New Years Week – Wednesday

Ye are the light of the world. – Matthew 5:14.

This day, since olden times, has been especially devoted to the consideration of mission work. “Ye are the light of the world,” Jesus said to His believing disciples.  Light is salvation.  And salvation, the salvation of the world, surely is none other than Christ, the Savior, and He only (Acts 4:12). When, therefore, Jesus said to His believers, “Ye are the light of the world,” He thereby said that believing Christians are to be the bearers of the light, the bringers of salvation for the world.  We, who through His Word and Holy Ghost working through that Word, know and own Him who is our “Light” (John 8:12) and our “Salvation” (Luke 2:30); we are to bring Him, His name, and His Word to those who are in spiritual gloom and darkness, and who do not know the Savior. This is His changeless, fixed, and express will.  Therefore He said to us: “Go ye therefore, and teach [make disciples of] all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19) and again: “Go ye into all the world, and preach [proclaim] the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).  And prophesying even through Isaiah the Prophet, He said to the Christian Church: “Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.  For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people, but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light” (Isaiah 60:1-3).  So, let the obedience to His will and the compassionate love wrought by the Holy Ghost through the Gospel of Christ, as well as the promise that our labors shall not be in vain, let all this move us to bring to the unbelievers the light of salvation which has brought us to faith in Jesus and has thereby saved our souls .

PRAYER – Lord God, heavenly Father, who has brought us to believe in Thy dear Son, Jesus Christ, who is our Light and our Salvation, and has made Him to be our own, enlighten us, we beg Thee, by Thy Holy Spirit working through Thy Word of truth and grace, that we may more and more appreciate such grace and thank Thee for the same with all of our heart, and also communicate our light and salvation to those who still sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. This grant to us, O merciful God, we who, with Thee, desire that all people be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, the truth that “there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all” (I Timothy 2:5-6a). Amen.

 

Rise, Thou Light of Gentile nations, Jesus, bright and morning Star;

let Thy Word, the gladsome tidings, ring out loudly near and far;

bringing freedom to the captives, peace and comfort to the slave,

that the heathen, free from bondage, may proclaim Thy power to save.

 

May our zeal to help the heathen, be increased from day-to-day,

as we plead in true compassion, and for their conversion pray;

for the many faithful heralds, for the Gospel they proclaim;

let us all be cheerful givers, to the glory of Thy name.

 

Hymn 498,1 and 5 (TLH)

 

Scripture Reading: John 1:35-51; John 6:22-59

Weekly Theme: The Prophetic Office of Christ

 

John 1:35-51

35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;

36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!

37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?

39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.

40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.

41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

43 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.

44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!

48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.

51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

 

John 6:22-59

22 The day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone;

23 (Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks:)

24 When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.

25 And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?

26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.

27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

30 They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?

31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.

33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.

35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.

37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.

39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

41 The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.

42 And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?

43 Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.

44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.

46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.

47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

48 I am that bread of life.

49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.

50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.

51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?

53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.