The  Messiah’s Secret –  The Holy Spirit’s  Ministry

This morning at Church we heard about the work of the Bible Society and its' history. In 1804 it was founded and called the British and Foreign Bible Society. Its main work of translating the Bible into languages, so that everybody across the world can read the Bible in their own language. The Bible is both an historical book and it gives us the key to life.

In our Old Testament reading this evening, it is about a true event that took place approximately 458 BC. Ezra was appointed by the Persian King Artaxerxes 1 to reorganise religious affairs in Jerusalem. Nehemiah 8: 9-18

Ezra was a descendant of Aaron a scholar in the Law of the God of Heaven.’ He read it aloud to the people in Hebrew, a group of priests (Levites) then ‘gave an oral translation in Aramaic the official language of the Persian Empire. When the people heard the word, they wept, grieving for their sin. However Nehemiah pointed out to them that they should not weep but rejoice, he wanted them to rejoice ‘For joy is the strength of the Lord.’ God had given them atonement, a covering for their sin through the sacrifice made at the Temple.

Brother Yun a leader in the Chinese Church in his book ‘Living Water’ he wrote this.” If you have allowed the devil to steal your joy of the Lord from you, then you will feel weak and powerless. If you learn to praise Jesus Christ regardless of your circumstances, you will find inner freedom and joy, and you will have the strength to overcome whatever you are faced with. The joy of the Lord is such a key, because Nehemiah said.”The joy of the Lord is my strength," when the joy of the Lord returns, you will be strong!”

In our Gospel reading Jesus said this, “They will put you out of the synagogues; indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do this because they have not known the Father, or me.” John 16: 1-11.

Brother Yun spoke from his own experience, yes, he had broken the Communist law, he had been arrested for preaching about Jesus and he refused to deny his faith in Jesus, as a result he was imprisoned and tortured. In his prison cell he was downcast at first about it, but he began to praise the Lord for being able to suffer for the sake of the Gospel. The joy of the Lord filled his heart. Yun said that he forgave the soldiers who treated him badly.

Jesus also in this passage of scripture spoke of the Holy Spirit’s ministry: The Holy Spirit would convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgement.

The Holy Spirit’s ministry working in Yun convicting the people of Henan Province of the sin of unbelief.   

In Nehemiah 8: 13 the following day Ezra read to the Israelites about Israel’s Feasts, as it was the 7^th month, they must have noted that The Feast of Tabernacles took place during the 7^th month the 15^th Tishri. 

This 7 day Feast commemorated the Exodus from Egypt were God instructed the Israelites to make booths in order to shelter them from the desert winds and the scorching sun.

                    

This prompted Nehemiah and Ezra to tell  the people to go and  gather branches of palm, myrtle, willow and make booths to celebrate the ‘Feast of Tabernacles’ or ‘Booths’. The booths were erected on their roofs, in courtyards by every family. It was to remind them of the Lord watching over his people

Another true story from Yun’s book of one of his friends being imprisoned for his faith. In prison he was severely mistreated by the guards, but he escaped, instead of running as far away as he could, the Lord wanted him to returned as a visitor and encourage those men who were in prison with him, so after only a few hours of his escape he went back. At the prison gate he showed his identity card which had his name on it, but the guards did not recognise him. Inside the prison he sat and spoke with a prisoner encouraging him. 

The Christian prisoners must have rejoiced to see his courage and the Lord’s hand upon him. He left the prison showing his card. Shortly afterwards the guards realised who he was and the alarm sounded, but he got away.   

God watches over his people.

Another element of the Feast of Tabernacles

 The pouring of water in the Temple.

From the Pool of Siloam a priest carried a pitcher of water into the Temple where the high priest poured out the water into a basin at the foot of the altar. From another pitcher wine was poured into a basin at the base of the altar. These mingled together as they flowed through special pipes at the back of the altar into the brook of the Kidron.

Victor Buksbazen in his book ‘The Gospel in the Feasts of Israel’ wrote, “It was prophetic and Messianic in its hope, looking towards the outpouring of the Holy Spirit not only on Israel but also the believers of all nations under the reign of Messiah King.”

The 7^th day was called The Day of the Great Hosanna

The outpouring of water on the seventh day was accompanied by a trumpet blast on the Shoffer, the waving of the lulav and the singing of the Hallel. It was on this day that Jesus stood in the Temple and cried out: “If any one thirst, let him come to me. He that believes in me as the scripture has said, out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.” John 7: 38

John recorded Jesus’ words and added that the Holy Spirit wasn’t given until after Jesus ascended into heaven. The Holy Spirit was first given to his disciples and followers and since that time all who believe in Jesus receive the precious gift of the Holy Spirit. 

The Lord gave his disciples and us his Spirit and the Holy Spirit testifies to the righteousness of God of how much God loves the people of the world by sending his Son to die for us, to take our place, to take upon himself the dirty rags of our sin and cleanse them with his blood, and replaces them with white robes of righteousness.

Zechariah’s vision 

In the vision Joshua was standing before the angel of the Lord clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with rich apparel.” Zechariah 3: 3,4.

This vision was prophetic of what Jesus has done for us on the cross. Our dirty garments representing our sin washed clean in the blood of Jesus (the Lamb of God) now whiter than snow. We put on the garments of Praise, robes of righteousness. When God looks at his children he sees the righteousness of Jesus in us.

The Holy Spirit’s ministry working in us showing to the world the righteousness of God: in our actions and in our words. 1 Corinthians 2: 12-15

The Holy Spirit ministry he looks at our heart and judges our thoughts and intentions; he uses his sword to pierce us to separate the flesh from the Spirit. 

The flesh I see as having the fear of speaking out the Gospel. Whereas, the Holy Spirit directs us and gives us the words to speak out the Gospel in making Jesus known. I've witnessed it a number of times when a Christian is filled with the Holy Spirit and they go and tell everybody they meet, they are so wanting to share the good news and want the same for others.

The Church in the West Drowning in a Sea of Despondency.
Yun sees the church in the West as steering its own boat instead of Jesus and Christians are in fear of drowning as Jesus seems to be asleep in the boat. He urges us to take out the Gospel regardless of the consequences.

To pray and seek the Lord’s way forward for his church to spread the good news. Yun reminds us that Jesus is alive and he loves us and to tell the people who we know and meet.

Prayer

Father God you love us so much that you wait for us to come to the end of ourselves in our striving to spread the good news about Jesus. Help us to realise that you want to direct our work through your Holy Spirit’s ministry in our lives. May we be obedient to do your will? In Jesus’ name. Amen.

 The Messiah's Secret - Walking in the Footsteps of Christ.

A Lady's Meeting

Below: 
My two daughters wore clogs when they were  approximately two years of age.

Duke Wenceslas of Bohemia of the Czech Republic he lived between 901 – 935 AD was noted and honoured for his Christ –like life,

He gained a reputation of being kind and generous to the people of Western Bohemia. In his honour the people of Bohemia put a statue of him in the square that bears his name ‘Wenceslas Square’ in Prague.

A legend grew up around him; the Roman Emperor Otto 1 bestowed on the late Wenceslas the title “king” in association with his faith in Jesus, the “King of Righteousness.”

John Mason Neale reflected this in the title of his hymn, “Good King Wenceslas.” He wrote the lyrics of the carol to a 13^th Century tune, and in 1853 it appeared in “Carols for Christmas –Tide.” (John Neale also wrote: O Come, O Come Emmanuel.)

In the middle 1800’s in England there was both wealth and poverty. 

The industrial entrepreneurs making vast amounts of money, while those they employed were poorly paid for working long hours in the factory and mills. Thirty years before Manchester experienced the ‘Peterloo Riots’ through the introduction of new technology, machines that could do the work of several people.

 In his carol John Neale was encouraging and convicting the wealthy and high ranking men and women of his day to take notice of the life of Wenceslas, who was equal to them in every way, only he took Christ’s compassion to the poor of Bohemia and he encouraged the serving people to be like the Page who was obedient to follow Wenceslas.

Carol.  Good King Wenceslas looked out, on the Feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even;
Brightly shone the moon that night, though' the frost was cruel,
When a poor man came in sight, gath'ring winter fuel.

The season is winter and it is the day after Christmas Day, the evening of the Feast of Saint Stephen. John Neale was encouraging the wealthy to remember at  Christmas the poor. He brought to people’s attention in the carol the ministry of Saint Stephen. Stephen was chosen by the twelve Apostles (Matthias the twelveth Apostle) along with six other disciples to the food distribution to the Hellenists the Jewish Greek speaking widows.   Acts 6 v 1-6 

                                 

King Wenceslas looked out from his window and he saw in the moonlight a poor man collecting wood. Immediately he summoned his page and inquired about the man.

"Hither, page, and stand by me, if thou know'st it, telling,
Yonder peasant, who is he? Where and what his dwelling?"
Sire, he lives a good league hence, underneath the mountain;
Right against the forest fence, by Saint Agnes' fountain."

The page knew him and where he lived. He lived at the foot of a mountain near a forest on a route to St Agnes’ Fountain.

Even though he lived near the forest, he was no doubt forbidden to cut down branches off trees. In the Rossendale Forest the inhabitants of the forest were not allowed to cut off branches for their fires.  
Wenceslas’ page estimated that he had traveled a league, approximately 3 ½ miles. The evening was the cold, and the snow we understand was deep, so the wood would be covered with snow.                                                                                            

"Bring me flesh, and bring me wine, bring me pine logs hither:
Thou and I will see him dine, when we bear them thither."
Page and monarch, forth they went, forth they went together;
Through the rude wind's wild lament and the bitter weather.

Wenceslas could have ignored the poor man, but he did not. John Neale pressing home the need of the poor. The Page was given instructions to get: meat, wine and pine logs, they would take them to his home.

Wenceslas a Christian man  reflected the life of Jesus, he had humility and compassion, also endless energy, and he would not be deterred by any hindrances like the weather or the time of day. 
Jairus came to Jesus to ask if he would go to his home to heal his daughter Jesus responded to his need, but was delayed by meeting the need of the lady who had a medical problem and she was healed. A man from Jairus' house arrived on the scene saying that Jairus' daughter had died and not to trouble Jesus any further. But Jesus insisted on going to the house where the girl lay dead. Jesus raised her from the dead. Luke 8: 40 - 56.
Some times when things seem hopeless, the Lord turns the situation around. John Neale inferring in the carol the need for commitment in helping the poor in the long term. 

"Sire, the night is darker now, and the wind blow stronger;
Fails my heart, I know not how; I can go no longer."
"Mark my footsteps, my good page. Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shalt find the winter's rage freeze thy blood less coldly."

The two set out carrying their precious load, It was not easy; the bitter wind and the deep snow would have made the journey more difficult.  
Last winter carrying the shopping up the icy snowbound Higher lane, with the cold wind blowing against me, gave me a feel for what the Page would have experienced.                       

Wenceslas noticed that his Page grew tired and was struggling to cope carrying his heavy load of provisions, so he suggested that he followed in his footsteps.

The Page I would describe as being ‘poor in Spirit’ he was struggling to do what he was asked to do, in the strength that he had.  
A lady rang me this morning asking for help as she was not very well and as a result unable to fulfill an obligation, she asked me to do it for her. I saw her like the Page she was struggling to do what he was asked to do, in the strength that he had.   
I know a Christian lady who is very disabled by her illness, she is living out her faith in the strength that she has. She can’t feed herself, she is dependent on her carers and friends, she waits upon the Lord to give her the strength that she needs.              

‘Poor in Spirit’ in the Carol also points to the rich of John Neale’s day were stingy in their giving. Charles Dickens’ wrote ‘A Christmas Carol’ that was published in December 1843 were the main character Scrooge he was protriat as not wanting to give gifts at Christmas.

In his master's steps he trod, where the snow lay dinted;
Heat was in the very sod which the saint had printed.

Therefore, Christian men, be sure, wealth or rank possessing,
Ye who now will bless the poor, shall yourselves find blessing

John Neale’s portrait Wenceslas is of him being strong like Jesus, someone to follow in his footsteps.

My sister, I admire very much, she became a Christian when her children were baptized at her local Anglican Church At that time she was married, however, a few years later, when the youngest was one year old, her husband left the family home. When the youngest of her seven children started Senior school she decided to get a job.

At my sister's church in a prayer meeting she received a picture in her mind of a pair of feet, she thought no more about it until on her next visit to church on entering a room the Vicar was speaking, she was surprised to hear him say “Jesus washed his disciple’s feet.”

Within a few days later, a friend of hers asked if she would accompany her to the chiropody clinic and it was after that visit she realized what the Lord was calling her to do, to become a chiropodist.

The Lord went before her on the course, when it came to her final exams, the night before she was swatting up and she read about the exchange of gases in the lungs.

Next day a large proportion of the exam was on that very subject. In her practical exam the tutor focused on bio mechanics - the working of the joints in the foot and the associated problems and remedies. Once again the Lord had gone before her, she was able to answer all the questions and she passed her exams. Over the last twenty three years, My sister's ministry has been one of care and compassion,  never charging more than a person could afford.

If anyone asks her, “How did you come to be a chiropodist?” she witnesses to how the Lord called her and how much the Lord has blessed her and her family.

John Neale’s message I’m sure has touched rich and poor alike to share  the love of Christ that the Lord gives to us freely to bless one another.