Preached by Gordon Stewart on 1st November 2009 in Cregagh Congregational Church, Belfast.(Apologies to the preacher if these words are not exactly what you said - they are what I heard through God's voice.)
Romans 15
1We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me."[a] 4For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
5May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 6so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. 8For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews[b]on behalf of God's truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs 9so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written:
"Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles;
I will sing hymns to your name."[c] 10Again, it says,
"Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people."[d] 11And again,
"Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
and sing praises to him, all you peoples."[e] 12And again, Isaiah says,
"The Root of Jesse will spring up,
one who will arise to rule over the nations;
the Gentiles will hope in him."[f]
13May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Paul the Minister to the Gentiles
14I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another. 15I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me 16to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
17Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. 18I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done— 19by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. 20It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation. 21Rather, as it is written:
"Those who were not told about him will see,
and those who have not heard will understand."[g] 22This is why I have often been hindered from coming to you.
Paul's Plan to Visit Rome
23But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to see you, 24I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to visit you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while. 25Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the saints there. 26For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. 27They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews' spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings. 28So after I have completed this task and have made sure that they have received this fruit, I will go to Spain and visit you on the way. 29I know that when I come to you, I will come in the full measure of the blessing of Christ.
30I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. 31Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there, 32so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed. 33The God of peace be with you all. Amen.
Footnotes:
a. Romans 15:3 Psalm 69:9
b. Romans 15:8 Greek circumcision
c. Romans 15:9 2 Samuel 22:50; Psalm 18:49
d. Romans 15:10 Deut. 32:43
e. Romans 15:11 Psalm 117:1
f. Romans 15:12 Isaiah 11:10
g. Romans 15:21 Isaiah 52:15
Have you ever been given a task that made your knees knock? Jesus gave eleven weak individuals a massive task - “Go and make disciples of all nations” in Matthew 28:19. Just how did this eleven complete the task?
Romans chapter 15 shows that there was a great plan - to share the gospel everywhere that Christ is not known. Paul said in verse 20 “It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation.” So he moves from Jerusalem, to another city and begins to plant churches and then moves on and starts again. This ensures that local evangelism drives the church locally. Paul's motivation was to begin the Church where the gospel had not reached so far.
Are we keen and passionate about evangelism? And are we passionate about planting the Church when it is not present? So we send much of our missionary giving to the areas in the world where the Church has already been planted or established and who already carry out local evangelism
But what about the areas where the Church has not yet reached? How much do they figure in our thoughts, in our prayers in our giving? Have a look at the work of Asia Link online - www.asialink.org.uk. This is what they do -
AsiaLink is a Christian mission agency connecting churches with ministry among the unreached peoples of Asia. We provide an efficient and effective avenue to partnering by organising resources for the greatest possible impact.
We are convinced that the task of the local Church and of each believer is to assume responsibility for Christian mission and will do all we can to awaken and encourage vision. We firmly believe that God wants churches around the world to work alongside Him to fulfill the Great Commission and a critical feature of our work is the investment we make in these congregations.
AsiaLink partners with national believers in several countries of Asia including China, Vietnam, Laos, Mongolia, Bhutan and Kashmir. Within these countries alone there are approximately 1,000 unreached people groups.
Saturday 7 August 2010
Friday 6 August 2010
Mission Impossible - Exodus Chapter 3-4
Preached by William Ford on 16th May 2010 in Cregagh Congregational Church, Belfast.(Apologies to the preacher if these words are not exactly what you said - they are what I heard through God's voice.)
William Ford - 16th May 2010. Exodus Chapter 3-4
An Impossible Mission?
Exodus 3
Moses and the Burning Bush
1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up."
4 When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!"
And Moses said, "Here I am."
5 "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." 6 Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
7 The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."
11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"
12 And God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you [a] will worship God on this mountain."
13 Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?"
14 God said to Moses, "I am who I am . [b] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' "
15 God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, [c] the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.
16 "Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. 17 And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.'
18 "The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, 'The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God.' 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. 20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.
21 "And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. 22 Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians."
Footnotes:
a. Exodus 3:12 The Hebrew is plural.
b. Exodus 3:14 Or I will be what I will be
c. Exodus 3:15 The Hebrew for LORD sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for I am in verse 14.
Exodus 4
Signs for Moses
1 Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The LORD did not appear to you'?"
2 Then the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?"
"A staff," he replied.
3 The LORD said, "Throw it on the ground."
Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. 4 Then the LORD said to him, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. 5 "This," said the LORD, "is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you."
6 Then the LORD said, "Put your hand inside your cloak." So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was leprous, [a] like snow.
7 "Now put it back into your cloak," he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh.
8 Then the LORD said, "If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first miraculous sign, they may believe the second. 9 But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground."
10 Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue."
11 The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD ? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."
13 But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it."
14 Then the LORD's anger burned against Moses and he said, "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you. 15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. 16 He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. 17 But take this staff in your hand so you can perform miraculous signs with it."
Moses Returns to Egypt
18 Then Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, "Let me go back to my own people in Egypt to see if any of them are still alive."
Jethro said, "Go, and I wish you well."
19 Now the LORD had said to Moses in Midian, "Go back to Egypt, for all the men who wanted to kill you are dead." 20 So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.
21 The LORD said to Moses, "When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go. 22 Then say to Pharaoh, 'This is what the LORD says: Israel is my firstborn son, 23 and I told you, "Let my son go, so he may worship me." But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.' "
24 At a lodging place on the way, the LORD met {Moses} [b] and was about to kill him. 25 But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son's foreskin and touched {Moses'} feet with it. [c] "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me," she said. 26 So the LORD let him alone. (At that time she said "bridegroom of blood," referring to circumcision.)
27 The LORD said to Aaron, "Go into the desert to meet Moses." So he met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him. 28 Then Moses told Aaron everything the LORD had sent him to say, and also about all the miraculous signs he had commanded him to perform.
29 Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelites, 30 and Aaron told them everything the LORD had said to Moses. He also performed the signs before the people, 31 and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.
Footnotes:
a. Exodus 4:6 The Hebrew word was used for various diseases affecting the skin-not necessarily leprosy.
b. Exodus 4:24 Or {Moses' son}; Hebrew him
c. Exodus 4:25 Or and drew near {Moses'} feet
How would we react if we were asked to do what Mosses was being asked? At eighty years of age, he was called to go back to Egypt. To Moses, the message looked to be a good one, until God asked him to deliver it and go to Egypt. Moses then gives four objections as to why God's idea was a bad one. Don't blame Moses, we would probably have done the same.
3:11 - WHO AM I? - Moses considered himself to be insignificant in the face of Pharaoh - a shepherd against a king. And yet God says - I am with you. Moses was right - he is insignificant, he is not special. BUT GOD IS!!
3:13 - WHAT DO I SAY WHEN THEY ASK GOD'S NAME? - The Israelites will ask Moses - what do you know about God? God answers - say I am who I am has sent me. Your lack of knowledge of me is sorted - don't worry.
4:1 - WHAT IF THEY DON'T BELIEVE? - God gives Moses three signs that actually pre-figure the plagues. The people will believe. God has equipped Moses.
4:10 - I AM INADEQUATE FOR THE TASK - I cannot speak to people. God says that He will give the words and the teaching.
On the face of things, these may look like fair objections - BUT they are all self-obsessed. Moses objections are all focused on why he cannot do this job. God answers all four objections in the same way - He switches Moses focus from himself on to God. So don;t look at the problems - look at God.
Acts 1 - You will receive power to be witnesses, Matthew 28 - I am with you always.
When God sends someone, He will equip them for that mission. So God sends us out wherever He calls us to go. This does not mean it will be easy, but God is faithful and will always be faithful.
4:13 - The last objection - that underlies all the other objections - SEND SOMEONE ELSE.
Up to now, God has dealt patiently with Moses. But read 4:14 Then the LORD's anger burned against Moses. Is it appropriate for us to refuse what God asks?
If we change our focus form us and me - and focus on God, then we can and we will. We just need to be willing to be used by God. (And just in case this inflates our ego - God also used Balaam's donkey.) He is important - we are nothing. The most important ability we can have is AVAILABILITY.
William Ford - 16th May 2010. Exodus Chapter 3-4
An Impossible Mission?
Exodus 3
Moses and the Burning Bush
1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up."
4 When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!"
And Moses said, "Here I am."
5 "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." 6 Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
7 The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."
11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"
12 And God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you [a] will worship God on this mountain."
13 Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?"
14 God said to Moses, "I am who I am . [b] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' "
15 God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, [c] the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.
16 "Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. 17 And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.'
18 "The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, 'The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God.' 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. 20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.
21 "And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. 22 Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians."
Footnotes:
a. Exodus 3:12 The Hebrew is plural.
b. Exodus 3:14 Or I will be what I will be
c. Exodus 3:15 The Hebrew for LORD sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for I am in verse 14.
Exodus 4
Signs for Moses
1 Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The LORD did not appear to you'?"
2 Then the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?"
"A staff," he replied.
3 The LORD said, "Throw it on the ground."
Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. 4 Then the LORD said to him, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. 5 "This," said the LORD, "is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you."
6 Then the LORD said, "Put your hand inside your cloak." So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was leprous, [a] like snow.
7 "Now put it back into your cloak," he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh.
8 Then the LORD said, "If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first miraculous sign, they may believe the second. 9 But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground."
10 Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue."
11 The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD ? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."
13 But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it."
14 Then the LORD's anger burned against Moses and he said, "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you. 15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. 16 He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. 17 But take this staff in your hand so you can perform miraculous signs with it."
Moses Returns to Egypt
18 Then Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, "Let me go back to my own people in Egypt to see if any of them are still alive."
Jethro said, "Go, and I wish you well."
19 Now the LORD had said to Moses in Midian, "Go back to Egypt, for all the men who wanted to kill you are dead." 20 So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.
21 The LORD said to Moses, "When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go. 22 Then say to Pharaoh, 'This is what the LORD says: Israel is my firstborn son, 23 and I told you, "Let my son go, so he may worship me." But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.' "
24 At a lodging place on the way, the LORD met {Moses} [b] and was about to kill him. 25 But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son's foreskin and touched {Moses'} feet with it. [c] "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me," she said. 26 So the LORD let him alone. (At that time she said "bridegroom of blood," referring to circumcision.)
27 The LORD said to Aaron, "Go into the desert to meet Moses." So he met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him. 28 Then Moses told Aaron everything the LORD had sent him to say, and also about all the miraculous signs he had commanded him to perform.
29 Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelites, 30 and Aaron told them everything the LORD had said to Moses. He also performed the signs before the people, 31 and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.
Footnotes:
a. Exodus 4:6 The Hebrew word was used for various diseases affecting the skin-not necessarily leprosy.
b. Exodus 4:24 Or {Moses' son}; Hebrew him
c. Exodus 4:25 Or and drew near {Moses'} feet
How would we react if we were asked to do what Mosses was being asked? At eighty years of age, he was called to go back to Egypt. To Moses, the message looked to be a good one, until God asked him to deliver it and go to Egypt. Moses then gives four objections as to why God's idea was a bad one. Don't blame Moses, we would probably have done the same.
3:11 - WHO AM I? - Moses considered himself to be insignificant in the face of Pharaoh - a shepherd against a king. And yet God says - I am with you. Moses was right - he is insignificant, he is not special. BUT GOD IS!!
3:13 - WHAT DO I SAY WHEN THEY ASK GOD'S NAME? - The Israelites will ask Moses - what do you know about God? God answers - say I am who I am has sent me. Your lack of knowledge of me is sorted - don't worry.
4:1 - WHAT IF THEY DON'T BELIEVE? - God gives Moses three signs that actually pre-figure the plagues. The people will believe. God has equipped Moses.
4:10 - I AM INADEQUATE FOR THE TASK - I cannot speak to people. God says that He will give the words and the teaching.
On the face of things, these may look like fair objections - BUT they are all self-obsessed. Moses objections are all focused on why he cannot do this job. God answers all four objections in the same way - He switches Moses focus from himself on to God. So don;t look at the problems - look at God.
Acts 1 - You will receive power to be witnesses, Matthew 28 - I am with you always.
When God sends someone, He will equip them for that mission. So God sends us out wherever He calls us to go. This does not mean it will be easy, but God is faithful and will always be faithful.
4:13 - The last objection - that underlies all the other objections - SEND SOMEONE ELSE.
Up to now, God has dealt patiently with Moses. But read 4:14 Then the LORD's anger burned against Moses. Is it appropriate for us to refuse what God asks?
If we change our focus form us and me - and focus on God, then we can and we will. We just need to be willing to be used by God. (And just in case this inflates our ego - God also used Balaam's donkey.) He is important - we are nothing. The most important ability we can have is AVAILABILITY.
How To Be Authentically Righteous In The Face Of Evil And Compromise.
Preached by Bob Keay on 2nd May 2010 in Cregagh Congregational Church, Belfast.(Apologies to the preacher if these words are not exactly what you said - they are what I heard through God's voice.)
How to be authentically righteous in the face of evil and compromise.
Preached by Bob Keay on 2nd May 2010 at Cregagh Congregational Church – Matthew 5:17-20 and vs38-48.
The Fulfillment of the Law
17"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
An Eye for an Eye
38"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'[g] 39But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
Love for Enemies
43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor[h] and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies[i] and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Is Jesus asking us to be a door mat in these verses – is this a do not resist message. If it is, how do we square this with some of the things Jesus said and did? Just how can we practically apply this text since we are 2000 years remove d from the events? We often do not pick up on the clues that can tell us what these verses actually mean.
Verse 38 says “an eye for an eye…” This was OT law. But Israel was no longer a sovereign and free nation. Israel was under Roman rule and therefore could no longer enforce their law and live by it. There was a great debate at the time how to live under Roman law. The Pharisees said that everyone should try to be as holy as the priests and God’s blessing would overthrow the Romans when God saw the peoples’ righteousness. The Sadducees said that Roman rule was God’s judgment on the people because of their sin, therefore they said that Israel should just put up with the Romans and get on with it. The Essenes took that attitude that it was best to get out of town and live as a people apart from the rest. The Zealots sought to overthrow the Romans by violence and murder.
So Jesus come into this situation and people ask what Jesus said. And so at this point Jesus says do not resist an evil person, to turn the other cheek. In verse 39 the “do not resist” is translated poorly. It could be better translated “do not retaliate with evil.” So when an evil man strikes you, do not retaliate in kind.
So what do we do? “Turn to him the other also”, If he strikes you on the right cheek, it would be with the right hand because the left hand was considered unclean. So this would be a slap with the back of the right hand. This insult was designed to make people conform, to make people obey. - to put an inferior in their proper position. So to turn the other cheek means that you refuse to be humiliated. When you turn the other cheek you are saying that you will not be slapped on the right cheek. This is a very courageous challenge to your enemy. In turning the other cheek you have made a very strong statement that you will not be compromised - that you will not conform, that you will continue to follow Jesus.
40And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
This situation obviously talked about a law suit. The Romans imposed heavy taxation on the people which could result in much debt. If you were owed a debt, you could take the debtor to court and sue him for his clothes. You must remember that in these times, most people only owned two pieces of clothing - an inner and an outer garment. So Jesus was in fact saying that if you were sued for one inner garment, give them your outer garment too - and have no clothes. This would bring shame on the person who sued you. This brought shame on the Roman system. Nakedness was a shame to the person who brought about the nakedness, the one who refused to help. This verse is a very powerful expression of standing up for what is right.
41If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
This situation could and did happen. A Roman soldier could force a person, by invoking the law, to carry their equipment for exactly one mile and no further. Any more than a mile and the soldier could be punished. So Jesus says go two miles instead of one mile and you turn the tables on those who seek to oppress you. That soldier would be afraid of being caught out and punished. You no longer are the oppressed in that situation.
APPLICATION
So 2000 years later, how do we apply the lessons Jesus taught an astonished crowd?
Jesus is not giving specific advice here in these verses, he is giving some examples of how to respond in different situations where we may be oppressed or compromised. We should think how we can turn the tables and use this situation to be in control Jesus told use to be as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves. These situations are used to teach the principle - learn from his teaching.
So when we find ourselves in situations where we are asked to compromise our faith, we need to follow this advice to expose the reality that we are being oppressed and made to compromise. This throws light on the system of the world So in vs 42-48 Jesus is saying love your enemies and pray for them.
Jesus is saying that you are not doing anything that is evil if we follow his advice here in vs 38-42, on the contrary we are actually throwing light on an evil and oppressive regime. We are showing Him to people, and offering a way out
So this passage is not contradictory to what Jesus teaches about the Pharisees and Sadducees. All of Jesus' life is a bold illustration of His teaching. This takes courage and the Spirit of God. It is not weakness, it shows strength and courage and willingness to stand up to those oppressors and even in the end to die.
How to be authentically righteous in the face of evil and compromise.
Preached by Bob Keay on 2nd May 2010 at Cregagh Congregational Church – Matthew 5:17-20 and vs38-48.
The Fulfillment of the Law
17"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
An Eye for an Eye
38"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'[g] 39But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
Love for Enemies
43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor[h] and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies[i] and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Is Jesus asking us to be a door mat in these verses – is this a do not resist message. If it is, how do we square this with some of the things Jesus said and did? Just how can we practically apply this text since we are 2000 years remove d from the events? We often do not pick up on the clues that can tell us what these verses actually mean.
Verse 38 says “an eye for an eye…” This was OT law. But Israel was no longer a sovereign and free nation. Israel was under Roman rule and therefore could no longer enforce their law and live by it. There was a great debate at the time how to live under Roman law. The Pharisees said that everyone should try to be as holy as the priests and God’s blessing would overthrow the Romans when God saw the peoples’ righteousness. The Sadducees said that Roman rule was God’s judgment on the people because of their sin, therefore they said that Israel should just put up with the Romans and get on with it. The Essenes took that attitude that it was best to get out of town and live as a people apart from the rest. The Zealots sought to overthrow the Romans by violence and murder.
So Jesus come into this situation and people ask what Jesus said. And so at this point Jesus says do not resist an evil person, to turn the other cheek. In verse 39 the “do not resist” is translated poorly. It could be better translated “do not retaliate with evil.” So when an evil man strikes you, do not retaliate in kind.
So what do we do? “Turn to him the other also”, If he strikes you on the right cheek, it would be with the right hand because the left hand was considered unclean. So this would be a slap with the back of the right hand. This insult was designed to make people conform, to make people obey. - to put an inferior in their proper position. So to turn the other cheek means that you refuse to be humiliated. When you turn the other cheek you are saying that you will not be slapped on the right cheek. This is a very courageous challenge to your enemy. In turning the other cheek you have made a very strong statement that you will not be compromised - that you will not conform, that you will continue to follow Jesus.
40And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
This situation obviously talked about a law suit. The Romans imposed heavy taxation on the people which could result in much debt. If you were owed a debt, you could take the debtor to court and sue him for his clothes. You must remember that in these times, most people only owned two pieces of clothing - an inner and an outer garment. So Jesus was in fact saying that if you were sued for one inner garment, give them your outer garment too - and have no clothes. This would bring shame on the person who sued you. This brought shame on the Roman system. Nakedness was a shame to the person who brought about the nakedness, the one who refused to help. This verse is a very powerful expression of standing up for what is right.
41If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
This situation could and did happen. A Roman soldier could force a person, by invoking the law, to carry their equipment for exactly one mile and no further. Any more than a mile and the soldier could be punished. So Jesus says go two miles instead of one mile and you turn the tables on those who seek to oppress you. That soldier would be afraid of being caught out and punished. You no longer are the oppressed in that situation.
APPLICATION
So 2000 years later, how do we apply the lessons Jesus taught an astonished crowd?
Jesus is not giving specific advice here in these verses, he is giving some examples of how to respond in different situations where we may be oppressed or compromised. We should think how we can turn the tables and use this situation to be in control Jesus told use to be as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves. These situations are used to teach the principle - learn from his teaching.
So when we find ourselves in situations where we are asked to compromise our faith, we need to follow this advice to expose the reality that we are being oppressed and made to compromise. This throws light on the system of the world So in vs 42-48 Jesus is saying love your enemies and pray for them.
Jesus is saying that you are not doing anything that is evil if we follow his advice here in vs 38-42, on the contrary we are actually throwing light on an evil and oppressive regime. We are showing Him to people, and offering a way out
So this passage is not contradictory to what Jesus teaches about the Pharisees and Sadducees. All of Jesus' life is a bold illustration of His teaching. This takes courage and the Spirit of God. It is not weakness, it shows strength and courage and willingness to stand up to those oppressors and even in the end to die.
Thursday 5 August 2010
Experiencing God - Enjoying Time With God
Preached by Calvin Jones on 28th July 2009 in Cregagh Congregational Church, Belfast.(Apologies to the preacher if these words are not exactly what you said - they are what I heard through God's voice.)
Many Christians live in the presence of God but without knowing Him deeply.
Psalm 42:1-2 tells us that God desires our friendship and we should always be ready for the prospect of meeting with God as we pray and read His word.
Psalm 34:8 tells us to "Taste and See" - it is an invitation to experience God - we should be dying with thirst to meet God.
Hebrews 10::19, 20 and 22 - says we can enter the Holy Place, into the very presence of God. This was unavailable to those in the Old Testament.
"What profit is it that we dwell in Jerusalem if we do not see the King's face." - do we experience God in this way, do we experience Him in this way?
Why are we here on earth? The shorter catechism says we are here to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. This is the very essence of our Christianity. Why did God create? If God is love ,in His very essence then He must have something to love, we we can have a relationship with Him. This underlies our very existence - the relationship we choose to have with Him or choose to ignore.
A QUIET TIME WITH GOD:
Mark 1:35 records that Jesus rises early and goes to spend time in meeting God. Despite all that is going on is his life, Jesus takes time out. Verse 37 tells us that everyone is looking for him, so in verse 38 Jesus says, let's go somewhere else.
Reading our Bible and prayer and slience is a means to an end. The end is our relationship with Christ, it is a seeking of God, not in a mystical experience. We seek to talk to Him and know we have experienced His presence in a real way. Our Quiet Time is not a tick in the box, it is a discipline but it is relationship building. A relationship that needs to be nutured using time and effort so that we feel we are getting closer and closer to God.
THE SPIRIT OF OUR QUIET TIME
This is a time set aside and guarded - a time to be with our heavenly Father. It is also a time to be enjoyed and looked forward to. It is about relationship and not religion.
So we can find that using Bible Notes or reading the Bible in an unstructured way or even just reading the Bible without God's help can mean we do not get the most out of our relationship with Him.
PRACTICAL POINTS
Matthew 6:6 - Jesus referring to the hypocrites who pray out loud in public. Jesus says we should go into our room and close the door, ands pray to our Father who is unseen.
In our world we have no place for a daily Quiet Time, so we will never just find the time. It becomes all about priorities - so we may need to make a sacrifice to spend time with God.
When should we make time? In the morning - good reasons for the start of a day. People are usually fresher in the mornings. Perhaps the evening?
There are no rules of course BUT how longf should we spend in meeting God? We need both quality and quantity of time.
Where? What place - quiet and free from distraction.
Beginning a quiet time - we remember that we are making time to be with God. So we begin with a period of silence asking God to meet us within our innermost being. Psalm 46:10 says "Be still and know that I am God."
Many Christians live in the presence of God but without knowing Him deeply.
Psalm 42:1-2 tells us that God desires our friendship and we should always be ready for the prospect of meeting with God as we pray and read His word.
Psalm 34:8 tells us to "Taste and See" - it is an invitation to experience God - we should be dying with thirst to meet God.
Hebrews 10::19, 20 and 22 - says we can enter the Holy Place, into the very presence of God. This was unavailable to those in the Old Testament.
"What profit is it that we dwell in Jerusalem if we do not see the King's face." - do we experience God in this way, do we experience Him in this way?
Why are we here on earth? The shorter catechism says we are here to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. This is the very essence of our Christianity. Why did God create? If God is love ,in His very essence then He must have something to love, we we can have a relationship with Him. This underlies our very existence - the relationship we choose to have with Him or choose to ignore.
A QUIET TIME WITH GOD:
Mark 1:35 records that Jesus rises early and goes to spend time in meeting God. Despite all that is going on is his life, Jesus takes time out. Verse 37 tells us that everyone is looking for him, so in verse 38 Jesus says, let's go somewhere else.
Reading our Bible and prayer and slience is a means to an end. The end is our relationship with Christ, it is a seeking of God, not in a mystical experience. We seek to talk to Him and know we have experienced His presence in a real way. Our Quiet Time is not a tick in the box, it is a discipline but it is relationship building. A relationship that needs to be nutured using time and effort so that we feel we are getting closer and closer to God.
THE SPIRIT OF OUR QUIET TIME
This is a time set aside and guarded - a time to be with our heavenly Father. It is also a time to be enjoyed and looked forward to. It is about relationship and not religion.
So we can find that using Bible Notes or reading the Bible in an unstructured way or even just reading the Bible without God's help can mean we do not get the most out of our relationship with Him.
PRACTICAL POINTS
Matthew 6:6 - Jesus referring to the hypocrites who pray out loud in public. Jesus says we should go into our room and close the door, ands pray to our Father who is unseen.
In our world we have no place for a daily Quiet Time, so we will never just find the time. It becomes all about priorities - so we may need to make a sacrifice to spend time with God.
When should we make time? In the morning - good reasons for the start of a day. People are usually fresher in the mornings. Perhaps the evening?
There are no rules of course BUT how longf should we spend in meeting God? We need both quality and quantity of time.
Where? What place - quiet and free from distraction.
Beginning a quiet time - we remember that we are making time to be with God. So we begin with a period of silence asking God to meet us within our innermost being. Psalm 46:10 says "Be still and know that I am God."
Friday 30 July 2010
Psalm 46 - A Favourite Psalm?
Preached by Rev, Wesley Ellis on 14th June 2009 in Cregagh Congregational Church, Belfast.(Apologies to the preacher if these words are not exactly what you said - they are what I heard through God's voice.)
Psalm 46 (New International Version)
Psalm 46
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A song. [a]
1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah
4There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. 6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. 7 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah 8 Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields [b] with fire. 10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." 11 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
Footnotes:
Psalm 46:1 Title: Probably a musical term
Psalm 46:9 Or chariots
Why do we have a favourite Psalm? Perhaps it is because the message of the Psalm speaks to us in some way and impacts our lives.
Verse One of this Psalm puts the rest of the passage into context, and verse 10 ends the Psalm beautifully. So we go from
God is... to God speaking - be still and know that He is God. So we start with God is - the pre-existent, omnipotent God - as the focal point and go to verse 10 where the key is to know this God. The modern world is content with ignoring verse 1 and verse 10 by extension, but the Psalmist knew God day to day .Do we have the same faith in all circumstances of our lives? Sometimes it is only when we are at are lowest that we trust Him. All the other things we have hoped for have failed us and we are left with what is real - God - real, alive and here with us.
He is our refuge and strength - it is not that we possess Him and then bring our shopping list to Him BUT we can call Him our God because of our relationship. We can call Him, Abba. This is not God at our beck and call, but He is a personal God in relationship with us. And thus it is hard to take this in, that He is my refuge and strength. How can we fully grasp this truth?
God is our refuge - where do we want to be physically, mentally, spiritually - what do we yearn for and what motivates us? It could be comfort, security through our money, our family, our job, in drink, in drugs. Where is our refuge? In the worst times when all falls apart it can only be in God. A refuge can also be translated "harbour" - a place where we can tie up safely out of the storm. The harbour is not where the ship is to remain - it is only in a storm - so running to find refuge in God is when we have lack of strength or boldness. It is when we cannot cope, and then when the strain subsides God gives us the boldness to continue.
So these ate two aspects to a refuge in tough times and strength to continue onwards. God brings both. He is an ever present help in trouble. We will not fear even when the worst happens. The Psalmist uses the analogy of the earth giving way and the mountains falling.
Verse 4 mentions a river - bringing life into the city of God - a flowing river. God is within her, she will not fall. And so our souls will not fall if we trust in Him - nothing will pluck us from His hand.
Verse 5 - at a time when we are most at risk, God will help. At the break of day we should be conscious of His presence.
Verse 6 - God stands beyond the world, His voice is commanding and powerful.
Verse 7 - He has been with us, look back in our lives and see His hand. And so He will be with us in the future.
Verse 8 - God is in control.
Verse 10 - Be still and know that I am God - when the worst happens - "Be still and know" - take the time to be still and know that He is God.
Verse 11 - Almighty - How strong are we? He is Almighty and He is with us.
Psalm 46 (New International Version)
Psalm 46
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A song. [a]
1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah
4There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. 6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. 7 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah 8 Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields [b] with fire. 10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." 11 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
Footnotes:
Psalm 46:1 Title: Probably a musical term
Psalm 46:9 Or chariots
Why do we have a favourite Psalm? Perhaps it is because the message of the Psalm speaks to us in some way and impacts our lives.
Verse One of this Psalm puts the rest of the passage into context, and verse 10 ends the Psalm beautifully. So we go from
God is... to God speaking - be still and know that He is God. So we start with God is - the pre-existent, omnipotent God - as the focal point and go to verse 10 where the key is to know this God. The modern world is content with ignoring verse 1 and verse 10 by extension, but the Psalmist knew God day to day .Do we have the same faith in all circumstances of our lives? Sometimes it is only when we are at are lowest that we trust Him. All the other things we have hoped for have failed us and we are left with what is real - God - real, alive and here with us.
He is our refuge and strength - it is not that we possess Him and then bring our shopping list to Him BUT we can call Him our God because of our relationship. We can call Him, Abba. This is not God at our beck and call, but He is a personal God in relationship with us. And thus it is hard to take this in, that He is my refuge and strength. How can we fully grasp this truth?
God is our refuge - where do we want to be physically, mentally, spiritually - what do we yearn for and what motivates us? It could be comfort, security through our money, our family, our job, in drink, in drugs. Where is our refuge? In the worst times when all falls apart it can only be in God. A refuge can also be translated "harbour" - a place where we can tie up safely out of the storm. The harbour is not where the ship is to remain - it is only in a storm - so running to find refuge in God is when we have lack of strength or boldness. It is when we cannot cope, and then when the strain subsides God gives us the boldness to continue.
So these ate two aspects to a refuge in tough times and strength to continue onwards. God brings both. He is an ever present help in trouble. We will not fear even when the worst happens. The Psalmist uses the analogy of the earth giving way and the mountains falling.
Verse 4 mentions a river - bringing life into the city of God - a flowing river. God is within her, she will not fall. And so our souls will not fall if we trust in Him - nothing will pluck us from His hand.
Verse 5 - at a time when we are most at risk, God will help. At the break of day we should be conscious of His presence.
Verse 6 - God stands beyond the world, His voice is commanding and powerful.
Verse 7 - He has been with us, look back in our lives and see His hand. And so He will be with us in the future.
Verse 8 - God is in control.
Verse 10 - Be still and know that I am God - when the worst happens - "Be still and know" - take the time to be still and know that He is God.
Verse 11 - Almighty - How strong are we? He is Almighty and He is with us.
Monday 26 July 2010
James 4:13-17
Preached by Mark Brown(Belfast Bible College) on 7th June 2009 in Cregagh Congregational Church, Belfast.(Apologies to the preacher if these words are not exactly what you said - they are what I heard through God's voice.)
James 4:13-17 says
13Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." 16As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.
It is really easy to take our focus off God as we live our lives and get caught up with things. In this passage James starts with a rebuke to people who are planning, travelling, organising and making money.
v13 is a rebuke and yet there is an element of planning in all of our lives and this must be so. So what is wrong with planning for the future. vs15 gives us the answer - in spite of our planning, God's will in our lives should be paramount - not our plans nor our planning.
Hebrews 1:3 says -
The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
Christ sustains all things and upholds all things. He is in control, even though we often walk away from Him and boast that we do not need God. When times are easy, it is easy to forget God and believe that we can do all things through our strength.
James 4:14 reminds us that life is short and that God is in control. So we should concern ourselves wit what is important , not so that we can seem to be great BUT that God is seen to be great. Change comes quickly in our lives - but the only important thing is our relationship with God. The highest compliment anyone can pay a Christian is to be called a godly person.
Because life is like a vapour - it is easy to waste our life. Acts 20:24 says- However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.
It is a new mindset that we need - in our planning - having God paramount in our lives.
We are Christ's representatives where He has placed us - as individuals and corporately as a Church - to people in the Church and without the Church. He must be above everything else, because of the price He paid. We did not earn the right to be His representatives - His grace means we can be saved. Our great hope is that Christ can transform.
James 4:13-17 says
13Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." 16As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.
It is really easy to take our focus off God as we live our lives and get caught up with things. In this passage James starts with a rebuke to people who are planning, travelling, organising and making money.
v13 is a rebuke and yet there is an element of planning in all of our lives and this must be so. So what is wrong with planning for the future. vs15 gives us the answer - in spite of our planning, God's will in our lives should be paramount - not our plans nor our planning.
Hebrews 1:3 says -
The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
Christ sustains all things and upholds all things. He is in control, even though we often walk away from Him and boast that we do not need God. When times are easy, it is easy to forget God and believe that we can do all things through our strength.
James 4:14 reminds us that life is short and that God is in control. So we should concern ourselves wit what is important , not so that we can seem to be great BUT that God is seen to be great. Change comes quickly in our lives - but the only important thing is our relationship with God. The highest compliment anyone can pay a Christian is to be called a godly person.
Because life is like a vapour - it is easy to waste our life. Acts 20:24 says- However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.
It is a new mindset that we need - in our planning - having God paramount in our lives.
We are Christ's representatives where He has placed us - as individuals and corporately as a Church - to people in the Church and without the Church. He must be above everything else, because of the price He paid. We did not earn the right to be His representatives - His grace means we can be saved. Our great hope is that Christ can transform.
Tuesday 20 July 2010
Our Congregational Heritage - The Church Meeting
Preached by Rev, Wesley Ellis on 10th May 2009 in Cregagh Congregational Church, Belfast.(Apologies to the preacher if these words are not exactly what you said - they are what I heard through God's voice.)
This was an extremely challenging message to listen to. If you ever thought that the church meeting was an outworking of democracy - then you need to read these sermon notes.
The Church Meeting
Yes I know it can encompass the colour of the new carpet - but it also encompasses so much more. We make many excuses as why we cannot attend - but perhaps we should think again.
In the Old Testament, God was to be approached in the way He set out, and in no other way. Thus we see the Tabernacle , the priestly system and the sacrifice at the Day of Atonement. The ordinary man did not approach God directly. He approached the priest who would do this on his behalf. This was a tiered and hierarchical system.
So why is there no hierarchical system in the Congregational Church. We have moved towards the understanding of the Priesthood of all believers. So we are autonomous and our government is autonomous. The Church meeting has a real importance within congregationalism.
The Old Testament system showed -
"The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt,because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them, "declares the LORD. "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD."I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD."For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."
This passage told of the time when God would come to the individual and we could all come to Him. So we have the priesthood of all believers. We have no earthly priest, no need of a system. This is fundamental in the Church meeting. It is not a democracy - in Christ our High Priest, we come into His presence. So in the Church meeting we appear as the body of Christ - as living stones knit together as a royal priesthood. We are His people - His body.
And that body needs a head - that head is Christ. It may look like a democracy when we vote together and are met in the Church meeting. But as we move, we take our will and our impulse from Christ. Thus we have a theocracy in our Church meeting - congregationalism embraces theocracy. So the people of Israel wanted a king like the other nations BUT God himself was to be their King.
Through Christ we have access to God, and He has access to us. In our Church meeting we are listening to the impulses of the head - to Christ. So to look at the democratic idea in the meeting is a dangerous thing. For we have liberty in Christ, but also a responsibility. And so in the Church meeting we empty ourselves of all of our ideas, of our opinions, and open our hearts to Jesus' promptings. He makes known to us what He wants so that we are led collectively and individually.
This was an extremely challenging message to listen to. If you ever thought that the church meeting was an outworking of democracy - then you need to read these sermon notes.
The Church Meeting
Yes I know it can encompass the colour of the new carpet - but it also encompasses so much more. We make many excuses as why we cannot attend - but perhaps we should think again.
In the Old Testament, God was to be approached in the way He set out, and in no other way. Thus we see the Tabernacle , the priestly system and the sacrifice at the Day of Atonement. The ordinary man did not approach God directly. He approached the priest who would do this on his behalf. This was a tiered and hierarchical system.
So why is there no hierarchical system in the Congregational Church. We have moved towards the understanding of the Priesthood of all believers. So we are autonomous and our government is autonomous. The Church meeting has a real importance within congregationalism.
The Old Testament system showed -
- The Holiness of God - for the ordinary man and woman - He is unapproachable.
- The appropriate manner in which God could be approached.
- It is a picture of what was and is to come.
"The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt,because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them, "declares the LORD. "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD."I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD."For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."
This passage told of the time when God would come to the individual and we could all come to Him. So we have the priesthood of all believers. We have no earthly priest, no need of a system. This is fundamental in the Church meeting. It is not a democracy - in Christ our High Priest, we come into His presence. So in the Church meeting we appear as the body of Christ - as living stones knit together as a royal priesthood. We are His people - His body.
And that body needs a head - that head is Christ. It may look like a democracy when we vote together and are met in the Church meeting. But as we move, we take our will and our impulse from Christ. Thus we have a theocracy in our Church meeting - congregationalism embraces theocracy. So the people of Israel wanted a king like the other nations BUT God himself was to be their King.
Through Christ we have access to God, and He has access to us. In our Church meeting we are listening to the impulses of the head - to Christ. So to look at the democratic idea in the meeting is a dangerous thing. For we have liberty in Christ, but also a responsibility. And so in the Church meeting we empty ourselves of all of our ideas, of our opinions, and open our hearts to Jesus' promptings. He makes known to us what He wants so that we are led collectively and individually.
Tuesday 13 July 2010
Mark 4:30-34
Preached by Joel Prescott(Belfast Bible College) evening 31st May 2009 in Cregagh Congregational Church, Belfast.(Apologies to the preacher if these words are not exactly what you said - they are what I heard through God's voice.)
In this sermon the preacher takes a fresh look at the Parable of the Mustard Seed - with some surprising thoughts.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
30Again he said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. 32Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade."
33With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.
On the face of it this looks like a simple story - so how come the passage ends with the statement that Jesus explained everything to his disciples when they were alone? Why take time to explain if this is a simple story - a small seed growing into a large tree - like the kingdom of heaven.
BUT - a mustard seed usually only grows to about 1m high and by tradition Jews could not plant mustard seeds in their gardens. To a Jew this would be shocking. On the other hand the Jews would be used to kingdoms described as trees -
Daniel 4:10 ff describes Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom -
These are the visions I saw while lying in my bed: I looked, and there before me stood a tree in the middle of the land. Its height was enormous. 11 The tree grew large and strong and its top touched the sky; it was visible to the ends of the earth. 12 Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant, and on it was food for all. Under it the beasts of the field found shelter, and the birds of the air lived in its branches; from it every creature was fed.
Also read -
Ezekiel 17:22 " 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. 23 On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar.
Mustard is an aggressive, annual weed and is found everywhere. It can create a serious problem when harvesting plants because it can choke the harvest. It can also kill live-stock when mixed with animal feed.
This parable is about the kingdom of heaven - something that Jesus spoke about often - read Mark 4:17, Matthew 5:20, Matthew 7:21, Matthew 12:28, Mark6:9-10, Matthew 24:14. But why preach more about the kingdom and not about salvation? Jesus was explaining that when you put yourself under God's rule, it is about an ongoing process - salvation is the start - the kingdom is the living of that salvation.
What is the kingdom like? It is like a mustard seed.Alexander the Great used the same analogy. When he invaded the Persian kingdom, Darius the Persian king sent Alexander a warning in the form of a large bag of sesame seeds. Each seed was to represent a Persian soldier and show the Greeks how they completely out-numbered. Alexander took some in his mouth and tasted the sesame seeds. He sent Darius a small bag of mustard seed to show that his army though small was extremely aggressive and fierce. Darius tasted the mustard and said that a little mustard seed is more pungent than much sesame.
But Jesus uses the mustard seed in a different way. God uses the small and insignificant to confound and destroy the great and glorious. Just think of David and Goliath, of Joseph rising from slavery to 2nd in charge in Egypt, Daniel is the lion's den, and Jesus as a servant.
Each plant of mustard can produce 2000-3000 seeds. They can survive in the soil for up to 60 years and can grow in any soil. Jesus was saying that his kingdom was a virile, fruitful kingdom - a resilient kingdom. It is a kingdom that that can host the unwanted from society. This kingdom will never take over from a position of strength BUT it grows and spreads despite persecution.
This reminds us of the early Church, and of the churches that are growing throughout our world. China is well on it's way to becoming the largest Christian country on the face of the planet with 80 million people attending (more than are members of the Communist Party). Have a read of the Times Online article -
God is back: How Ned Flanders won the evangelical crusade -Times Online...
May 1, 11:40pm "but the most remarkable example of Flanderism can be found in China's house churches. We recently visited an apartment in a well-heeled district of Shanghai, where a technology executive hosted two dozen clever young Chinese, including several CEOs, a well-known academic and a stem-cell researcher. They spent three hours studying one letter from St Paul. Soon their church will get too big: it will cross the 25-person limit for unauthorised meetings, or one of the neighbours will complain about the hymns or the people hogging the parking spaces. So the church will have to split, guaranteeing its growth. China is well on its way to being the world's biggest Christian country: there are at least 80 million Christians and already more people go to church every week than are members of the Communist Party.
Visit the following website - http://www.persecution.com/
It is the same in Zimbabwe - a small virile and fruitful church growing despite persecution.
Verse 32 suggests that the mustard seed grows into a large tree. But what does this say compared to what we have already seen. Perhaps this talks about growth that is beyond what can naturally be expected - a harvest beyond our endeavours.
Christianity is growing throughout our world despite many people through the ages saying that God is dead.Look at Russia, and China.
Parables are not as simple as they seem and it is no wonder Jesus had to take the time to explain. Often what we take as a moral story with a nice meaning means so much more. Jesus often shocked the religious people of his time using parables. The kingdom of God is not what they had expected.
God works through the small and insignificant. He uses the weak to confound the strong. He came as a servant. He commended the widow for her two pennies. He has given us all something to do. We can all serve Him.
In this sermon the preacher takes a fresh look at the Parable of the Mustard Seed - with some surprising thoughts.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
30Again he said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. 32Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade."
33With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.
On the face of it this looks like a simple story - so how come the passage ends with the statement that Jesus explained everything to his disciples when they were alone? Why take time to explain if this is a simple story - a small seed growing into a large tree - like the kingdom of heaven.
BUT - a mustard seed usually only grows to about 1m high and by tradition Jews could not plant mustard seeds in their gardens. To a Jew this would be shocking. On the other hand the Jews would be used to kingdoms described as trees -
Daniel 4:10 ff describes Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom -
These are the visions I saw while lying in my bed: I looked, and there before me stood a tree in the middle of the land. Its height was enormous. 11 The tree grew large and strong and its top touched the sky; it was visible to the ends of the earth. 12 Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant, and on it was food for all. Under it the beasts of the field found shelter, and the birds of the air lived in its branches; from it every creature was fed.
Also read -
Ezekiel 17:22 " 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. 23 On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar.
Mustard is an aggressive, annual weed and is found everywhere. It can create a serious problem when harvesting plants because it can choke the harvest. It can also kill live-stock when mixed with animal feed.
This parable is about the kingdom of heaven - something that Jesus spoke about often - read Mark 4:17, Matthew 5:20, Matthew 7:21, Matthew 12:28, Mark6:9-10, Matthew 24:14. But why preach more about the kingdom and not about salvation? Jesus was explaining that when you put yourself under God's rule, it is about an ongoing process - salvation is the start - the kingdom is the living of that salvation.
What is the kingdom like? It is like a mustard seed.Alexander the Great used the same analogy. When he invaded the Persian kingdom, Darius the Persian king sent Alexander a warning in the form of a large bag of sesame seeds. Each seed was to represent a Persian soldier and show the Greeks how they completely out-numbered. Alexander took some in his mouth and tasted the sesame seeds. He sent Darius a small bag of mustard seed to show that his army though small was extremely aggressive and fierce. Darius tasted the mustard and said that a little mustard seed is more pungent than much sesame.
But Jesus uses the mustard seed in a different way. God uses the small and insignificant to confound and destroy the great and glorious. Just think of David and Goliath, of Joseph rising from slavery to 2nd in charge in Egypt, Daniel is the lion's den, and Jesus as a servant.
Each plant of mustard can produce 2000-3000 seeds. They can survive in the soil for up to 60 years and can grow in any soil. Jesus was saying that his kingdom was a virile, fruitful kingdom - a resilient kingdom. It is a kingdom that that can host the unwanted from society. This kingdom will never take over from a position of strength BUT it grows and spreads despite persecution.
This reminds us of the early Church, and of the churches that are growing throughout our world. China is well on it's way to becoming the largest Christian country on the face of the planet with 80 million people attending (more than are members of the Communist Party). Have a read of the Times Online article -
God is back: How Ned Flanders won the evangelical crusade -Times Online...
May 1, 11:40pm "but the most remarkable example of Flanderism can be found in China's house churches. We recently visited an apartment in a well-heeled district of Shanghai, where a technology executive hosted two dozen clever young Chinese, including several CEOs, a well-known academic and a stem-cell researcher. They spent three hours studying one letter from St Paul. Soon their church will get too big: it will cross the 25-person limit for unauthorised meetings, or one of the neighbours will complain about the hymns or the people hogging the parking spaces. So the church will have to split, guaranteeing its growth. China is well on its way to being the world's biggest Christian country: there are at least 80 million Christians and already more people go to church every week than are members of the Communist Party.
Visit the following website - http://www.persecution.com/
It is the same in Zimbabwe - a small virile and fruitful church growing despite persecution.
Verse 32 suggests that the mustard seed grows into a large tree. But what does this say compared to what we have already seen. Perhaps this talks about growth that is beyond what can naturally be expected - a harvest beyond our endeavours.
Christianity is growing throughout our world despite many people through the ages saying that God is dead.Look at Russia, and China.
Parables are not as simple as they seem and it is no wonder Jesus had to take the time to explain. Often what we take as a moral story with a nice meaning means so much more. Jesus often shocked the religious people of his time using parables. The kingdom of God is not what they had expected.
God works through the small and insignificant. He uses the weak to confound the strong. He came as a servant. He commended the widow for her two pennies. He has given us all something to do. We can all serve Him.
Saturday 10 July 2010
Genesis 6:1-23
Preached by Rev, Wesley Ellis on 31st May 2009 in Cregagh Congregational Church, Belfast.(Apologies to the preacher if these words are not exactly what you said - they are what I heard through God's voice.)
There are a number of keywords in this sermon that speak to us today. These words are evident in the life of Noah - FAITH (being sure, being certain, hope, holy fear), OBEDIENCE, ENDURANCE and RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Many would assign the story of Noah, the ark and the word wide flood to a storybook. BUT have a look at the evidence for a word wide flood and you will be amazed.
(Have a look here - http://www.answersingenesis.org/get-answers/features/worldwide-flood-evidence )
Answers in Genesis website says - When the Bible refers to a worldwide Flood in Genesis 7–8, that’s exactly what it means. Not local, not metaphorical, not some crazy dream—the waters covered the whole earth. Don’t just take our word for it, though. Take a look at the evidence right beneath your feet
vs13 - God is going to save Noah and his family BUT the frightening thing is that God regretted having made mankind (what a terrible contemplation). God was grieved and abhorred the sin of that generation, He could not (and still cannot) tolerate sin even in its most minute detail.
God was able to see into the hearts and minds of all men and is able to see our bias towards sin. God concludes that mankind is without redemption even though He wants no-one to perish - but verse 3 makes us understand that His Spirit will not contend with man forever.
It is not that God is incapable of saving,rather that man does not wish to be saved. For over 100 years Noah's generation listened to his preaching and watched him build the ark - all to no avail - only 8 people would be saved. And yet salvation was open to all men.
Noah however was a man of faith - see Hebrews 11:7
"By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith."
Is faith evident in our life? Are we sure of what we hope for? Are we sure of our escape from the judgment of this world and the destruction to come? Noah was sure even though he lived in a virtual desert. Noah was sure that a flood was coming.
Noah followed God's instructions to the letter. How would we react in such circumstances?
Hope was in Noah's heart because God had put it there. He had hope to escape the coming destruction and hope that the sin of the people would be judged. Are we pushed to the limit in our faith - pressured to conform - pressured to give up our hope in Jesus who is our Ark?
Being sure - is this true of our faith even when we are pressurised? When our faith is tested and we face trials - this is the work of sanctification. And what was meant for evil, God turns to good. And if we are pressurised by sin our our lives, we should repent of that sin and he will re-instate us. Where is the certainty of our faith, the passion that drives us?
Those people could see the ark but not the impending destruction. How much more is this true now? People cannot see the impending destruction because they have been blinded by the god of this age.
In holy fear Noah built the ark, not out of bravado nor out of self-reliance. His faith brought about this holy fear -fear of a Holy God who will judge. He is a loving God and a patient God, but one day His patience will run out and judgement will come.
Does our faith condemn the world? Do we fly in the face of this world, as salt and light. Are we set apart and preaching to this generation by our words and deeds, as Noah was?
Noah was also set apart by his obedience. He spoke to others and he prepared for the destruction to come. God gave him specific instructions of how He wanted things done - this was God's way of salvation. Just as instructions for the tabernacle had come directly from God again to show Israel the way of salvation. Both the tabernacle and the ark are precursors of Jesus.
In Hebrews 5: 8-10
"Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek." What is it that perfects Jesus - it is his perfect obedience to God through his sufferings. Noah was sinless as Jesus is, Noah's righteousness came from obedience to God.
Genesis 6:20 says that Noah did everything God had commanded him - his obedience to the letter - just as Jesus did throughout his life.
Is their obedience in our life? Yes we will get things wrong BUT what is the mark of our life? It should be that we do what God's says despite our failings. So we persevere to the end and that shows our obedience.
Endurance - How are we enduring? It is because of God's spirit in our lives that we can endure.As we live our Christian lives it will get harder - yet we should endure.
Matthew 24 - Jesus said about Noah that he who stands firm to the end is motivated by God's Spirit. This is evidence of faith - that we stand firm to the end. Noah could have used the wood that he had cut to build a retirement hut instead of a boat - but he endured. He endured even though his preaching did not lead to any turning to God. But when we preach the gospel it is for 2 outcomes - (1) The salvation of souls (2) The condemnation of unbelievers
Those who listened to Noah and watched him were condemned
Luke 17:26-27 as it was in the days of Noah, so it shall be in the day of the sons of men.
There is nothing new under the sun - Right up to the day of Christ's return people will keep on keeping on.
There are a number of keywords in this sermon that speak to us today. These words are evident in the life of Noah - FAITH (being sure, being certain, hope, holy fear), OBEDIENCE, ENDURANCE and RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Many would assign the story of Noah, the ark and the word wide flood to a storybook. BUT have a look at the evidence for a word wide flood and you will be amazed.
(Have a look here - http://www.answersingenesis.org/get-answers/features/worldwide-flood-evidence )
Answers in Genesis website says - When the Bible refers to a worldwide Flood in Genesis 7–8, that’s exactly what it means. Not local, not metaphorical, not some crazy dream—the waters covered the whole earth. Don’t just take our word for it, though. Take a look at the evidence right beneath your feet
vs13 - God is going to save Noah and his family BUT the frightening thing is that God regretted having made mankind (what a terrible contemplation). God was grieved and abhorred the sin of that generation, He could not (and still cannot) tolerate sin even in its most minute detail.
God was able to see into the hearts and minds of all men and is able to see our bias towards sin. God concludes that mankind is without redemption even though He wants no-one to perish - but verse 3 makes us understand that His Spirit will not contend with man forever.
It is not that God is incapable of saving,rather that man does not wish to be saved. For over 100 years Noah's generation listened to his preaching and watched him build the ark - all to no avail - only 8 people would be saved. And yet salvation was open to all men.
Noah however was a man of faith - see Hebrews 11:7
"By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith."
Is faith evident in our life? Are we sure of what we hope for? Are we sure of our escape from the judgment of this world and the destruction to come? Noah was sure even though he lived in a virtual desert. Noah was sure that a flood was coming.
Noah followed God's instructions to the letter. How would we react in such circumstances?
Hope was in Noah's heart because God had put it there. He had hope to escape the coming destruction and hope that the sin of the people would be judged. Are we pushed to the limit in our faith - pressured to conform - pressured to give up our hope in Jesus who is our Ark?
Being sure - is this true of our faith even when we are pressurised? When our faith is tested and we face trials - this is the work of sanctification. And what was meant for evil, God turns to good. And if we are pressurised by sin our our lives, we should repent of that sin and he will re-instate us. Where is the certainty of our faith, the passion that drives us?
Those people could see the ark but not the impending destruction. How much more is this true now? People cannot see the impending destruction because they have been blinded by the god of this age.
In holy fear Noah built the ark, not out of bravado nor out of self-reliance. His faith brought about this holy fear -fear of a Holy God who will judge. He is a loving God and a patient God, but one day His patience will run out and judgement will come.
Does our faith condemn the world? Do we fly in the face of this world, as salt and light. Are we set apart and preaching to this generation by our words and deeds, as Noah was?
Noah was also set apart by his obedience. He spoke to others and he prepared for the destruction to come. God gave him specific instructions of how He wanted things done - this was God's way of salvation. Just as instructions for the tabernacle had come directly from God again to show Israel the way of salvation. Both the tabernacle and the ark are precursors of Jesus.
In Hebrews 5: 8-10
"Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek." What is it that perfects Jesus - it is his perfect obedience to God through his sufferings. Noah was sinless as Jesus is, Noah's righteousness came from obedience to God.
Genesis 6:20 says that Noah did everything God had commanded him - his obedience to the letter - just as Jesus did throughout his life.
Is their obedience in our life? Yes we will get things wrong BUT what is the mark of our life? It should be that we do what God's says despite our failings. So we persevere to the end and that shows our obedience.
Endurance - How are we enduring? It is because of God's spirit in our lives that we can endure.As we live our Christian lives it will get harder - yet we should endure.
Matthew 24 - Jesus said about Noah that he who stands firm to the end is motivated by God's Spirit. This is evidence of faith - that we stand firm to the end. Noah could have used the wood that he had cut to build a retirement hut instead of a boat - but he endured. He endured even though his preaching did not lead to any turning to God. But when we preach the gospel it is for 2 outcomes - (1) The salvation of souls (2) The condemnation of unbelievers
Those who listened to Noah and watched him were condemned
Luke 17:26-27 as it was in the days of Noah, so it shall be in the day of the sons of men.
There is nothing new under the sun - Right up to the day of Christ's return people will keep on keeping on.
Saturday 3 July 2010
Ezekiel 3:16 and following
Preached by Rev, Wesley Ellis on 17th May 2009 in Cregagh Congregational Church, Belfast.
(Apologies to the preacher if these words are not exactly what you said - they are what I heard through God's voice.)
This is a very challenging message especially to those in authority and in a teaching role - but it also speaks to all Christians - the consequences of when we don't listen to God and act upon what He tells us.
Vs16 - Ezekiel is appointed as the watchman - an important job in the ancient world. The watchman sat at the highest point on the city wall and cried out if the city was under threat. BUT if he failed in his job he would forfeit his life.
Ezekiel was to be the watchman for Israel - he was called to the job by God and equipped for the job by God. And the job was to tell Israel that they had gone away from God.
So we are called to be watchmen vs26 - God said that Ezekiel would only speak God's words - not his own. And we also should speak God's words - it is our responsibility to do what He wants and say what He wants.
To do this we need to be awake to God and His word. God wants to be sovereign over our life and wants us to know His word. Paul said we are not to be peddlers of God's word - that is not to water it down and not to seek to make a profit from it. We don't need to popularise the message - it needs to be made known to those who are perishing - it needs to be told straight.
vs19 - If we don't speak the truth to the wicked man - his blood is on our hands. So we need to call it how it is. Come payday - He will call Ezekiel to account and hold us to account also. It is a high calling Christians are called to.
Ezekiel had to announce just what God would do in a sinful nation and a sinful individual -
Ezekiel 3:7 - God said that the people won't listen - He already knew BUT verses 8 & 9 say that God will make Ezekiel as hard as these people who won't listen. Because in the end the people didn't even listen to God himself.
Have we faithfully proclaimed the gospel to those we know - in our Sunday School class, our work, our family, our friends because in vs 18 God narrows it down to the individual. The message is for each one - "If a man..."So we are culpable for our own sins when we stand before God and what a privilege that He trusts us with the words of life - and what a responsibility!
vs19 - If the man listens - then he will be saved and the preacher saved from the consequences of not preaching. This is the position we take when we become Sunday School Teachers and BB leaders etc. Our telling of the gospel pours light on the way of salvation BUT also pours light on those with a lost eternity.
Hebrews 13:17 talks about the oversight - they are not there to put you down or constrain you BUT we should obey those in authority to speak the word of the Lord into our life. These people watch out for our souls. They have an ownership of the people and their blood because of the position they have been called to and the ministry they have. For they will be called to account of every word spoken. And they must do this with joy because of God's empowering and equipping for the task.
Ezekiel 3:23-24 Ezekiel was indwelt by the Holy Spirit and this enabled him to do his tasks for God. This brought a joy - a joy of doing His will and a joy that he didn't have their blood on his hands. (cf Acts 20:26ff)
(Apologies to the preacher if these words are not exactly what you said - they are what I heard through God's voice.)
This is a very challenging message especially to those in authority and in a teaching role - but it also speaks to all Christians - the consequences of when we don't listen to God and act upon what He tells us.
Vs16 - Ezekiel is appointed as the watchman - an important job in the ancient world. The watchman sat at the highest point on the city wall and cried out if the city was under threat. BUT if he failed in his job he would forfeit his life.
Ezekiel was to be the watchman for Israel - he was called to the job by God and equipped for the job by God. And the job was to tell Israel that they had gone away from God.
So we are called to be watchmen vs26 - God said that Ezekiel would only speak God's words - not his own. And we also should speak God's words - it is our responsibility to do what He wants and say what He wants.
To do this we need to be awake to God and His word. God wants to be sovereign over our life and wants us to know His word. Paul said we are not to be peddlers of God's word - that is not to water it down and not to seek to make a profit from it. We don't need to popularise the message - it needs to be made known to those who are perishing - it needs to be told straight.
vs19 - If we don't speak the truth to the wicked man - his blood is on our hands. So we need to call it how it is. Come payday - He will call Ezekiel to account and hold us to account also. It is a high calling Christians are called to.
Ezekiel had to announce just what God would do in a sinful nation and a sinful individual -
Ezekiel 3:7 - God said that the people won't listen - He already knew BUT verses 8 & 9 say that God will make Ezekiel as hard as these people who won't listen. Because in the end the people didn't even listen to God himself.
Have we faithfully proclaimed the gospel to those we know - in our Sunday School class, our work, our family, our friends because in vs 18 God narrows it down to the individual. The message is for each one - "If a man..."So we are culpable for our own sins when we stand before God and what a privilege that He trusts us with the words of life - and what a responsibility!
vs19 - If the man listens - then he will be saved and the preacher saved from the consequences of not preaching. This is the position we take when we become Sunday School Teachers and BB leaders etc. Our telling of the gospel pours light on the way of salvation BUT also pours light on those with a lost eternity.
Hebrews 13:17 talks about the oversight - they are not there to put you down or constrain you BUT we should obey those in authority to speak the word of the Lord into our life. These people watch out for our souls. They have an ownership of the people and their blood because of the position they have been called to and the ministry they have. For they will be called to account of every word spoken. And they must do this with joy because of God's empowering and equipping for the task.
Ezekiel 3:23-24 Ezekiel was indwelt by the Holy Spirit and this enabled him to do his tasks for God. This brought a joy - a joy of doing His will and a joy that he didn't have their blood on his hands. (cf Acts 20:26ff)
Wednesday 30 June 2010
Great Sermon Resources
One of the best sermon libraries I have used is to be found at the All Souls Church website. Have a look here - http://www.allsouls.org/.
Sign up to make the best use of their Sermon Library. All of the sermons are searchable in the following ways-
By preacher
By sermon series
By Bible book
By Bible section (e.g. New Testament)
By service/event type (e.g. Sunday service, lunchtime service)
By date
You can download the sermons in MP3 format to your Ipod or music player and listen at your leisure.
Some of the preachers who are featured in the sermon library are -
Roger Carswell
John Stott
Billy and Franklin Graham
Luis Palau
Rico Tice
Jago Wynne
And many, many others.
It is a great starting point as you study God's word.
Sign up to make the best use of their Sermon Library. All of the sermons are searchable in the following ways-
By preacher
By sermon series
By Bible book
By Bible section (e.g. New Testament)
By service/event type (e.g. Sunday service, lunchtime service)
By date
You can download the sermons in MP3 format to your Ipod or music player and listen at your leisure.
Some of the preachers who are featured in the sermon library are -
Roger Carswell
John Stott
Billy and Franklin Graham
Luis Palau
Rico Tice
Jago Wynne
And many, many others.
It is a great starting point as you study God's word.
Monday 28 June 2010
Blog Posts
I will work my way through all of the sermon notes I have taken over the years. Looking forward to reading some old notes.
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