is a time to remember the hands and feet of our Savior on the cross and His rising from the dead. It is a time to remember His physically coming, giving His whole life and shedding His blood so that we might be prepared to enter the Promise Land of heaven.
Communion, like Passover, is an opportunity to speak and instruct. In verses 8 and 14 they are instructed to instruct their children about the Passover. The Passover was a time to speak of the coming Messiah, the Deliverer of all time. Communion is an opportunity to speak and instruct about the Messiah who has come but is coming again. We speak about His life, death, resurrection, ascension, and coming again to all who will hear.
Stephanie and I were truly “fed” God’s Word this Sunday and so thankful for His provision to make it happen to be in a company of His people on the Lord’s Day. Let’s pray.
“Lord, thank You for faithful ministers’ who give us Your Word on a daily and weekly basis. Thank You for times to sit and listen to instruction that helps us to understand You more and to be obedient to that knowledge and wisdom given. May we have more hunger for You and Your Word. Amen.”
Pastor Adam
“Trains, Planes, and Automobiles” is the title of a movie that I have never seen but have heard about but it describes our modes of transportation for the week. We started with a two hour automobile ride to Chicago O’Hare thanks to Scott Pescetto and then a 2 1/2 hour flight to Tampa. Stephanie’ parents picked us up and we had an hour automobile drive back to the city of Zephyrhills. We had a couple days in the Florida sun before packing up the car for a 20 hour trip north that usually is 3 days long but we squeezed it into 2. A couple of days in the Michigan sun involved a lot of unpacking and the bringing out of many things to use for the summer on the deck. My big job was the trimming of 9 fruit trees and my shoulders are sore but the work was completed so hopefully a great harvest will happen this fall. The trip ended with a train ride from East Lansing to Mendota which was 4 hours to Chicago, a 3 hour layover which included lunch at the Protein Bar restuarant, and then a 1 1/2 hour ride to Mendota to be picked up by Kirk Lockwood for the automobile ride home.
What was one of the highlights of the trip? It happened Sunday morning because we were able to attend the worship service at the University Reformed Church in East Lansing where Kevin DeYoung preaches. I am so thankful for the times that I can attend a service as “someone in the pews.”
Being a part of a church plant and involved heavily in the music, I picked up the guitar enough to learn chords and strum along while I led the singing. I did this primarily to help me keep on pitch because some places that we met and set up in were not ideal acoustically to hear yourself. We had limited equipment at the time and so I went many times without a monitor to hear myself back and the guitar kept me where I was suppose to be. It got me listening to others playing the guitar and if you are an amateur and you hear someone really good you either are ashamed to pick it up again because you are nothing compared to what you just heard or it drives you to practice more. You really appreciate the talent that person possesses and that you were able to experience.
I feel this same way when I hear really good preaching. The message on Sunday morning was out of the park. I was writing down notes furiously of Pastor Kevin’s exposition of Exodus 12:43-13:16. He titled the sermon, “All I Ever Learned About Communion I Learned Through The Passover.” It was like a very gifted guitarist playing a beautiful ballad that when he or she was done I could hang up my “spikes” in the feeling of inadequacy or be challenged to continue practicing this gift given by the Holy Spirit to communicate God’s Word to God’s people. I would have really missed out if I didn’t rise up after that long 2 day car drive that got us in bed at 11 p.m. and climb back into that car to go to church for the 9:15 a.m. service. So let me share his points about communion with you this morning.
Communion, like Passover, is a family meal. They gathered for the Passover meal as families in one home to partake of one lamb as the sacrifice provided for all who gathered there. Communion is God’s family gathering together in one place, the local church, to partake of one Lamb, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, Jesus the Messiah, which was provided by God Himself. v.46, 47
Communion, like Passover, is an exclusive meal. In v.38 we find out that the Israelites were not alone when they left Egypt. They were a mixed group of people who were making the journey to the Promise Land. They are given specific instructions about who could celebrate the Passover meal. Here is the breakdown of the criteria.
v.43 - a foreigner living among them - another nationality - no
v.44 - a slave who is circumcised, one who accepted the physical sign that his or her God was the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob - could be another nationality - yes
v.45 - a sojourner or visitor temporarily there, passing through - could be another nationality - no
v.45 - a hired servant or day laborer, there temporarily - could be another nationality - no
v.48 - a stranger or resident alien who is circumcised, one who has accepted the physical sign that his or her God is the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob - could be another nationality - yes
The exclusiveness of the Passover meal was reserved for those who were circumcised, those who put their faith in the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. Communion is an exclusive meal for those who accept Jesus as the One and Only who give His body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. It is not for those who are have not made this statement of faith. An interesting note is that each of the words listed above are different Hebrew words to signify differing groups among the Israelites at the time.
Communion, like Passover, is at an open table. Participation in the Passover meal was not based on nationality or social status but on faith. A foreigner living among them or a slave who was a foreigner or a sojourner who was a foreigner who was passing through or a hired servant who was a foreigner temporarily working in the area or a stranger settled in who was a foreigner could partake in the Passover as long as they were circumcised. The circumcision was a physical sign of their faith no matter their nationality or social class. Communion is an open table to not just one nationality or one social class. It is open and inviting to all who believe and have received the Lord Jesus Christ as that, the Christ, the Savior, and the Lord, the Master of their lives.
Communion, like Passover, shows our need for redemption. A sacrifice was provided for the Passover meal that was a substitute for those who partook in the meal and were redeemed from the bondage to the Egyptians. The sacrifice was to be a firstborn that was without blemish or spot. In the communion meal, Jesus was the firstborn of Mary and also sinless. He was provided for by Father God for the sole purpose to be a substitute for those in His house, to redeem us, to buy us back from sin.
Communion, like Passover, gives us something to remember. The Passover is a time to remember “the powerful hand out of Egypt” which is mentioned in this passage in verses 3, 9, 14, and 16. The remembering of this fact was preparation to enter the Promise Land promised and provided by God. Communion is a time to remember the hands and feet of our Savior on the cross and His rising from the dead. It is a time to remember His physically coming, giving His whole life and shedding His blood so that we might be prepared to enter the Promise Land of heaven.
Communion, like Passover, is an opportunity to speak and instruct. In verses 8 and 14 they are instructed to instruct their children about the Passover. The Passover was a time to speak of the coming Messiah, the Deliverer of all time. Communion is an opportunity to speak and instruct about the Messiah who has come but is coming again. We speak about His life, death, resurrection, ascension, and coming again to all who will hear.
Stephanie and I were truly “fed” God’s Word this Sunday and so thankful for His provision to make it happen to be in a company of His people on the Lord’s Day. Let’s pray.
“Lord, thank You for faithful ministers’ who give us Your Word on a daily and weekly basis. Thank You for times to sit and listen to instruction that helps us to understand You more and to be obedient to that knowledge and wisdom given. May we have more hunger for You and Your Word. Amen.”
Pastor Adam
Comments
Post a Comment