The Bible Standard - Re-Discover the Truth.

A bible class given at the Rugby UK ecclesia in Jan 2020

Marriage Children are the Heritage of the Lord Bro. Bob Lloyd 

 south-west christadelphian bible school 2009

“I WILL SING TO THE LORD  Feb 7

The occasion when we particularly sing with spiritual joy in our hearts is when a new brother or sister emerges from the waters of baptism.  Consider then the song “Moses and the people of Israel sang … to the LORD”  [Exod.15].  It is a song about what had just happened, the deliverance of a nation, in reality the birth of a new nation – God’s nation; Paul called it a baptism, see 1 Cor. 10 v.1,2.

The song starts,  “I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.  The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation” [v.1-2]

What we may overlook is that no one, except a select few, had the ability and opportunity to write at this stage of history. Nearly all those who escaped from Egypt needed to have songs that they could learn off by heart since there was nothing available for the masses of the people to read – even if they could read.  Today – it is the opposite – there is too much – and so much of it is ‘junk food’ for the mind.

So today’s chapter gives us the ‘hit song’ of that generation!   Imagine the scene painted for us in v. 20-21. “Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. And Miriam sang to them: Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.”

As we read the detail of the song, consider what they sang about!  “Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power … shatters the enemy… You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength” [v.6,13] It was a joy, a spirit of positiveness, comparable to the 3,000 that were baptised on the day of Pentecost” (Acts 2 v.41)

We will read in coming weeks of their failure to maintain their faith in God that they were then praising so joyously.  Were the things they were singing about really coming from their hearts?  Did their meaning fail to create an inner conviction of faith?  Were they only focused on the present.

There is a modern saying that ‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going’! The wilderness was going to provide an awesome challenge: we shall read how the 2 faithful spies, and also most of the Levites proved equal to the challenge, but the majority did not.. A lesson for today?

Our world is more than ever a spiritual wilderness, many politicians are proud of passing ungodly laws. Paul warned the Romans that those who practiced such things as homosexuality (1 v.26,27) were “storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed …” [2 v.5]  Let us “sing to the LORD” from our hearts fully meaning what we sing, longing for the day when “The LORD will reign forever and ever”.  Which is how Moses ended his song (v.18).

"BLESSED BE THE LORD WHO DAILY BEARS US UP”  Feb 6

There are interesting parallels between our two Old Testament readings today.  Chapters 13 & 14 of Exodus describe the drama of the Israelites’ escape from Egypt.  We noted the fear they had when the Egyptians started pursuing them and Moses reassurance that the LORD was in control, they must “Fear not and stand firm” [14 v.13]; their God would complete their deliverance and, in doing so, make a “name” for himself.

Psalm 68 gives us David’s perceptions of how God arises and so enemies are scattered and those who hate God flee before him (v.1) which is what happened to Pharaoh’s armies.  That David’s words are somewhat inspired by these events is plain from v.7.  “O God, when you went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness … the heaven poured down rain, before God, the one of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel”

Then we noted how David had also reflected on situations with individuals, how God watches over them as “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows … God settles the solitary in a home” [v.5,6] David would think of the times he was alone when fleeing from Saul, his anxieties of mind, but, ultimately, the realization of God’s protection.  Moses could well have had similar thoughts at times in the 40 years before he encountered God at the burning bush.

So David is thinking of himself and other individuals when he writes, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation.” [v.19] The Lord Jesus also experienced this, the disciples had little ability to bear him up and so, at times, he retreated to the mountains alone as we will read in a few days’ time. (Mark 6 v.46).

The ultimate time was in Gethsemane before his arrest, “Could you not watch one hour?” followed by special personal advice, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” [Mark 14 v.37]   As we daily read the Bible – it should have the effect of bringing us closer to God – and as we do this we will sense more and more how he “daily bears us up.”

“IF I HAD CHERISHED …”    Feb 5

The Psalms captured our particular attention this morning, although all the chapters we read were full of drama – arising from – or anticipating - the actions of the Almighty. In Exodus we read of the night of the Passover with the angel of the Lord destroying all the firstborn in Egypt. An incredible outcry followed – how comparable will that be with the chaos at the return of Christ? The time will come, records Isaiah, when “the LORD is enraged against all the nations … he has devoted them to destruction … for the LORD has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion.” [34 v.2,8] Zion (Jerusalem) attracts more and more political interest - but the leaders of the nations are blind to “the cause of Zion.”

Today we start reading the Gospel of Mark – and reflected on the impact John the Baptist obviously had when “all the country and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him confessing their sins.” [v.5] We struggle to imagine the impact of John. It seems only half the story is told, since John did no miracles – what power must have been in his preaching! He laid the foundation for Jesus to build upon, his work was to “Prepare the way of the Lord.” [v.3] says Mark, quoting Malachi 3 v.1.

Psalm 66 contains a challenge to sinners; it could be that John used this Psalm in his preaching. “Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul … high praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.” [v.16-19]

How fitting it would be if these words were part of John’s witness and appeal and challenge to those ordinary people who came to him in the wilderness by the Jordon – paving the way for the preaching of Jesus.

Finally, Psalm 67 is a prayer that God’s “way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. Let all the peoples praise you O God…” [v.2,3] leading to a time when ”the nations …. sing for joy for you judge the peoples with equity (justice) and guide the nations upon earth.” [v.4] This short but most meaningful Psalm concludes, “God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him:.”  We can add, ‘when Christ rules.’

Those who really have God’s word in their hearts and feed on it daily will be known and owned by their Lord in that day – for he will know that they have not cherished iniquity in their hearts.

Most of us have done something that we do not want others to know about. Little children may sneak that cookie before dinner, older children may accidentally break something while roughhousing and hide the evidence, and most adults have done certain things they hope do not become public knowledge. After a misdeed, peace of mind is disrupted. The thief and the murderer live in fear of being found out. We who may be guilty of lesser faults still worry about discovery. All of us can lose sleep from regretting our actions and having a guilty conscience. Octavia E. Butler once said, “I have a huge and savage conscience that won’t let me get away with things.”

We humans have a dreadful problem with death due to sin. God provided a man to represent us. He did not sin and so God raised him from death to immortal life. His death was a unique sacrifice and the basis of God forgiving our sins and redeeming us from death, if we do what God requires of us.

Britain has left the European Union, bringing the curtain down on 47 years of membership. The Christadelphian community has for decades shown through the scriptures that the UK must be separate to the European block of nations at the time of the final conflict at the return of Christ. These two talks recap why we could confidently claim this and now the faith of many faithful Christadelphians has been vindicated.

 watch the video versions of these talks here.. https://cdvideo.org/brexit2videos

As a community we, the Christadelphians, believe that the Scriptures are "God breathed" that they are a record of His words.  This belief is being challenged again in our days.  The first of these studies will address the issue: is the Bible the word of God or does it contain the words of man? The second study will consider some of the "difficuties" which critics of the Bible have raised. The following two studies will consider the the Old and New Testaments - why we have these 66 books and no others.  The final Class will show how God's prophetic word has never been broken.

“BUT THE LORD HARDENED PHARAOH’S HEART”        Feb 4

We thought about this for some time. How do we understand the references in today’s ch. 10 of Exodus to the LORD hardening Pharaoh’s heart.  (v.1,10,27)   Can God blame man for what God does – if that is the way to understand this?  Notice how Moses conveys the message of the LORD (i.e. Yahweh/Jehovah) to Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews; how long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?” [v.3]

Pharaoh refused to recognise the power of the one and only God.  In the time of Joseph God’s power had been fully recognised as a result of the 7 years of famine and plenty.  Then we read in Exodus 1 v.8 “Now there arose a new king over Egypt that did not know Joseph” and the situation changed.  To restore the spirit of knowing and fearing the only real God was surely part of the purpose of God in sending the plagues.  God saw to it that a Pharaoh was “raised up” whose attitude and pride would cause this to happen.

We can see a modern parallel to this today.  When printing was invented, the first book printed in nearly every language was the Bible!  We are celebrating 400 years since the King James Version of the Bible was first printed.  Four Centuries ago there was a wonderful change in the attitudes of many people; the world became more spiritual; laws were influenced by the principles set out in the laws in the Bible.  The R.C. Church tried to resist this but the reformation movement, fed by the reading of the Bible, spread throughout the world.  People at last read for themselves what God had really done and said.

The effect of this reformation movement came to and end during the 20th Century, now a whole generation has now arisen who largely do not know the Bible.  Sadly some read the Bible to get power and influence for themselves and distort what it says and trying to find in it things they want to believe.  The stage is set therefore, for God to bring another series of plagues on the earth, to show his power to Godless man, so that once again people will be aware of the true God, but it will require one last dramatic act of God to really cause them to wake up – and that surely will be the return of Christ to rule the earth.