Divine Service Guide

New Apostolic Church

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1/2 March Life instead of death

5 MarchThe grace and

love of God

8/9 MarchTreasures

12 MarchHow to build

properly

15/16 MarchAngel protection

19 MarchStriving for eternal things

22/23 MarchJesus and the Samaritan woman

26 March Following despite our weaknesses

29/30 MarchOur journey under God’s blessing

Youth serviceDeliverance through obedience

A monthly for the ministers March 2017

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March 2017 Foreword

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“Recognising salvation” is the title of our sermon series in March. The Bible uses the term “salvation” in the sense of “deliverance”, “protection”, and “redemption”. Whoever believes in the Son of God recognises: “This is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world” (John 4: 42). Salvation cannot be found in anyone else (Acts 4: 12). The divine offer of salvation is addressed to all of mankind, irrespective of origin, intelligence, or social standing. Every human being has access to the salvation of God. But before anyone can partake of it one has to recognise his own need and ask for salvation. God devotes Himself to our salvation through His word and the sacraments, both of which are essen-tial.

The objective of the divine service for the departed on the first Sunday of the month is to demonstrate that the offer of salva-tion applies to both this world and the beyond. In order to be redeemed it is indispensable for the living as well as the dead to believe in the divine offer of salvation in Jesus Christ, to hear the word of God, and to receive the sacraments of the church. Faith is required in order to receive the sacraments and for them to unfold to their full effect for salvation.

On the second Sunday the focus of the sermon is on the way we can attain salvation. It takes more to be saved than just to go to church regularly. A living and deeply rooted faith in Christ must also come to expression in good works. This requires us to culti-vate a close relationship with the Son of God.

The service on the third Sunday urges us to become aware of our absolute dependence on salvation. A life devoted exclusively to the pursuit of transitory and material things lacks an important aspect, namely a relationship with God, the Creator and Sus-tainer of life. This is why it is so important for us to strive for this fellowship with God, namely so that we can attain eternal life.

The last Sunday of the month marks the beginning of the Pas-siontide, when we commemorate the bitter suffering and death of Christ. He walked the path that led Him to the cross, inquired into the will of God, and put it into practice. This is how He fulfilled His mission. Despite all our weaknesses, let us likewise strive to follow the Lord, inquire into God’s will, and submit to it. Let us intercede for others and show our contemporaries the path to salvation.

Midweek1/2 March 2017

So teach us to number our daysthat we may gain a heart of wis-dom. Psalm 90: 12

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Life instead of death

Message

Sin sets limits on our life on earth. Jesus Christ gives us access to eternal life.

Elaboration

Man is doomed to death because of sin (Genesis 3: 19; Romans 6: 23), a fact that is of fundamental significance for human existence. We have to deal with the painful truth that earthly life will end for every human being. Neither wealth nor earthly power or fame, nor any human works or achieve­ments can abolish this funda­mental truth.

However, the power of death has been broken through the merit earned by Jesus (2 Timothy 1: 10). Human beings now have a choice. They can either continue to follow the path of death or walk the path that leads to Christ and salva­tion and therefore to eternal life with God.

Drawing the wrong conclusions …

The finiteness of our earthly existence has often caused

people to draw the wrong con­clusions for themselves. Esau, for example, sold his birth right (Genesis 25: 32), arguing that he had to die anyway. Apostle Paul made reference to this attitude in the context of his dispute with those who reject­ed the Resurrection: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” (1 Corinth ians 15: 32).

With this erroneous attitude people try to push away the reality of death and concen­trate exclusively on their earth­ly lives. Although it is certainly not a bad thing to enjoy the good things that God has provided for us, it is definite­ly the wrong choice to focus on these things exclusively, because in so doing we reduce our lives to a purely material­istic existence, and forget that we have been called to eternal life with God.

… and the implications

The pursuit of power, honour, pleasure, and wealth often makes people forget God and their neighbour. When their minds are focused purely on earthly things, they will be inclined to try and squeeze as much out of life as pos sible (Philippians 3: 17–21). In the process, they often ignore the rights and needs of others. Wars are fought, the weak are exploited, the environment is shamelessly destroyed, and there is no regard for the lives of others (CNAC 5.3.10.4; CNAC-QA 360–364). A sober­ing example is King David who

made sure that the husband of the woman he desired for him-self would be killed in battle (2 Samuel 11).

Drawing the right conclusions …

The Lord uses the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12: 16 et seq.) to warn His listeners of such an attitude, calling on them to seek first the king-dom of God—and in so doing establish the right priorities (Luke 12: 22–31).

… and the implications

The first epistle of John also warns against becoming too attached to transitory things and reminds us that those who do the will of God will abide forever (1 John 2: 17).

Those who give salvation in Christ priority in their lives, and allow themselves to be redeemed by Him, can look forward to receiving inde-structible and eternally valid happiness one day (1 Peter 1: 3–5; 2 Peter 3: 13; Revelation 21: 3–4).

Context

Psalm 90 is a psalm of lament. Biblical tradition attributes it to Moses, a major figure in the history of Israel. Its focus is on the transience of life (verse 10). The psalmist’s petition in verse 12 is a reference to the finiteness of human life and expresses that it is something one must eventually learn to accept. Human beings have only been given a limited period of time, which is why they must live their lives wisely and in a way that is acceptable to God.

Notes

Life instead of death

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Summary

■■ Man is doomed to death because of sin.

■■ The power of death has, however, been broken through the merit earned by Jesus.

■■ Man often reduces himself to a purely materialistic existence and forgets that he has been called to eternal life with God.

■■ Those who give salvation in Christ priority can look forward to eternal life.

Divine service for the departed

Sunday 5 March 2017

And you, who once were alien­ated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—if indeed you continue in the faith, ground­ed and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven … Colossians 1: 21–23

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The grace and love of God

Message

Faith is indispensable for receiving the sacraments and for them to develop their saving effect.

Elaboration

God’s offer of salvation does not exclude anyone, not even strangers or enemies.

Strangers and enemies

The term “stranger” can be applied to those departed souls who

■■ do not have a part in the church of Christ.

■■ do not know Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

■■ do not understand the language of love or the grace of God.

The term “enemy” can be applied to those departed souls who

■■ fought against Christ, as Paul did (Acts 9: 4).

■■ did evil to their neighbour (Matthew 25: 45).

■■ were indifferent to Jesus (Luke 11: 23).

God wants al l of these strangers and enemies to ap -pear before Him. He wants them to have eternal fellowship with Him.

Salvation is offered to all

In order to be saved, the departed must believe in the word of God and receive the sacraments.

■■ Through Holy Baptism with water, original sin is washed away.

■■ Through Holy Sealing, man receives the gift of the Holy Spirit.

■■ Partaking in Holy Com-munion in a worthy man-ner makes it possible for the believer to develop into the image of Jesus Christ, who is holy and blameless.

Continuing in the faith, grounded and steadfast

In order to be saved, the de- parted must also be grounded in faith and steadfast. They must firmly believe in

■■ divine truth, which deter-mines what is good and what is bad. Those who have been baptised with water accept this truth and vow to fight against evil.

■■ the love of God. For those who have been baptised, the sacrifice of Jesus is the perfect proof that God loves them.

■■ the effect of the Holy Spirit. The departed must believe, just as we do, that the power of God can be perceived in the word of preaching and in the consecrated wafer.

■■ the sending of the Apostles. This belief is a prerequisite for receiving Holy Sealing and Holy Communion.

■■ the imminent return of Jesus. He is the reason for our gratitude, hope, and joy.

Thoughts from the Chief Apostle

Context

After the usual introduction, the epistle to the Colossians presents Christ as the first-born over all creation and the firstborn from the dead (Colossians 1: 15–20). The reconcil iation wrought by Christ also has an effect on the Colossians. They change from Gentiles, who were strangers and enemies to God, to ex - em plary Christians above re -proach (Bible text).

The letter then goes on to describe the Apostle min is - try among the Gen tiles (Colos- sians 1: 24–29). This segues into the main theme of the let-ter, the church of the Lord.

Notes

Divine service for the departed

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Summary

■■ The offer of salvation is addressed to all human beings, both here and in the beyond.

■■ To be saved, the departed must believe in God’s offer of salvation in Jesus Christ, hear the word of God, and receive the sacraments of the church.

Midweek8/9 March 2017

So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.Luke 12: 21

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Treasures

Message

Let us collect divine treasures.

Elaboration

Jesus used the parable of the rich fool to warn His disciples about greed (Luke 12: 15). It was not the man’s wealth that He condemned—it had, after all, been acquired hon­estly—but his attitude of heart.

■■ The man considered his wealth to be something that he had earned on his own merit. He did not give any thought to express­ing gratitude to God for his harvest. Nowadays people think they deserve what they possess, often forgetting that they owe everything to God.

■■ The rich man wanted to enjoy his possessions. It is certainly legitimate to enjoy what we have (money, time, our retire­ment), but let us continue to work on our salvation and fulfil our responsi­bilities towards God.

■■ The man in the parable saw only himself and ignored the needs of his neighbour. Our pursuit of

prosperity must not come at the expense of our spouse or our children or our neighbour.

■■ The rich fool was rather short­sighted. Let us give priority to eternal life.

Being rich toward God

God, the Father, offers us the wealth of His love.

■■ The God of love can and will always help us in situations of distress and need.

■■ God’s love is inexhaust­ible. The fact that God loves our neighbour as much as He loves us does not put us at a dis­advantage in any way.

■■ Knowing that God loves us, we can afford to have a heart full of peace and joy even in times of dis­tress and affliction.

God, the Son, gives us access to His means of grace (Ephe-sians 1: 7).

■■ Through His sacrifice He has delivered us from sin and spiritual death.

■■ He constantly erases our sins so that we can con­tinue our journey without the burden of sin.

■■ Having obtained grace ourselves, we can forgive our neighbour.

■■ By following the Lord to the goal, we can enter into His glory by grace, something which no human being can earn.

God, the Holy Spirit, gives us access to the wealth of His word and knowledge (1 Corinth ians 1: 5).

■■ The word of God has eternal value.

■■ The Holy Spirit teaches us how we can obtain bless­ing throughout our lives.

■■ The Holy Spirit reveals the future to us: soon we will be with the Lord forever!

Let us recognise the divine treasures and take them for ourselves.

Thoughts from the Chief Apostle

Context

On His way to Jerusalem, Jesus talks at length to His disciples (Luke 12: 1–53). There are many people around them. Then a man from the crowd asks Jesus to help him with a dispute about an inherit­ance. But Jesus does not want to be a judge or an arbi­trator, and tells the man—and His own disciples—to beware of covet ousness (Luke 12: 13–15). Jesus underlines this warning with the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12: 16–21), which appears only in the gospel of Luke, and paints the portrait of a wealthy land­owner. Jesus goes on to show His disciples the conclusions they are to draw from this par­able (Luke 12: 22–34).

Notes

Treasures

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Summary

■■ We are thankful for the earthly treasures that God gives us and make good use of them, without losing sight of our salvation.

■■ We make it our priority to look for the treasures of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Recognising salvation – Recognising ourselves

Sunday 12 March 2017

Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. Luke 6: 47–48

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How to build properly

Message

Our salvation is founded on Jesus Christ.

Elaboration

The Bible often makes refer-ence to images of rock and stone. God is the rock. He protects and saves (Psalm 62: 2). Jesus is a tried and tested cornerstone of Zion (Isaiah 28: 16; 1 Peter 2: 4–8). Jesus Himself explains that whoever comes and hears what He says and does is building his spiritual house on rock. Everyone is respons ible for his own relationship with God. All human beings are urged to build such a house.

The stream that rises and beats against the house sym-bolises

■■ the difficulties to which people are subject and in which they must prove themselves.

■■ the judgement that will ensue at the return of Jesus (Matthew 25: 31 et seq.) or at the end of the thousand-year kingdom of peace (Revelation 20: 11–15).

Hearing what Jesus says

Jesus is talking about those who come to Him and hear what He has to say. His message is therefore also addressed to us. In order to be saved it is not enough to just go to church and hear the sermon. Our faith must be alive and must also come to expression in good deeds (James 2: 14). We try to put the gospel into practice. In the Gospels, Jesus emphasises

■■ our relationship with our neighbour. “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7: 12; Luke 6: 31).

■■ that we should be careful with hasty judgements. “First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7: 5; Luke 6: 42).

■■ the necessity of forgive-ness (Matthew 6: 14–15) and reconciliation (Mat-thew 5: 24).

Doing what Jesus says

Those who believe in the gos­pel and put it into practice will not have their faith shaken.

■■ Strengthened by experi­ences of faith, they will be able remain steadfast in difficulties and afflictions.

■■ They will experience that the word of the Lord is eternally valid (Matthew 24: 35).

■■ They will experience the grace of God even if they are not perfect when it comes to following Christ and always doing what He says.

Fellowship with the rock

What is striking in Luke is that it says: “He … dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock.” In other words, it is important for our faith to be deeply and directly grounded on the rock that is Jesus Christ. What is meant here is our deep and close communion with the Son of God. Our relationship with Him, which is the rock of our salvation, gives us the assur­ance that nothing can separ­ate us from the love of God (Romans 8: 39).

Thoughts from the Chief Apostle

Context

The parable of the house built on rock is recorded in Matthew as part of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7: 24–27) and in Luke as part of the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6: 47–49). Luke emphasises that one has to dig deeply, right down to the rock. The par able is addressed to those who profess Jesus as their Lord, but do not do what He tells them (Luke 6: 46).

The parable consists of two parts: a positive part, in which the proper way of building is compared to hearing and doing the words of Jesus, and a negative part, in which the wrong way of proceeding is compared to disobeying the words of Jesus.

Notes

Recognising ourselves

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Summary

Those who believe in the gospel and put it into practice build their spiritual house on rock and

■■ will not be shaken, but remain constant even in tribulation and judgement.

■■ will experience the grace of God.

■■ will experience the love of God.

Midweek15/16 March 2017

Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not pro-voke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him. Exodus 23: 20–21

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Angel protection

Message

God is with us through His angels’ protection.

Elaboration

God has proven Himself to be a wonderful companion for mankind throughout the ages. Our Bible text already testifies of this. God Himself promises His people that He will bring them to the place He has pre­pared for them, the Promised Land. But He makes it clear that it will not be He Himself who will accompany them, but an angel. God tells them that He expects them to obey the angel.

Angel

“You are such an angel!” We have undoubtedly said this to someone before with a deep sense of gratitude on receiving help in an exceptional situa­tion. But there is more to this.

Angels: messengers of God

Angels are spiritual beings that have been created by God, who can also become vis­ible for human beings if this is willed by God—as messengers of God. God’s love for human beings is also demonstrated by the fact that He allows the angels to serve and protect them (Catechism 3.3.1.1.1; CNAC-QA 75, 76).

Angel protection, for what purpose?

The Bible text makes it clear that God sends angels in order to carry out His plan.

■■ Just short of the Prom­ised Land, as the people were standing before Jericho, Joshua suddenly saw a man standing in front of him who said that He was the Command­er of the Lord’s army (Joshua 5: 13–15). The biblical account does not say why this man came, however, it portrays in an impressive way that the conquest of the Promised Land was not attributed to the people’s military genius, but to the inter­vention and help from God!

■■ When Jesus prayed to His Father in Gethse­mane and then finally submitted to God’s will, an angel appeared to Him from heaven and

strengthened Him (Luke 22: 43; see also Matthew 4: 11). Filled with special divine strength, He then followed the path that led Him to the place that His Father had determined: Golgotha. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ is not the result of superhuman abil­ities, but of intervention and help from God!

Angel protection today

Today too we can rest assured that God will always send an angel so that we can make our way to the place which He has determined for us: eternal fellowship with Him (1 Thessalonians 2: 11–12).

To this end, He sends angels to us which we perceive in var­ious forms, such as

■■ the invisible protectors, for whose accompanying presence we constantly pray.

■■ the angels of the Son of Man, the ministers, who proclaim the will of God to us—in divine service as well as in pastoral conver­sations.

Verse 21 of our Bible text begins with “beware of Him”. To beware of God implies that He is always with us (Matthew 28: 20). It also means, how­ever, that we must do His will in order to ultimately have fel­lowship with Him (1 John 2: 17)!

Context

The Bible text is taken from the account of God’s instructions concerning the Ten Com­mandments. Those who follow the instructions of God will be blessed, but those who con­travene the commandments will be cursed and punished. This alludes to the fact that while Israel will sin they can also be assured of God’s help.

God, who at that time already revealed Himself to the Israel­ites as the Angel of the Lord (Exodus 3: 2 et seq.), has revealed Himself in a unique way to mankind in Jesus Christ (Matthew 28: 20).

Notes

Angel protection

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Summary

Angels are ministering beings created by God: messengers of God.

■■ In our prayers we ask them to accompany us as invisible protectors.

■■ As angels of the Son of Man, the ministers proclaim the will of God.

Recognising salvation – Dependent on salvation

Sunday19 March 2017

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Mark 8: 36–37

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Striving for eternal things

Message

Dedicating ourselves to Christ and following Him leads to eternal salvation.

Elaboration

Ever since God gave man the commission to subdue the earth (Genesis 1: 28), there have been varying interpreta­tions. The respect we owe the creation, and our respons ibility to care for it, more often than not give way to selfishness and exploitation.

We thereby overlook the fact that

■■ God not only created the visible world, but also the invisible world (CNAC 2.4.1; CNAC-QA 37).

■■ God did not promise mankind eternal life on earth, but in His glory (2 Corinthians 5: 1).

Gaining the whole world?

There are many, however, who still consider this a goal worth striving for!

■■ Growing globalisation and the general impression that nothing is impos­sible for technology and science have already misled many people. How many there are who have become victims of their own aspirations!

■■ Others have taken it into their heads to imitate their idols in the hope of becoming still more beautiful, influential, and famous than they. How many there are who have lost everything in the pro­cess, even their lives!

In the end, the constant striv­ing for more and more will not lead to fulfilment, but rather leave the soul lacking what it needs.

The counsel of Jesus

The devil showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their (supposed) glory, but He rejected all of this deci­sively (Luke 4: 5–8)! He knew very well that worshipping the prince of this world would have brought Him nothing but eter­nal loss. Jesus knew that His kingdom is not of this world (John 18: 36)!

Our Bible text is taken from the same passage as the Lord’s call to follow Him. In His encounter with the rich young man, the Lord underlines just how import ant it is to follow Him (Matthew 19: 21).

Our Bible text does not con­demn responsible business dealings or the reasonable pursuit of earthly prosper­ity. But the Lord makes clear which treasures need to be given prior ity and says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Mat-thew 6: 21).

Eternal treasures

Although we are often preoc­cupied with earning our liveli­hood, let us always be aware that our first priority must be the salvation of our souls. In Revelation 3: 18 God coun­sels us to

■■ buy gold of Him that has been refined in the fire: the truth of God.

■■ buy white garments: the grace of God.

■■ anoint our eyes with eye salve: the knowledge of God.

This is what Paul calls “god­liness”, which “with content­ment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6: 6).

Context

Jesus confirms that those who concern themselves exclusive­ly with their earthly lives will achieve the opposite of what they hope to attain: they will lose it. A life dedicated to gain­ing only transitory and material things will inevit ably end.

Life is priceless. Not even the rich can redeem themselves from death.

Notes

Dependent on salvation

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Summary

Ever since God told mankind to subdue the earth, His words have been inter­preted variously. God Himself reveals Himself in the creation.

■■ The important thing is not the pursuit of treasures in the visible world, but the striving for eternal fellowship with God.

■■ True godliness strives for the truth, grace, and knowledge of God.

Bible study – The woman at Jacob’s well

Midweek22/23 March 2017

The woman then left her water-pot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” John 4: 28–29

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Jesus and the Samaritan woman

Message

Jesus knows us. He refers to Himself as the promised Christ, who is in a position to quench the thirst of human­kind for (eternal) life.

Elaboration

On His way from Judea to Galilee Jesus travelled through Samaria. At Jacob’s well He stopped to rest and deliber­ately started a conversation with a Samaritan woman. His conduct was unusual in sever­al ways. First, His Jewish con­temporaries did not normally approach women in public and, secondly, this woman was a Samaritan, a religious group that the orthodox Jews of the time despised and con­sidered a sect (verses 9 and 27). Jesus broke these two taboos deliberately because He knew that God had sent Him to Samaria (verse 4) in order to reveal His true iden­tity there (verse 25 et seq.; see also verse 42).

Recognising Jesus

Our Bible text (verses 28–29) marks the end of a long con­versation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman, which was characterised by misun­derstandings that demonstrat­ed the differences between their worlds. Jesus proves Himself a patient listener and counsellor, who is full of com­passion for this woman, in whom a great deal of hope had been buried. The narra­tive, which is divided into three parts, shows us how Jesus tries to impart the salvation revealed in Him to this woman.

■■ Living water (verses 7–15). This is important for eternal life, and is not the kind of water that people actually drink. They must recognise the gift of God (verse 10) sent by Him to quench their thirst (Psalm 42: 2). Those who drink of the water that He gives them will never be thirsty again (John 4: 14).

■■ The woman and her five husbands (verses 16–19). Jesus is not interested in why she has had so many husbands (whether by divorce or death is not known) and why she is now living with a man who is not her husband. He talks about her life in a matter­of­fact way without passing any moral judgement. The only thing that matters to Him is to manifest Himself to the

woman as the gift of God, who loves human beings, knows their innermost thoughts (John 1: 47–50; 2: 24–25), and desires to win them for God.

■■ The worship of God in spirit and truth (John 4: 20–26). The controversial issue addressed by the woman as to the place where God should be worshipped is something that goes back to an old theological dispute between Samaritans and Jews. Jesus responds to this by referring to His divine mission. He proph-esies the end of both places of worship—both the sanctuary on Mount Gerizim in Samaria and the temple in Jerusalem—and speaks of the future opened by God through Him: “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him” (verse 23).

The conversation culminates in Jesus’ revelation that He is indeed the Christ (verse 26).

The Samaritan woman’s reaction

The encounter with Christ has profound effects on the woman. She professes her faith in Him and testifies of Him, becoming the first mis-sionary in Samaria (verses 28–30). Her testimony had a

great effect on the people in the city (verses 39–42).

Let us likewise allow Christ to touch us and act in a way that, at His return as Redeemer, He can complete the work He has begun in us.

Context

The Samaritans accepted only the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament) as being relevant for faith. They rejected all later writings (such as the books of the prophets) and the teachings they con-veyed.

Notes

The woman at Jacob’s well

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Summary

■■ Jesus knows the Samaritan woman and respects her as a woman and a member of another religious group.

■■ The fact that Jesus speaks to her and identifies Himself to her prompts her and many of the inhabitants of the city to accept the Christian faith.

Passiontide – Following Jesus in suffering

Sunday26 March 2017

And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So Peter went out and wept bitterly.Luke 22: 61–62

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Following despite our weaknesses

Message

Let us follow Jesus Christ and do the will of God despite our weaknesses.

Elaboration

Passiontide is the season in which we commemorate the bitter suffering and death of Jesus Christ. It was because Jesus had prepared Himself for His ordeal that He was able to triumph over it and fulfil His mission.

■■ He inquired into the will of His Father.

■■ He humbly implored His Father to help Him (John 12: 27–28).

■■ In Gethsemane He had to do battle with Himself in order to submit to His Father’s will.

The picture we get of Apostle Peter is different. Although he

was willing to follow Jesus, he did not always succeed.

■■ He unwittingly opposed God’s plan and tried to impose his way of see - ing things on the Lord (Matthew 16: 22).

■■ He declined the help that Jesus offered him (Luke 22: 32–33).

■■ While Jesus was strug-gling, he fell asleep (Luke 22: 45).

Even so, Peter knew who Jesus was and what His mis-sion was (Matthew 16: 16). His love for the Lord even prompted him to follow the Lord all the way to the high priest. In that crucial moment, however, he failed: Peter, who had been with Jesus from the beginning, denied know-ing Him. He would have liked to follow the Lord under the cross, but was simply incap-able of doing so.

Weak as Peter

We can likewise become weak, just like Peter.

■■ Instead of admitting to our failures and weaknesses, we look for excuses and accuse our neighbour.

■■ When it comes down to it, we often choose the easy way rather than apply the gospel.

■■ We are not always true followers of Jesus (John 13: 35).

Let us follow Jesus by

■■ making progress when it comes to forgiveness, reconciliation, and unity.

■■ accepting the will of God and focusing on the gos-pel.

■■ taking the sermon seri-ously and accepting it as divine instruction and help.

■■ helping others bear their cross.

Let us follow Jesus despite our weaknesses, and let us inter-cede for others.

Thoughts from the Chief Apostle

Context

Following His arrest, Luke relates that Jesus is taken to the house of the high priest (Luke 22: 54). Peter follows at some distance, and denies the Lord three times. All of a sud-den the rooster crows, just as Jesus had predicted (Luke 22: 34), and Peter becomes aware of his failure.

Early in the morning, Jesus is first brought before the council, then before Pilate and Herod, before being condemned and crucified (Luke 22: 66; 23: 1–49).

Notes

Following Jesus in suffering

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Summary

Jesus had prepared Himself for His crucifixion: He had inquired into the will of God and subjected Himself to it.

Peter, on the other hand, failed when he denied knowing the Lord. When Jesus looked at him, Peter realised how weak he was.

Let us follow Jesus by

■■ being prepared to reconcile,

■■ submitting to the will of God,

■■ taking the sermons seriously and accepting them as divine help, and

■■ helping others to bear their cross.

Midweek 29/30 March 2017

Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you.” Genesis 12: 1

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Our journey under God’s blessing

Message

God blesses those who are willing to let go of certain things and trust Him for the sake of eternal fellowship.

Elaboration

The stories of the Patriarchs (see Context) revolve around the themes of election, depar-ture, and blessing. Abraham, in particular, is presented as a model of faith (Romans 4; Galatians 3: 6–9; Hebrews 11: 8–19).

Abraham, a model of faith

Abraham, who has not been mentioned before this point in the Bible, is chosen by God from among many, and asked by Him to leave his country. He promises Abraham bless-ing and a great name. We know that Abraham follows the Lord’s call and leaves for Canaan. From our per-spective today this sounds quite simple, especially since we know the outcome of

the story. But the reality of it was probably not so easy for Abraham.

He would likely have had many questions. I am supposed to have been chosen? What is so special about me? Why should I leave my country and the peo-ple I love—my family, and my friends? Why should I give up my prosperity and the secur ity it offers me? Isn’t the risk too great?

We must remember that Abra-ham could not have known that all the divine promises concerning him would be ful-filled. He had to believe and trust in the One who had called him. And God did not disap-point him. Just think of Abra-ham and Sarah’s desire for a child. Not being able to have a child was a big test for them. They had lived in Canaan for a long time already and were about to give up on God’s promise and look for other ways to have heirs (Genesis 16: 1–3). The three men who came to see them, and who turned out to be messengers of God, reminded them of God’s promise. At first, Sarah laughed, but then she became pensive. The messengers encouraged her by saying, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18: 14). She finally managed to regain her belief in the promise, and not even a year later she experi-enced its fulfilment.

Our journey under God’s blessing today

God has also called (elected) us and has urged us to leave our country, so to speak. What are the “houses” that we need to leave behind? These houses are an image for things that might jeopardise our eter-nal fellowship and future with God, such as

■■ the unbridled pursuit of prosperity and wealth and the selfishness that is associated with it (Matthew 19: 16–26).

■■ friendships and family relationships that prevent us from doing the will of God (Matthew 12: 46–50; 19: 27–29).

■■ unbelief with regard to our election and the divine promise (Ninth Article of Faith).

The early Christians held Abra- ham and the Patriarchs of faith in high esteem. With a view to their death and fu ture, the letter to the Hebrews says that they were strangers and pil-grims on the earth and desired a better country, a heavenly one (Hebrews 11: 13–16).

God has promised us the same future in Christ (John 14: 3). That is why we trust the promise of Jesus: “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me” (Revelation 22: 12) and why we remain with Him even in difficult times.

Context

The stories of the Patriarchs are biblical accounts that begin in Genesis 12 and relate the life of the Patriarchs of Israel. They tell of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God’s prom-ise to Abraham in Genesis 12: 1–3 is a central theme in all these accounts, because it is renewed for each patriarch (Genesis 13: 14–16).

Notes

Our journey under God’s blessing

21

Summary

■■ Abraham followed God’s call, gave up what God asked him to give up, obeyed Him even in times of trial, and was blessed in return.

■■ Children of God prove their faith by being prepared to give up long cherished points of view in order not to jeopardise their eternal fel-lowship with God.

Recognising salvation – Obeying God

Youth service March 2017

So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. Joshua 6: 20

22

Deliverance through obedience

Message

God saves those who obey Him.

Elaboration

At the border to the Promised Land, the people of Israel came upon Jericho, a fortified city that barred their pro­gress. The obstacle seemed insurmountable, es pecially since Israel had no experience whatsoever with laying siege to a fortress. To conquer it, God called upon the Israelites to

■■ march around the city with the ark of the coven­ant containing the tablets with the law.

■■ follow the instructions of Joshua.

■■ march around the city together.

■■ persevere to the end, because nothing hap­pened until the seventh time they marched around the city on the seventh day.

God blessed the obedience of His people and made the walls of the fortified city collapse.

The conquest of Jericho, an image of salvation

The conquest of Jericho is an image for our salvation. In order to reach the kingdom of God, we must conquer evil. God urges us to

■■ focus on the gospel and use it as orientation.

■■ follow the Apostles He has sent.

■■ strive for unity. The unity of the people of God is indispensable for its sal­vation (Ephesians 4: 13).

■■ persevere until the end determined by God.

Whoever follows these instruc­tions will be given the victory by God.

God helps in difficulties

The conquest of Jericho shows us how we should behave when we have to deal with particular difficulties. God helps those who

■■ refuse to commit sin in order to solve their prob­lems.

■■ acknowledge that God comes to their aid in His word and are aware that the soul’s salvation is more important than material well-being.

■■ do not isolate themselves in misfortune, but con-tinue to be active mem-bers in the body of Christ.

■■ are patient, knowing that God’s help is never too late.

Such an attitude will help us to experience God’s help: God will remove all obstacles on our path that could hinder us from attaining salvation, and He will give us the strength to overcome all the others.

Thoughts from the Chief Apostle

Context

The Bible text is probably a combination of two dis-tinct narratives, which would explain certain inconsistencies, such as the point in time when the priests were to sound their trumpets: it is not clear whether this was to occur every time they circled the city or only on the last round. The walls of Jericho collapsed under the effect of the shout raised by the people. The sig-nal for this was a blast from the priests’ trumpets.

Notes

Obeying God

23

Summary

God helps those who

■■ use the gospel as orientation,

■■ put His word into practice,

■■ strive for unity, and

■■ persevere to the end.

Notes

Notes

Notes

March April

1 Wed. Psalm 90: 12

2 Thur.

3 Fri.

4 Sat.

5 Sun. Colossians 1: 21–23

6 Mon.

7 Tue.

8 Wed. Luke 12: 21

9 Thur.

10 Fri.

11 Sat.

12 Sun. Luke 6: 47–48

13 Mon.

14 Tue.

15 Wed. Exodus 23: 20–21

16 Thur.

17 Fri.

18 Sat.

19 Sun. Mark 8: 36–37

20 Mon.

21 Tue.

22 Wed. John 4: 28–29

23 Thur.

24 Fri.

25 Sat.

26 Sun. Luke 22: 61–62

27 Mon.

28 Tue.

29 Wed. Genesis 12: 1

30 Thur.

31 Fri.

1 Sat.

2 Sun. Luke 22: 17–18

3 Mon.

4 Tue.

5 Wed. John 13: 10

6 Thur.

7 Fri.

8 Sat.

9 Sun. Mark 11: 17 Palm Sunday

10 Mon.

11 Tue.

12 Wed.

13 Thur.

14 Fri. Isaiah 53: 10 Good Friday

15 Sat.

16 Sun. John 2: 19, 22 Easter

17 Mon.

18 Tue.

19 Wed. Luke 24: 31

20 Thur.

21 Fri.

22 Sat.

23 Sun. Colossians 3: 1

24 Mon.

25 Tue.

26 Wed. 2 Kings 18: 5–6

27 Thur.

28 Fri.

29 Sat.

30 Sun. 1 Corinthians 3: 11

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Scripture taken from the New King James Version ®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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