Today we take part in the Lord’s table… It’s one of the two ordinances we’re given to carry out as believers in Jesus Christ. And to truly understand the impact of the Lord’s table, we need to back in time… To look at more of these stories. In fact, today, we’re going to cover more of Rehab’s story as we build-up to the Lord’s Table. As we take a look at these stories today, I want you to seriously consider them. These are not mythical stories like much of the world would have us believe. They are ancient realities that tell us about our creator and how we got to this point. When we understand the stories, we get a better grasp of the current state of the world and what our response should be.

The two spies that Joshua sent into Jericho were there to gather information for the coming invasion of the city, or were they? God soon destroyed the walls of Jericho and threw the city wide open. In hindsight, the reconnaissance didn’t seem all that necessary, but their visit was. Jericho’s walls were seemingly impenetrable, much like may literal and figurative walls keep us from spreading the Gospel. The story of Jericho teaches us valuable lessons on how God gets through to the people He has called.

One of the great tragedies of the Church is the way that worship can become an instrument of division and distraction. Self-centred expectations and desires dismantle its purpose and break down the Church instead of building her up. As we journey with Paul and Silas through their arrest, and meditate on the their imprisonment, we see the birth of a Church and how selfless God-centred worship was vital to its construction.

Worship is far more than singing, it’s the very thing that God created us for. Worship is the true response to the awesome power, beauty and glory of the God who created everything by the power of His Words. Worshipping God empowers us to do His work, strengthens us and unifies us as His body. It’s not surprising that something so powerful would be attacked and threatened by the enemy. Paul and Silas show us the power of worship and how to keep it pure and purposeful.

How often do we take time to think about all the people God has sent into our lives to help us become what He created us to be? Do we ever consider all the labour that has gone into getting us to where we are today? God is always at work, Jesus is building His Church and He sends people out to do the work of ministry. We need to be grateful for all the investment that has been poured into us, and then take a decision as to what we’re going to do with it.

Do you ever wonder why God is allowing such painful suffering and cruel treatment of people who are trying to live in faith and obedience to His Word? One of the ways that Paul encourage the Church through their suffering at the hands of persecutors, is to remind them that persecution is a sign that God’s Word is working in us, and to remind us that God will avenge His children with righteous wrath. We generally find it easier to focus on God’s love, but God’s wrath is part of His love and meditating on it is of great encouragement to His children, especially in times of suffering.

Do you ever wonder why God is allowing such painful suffering and cruel treatment of people who are trying to live in faith and obedience to His Word? One of the ways that Paul encourage the Church through their suffering at the hands of persecutors, is to remind them that persecution is a sign that God’s Word is working in us, and to remind us that God will avenge His children with righteous wrath. We generally find it easier to focus on God’s love, but God’s wrath is part of His love and meditating on it is of great encouragement to His children, especially in times of suffering.

Forgeries and fakes are lies, and lies are everywhere. Lies are destructive as they lead us in the wrong direction. In the second chapter of his letter to the Church of Thessalonica, the Holy Spirit testifies to the authenticity of the Gospel message delivered by Paul. This testimony prepared the people of that Church, and us, to know the real from the fake. When we have experienced the genuine faith, hope and love of the Gospel, is easier to spot a fraud. As we wait for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, we must not only look to discern between the false and true Gospel but also imitate the real thing so as to help as many people as possible into the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus.

Is it really only results that matter, or is there something more important? In God’s Kingdom motive and method matter more. Paul’s letter to the Church in Thessalonica exhorts them to be ready for Jesus’ return by working in faith, labouring in love and persevering in hope. This exhortation is an encouragement and a warning, so it both commends them and calls them to imitate the Apostles more earnestly. In verses 5-8 they are reminded of the methods and motives of the Apostles that brought them the Gospel to assure them that they are on the right path, and to keep them on it. In the same way we learn how to go about labouring for God’s Kingdom with the right methods and motives. If we do this, we will be ready for Jesus’ return.

We’ve all been under pressure to do the wrong thing. The pressure gets to our heads and sometimes even convinces us that the wrong this is the right thing. When we face this kind of pressure, it’s useful to draw on the passage for this week’s sermon, because we see the great apostle, Paul standing firm under the most intense pressure. Despite beatings, imprisonment and exile, he stayed true to God’s word and preached it boldly. He believed in what he was doing and it changed him. He loved God’s word, but he made it count by the way he lived his life, and his example brought so many people to the Lord!

We all need to know that we belong and that our lives matter. We spend great energy on belonging and on achieving significance, but this can become exhausting. The only sense of belonging and purpose which brings peace, is knowing that we belong to God and that He is working out His eternal purpose through our lives. So how can we know that God has chosen us? How can we be sure that we belong to Him and have a valuable and enduring purpose? The first chapter of the letter to the Thessalonians comforts and encourages those who ask this question.

Do you remember what it was like to be new in a school, on the first day, totally out of your comfort zone and with no friends? Did you spend much of the day longing for your parents to come get you? We’re starting a new series on 1 & 2 Thessalonians that focuses on the return of Jesus Christ and how we should be living to be ready for Him. The Church at Thessalonica were like bewildered, lonely, school children desperate to go home rather than embracing and making the most of their mission. The current Church is a lot like this too, and we are in great need of learning the same lessons taught in these two letters.

We often remember the first time we experienced something wonderful, and we can often we can associate a song or sound with that first experience. A song playing in the car, the first time we drove alone having got a license, the song from a first date, night sounds from our first holiday in the wild. The Scriptures in Psalms, Isaiah and Revelation mention a New Song nine times. Every mention has a number of things in common. As we prepare to enter the new year, this New Song can teach us to navigate each new experience this year in a way that will strengthen and encourage us and those we meet for years to come.

Three days can be a long time - but when today is hard and there seems no chance of tomorrow being any better, remember that God delights to bring new life on the third day. Moses, Abraham, Jonah, Hezekiah, Esther and the disciples all saw the glory of God on the third day. They all have something to teach us about looking forward in hope, no matter the circumstances.

We tell the events of Christ’s birth in Bethlehem every year, we are so accustomed to it, we tend to forget how remarkable they are. We learn from Luke’s Gospel that Ceasar Augustus passes a tax bill that means Mary and Joseph needed to travel to Bethlem from Nazareth to take part in the census. This is a 150km journey, while Mary was 9 months pregnant. If that little donkey who has been so beloved and cherished over the years slipped or stumbled and Mary fell, Jesus would have been born somewhere between Nazareth and Bethlehem. But it wasn’t so because God had prepared the journey from time immortal. Micah prophesied this 700 years before it happened, against all odds.

Luke records that Caesar Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman empire issued a decree that everyone in the empire was to travel to their town of birth to be registered in a massive census. This meant that people all over Europe, North Africa and the Middle East had to undertake arduous journeys at the behest of one very powerful individual. Joseph and Mary had to travel almost 150km from their home to the place where Joseph was born, Bethlehem in Judea. The world has seen many empires and powerful leaders like Caesar, but not one of them acts outside of the foreknowledge and control of our Father in Heaven. Daniel’s prophecies show just how perfectly God holds this universe in His loving control.

John the Baptist had God ordained the purpose of preparing people for the arrival of Jesus Christ the Messiah. John’s father Zechariah prophesied that the sunrise was about to happen, that light would swallow up darkness and reveal God’s mercy and grace and our desperate need for Him and His grace. This fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy of the way that all flesh would see the Glory of God, but what does it mean to see the Glory of God. Do we see the Glory of God?

Jesus is given many titles in Scripture, but at His birth He is named Jesus which means “God saves” and He is given the title Emmanuel which means “God with us”. This fulfils an ancient prophecy and brings about God’s ultimate saving act. Jesus saves us from the most savage enemy we have ever had, sin. Our distrust and disobedience to God is more deadly than anything else because it’s destruction is permanent and eternal. As we approach Christmas and the celebration of God coming in the flesh to be with us, we need to meditate on whether we trust in His power and love alone, or whether we’ve strayed to looking for help, peace and comfort in other places.

The great blessing of fulfilled prophecy is in the way that it strengthens our trust in God and His Word. From the first mention of the victory of Jesus over sin, death and Satan in Genesis three, the Old Testament is packed with predictions that Jesus Christ fulfilled. By looking at how God overcame obstacles to His plan, we gain deeper trust for the promises He has yet to fulfil. When God promises His Shepherd will guide us to springs of living water, we don’t wish for it, we wait for it.