SERVICE
“Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him” (Mark 7:32 NKJV).
Our verse gives some helpful instruction about service. Thus, we want to note the perspiration of service, the price of service, the passion in service, the position in service, the prudence in service, and the prayer in service.
Perspiration – “They brought.” Bringing this deaf and dumb man to the Lord Jesus was not easy to do, but they did it. Service for God is not an easy task. Many difficulties are involved and at times, we will have to work.
Price – “They brought.” Service requires a price. “They” had to give the time and effort to get this deaf and dumb man to the Lord. We will not serve well if we are not willing to pay the price and sacrifice time and effort and anything else necessary in order to serve.
Passion – “They brought.” Those who brought the deaf and dumb man to the Lord Jesus had to have compassion on the needy man. Compassion for the needs of others is required if we are going to serve God well. No one had more compassion for man than God. In John 3:16 we read, “For God so loved.” Therefore, it is not surprising that we need compassion to serve Him.
Position – “They brought.” Since we all do not have the same talent and abilities, we therefore do not the same position in service. Our position in service may be to simply bring people to church to hear about the Lord. Yet, we are not to despise that position. It is vital in getting many men to the Lord.
Prudence – “They brought to him.” The deaf and dumb man was brought to the Lord Jesus. This was a wise thing, for only the Lord Jesus could help the man. The world seeks to take the needy to everyone else but the Lord. However, the Lord Jesus is the only One who can solve the problems of mankind.
Prayer – “They begged Him to put His hand on him.” Service requires much prayer, much earnest prayer. The word “begged” is the language of earnestness. Many folks do not do much serving of God because they do not do much praying.
(Adapted from Butler’s Sermon Starters Vol. 3)
Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)
Quotation of the Week
“How utterly terrible is the current idea that Christians can serve God at their own convenience!”
Aiden Wilson (A.W.) Tozer (1897 – 1963)
American Pastor, Theologian and Author
Word Study
Exchange
In 2 Cor. 6:13 we read, “Now in a like exchange, I speak as to children, open wide to us also!" (NASB).
Exchange is the Greek word antimisthía (ἀντιμισθία = an-tee-mis-thee'-ah). It is made up of two words: “anti” which means in return, and “misthos” which means a reward. Thus, the word emphasizes receiving what is due in an exchange. Positively, the word speaks of recompense, reward, fair exchange; negatively, it refers to penalty, retribution, revenge. Antimisthía is not present in classical Greek or in the Septuagint. The word only appears in the New Testament and later Christian writings. Thus, in context, as their spiritual father, the apostle Paul is urging the Corinthians to respond with appropriate filial love in the same abundance of heart which he himself had shown them.
“Fear Nots” Found in the Bible
“As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house” (Eze. 3:9 KJV).
Did You Know…
According to Deut. 34:7, Moses was 120 years old when he died, and “his eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor diminished.”
Bible Quiz
According to the Book of Proverbs, “The glory of young men is their strength.” What did it say was “the splendor (beauty) of old mem?”
**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: In the parable of the Good Samaritan, who was the first person to encounter the injured man? A priest (Luke 10:30-36).
Names For the Lord Jesus in the Bible
“MAN OF SORROWS”
"He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him!” (Isa. 53:3 NKJV).
1. Meaning – MAN OF SORROWS speaks of the Lord Jesus as the Servant of Jehovah who would suffer for our sins.
2. Insights – The Hebrew word for “sorrows” means emotional or physical pain. That this Servant was a “Man of Sorrows” or “suffering,” suggest that He was mistreated physically and mentally. Isa. 52:14 states: “Just as many were astonished at you, so His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men.” The Lord Jesus, Jehovah’s Servant, was not a stranger to pain. Suffering was not something that He was just incidentally acquainted with on the rare occasion; it was a pivotal factor in His life. This does not mean that the Servant was a sinner, but that sin affected Him deeply. By becoming sin for us (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21), the Lord Jesus suffered not only mental and emotional anguish, but also suffered physically. Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Did You Know – Christian History
John Ray was born November 29, 1627 in Black Notley, Essex, England. He was a Christian English naturalist widely regarded as one of the earliest of the English parson-naturalists.
After studying at Braintree school, Ray was sent at the age of sixteen to Cambridge University. At Cambridge, Ray spent much of his time in the study of natural history, a subject which would occupy him for most of his life.
Following Willughby’s death in 1672, Ray took on the responsibility of bringing both Willughby’s work and his own to publication. The more Ray studied nature, the more he was in awe of the God who had created it. In the 1690s, Ray published three volumes on religion - the most popular being The Wisdom of God Manifested in the Works of the Creation (1691), an essay describing evidence that all in nature and space is God’s creation as in the Bible is affirmed. Ray published about 23 works, depending on how they are counted. The biological works were usually in Latin, the rest in English. Still working on his Historia Insectorum, John Ray died in 1705 at the age of 77.
A Little Humor
The church was holding baptisms during the service, so they brought in a large tub. As the sermon continued, a boy near the front stared at the tub. He nudged his father. The father turned and the boy whispered, “Where did they get such a big bucket for the leaking roof?”
Thought Provoking Church Sign
“Sin is not judged by the way we see it but by the way God sees it!”
Comments