PENTECOST • 20

Do we Honour the Lord for His Goodness?

SONGS FOR PRAYER

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reading for: Tuesday Night, 10 october

Matthew 22:1-14

Who will Honour the Lord’s Invitation?

  • READ

    And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, 3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 

    4 Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ 5 But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.

     7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 

    9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

    11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”

    The parable tells of a king who hosts a wedding banquet for his son and sends servants to hand deliver invitations to everyone the king wants to come. However, instead of coming to the banquet as they have said they would do, people began to make excuses for their absence. They decide to tend to their homes and fields or to go about their daily tasks. This is a serious breach of ancient customs. People who accept an invitation to the king’s table are expected to show up when the time for the banquet has come!

    During the time of Matthew, this parable would have been a strong reminder that God had initially invited the people of ancient Israel to be His people. God chose a people who had begun as nomadic wanderers, the children of Abraham and who ended up being slaves in Egypt for 430 years. They were brought out of slavery, through the wilderness into the promised land, where their descendants are living in now. God did so in order to use them as an example of how much God can bless and how high God can place any people who are willing to honor God’s will and God’s word above all else.

  • REFLECT

The parable then in its two parts contains three important themes. The theme of refusal to recognize the gathering of the kingdom is now happening through the ministry of Jesus, and the separation that takes place at judgment.

Do we take the Lord’s invitation to his messianic banquet for granted? Unfortunately, many people do: they have made a decision, they belong to the right group, they have the right schooling, and they have participated in numerous services and charitable efforts, so they can now get on with their lives. However, they refuse to accept the demands that come with the grace given – they are not wearing the right clothes. Are you and I honouring the Lord who has invited us to dine with Him by wearing the right clothes?

reading for: Wednesday Night, 11 october

Exodus 32:1-14

Interceding for our families

  • READ

    The people of Israel were still encamped around Mount Sinai, and Moses was talking to God on Mount Sinai. He had not returned to the camp for numerous days. Perhaps they were worried and wondered why Moses had not returned. The people then gathered around Aaron and made a request to him. Let us now read today’s passage.

    Exodus 32:1–14 (ESV)

    1 When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” 2 So Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” 5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” 6 And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. 7 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’ ” 9 And the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. 10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.” 11 But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ” 14 And the Lord relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.

    The people asked Aaron to make gods for them who would go before them. They told Aaron that they did not know what had become of Moses. We remember how God spoke to them from Mount Sinai that they were to worship him alone and have no other idols before him. (See Exodus 20) Just barely a few days later, they were forsaking the God who brought them out of Egypt. Aaron complied with their request and commanded the people to bring to him their rings of gold and with their gold he fashioned a golden calf. Aaron proclaimed that this golden calf was their god, and he build an altar of worship to this idol. The next day, the people made offerings to this golden calf. The Lord spoke to Moses ,who was on the mountain, and told him to go down for his people were corrupt and had committed idolatry. God warned Moses that his wrath was going to burn against them and consume them.

    What would Moses do? Would he stand by and let God act on His anger, or would he intercede on behalf of his people? Moses chose to intercede for his people and asked the Lord to turn from his burning anger and spare his people. He reminded the Lord of his promises to Abraham, Issac and Israel. In response, The Lord thus relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.

  • REFLECT

    We live in a world that is corrupt and evil. Many idols exist in our modern world. Simply put, anything we put before God becomes our idol. If we place our families, work, or desires before God, we become beholden to them, and these things are our idols.

    Reflect and ask ourselves if there are any idols in our lives. Perhaps we have placed good things that the Lord has given to us and have given it an honour that is above the Lord. This good things have thus become our idols. Ask the Lord for forgiveness and return to him. Make him the centre of your life. Spend time with him in prayer.

    Pray also for your family that your family will honour and serve the Lord. Ask the Lord to get rid of the idols in your family and be the centre of your family. Ask the Lord for forgiveness and pray that he will guide and lead your family.

reading for: Thursday Night, 12 october

Philippians 4:1-9

Staying True to the Lord

  • READ

    As Paul concludes his letter to the Philippians, he urges them to stand firm as citizens of heaven whose Savior is coming again (3:20-4:1). And because Christ will return for his people, Paul pleads with his beloved in Philippi to - 1) reconcile their differences (v2-3), 2) rejoice in the lord (v4-5), 3) lift their worries to God in prayer (v6-7), 4) mediate on godly things (v8), and 5) put into practice the word they have received (v9).

    Paul is confident that Christ will come again and he is convinced that there is no time to waste. However, he is fully aware of how easy it is to waver and to lose sight of God. Hence, he entreats them to stand firm in the Lord, to stay true to Him and to keep pace with him. And in light of Jesus’ soon return, he counsels them to be reconciled, to be joyful, to be prayerful, to be renewed and to be doers of the word.

  • REFLECT

    It doesn’t take much effort to lose sight of the things of God. By default, we will naturally grow cold and drift away. We will forget who we are and what God has done. The concerns of life will fill our minds, weigh down our hearts, distract our soul and crush our spirit. And if we remain merely as hearers of the word, should we be surprised when our faith crumble in times of hardship?

    Paul did not want that for the Philippians and he urged them otherwise. As we read this passage tonight, can we hear his plead to stand firm in the Lord, to stay true to the Lord, and to keep pace with the Lord? Will we heed Paul’s counsel to reconcile broken relationships, to rejoice regardless of our circumstances, to pray without ceasing, to renew our mind through the Word and to act upon what the Lord requires of us?

    Jesus is coming back again. Yes, every generation since Jesus’ ascension have believed that He will return in their time but He did not. However, that does not change the fact that each generation is a generation closer to His return. We are living in the end times and all of humanity and history is headed towards an assured end at the very end of time.

    The only question we each must answer is – “Where will I be found when he returns?”

    May you and I be fruitful on this side of eternity and be found faithful on the other side of it. God help us. Amen.

reading for: FRIDAY Night, 13 october

Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23

Confessing as a Way of Life

  • READ

    Psalm 105 and 106 are considered historical Psalms, Psalms that remember and retell the history of Israel. While Psalm 105 retells this story from an invitation to "remember God's wonderous works" (Psalm 105:5), Psalm 106 confesses that Israel "did not remember the steadfast love of God" (Psalm 106:7).

    In that way, Psalm 106 is an appropriate Psalm to teach us how to confess our failings and forgetfulness of God.

    We start our confession by first acknowledging who we are coming before, our good God who's steadfast love endures forever (v.1).

    He's so good that no one can fully speak and represent how good He is (v.2).

    Those who follow Him, are just to others and righteous in our ways are blessed (v.3).

    And all we can do before this Great and Mighty God is to ask that He remember us (v. 4).

    That we might look, glory and rejoice in Him, His way and His people (v.5).

    We have sinned, fallen so short just like our forefathers, we are no better than them (v.6).

    Just as they made a golden calf to worship, we too fashion idols in our lives and trust in them (v. 19).

    And in doing so exchange God's glory for us with the world (v. 20).

    We forgot who this good and steadfast God is and all that He has done for us (v. 21-22).

    We too like Israel were saved from destruction, in our time by Jesus who stood in our place and took away our sins and Your wrath (v. 23).

  • REFLECT

    Psalm 106 shows us a way to confess our sins, our failures and weaknesses before God. Israel isn't just an example for us to learn from, Israel's history and failure is a mirror to our sinful nature before God.

    Yet just as God is good and showed His steadfast love to Israel, He too shows us His mercy in an even more abundant way through His Son Jesus.

    Would you meditate and follow this Psalm and come to a place and posture of confession before your God?

    Take a few minutes to pray.

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