Sunday School Lesson for April 3, 2011: Remember Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 2:8-19)

2 Timothy 2:15
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.





Acts 16:25
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.





Ephesians 5:19
speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,





Colossians 3:16
Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.







Once upon a time, Paul, the Apostle and Silas, his friend and co-laborer in the gospel were thrown in jail. Paul and Silas encouraged themselves by singing and praising God. The Bible records: that as they were singing, a violent earthquake occurred, the prison was shaken and the prison doors were opened (they probably fell off). Paul took this event to heart. Singing spiritual songs and hymns, making melodies in his heart to the Lord were an integral part of his ministry. He encouraged himself in times of trouble. He encouraged and taught the doctrine of Christ to others through song and He encouraged his followers to do the same. Finally, he recorded many of these hymns or passages from them in his letters, which have been recorded to the present day in the Canon of Scripture. I don’t imagine that Paul had the best singing voice. Scripture tells us that he wasn’t the most ‘attractive’ person to look at, but it seems that Paul didn’t have any problem warming up his ‘pipes’ and breaking off a verse or two, sometimes in mid sermon, to drive home a point about what he was preaching: Jesus. Including the passage below (2 Tim.2:11-13) along with the three passages I’ve included below, I count seven passages from Paul that were probably drawn from early Church hymns. In addition, I count several passages in Revelations that may have been drawn from early hymns.

So then, music seems to have played a important role in the formation of the Church. And God, it seems, used music and hymns to preach, teach and further the glorious Gospel of His Precious Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. In essence, Paul sung, and God was in the song. Same thing today: we sing, and God will show up. And if He shows up, He’ll show out. Keep yourself in His company this week. Hum a hymn. He’ll be in it. He’ll show up. He inhabits the praise of His people, the saints. Selah.



Blessings,



.wb



(I really was going to go in a different direction w/ this lesson, but God redirected me. After all, the theme for this quarter is ‘Worship’ :))





Psalm 22:3
But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.





Psalm 8:2
Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.





Who is the blessed and only Potentate

the King of kings and Lord of Lords.

Who alone hath immortality,

dwelling in light unapproachable.

Whom no man hath seen, nor can see,

To whom be honour

and power eternal. Amen 1Tim.6;15-16







He was revealed in the flesh

was vindicated by the Spirit

was seen by angels;

Preached among the Gentiles

believed on in the world

and taken up into glory. 1Tim.3;16





Who being in the very form of God,

did not consider it an object of rapine

To be on equality with God

but emptying Himself

Taking on a Bondman’s form

taking His place in likeness figure of man

He humbled Himself

and became obedient unto death

and even the death of the cross

Wherefore also God highly exalted Him

and granted Him a Name

that is above every name

That at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow

of heavenly and earthly and infernal

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord

To God the Father’s glory. Philip. 2;6-11.