Topic: spiritual blessing

Acts 20:17-38 (a sermon) What's so different about the 21st century? In so many ways, the 21st century is completely different from the 1st century.

‘I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity and will rebuild them as they were before. I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against Me... Then this city will bring Me renown, joy, praise, and honour before all nations on earth...’(7-9). What great blessing lay ahead of God’s people! God was pointing His people to the place of blessing: Jesus Christ - ‘the righteous Branch from David’s line’(15-16).

Serve the Lord. Keep on serving the Lord. Preach the Gospel. Keep on preaching the Gospel. God was not pleased with his people - “My people are fools; they do not know Me. They are senseless children; they have no understanding.” They had sinned against Him – “They are skilled in doing evil; they do not know how to do good” (Jeremiah 4:22). They had brought judgment upon themselves - “Now I pronounce My judgments against them.”(Jeremiah 4:12).

1:1-2:11 - Times of trouble can turn out to be times of great blessing - ‘God… comforts us in all our affliction’ (1:3-4). Whether good things or bad things are happening to you, don’t forget this: God loves you. His Word is ‘not Yes and No’ - ‘Yes, I love you. No, I don’t love you’. In Christ, His Word is ‘always Yes’ (1:19). How do we know that God loves us?

Chapter 4 The name of Abel appears among 'the heroes of the faith' (Hebrews 11:14). The story of Abel is a story of grace, faith and obedience. * Abel's sacrifice was a blood sacrifice while Cain's was a fruit sacrifice (3-4). The blood sacrifice points forward - via the Old Testament sacrificial system - to the greatest sacrifice of all - 'the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin' (1 John 1:7; Hebrews 9:12).

15:1-32 - People were coming to Christ (1). Still, the critics were murmuring among themselves (2). What did Jesus do ? - He kept on preaching the Gospel (3-32). The lost sheep (3-7) the lost coin (8-10), the lost son (11-32) - These are the parables of the Gospel. They teach us two lessons - By ourselves we are lost; In Christ, there is salvation. Read about the prodigal son, and think of the perfect Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Charles M. Cameron, “Lamentations,”, Evangel, 12.1 (1994): 2-4. [p.2] The title―Lamentations ― suggests human sadness. There is, however, something else here ― divine faithfulness. At the heart of this short book, we find this great declaration ― ‘Great is thy faithfulness’ (3:23). Knowing God as the God of great faithfulness involves looking beyond our circumstances and our feelings. Israel’s circumstances were depressing. Jerusalem had fallen.