tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86783646661543355882024-02-19T05:16:12.098-08:00Pastor's blogAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08587097423004792645noreply@blogger.comBlogger120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678364666154335588.post-84997416572051536392016-09-17T22:50:00.002-07:002016-09-17T22:53:48.635-07:00Nehemiah: Restore O Lord the honour of your name. Part 2 <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"> A royal mission.</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Nehemiah
Chapter 2:1-8</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>In
the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when
wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now
I had not been sad in his presence.</i></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>
</i></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>And
the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not
sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very
much afraid.</i></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>
</i></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>I
said to the king, “Let the king live for ever! Why should not my
face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' graves, lies in
ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”</i></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>
</i></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Then
the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to
the God of heaven.</i></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>
</i></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>And
I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant
has found favour in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the
city of my fathers' graves, that I may rebuild it.”</i></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>
</i></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>And
the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will
you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to
send me when I had given him a time.</i></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>
</i></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>And
I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given
to me for the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they
may let me pass through until I come to Judah,</i></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>
</i></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>and
a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give
me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple,
and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.”
And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was
upon me. </i></span>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">As
we saw last time Nehemiah was cupbearer to the king. That was clearly
and important and privileged role. He was in reality the protector of
the king. It was often also a very precarious occupation. We remember
the cupbearer to Pharaoh at the time of Joseph. He was imprisoned and
in danger of execution for some wrongdoing. Also Ester who was Queen
to a different king in Susa around the same time as Nehemiah could
not even enter into the presence of the king with a sad persona. The
job of cupbearer was privileged but wrought with danger.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">With
all of this in mind Nehemiah had to serve the king with wine even
though he was broken hearted due to the problems in Jerusalem.
Remember he had received news that the city was in disgrace because
it's defences were broken down, to Nehemiah this news was akin to the
death of a close relative. He mourned and prayed greatly over the
situation because it was not only the protection of the people that
was at stake but more importantly the honour of God who had chosen to
make Jerusalem the place where His presence would be seen and known
amongst His people. He was in effect their Emmanuel or God with them
and now all and sundry could come and go into the place that was
meant to be holy to Him. </span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">That
is why Nehemiah was so distraught.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Clearly
he could not hide his feelings no matter how hard he tried. I am sure
that he hid the fact that he had been fasting and praying constantly,
he would have freshened up his face and made it shine with the best
of cosmetic oils available to him but that did not hide from the king
the matter of the heart. This was a new experience for both Nehemiah
and the king, Nehemiah had always been happy to be in service to the
king but this day was different and the king could tell immediately.
We will consider from our passage:</span></div>
<ol>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The King's commission.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Nehemiah's faith.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
</div>
</li>
</ol>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>The
King's commission:</b></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">God
was at work in bringing his people the Jews back into Judea.
Zerubbabel had previously led a large number back to Jerusalem under
the guidance of Cyrus king of Persia. 72 years later Ezra had been
sent by King Artaxerxes in order to in his words “beautify the
house of God.” What he meant there was to teach the people the law
of Moses, Bible truth is the most beautiful adornment the people of
God can have. But now there is still a great need, the temple had
been re-built by Zerubbabel enabling worship to take place, the law
had been put in place enabling worship and the knowledge of God to be
true.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">BUT</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
walls of protection were broken down and the gates of correct
entrance into the city of God were destroyed. The people were
defenceless and this is the city where God had chosen to make His
presence known amongst His people. That to Nehemiah and to all Godly
people is a disgrace and that is why he was so sad. Clearly even
though he tried to hide it from the king he could not.</span></div>
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">BUT</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">God
was working His purposes out through the king and so he was concerned
for Nehemiah and more importantly for the reputation of God. It
pleased the king to send Nehemiah and a large number of capable Jews
to Jerusalem to build up the city's defences. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Artaxerxes
was a man who was brought up as a heathen who did not know who God
was until he came across folks like Ezra formerly and now Nehemiah.
He had clearly seen their faith in God even though they were captive
in a foreign land. They were excellent servants and so when the time
was right in God's purposes they were respected by the king and sent
away to perform mighty tasks for the glory of God. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Nehemiah
was a missionary for God sent by the king of a foreign land for the
purpose of “beautifying the house of the Lord: see Ezra 7:27. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">God
uses the most unlikely of people to further his kingdom and also the
most unlikely of means of support. The king not only sent both Ezra
and Nehemiah (as had Cyrus sent Zerubbabel before them) but they also
paid the bill! Artaxerxes was a vital part of Nehemiah's mission but
as yet Nehemiah did not know what the outcome would be. Artaxerxes
was the sole supporter of the work but yet Nehemiah needed to
discover that. The way of discovery is fascinating and centres
around:</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Nehemiah's
faith:</b></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">We
need to remember what we learned last week to fully understand what
is happening here. Nehemiah is in grief because of bad news from
home. His concern is not primarily the security of the people nor
really of the city but the reputation of God is broken down as is
demonstrated by the state of the city walls. For that reason Nehemiah
fasted and prayed continually that he might be able to do something
about it. He was being called of God to enter into a mission that
only he could fulfil. He was being drawn to a situation that would be
his great passion and god was about His business of motivating his
man into action. At the same time the king was being moved in his
spirit but all of this was in the background. God was working His
purposes out you see!</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Everything
came to a head when Nehemiah could no longer hide from the king his
broken heart. The king saw right through him and was concerned for
his servant. At that point Nehemiah had a choice to make: Should he
be faithful to his calling or would he wimp out for fear of his own
reputation, comfort and security?</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Enter
the “arrow prayer” that is often made so much of. I have heard on
many occasions how important an arrow prayer is that we can shoot up
to God in times of great need. Of course that is true but that is not
exactly as it was with Nehemiah, he had been constantly praying and
fasting for this very opportunity. He desperately needed to go to
Jerusalem and now was the fulfilment of all of those hours of prayer
and hunger. It was here that the “rubber would hit the road” and
make or break would be evident. </span>
</div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Nehemiah
prayed to his God in heaven!</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">He
needed boldness at that particular moment and so he prayed for it and
then he boldly requested of the Lord. God not only calls His people
into works of service for Him but He also gives them the boldness to
go! What is it that God has laid on your heart? Have you fasted and
prayed before Him that He might make it possible against all of the
odds for you to go for Him? God is still calling His people to acts
of service both young and old but are we like Nehemiah who was
passionate or are we rebellious and happy to sit in our ease and
comfort?</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Nehemiah
had faith in God because by his own testimony “the good hand of God
was with him!” when the good hand of God is with you He then will
make your calling both possible and as we shall see from our studies
in Nehemiah you will also be successful in what God has called you
to. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Support
is always the difficult issue for any servant of the Lord. As we see
from Nehemiah support comes in full and from the most surprising of
places. </span>
</div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Where
does support come from?</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">On
this occasion it was from the king but he is not solely responsible
for his own generosity. God had moved his heart to be disposed of
towards Nehemiah, and it was God that opened up Artaxerxes cheque
book. Nehemiah could not afford all that was necessary to “beautify
the house of the Lord” but the king could.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">It
is exactly the same today: god is still calling men and women to
service in “beautifying the house of the Lord” which is the
church. The church is made more beautiful by the addition of more
beautiful people who are the Christians! God's glory is made more
evident by ever convert to Jesus and so He sends his people into
mission whether it be Bolivia or Birmingham, Cornwall or Columbia!
When He sends He also supports. It is true that Nehemiah had to go by
faith and trust God for all things but it is equally true that God
supplied his every need. God usually supplies the needs of His
workers through the generosity of the church. He has gifted the
church in many ways and often with finance and God expects us to
release funds for the sending, training and support of those whom he
has called into gospel service. It is often said that a church keeps
it's pastor poor to keep him humble before God! If that is your
mindset then take a lesson from Artaxerxes, let us release what we
have for gospel purposes, there is no better investment that could be
made.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Nehemiah
was moved by faith to acts of righteousness, Artaxerxes was moved
with compassion and support and together they made a difference for
the glory of God.</span></div>
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>How
will we glorify God?</b></span></div>
<div align="LEFT">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">God
is working his purpose out<br />as year succeeds to year:<br />God is
working his purpose out,<br />and the time is drawing near;<br />nearer
and nearer draws the time,<br />the time that shall surely be,<br />when
the earth shall be filled<br />with the glory of God<br />as the
waters cover the sea.<br /><br />From utmost east to utmost
west,<br />wherever foot hath trod,<br />by the mouth of many
messengers<br />goes forth the voice of God;<br />give ear to me, ye
continents,<br />ye isles, give ear to me,<br />that earth may
filled<br />with the glory of God<br />as the waters cover the
sea.<br /><br />What can we do to work God's work,<br />to prosper and
increase<br />the brotherhood of all mankind--<br />the reign of the
Prince of Peace?<br />What can we do to hasten the time--<br />the time
that shall surely be,<br />when the earth shall be filled<br />with
the glory of God<br />as the waters cover the sea.<br /><br />March we
forth in the strength of God,<br />with the banner of Christ
unfurled,<br />that the light of the glorious gospel of truth<br />may
shine throughout the world:<br />fight we the fight with sorrow and
sin<br />to set their captives free,<br />that earth may filled<br />with
the glory of God<br />as the waters cover the sea.<br /><br />All we can do
is nothing worth<br />unless God blessed the deed;<br />vainly we hope
for the harvest-tide<br />till God gives life to the seed;<br />yet
nearer and nearer draws the time,<br />the time that shall surely
be,<br />when the earth shall be filled<br />with the glory of
God<br />as the waters cover the sea.</span></span></span></div>
<hr />
<br />
<div align="LEFT">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Words:
Arthur Campbell Aigner (1841-1919), 1894</span></span> </span>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08587097423004792645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678364666154335588.post-31652287289276649052016-09-11T14:15:00.003-07:002016-09-11T14:15:40.341-07:00Nehemiah: Restore O Lord the honour of Your name. Part 1 <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="RIGHT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>P.A.Thatcher</i></span></span></div>
<div align="RIGHT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Mustard
Seed Evangelical Church</i></span></span></div>
<div align="RIGHT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>11</i></span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>th</i></span></sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>
September 2016</i></span></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Part
1: Bad news from home.</b></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Nehemiah
Chapter 1:</b></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The
words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah.</i></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Now
it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was
in Susa the capital,that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with
certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who
escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. And
they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had
survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of
Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.”</i></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-12308"></a>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept
and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the
God of heaven.</i></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>And I said, “O Lord God of
heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast
love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear
be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant
that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel
your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we
have sinned against you. Even I and my father's house have sinned. We
have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the
commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your
servant Moses. Remember the word that you commanded your servant
Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the
peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do
them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from
there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have
chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ They are your servants and
your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your
strong hand. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your
servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your
name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in
the sight of this man.”</i></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Now I
was cupbearer to the king.</i></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Background:
</b></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
Lord through Jeremiah had promised that the Jews would be released
from Babylon and would return to Jerusalem. Isaiah promised that this
would be through Cyrus who would also instruct that the temple and
Jerusalem should be built. God had by now moved the heart of Cyrus
and large numbers of Jews had returned home to Jerusalem.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
book of Nehemiah in the Hebrew scriptures is a continuation of Ezra
which itself is related to Chronicles. The last verses of 2
Chronicles are used by the writer of Ezra to begin his work. Ezra and
Nehemiah are almost certainly the works of an editor who may have
been Ezra himself. It takes the form of narrative and tells the
account of this important time in Jewish history. There are large
portions of the text that are first person according to both Ezra and
Nehemiah and are clearly verbatim from their diary records of the
events as they unfolded. This is not a liberal fudge trying to
explain away God's revealed word but it helps us to understand how
the account is recorded. That having been said it makes absolutely no
difference to what God teaches through this most important book but
if you were to consult the commentaries you would be confronted with
these issues, it is good to be aware of them.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>The
order of events so far:</i></span></div>
<ol>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Cyrus released the Jews who
wanted to go to Jerusalem in 536 BC. Zerubbabel was the leader of the
Jews at that time.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">78 years later in 458 BC Ezra
goes to Jerusalem.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">12 years after this in 446 BC
Nehemiah hears of problems in Jerusalem and goes with the blessing
of the then King Artaxerxes.</span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>The
purpose:</i></span></div>
<ol>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Re-establishment of temple
worship and practice and repairs to the temple: religious reforms.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Re-establishment and teaching
of the law: Ethical reforms.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Re-establishment of the city:
Civil reforms.</span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">By
these the honour of the Lord and His people has been affected;
partially at least!</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>News
from home:</b></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Nehemiah
just happened to be cupbearer to the king, it is almost a throwaway
comment at the end of the chapter but it is in the grand scheme of
things a vital point. He was highly respected by the king and was
entrusted with the protection of the king. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">It
also just so happened that on one particular day Nehemiah's brother
Hanani came to visit with friends from Jerusalem. Nehemiah was
interested in the well being of his people and was horrified at the
bad news that they brought. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
mandate from Cyrus to the people was to rebuild the temple and the
city. God had stirred up a great many to go and Cyrus had supplied
all of their needs. They had re-built the altar and the temple. There
were a few problems on the way but the building was completed during
the reign of a new King; Darius. The temple was dedicated and worship
restored beginning with a celebration of the passover.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Under
the reign of Artaxerxes Ezra was sent. Ezra was a scribe and an
expert in the law of Moses, his desire was to teach the law to the
people and to encourage them to obey it. Through prayer and teaching
he established biblical practices and reformed the people to Godly
ways.</span></div>
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">But
there was still something missing: Enter Nehemiah! </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">A
building project was needed to be completed. The news that he had
received was not good to the reformer. The walls of the city were
broken down and the gates had been burned. The question to ask is
“why did Nehemiah react as he did?” After all the temple was
intact and the people were together.
</span><br /><br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">We
have to consider what the walls represented, they were the defences
of the city, they were the security of the city and they were the
glory of the city. The walls kept the people inside secure and barred
intruders from entering. The gates were the way of entrance into the
city, they were closed to intruders but open for those who belonged
and both walls and gates were broken down which meant that anybody
could and did enter at will. The walls were also impressive and spoke
of the glory of the city. The glory of Jerusalem had always been God
who chose to make it the place where He dwelt. Now the walls were a
disgrace and so they dishonoured Him.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">It
would be logical at this point to compare the situation in Jerusalem
with the Mustard Seed we have gone through great difficulties and
have been re-establishing good biblical practice. </span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">But
there is still something missing!</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">To
discover this let us consider:</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Nehemiah's
response:</b></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">To
Nehemiah it was disastrous news that was akin to bereavement. He
grieved over their situation. God had put it into the heart of this
official in Susa to be passionate about the glory of His God and the
security of His people. The first sight of Jerusalem instead of a
glorious city would have been a ruin. We once went to the temple of
Apollos in Turkey and saw a glorious ruin. The buildings you could
see once were spectacular but they were now a ruin and to me they
represented what their god was; a complete and utter fraud who could
only offer ruin. But that should not be true of our heavenly Father
who is glorious in very way. The city should speak of the Lord but
sadly it did not and that grieved Nehemiah. He heard the news and he
took it seriously. He knew at that point that he needed to go and
help. </span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>So what
did he do?</b></i></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">For
days on end he:</span></div>
<ul>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Stopped everything.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Wept.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Mourned.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Fasted.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Prayed constantly.</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">He
embarked on a period of being still before God, he took the situation
seriously and came seriously to God in prayer. Do we pray for the
glory of God here in our church as did Nehemiah? </span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Let
us learn how to pray from his prayer:</b></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">In
verses 5-11 Nehemiah:</span></div>
<ul>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Reminded God of His covenant
promises.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Requested that God hear his
prayer.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Confessed his personal sins and
the corporate sins of the people.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">He recognised that they were
suffering in captivity under the covenant curses of God for their
sin and rebellion.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">He appealed to God who had
promised that if the people were to repent then they would be
restored to Jerusalem. This was slowly but surely happening.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">He reminded God that they were
His redeemed people.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">He requested that he have
success before the king and be allowed to leave for the restoration
of Jerusalem.</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>What a
prayer!</b></i></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Nehemiah
needed to go and rebuild the walls and the gates. What do they
represent for us here in the Mustard Seed? Just as they were the
safety and security for the people of Jerusalem we have our own walls
to keep in tact. The walls and the gates were a signpost to outsiders
to the God who lived there. There was only one way in and all inside
were protected.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">I
would dearly love to apply this to our own building and make a case
for prettying it up but that would be a gross miss-representation of
the passage. Just as the city was evidence of God's glory so is the
church which as we all know is the people and not the building. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
gates of entry is the gospel, this has been under attack for many
years. It is therefore necessary for us to ensure that the way in is
barred from those who are not born again of the Spirit of God through
the sanctifying work of Jesus' death upon the cross. There are many
even here in Callington that are trying to break down this gate, we
cannot and will not enter into partnership with those that preach
anything but Christ and Him crucified! We ought to weep, fast and
pray that the glory of the gospel is so readily dispensed with even
by those who refer to themselves as Christian.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
wall are the defence and protection of the people of God. They repel
the attacks of error and wrong and keep God's people secure. The
bible is our wall of defence and we unashamedly stand upon it's
authority. If it is not true to this word then we do not need it and
that is not open to interpretation. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">We
have in effect our own Zerubbabel's, Ezra's and Nehemiah's! They are
the Elders who are appointed by God to keep our worship and practice
biblical and accurate. This is our defence and we need to maintain it
constantly! It is by knowing, understanding and obeying the
scriptures that the church is kept pure and honouring to the Saviour,
pray that we who are called to this work may be true to our calling. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">But
for all of us there is the need as we shall see to be involved with
the building of the walls and not the breaking down of them, we are
all in this together for the glory of our Saviour, Lord give us the
grace that we so much need.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Amen.</span></div>
<br />
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<br /><br />
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08587097423004792645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678364666154335588.post-46254011289312404422016-05-14T14:30:00.003-07:002016-05-15T00:14:55.750-07:00The Lord’s Supper<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="RIGHT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="RIGHT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>1
Corinthians 11:17-34</b></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-28619"></a>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>In the following directives I
have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. In
the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church,
there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.<span style="font-family: "arial";">
</span>No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which
of you have God’s approval.<span style="font-family: "arial";"> </span>So then, when
you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat,<span style="font-family: "arial";">
</span>for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own
private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another
gets drunk.<span style="font-family: "arial";"> </span>Don’t you have homes to eat
and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating
those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you?
Certainly not in this matter!</i></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-28624"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-28626"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-28627"></a>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>For I received from the Lord
what I also passed on to you: the Lord Jesus, on the night he was
betrayed, took bread,<span style="font-family: "arial";"> </span>and when he had given
thanks, he broke it and said,‘This is my body, which is for you; do
this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after supper he took
the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do
this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For whenever
you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s
death until he comes.</i></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-28628"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-28629"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-28630"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-28631"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-28632"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-28633"></a>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>So then, whoever eats the
bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be
guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone
ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink
from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body
of Christ eat and drink judgement on themselves.<span style="font-family: "arial";">
</span>That is why many among you are weak and ill, and a number of
you have fallen asleep. But if we were more discerning with regard to
ourselves, we would not come under such judgement. Nevertheless, when
we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so
that we will not be finally condemned with the world.</i></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-28634"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-28635"></a>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>So then, my brothers and
sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together.<span style="font-family: "arial";">
</span>Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home, so that
when you meet together it may not result in judgement.</i></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>And
when I come I will give further instructions.</i></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>New
International Version.</b></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>**********</b></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Church
basis of faith:</b></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>The
Lord’s Supper has been given to the churches by Christ as a visible
sign of the gospel. It is a commemoration of Christ’s sacrifice
offered once for all and involves no change in the bread and wine.
All of its blessings are received by faith.</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Terms
used for the Lord's supper:</b></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
Lord’s Supper is often known as the Eucharist or Holy Communion.
Some refer to it as the Blessed Sacrament or even Sacrament on the
Table. It is also known as an ordinance of the Lord. So what do
these terms mean and are they accurate or useful descriptions of the
celebration that we know?</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">It
is largely the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches which would use
the Blessed Sacrament and Sacrament at the Table terms. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">A
<b>sacrament</b> is simply a <i>symbolic religious ceremony.</i></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">An
<b>ordinance</b> is a d<i>ecree or an order </i>which on this
occasion was given by The Lord Jesus.</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Eucharist</b>
is derived from the Greek word <span style="font-family: "symbol" , serif;"></span>
(eucharisto) which simply means “<i>thanksgiving</i>.” In 1
Corinthians 11:24 <span style="font-family: "symbol" , serif;"></span>is
the word Paul used for “when he had <i><u>given thanks</u></i>.”</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Communion</b>
is derived from <span style="font-family: "symbol" , serif;"></span>
(koinonia) which simply means fellowship, sharing or as in the AV:
<b>communion</b>. In 1 Corinthians 10:16 “The cup of blessing
which we bless, is it not the <b>communion </b>of the body of
Christ?”<i> </i></span>
</div>
</li>
</ul>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
<b>Lord’s Supper</b> is the term that I am most comfortable with.
This comes from 1 Corinthians 11:20-21. Paul in this passage, by way
of rebuking the Corinthian for drunkenness and greed at the Lord’s
Supper tells them that it is not the Lord’s Supper that they are
celebrating.</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Due
to an abuse of these terms we have understandably reacted against
some of them. We should however not be afraid of them; they are all
good biblical terms. Perhaps it is time that we claimed them back for
the use for which they were intended.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
Lord’s Supper is a sacrament around a table. It is an ordinance of
the Lord Jesus in which we give thanks together in fellowship as we
eat together.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Our
basis of faith states that the Lord's Supper is a “commemoration of
Christ’s sacrifice offered once for all and involves no change in
the bread and wine. All of its benefits are received by faith.” The
Elders of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis where John Piper is
the pastor say more fully: </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>We
believe that the Lord’s Supper is an ordinance of the Lord in which
gathered believers eat bread, signifying Christ’s body given for
His people, and drink the cup of the Lord, signifying the New
Covenant in Christ’s blood. We do this in remembrance of the Lord,
and thus proclaim His death until He comes. Those who eat and drink
in a worthy manner partake of Christ’s body and blood, not
physically, but spiritually, in that, by faith, they are nourished
with the benefits He obtained through His death, and thus grow in
grace.”</b></i> </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">This
concise statement is clear and helpful and is probably something that
we should consider adopting for ourselves.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Some
useful points for us to understand what we are doing when we
celebrate the Lord’s Supper:</i></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<ol>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">It
is the <u><b>Lord’s</b></u> Supper. It was given by the Lord for a
set purpose. It is not our supper and therefore we cannot do as we
please. Even though there are very few instructions concerning the
process we are not at liberty to make more or even less of the
ordinance than is prescribed in scripture. The rules are to be
obeyed, the Corinthian church were guilty of abusing the celebration
and were rebuked by the Apostle Paul who declared their ritual to
not be the Lord’s Supper, it may have looked like it but it was
false and therefore unacceptable to God. 1 Corinthians 10:14-17</span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="2">
<li><h2 align="JUSTIFY" class="western" lang="en-US" style="margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">It
is the Lord’s</span> <u>Supper</u>.<span style="font-weight: normal;">
It is a meal with all of the benefits that a meal has but due to its
abuse in the Corinthian church it has become a token or symbolic
meal. Because the meaning of it is spiritual rather than physical,
it was never intended to be a feast but a memorial! We therefore
break one loaf signifying Christ’s body given to us and drink of
one wine signifying the New Covenant in Jesus’ blood. The Old
Covenant was ratified through sacrifice and the sprinkling of blood,
see Exodus 24:8. This Covenant required the death of an innocent
victim (an animal) which pointed forward to a more perfect
sacrifice. A New covenant was to come. Jeremiah speaks of this in
chapter 31:31-34: </span></span>
</h2>
</li>
</ol>
<div align="JUSTIFY" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i> “The days are coming,”
declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant <br /> with the
people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like
the covenant I made with their ancestors 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 people 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 they teach their neighbour, or say to one another,
‘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.” </i> </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"> This New Covenant finds perfect
fulfillment in Jesus, it is His death and resurrection that brings
about all that Jeremiah foresaw. This Lord’s Supper that we
celebrate states this most clearly. It is our Passover meal.</span></div>
<ol start="3">
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">It
is a <u><b>Remembrance</b></u><b>. </b>The Lord said to do this in
remembrance of him! Whenever we eat and drink we must remember
Jesus; it was He who came from the glory into this world as a baby
with the set purpose of accomplishing salvation for His people. <i><b>But
who is He?</b></i> He is Immanuel which means “God with us.”
Matthew 1:23. He is the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of
the world!” John 1:29 He is the Son of God whom the Father loves:
Mark 1:11 He is the Creator: John 1:3 He is God come into the world,
made flesh: John 1:14. </span>
</div>
</li>
</ol>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"> This
same Jesus died as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. We are made
right with God through His death and resurrection. This is what we
remember when we celebrate this supper. It is not a morbid occasion
as some make it out to be. It is not about our feelings or
sentimentality it is a celebration of all that our God has done for
us in Christ Jesus.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="4">
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">It
is a <u><b>Declaration</b></u><b>. </b>1 Corinthians 11:26 tells us
that whenever we celebrate this supper we are declaring that Jesus
will come again. The great promise of the New Testament is that
Jesus is building His church. Matthew 16:18 and that there is coming
a day when all that are to be saved will be completed. At this time
Jesus promised that He will return from glory and gather His saints
to be with Him forever: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18. Whenever we have
this communion we declare this truth to each other. This serves as
an encouragement. Paul in 1 Thessalonians concludes the promise of
Jesus’ return with the instruction that believers are to encourage
each other with this great promise. The celebration of Lord's Supper
for this reason is an encouragement to the church.</span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="5">
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">It
is a <u><b>Recognition</b></u><b>. B</b>y the taking of the bread
and wine we are saying that we recognise him. In 1 Corinthians 11:29
Paul warns those who do not recognise the body of the Lord are
bringing judgement upon themselves. If we eat and drink in a way
that takes Christ from being the focal point; then the blessings dry
up and the church becomes weak and sickly. That is exactly what had
happened in Corinth. They were guilty of eating and drinking wrongly
the result being that the church had become backslidden. The
evidence being immorality amongst the leaders! This is a salutary
warning to us as a church. It is clearly important that we celebrate
the Lord’s Supper correctly; the consequences of not doing so are
serious! </span>
</div>
</li>
</ol>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="6">
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">It
is a <u><b>Communion</b></u><b>.</b> In 1 Corinthians 10:16 Paul
tells us that not only do we give thanks and that we remember but we
also take part. As we take the bread we have a participation (NIV)
or communion (AV) with Christ. The letter that Paul writes is to the
church at Corinth and in this he is saying that when the church eats
together then they are in communion with the Lord Jesus. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">John
Stott said: <i>“Jesus did not only break the bread; he gave it to
the disciples to eat. He did not only pour out the wine; He gave it
to them to drink. He was not content that they should watch and
listen; they must eat and drink. So the service is a communion as
well as a commemoration.”</i> </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">This
leads me to the conviction that the Lord’s Supper is intended for
the gathered church and is not really meant for individuals or
for small group participation. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
church of Rome teaches that the mass must be celebrated for entrance
into heaven this has certainly left an unhelpful mark within the
church. The Lord's Supper is a special “means of grace” by which
God imparts blessing to the gathered church. It is not a “means of
special grace” as Rome believes, by which special and more
important blessings (usually expected just prior to death) are given
by God through the hand of the participating priest. The very fact
that these leaders claim to be priests is a good hint at what they
believe. The mass is a regular sacrifice of Jesus made for sin on
behalf of the people by the priest in charge. The truth is that
Jesus Christ is our great High Priest who sacrificed Himself once
for all. His shed blood is sufficient for the forgiveness of sin for
all who believe on Him. He is the only Priest that we need.</span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">This
Lord’s Supper is so much more than a ritual that we do regularly.
If we add anything to it, then we are guilty of devaluing its true
meaning. It is all about Jesus and nothing else. Equally if we take
away from it then we are also guilty of depriving ourselves of its
true meaning. We in effect devalue the purpose for which Christ
instituted it and are guilty of celebrating something other than the
Lord’s Supper. It might look the same but if celebrated wrongly
then we are guilty before God. Our celebration is a sham: </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">We
should therefore examine ourselves and our motives and recognise who
it is that is symbolised in the bread and wine: 1 Corinthians
11:28-29</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">By
not celebrating the Lord's Supper the church becomes weak and falls
into spiritual slumber. It becomes a dead and formal church with no
life and power! We must guard against such a thing; we need our
church to be full of life for the Lord’s sake, for our spiritual
health and for the gospel benefit of those with whom we are involved!</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><u><b>What
is happening</b></u><b>?</b></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">More
to the point we ought to ask “what is not happening” when we
celebrate the Lord’s Supper. Certain groupings believe in a
miraculous changing of the bread and wine upon the blessing by the
officiating priest (transubstantiation). They believe the bread to
miraculously become the actual body of the Lord and the wine to
become His blood. They then feast upon His body and drink His blood
in a literal fashion. This they believe to be the true food and drink
that Jesus spoke of in John 6:53-59 But is this what Jesus meant when
He instituted the Lord’s Supper? </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
first thing that we must remember is that it was the Passover that Jesus
was celebrating. The synagogue celebrated the Passover by the
ceremonial breaking and sharing of bread and the drinking of wine
together in remembrance of God’s deliverance of His people from
slavery in Egypt. The cost of their freedom was the death of the
firstborn son in each family. God graciously accepted the sacrifice
of an innocent victim on behalf of the firstborn son in any faithful
family. That victim was to be a male lamb without any blemish. The
parallel to Jesus is plain for all to see! The firstborn did not have
to pay the price but an innocent victim did. It is no coincidence
that it was on the night of the celebration of the Passover that
Jesus was betrayed and would be arrested and made ready for
execution. The head of the household would take unleavened bread and
as they broke it would liken it to the bread of affliction that their
forefathers had eaten on their exodus from Egypt: Exodus 12:17ff.
Jesus with this in mind as He broke the bread declared that He
fulfilled all that it spoke of. He said this bread speaks of my body
given for you. Now when you do this do it in remembrance of me! Luke
22:19. In other words the Passover takes on a whole new meaning. The lamb
of the Passover is perfectly fulfilled in Jesus who is the Lamb of
God who takes away the sins of the world. Then when He drank the
Passover wine He declared it to be the New Covenant in His blood
which is poured out for you: Luke 22:20 </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">There
is however a danger that we over simplify what is happening in our
communion with God. There is much made in scripture of this being
food for our nourishment, but the Lord makes it plain that this is
dependent upon our remembrance of Him.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">C.H.
Spurgeon said: <i>“we not only eat of His bread, but symbolically
we feast upon Him.”</i> </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Vaughan
Roberts in his book True Worship says:<i>“In this there is a real
presence of Christ at the Lord’s Supper but it is located in the
heart of the believer and not in the elements themselves. Communion
occurs by faith.”</i> </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Article
28 of the Church of England helpfully states: <i>“The body of
Christ is given, taken, and eaten in the supper only after a heavenly
and spiritual manner. And the means whereby the body of Christ is
received and eaten in the supper is faith.”</i></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Therefore
as we eat in remembrance and faith our souls are fed by Christ. This
is so much more than a lesser miracle of bread and wine changing
their substance could ever be.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><u><b>Who
is it for</b></u><b>?</b></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
Lord’s Supper is a celebration of all that the New Covenant
achieves. The New Covenant in Christ’s blood brings freedom from
sin. The Passover meal of the Old Covenant was a celebration of
freedom from human slavery in Egypt. The meal was for those who had
benefited from God’s gracious deliverance. Anybody could enjoy the
meal and the spectacle of it but only those who were truly grateful
for what God had done really took part in its true purpose. Therefore
it is logical to say that it is for the children of Israel only. It
is exactly the same with the Lord’s Supper, many can eat bread and
wine but only those who have benefited from the forgiveness of sin
through Christ’s sacrifice achieved on the cross really commune
with God in the partaking of the memorial meal. The Lord’s Supper
therefore is for believers alone. It is a glorious reminder to them
as to the grace of our God, who through the sacrificial death of His
Son Jesus Christ accomplished salvation for us. This is our own
personal Exodus from sin to righteousness.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Sadly
due to wrong thinking there has become a sentimental element attached
to the celebration. Comment concerning the communion can often be
heard as to the beauty or the wonder of the celebration. It can so
easily become an emotional occasion that almost fosters pity for what
Jesus went through. Hebrews 12:2 tells us that Jesus endured the
cross due to the pleasure that would result from its indignity and
curse. Tears of pity are not required as we partake but it should
cause heartfelt praise, worship and thanksgiving to God for the
sacrifice made. It is not a solemn occasion but a celebration of deep
joy in the same way as the Passover was to Israel. That is why the
Lord Himself said that he had eagerly awaited to eat that Passover
meal with His disciples: Luke 22:14. His imminent suffering was about
to accomplish all for which He had come. As we gather for our regular
Communion we must come as the Lord came: Eagerly!</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><u><b>Helpful
Hints</b></u><b>.</b></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
signpost found at a crossroads can be a helpful reminder as we
celebrate communion. The signpost has 4 different instructions upon
it. It points from one focal point to 4 different destinations. The
Lord’s Supper can be likened to a crossroads. The signpost there
reminds us to:</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Look
back: </b><i><b>Remembrance. </b></i>When we see a signpost to
Plymouth we do not stop there content that we have seen evidence of
Plymouth. It spurs us on to travel to Plymouth and enjoy the
pleasures found within. The bread and wine are a signpost pointing
to Calvary. Do not stop and admire the sign but remember the place
of ultimate sacrifice made on your behalf.</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Look
up: </b><i><b>Communion.</b></i> Not only do we look back on what
has been achieved but we are to look up to the One who achieved full
and free salvation. It is Him we are communing with and are being
fed by. As we eat and drink we are reminded of the cost but we are
declaring once again that our trust is in Him alone.</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Look
around: </b><i><b>Fellowship.</b></i> We are eating and drinking
with like minded people; look around and appreciate them because
they too are part of this great church gathered by the Lord Jesus.
As we look around we should see that the even greater fellowship is
found in God Himself. We are part of the family of God.</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Look
forward:</b> <i><b>Hope. </b></i>We are declaring Christ’s death
until He comes. Until that time we have hope for the future but when
that day comes then the church will be gathered in fullness; in
perfect communion; in the presence of God Almighty.</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Conclusion:</b></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Our
church constitution tells us that the Lord's Supper is so important
that our very church membership is dependent upon us regular;y
celebrating it. To miss without acceptable reason for 6 consecutive
months brings into question our continued membership. In reality
anyone missing for the wrong reasons is guilty of putting themselves
out of fellowship.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">But
for all who regularly celebrate there is blessing both personally and
corporately as the church.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
Lord Jesus on the night he was betrayed took bread, and when he had
given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for
you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way after supper he
took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, do
this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” The apostle
Paul adds: “For whenever you eat of this bread and drink of this
cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes!” </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>We
believe that the Lord’s Supper is an ordinance of the Lord in which
gathered believers eat bread, signifying Christ’s body given for
His people, and drink the cup of the Lord, signifying the New
Covenant in Christ’s blood. We do this in remembrance of the Lord,
and thus proclaim His death until He comes. Those who eat and drink
in a worthy manner partake of Christ’s body and blood, not
physically, but spiritually, in that, by faith, they are nourished
with the benefits He obtained through His death, and thus grow in
grace.”</b></i></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08587097423004792645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678364666154335588.post-5481785828582063712016-04-24T11:31:00.003-07:002016-04-24T11:31:32.958-07:00Fasting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="RIGHT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Matthew 6:16-18</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-23300"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-23301"></a>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Jesus
said: </i></span></span><i>“And when you fast, do not look
gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their
fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have
received their reward.</i><span style="color: black;"><i> </i></span><i>But
when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,</i><span style="color: black;"><i>
</i></span><i>that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your
Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will
reward you.” </i>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
We
are embarking on a subject that brings all sorts of terrors to the
preacher. If you are anything like me then you have rarely heard a
sermon on fasting. There seems to be two schools of thought in the
modern church concerning fasting. The one school tends to give the
impression that fasting is not really relevant and so they largely
ignore the subject hoping that it might disappear. The other school
believes that fasting ought to be a regular part of the church
diet??? and that we ought to be fasting as often as possible. This
school usually has the powerful preacher who with great passion
leaves the average Christian squirming in his seat because we could
never match up to his wonderful example.</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
If
you want to know which school I belong to then I confess to being in
the first one, but is that where I should remain? That has been the
challenge to me and hopefully by the end of our time together we
might find ourselves thinking biblically about the point of fasting.
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The
three points of our passage are:
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Jesus'
expectation:</b></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Jesus
at the beginning of His ministry in this passage which we call the
sermon on the mount approaches the subject of fasting. The first
thing that we notice is that Jesus was not in the school that I
belong to because He began by assuming that His followers did fast.
He said “when you fast!” Surely that means that Jesus expected
His followers to fast.</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Jesus'
rules:</b></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Jesus not only expected His followers to fast, He gave rules as to
how they should fast. He continued in the sermon to say that they
should not fast in order to draw attention to themselves and to gain
spiritual “Brownie points” for their piety!
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>God's
blessing: </b>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Jesus also taught that there is a blessing from God the Father for
those who truly fast.
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Background:</b></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
These are the three points that I find in the passage set before me
and I suppose that in this there is little more to add to them. In
saying that there is something that is missing from our understanding
of what is going on here. We have a problem in that we are not first
century followers of Jesus as were His hearers on that day. That is
stating the obvious really but it is nonetheless vitally important in
order that we begin to understand what Jesus is really teaching. To
most people in Britain outside of religious circles fasting is
something that we do before we go for hospital tests, operations or
for detoxing our abused bodies, but to the Jew of Jesus' day fasting
was a concept that they were well acquainted with.
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Fasting is spoken of many times in the Old Testament. In fact it was
expected of the people of God for the celebration of the Day of
Atonement . The purpose of which was that God would see their earnest
desire that He make His presence once again in the temple of
Jerusalem for the year to come. Of course Jesus fulfils the Day of
Atonement which was why the Angel called Him Immanuel when he
announced His coming birth to Joseph. Jesus is God with His people
ALWAYS and He dwells permanently in the church. We do not need to
fast in order to bring His presence amongst us, He has guaranteed His
permanent presence by His Spirit. We cannot therefore use the Day of
Atonement as our guidance for fasting. Fasting is not a way of
guaranteeing God's presence to be with us.
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Nevertheless the Old Testament does speak much about fasting but for
various reasons. We do not have time to go through them all but I
would urge you to pick up a concordance and check them out, it really
is a fascinating topic to study and as we shall see it is worthwhile
for our understanding.</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
In typical preaching mode I have chosen three examples for our
consideration.</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u><b>David
fasted in desperate days</b></u><b>:</b></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I suppose that the most famous passage concerning fasting is found in
2 Samuel 12:15-17. It concerns King David after his wife Bathsheba
had given birth to the son conceived through their adulterous affair.
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-8303"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-8304"></a>
“<span style="font-size: small;"><i>And the Lord
afflicted the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and he became
sick.</i></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
</i></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><i>David
therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and
went in and lay all night on the ground.</i></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
</i></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><i>And
the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the
ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them.” </i></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Firstly we notice that fasting for David was much more
than abstaining from food, he put everything aside at this time of
fasting even his royal duties!</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">It is clear from the passage that David was distraught
at seeing the child so unwell and dying and so all of the time that
the child suffered then David pleaded with God that somehow God's
judgement upon David might be averted from the child. David was
inconsolable, nobody could help him. Food was the last thing on his
mind. In reality it was David being completely reliant upon God. This
was the most natural thing for a father to do. This is what happened
next:</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-8305"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-8306"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-8307"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-8308"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-8309"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-8310"></a>
<i>On the seventh day the child died. And the servants of David were
afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold,
while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen
to us. How then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do
himself some harm.”</i><span style="color: black;"><i> </i></span><i>But
when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David
understood that the child was dead. And David said to his servants,
“Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.”</i><span style="color: black;"><i>
</i></span><i>Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed
himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the
Lord and worshipped. He then went to his own house. And when he
asked, they set food before him, and he ate.</i><span style="color: black;"><i>
</i></span><i>Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing
that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was
alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.”</i><span style="color: black;"><i>
</i></span><i>He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted
and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious
to me, that the child may live?’</i><span style="color: black;"><i> </i></span><i>But
now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I
shall go to him, but he will not return to me.” </i><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
</i></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Do you see what was happening, David fasted and wept for
the child in the hope that God would allow the child to live but that
did not happen. Incidentally we may find this a difficult concept in
2016 but look at David's faith in this. He believed that to die was
to be in God's presence. He recognised that once the child had died
then that was final here on earth and that even the king could do
nothing about it. David believed that the child would not return to
him but he had every confidence that one day he would go to be with
the child. Do you have that kind of faith? David had a belief in God
that assured him that the child would go to heaven and that is far
better than life on earth. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Fasting on this occasion was the most natural thing for
a believing father to do. David was desperate and so weeping and
fasting before God in the hope that God might just bring about a
different outcome was exactly what was needed. David's dilemma came
due to his sin and so we can be assured that the weeping was remorse
and repentance. This was not a show of piety or even of self pity as
we often see at times of great sadness, it was David doing the most
natural thing in difficult days. </span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Fasting
comes natural at the point of need! </b></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">There will be times in our lives and also in the life of
the church when we will need to come before the Lord in tears of
repentance pleading with Him to remove the consequences of our guilt
and to bless us. It is interesting that David and Bathsheba were
eventually blessed with the birth of another son Solomon who went on
to be the successor to David's throne even though he was not next in
line. Jesus many years later said that when we fast rightly then our
Father who sees that done in secret will reward us. That was clearly
the experience of David.</span></div>
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<br />
</div>
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<u><b>Nehemiah
fasted in repentance on behalf of Israel</b></u><b>:</b></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Now
it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was
in Susa the capital, that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with
certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who
escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. And
they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had
survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of
Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.”</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-12307"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-12308"></a>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>As
soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days,
and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. And I
said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps
covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his
commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear
the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night
for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the
people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my
father's house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against you
and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that
you commanded your servant Moses. Remember the word that you
commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I
will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep
my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the
uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring
them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’
They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by
your great power and by your strong hand. O Lord, let your ear be
attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your
servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your
servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”</i></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Now
I was cupbearer to the king.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Nehemiah even though
a Jewish captive in Persia was the official cupbearer of King
Artaxerxes. He heard the news that his people back in Jerusalem were
in great trouble. They were shamed because the city was in ruins and
the walls were broken down. He knew that this was due to their former
sin. They had not kept God's commandments and in accordance with the
law given to Israel through Moses the nation had been overpowered and
taken into captivity by foreign forces. Nehemiah knew that he had to
repent on their behalf and ask God's forgiveness and also His
enabling in order that he might approach his boss the king. He wanted
leave of absence to organise the repairs that Jerusalem needed. How
on earth can a mere foreign cupbearer gain favour from the most
powerful man on the earth? He needed to be released to build a city
up in foreign territory. Nehemiah knew enough about the character of
God to realise that God's anger and wrath are turned by true
repentance and so he sat down before God. He wept, he mourned, he
fasted and he prayed. As he prayed Nehemiah reminded God of His
character. Nehemiah had confessed his own and also the sins of his
people and he subsequently appealed to God for mercy in accordance
with His character and in accordance with His word as recorded by
Moses. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Often when we hear
of Nehemiah we are usually reminded of what the preacher loves to
call his “arrow prayer” recorded in chapter 2 verse 4. When he
king had asked Nehemiah what his request was he quickly prayed to God
for success but the real work had gone before. He had spent many
hours in anguish before God. He had wept and mourned over the
difficulties of his people, he had fasted and prayed and now was the
time when all of that came into focus.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">There are times when
like Nehemiah we need to be serious before the Lord on behalf of
God's sinful people. Just consider the church today. Look at how it
is, the foundations have crumbled, it is a mess. We seem to be
grubbing around with little blessing when in reality we are the jewel
in the crown of our Saviour, we will one day be presented to God as
the bride of Christ but yet we seem to be in rags.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">When is the church
going to sit before God and weep over our sinfulness? When are we
going to mourn over our dead state? When are we going to put aside
the luxuries of life for a season whilst we come humbly before God in
true repentance? When do we in prayer speak honestly about our
sinfulness and appeal to God in heaven to restore the honour of His
name through us His church?</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">It seems to me from
Nehemiah's example that fasting is much more than simply deciding
that we will go without our lunch. True fasting is putting aside
everything as we sit before God pleading with Him for forgiveness and
a restoration of blessing. Our social media and varying
entertainments are put aside as an act of fasting. When somebody is
truly grieving food, entertainment and the superficial things of life
are no longer important. That is how it should be with us if we are
to fast. </span>
</div>
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<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The words of Psalm
42 come to mind:</span></div>
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<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>As
a deer pants for flowing streams,<br />so pants my soul for you, O
God.<br />My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.<br />When shall I
come and appear before God?<br />My tears have been my food day and
night,<br />while they say to me all the day long,<br />“Where is your
God?”<br />These things I remember, as I pour out my soul:<br />how I
would go with the throng<br />and lead them in procession to the house
of God<br />with glad shouts and songs of praise,<br />a multitude
keeping festival.</i></div>
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<br />
</div>
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Do
we really desire God like this?</div>
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Do
we really want Him to restore the honour of His name?</div>
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If
we do then we need to fast and pray for forgiveness for His people
for what we have done in His name.</div>
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<br />
</div>
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<b>The
Jews fasted in the face of persecution:</b></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
In the time of Ester, bad man
Haman was plotting to exterminate the Jewish nation but Mordecai
discovered his plans. King Ahasuerus was being manoeuvred into wiping
out the nation and something needed to be done. Ester the wife of the
king was a Jewess and Mordecai who was her uncle needed to be
persuaded to help her people. In Ester chapter 4:1-3 we find:</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>When
Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes
and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the
city, and he cried out with a loud and bitter cry.<span style="color: black;">
</span>He went up to the
entrance of the king's gate, for no one was allowed to enter the
king's gate clothed in sackcloth.<span style="color: black;">
</span>And in every
province, wherever the king's command and his decree reached, there
was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and
lamenting, and many of them lay in sackcloth and ashes. </i>
</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Ester had been persuaded to help
and so eventually through hers and Mordecai's efforts God saved the
nation. Notice it was when the nation mourned, prayed and fasted that
God blessed them.
</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
When God's people are under
attack they need to take Him seriously and to be serious as we
approach Him to intercede on behalf of those being persecuted. It was
whilst the church in the UK was praying for our persecuted brothers
and sisters in Eastern Europe that the Berlin wall came down.
Radstock Ministries had called Christians to pray all night for their
suffering brethren and it was during that time of depriving ourselves
of sleep and food in order to plead for His intervention that He
acted!</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
There are so many such examples
throughout scripture and history that we might think that the lesson
is obvious.
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><b>Why
then are we so reticent to fast in the modern church?</b></i></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><b>Do
we really take our faith seriously?</b></i></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Fasting has nothing to do with
self glorification as it did with the Pharisees of Jesus' day, they
received the accolade that they desired as they presented themselves
emaciated on street corners! Jesus said that we are not to be like
that! When we fast we are to look perfectly normal, it is a secret
between us and the Lord or between the church and the Lord if it is a
corporate effort. If we tell it abroad then we are not really fasting
but are in reality feasting on the accolade afforded to us!</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
When asked if we fast our
standard answer should be “what has that got to do with you?”
Fasting is private, it is serious and it is between us and God alone.
We are doing serious business with Him</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
There will be times when we need
to fast and to pray but as we have seen from these three examples god
will only bless us in accordance with His word the bible. There is no
point in us fasting in order to twist God's hand into giving us
something that is contrary to God's revealed will and so like David,
Nehemiah and Mordecai we need to be scholars of the scriptures in
order for us to be serious with God for the things that He is
serious about.</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
It was whilst the church in
Antioch were praying and fasting that God by His Spirit instructed
them to set apart Saul and Barnabas for ministry. The church needs to
pray and fast as we make serious decisions for our future, we need to
be just as serious for our past sins in order that we have a heart
for the lost which will then cause us to fast and pray that God might
revive our sad nation.</div>
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</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08587097423004792645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678364666154335588.post-84794738926374384362016-04-09T14:48:00.004-07:002016-04-09T14:49:28.626-07:00“We believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to God.” John 14:1-14<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Building
the right foundation part 23</b></span></div>
<h1 align="JUSTIFY" class="western">
</h1>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>John
14:1-14</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;">‘<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Do
not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in
me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I
have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And
if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to
be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the
place where I am going.’</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Thomas
said to him, ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can
we know the way?’</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Jesus
answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to
the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my
Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.’</i></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Philip
said, ‘Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.’</i></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-26679"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-26680"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-26681"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-26682"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-26683"></a>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Jesus
answered: ‘Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been
among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the
Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? Don’t you
believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The
words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is
the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I
say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least
believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell
you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and
they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to
the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the
Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my
name, and I will do it.</i></span></span></div>
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<br />
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<br />
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-width: 7.5pt; border-style: none none double; line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in; padding: 0in 0in 0.03in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>New
International Version - UK (NIVUK)</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
church constitution or official rule book by which we adhere contains
two other documents which are foundational to what our identity is.
We have as part of this series of “Building the right foundation”
considered our church covenant to which all who become members of the
church promise to adhere. The covenant governs how we operate and how
we relate to God and to each other and also the importance of
reaching out with the gospel into the surrounding community and
further afield.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
second document known as the “Basis of faith” is an outline of
the basic principles of faith that we believe in. We are by
conviction an evangelical Baptist church which means that we believe
that the gospel is the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ.
Jesus' final command to the church was that we should be evangelical
which simply means that we should take the gospel to all that it is
within our power to do so. In order to be the church and to fulfil
the command of Jesus it is important that our theology (knowledge of
who God is) is clear and true. The founders of our church thankfully
adopted a clear statement of what our foundation of belief is. We
are currently considering each of the points in sermon form in order
that we might continue to establish the foundation that the church
stands upon. </span></span>
</div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>THE
LORD JESUS CHRIST</i></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>The
Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. He was conceived by
the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, and lived a sinless life in
obedience to the Father. He taught with authority and all his words
are true. On the cross he died in the place of sinners, bearing
God’s punishment for their sin, redeeming them by his blood. He
rose from the dead and in his resurrection body ascended into heaven
where he is exalted as Lord of all. He intercedes for his people in
the presence of the Father.</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Our
text for this morning is John 14:6 in which Jesus simply says that He
is the one and only way to God. For us to begin to understand what He
meant when He declared that we need to first consider the context.
John records in chapter 13 that Jesus had just been telling His
disciples that he was about to die. It was the night before His
crucifixion and He had already washed the feet of the disciples in
readiness to eat the Passover Supper, they had eaten and Judas had
left them to betray Jesus. In fact after Judas' departure Jesus
announced that He was now glorified for the work of salvation. He
gave the disciples the command to love one another, reminding them
that it is by the evidence of their love one to another that others
will know that they are disciples of Jesus.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Peter
was told the devastating news that he would not stand up for Christ
but that he would publicly deny Him three time before the next day
begins.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Chapter
14 begins with Jesus comforting His people. These are His words of
departure to them. He was about to die the most horrendous of deaths
and yet His main concern is their comfort:</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;">‘<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Do
not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in
me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I
have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And
if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to
be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the
place where I am going.’</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">He
was telling them that He was about to die for their benefit; He was
about to go to heaven where He would be preparing a home for the
church. He was not going to stay there but He would return to take
them there to be with Him. He added the words that left them
confused: “</span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>You
know the way to the place where I am going.”</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Thomas
begged to differ and told Him that they did not understand what He
was saying to them. How could they know the way?</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">It
is this that caused Jesus to reply:</span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;">
</span><span style="color: black;">‘<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>I
am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as
well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.’</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
first sentence of our basis of faith article says: </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>The
Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. </i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Throughout
his gospel John makes a great deal of Jesus saying “I am”, there
are 7 statements from Jesus who claimed to be:</span></span></span></div>
<ol>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
Bread of life: John 6:35</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
Light of the world: 8:12</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
Gate to security: 10:9</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
Good Shepherd: 10:11</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
Resurrection and the Life: 11:25-26</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
way the Truth and the Life: 14:6</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
Vine which supports life: 15:5 </span></span></span>
</div>
</li>
</ol>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">A
general reading of all of these claims causes us to wonder at how any
man could possible fulfil such qualities. It is for this reason
critics often say that Jesus was a madman. He is actually claiming
that He is the food that keeps us alive, the Light that causes us to
see truth, the Way of entry into security, the only Shepherd that
looks after his people as if they were precious sheep. He is the One
that raises His people to eternal life, the only way in which we can
come to God with a clear conscience, He is the life support system as
a vine is to it's grafted branches. When we put that together it is
not hard to see what Jesus is claiming of Himself. The logical
conclusion is that He is claiming to be God. But even that in our
modern day is not enough for many even though these same statements
enraged the religious leaders in Jesus' hearing so much that they
wanted to stone Him for blasphemy. They certainly understood Him to
be saying through these statements that He was equal to God in
heaven.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">But
there is one more significant I Am statement that caused the leaders
of the Jews to pick up stones immediately. It is found in John
8:48-59.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>The
Jews answered him, ‘Aren’t we right in saying that you are a
Samaritan and demon-possessed?’</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-26431"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-26432"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-26433"></a>
‘<i>I am not possessed by a demon,’ said Jesus, ‘but I honour
my Father and you dishonour me. I am not seeking glory for myself;
but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. Very truly I tell
you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.’</i></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-26434"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-26435"></a>
<i>At this they exclaimed, ‘Now we know that you are
demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say
that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. Are you greater
than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you
think you are?’</i></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-26436"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-26437"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-26438"></a>
<i>Jesus replied, ‘If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My
Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.
Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would
be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. Your father
Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was
glad.’</i></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-26439"></a>
‘<i>You are not yet fifty years old,’ they said to him, ‘and
you have seen Abraham!’</i></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-26440"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-26441"></a>
‘<i>Very truly I tell you,’ Jesus answered, ‘</i><i><b>before
Abraham was born, I am</b></i><i>!’ At this, they picked up stones
to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple
grounds.</i></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">It
was the statement that Jesus made saying that “before Abraham was I
AM” which caused them to want to kill Him. It might just pass us by
as we read it but the words I Am in this context are really
important. Some years after Abraham died; Moses was being
commissioned by God in the wilderness. A voice came from within a
burning bush that drew Moses forward. The voice was God speaking and
instructing Moses to go to Pharaoh and to demand that he let free the
children of Israel (who are Abraham's descendants.) Moses needed an
authority to use and so God in Exodus 3:14 gave Him His name which is
simply “I AM WHO I AM” which in Hebrew is Yahweh. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
Jews listening to Jesus on that day fully understood what he was
claiming of Himself and so did the authors of our basis of faith when
they wrote the article we are considering.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>The
Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. </i></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">There
is no doubt from this and many other scriptures which we do not have
time to consider today that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man.
We only need to consider the declaration made to Joseph by the Angel
of the Lord concerning Mary being pregnant: “she will have a son
and they will call His name Immanuel.” Immanuel means God with us,
the son to be born is God with us, Jesus by all that He said and did
was living proof that He was fully divine but yet He was fully Human.
In all of His life He did not sin which was the whole purpose of His
becoming man. He was to do what no other could do. The passage we
have before us happened just hours before His execution. He died on
the cross bearing the sins of all of His people.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">That
is gospel truth but what does it mean for us?</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;">“<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>I
am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through me.” Is the answer.</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">It
is all about the way to God. Ever since sin entered the world through
Adam then there has been no way to God. Sin is an abomination to God,
He cannot have sin or sinners in His direct presence which means that
all of humanity is barred from heaven but yet Jesus said on the night
before he died that he was going to prepare a place for His friends
in heaven where they will be at one with God. The impossible needs to
happen.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We
had surprise visitors in the week and due to circumstance they needed
to stay overnight. Whilst drinking their coffee Pam told them that
she needed to go and prepare a place for them to stay. That involved
clearing out the room we had used to store the contents of the study
which we were renovating. It was an arduous task for which she was
pleased to do, after all it was for her sister's benefit.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
preparation that Jesus spoke of was much greater than that and far
more costly. It involved the ultimate sacrifice on his behalf. As I
have said sin bars us from entry into heaven because it is punishable
by death. It carries the death sentence which cannot be commuted,
there is no remission for sin. The sinner must die. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">It
is here that we find the grace of God to be amazing. Due to His love
for us He does not want any to experience punishment and so He sent
His Son Jesus (who as we know is the God-Man) to be the substitute of
repentant sinners. Jesus said on that day to His disciples that they
knew the way that He was going, He had already told them on a number
of occasions that it was a sacrificial death that was His destination
and that He would rise on the third day. This was His preparation and
He made it just a few hours later.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">He
is the only Way to God, He is the only Truth of God and He is the
only One who gives eternal life!</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">This
is what we believe as the church:</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>The
Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. He was conceived by
the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, and lived a sinless life in
obedience to the Father. He taught with authority and all his words
are true. On the cross he died in the place of sinners, bearing
God’s punishment for their sin, redeeming them by his blood. He
rose from the dead and in his resurrection body ascended into heaven
where he is exalted as Lord of all. He intercedes for his people in
the presence of the Father.</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Our
Jesus has accomplished salvation by His sacrifice on the cross thus
making way for all who believe in Him to one day be with Him
eternally. He is now in heaven interceding with His Father on our
behalf. We have a man in heaven who understands us and cares for us,
our place is secured and we will one day be with Him forever.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">That
is the promise for all who have been born again of the Holy Spirit,
is it true of you? Why not pray that God will give you the faith to
see your own need and the faith to believe Him and to repent and
trust Him as the Way, the Truth and the Life for you also.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Apply:</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Jesus
Christ is the foundation of the church, it is He who we believe in. e
is the only way to God. He is the One True God-Man and we worship Him
and we declare Him to be the only Saviour that is necessary for
salvation.</span></span></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08587097423004792645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678364666154335588.post-66425327394092247152016-04-03T00:49:00.001-07:002016-04-03T00:49:14.863-07:00Behold the King Psalm 110<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="RIGHT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<h1 align="JUSTIFY" class="western">
<br /></h1>
<h1 align="CENTER" class="western">
<span style="color: black;"><b> <i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt;">Behold
the King: A Royal Song.</i></b></span></h1>
<h4 class="western" style="line-height: 0.25in; margin-bottom: 0.1in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Psalm
110: </span>A Psalm of David.</b></span></span></span></h4>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><span style="color: black;">The
Lord says to my Lord: </span><span style="color: black;">‘</span><span style="color: black;">Sit
at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your
feet.’</span></i></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>The
Lord will extend your mighty sceptre from Zion, saying, ‘Rule in
the midst of your enemies!’<br />Your troops will be willing on your
day of battle. Arrayed in holy splendour, your young men will come to
you like dew from the morning’s womb.</i></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>The
Lord has sworn and will not change his mind:</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;">‘<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>You
are a priest for ever, in the order of Melchizedek.’</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>The
Lord is at your right hand; he will crush kings on the day of his
wrath. He will judge nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the
rulers of the whole earth. He will drink from a brook along the way;
and so he will lift his head high.</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-width: 7.5pt; border-style: none none double; line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in; padding: 0in 0in 0.03in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>New
International Version - UK (NIVUK)</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I'd
like to build the world a home<br />And furnish it with love<br />Grow
apple trees and honey bees<br />And snow white turtle doves</span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 0.18in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I'd
like to teach the world to sing<br />In perfect harmony<br />I'd like to
hold it in my arms<br />And keep it company</span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 0.18in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I'd
like to see the world for once<br />All standing hand in hand<br />And
hear them echo through the hills<br />For peace through out the
land<br />(That's the song I hear)</span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: proxnov-reg, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span><br /><br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.18in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Songs
and singing are an important part of life, in fact the minstrels of
our day are amongst the wealthiest people in the world. Man was made
for singing and as such we sing about many things. We sing when we
are joyful, we sing when we are at war, we sing when we are in love,
we sing when we are in grief. We sing at all sorts of occasions
whether they be sporting occasions or political gatherings. We sing
when we are in the presence of royalty. Our English national anthem
has been sung so often to our Queen that it makes you wonder if she
is not just the slightest bit bored with it by now. But then when you
see the worthy words that it has then we are not too surprised that
she is the Godly woman that she is. Our short Psalm is a song also of
which Augustine said: “although brief in the number of words it is
great in it's thought!” Luther regarded this Psalm to be the “crown
and chief and worthy to be set in a frame of gold and diamonds.”
The Psalms were all written to be sung and are as such are poetry. As
with all poetry they are not always that easy to interpret. That is
especially true of Psalm 110 which if we break it down really has
three stanzas:</span></span></span></div>
<ul>
<li><div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 0.18in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
King and His army. (1-3)</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 0.18in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
King who is also a Priest. (4)</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 0.18in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
Priest-Kings victory. (5-7)</span></span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">This
is the most quoted from Psalm of the New Testament which indicates
how important it is. The most important quotations come from the Lord
Jesus who says that David wrote it about Him Matthew 22:41-46</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">It
is directly and exclusively a Messianic Psalm that speaks of the King
to come who will be a Priest and King.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Melchizedek
who was the High Priest of God and the mysterious King of Salem came
to Abram and blessed him and offered bread and wine. Abram in turn
gave him a tithe and recognised Him to be the Lord God most High.
This was the pre-cursor to Abram being given the covenant by God in
which He was promised that a people who would come from his own
descendants even though both he and Sara were far too old. This
mysterious person Melchizedek is later spoken of in Hebrews as being
the forerunner of Jesus who also is King and Priest. The Levitical
priests were never to be kings and the kings were not permitted to
act as priest. The dual function was reserved for the perfect Priest
King who was to come. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Jesus
on a number of occasions quoted from this Psalm, in particular when
he was arguing with the Pharisees one such example is found in Mark
12:35-37 </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-24710"></a>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>While
Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, ‘Why do the
teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David? David
himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared:</i></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;">‘“</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>The
Lord said to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I put your
enemies under your feet.’”</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-24711"></a>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>David
himself calls him “Lord”. How then can he be his son?’</i></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>The
large crowd listened to him with delight.</i></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>Matthew
22:41-46</b></i></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-23915"></a>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>While
the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,<b> </b>‘What
do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?’</i></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
‘<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>The
son of David,’ they replied.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-23916"></a>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>He
said to them, ‘How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit,
calls him “Lord”? For he says,</i></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-23917"></a>
<span style="color: black;">‘“<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>The
Lord said to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I put your
enemies under your feet.’”</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-23918"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-23919"></a>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>If
then David calls him “Lord”, how can he be his son?’ No one
could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask
him any more questions.</i></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>Luke
22:66-71</b> At His trial this happened.</i></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-25932"></a>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>At
daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief
priests and the teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led
before them. ‘If you are the Messiah,’ they said, ‘tell us.’</i></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-25933"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-25934"></a>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Jesus
answered, ‘If I tell you, you will not believe me, and if I asked
you, you would not answer. But from now on, <b>the Son of Man will be
seated at the right hand of the mighty God.</b>’</i></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-25935"></a>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>They
all asked, ‘Are you then the Son of God?’</i></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>He
replied,‘You say that I am.’</i></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-25936"></a>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Then
they said, ‘Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it
from his own lips.’</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">From
here Jesus was taken to Pilate and on to be crucified. It is clear
that when Jesus quoted from Psalm 110 they were convinced that the
promised Priest King was a divine character and any claiming to be
such was a blasphemer.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">You
will need to spend some time with a concordance, pen and paper to go
through the many either direct quotations of or allusions to this
Psalm found in the New Testament in order to find it's true
significance but by looking at these passages I am hoping to have
whet your appetites for further study.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I
have just one more passage to highlight before we consider how this
Psalm helps us today: </span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Hebrews
8:1-2</i></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Now
the main point of what we are saying is this: we do have such a high
priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty
in heaven, and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set
up by the Lord, not by a mere human being. </i></span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">It
is clear to see that Jesus not only believed that King David wrote
the Psalm but due to the very fact that David calls this descendant
His Lord he cannot be talking of a mere king. The King now has a
whole new dimension, He is not only Priest King but also he is Lord!
This King to come is a man who is descended to David and is rightly
King over His people, He is a priest but not of the order of Aaron
who needed sacrifice to cover his own sins before he dare to minister
before the Lord. This Priest to come is a mystery just like
Melchizedek was, he came and offered sacrifice and accepted worship
and as such was a remarkable character. I would like to put it to you
that this King of Salem who we know to be Melchizedek or King of
Peace is none other that the pre-incarnate (before His incarnation)
Lord Jesus.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>The
King and His army:</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">In
verses 1-3 we are entering into the courtrooms of heaven where there
is a conversation between God the Father and His Son, the Messiah. If
you notice in your bible you will find that the first LORD of verse 1
is capitalised but the second Lord only begins with a capital letter.
</span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">My
paraphrase of the verse goes something like this: <i><b>The word of
Yahweh to My Adoni who is My Ruler. Be enthroned at My right hand,
which is the place of honour, authority, and power, until I make Your
enemies subject to You just as is a footstool for Your feet.</b></i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Adoni
means a human superior whereas Adonai is a reference to a divine
superior. Why is this important? Because God is saying that Jesus who
is the God in humanity has a rightful place in heaven where He is
King and is very God but also very human,. It may seem to be
complicated but what David was promising is that a man who is
descended from him will one day be the Messiah who will reign over
His enemies in heaven and on earth. He will come from the Holy City
and rule with all of the authority of heaven amongst His enemies. He
will rule in and through His people who will themselves be priests
(wearing holy or sanctified garments) The army will be as fresh as
the dew and will be as youthful and full of energy as their King.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
great promise here is that when the Messiah comes He will gather His
army together and empower them to be powerful, effective and
energetic enough to fight the good fight.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">This
being the first verse of the song I was wondering what it might be
that they would be singing:</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Fight
the good fight with all thy might;<br />Christ is thy Strength, and
Christ thy Right;<br />Lay hold on life, and it shall be<br />Thy joy and
crown eternally.<br /><br />Run the straight race through God’s good
grace,<br />Lift up thine eyes, and seek His face;<br />Life with its way
before us lies,<br />Christ is the Path, and Christ the Prize.<br /><br />Cast
care aside, lean upon thy Guide,<br />His boundless mercy will
provide;<br />Lean, and the trusting soul shall prove<br />Christ is its
Life, and Christ its Love.<br /></b></span></span></span><br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Faint
not nor fear, His arms are near,<br />He changeth not, and thou art
dear.<br />Only believe, and thou shalt see<br />That Christ is all in
all to thee.</b> </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Our
subject this morning is; “I would like to teach the world to sing”
the world is already singing songs it's songs about so many things
but there is none such a worthy topic as this: <i><b>Jesus the
Messiah rules over earth and heaven and He alone is worthy of all of
our praise and worship.</b></i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<ul>
<li><div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>He
King who is also Priest:</b></span></span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">This
is the declared and unchanging word of God. This is forever true for
all times which is for our great encouragement. Our Jesus is an
eternal and mysterious priest forever. Melchizedek as we have already
said was a mysterious figure that seemed to come from nowhere and to
return just as mysteriously. It is His name and location that give us
a great clue as to His character. His name means my King is
Righteousness and He is the King of Salem which simply means peace.
The King of Righteousness is the one who brings peace. Not the hippy
peace so often sang of 50 years ago, that peace only brought disaster
to the world. The one whom Melchizedek speaks of is none other than
the Prince of Peace who imparts of His righteousness to His people. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">When
we consider some of the promises made about Jesus then we begin to
see just how perfectly He fulfils all that is promised in the
Scripture. It was said of Him that He would be called Immanuel which
means God with us. </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>There
is none righteous but God alone!</b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">
Jesus is the King of heaven who is with His people. It was also said
that he was the Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world.
It is the function of the Priest to intercede for sin, the Lamb was
the acceptable offering to atone for sin and here we have in One Man
both the Priestly function and also the Sacrifice that is effective!
Jesus does exactly what Melchizedek pointed to, He is Priest but He
also offers sacrifice and worthy of all praise. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We
could look at so many different examples as to the King-Priest
function of the Lord Jesus Christ that we would be here forever and
not even begin but there is one more that is important and that is
the King of Righteousness. Remember in the last point we saw an army
dressed in holy garments. They have been set apart or sanctified,
they have been made worthy, they are fit for service. How is it
possible for any who are sinful to ever be fit for service of the
Holy and Righteous God of heaven. We are so tainted with sin that the
theologians tell us that we are before God “totally depraved!”</span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
amazing thing about King Jesus is that by His Priestly function He
personally atones for our sin not by proxy but in reality. He becomes
the sinner that we are in our place and is punished on our behalf
and in return for our sine He gives us His righteousness and so we
are seen by God as perfectly righteous and without sin.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Revelation
9:6-10</span></span></span></b></i></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Then
I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing
waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:</i></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;">‘<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Hallelujah!<br />For
our Lord God Almighty reigns.<br />Let us rejoice and be glad<br />and
give him glory!<br />For the wedding of the Lamb has come,<br />and his
bride has made herself ready.</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Fine
linen, bright and clean,<br />was given her to wear.’</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>(Fine
linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)</i></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Then
the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are
invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’ And he added, ‘These
are the true words of God.’</i></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-31028"></a>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>At
this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, ‘Don’t
do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and
sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is
the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.’</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Let
us start singing in our hearts: </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Jesus
is King and I will extol Him,</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">give
Him the glory, and honour His name;</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">He
reigns on high, enthroned in the heavens–</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Word
of the Father, exalted for us.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We
have a hope that is steadfast and certain,</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">gone
through the curtain and touching the throne;</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">we
have a priest who is there interceding,</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">pouring
His grace on our lives day by day.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We
come to Him, our Priest and Apostle, </span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">clothed
in His glory and bearing His name, </span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">laying
our lives with gladness before Him–</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">filled
with His Spirit we worship the King:</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;">‘<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">O
Holy One, our hearts do adore You; </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">thrilled
with Your goodness we give You our praise!</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;">’<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Angels
in light with worship surround Him,</span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Jesus,
our Saviour, forever the same. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"> </span>
</div>
<ul>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>The
Priest King's victory.</b></span></span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">In
verse 5 the term the divine titleAdonai is used of the Messiah who is
a man. (The divine title is nowhere else in scripture applied to
Him.) Adoni and Adonai are like the bookends of the Psalm they keep
it all together neatly. It is clear that the earthly Lord and the
heavenly Lord are one and the same person. This is not easily seen
in our English translations and therefore we lose some of it's
importance. In verse 1 God is saying that God the Son is a man and in
verse 5 He is saying that Heavenly Lord is reigning victoriously upon
the earth with God the Father at His right hand! In verse 1 God calls
upon Jesus in order to empower Him in verse 5 we see it working out
with God the Father working with His Messiah to bring judgement upon
His sinful world.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Jesus
is the King of heaven who will break all kings when he comes in
judgement. He is King of kings, Lord of lords and He is God of heaven
but now notice this. He will judge the nations, He will judge all
peoples in righteousness. There is coming a day when sin will no
longer rule and he will rule supremely. The earth has finally come
under subjection to the King in the same way as a footstool does to
weary feet.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I
suppose that it is fair to say that it is better to be seated on the
throne with the king than it is to be His footstool: that is the
offer of this Psalm. Jesus offers exaltation through the forgiveness
of sin, He offers to deal with the sin that separates you from God if
only you will submit to Him in repentance. If you come to His feet at
the cross distraught at your own sin and the price that was paid
there. He is then faithful and He is just and will forgive you your
sin and He will exchange your guilt for His righteousness and instead
of you coming under wrath and judgement you will become a much loved
child of God. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">There's
a sound on the wind like a victory song,<br />Listen now, let it rest
on your soul.<br />It's a song that I learned from a heavenly
King,<br />It's the song of a battle royal.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; line-height: 0.2in; orphans: 1; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">There's
a loud shout of victory that leaps from our hearts<br />As we wait for
our conquering King.<br />There's a triumph resounding from dark ages
past<br />To the victory song we now sing.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; line-height: 0.2in; orphans: 1; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">There'll
be crowns for the conquerors and white robes to wear,<br />There will
be no more sorrow or pain.<br />And the battles of earth shall be lost
in the sight<br />Of the glorious Lamb that was slain.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; line-height: 0.2in; orphans: 1; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">Now
the King of the ages approaches the earth,<br />He will burst through
the gates of the sky,<br />And all men shall bow down to His beautiful
name,<br />We shall rise with a shout, we shall fly!</span></span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; line-height: 0.2in; orphans: 1; padding: 0in;">
<em><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Come
on, heaven's children,<br />The city is in sight.<br />There will be no
sadness<br />On the other side.</span></span></span></span></em></div>
<div style="border: none; line-height: 0.2in; orphans: 1; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">Now
the King of the ages approaches the earth,<br />He will burst through
the gates of the sky,<br />And all men shall bow down to His beautiful
name</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><u><b>I
would like to teach the world to sing the most important songs ever
written.</b></u> The
Psalms are the songs of the bible and are as such the only inspired
songs that have ever been written. There are many inspiring songs and
many great songs but these are supreme because they are written by
God's special people and inspired by God's Holy Spirit. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Hopefully
we are all inspired today to sing as we go on our way and to teach
first each other how to sing and then to teach the world all about
the King of Kings as we sing of Him.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">King
of kings, majesty,</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">God
of Heaven living in me, </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">gentle
Saviour, closest friend, </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">strong
deliverer, beginning and end, </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">all
within me falls at your throne. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Earth
and Heaven worship you, </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">love
eternal, faithful and true, </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">who
bought the nations, ransomed souls, </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">brought
this sinner near to your throne; </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">all
within me cries out in praise. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Your
majesty, I can but bow, </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I
lay my all before you now. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">In
royal robes I don't deserve </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I
live to serve your majesty. </span></span></span>
</div>
<br />
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<br /><br />
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08587097423004792645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678364666154335588.post-47310236695306153162016-03-26T14:16:00.001-07:002016-03-26T23:06:54.535-07:00Every cloud has a silver lining.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="RIGHT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Luke
24:1-12</b></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>On
the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took
the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.<b> </b>They found
the stone rolled away from the tomb,<b> </b>but when they entered,
they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.<b> </b>While they were
wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like
lightning stood beside them.<b> </b>In their fright the women bowed
down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why
do you look for the living among the dead?<b> </b>He is not here; He
has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in
Galilee:<b> </b>“The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands
of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.”’<b>
</b>Then they remembered his words.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>When
they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the
Eleven and to all the others.<b> </b>It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna,
Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to
the apostles.<b> </b>But they did not believe the women, because
their words seemed to them like nonsense.<b> </b>Peter, however, got
up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen
lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had
happened.</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">We
all know the saying “every cloud has a silver lining”? What does
it mean? When the storm is coming all is dark, the sky becomes black
and can even be quite frightening. During a storm my Grandmother was
so frightened that she would usually be found hiding in the cupboard
under the stairs. A storm can be quite frightening thing when the
wind gets up, the rain lashes down and the lightening begins to
flash. We can tell that the storm is getting closer by the shortening
gap between flash of lightening and bang of thunder. At times we
might even wonder whether we will survive but as the storm passes
over with great relief we look to the sky and see a brilliant edge to
the cloud. The sun is winning the battle the storm is disappearing
and soon we have brightness and all is well. Hence the saying that
every cloud has a silver lining. There are some benefits from a
storm, one of them is really quite surprising; the lightening which
is so dangerous also produces fertiliser for the ground, the electric
charge breaks down the atmosphere and produces lovely nutrients that
feed our plants. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
day that Jesus died was like the darkest ever storm cloud over the
whole world but Good Friday had the greatest benefits for mankind.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Matthew
28:1-10: </b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><i>After
the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and
the other Mary went to look at the tomb.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>There
was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from
heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.<b>
</b>His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as
snow.<b> </b>The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and
became like dead men.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>The
angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are
looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen,
just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly
and tell his disciples: “He has risen from the dead and is going
ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.” Now I have told
you.’</i></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-24206"></a>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>So
the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and
ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. ‘Greetings,’
he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshipped him. Then
Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to
go to Galilee; there they will see me.’</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>A
dark cloud over the friends of Jesus:</b></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Jesus
had a number of friends that had remained faithful to Him through
this extremely tense period of time. There were now only 11
disciples, Judas had killed himself. The disciples themselves had
hung on by the skin of their teeth. Even the big man Peter had denied
Jesus for a while but now they were together in their grief and
confusion. With them were also a number of women. There was Mary the
mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, Joanna and others. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
one thing that united them all was Jesus. They had greatly respected
Him and loved Him. They all had faith in Him to varying degrees but
now they were united in grief for their teacher and friend who had
been so cruelly and wrongly killed.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">We
can imagine the thoughts going through their minds, grief is a
strange thing in that it causes all sorts of emotions and reactions.
This grief was all very new to them, they were having to pick up the
pieces after having had three amazing years with the Lord Jesus
Christ.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">To
add to their problems, Jesus could not have died at a more
inconvenient time! It was feast time, the whole nation was rejoicing
in the memory of salvation from Egypt. It was Passover, the most
important feast day of the Jewish calendar! As the nation was
rejoicing in the light of salvation from Egypt the friends of Jesus
were under the cloud of grief. If only they had been able to
understand Jesus’ teaching about His death then they would have
been saved from a great deal of sorrow. They were first hand
witnesses of the working out of the Great Passover.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Their
problem was that they could not see the silver lining of this very
black cloud.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Their
black cloud had a silver lining!</b></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Jesus
had died late on Friday, the day before the Sabbath. Due to Sabbath
laws they had buried Him quickly, leaving some of the ritual
preparations incomplete. This meant that after the celebrations they
had to return to the grave, open it up and embalm Jesus’ body
properly. After all if anybody deserved a decent burial it was Jesus!</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Can
you imagine what sort of holiday weekend these friends of Jesus had?
They were in deep grief and also they had this most distasteful of
duties to perform. I can imagine them dreading Sunday morning; fancy
having to get up early in the morning to that!</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Their
minds would have been racing with thoughts and memories. They would
have gone through all of the usual repercussions and guilt trips that
grief brings: the “if only’s” etc. They would have had
sleepless nights where they would have considered all that Jesus had
done and said. They would have considered all of His teaching. They
would have had all of the “why” questions. So much had been left
undone. They would have gone through their last moments with Him. Why
did some of them sleep whilst He prayed? Why did some deny Him? Why
did they stand afar when He was dying? All of these things are
natural grief and are an important part of coming to terms with the
death of somebody close to us. These would certainly have been the
emotions going through the disciples minds on that day.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">On
top of these things there was an element of confusion about the
person of Jesus. They had recently declared to Him that they had
nowhere else to go and that He had words of eternal life but where
did His dying leave them now? He had said that He would rise again
but their minds would have been on the day of resurrection some time
in the future. </span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>If
only they could have seen that their dark cloud had a silver lining!</b></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>The
light shines through the darkness:</b></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
ladies were prepared for the moment. Spices at the ready they went
along to the tomb. They had a problem, there had been a sealing stone
rolled into the entrance of the tomb, how would they move it? </span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">But
that did not deter them.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">On
their arrival they found that the tomb was open and on looking inside
the body of Jesus was gone. We can imagine all of the immediate
thoughts at that moment. Who has done this? Where have they taken
Him? As all of these thoughts were going through their minds, enter
two men in flashy clothes. These are clearly no ordinary men; in fact
we would know them as angels because they have an important message
from God to the ladies. The ladies are understandably surprised and
frightened. They bow their faces before the men who immediately turn
the ladies attention from angel worship to the reality of the
situation. In effect they say to the ladies “what are you doing
here in a tomb? This is a place of death! Jesus is risen just as He
has been telling you that He would!”</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Jesus
had been teaching His disciples that He would be crucified and that
on the third day He would rise again but it clearly had not sunk in.
They could not understand it, who can blame them? It is still the
same today; there is nothing new under the sun. The gospel of Jesus
has been preached clearly for centuries, men, women, boys and girls
have heard it but yet when confronted with the empty tomb they will
not believe it is possible that God’s Son Jesus Christ has risen! </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>People
will believe in all sorts of fantasies but a Saviour who comes from
heaven and dies on a cross and rises back to life again on the third
day all because God loves humanity is just too hard to believe.</b></i></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">I
wonder if there are any here today who are just like these women.
They had been with Jesus; they had heard His clear teaching but yet
had forgotten the most important facts! Are you like them having
heard the gospel but yet not believing? This account gives heart to
the preacher and teacher, if the friends of Jesus who heard His very
words could not take it in then we should not be surprised that with
our inferior efforts people just do not get it!!!! </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>BUT:</b></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>The
dark cloud has a silver lining!</b></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">These
ladies on that day were under a very dark cloud. They were in
desperate grief, they had a gruesome task to undertake and they were
confused as to why things had turned out the way that they had. If
that were not a dark enough cloud they also had to cope with the
apparent theft of the body and now to top it all 2 men have come
besides them. But at that moment the dark cloud’s silver lining is
about to be revealed.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
silver lining had been there all along but they simply could not see
it. In fact this dark cloud had been planned by God from before the
foundation of the world. God had a plan for mankind that would
procure salvation by His own sacrifice for those whom He loves. The
sacrifice was to be of the Lord Jesus Christ who alone was able to
accomplish salvation. The silver lining to the cloud is the
resurrection of Jesus and the salvation of His people but that could
not be seen until the storm has passed over. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>The
storm has passed over!</b></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
ladies had spent a period of time in ignorance but were now seeing,
the disciples were still in their ignorance but the reality was that
the storm had passed by. As soon as the ladies had been reminded of
Jesus’ words they remembered all that Jesus had told them. The Holy
Spirit of God opened their eyes and they understood:</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Jesus
is Alive!</b></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>John
20:1-10: </b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Early
on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene
went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the
entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple,
the one Jesus loved, and said, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the
tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!’</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-26878"></a>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>So
Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running,
but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.<b> </b>He
bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did
not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight
into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the
cloth that had been wrapped round Jesus’ head. The cloth was still
lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other
disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw
and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that
Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to
where they were staying.</i></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">As
soon as they understand they had to tell the others: </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Good
News! Jesus is Alive!</b></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">You
might think that immediately the lights would come on with the
disciples but you would be quite wrong, they simply would not
believe. Peter and John went racing to the tomb they then saw the
evidence and left totally confused. We know that it is not long
before Jesus reveals Himself to all of the disciples and finally to
Thomas who until that moment would not believe the testimony of His
trusted friends.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Each
one of the disciples had their own personal encounter with the truth
about Jesus. Not one of them simply trusted by the “preached word”
of the others. It was when God Himself by the power of His Spirit
proved that Jesus truly is alive that they each came to believe in
Him.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">It
is exactly the same today, we can tell all of the facts, we can
preach with passion and power but until God by His Spirit reveals the
truth our hearers will remain in ignorance in the same way as the
friends of Jesus did.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
great news is that God delights in saving sinners and we can trust
Him by His Spirit to reveal truth into the unbelieving heart just as
He has done so for all of us who believe.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>The
silver lining: Jesus is alive can you see beyond the storm?</b></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b><br /><br /></b></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08587097423004792645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678364666154335588.post-20766382657597412912016-03-24T16:19:00.000-07:002016-03-24T16:19:04.514-07:00"It is finished!"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="RIGHT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>Easter
2016: Good Friday</b></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>It
is finished: </b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Tetelestai!
Let me explain. In Israel when a deal had been completed or an act of
kindness done it would be sealed with the parties saying Tetelestai.
That is it is finished it is completed with nothing more to be done.
The word is in the “indicative perfect passive” which indicates
that something is completed with continuing endurance or in other
words it was a once and for all event. It can never be repeated and
as such there was only ever one Good Friday each other is simply a
remembrance of the former. Therefore today we celebrate the once for
all sacrifice made on the cross.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">In
order that we do that we will consider:</span></span></span></div>
<ol>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Why
was the cross necessary?</b></span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>What
exactly happened on the cross?</b></span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>What
does the cross mean to me?</b></span></span></span></div>
</li>
</ol>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We
will be reading a number of bible passages with songs and words in
between.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Why
was the cross necessary? </span></span></span></b>
</div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">In
order to answer this we need to go back to the beginning of time and
into the Garden of Eden.</span></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Genesis
2: 4-9</span></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">This
is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created,
when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.</span></span></span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<i>Now no shrub
had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the
Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work
the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole
surface of the ground. Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust
of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and
the man became a living being.</i></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<i>Now the Lord
God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the
man he had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of
the ground – trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.
In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil.</i></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<i>Genesis 2:
15-17</i></div>
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<i>The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to
work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You
are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat
from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat
from it you will certainly die.’ </i>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
Adam was created by God with a purpose, he was to enjoy the benefits
of all that God had given and all that God affords but continued
relationship and security with Him was conditional. The condition was
simple obedience. God in effect told Adam to obey by not eating the
fruit of a particular tree in the garden. Given the vast array
available you would think that this would be an easy task but it is a
bit like the “wet paint” notice, how hard it is to not test the
truth of the notice. Adam with the help of Eve did test the truth of
God's word and so sin was born and death came into the world. I would
love to elaborate much more but we have only an hour so I leave you
to spend some time considering this later.</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
You may well be asking why is this important today; the answer is
that sin is hereditary. It is passed on from one generation to the
next. Parent to child throughout all ages. Paul addresses this issue
in Romans 3 where he says that all people of whatever gender, age or
nationality “have sinned and have fallen short of God's perfect
standard.”</div>
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For Adam and Eve the effect was immediate, they were immediately out
of fellowship with God. They hid from Him in the garden instead of
joyously coming to Him in sweet fellowship. Their relationship with
God was dead. But you might ask why it is that sin is passed on. The
reason is that when sin entered the world the world was immediately
affected and has been on a downward spiral ever since. When God
finished His work of creation He said everything was good, ideal or
perfect. Now that man has made an impact everything is affected to
the detriment. For instance gardening is no longer the pleasure that
it should have been because of weeds etc.
</div>
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<i>Paul says in
1 Corinthians 15:21 “since death came through a man, the
resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all
die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” </i>
</div>
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From the day when sin entered the world there was already a plan for
salvation in place. In fact the bible teaches that sin was no
surprise to God, He had already from before creation planned that
Jesus come as the Saviour. The plan was always that an innocent
victim die in the place of the guilty party, in the garden it came it
the form of the death of an animal whose skin was used to clothe the
new born sinners. From that time on the sacrifice of pure innocent
male animals was the accepted way for sinful people to be able to
come into the presence of Jesus. None of these sacrifices hit the
mark fully they were merely a temporary measure that spoke of the
Perfect and Only sacrifice that fully atones for the sins of mankind.
They all spoke of Good Friday.</div>
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<br /><br />
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<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<b>156 How deep the Father's love for us.</b></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
How
deep the Father’s love for us,<br />How vast beyond all measure,<br />That
He should give His only Son<br />To make a wretch His treasure.<br />How
great the pain of searing loss -<br />The Father turns His face
away,<br />As wounds which mar the Chosen One<br />Bring many sons to
glory.</div>
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<br /><br />
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Behold the man
upon a cross,<br />My sin upon His shoulders;<br />Ashamed, I hear my
mocking voice<br />Call out among the scoffers.<br />It was my sin that
held Him there<br />Until it was accomplished;<br />His dying breath has
brought me life -<br />I know that it is finished.</div>
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I will
not boast in anything,<br />No gifts, no power, no wisdom;<br />But I
will boast in Jesus Christ,<br />His death and resurrection.<br />Why
should I gain from His reward?<br />I cannot give an answer;<br />But
this I know with all my heart -<br />His wounds have paid my ransom.</div>
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<br /><br />
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<b>What exactly happened on the cross?</b></div>
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Psalm 22 begins with “my God, my God why have you forsaken me?”
Jesus in saying this on the cross was taking the Psalm to Himself:
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">My
God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving
me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but
you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest.</span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Yet
you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises.</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><b>
</b></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">In
you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered
them. To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and
were not put to shame.</span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i>But
I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the
people. All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their
heads. ‘He trusts in the Lord,’ they say, ‘let the Lord rescue
him.<br />Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.’</i></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-14215"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-14216"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-14217"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-14218"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-14219"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-14220"></a>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Yet
you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my
mother’s breast. From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s
womb you have been my God.</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><b>
</b></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Do
not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><b>
</b></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Many
bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. Roaring lions
that tear their prey open their mouths wide against me.<br />I am
poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart
has turned to wax; it has melted within me. My mouth is dried up like
a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me
in the dust of death.</span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Dogs
surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands
and my feet. All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over
me. They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.</span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i>But
you, Lord, do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly
to help me. Deliver me from the sword, my precious life from the
power of the dogs. Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me
from the horns of the wild oxen.</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I
will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise
you. You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob,
honour him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! For he has not
despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not
hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help. From
you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those
who fear you I will fulfil my vows.<br />The poor will eat and be
satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise him – may your
hearts live for ever!</span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i>All
the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the
families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion
belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations.<span style="font-size: 9pt;"><b>
</b></span>All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who
go down to the dust will kneel before him – those who cannot keep
themselves alive. Posterity will serve him; future generations will
be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness,
declaring to a people yet unborn:</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i>He
has done it!</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i><b>Tetelestai!</b></i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">In
the Psalm King David spoke of a day to come when a descendant of His
would achieve salvation for God's people. He prophesied that it would
be a work of God alone through his own ancestor. Jesus died on the
cross taking to Himself sin.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Isaiah
spoke of what was to happen:</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Isaiah
53</span></span></span></b></div>
<div align="LEFT">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-18713"></a>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Who
has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been
revealed?<br />He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a
root out of dry ground.<br />He had no beauty or majesty to attract us
to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was
despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar
with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was
despised, and we held him in low esteem.</span></i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i>Surely
he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him
punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced
for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the
punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are
healed.<br />We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has
turned to our own way;<br />and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity
of us all.</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">He
was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was
led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers
is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgement
he was taken away.<br />Yet who of his generation protested? For he was
cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my
people he was punished.</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><b>
</b></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">He
was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><b>
</b></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Yet
it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and
though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his
offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper
in his hand.<br />After he has suffered, he will see the light of life
and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify
many, and he will bear their iniquities.<br />Therefore I will give him
a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the
strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered
with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made
intercession for the transgressors.</span></span></i></span></div>
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<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">What
happened on the cross? </span></span></span></b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">God's
plan of salvation was carried out. Sin was dealt with, it was not
wiped out but it was dealt with justly. It is only a corrupt judge
that chooses to turn a blind eye to wrong and so God who is perfectly
righteous and just cannot simply by-pass sin, sin had to be dealt
with. The penalty had to be paid, blood had to be shed in order that
it propitiate or appease God's anger at sin. It was God Himself that
paid the price in that His Son Jesus became a man but without sin. On
the cross He became sin in place of all that repent and trust in Him.
What happened on the cross is that Jesus was judged by God to be the
arch sinner, the worst that has ever lived and yet He was perfect.
Jesus had the full force of God's wrath poured out on Him, the
sufferings that were seen are nothing in comparison to what was
really taking place. The author of life died as a treacherous sinner
for you and me. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">All
of that on the cross; no wonder Tetelestai was shouted as His final
breath.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">What
does that mean to me?</span></span></span></b></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">These
two songs say it all:</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">143
Here is love vast as the ocean.</span></span></span></b></div>
<div align="LEFT">
<span style="color: #0a3f64;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">1.
Here is love, vast as the ocean,<br />Loving kindness as the
flood,<br />When the Prince of Life, our Ransom,<br />Shed for us His
precious blood.<br />Who His love will not remember?<br />Who can cease
to sing His praise?<br />He can never be forgotten,<br />Throughout
Heaven’s eternal days.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; line-height: 0.21in; orphans: 1; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">2.
On the mount of crucifixion,<br />Fountains opened deep and
wide;<br />Through the floodgates of God’s mercy<br />Flowed a vast and
gracious tide.<br />Grace and love, like mighty rivers,<br />Poured
incessant from above,<br />And Heaven’s peace and perfect
justice<br />Kissed a guilty world in love.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; line-height: 0.21in; orphans: 1; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">3.
Let me all Thy love accepting,<br />Love Thee, ever all my days;<br />Let
me seek Thy kingdom only<br />And my life be to Thy praise;<br />Thou
alone shalt be my glory,<br />Nothing in the world I see.<br />Thou hast
cleansed and sanctified me,<br />Thou Thyself hast set me free.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; line-height: 0.21in; orphans: 1; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">4.
In Thy truth Thou dost direct me<br />By Thy Spirit through Thy
Word;<br />And Thy grace my need is meeting,<br />As I trust in Thee, my
Lord.<br />Of Thy fullness Thou art pouring<br />Thy great love and power
on me,<br />Without measure, full and boundless,<br />Drawing out my
heart to Thee.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">465
When I survey.</span></span></span></b></div>
<div align="LEFT">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">When
I survey the wondrous cross<br />On which the Prince of glory died,<br />My
richest gain I count but loss,<br />And pour contempt on all my pride.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<ol>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Forbid
it, Lord, that I should boast,<br />Save in the death of Christ my
God!<br />All the vain things that charm me most,<br />I sacrifice them
to His blood.</span></span></span></div>
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</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">See
from His head, His hands, His feet,<br />Sorrow and love flow mingled
down!<br />Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,<br />Or thorns compose
so rich a crown?</span></span></span></div>
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</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Were
the whole realm of nature mine,<br />That were a present far too
small;<br />Love so amazing, so divine,<br />Demands my soul, my life,
my all.</span></span></span></div>
</ol>
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<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We
have sung the purpose, by His love we have experienced grace,which is
perfectly seen in His sufferings on the cross. How wonderful that
Good Friday was that heard from God the Son:</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Tetelestai!</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER">
<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>In
Christ alone.</b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">
</span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">In
Christ alone my hope is found,<br />He is my light, my strength, my
song;<br />This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,<br />Firm through the
fiercest drought and storm.<br />What heights of love, what depths of
peace,<br />When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!<br />My
Comforter, my All in All,<br />Here in the love of Christ I stand.</span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.21in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">In
Christ alone! - who took on flesh,<br />Fullness of God in helpless
babe.<br />This gift of love and righteousness,<br />Scorned by the ones
He came to save:<br />Till on that cross as Jesus died,<br />The wrath of
God was satisfied -<br />For every sin on Him was laid;<br />Here in the
death of Christ I live.</span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.21in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">There
in the ground His body lay,<br />Light of the world by darkness
slain:<br />Then bursting forth in glorious day<br />Up from the grave He
rose again!<br />And as He stands in victory<br />Sin's curse has lost
its grip on me,<br />For I am His and He is mine -<br />Bought with the
precious blood of Christ.</span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.21in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">No
guilt in life, no fear in death,<br />This is the power of Christ in
me;<br />From life's first cry to final breath,<br />Jesus commands my
destiny.<br />No power of hell, no scheme of man,<br />Can ever pluck me
from His hand:<br />Till He returns or calls me home,<br />Here in the
power of Christ I'll stand.</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08587097423004792645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678364666154335588.post-73230444671078435102016-03-20T00:55:00.003-07:002016-03-20T14:45:02.265-07:00Jesus is King<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>Easter
2016: Palm Sunday</b></i></span></span></span></div>
<h1 align="JUSTIFY" class="western">
<br /></h1>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Matthew
21:1-17</b></span></span></span></div>
<h3 align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in; margin-top: 0in;">
</h3>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>As
they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of
Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, ‘Go to the
village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there,
with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me.</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><i>If anyone says anything to you,
say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.’</i></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>This
took place to fulfil what was spoken through the prophet:</i></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Say
to Daughter Zion, “See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding
on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”’</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>The
disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them.</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><i>They brought the donkey and the
colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on.</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><i>A very large crowd spread their
cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and
spread them on the road.</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The crowds that went ahead of
him and those that followed shouted,</i></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;">‘</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Hosanna
to the Son of David!’</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;">‘</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Blessed
is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;">‘</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Hosanna
in the highest heaven!’</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-23837"></a>
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was
stirred and asked, ‘Who is this?’</i></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-23838"></a>
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>The crowds answered, ‘This is Jesus, the prophet
from Nazareth in Galilee.’</i></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Jesus
entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and
selling there. He overturned the tables of the money-changers and the
benches of those selling doves.</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><i>‘It is written,’ he said to
them,‘“My house will be called a house of prayer,” but you are
making it “a den of robbers.”’</i></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-23841"></a>
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and
he healed them.</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><i>But when the chief priests and
the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the
children shouting in the temple courts, ‘Hosanna to the Son of
David,’ they were indignant.</i></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-23843"></a>
‘<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Do you hear what these children are saying?’
they asked him.</i></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
‘<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Yes,’ replied
Jesus, ‘have you never read, </i></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>‘“</i></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>From
the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your
praise”?’</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-23844"></a>
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany,
where he spent the night.</i></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
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<div align="CENTER" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-width: 7.5pt; border-style: none none double; line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in; padding: 0in 0in 0.03in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>New
International Version - UK (NIVUK)</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Jesus
was on His way to Jerusalem and when He reached Bethphage He
requested that two of His disciples go ahead and collect a donkey and
her colt that was ready for Him. They brought them back for Jesus and
put their cloaks on the back and Jesus rode the colt I fulfilment of
Zechariah 9:9 <span style="font-size: small;"><i>“See, your king comes to you, gentle
and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”’</i></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">There
was a very large crowd there at the time and they began to praise God
in recognition that Jesus was fulfilling the words of the prophet.
They momentarily had hope in Jesus that He was the promised Messiah
but their hopes would soon be dashed a few days later when they would
be crying for His crucifixion. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We
will be looking at who the crowd were and why they were there tonight
in our bible study but suffice it to say for now this was the
beginning of the season of Passover and Jerusalem was filling up with
visitors on their way for celebrations. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We
live in Looe and at the moment there are more and more visitors
coming because the annual pilgrimage to the seaside is about to
begin. Next week we will have far more holiday makers than there are
residents. That is what Jerusalem was like at Passover when probably
there were more than a million pilgrims descend upon the city.
Passover was of course a time of celebration of the deliverance of
God's people and so when the crowd saw the most famous preacher in
the land riding the colt of a donkey (with it's mother as evidence)
it made them wonder whether this could possibly be Messiah.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We
will consider this a lot more tonight so please join us but for now
we will consider three qualities of the King. We know that the hopes
of the crowd were fulfilled in Jesus and that he is a King of very
different qualities to any other king that has ever lived and that He
did bring deliverance for His people during that Passover celebration
but as we shall see next weekend in a very different way to what
anybody would ever have thought. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We
will consider first the King of promise, and then the King of praise
and finally the King of love.</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>The
King of promise:</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">This
is one of the most famous and important events during the ministry of
Jesus. The people in Jerusalem at the time were witnessing the
fulfilment of the prophesy of Zechariah. God through His prophet in
chapter 9:9-17 promises judgement upon the enemies of Israel and the
kingdom of God. This will begin with a triumphal entry of the King
into the capital city of Jerusalem. His coming will cause the
children of Israel to rejoice greatly and to shout for joy because He
has come BUT it is not as to be expected. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Instead
of Jesus riding the white horse signifying victory He comes in
humility riding a beast of burden but worse still, it is not even a
mature donkey it is a foal. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>Zechariah
promises that the King to come will look more like a humble failure
but yet He is King.</b></i> </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
prophesy continues to tell of the work of the King. He will proclaim
peace to the nations. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>His
weapon is His message. </b></i></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">This
is a very different King but He is the King promised by God.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Zechariah
prophesies that His work is amazing in that He will speak to and
reign over all of the earth. He will bring freedom to His people and
He will also appear in glory, He will conquer the enemy and save His
people. Finally He will beautify His people just like jewels in a
crown. They will be a truly prosperous people.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">When
Jesus entered into Jerusalem on that day He preached a very powerful
sermon simply by His mode of entry. This went over the heads of those
who should have seen the spectacle and immediately thought of God's
promises made through Zechariah but they did not. Instead they were
enraged and wanted Jesus to stop the people from shouting out to Him.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Jesus
is King of all Kings, He is exactly what God has promised. He came
into Jerusalem that day as the arriving Passover lamb that would be
slain for the sins of His people.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">He
was then the King of promise and He is still the King of promise. He
has fulfilled all that Zechariah proclaimed of Him and He continues
to bring peace and prosperity to His people. But you might say “I
do not see much prosperity here!” That is true but read the whole
of the promise made through Zechariah and you will see that it is
prosperity that could not be fulfilled in this world. Jesus promised
that we would become inheritors of heaven itself and would be seated
with Him in glory where we will be rich beyond all measure.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Jesus
is the promised King, are you one of His loyal subjects? </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Have
you made Him King of your life?</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>The
King to be praised:</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Why
did the people spread out their coats and palm branches on the
ground? </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Coats,
am not sure that there is some biblical precedence for that but Palm
branches are mentioned. At the feast of Tabernacles the people were
to cut palm branches to make shelters to live in for 7 days as part
of their thanksgiving for the harvest. Due to the feast of
Tabernacles following the Passover. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Jesus
however was to die at Passover and so this event is logically not
related to the feast of Tabernacles but we do find in Revelation 7
that in heaven the great multitude who were singing praises to the
reigning Lamb of God were holding palm branches in their hands. At
that time throughout the surrounding nations a conquering king would
return home to the accolade of his people. Today we might have little
paper flags but they would cut down a branch and wave it furiously in
recognition of the great victory. This is something of what we find
in Revelation, the Lamb has been sacrificed, He has conquered sin,
Satan and death and He is reigning supremely.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>The
crowd on that day in Jerusalem caught a glimpse of the conquering
King coming in victory but in humility with a job yet to do! </b></i></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">It
is not until we are in heaven that we will see the enormity of that
victory but in great hope the people of Jerusalem on that day
applauded the King in the great hope of deliverance. They looked to
Jesus in the hope of salvation to come. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>But
we look to Him as the victor over sin and who has accomplished
salvation how much more appropriate is it for us to praise Him for
what He has achieved on the cross!</b></i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Look
at what the crowd shouted! Hosanna or save. I am sure that they were
expecting their king to eventually rid the land of the occupying
forces of Rome but Jesus' mission was far greater. Zechariah said
that it would be effective across the whole world. We must always
remember that Israel is the Old Covenant Nation of God and is
therefore the incomplete fore-runner to the church. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Israel
was a nation chosen by God through whom He would display His glory.
God's glory is always found in the person of Jesus. He came not
merely to rescue a single nation but to save a people from every
tribe, nation and language. The enemy of the world is Satan and sin
from which Jesus came to save His people from the effect that it has
on them. That is why at that point in Revelation 7 the multitude are
praising the Lamb. It is by blood sacrifice that sin is atoned for
and our atonement is made secure by the Lamb of God who now reigns in
glory!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">“<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Blessed
is He who comes in the name of the Lord” is what the crowd sang
quoting Psalm 118:26 but they added to it in true Jewish style. They
said in parallel to “blessed is He who comes in the name of the
Lord” “Blessed is the King of Israel.” </span></span></span>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
truth of Israel was that they only really recognised God as their
King. Herod was the puppet who ruled but only God is the true King.
Therefore they are praising Jesus here as King. He is the promised
one that would come seated on the colt of a donkey. It is this king
who will bring salvation to all of His people and so they praise Him.
So much so that when the opposition want Jesus to quieten them Jesus
tells them that if they should stop then even the stones would cry
out. It is often said at this point that the road would burst into
song but that is not likely to be what Jesus is referring to. The
Temple was now in view, the temple made of stones cut by human hands.
The temple was the place where God made His presence known amongst
His people. His presence had long gone from within her four walls but
Jesus was saying that even the temple would declare His praises. </span></span></span>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">It
is no wonder that Jesus taught that He was building His church (the
place where He now makes His presence known) the building blocks of
which are His people. His people will sing His praises in life and in
death and even more so in eternity!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Unbelievers
hate it when the church praises God. The enemy would love to silence
us but it is our duty to sing praise to the King of kings and Lord of
lords. </span></span></span>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>We
will sing praise to our God while we have breathe.</b></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>The
King of love:</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Luke
19:41-42 records Jesus approaching Jerusalem and seeing the city!!
Jesus saw the city. It is important at this moment to stop and
consider what he saw. He saw a numerous people going about their
daily business but He also saw the hearts of the people. He knew that
every intention of all was evil and that evil would be directed to
Him in just 1 week's time. Their praises would change to demands of
execution. They would want Him dead but yet He wept for them! If only
they knew what the cost of their hoped for peace would be!But it was
hidden form their eyes.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">It
is still hidden from the eyes of unbelievers, they still do not
understand the cost of forgiveness of sin and the importance it has
for their eternal security. Jesus' love is demonstrated so clearly
here. If only Jerusalem might know the cost. He would have loved to
be able to show them the love He had for them but yet He knew their
hearts. His love is unconditional, it is parental just as a mother
hen loves her chicks then so the King of glory loves His people and
wants to protect them and keep them secure.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">He
did not come in order that they be condemned but that through Him
they might be saved. But they would not listen! They would demand
that He died at their command rather than as a self sacrifice for
them.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">As
we consider this passage His love pours out of the page. The quote in
our notices is from William Dyer a 17<sup>th</sup> century pastor who
rather graphically catches the enormity of the love that Christ had
for His people and how powerful His passover sacrifice really is</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">“</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>Christ
bled love at every vein! His drops of blood were drops of love. The
more bloody He was; the more lovely. He was most lovely upon the
cross because there He showed most love to us.” </b></i></span></span></span>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>William
Dyer: Christ's famous titles.</b></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
King of love our Jesus is, have you experienced His love personally? </span></span></span>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Apply
the gospel.</span></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08587097423004792645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678364666154335588.post-83384803715673566412016-03-15T22:41:00.001-07:002016-03-15T22:41:03.572-07:00Thanksgiving service for the life of Joy Harrison.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgENx3TOpx6U2_IpGlGqMcjWT93kHhsqbRsVREYfio4PdqscYH2KbqbAzQieA3JL1ahKF1hjjLMdywnXW86txguDY9zQLj5NC5au9b6ScKiSXm_8nolT93JabMoGiNEPb8Q3mdCifKDiKMq/s1600/Joy+Harrison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgENx3TOpx6U2_IpGlGqMcjWT93kHhsqbRsVREYfio4PdqscYH2KbqbAzQieA3JL1ahKF1hjjLMdywnXW86txguDY9zQLj5NC5au9b6ScKiSXm_8nolT93JabMoGiNEPb8Q3mdCifKDiKMq/s400/Joy+Harrison.jpg" width="332" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Over the years a number of people have requested that I take their funeral. Joy Harrison was one of those people and so she died at the end of February this year it was natural that I would be involved. Therefore the journey to South Wales was made and I had the privilege of leading a thanksgiving service in the church in Ogmore-by-Sea evangelical church. Below is the transcript of the service held in memory of Joy.</span></span></h1>
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<br />Ogmore-by-Sea Evangelical Church</h1>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>15</b></span></span><span style="color: black;"><sup><span style="font-size: small;"><b>th</b></span></sup></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> March 2016</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Welcome:</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">It is with great sadness that we gather here today. Our purpose is to celebrate the life of Evelyn Joy Harrison known affectionately as Joy to most of us here. Joy was a much loved mother, grandmother, relative, friend or neighbour. She sadly passed away in the early hours of Saturday 27</span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><sup><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">th</span></span></sup></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> February 2016. Joy's death did not really come as a great shock due to her having been unwell for quite some time but that makes this none the less a sad occasion.</span></span></span></h1>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">To have known Joy was to respect her, the two came hand in hand. Our purpose in this service is to celebrate Joy's life and to praise the Lord Jesus Christ for all that He has done for her and through her. Therefore we will be singing some of Joy's favourite songs of praise, we will read a portion of the bible which over recent years had become a vital part of her life. We will speak of her life and the Saviour that she loved.</span></span></span></h1>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">We begin by praying:</span></span></h1>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">Prayer:</span></span></h1>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sing:</span></span></h1>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Lord's my Shepherd.</span></span></h1>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">Psalm 121</span></span></h1>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from?<br />My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.</b></i></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>He will not let your foot slip – he who watches over you will not slumber;<br />indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.</b></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>The Lord watches over you – the Lord is your shade at your right hand;<br />the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.</b></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>The Lord will keep you from all harm – he will watch over your life;<br />the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and for evermore.</b></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Sing:</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">I know not why God's wondrous grace.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Tribute:</b></span></span></div>
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<b>Word's of comfort in difficult days:</b></div>
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I am grateful to Gary for his comprehensive notes on the life of Joy. Gary has produced what he calls the “Seven ages of Mum” in which he plots Joy's life from the beginning.</div>
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<b>The first age: A grand entrance.</b></div>
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It all began on 17<sup>th</sup> March 1930 when Evelyn Joy Lee was born to Percy and Annie Lee.</div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Percy was a veteran of the Great War having fought with the Royal Engineers in the trenches of the Western Front where he was shot in the stomach at Armentieres, just south of Ypres by a German sniper in 1916. He was subsequently discharged after a lengthy period of convalescence.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">When Joy was a baby the family moved to Highland Place, Coity, Bridgend where she spent all of her childhood, and teenage years along with sister Ina who was born a couple of years later.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The second age: Growing up.</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Joy attended Pen-y-Bont school where she had a happy childhood and as you can imagine she made many friends. There was one particular friend Barbara who would be a lifelong friend to Joy. It was Barbara who introduced Joy to her cousin Keith. Love soon blossomed and Joy and Keith were married in the Spring of 1951 at Hope Church, Bridgend. They began married life in Quarrella Road, Bridgend. Joy at the time worked for one of the post-war Government Departments. Soon after this they bought their first house in Garfield Avenue, Litchard where they lived happily until 1962 when they bought a garage and house in Exeter</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Keith steadily built up a good business with Joy helping him as accountant. Their first child, Gary, came along in 1964.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The third age: Emigrating.</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">They lived happily in Exeter until after a short holiday to Canada to see Barbara in 1966 when they decided to emigrate to London Ontario in 1967. Keith soon found work as a motor mechanic and Joy settled down to life in Canada.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Family life with Joy was always a lot of fun with many happenings on the way. In their early days in Canada they took a trip by car across the prairies and through the Rockies. Whilst in the Rockies Keith and Joy had an amazing experience whilst standing outside of the car to admire the view. They came face-to-face with a Grizzly Bear and just made it back to the car with the bear in hot pursuit. You can just imagine the conversation in the car for the next few miles.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">On another occasion whilst on the same trip Gary fell into a stream and was almost swept away but was plucked out at the last moment by Joy wading into the water. These are examples of what life was like in the Harrison household. Joy loved to recount the stories of the past all of which helps us to understand something of her character.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Whilst in Canada Keith became very unwell, his sickness was attributed to the extreme heat of the Canadian Summer but it later turned out to be to be thyroid problems. For this reason Keith and Joy decided to return to the UK. They moved to Dawlish for a short time in order for Keith to recuperate. Upon Keith's recovery they bought the garage in Ogmore-by-Sea in 1969. Gary started school and Robbie came along shortly afterwards in 1970.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The fourth age: Building the business.</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Initially the garage was a hut selling petrol but Keith slowly turned it into a car sales business. Joy settled down to making home in the aptly named The Nest where she looked after the garage accounts and raised her family.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Gradually the business built-up and in the late 1970’s Keith and Joy built the garage complex at the bottom of Church Close with Kilworth built as their living quarters. The business later became a Mazda franchise in the 1980.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The fifth age: Further developments.</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Time passed happily in Kilworth with Joy loyally discharging her role as Mother, house-wife and accountant. Gary moved away in 1983 and the car sales was changed to an antiques business in the late 1980’s.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Later they sold Kilworth and converted part of the showroom into a home for their semi-retirement.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The sixth age: Community service and mixed emotions.</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">In 1990 Joy joined </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">the Ogmore and St Brides Community Council on which she served for 13 or more years. She was an effective and much loved member of the local council where she served as the Conservative party representative.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Joy's greatest sadness came when Keith passed away in January 1992. The antiques business was closed down and Joy began to learn how to live without her soul partner. After a while she moved into77 Main Road which she made into her home until she finally passed away.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">In March 2001 Joy became suddenly unwell with what she always referred to as her mystery illness. The doctors and specialists were completely confused as to what had caused her to so unwell. Within just 12 hours she went into a coma and was on life support machines. It was said of her condition that she had defeated science and logic. But it was during this time when a number of her vital organs had failed and death seemed to be imminent that spiritual life was born in Joy. She had an encounter with the Lord that was real to her and which dramatically changed her outlook on life. She had an encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ who assured her that she would live through the illness and she in turn committed her life to Him. After this encounter Joy soon began to recover and was released from hospital on the 11</span></span><span style="color: black;"><sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">th</span></span></sup></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> of September that year 7 months after first becoming unwell. During this time we at the church were praying much for Joy but not knowing what the Lord was doing in her life.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">The whole experience had a profound effect upon Joy who as soon as it was possible came to church where she became a committed member of the fellowship here. I remember Joy stopping me one Sunday evening as I was walking to the evening service and asking if she could come along. That is a question that every pastor loves to be asked. Joy came along and it was obvious that something vital had happened to her. We will return to this in a few moments.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Another significant thing happened during this time. She was approached by her long lost cousin Bob in Australia who was compiling his family tree and wanted to visit to learn more about his family. This was the beginning of a deep friendship; Bob and Joy spent many hours visiting family and catching up on old times. Bob is greatly saddened that he cannot be here today and has sent the following tribute:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy" , serif;"><b>In Memory of Evelyn Joy Harrison</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy" , serif;"><b>On this lady’s life the sun has set</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy" , serif;"><b>A lady who suffered such pain</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy" , serif;"><b>Her passing now brings much regret</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy" , serif;"><b>Whilst fondest of memories remain</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy" , serif;"><b>Her family and friends both near and far</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy" , serif;"><b>Now grieve she has gone for ever</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy" , serif;"><b>This lady…mother…beloved grandma</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy" , serif;"><b>Will not be forgotten…never</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy" , serif;"><b>Through God’s good grace …Joy has gone</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy" , serif;"><b>To his garden for her to tend</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy" , serif;"><b>Our fondness and love for her live on</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy" , serif;"><b>For the joy she brought us has no end</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d;"></span><span style="color: #1f497d;"></span><span style="color: #1f497d;"><span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><b>Lovingly remembered…Bob</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The seventh age: Moving on.</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">The final stage began for Joy one sunny summer's morning in June last year when as she went to see the plans for the Ogmore-by-Sea community hall she fell and ended up in hospital. This was the start of a long stay in hospital and eventually on to Picton Court for a short time. Her health was steadily deteriorating until finally she passed away peacefully at the age of 85 years just 3 weeks before her 86</span></span><span style="color: black;"><sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">th</span></span></sup></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> birthday.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">For Joy this was her final moving on! But for her there was a welcome in heaven. Heaven was her confident hope which was sealed when on that day in 2001 she met with the Lord Jesus. If you think back to the second hymn that we sang. The words of the chorus are: “I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I committed unto Him against that day!” Those words are taken directly from the writing of the Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy chapter 1:</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-29820"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-29821"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-29822"></a><span style="color: black;"><i>For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. He has saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">On that day whilst in a coma in her hospital bed Joy committed her life to Jesus Christ. The gospel tells us that her sin was forgiven and that she was then a new creation. That means that the old life of self will was no more and a life dedicated to the glory of God had begun. There is nobody who knew Joy that could deny the difference that this made to her. I had the great pleasure of being her pastor and her friend. She delighted myself and the church with her enthusiasm for the bible, for worship and fellowship with the church. She became a committed member of our little church and was one of the most regular and loyal attenders where she was loved and respected by all.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">We all know that Joy was never a fading violet she was always ready to question something that had been said or to comment largely when appropriate. I loved it when she would stop me whilst in free flow of a sermon to ask me to clarify a point.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">But there is just one more thing that we learn from the passage above, Paul says that faith in Jesus Christ has destroyed death for the believer but yet here we are at the funeral of Joy a follower of Jesus. What is that about, well it is all about moving on. Remember the old song “This world is not my home I'm just a passing through, my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue!” There is a bit of poetic licence there, the treasure for the Christian is laid up beyond this life. The promise of scripture is that for the Christian we move on from this life and in a moment of time we are in heaven and present with the Lord.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">On Saturday 27</span><span style="color: black;"><sup>th</sup></span><span style="color: black;"> February 2016 Joy moved on from this life to eternal life where she was met by her Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who welcomed her into heaven with these words: “Well done Joy you good and faithful servant.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">This same welcome is available to all who like Joy commit their life to Jesus.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">I would like to bring comfort to all here who are mourning today by telling you that our God in heaven knows just what it is like for a loved one to die. It was God the Son who died on the cross and the heart of His Father in heaven was broken. Just as God knows what pain grief brings He will surely comfort any one of us that comes to Him humbly seeking help and comfort. He is only a prayer away.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">We thank God for the life of Joy, she was a faithful wife of Keith, loving mum of Gary and Robbie. A doting grandmother 8 times over. She was a family member, friend or neighbour to all of us, we miss her desperately but we thank God for her having been part of our lives.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Earth has been impoverished by Joy's death but heaven is very much enriched!</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Sing:</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">I heard the voice of Jesus say.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Prayer:</b></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08587097423004792645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678364666154335588.post-17638662359547277192016-02-14T00:06:00.002-08:002016-02-14T00:06:41.505-08:00 “We are committed to fellowship.” Romans 12:1-21<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Building
the right foundation part 22</b></span></div>
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</h1>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Therefore,
I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer
your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this
is your true and proper worship.</i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Do
not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what
God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>For
by the grace given me I say to every one of you: do not think of
yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself
with sober judgement, in accordance with the faith God has
distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with
many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so
in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to
all the others.</i></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>We
have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If
your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your
faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach;
if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then
give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show
mercy, do it cheerfully.</i></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-28256"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-28257"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-28258"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-28259"></a>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Love
must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted
to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves. Never be
lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share
with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practise hospitality.</i></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-28260"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-28261"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-28262"></a>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Bless
those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those
who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one
another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of
low position. Do not be conceited.</i></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-28263"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-28264"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-28265"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-28266"></a>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Do
not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the
eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you,
live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends,
but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to
avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.</i></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>On
the contrary:</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">‘</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>If
your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something
to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’</i></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-28267"></a>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Do
not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>New
International Version - UK (NIVUK)</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>*******</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">As
we continue our series of “Building the Right Foundation” we will
once again refer to our church covenant which every church member
agrees to abide by when joining the church. It is therefore important
for us to regularly consider it's content and to re-confirm the
promises made. Today our focus will be: </span></span>
</div>
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<br />
<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "antique oakland" , "malgun gothic" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Church
covenant point 4</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "antique oakland" , "malgun gothic" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>We
commit ourselves to </b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "antique oakland" , "malgun gothic" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b>fellowship</b></u></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "antique oakland" , "malgun gothic" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>
by seeking to maintain a spirit of love and unity among our brothers
and sisters, by encouraging each other in our spiritual lives, and by
carrying out a ministry of caring.</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We
will therefore consider what a committed fellowship looks like and
how we maintain true fellowship. The covenant statement begins with
the </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><u>Commitment
made</u></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>
</b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">and
continues to speak of the </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><u>Spirit
in which the commitment is made</u></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">
which then naturally results in </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><u>mutual
encouragement</u></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>.
</b></span></span></span>
</div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">In
my experience church can often be one of the most discouraging places
on the face of the earth. But as we read the New Testament we
discover that this should never be the case. In fact church should be
a mini version of heaven here on earth. Church of course is not the
building. I can understand those who make comment in visitors books
in places of worship saying that they have found in the building an
atmosphere of peace. I personally may not get that feeling in that
place but certainly do when on top of a beautiful mountain in the
silence of nature where peace is tangible enough to feel. That is not
the point of what we are considering today, even though feelings are
important they are never a true indication of reality. We can often
feel at perfect peace when all is wrong.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
church is the gathering of Christians whose set purpose is to glorify
Jesus and to worship God by His Spirit. And so the purpose of our
gathering this morning is to worship God together and by this to
encourage and build each other up in the faith. This then begs the
question; </span></span></span>
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<span style="color: black;">“<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>why
there so much negativity in the church today?” </b></i></span></span></span>
</div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">This
is where our covenant is so helpful. In the Lord's letter to the
church in Ephesus found at the beginning of Revelation; Jesus
criticised the church because thy had lost their first love. Even
though they were commendable in many ways they had moved from their
original foundation they looked good from the outside but in reality
they had gone hopelessly wrong. They are a reminder to us that we
need to keep our focus right.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Our
foundation is clearly spelled out our covenant, therefore when there
is discouragement and criticism it is evident that our foundation has
slipped. Over the years our church has experienced many blessings for
which we praise God but there have also been many discouragements. We
pray that God will help us once again to build on the right
foundation. In this today's subject is absolutely key to the ongoing
work of the gospel here in Callington.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Let
us therefore first consider:</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><u><b>Our
commitment</b></u></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>:</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Therefore,
I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer
your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this
is your true and proper worship.</i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Do
not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what
God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Our
commitment to each other must be founded upon our commitment to God.
The Apostle Paul in our reading is speaking to the church, giving
them instructions as to what true worship should be like. As a group
of gathered Christians there Paul gives us a few ground rules that
make us into the church. The first of which is:</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">God's
mercy: Paul reminds the church that for everything we are totally
dependent upon the mercy of God. By this stage in his letter Paul has
already taken the opportunity to spell out in great detail what God's
mercy looks like. In chapter 3 he says this: </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Righteousness
is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is
no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace
through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. </i></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
important word here is justified; an easy way of remembering what
justified means is that in God's sight it is: </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">JUST
AS IF I HAD NEVER SINNED.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">This
has been made possible for us by God's grace when we became a
Christian. By the sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus upon the cross
our sin was dealt with, we are forgiven and are innocent of all sin
as far as god is concerned. He no longer sees sin in us because it
was transferred to Jesus when He died on the cross. We are justified,
innocent and free.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">In
view of this Paul says tells us in the passage read that there will
be a knock on effect. Before we go on to explore what that means we
must take this opportunity to challenge our own hearts in order to
check that we are truly justified. Do you know with absolute
confidence that God truly sees you as if you had never sinned. This
will only be true of any one of us if we believe on Him who was
crucified and turn from our own sinful ways and trust in Christ alone
for the forgiveness of our sin. If you are not too sure; why not have
a chat with me afterwards, I will not be able to do something spooky
over you and make you a Christian but I would love to show you more
of how it can be possible for you.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Many
of the discouragements in the church come from people who believe
that they are saved but are not and have not experienced God's grace
and mercy and as such they are confused as to what church really is
all about. It is equally true that many problems come from Christians
who have forgotten the mercy that God has given them when they were
converted. Either way we must remind ourselves constantly of God's
mercy and then act in accordance with that wonderful gift.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Our
commitment made due to God's mercy is the foundation of how we
function as the church.</span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><u><b>
</b></u></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><u><b>The
spirit of our commitment</b></u></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>:</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Therefore,
I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer
your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this
is your true and proper worship.</i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Do
not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind. </i></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Paul
says that because of God's mercy extended to us then we must act in
accordance with that gift. This is evidenced by our offering to Him
the right sacrifice. See what Paul says; it must be a living
sacrifice. Jesus is the only one that died a sacrificial death. Paul
is talking about us being living sacrifices. We have all heard of
those who believe that they must live a life of total deprivation in
order to please God. Paul is not advocating living in caves, up
trees, on desert islands. Neither is he saying that we live in
communes or in poverty in order to please God. He is saying that we
are to live whatever life God has benefitted us with in holiness
which is then pleasing to God. This requires a sacrifice in the form
of crucifying self wants, self demands and desires. For the Christian
it is now all about Him who will supply our every need it is no
longer about me and my rights. This is a completely new
characteristic but it is the foundation of the church. The church is
evidenced by it's sacrificial spirit towards God and also towards one
another. It is a spiritual gift that God has given to the church. It
is what our covenant is saying:</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "antique oakland" , "malgun gothic" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>We
commit ourselves to </b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "antique oakland" , "malgun gothic" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b>fellowship</b></u></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "antique oakland" , "malgun gothic" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>
by seeking to maintain a spirit of love and unity among our brothers
and sisters, by encouraging each other in our spiritual lives, and by
carrying out a ministry of caring.</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Can
you see how this fits in with what Paul is saying? We are now
interlinked through Christ to each other. When I worked in my
laboratory I had a wonderful nuclear magnetic resonance machine to
play with to my hearts content. That machine was absolutely useless
if it was not focussed. For a right result the magnetic field which
did the work had to be focussed onto the sample. This required me to
spend hours or even at times days tuning it by twiddling 10 little
knobs which were interdependent upon each other. There was first the
number one knob which had to be right to start off with and then the
other 9 had to be interdependently tuned to that one. The closer to
perfect that the machine became the more effective and sensitive each
little adjustment was. It was a laborious job but it was vital! That
is something like the church, our main focus is Jesus, if we make
sure that He is number one in all that we do the more that we adjust
our lives as individuals and corporately then the more like Him we
become. Paul says that the church must work together to be one holy
body. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">I
hated it when I was disturbed whilst tuning my nmr because it was
difficult to come back to it. I had one colleague who thought it
funny to come along and turn one of the knobs. He was a perfect
picture of the devil who loves to come into the church and turn one
of God's people in another direction the result being disunity! We
need to keep the focus, we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and that then
spurs our thoughts to each other. We are the family of God and we do
not want to be dysfunctional. A dysfunctional family is usually known
by it squabbles and internal wranglings.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">I
know many good families that I have observed and have wanted to be a
part of their family unit. That is how the church should be, people
should be looking at us and saying look at how they love each other.
We want to join them. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">How
do we accomplish this?</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Paul
tells us that we should put worldly or sinful ways aside and be Godly
in all that we do towards God and also to each other! </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">How
do we put this in place?</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b>Mutual
encouragement</b></u></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>:
</b></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">That
is what our covenant says that we are committed to. This is what
scripture says:</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>For
by the grace given me I say to every one of you: do not think of
yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself
with sober judgement, in accordance with the faith God has
distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with
many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so
in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to
all the others.</i></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>We
have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If
your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your
faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach;
if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then
give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show
mercy, do it cheerfully.</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-282561"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-282571"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-282581"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-282591"></a>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Love
must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted
to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves. Never be
lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share
with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practise hospitality.</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-282601"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-282611"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-282621"></a>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Bless
those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those
who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one
another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of
low position. Do not be conceited.</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-282631"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-282641"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-282651"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-282661"></a>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Do
not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the
eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you,
live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends,
but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to
avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.</i></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>On
the contrary:</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;">‘</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>If
your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something
to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Do
not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Let
us simply highlight the different ways in which we encourage and care
for one another:</span></span></span></div>
<ul>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Do
not think of yourself more highly than you do others. Look at
yourself with honesty in the light of the truth of scripture. The
reality is that we are all sinners saved by grace and are only as
much worth to God as is every other person. Modern thinking is “I
am the greatest” biblical thinking is you are the greatest.</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We
all belong together as one unit. Paul likens the church to the body.
The body has one specific function which is achieved through the
efforts of many different contributions. This is a wonderful picture
of how the church must operate, using all of it's functions whatever
they are for the purpose of glorifying God. No one function whether
it be prophesying or preaching, teaching or praying, serving or
being served, administrating or organising, and the many many more
functions are vital for our church. These gifts must be used by
those equipped with them to use them and then the church will be
functioning properly, it is an all body or all people ministry.
Where do you fit in? When it goes wrong it becomes like our bodies
when they malfunction. I can speak of a broken bone that cripples
the man, a broken carer in the church cripples the church. A silent
preacher or teacher makes the church vulnerable. A lazy worker
leaves the church unkempt. What is your job here? Are you
functioning as you have been gifted? Are you in the right job? When
a cell in the body gets too big for itself, it becomes a cancer that
tries to take over and eventually kill the body. If you are trying
to do something that is not your gifting, just like the cancer you
will destroy the church along with yourself.</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Encourage
one another!</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Love
sincerely.</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Hang
on for dear life to goodness and despise evil. This is so much
needed by each one of us here.</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Be
devoted to one another: Devoted = loyal; faithful; true; true blue;
staunch, constant, committed, dedicated, devout, fond, loving,
admiring, affectionate, caring, attentive, warm, ardent!!!! In fact
it sounds just like Jesus and how He is to us! Be like Jesus in our
devotion to each other.</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Honour
one another.</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Be
zealous in serving the Lord.</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Be
joyful, not doleful.</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Patient
in all things.</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Prayerful.</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Generous.</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Hospitable.</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">A
blessing even to those who do not like you.</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Rejoicing
with those who rejoice, mourning with those who mourn.</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Harmonious.</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Fair
minded and not proud.</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Not
conceited.</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Doing
the right thing.</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">As
far as possible living at peace with all.</span></span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">If
we can accomplish this as the church here then we will be a truly
blessed people and then others will be blessed through us. That is a
promise because the more we seek to follow our covenant then the more
Christ-like we become. The more Christ-like we are then the more
effective is our church witness.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08587097423004792645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678364666154335588.post-61498213286627055312016-02-06T22:14:00.000-08:002016-02-07T09:51:33.375-08:00 “We are committed to worship.” Heb.10:19-25 <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Building
the right foundation part 21</b></span></div>
<h1 align="JUSTIFY" class="western">
</h1>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-30154"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-30155"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-30156"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-30157"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-30158"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-30159"></a>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Therefore,
brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy
Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us
through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great
priest over the house of God, let us </i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><u>draw
near to God with a sincere heart </u></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>and
with the </i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><u>full
assurance that faith brings</u></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>,
having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience
and having our bodies washed with pure water. </i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><u>Let
us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess</u></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>,
for he who promised is faithful. </i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><u>And
let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good
deeds</u></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>,
</i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><u>not
giving up meeting together</u></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>,
as some are in the habit of doing, </i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><u>but
encouraging one another</u></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
– and all the more as you see the Day approaching. </i></span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>New
International Version - UK (NIVUK)</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>*******</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">As
we continue in our series of “Building the Right Foundation” we
continue to consider the church covenant. Every church member agrees
to the covenant when joining the church. It is therefore important
for us to regularly consider it's content and to re-confirm our
promises. Today we will focus upon: </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "antique oakland" , "malgun gothic" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Church
covenant point 3</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "antique oakland" , "malgun gothic" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>We
commit ourselves to </b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "antique oakland" , "malgun gothic" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b>worship</b></u></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "antique oakland" , "malgun gothic" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>
by </b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "antique oakland" , "malgun gothic" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b>reverent</b></u></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "antique oakland" , "malgun gothic" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>
and </b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "antique oakland" , "malgun gothic" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b>regular</b></u></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "antique oakland" , "malgun gothic" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>
attendance at services of praise, prayer and preaching, by sharing in
the celebrations of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and by
cheerfully giving our tithes and offerings.</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
writer of Hebrews in our passage speaks of the confidence that we
Christians have to enter into the most Holy Place. We will therefore
consider what he means by saying that. We will secondly consider
what reverent worship is and finally the importance of regular
attendance. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><b>The
confidence we have:</b></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-301541"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-301551"></a>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Therefore,
brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy
Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us
through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great
priest over the house of God,</i></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Firstly
we need to address what is the Most Holy Place. Hebrew's is a
letter written to a Jewish church and as such each person hearing
these words would immediately think of the central place in the
temple. The temple and also formerly the tabernacle was the place
where God had focussed His presence in Israel. He met in the Temple
with the nation's representative or High Priest in a very special
part known as the holy of holies or the most holy place. Only the
High Priest could enter and then it was only once a year after he had
been cleansed from the effect of sin through the blood of an innocent
victim. That place where God chose to meet with His people was a
pointer to the place where God lives eternally. It was a glimpse of
heaven on earth. It was also a a wonderful example which shows that
it is possible for sinful man to meet with God who is perfectly holy.
The way of meeting was directed by God and was only made possible by
the sacrifice of an innocent victim. All of this was a pointer to
what the Lord Jesus Christ did when He died upon the cross.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Instead
of a high priest who needed sin to be forgiven by sacrifice, Jesus
had to become sin in order to be sacrificed. He is now the Great High
Priest who has opened a way into heaven for all who are cleansed from
sin by His sacrificial blood. </span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">You
see:</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">There
is a natural barrier between man and God. It is our sin that separates us from His
presence but by faith in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice and through
repentance we are forgiven and can then enter into the Holy Place
where we can freely worship our God. When Jesus died on the cross the
curtain which separated the Temple courts from the Holy of Holies was
torn from top to bottom. It was only God that could tear it from the
top to the bottom, by doing so He demonstrated that He had now opened
up a new way into His presence. Jesus His Son had just made the once
for all sacrifice which made it possible for any to enter into God's
presence. By His death a way into the holy place was achieved for all who will trust in Him.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">It
is by repentance and faith that personal salvation is accomplished.
Repentance is simply turning away from self and sin and turning to
God for help and forgiveness and then in faith following Him.</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Is
this your personal experience?</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">If
it is then:</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-301571"></a>
<span style="color: black;">“<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>let
us </i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><u>draw
near to God with a sincere heart </u></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>and
with the </i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><u>full
assurance that faith brings</u></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>,
having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience
and having our bodies washed with pure water. </i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><u>Let
us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess</u></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>,
for he who promised is faithful.”</i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><b>How
should we worship?</b></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Our
covenant tells us that we must worship reverently. But what does it
mean to worship reverently?</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">One
thing that is absolutely clear throughout the whole of the Old
Testament is that we cannot worship just as we want to. Cain who was
the firstborn of Adam and Eve discovered this to his cost. In his
attempt to please God he brought an offering of the fruits of his own
labours which was totally unacceptable to God. His younger brother
Abel's offering of a sacrificed animal was however accepted. As a
consequence of this Cain in a jealous rage murdered his brother. Also
King David learned the same lesson when he transported the Ark of the
Covenant on an ox cart in order to take it into Jerusalem. This
procedure ultimately cost the life of a man called Uzzah. By the
death of a man who simply touched the Ark in order to steady it David
discovered that God is angry with anyone even His anointed king if
they do things as they think is right. God had recorded in His law
that the Ark must be carried by the priests only and should never be
transported on a cart. When David did it the right way then blessing
came to the nation.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">It
is exactly the same today we must only worship God in the way that He
proscribes. Both Cain and David on those occasions were guilty of
pragmatic worship. They had what they thought was a good idea and
offered the fruits of their mind as an act of worship and God
rejected it. We must worship God as he prescribes. Jesus said that
there was coming a time when His people would worship in Spirit and
truth. That is exactly what the writer to the Hebrews is saying in
our passage and it is also exactly what we have covenanted to do.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Let
us draw near to God with a sincere heart or as our covenant puts it
let us worship reverently. God is only interested in the sacrifice of
praise that come from a sincere heart. It is so easy for us to look
pious here in the worship service. Do you know God does not accept
anything that you offer whatever your words say if the your heart is
insincere. At this moment you know exactly what your heart is like,
some might say that you alone know but they are wrong. </span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><i><b>Man
may look on the outward appearance but God is scrutinising your heart
NOW!</b></i></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Let
us now draw near to God with a sincere heart! </span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><i><b>PRAY
for a moment!</b></i></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">The
writer also talks about a full assurance of faith. That means to be
fully persuaded that you really are saved. This comes as the direct
result of true repentance. Ephesians tells us that faith is a gift of
God. </span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>Do
you have full assurance of faith, if not ask God.</b></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">We
are a new creation the Apostle Paul said, we are no longer under
condemnation. Our sins are forgiven as far as the East is from the
West. God remembers them no more. Our hearts have been sprinkled and
our consciences are washed as was alluded to by Old Testament temple
ritual. But this is reality!</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><i><b>We
are saved!</b></i></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">All
of which means that we should:</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-301581"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-301591"></a>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><u>hold
unswervingly to the hope we profess</u></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>,
for he who promised is faithful. </i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><u>And
let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good
deeds</u></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>,
</i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><u>not
giving up meeting together</u></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>,
as some are in the habit of doing, </i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><u>but
encouraging one another</u></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
– and all the more as you see the Day approaching. </i></span></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><b>We
should regularly worship together:</b></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Our
covenant says:</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;">“<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "antique oakland" , "malgun gothic" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We
commit ourselves to </span></span></b></span><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "antique oakland" , "malgun gothic" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>worship</u></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "antique oakland" , "malgun gothic" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
by </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "antique oakland" , "malgun gothic" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>reverent</u></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "antique oakland" , "malgun gothic" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
and </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "antique oakland" , "malgun gothic" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>regular</u></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "antique oakland" , "malgun gothic" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
attendance at services of praise, prayer and preaching, by sharing in
the celebrations of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and by
cheerfully giving our tithes and offerings.”</span></span></span></b></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">This
is what we ought to adhere to. We ought to be regularly attending the
services and share in the celebrations and ordinances of the church. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Baptism
is a command of scripture. Have you been baptised. I know that there
are differing modes and ways and theologies surrounding baptism but
the scripture says that upon repentance baptism ought to be applied.
It is not essential to salvation but it is important enough to be a
command of God. Personally I am happy to accept those who differ from
my understanding that believers should be baptised upon the
confession of their faith. Some believe that in faith their parents
baptised them as infants and now they have since becoming a Christian
have confirmed that which was done for them in the faith of their
parents.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">The
point made in our covenant is that as committed Christians we ought
to share in the celebration of baptism. That is we should be there to
support all who are baptised. If you have not been baptised then
please talk to me and we would love to explore the possibility.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">We
are coming to a celebration of the Lord's Supper in a few moments.
The Lord's Supper is a celebration of the life, death, resurrection
and the future return of the Lord Jesus Christ. As such Christians
must celebrate it together regularly. In fact it is so important that
it is entrenched within the constitution (legal rules) of the church.
The constitution actually says that if it is missed for 6
consecutive months without reasonable excuse then the offender has in
effect broken covenant with the church. They cannot logically any
longer be a member.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">That
is the outworking of what the writer of our passage is saying. He
tells us not to give up meeting together for at least two reasons.
Firstly because of who we are and what God has done in saving us; we
ought to be together to worship and praise Him. Secondly we ought to
be together for the mutual encouragement and blessing of each other.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Christians;
God has done everything necessary to accomplish our salvation. Jesus
did not stay in heaven because the work was going to be tough, He for
the joy set before Him (which is us as part of His church) endured
the cross and did not despise the shame that He encountered by it. He
knew the future benefits that it would bring. By His death He was
accomplishing the populating of heaven with His own people who are
His adopted family. We are amongst that number and as such we will
all one day be together enjoying each others company and all enjoyng
God together.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Our
church service is like a mini heaven where together we are of one
heart, one mind and one purpose which is to enjoy God together. </span>
</div>
<br />
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><i><b>Why
miss out on such blessing?</b></i></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08587097423004792645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678364666154335588.post-8613504471733896082016-01-23T22:10:00.001-08:002016-01-23T22:10:27.302-08:00Acts part 19: Partnership in the gospel.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="RIGHT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Building
the right foundation part 19</b></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<h1 align="JUSTIFY" class="western">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Acts
9: 26-31 “Partnership in the gospel.” </i></span></span></span>
</h1>
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<i>When Paul came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but
they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a
disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He
told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord
had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in
the name of Jesus. So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in
Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>He talked and debated with the Hellenistic
Jews, but they tried to kill him.</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>When the believers learned of this, they
took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.</i></div>
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<i>Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a
time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord
and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.</i></div>
<h1 align="CENTER" class="western" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">New
International Version - UK (NIVUK)</span></span></span></h1>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>****************</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">This
will be the last of our studies in Acts as related to our theme of
“Building the right foundation.” The purpose of our series is to
consider how we as the church here in East Cornwall operate in the
21</span></span><span style="color: black;"><sup><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">st</span></span></sup></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">
century. The church was established here in the 1960's and has been
blessed over the years. There have of course been times of great
blessing and as we know there have also been times of disappointment
and problems. It is not our purpose to dwell either on the good or
the bad times but we have the opportunity to draw a line in the sand
on all that has gone before and to start with a new beginning. The
church must never stand still because gospel witness is organic, it
is alive and is the responsibility of the church. It is through our
gospel witness that we make disciples of men, women, boys and girls.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Some
have asked when we are going to re-start toddlers, Sunday school
and a whole host of other activities. My simple answer to those
questions is that we are not doing so at this moment because there
are some fundamental issues that we have to concern ourselves with
first. I deliberately put out my little motto card before Christmas
which simply quoted Jesus' command to come aside and rest a while.
The church needs to rest in the assurance that Jesus is in control of
all that we are. He has allowed all that has gone before and
therefore has brought us to the point that we find ourselves in
today.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">In
fact where we are today is a similar situation that the church in
Jerusalem and Saul of Tarsus were experiencing in our reading. By
this time Saul had been a witnessing believer for quite a while as we
discovered in our last study. The one thing that was missing was his
fellowship in the gospel with the church in Jerusalem and so Paul was
keen to join the church. The church was understandably suspicious of
Saul's motives and so the leaders had rejected his advances. There
was then logically a confusion and a stand off between the church and
Saul. Their situation and ours is not the same but of similar order
in that before the church in Jerusalem could advance and move on into
the next phase of it's ministry, reconciliation had to take place.
God had to do something to resolve the difference.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Similarly
I believe that God has to resolve a number of issues in the church
here in Callington before we can progress to the next phase of our
gospel ministry together. For this reason over the next few weeks our
ministry will be applied to the church covenant document that all
members agree to before they join the church. You should all have
received a copy of this document as you arrived this morning. The
first point in the covenant is:</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>In
the name of The Lord Jesus Christ. On the basis of his gospel and
the written Word, and in humble reliance on his saving grace in our
lives, </i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><u>we
covenant together</u></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
to be a congregation of believers, part of the global and eternal
people of God, the body or Christ and the fellowship of the Spirit.
We gather to encourage one another to grow in the grace and knowledge
of Jesus, by seeking the continual filling of the Holy Spirit for
holiness and by exercising the gifts of the Holy Spirit in ministry. </i></span></span></span>
</div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
promise we make as members of the church is to support and encourage
each other to grow together and to encourage one another in the
gospel. This then leads to our joint ministry as led by the Holy
Spirit of God. When all of this is in place then we can develop the
work of the church together as directed by God's Spirit. It is not
about starting things but getting a secure foundation in place before
activity. It would be ludicrous to think that Roger would put the
lift in first before he has done all of the foundational work that he
is currently working on. There currently needs to be a supporting
beam put in place that is strong enough to take the weight of the
lift. That takes careful calculation and the correct purchase.
Equally the foundation of the church must be in place first for the
ministry of the church to develop. That is exactly what we see in the
passage before us.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">For
the church in Jerusalem the last Apostle needed to be in place. How
did that work out? There needed to be a son of encouragement to bring
the two opposing factions together. </span></span>
</div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">This
morning we will briefly consider:</span></span></div>
<ol>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Saul's
desire.</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
church's fear.</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Barnabas'
ministry.</span></span></div>
</li>
</ol>
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<br /><br />
</div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b>Saul's
desire</b></u></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>:</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Saul's
greatest desire was to belong, he had been commissioned by the Lord
to take the gospel to the Gentiles but he knew that he could not do
that in isolation. He needed to be a part of the church. He needed to
belong in the same way that he had always needed to belong to
Judaism. God set a pattern of belonging to each other as His people
when He called Abraham in Ur of the Chaldees. He promised that
through Abraham He would bring about a family of faith. A people who
belong together as brothers and sisters. We see that family come into
being through Isaac and then Jacob who were the forefathers of the
family nation of Israel. The fulfilment of Israel is realised by the
church which Jesus calls His family and also His body. The reality is
that Christians belong together in Christ and in covenant to each
other. I am so pleased that the church here has a covenant and that
we all as members agree to adhere to it. The only problem with it is
that we do not focus on it enough. For that reason we will be
affirming our commitment to our covenant in our next church members
meeting. For this reason we will consider the implications of the
covenant over the next few weeks. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
first point of our covenant is how we belong to each other. Saul had
a great desire to belong to the church in Jerusalem, he wanted to be
a member of their congregation and also to be in free fellowship with
them. Church membership as many believe is not something of a modern
invention it is evident throughout scripture this passage being a
classic example. Saul set the pattern for the ongoing church and so
like him we must belong to each other but:</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Do
we?</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">If
you are not a member of the church I would ask why not? We can have
all sorts of theological and practical ideals as to why not but they
will not stand up to the scrutiny of scripture. Saul desperately
wanted to join the church in Jerusalem and therefore he made every
effort to join them. So far he had failed because the church was
unwilling to accept him.</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>Why
not take Saul's example and join us in covenanted fellowship?</b></i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b>The
Church's fear</b></u></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>:</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">We
fully understand the fear of the church, Saul had done them so much
harm but he was now a changed man and he belonged with them. In fact
God had appointed him to be an Apostle and a leader in the church.
The church at that time did not appreciate that and so they had to
learn to discern and submit to God's leading in this matter. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>But
it is so hard. </b></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Accepting
the unlovely into the church has always been a great difficulty.
Peter and James interviewed Saul and were not convinced. It is always
right that the leaders interview those who wish to join and for the
leaders to make a decision. The example we have before us shows that
leaders can make mistakes. I am grateful that the church at that time
was open enough for the issue to be raised again after they had
initially made a big mistake. They could not believe and trust Saul's
testimony and therefore they acted by their conscience. In turn Saul
did not go off in a huff as some might but he waited for God to lead
in a different way and to resolve the issue. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">At
times we are bound to make decisions that are wrong. We are likely to
accept some who are not yet converted and may reject others who are.
Just as the great Apostle Peter got it wrong then we are equally
likely to so. This proves that local church membership does not
guarantee the salvation of all members. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">This
is where our covenant comes in once again. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">We
should regularly confirm together that we agree with all that it says
and so from now on it will become a vital part of our members
meetings. It is then up to each member to honestly take stock of
their situation and to either agree to adhere to it or to absent
yourself from membership.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Saul
knew that he belonged and greatly desired to be an active member of
the church. The church could not see that and so they needed a
moderator. Enter Barnabas:</span></span></div>
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<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b>Barnabas'
ministry</b></u></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>:</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">See
what happened next; Barnabas took Saul to the leaders. Barnabas could
see the problem, he knew that Saul was a converted man and he that he
could do something to bring him into fellowship with the church. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>What
a man! </b></i></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">How
we need men and women of wisdom like Barnabas who are moderators
within the church today. Our church so needs members who are so
committed to the fellowship and to each other that they are willing
to put themselves on the line in order to bring about a right change.
Barnabas was committed to the needs of the church in Jerusalem. He
had a reputation of encouraging the church. Remember it was he who
earlier had sold a piece of land for the benefit of needy Christians,
now he is responsible for bringing Saul into fellowship. His greatest
desire was for the greater good of all the church. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>That
is what church membership is all about.</b></i> </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I
get angry when people tell me that church membership is a closed
society akin to the Mason's. If that is your view then you must
repent of it immediately. Church membership is here in the Mustard
Seed is open to all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as their
Lord and Saviour and are living by faith in Him. If we as leaders
believe that to be the case for anybody then the church will accept
them as part of us, whoever and whatever they are. We are to
encourage them into fellowship and to help them to growth in grace,
faith and witness. We work together to encourage and build each other
up. That is what our covenant demands of us and that is exactly what
we intend to do together.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">There
is also another side to the coin. Christians who are not members are
putting themselves outside of the fellowship, they are not covenanted
to us and so therefore how can we care for them properly. If you are
one of these I urge you to deal with it today. What is it that really
prevents you from joining. The scripture does not allow lone ranger
Christians, your own personal preference may do so but where personal
preference is at odds with scripture then it is sin and needs to be
repented of.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">If
we want to move forward as the Mustard Seed then we must first of all
bring this most important issue to the fore and deal with it. It is
vital for us both as individuals and corporately as the church. God
has set us in this place in order that we make disciples of people,
we cannot do that if we are disunited. This does not leave room for
carping, unfair criticism, gossip and slander. If you have something
to say about a brother or sister if you have not told them first do
not dare tell others. Fellowship is all about caring for each other
which means that if another believer has done something to offend you
then you are duty bound to tell them first. Then if that does not
have the required effect then and only then it is right to go
elsewhere, not for gossip but to rightly deal with the problem.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">It
is amazing that I so often hear about the things I say, or write
wrongly through a third person and often weeks after the original
error. If I spell something wrong or say or do something wrong please
do not tut in your pew and talk to your neighbour about it without
first telling me. Honesty will be build me up, gossip will destroy
me. It is the same for all of us let us put aside petty squabbles and
do what our covenant demands:</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>In
the name of The Lord Jesus Christ. On the basis of his gospel and
the written Word, and in humble reliance on his saving grace in our
lives, </b></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><u><b>we
covenant together</b></u></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>
to be a congregation of believers, part of the global and eternal
people of God, the body or Christ and the fellowship of the Spirit.
We gather to encourage one another to grow in the grace and knowledge
of Jesus, by seeking the continual filling of the Holy Spirit for
holiness and by exercising the gifts of the Holy Spirit in ministry.</b></i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>One
final observation</u></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">:
As soon as Saul joined the church, he was about his gospel ministry
in and around Jerusalem and then when things became difficult for him
the church cared for him and supported him. An amazing turn around!
From a position of stalemate to clear gospel progress. That is what
we need to aim for as the church here. Who knows what the next new
church member might bring or do to the church! </span></span>
</div>
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<br /><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08587097423004792645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678364666154335588.post-87175358863284670002016-01-10T00:03:00.001-08:002016-01-10T00:03:09.168-08:00Jesus said: “I am the Good Shepherd.”<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<h1 align="JUSTIFY" class="western">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">John
10:11-18 </span></span></span>
</h1>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Jesus in discussion with the
Pharisees said:</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-26493"></a>
‘<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>I am the good shepherd.
The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>
</b></span>The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the
sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and
runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>
</b></span>The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares
nothing for the sheep.</i></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-26496"></a>
‘<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>I am the good shepherd; I
know my sheep and my sheep know me<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b> </b></span>just
as the Father knows me and I know the Father and I lay down my life
for the sheep.<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b> </b></span>I have other sheep
that are not of this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They too will
listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>
</b></span>The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life
only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down
of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to
take it up again. This command I received from my Father.’</i></span></div>
<h1 align="CENTER" class="western">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">New
International Version - UK (NIVUK)</span></span></span></h1>
<div align="CENTER">
<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">John
records these events after Jesus had healed a man who had been born
blind. The Pharisees had looked into the healing and had declared
Jesus to be in error because he had healed the man on the Sabbath.
Our passage is part of Jesus' discussion with the Pharisees. He had
already used the sheep pen and the sheep as an illustration in his
discourse. He had been referring to God's people as His sheep and
Himself as the gate which keeps His sheep in safety over night whilst
they were locked safely away in the fold. The Pharisees did not
understand His illustration and so Jesus moved into territory that
they really should have understood. That is the Good Shepherd! There
are many occasions in the Old Testament that God refers to Himself as
a Shepherd and His people as His sheep. Two examples are: </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-21325"></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Ezekiel
34:11-12 </span></span></span><i>For this is what the
Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after
them.</i><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>As a shepherd looks after his scattered
flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will
rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of
clouds and darkness. </i>
</div>
<div align="LEFT">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-18431"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-18432"></a>
Isaiah 40:10-11 <i>See, the
Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm.<br />See,
his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.<br />He
tends his flock like a shepherd: he gathers the lambs in his arms and
carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have
young. </i>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
The Pharisees were
expert theologians and as such were scholars of the Old Testament
scriptures. They knew exactly what Jesus was implying by the “I am”
statement especially as Jesus linked it to the shepherd theme. God's
people were historically a nation of sheep farmers. Abraham the
father of the nation was a sheep farmer as was Isaac and Jacob but
there is an even more famous shepherd in the scripture. David was a
shepherd boy when God called him to be king. It was because of this
background that when Jesus' listeners heard Him declare that He was
the Good Shepherd there was much confusion. They knew that He was
taking to Himself a title that was reserved for God. In their
confusion some claimed Him to be devilish and mad!<i> </i>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
When Jesus<i>
</i>spoke those words “I am”
many would immediately relate what he was saying to the time when at
a burning bush in the desert God met with Moses. Moses asked what
God's name was the reply being “I am who I am!” Moses was to tell
all that it was “I am” who was his authority. I am is Yahweh, the
special name of God. God as we have seen reveals Himself to be the
Shepherd of His people who are simply like sheep.
</div>
<div align="CENTER">
Therefore the
combination of I am and Good Shepherd is conclusive.
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
It should have been
like a trigger in the mind that reminded Jesus' hearers on that day
of all of the Shepherd passages of scripture. What Jesus was
declaring was that he fulfilled all that the Old Testament promised
of God as Shepherd. The wording of the phrase “I am the Good
Shepherd” is also important. We are at a disadvantage using English
because we have one word for good and it has been downgraded to a
soft and weak moral goodness. In Greek which is the language of the
New Testament there are at least two words used for goodness:</div>
<ol>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY">
<i>Agathos</i>
from which we get the name Agatha which simply means morally good as
we are used to.</div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><i>Kalos</i></span><span style="color: #4e4e4e;">
which is the word that Jesus used on this occasion means to be good
not only in the sense of moral quality, but it is a more
encompassing word. It means to be beautiful, to be magnificent, to
be winsome, to be attractive, to be lovely, to be excellent on all
levels, not just in that which is unseen in terms of character, but
in all aspects. I am the shepherd, the excellent one is the order
that Jesus spoke making the emphasis more emphatic. I am the
shepherd, be it the lovely one, the beautiful one, as contrasted in
the passage by Jesus to “</span><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><i>kakos”
</i></span><span style="color: #4e4e4e;">the
ugly ones, the dangerous ones. </span>
Jesus was quite deliberate in what He was saying which in effect is
“I Am the unique one and only Good Shepherd” as he addressed the
ugly ones who are wolves in sheep's clothing.</span></span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
The logical
Shepherd passage that comes to mind is of course Psalm 23 where the
shepherd king David speaks of God as his Shepherd. Let us consider
briefly how Jesus fulfils all that Psalm 23 speaks of:</div>
<div align="LEFT">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>1)
</b></span></span></span><i><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green
pastures,he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.</span></span></span></i></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
Isaiah 40:11 says that
God <i> tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His
arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those that
have young. </i>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
Just think of our Lord's
ministry whilst here on earth, how he loved and cared for His
disciples and for the people who followed Him. On at least two
occasions He saw a large hungry crowd and had pity on them and
miraculously fed them. At the tomb of His good friend Lazarus the
tears of the grieving sisters caused the shortest verse in our bibles
to be recorded. Jesus wept! Jesus tended superbly His little flock of
12 disciples and a number of ladies who were always with Him.
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
He also gathered them to
Himself, we remember after His death and resurrection Jesus gathered
His disciples to Himself, he made breakfast for them and comforted
them in many ways. He carried them close to His heart in fact He
promised that he would never leave them nor forsake them. He promised
to be with His people ALWAYS.
</div>
<div align="CENTER">
But there is more:</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
He cares for the
youngsters, for those that have young. That is for the ongoing
church. For those who like the disciples have been born again of the
Spirit of God. God continues to care Always! That means that he is
caring for His people today, Christian that is you and me, the Good
Shepherd is holding us close to His heart in whatever circumstances
that we find ourselves in. It was he who said to His disciples in the
storm to come to Him and he will give peace. Our Good Shepherd leads
us, rests us, cares for us feeds us, refreshes us and leads us in the
right way that will take us eternally into heaven.
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: black;"><b>2)
</b></span><i><span style="color: black;">He
guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.</span></i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">He
guides His people: Again we consider the earthly ministry of the Lord
Jesus. Just consider the number of times that he guided His
disciples. One time springs immediately to mind is leading up to His
triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. He guided the
disciples to a certain place to where the donkey that He would ride
on would be ready and prepared for Him. He also guided the owner to
release the animal for service to the Lord. A week later he guided
the disciples to find a room prepared for Him to celebrate the very
last passover meal. He led His people in the right way in those days
and He continues to do so today. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">What
are the right paths?</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Remember
how when He first met His disciples He called them to forsake
everything else and follow Him. They followed Him to the cross and
then to his tomb and then to the place of His ascension into heaven
and from there throughout their lives and finally into heaven to be
with Him eternally. The Good Shepherd leads His people along the
right path of salvation!</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">You?</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER">
<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: black;"><b>3)</b></span><i><span style="color: black;">
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil,
for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.</span></i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Prior
to His resurrection the disciples were a scared and defeated group of
people but after Jesus had ascended into heaven and the Holy Spirit
had come upon them they were fearless! </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">What
is it that had happened?</span></span></div>
<h1 align="JUSTIFY" class="western">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Acts
1:4-9 records the facts for us:</span></span></span></h1>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">On
one occasion, while Jesus was eating with them, he gave them this
command: ‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father
promised, which you have heard me speak about.</span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>
</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">For
John baptised with water, but in a few days you will be baptised with
the Holy Spirit.’</span></span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Then
they gathered round him and asked him, ‘Lord, are you at this time
going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’</i></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>He
said to them: ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the
Father has set by his own authority.<b> </b>But you will receive
power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses
in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth.’</i></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>After
he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid
him from their sight.</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">As
Jesus departed from this world He promised that He would send God the
Spirit to be with His people to embolden them and to help them in all
things; and that is exactly what happened. Immediately after the
coming of the Spirit Peter was a changed man. Instead of being scared
for his life he immediately declared Jesus fearlessly for which he
eventually became a witness or martyr for Jesus. As did the rest of
the disciples apart from John who died in his old age.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
Good Shepherd promises to be with His people especially in the
darkest of times. Any one who has witnessed the death of a believer
can witness to the fact that the Good Shepherd is there in a very
special way escorting a saint into the presence of God the Father. We
can be assured that Our Good Shepherd will never leave us nor will He
forsake us. He has us safely gathered into His pen, He is tour
protector and none can ever remove us from His safe keeping. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>This
is the most wonderful promise mad e to us we are saved by Him,
protected and kept by Him for all of eternity.</b></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>4)</b><i>
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>You
anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.<br />Surely your goodness
and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in
the house of the Lord for ever.</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">And
then in the twinkling of the eye we are in the presence of Jesus who
said:</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<h1 align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">John
14:1-4</span></span></span></h1>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
‘<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Do
not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in
me.<b> </b>My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so,
would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for
you?<b> </b>And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back
and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.<b> </b>You
know the way to the place where I am going.’</i></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
Pharisees did not want Jesus to be who he claimed to be but He was! </span></span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">They
did not want this kind of Saviour even though Jesus is exactly who
God had promised!</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
Good Shepherd sacrifices His own life for the life of the sheep, what
a wonderful Saviour is Jesus my Lord!</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">He
is not like the hired hands (the Pharisees and the other blind guides
of Israel) Jesus didn't abandon His sheep, He paid the ultimate price
to rescue them.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">He
is the Good Shepherd who knows His sheep. That in itself is amazing;
God the Son knows His people. In fact He knows us intimately even
down to minor details like the number of hairs on our heads.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">But
there is more in that we as His sheep know Him. We are related to Him
by adoption, called into His family and as such we are heirs and
co-heirs of heaven with Christ. We not only know Him we also belong
to him and we will always be with Him.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">His
sheep are gathered from all over the globe from every age that has
been and is to come! And we all belong not only to Him but we also
belong to each other. We are all one in Christ Jesus as one flock,
that is the church universal. All listening to the Word of God which
is the voice of Jesus! </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Do
you love to hear His voice?</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
Good Shepherd was sent by God to call out the people of God from
every walk of life on planet earth. His work will continue until
every one of them is called by name as was the Apostle Paul whilst
still Saul of Tarsus, Jesus called from heaven Saul, Saul why are you
persecuting me and Saul was converted. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">He
knows us by name even whilst we are still sinners, he loves and calls
His people by name! Has He called</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">YOU?</span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08587097423004792645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678364666154335588.post-18416372626186712202016-01-02T14:57:00.003-08:002016-01-02T14:57:43.444-08:00What is true joy?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="RIGHT" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>1
Peter 1:8-9</b></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Praise
to God for a Living Hope</b></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Praise
be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy
he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never
perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,
who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of
the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all
this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have
had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that
the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold,
which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise,
glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. </i></span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>Though
you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see
him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and
glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the
salvation of your souls.</b></i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Concerning
this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come
to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find
out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them
was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the
glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not
serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have
now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the
Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these
things.</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>1
Peter 1:3-12</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>Introduction:</b></i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
passage that we have read are the words of the Apostle Peter which
were intended to encourage his readers. As we read them some 2000
years later we are struck by the emotion of the passage.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We
are reminded that the writer just a few years earlier was a humble
fisherman who met Jesus, from that meeting Peter was slowly becoming
a new man. He was converted in much the same way as all Christians
are. It is through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ who is God the Son
that Peter witnessed that he was saved. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Jesus
on the cross became a shame before God on our behalf by taking the
sins of all of His children upon Himself and taking the punishment
that we deserve. It was more than a death of a man upon a cross; many
other innocent victims have died such a death but none of them could
not accomplish forgiveness of sins for themselves let alone for the
entire church. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>Jesus'
became shameful to God who cannot have sin in His presence and so for
God the Son to become as if He were the worst of all sinners was an
abomination to God. </b></i></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Due
to this Jesus invoked the whole <u>perfect</u> wrath of God upon
Himself the result of which means that the wrath that we deserve has
been redirected from us or (if you want the theological term:
propitiated.) God's anger is turned away from us and was fully
directed to His One and Only Son. Due to His sacrifice we are
completely forgiven of all of our sin making us to be a very special
people. In the light of this it is surprising that we do not live as
we ought as Christians.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Peter
was a man who fully appreciated how much he had been forgiven.
Remember how Jesus showed him what true love is all about. Whilst
Jesus was on trial Peter had denied with curses that he had ever
known Jesus. He was re-instated by Jesus after he had been quizzed as
to how much he truly loved the Lord. That incident brought deep
sorrow to Peter's heart but it was the foundation these words that we
have before us. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>Are
you forgiven? </b></i></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Do
you love Jesus as you ought to love? Let us consider briefly what
Peter teaches and as such be encouraged to be the church that God
demands of us!</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">It
could be said that Peter loved Him because he saw Him. There is a lot
in that but Peter in our verse is saying that Christians Do really
love Him even without the evidence of sight.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;">“<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>You
have <u>not </u>seen Him. But: <i>You do love Him.”</i></b></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We
are different to Peter. He did see Jesus and we have not! Ever since
Jesus ascended into heaven people have been saved by faith but not by
sight. Peter’s seeing Jesus did not save him it was his faith in
Jesus as Lord that brought him salvation. It is by the Word that we
know about Him, it is the application of truth into our hearts by the
Holy Spirit that we believe in Him and it is by God’s grace that we
are saved. Peter reminds us that even though we do not see Him we
really ought to love Him.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>But
do you?</b></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">What
does love for Jesus look like? I have over the years seen much of
what love for Jesus is portrayed to be. In some circles it is
hippy-love! What do I mean by that? Remember the days of flowers in
the hair, the end of war and free love towards all. Mostly drug
induced soppy sentimentalism!</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>"All
You Need Is Love"</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Love,
love, love (X3)</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>There's
nothing you can do that can't be done</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Nothing
you can sing that can't be sung</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Nothing
you can say but you can learn how to play the game</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>It's
easy</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Nothing
you can make that can't be made</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>No
one you can save that can't be saved</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Nothing
you can do but you can learn how to be you in time</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>It's
easy</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>All
you need is love</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>All
you need is love</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>All
you need is love, love</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Love
is all you need</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Love,
love, love</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Love,
love, love</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Love,
love, love</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>All
you need is love</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>All
you need is love</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>All
you need is love, love</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Love
is all you need</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Nothing
you can know that isn't known</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Nothing
you can see that isn't shown</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Nowhere
you can be that isn't where you're meant to be</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>It's
easy</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>All
you need is love</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>All
you need is love</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>All
you need is love, love</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Love
is all you need</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>All
you need is love (All together, now!)</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>All
you need is love (Everybody!)</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>All
you need is love, love</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Love
is all you need</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Love
is all you need (Love is all you need)</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Love
is all you need (Love is all you need)</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Love
is all you need (Love is all you need)</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Love
is all you need (Love is all you need)</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Love
is all you need (Love is all you need)</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Love
is all you need (Love is all you need)</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Love
is all you need (Love is all you need)</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Love
is all you need (Love is all you need)</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Love
is all you need (Love is all you need)</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Love
is all you need (Love is all you need)</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Love
is all you need (Love is all you need)</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Yee-hai!
(Love is all you need)</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Love
is all you need (Love is all you need)</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Yesterday
(Love is all you need)</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Love
is all you need (Love is all you need)</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Love
is all you need (Love is all you need)</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Love
is all you need (Love is all you need)</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Oh
yeah! (Love is all you need)</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>She
loves you, yeah yeah yeah (Love is all you need)</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.13in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>She
loves you, yeah yeah yeah (Love is all you need)</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">This
type of sentimentality has infiltrated the church in particular many
of the songs that are sung. We can all live out a dream that says
everything is well and we end up singing dreamy love songs to Jesus.
Well of course that is not the problem with us here but we are
equally prone to displaying false love. Jesus love is sacrificial
love, it comes with a sword. To truly love Jesus immediately puts us
at odds with the devil and his world. For some to love Jesus today
means that there will be no tomorrow for them. For us it might mean
mockery or the loss of promotion etc. Our love for Him has
consequences but Peter is encouraging us to consider the cost of our
salvation. Listen to these words of C.H.Spurgeon:</span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.16in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>"In
the very beginning, when this great universe lay in the mind of God,
like unborn forests in the acorn cup; long before the echoes awoke
the solitudes; before the mountains were brought forth; and long
before the light flashed through the sky, God loved His chosen
creatures. Before there was any created being --- when the ether was
not fanned by an angel's wing, when space itself had not an
existence, where there was nothing save God alone --- even then, in
that loneliness of Deity, and in that deep quiet and profundity, His
heart was moved with love for His chosen. Their names were written on
His heart, and then were they dear to His soul. Jesus loved His
people before the foundation of the world --- even from eternity! and
when He called me by His grace, He said to me, '<u><b>I have loved
thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I
drawn thee</b></u>’”</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.16in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.16in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">God’s
love through Jesus is set upon us; do we truly reciprocate His love
to us or is our love a careless love? It is pathetic to see the face
of a parent who loves their child but the child has only contempt for
them. Imagine how God must feel by our lack of true love for Him!</span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">You
<u><b>cannot </b></u>see Him. But: </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>You
believe in Him.</b></i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Hebrews
11:1 “<i>Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the
conviction of things not seen!”</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We
are so often told that if only God would reveal Himself, if only He
would leave heaven, come to earth and visit us then we would believe.
That is utter nonsense, He did come and even His own would not
receive Him. Jesus as a man is the very representation of God and yet
man would not believe in Him in fact in their contempt they murdered
Him. Jesus will only be believed if a work of grace takes place.
Grace is a gift from God: </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Ephesians
1:8-9 </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;">“<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>It
is</i> b<i>y grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not
your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that
no one may boast.”</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
gospel has done its work in our hearts and we believe in Him. We
believe in all that He is, all that He has done and all that He is
yet to do. We believe that he is the creator of all things who has
brought to life our dead souls and has made us alive in Him. We may
not see Him until we have done with this life and we are transported
into the presence of the Father. We will then see Him face to face,
He will be our guide on that day into the very presence of God who
will only see righteousness in us because His Son is carrying the
scars of sacrifice on our behalf.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>We
believe this don’t we??</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><u><b>Do
you</b></u><b>?</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">You
have not seen Him but you love Him and you believe in Him.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
result being:</span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">You
are <u><b>filled </b></u>with joy beyond compare! Because: </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>The
end is coming.</b></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Life
is wonderful, yes it's wonderful</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Life
is wonderful now to me</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>I
let Jesus in, He changed everything</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Life
is wonderful now.</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Since
His blessings came into my heart</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Joy
unspeakable fills every part</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Now
I want to live for my Lord</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Life
is wonderful now.</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I
can pick holes in some of the theology of this song but the one thing
that it can teach us is about Joy. Joy unspeakable filling every
part: do you know what that means?</span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">That
is what Peter is saying that salvation means to Him and it is what it
ought to mean to us. It is not about “smile Jesus loves you” but
it is all about “Jesus is King and I will extol Him” “Jesus the
joy of loving hearts </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 0.19in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Jesus,
Thou Joy of loving hearts,<br />Thou Fount of life, Thou Light of
men,<br />From the best bliss that earth imparts,<br />We turn unfilled
to Thee again.</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Thy
truth unchanged hath ever stood;<br />Thou savest those that on Thee
call;<br />To them that seek Thee Thou art good,<br />To them that find
Thee all in all.</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>We
taste Thee, O Thou living Bread,</i></span><b><br /></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>And
long to feast upon Thee still;<br />We drink of Thee, the
Fountainhead,</i></span><b><br /></b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>And
thirst our souls from Thee to fill.</i></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Our
restless spirits yearn for Thee,<br />Wherever our changeful lot is
cast;<br />Glad when Thy gracious smile we see,<br />Blessed when our
faith can hold Thee fast.</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>O
Jesus, ever with us stay,<br />Make all our moments calm and
bright;<br />Chase the dark night of sin away,<br />Shed over the world
Thy holy light.</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">How
does that come out? Jesus for the joy of the Lord which was set
before Him beyond the cross endured the pain, suffering and rejection
of death! </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Death
on our behalf was a joy to Jesus.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">What
is our joy? </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Belonging
to Him eternally ought to be our great joy and pleasure, does that
not at least warm your heart?</span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.14in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Rejoice,
the Lord is King! Your Lord and King adore;</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.14in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Mortals
give thanks and sing, and triumph evermore;</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.14in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Lift
up your heart, lift up your voice;</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.14in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Rejoice,
again I say, rejoice!</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.14in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Jesus,
the Saviour, reigns, the God of truth and love;</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.14in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>When
He had purged our stains He took His seat above;</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.14in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Lift
up your heart, lift up your voice;</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.14in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Rejoice,
again I say, rejoice!</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.14in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>His
kingdom cannot fail, He rules o’er earth and Heav’n,</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.14in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>The
keys of death and hell are to our Jesus giv’n;</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.14in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Lift
up your heart, lift up your voice;</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.14in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Rejoice,
again I say, rejoice!</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.14in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>He
sits at God’s right hand till all His foes submit,</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.14in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>And
bow to His command, and fall beneath His feet:</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.14in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Lift
up your heart, lift up your voice;</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.14in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Rejoice,
again I say, rejoice!</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.14in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Rejoice
in glorious hope! Jesus the Judge shall come,</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.14in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>And
take His servants up to their eternal home.</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.14in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>We
soon shall hear th’archangel’s voice;</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.14in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>The
trump of God shall sound, rejoice!</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Callington
needs to know that we are truly a people who are full of the joy of
the Lord. That is the reputation of the church that we want to be in
evidence. </span></span></span>
</div>
<br />
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">What
do our neighbours think of when the Mustard seed is mentioned? Joy
unspeakable or ??????????</span></span></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08587097423004792645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678364666154335588.post-61884129442238926072015-12-26T15:02:00.001-08:002016-01-10T22:45:25.177-08:00“Out of Egypt I called my Son.”<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="RIGHT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<h1 align="JUSTIFY" class="western">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Matthew
2:13-23 </i></span></span></span></h1>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>When
they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream.
‘Get up,’ he said, ‘take the child and his mother and escape to
Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for
the child to kill him.’</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-23184"></a>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>So
he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left
for Egypt,</i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b> </b></i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>where
he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the
Lord had said through the prophet: ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.’</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-23186"></a>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>When
Herod realised that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was
furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its
vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the
time he had learned from the Magi.</i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>
</b></i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Then what was
said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:</i></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-23188"></a>
<span style="color: black;">‘<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>A
voice is heard in Ramah,<br />weeping and great mourning,<br />Rachel
weeping for her children<br />and refusing to be comforted,<br />because
they are no more.’</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>(cited
from Jeremiah 31:15)</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-23190"></a>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>After
Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in
Egypt and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother and go to
the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s
life are dead.’</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-23191"></a>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>So
he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of
Israel.</i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b> </b></i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>But
when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his
father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a
dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee,</i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>
</b></i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>and he went and
lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said
through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Who
really is the Son of God? There is much controversy concerning the
title of Son of God. Some love to make mockery of the fact that God
has a Son. They love to speculate as to how a Son might be born to
God and who His mother might be giving rise to all sorts of
blasphemous heresies. We do not need to investigate any of them, they
are depressing and dangerous. I would not even recommend that you
bother to research them, they will only feed your soul with dangerous
doctrine.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Our
quest this morning is to consider who God is referring to when
through the prophet Jeremiah He speaks of calling His Son out of
Egypt. There was clearly a very practical outworking of the prophesy
as Joseph took his family for a while to Egypt for their safety.
However our purpose this morning is to explore the theme of God's
Son.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">There
are a number of times when individuals and also angels are referred
to as God's sons but there is one important theme of sonship that
runs through the bible that is our help today. The theme has three
parts and so we will consider them very briefly.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
bible refers to: </span></span></span>
</div>
<ol>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Israel
as God's chosen son.</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Jesus
as God's given Son.</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
church as God's adopted son.</span></span></span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Israel
as God's chosen son:</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-1623"></a>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Exodus
4:21-23 </span></span><i>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.</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><i><b>
</b></i></span><i>Then say to Pharaoh, “This is what the Lord says:
Israel is my firstborn son,</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><i><b>
</b></i></span><i>and I told you, ‘Let my son go, so that he may
worship me.’ But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your
firstborn son.’</i></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Hosea
11:1 <i>“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of
Egypt I called my son.” </i></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Genesis32:22-32:</i></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-953"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-954"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-955"></a>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>That night Jacob got up
and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons
and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.</b></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><i><b>
</b></i></span><i><b>After he had sent them across the stream, he
sent over all his possessions. So Jacob was left alone, and </b></i><span style="color: #ff6600;"><i><u><b>a
man</b></u></i></span><i><b> wrestled with him till daybreak. When
the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of
Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the
man. Then the man said, ‘Let me go, for it is daybreak.’</b></i></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>But
Jacob replied, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’</b></i></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-956"></a>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>The man asked him, ‘What
is your name?’</b></i></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
‘<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>Jacob,’
he answered.</b></i></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-957"></a>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>Then the man said, ‘Your
name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because </b></i><span style="color: #ff6600;"><i><u><b>you
have struggled with God </b></u></i></span><i><b>and with humans and
have overcome.’</b></i></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>Jacob
said, ‘Please tell me your name.’</b></i></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>But
he replied, ‘Why do you ask my name?’ Then he blessed him there.</b></i></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-959"></a>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>So Jacob called the place
Peniel, saying, ‘It is because </b></i><span style="color: #ff6600;"><i><u><b>I
saw God face to face</b></u></i></span><i><b>, and yet my life was
spared.’</b></i></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-960"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-961"></a>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>The sun rose above him as
he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. Therefore to
this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket
of the hip, because the socket of Jacob’s hip was touched near the
tendon.</b></i></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>A man came to Jacob and
wrestled with him, he changed Jacob's name to Israel in recognition
of the struggle that they had had that night the reason being that it
was God who Jacob had wrestled! Jacob afterwards recognises that he
had seen God face to face. But yet it was a man, that is the point it
was the God man! Whenever God appears as a man it is Jesus who the
writer to the Hebrews tells us is the same in the past, in the
present and in the future.</i></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Jacob was chosen by God to
become the father of the nation of Israel. Abraham before him had
become the father of the people of faith and also of a family set
apart by God. Jacob was to go on and have 12 sons who would
constitute a family nation that God had ordained to bring forth the
Messiah. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">When Jacob was an old man; due
to a famine Joseph his firstborn son by Rachel brought all of Jacob's
family into Egypt to save them from starvation. After 400 years in
Egypt many of which were as slaves God brought His people out and
eventually led them into a land of their own. Pharaoh king of Egypt
did not want to let the Israelites go even though nine progressively
difficult plagues had been brought upon his people. It required
drastic measures to persuade Pharaoh that God meant business. Moses
had to go to him a final time with the final demand: </span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
“<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>This
is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son,</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><i><b>
</b></i></span><i>and I told you, ‘Let my son go, so that he may
worship me.’ But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your
firstborn son.’</i></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">God says that Israel is God's
firstborn son and as such Pharaoh will release them but only through
the sacrifice of their own firstborn sons.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Can you see the pattern here,
Israel comes into being through Jesus and are released from slavery
by the death of the firstborn of Egypt. They were passed over from
receiving the same judgement due to the sacrifice of an innocent
victim. The spotless lamb that died on their behalf that night saved
them from judgement.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">God was pleased to call His
chosen nation His son. They were chosen not because they were better
than any other nation but because God had a purpose for them. In
Exodus 19 God revealed that purpose to Moses as he was on Mount
Sinai: </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-2030"></a>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Then Moses went up to God,
and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, ‘This is
what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to
tell the people of Israel:</i><span style="font-family: Arial;"><i><b> </b></i></span><i>“You
yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on
eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.</i><span style="font-family: Arial;"><i><b>
</b></i></span><i>Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then
out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the
whole earth is mine,</i><span style="font-family: Arial;"><i><b> </b></i></span><i>you
will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” These are
the words you are to speak to the Israelites.’ </i></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Exodus 19:3-6</i></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Israel as sons of God were to
represent Him to the people of the world. They were to show a needy
world that God expects His people to be holy but also to bring others
to Him as priests do.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Jesus
as God's given Son:</b></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">We
are now back to our Christmas day message, God's gift to the world is
His One and only Son. He is Immanuel which means God with us and He
is Jesus which means Saviour of His people. Just as Joshua who
followed Moses saved the children of God from their wandering in the
desert so Jesus saves His people from wandering around in their
sinful state. The name Joshua is an Old Testament name meaning
saviour equally Yeshua or Jesus is the New Testament name with the
same meaning. The angel told Joseph to call Him Jesus because like
His name-sake in the Old Covenant His purpose was to save His people.
It is as God's given Son that Jesus perfectly saves all who belong to
God.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">God
Himself declared Jesus to be His Son at His baptism; the first 3
gospels record that as Jesus came up out of the Water the Holy Spirit
descended upon Him and God the Father declared Jesus to be His own
Son whom He loves and is well pleased. The following day John records
John the Baptist's sight of Jesus again and prompting him to declare
that He is the Lamb of God! It was by the sacrificed lamb on the
Passover that Israel God's chosen son were rescued from slavery in
Egypt, it is by Jesus God's given Son that His people will be saved
from their sin.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">This
theme of son of God is massive and would take many weeks to do it
justice but for our purposes this Christmastime it is sufficient for
us to see that by God's given Son the Old Covenant nation was called
to witness to Him and also that by His sacrifice:</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
church is God's adopted son:</span></span></b></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
Old Covenant nation was a signpost to the fulfilment of God's
promises made through them. They never achieved God's declared
intention of them. They never were holy, they never brought the
nations to God as a priest ought to do. Israel failed in so many ways
but Jesus calls a people to repentance for the forgiveness of their
sins through faith that the sacrifice made by Jesus' death and
resurrection is sufficient for forgiveness of sin. Christians we are
forgiven all of our sins and they are never to be accounted for
again. You see that Jesus took them as if they were His very own and
so they were fully dealt with as He died on the cross. We can never
take them up again and God will never give them back, Christians we
are a free people. Free from the bondage of sin, we are a new
creation, no more in condemnation. We are a chosen people. The
Apostle Peter says this:</span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-30409"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-30410"></a>
<span style="color: black;">“<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>But
you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s
special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who
called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were
not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not
received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”</i></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">
</span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>1
Peter 2:9-10</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Peter
is taking the words of Exodus 19 and is applying them to the church
who are now the perfect sons of God. Each one of us has been adopted
into the family of God where we are heirs with Jesus, we are brothers
of the Saviour and as such are true children of God. Not by right of
birth but by sacrifice made by the Given Son of God. Listen to the
words of the Apostle Paul:</span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-28132"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-28133"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-28134"></a>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">For
those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The
Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in
fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your
adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The
Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s
children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God
and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in
order that we may also share in his glory. </span></span></i></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Romans
8:14-17</span></span></i></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-29127"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-29128"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-29129"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-29130"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-29131"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-NIVUK-29132"></a>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Before
the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law,
locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. So the
law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by
faith. Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a
guardian.</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>
</b></span></span>So in Christ Jesus you are all children of
God through faith, for all of you who were baptised into Christ have
clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile,
neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all
one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s
seed, and heirs according to the promise.</i></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>What
I am saying is that as long as an heir is under age, he is no
different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. The heir
is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his
father. So also, when we were under age, we were in slavery under the
elemental spiritual forces of the world. But when the set time had
fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to
redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to
sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son
into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ So you
are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his
child, God has made you also an heir.</i></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Galatians
3:23-4:7</span></span></i></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">We
have the great privilege of being children of God. The Apostle John
urges us to see:</span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;">“<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>See
what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be
called children of God! </i></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>And
that is what we are!” </i></span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>1
John 3:1</i></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
popular song says “I wish it could be Christmas every day” that
is foolishness if Christmas consists of: </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>When
the snowman brings the snow<br />Well he just might like to know<br />He's
put a great big smile on somebody's face<br />If you jump into your
bed<br />Quickly cover up your head<br />Don't you lock the doors<br />You
know that sweet Santa Claus in on the way</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">But
Christmas is much more than a fairy tale be it in New York or
anywhere else. It is all about the Son of God given that we might be
sons of the living God. We celebrate the birth of Jesus every day but
hopefully as we have been urged this Christmas never in isolation to
the full gift which is the Son of God who is also the Lamb of God who
takes away the sins of the world!</span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"> </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
ministry over Christmas has been to encourage each one of us to see
Jesus more clearly. God has been encouraging us to rest in Him and to
seek Him for the future. It is for this purpose that I produced the
little New Year motto card and accompanying letter. It was when the
disciples had been particulary busy that Jesus told them to come
aside and rest awhile. He led them into the boat as we recently
heard, He was with them and it was whilst He seemed to be inactive
that they learned what the storms of life were about. Jesus was, is
and always will be with His people. He cares for us beyond what we
can imagine. We have gone through much in recent days but the Lord
instructs us to come and rest awhile. Do not be surprised that as we
learn to rest in Him that the storm continues and intensifies:</span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Jesus
is always with us!</span></span></span></b></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">He
will neither leave us nor forsake us!</span></span></span></b></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">He
is an ever present help in times of trouble!</span></span></span></b></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Therefore
we will not fear but we will boldly come before the throne of grace
and rest in the everlasting arms of our God.</span></span></span></b></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">2015
is a new calendar year, it is a year which we begin by resting in Him
and seeking His blessing for us as the church here in Callington. </span></span></span></b>
</div>
<br />
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08587097423004792645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678364666154335588.post-8484869267439661942015-12-24T14:34:00.002-08:002016-01-10T15:35:41.204-08:00John 3:16 God's wonderful gift.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Christmas
Day 2015</b></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<h1 class="western" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">God's
wonderful gift.</span></span></span></h1>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<b>Prayer
and welcome. </b>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<b><i>Think
for a moment about a gift that you have received from somebody who
truly loves you. In many respects it is not about the value but it is
all about the giver and their love towards you and your relationship
to them. I love Christmas, the highlight for me has always been to
sacrifice our needs in order to buy that special gift for our loved
ones. I love to see their faces as they open what has been chosen for
them. What is it about the gift? It is evidence of love, it is the
cost of love and it is the result of love. That is what that day in
Bethlehem was all about. Let us worship the Lord our God for the
greatest gift that the world has ever received. It is not about the
decorations, it is not about the celebrations, it is not about us but
it is all about you Lord Jesus. We are not here to celebrate a baby
in a manger we are here to remember that God the Son condescended to
be born as a man and to live amongst us in order to accomplish
salvation!</i></b></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i>John
3:16</i></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i>For
God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that
whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”</i></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">These
words that we all love are John's record of Jesus' discussions with
the Pharisee Nicodemus. This verse is often referred to as the
“gospel in a nutshell!” In other words it is the gospel in
crystallized or condensed form. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">It
is Christmas day today and we are focussing on the gift of God so
very briefly we will consider:</span></span></span></div>
<ol>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The
reason for giving.</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The
gift given.</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The
purpose of the gift.</span></span></span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b>Sing:
Angels from the realms of glory.</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b>The
reason for giving:</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
text tells us directly that it is God's love for the world that
caused Him to give. We are prompted to go to the very beginning of
time to remind ourselves that it was God who created this world out
of nothing by His word alone. His assessment of the newly created
world was that it was good. He finally on the 6</span></span><span style="color: black;"><sup><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">th</span></sup></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">
day of creation made man out of the dust of the earth, observe that
there is a difference from the rest of creation by making man from
the dust but in His own image. That very fact tells us that God made
man unique. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
world that is spoken of in John 3:16 is clearly the world of
humanity. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">In
order for us to understand the enormity of the love spoken of in our
verse we must also remember that Genesis chapter 3 happened. Man
disbelieved God and sinned and from that moment for the rest of the
time that this world exists man is naturally separated from
fellowship with God.<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>In fact scripture refers to
man as enemies of God and dead to Him.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">God
due to His holiness and perfection cannot accept or ignore sin. It is
diametrically opposed to His character and so for Him to love sinful
mankind is an amazing feat of His grace. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">But
that is exactly what our verse tells us, God does love the world. In
fact His for us is more than simple love it is compound love or
unconditional love the theologian might say. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">God
</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i><u><b>SO</b></u></i></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">
loved the world is what John records! </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
world does not deserve such love but God loves anyway. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">What
a marvellous thought for us on this day when we celebrate the the
birth of the Lord Jesus. It is good for us to remind ourselves of the
great Love that God has for us. Paul in his letter to the Romans
chapter 5 verse 8 tells us that God demonstrates His own love to us
and that the way that He does that is in the death of Christ. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Therefore
as we consider the gift of God at Christmas God's love is more
clearly seen on the cross than it is in the crib. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Of
course the birth of Jesus is vital but it is of necessity the road to
the cross. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">As
we look at the nativity we need to remember that inevitability it
ends up at the cross. That is why myrrh was brought as a gift to the
baby Jesus it was a sign of His sacrificial death which is the
demonstration of God's own love for the world.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b>Sing:
See Him lying on a bed of straw.</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b>Arthur
Tink:</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b>The
gift given:</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">God
gave His one and only Son. The authorised version of the bible says
that He gave His only begotten Son. If you recall our study of the
genealogy in Matthew it was recorded that Abraham was the father of
Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah etc.
Until it came to Joseph who it says was the husband of Mary of whom
Jesus was born. Joseph was the wife of Mary but not the father of
Jesus. Joseph was His adopted father but Jesus was begotten of God by
the Spirit's impregnation of Mary. Jesus was God's One and only Son,
the firstborn of God! John tells us in his prologue to his gospel
that Jesus was from before the creation of the world, that He was in
fact the creator of all things. Graham Kendick puts it this way: <i>“
Hands that flung stars into space to cruel nails surrendered.”</i>
John in his prologue clearly declares Jesus to be the second person
of the Triune God! The amazing thing about the gift of God for the
world that He so loved is that He is none other than God the Son
become man! </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">He
is God of God and Light of light. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Jesus
born of Mary is God with us, He is our Immanuel! Jesus Christ born on
that very morning over 2000 years ago was and always will be God with
us. Of course a gift given must also be a gift received. It would be
hopeless to give a gift to a loved one for them simply to say I love
the wrapping so much that I will just simply adore the looks of the
gift! But that is exactly what many do with Jesus. They love their
pictures of Him, they love Him in a crib, they love His stories but
they do not accept the true gift that He is. His name is Jesus
because He saved and rescues His people from their sin. Have you
received the gift of God or are you simply happy with the wrapping?</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b>Sing:
O come all you faithful.</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b>The
purpose of the gift:</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The
simple answer is eternal life but what does that mean? We are born in
the image of God, sin has marred that image and we can no longer be
united with God forever as it was intended. However the soul is
eternal and will live forever. The sinful soul cannot come into the
presence of God in His perfection and so will enter a place where
God's wrath and judgement reign forever. We of course know that place
to be hell but in our verse God offers heaven to all who will
believe. The gift of God is given for this purpose. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">This
year two of our daughters requested tools for Christmas. They both
wanted a gift with a purpose. They did not want useless trinkets but
something that would be useful in their daily living. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i>God's
gift to the world is the most useful gift ever given. It is priceless
and is given simply by a loving Father to a very needy people. </i></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">God
said that His gift of His Son for the world would be eternal life.
All that you have to do is receive Him by faith. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Have
you? </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Will
you?</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b>Sing:
Hark the herald angels sing.</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Pray
to close.</b></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
*****</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<h2 class="western" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: 22pt;">Merry
Christmas </span>
</span></h2>
<h2 class="western" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-size: 22pt;">&</span></h2>
<h2 class="western" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-size: 22pt;">A Happy New
Year </span>
</h2>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<h2 align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 150%;">
</h2>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08587097423004792645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678364666154335588.post-47854480147889251422015-12-12T14:45:00.000-08:002016-01-10T22:45:45.756-08:00The credentials of the King. <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Matthew
Chapter 1:1-17</i></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<i>The book of the
genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.</i></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<i>Abraham was the
father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father
of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and </i><span style="color: #ff6600;"><i><u>Zerah
by Tamar,</u></i></span><i> and Perez the father of Hezron, and
Hezron the father of Ram,</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>and Ram the father of Amminadab, and
Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon,</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><span style="color: #ff6600;"><i><u>and Salmon the
father of Boaz by Rahab,</u></i></span><i> and </i><span style="color: #ff6600;"><i><u>Boaz
the father of Obed by Ruth,</u></i></span><i> and Obed the father of
Jesse,</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>and Jesse the father of David the king.</i></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<i>And
</i><span style="color: #ff6600;"><i><u>David was the father of Solomon by
the wife of Uriah</u></i></span><i>,</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and
Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph,</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and
Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah,</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham
the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and
Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah,</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his
brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.</i></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<i>And
after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of
Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and
Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor,</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the
father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud,</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar
the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob,</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband
of</i><span style="color: #ff6600;"><i><u> Mary, of whom Jesus was born,</u></i></span><i>
who is called Christ.</i></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-23162"></a>
<i>So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen
generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen
generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ
fourteen generations.</i></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b>English Standard Version Anglicised</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>****************</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Background:</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Traditionally
believed that Matthew (Levi) the Apostle of Jesus was the author of
the first gospel. From the text itself the gospel is anonymous, but
ever since the end of the first century it has been attributed to
Matthew.</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Purpose
of writing the gospel:</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
From
early days it has been accepted that it was written for the Jews and
by a Jew. It is a typically Jewish account of the life, death &
resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew is writing to confirm
to his people that the Old Testament scriptures anticipate a coming
Messiah who finds complete fulfilment in Jesus of Nazareth. Matthew
often makes comment concerning the events of Jesus' life and ministry as “ fulfilling what was said through the prophet.”
(see ch.1:22-23; 2:17 etc.) Matthew's purpose of writing was to prove
that Jesus is the long awaited Messiah who would rule as King over
His people.</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Theme:</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
The
main theme is the kingdom of God or of heaven and that Jesus is the
King. The book might equally be called <i>“the King and His
kingdom.” </i>When we understand
this then the gospel is more easily understood by us as we read and
study it.</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><b>Why
is there such a long list of names in the first chapter?</b></i>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
After
all they are not really inspiring are they? It is this list of names
that is a major clue that this book was written primarily for a
Jewish readership. Genealogies were at that time and still are an
important part of Jewish culture and history. We have a surname that
is our identifying mark which is traceable back in history. Some of
the most interesting programmes on our televisions are those which
trace the family tree of an individual. Some have discovered that
they have royalty in their blood line and others come from less
savoury stock. <i> </i>For the Jew their family line was vitally
important in order to prove their family credentials and their place
in society, it was important which tribe etc that they belonged to.
In Jesus’ day they would be able to recite their complete family
line just as Matthew does here concerning Jesus. The question that
this provokes is “what is Matthew's purpose in recording the
genealogy of Jesus?”
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><b>Surprising
characters!</b></i></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Matthew
goes back as far as Abraham 32 generations earlier. Do you remember
the television programme Roots where an old man who could remember a
genealogy was able to prove the birth line of the main character of
the story. Matthew is using this long list of names in order to prove
that Jesus of Nazareth was qualified to be King. He came from the
tribe of Judah and was a direct descendant of David.</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Within
the list are the names of 4 women and one other who is un-named but
is referred to by her husband's name. It is somewhat unusual for
women to be included in those days. This is even more shocking
considering four of the women that are included. There is Tamar,
Ruth, Rahab, Bathsheba and Mary. Tamar acted as a prostitute in order
that her father-in-law Judah sleep with her and get her pregnant. The
reason for this was the wickedness of Judah's two sons whom the Lord
put to death leaving Tamar childless and the family line in jeopardy.
Tamar ultimately gave birth to Perez You can read the whole sordid
account in Genesis 38. It was by this act that the family line to
Jesus was continued.
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Rahab
was a prostitute (harlot) and a Gentile who lived in Jericho. She
protected (by lying) the 12 spies sent by Moses into Canaan to spy
out the land before the Israelites plan to enter. You can read her
story in Joshua 2.
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Rahab
was the mother of Boaz who went on to marry a Moabitess whose name
was Ruth. Not only were the Moabites a Gentile nation they were
actually barred by God from temple worship due to their previous
deception of God’s people. Who would have thought that a woman from
a nation that were enemies of God would be in the very bloodline of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus clearly had very human ancestry!</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Then
of course there is the infamous Bathsheba, she was the woman who had
a fling with the king. David had been casting a lusty eye at this
bathing beauty over his balcony. He sent for her, slept with her and
got her pregnant. In order to cover up his affair he ended up
ordering the “accidental” death of Bathsheba's husband Uriah! The
child born very sadly died but Bathsheba went on to marry David and
give birth to Solomon who succeeded David to the throne of Israel.
This is the line of Joseph as recorded by Matthew.
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
These
4 ladies had dubious backgrounds but yet they are all a vital part of
the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ. The final lady of course is
Mary, she was virtuous and the mother of Jesus. Notice verse 16 she
was the mother of Jesus and NOT the mother of God as some would make
out! Even though she was virtuous in every way she would have been an
outcast of society in that she became pregnant out of wedlock. This
is not exactly the story line that we would dream up is writing a
novel!</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
If we
think this part of the list throws up some difficult characters then
when we look at some of the men we will be equally amazed. Let us
take just a cursory look at:</div>
<ul>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Jacob
the twister.</div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Judah
who willingly slept with a woman he believed to be a prostitute.</div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
David
the adulterous and murdering king.</div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Solomon
the wise king who broke God’s law by worshipping foreign gods
and amassing 700 wives.</div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Rehoboam
who was responsible for the civil war that split the nation of
Israel.
</div>
</li>
</ul>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
There
are many more problems within the list that we do not have time to
consider now but we can say that it is not really a very inspiring
list. This is even more pertinent when we consider that Matthew’s
purpose to prove that Jesus of Nazareth had the credentials to be the
Messiah King. <i>{Messiah simply means the Anointed One of God. It is
a Hebrew word that in Greek is translated as Christ.}</i> We might
expect the credentials of the king to be impeccable especially for
the One who is the King of heaven! After all who would ever go to
Cruft’s dog show only to find the prize exhibit is Rover who was
born by chance in a street liaison between Spot and Brutus who were
also known as a “Heinz 57” variety dogs? It seems to me that this
is the sort of thing that Matthew is presenting to his readers. It is
certainly not a list that flatters Jesus!</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><b>Therefore what
is the purpose of such a list?</b></i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
The
first clue is found in the first part of verse 1: <i>“A record of
the genealogy of Jesus Christ.”</i></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Matthew
is so convinced of the credentials of Jesus that he immediately nails
his colours to the mast by claiming him to be the Christ. From the
very beginning of his writing he is setting about to prove this
point. Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed One the long awaited
Messiah. He goes on from this statement to prove this by beginning
with Jesus’ pedigree.
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><b>Jesus
Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham </b></i>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
David
was the king to whom God promised an everlasting kingdom to come from
his descendants. The Jews expected that the kingdom spoken of would
be the nation of Israel and that a Saviour sent by God especially for
them would rise up be a conqueror who would rid the land of all
occupiers. They did not understand that what God had promised was
greater than the earthly kingdom of Israel but that it would be a
heavenly kingdom which Messiah would build. Abraham was the father of
the earthly nation, David was the king of the earthly kingdom, both
of which were mere signposts to the eternal kingdom of God which is
the church that the Lord Jesus Christ continues to build as promised
by the prophets.</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><b>Matthew
with his Jewish mindset begins by proving that Jesus has the right
credentials to be the King.</b></i>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
For
Jesus to be King he had to be a descendant of David, therefore
chapter1:6-16 records Jesus’ family tree “warts and all.” One
difficulty that the discerning reader will spot is that there is a
difference between Matthew’s account of Jesus’ genealogy and that
which is recorded by Luke (Luke 3:23-38). It is believed that Luke
traces Jesus’ family line through Mary whereas Matthew follows
Joseph’s line. Both trace Jesus' ancestry to David. This means
that through both sets of earthly parents Jesus had the correct
credentials. Matthew’s purpose however is to prove through the
paternal line (which was important to the Jew of his day) that Jesus
had a right claim to be called the Son of David. As we know Joseph
was not Jesus’ actual father but he was his adoptive father which
in Jewish law gave Jesus the legal right to be called the son of
Joseph which means that He was perfectly entitled to the family
inheritance. In conclusion there can be no dispute from either
genealogy that Jesus is directly descended from David. Jesus had the
credentials required for Kingly authority.</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><b>A
blessing to the world.</b></i></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
But
there is also another aspect in this verse: Matthew states that Jesus
is the son of Abraham. Abraham had been promised by God that not only
would a great nation come from him but also that one of his
descendants would be a blessing to the whole world. This was a great
promise from God that a Messiah would come who would bless beyond
the borders of Israel! This is why Matthew goes back to Abraham. The
One who is Messiah must be a direct descendant of Abraham in order to
fulfil God’s promises to His people. So in the genealogy we see the
foundation for the rest of the book, Matthew is boldly pronouncing
Jesus as Christ!
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>The
Jewish reader would immediately understand this, whereas our Gentile
thinking needs it to be explained.</i></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Matthew’s
readers would react immediately to these words, some would go no
further and others would be fascinated by the argument. What seems to be like a dry list of names to us would have been vitally important
facts to the Jew. Many people stumble when they come to the “begats”
of the bible and go no further. In this Christmas period it is
important that we can at least explain the reason why these lists are
there and even through them we may be able to declare that Jesus is Lord!</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><b>And
finally!</b></i></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">One
final thought: Matthew also speaks of God’s ordered plan. In verse
17 he recounts 14 generations from Abraham to David; 14 generations
from David to the exile and 14 generations from the exile to Jesus.
God has a plan things do not come by some divine accident. Our God is
ordered in His dealing with this world. In His set time Jesus came as
Messiah. Just as Matthew witnessed in his time planned by God then so
do we. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>We
are not here by accident but by God’s appointment to be effective
witnesses to our people in our day! </b></i></span></span></span>
</div>
<br />
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">God
has a purpose for all of His people, we come in all sorts of shapes
and sizes. Our backgrounds are as diverse as are the clothes that we
wear. All of those mentioned were vital to the Lord's plan and so are
we. They certainly did not get everything right and neither do we but
God still by His grace used weak and sinful humanity for the ultimate
blessing of the world.</span></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08587097423004792645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678364666154335588.post-22626311028091405892015-12-06T09:05:00.001-08:002015-12-06T09:05:50.518-08:00Acts part 18: Saul in exile.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="RIGHT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Building
the right foundation part 18</b></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<h1 align="JUSTIFY" class="western">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Acts
9:23-26 “Saul in exile.”</span></span></span></h1>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<i>When
many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him,</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>but their plot became known to Saul. They
were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him,</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>but his disciples took him by night and let
him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.</i></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-27230"></a>
<i>And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the
disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe
that he was a disciple.</i></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b>English
Standard Version Anglicised </b></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>****************</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">From
a straightforward reading of this passage we might conclude that Saul
immediately after his conversion was not only immediately began to
preach the gospel of Jesus but that he went immediately to Jerusalem
where he was met with great fear, suspicion and doubt by the church. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
problem is that the actual time-scale is much greater. There are at
least 17 years between verse 23 and verse 26. We cannot deduce this
from Luke's account but Paul later explains more fully in his letter
to the Galatians. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Galatians
1:11-2:1</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-29053"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-29058"></a>
<i>For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was
preached by me is not man's gospel. For I did not receive it from any
man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of
Jesus Christ.</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>For you have heard of my former life in
Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to
destroy it.</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many
of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the
traditions of my fathers.</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>But when he who had set me apart before I
was born, and who called me by his grace,</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in
order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not
immediately consult with anyone; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to
those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and
returned again to Damascus.</i></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<i>Then
after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained
with him for fifteen days.</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>But I saw none of the other apostles except
James the Lord's brother.</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>(In what I am writing to you, before God, I
do not lie!)</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>Then I went into the regions of Syria and
Cilicia.</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>And I was still unknown in person to the
churches of Judea that are in Christ.</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>They only were hearing it said, “He who
used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to
destroy.”</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>And they glorified God because of me. Then
after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas,
taking Titus along with me.</i></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Today
we will simply observe from this account that God's purposes are not
always immediate. Even the great Apostle Paul experienced many years
in isolation before he was fully accepted by the church. God's timing
is not always our timing, His delays are for a purpose. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Last
time we considered Saul being accepted by the fellowship in Damascus.
In doing this they were displaying their trust not only in Saul who
was changed but also in God who changes even the worst of people. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">It
seems that very soon after his conversion Saul was contending for the
faith in and around the synagogues of Damascus. This of course
brought about amazement and confusion amongst his hearers. The result
of which was that Saul became a powerful preacher. Many days having
passed by and the Jews were conspiring to kill him. There is no
surprise in this, the preached gospel will always be met with
opposition. If we think for one moment that when we preach the gospel
in our community that it will be met with acceptance then we are
delusional. Saul's life was under threat as soon as he was preaching
Jesus and so his friends helped him to escape his persecutors.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">According
to his own testimony Saul went to Arabia and later he returned to
Damascus. After 3 years he then went to Jerusalem and met with Peter
and James the brother of Jesus. He was there for 15 days when he
tried to join the church but Peter and James were afraid of him and
did not believe his testimony. Therefore Saul left and went to Syria
and Cilicia where the churches did not know him personally but they
were aware of his reputation. These churches believed Saul's
testimony and accepted him and praised God for the work of salvation
in a converted young radicalised man. It was a further 14 years
before verse 27 takes place.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">There
is so much for us in this passage and we have so little time this
morning therefore we will concentrate on one vital point that comes
from our readings:</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>God
is patient:</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">We
live in a credit card generation where time is all important. When
Pam and I were recently in India and also previously in Romania we
were often frustrated by the desperate lack of punctuality. Cornwall
itself can be a frustrating place to be with its “ 'ish” timing.
I am not used to “dreckly” and all of that! But procrastination,
laziness or a lack of commitment are very different to what we have
here in Saul's experience. This amazingly long period of apparent
activity was for an important purpose.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Let
us just consider for a moment Saul himself, he was a very clever and
powerful young man who was rapidly heading for the top. He was
formerly a theologian of great understanding but yet he did not know
God. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>He
knew of God but he did not know Him. </b></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">He
had had an amazing experience on the road to Damascus and now he
needed to learn how all of his theology fitted in with the reality
that Jesus is the promised Messiah. Saul was also a very proud young
man that needed to be humbled in order that he could be the Apostle
that God had called him to be. As well as this he really needed to
get to know his Lord personally and intimately and relationship takes
time. When you read his letters you will observe how this period of
time shaped his theology, his thinking and his relationship with the
Lord and with His church. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">17
years is a long time but not a day of it was wasted; by the end of
those years the great Apostle Paul emerged and then he was finally
accepted by the whole church. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Let
us go back for a moment to the great commission of Jesus where He
instructed His disciples to make disciples of others. That is exactly
what was happening to Saul during those years; the church in Damascus
was a vital part in Saul becoming a true disciple of Jesus. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The
Lord accomplished the work of salvation but the church made the
disciple.</b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I
love the fact that the church in Damascus saved Saul's life when they
let him out of the city in a basket. An amazing work for a small and
seemingly insignificant church. It was also the un-named churches in
Asia and Cilicia that accepted him and praised God for him whilst at
the same time the big church rejected him out of fear.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">This
passage is for us this morning in the Mustard Seed. We are only a
very small and insignificant church here in East Cornwall but: </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>God
has a purpose for us! </b></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">We
are not useless! It is true to say that we have gone through major
difficulties and that we are still struggling with issues but </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>we
do have a purpose.</b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">
God has brought us to where we are today in order that we might be
about the business of making disciples. We never know who it is that
comes through our doors, do we accept them in the way that the
churches in Damascus, Asia and Cilicia did with Saul? Or will we be
like the church in Jerusalem with the great preachers who were afraid
and unbelieving that Saul was now really God's man. They knew the
rumour just as did the other churches that Saul had been converted
but they did not believe it. I am glad that this is the case because
it is one of the most encouraging passages of the New Testament for
the small church. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>We
can do great things for God even though we are small!</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Do
we believe that? Those faithful small fellowships in Damascus, Asia
and Syria were instrumental in Saul's development as a Christian
preacher, teacher, pastor and apostle. What a great work that God had
entrusted to a bunch of small insignificant churches! </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What
is it that we are called to do?</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Will
we be faithful in whatever it is that God has called us to do?</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Time
to God is unimportant, but our being prepared for service is vital! </b></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Being
prepared takes time, we are currently being prepared for service, let
us move forward but only in God's timing!</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What
to some seems to be inactivity is in reality God working in our
hearts and lives and Him making us to be the church that we will be.</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>This
is primarily a message to the church but it equally works out in our
individual lives therefore each point must also be true of each one
of us.</b></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<br /><br />
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08587097423004792645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678364666154335588.post-83409006722488374852015-12-02T20:37:00.002-08:002016-01-10T22:46:18.942-08:00 The Gospel according to the Old Testament.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #ccff66;"><span style="font-family: "impact" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="en-US">Mustard
Seed Evangelical church</span></span></span></span></div>
<dl>
<dt style="line-height: 0.21in; orphans: 2; text-align: right; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">2</span></span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">nd</span></span></sup></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">
December 2015</span></span></span></dt>
</dl>
<div align="JUSTIFY" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Traditionally at Christmastime
we tend to focus on the prophesies concerning the birth of the Lord
Jesus Christ. That of course is a vitally important thing to do but
there are many other prophesies fulfilled by His birth that often are
looked over. Tonight we will consider the way that the gospel is
preached through the words of the prophets. It is important at
Christmas to remember that our faith is more than the birth of a
baby, Jesus was promised to come for a purpose which was to die for
the forgiveness for the sins of His people. Jesus was born, He lived
a perfectly sinless life, He died and was raised from the dead as was
promised in the scriptures; 1 Corinthians 15: 1-4. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">It is therefore important at
Christmas for us to consider the full ministry of the Lord Jesus. As
somebody prayed on Sunday it is not all about trees and tinsel which
is what Christmas has been relegated to in Britain today. It is also
more than simply about the miraculous birth of a son to an unmarried
mother. Christmas is all about God's grace being remarkably extended
to His people in sending His Son to be an atoning sacrifice for them.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">In the light of this let us
therefore consider a few prophesies:</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<ol>
<li><div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-22636"></a>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span lang="en-US">Micah
5:2 “</span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>But
you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans
of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in
Israel,whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.”</i></span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"> A
simple look at </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>
</i></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">the
meaning of the place names</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>
</i></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">is
helpful here. Bethlehem means </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>house
of bread </b></i></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">and
Ephrathah means </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>fruitful</b></i></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">.
Bethlehem was of course the city where David was born and where he
was anointed to be king of Israel. Micah prophesies that even though
it be a small city that had already produced Israel's great king
David it was ordained to be the birthplace of One who is infinitely
greater than David. Bethlehem is the place that the </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>Bread
of life </b></i></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">would
be born. The fruit of His ministry is eternal life for all who will
believe on Him!</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>What
does it say of the one to be born?</b></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">One
shall come forth for God! This King is doing a work for God, sent by
Him to work for Him.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">He
will be King in Israel; that is the King of the Jews but even
greater He is King of kings.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">He
is from before time: Consider John 1:1-4 “</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God.</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>He was
in the beginning with God.</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>All
things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made
that was made.</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>In him
was life, and the life was the light of men.” </i></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
promised One of God is none other than the eternal God the Son who
is co-equal with God the Father. </span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
He is from ancient
days: Daniel 7:9: “<i>As I looked, thrones were placed, and the
Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and
the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames;
its wheels were burning fire.”</i> Daniel 7:13 <span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>“</i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>I
saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds </i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>of
</i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>heaven
there came one like a son </i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>of</i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>man,
and he came to the </i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Ancient
of Days </i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>and
was presented before him.”</i></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>
</i></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
Ancient of days is clearly God the Father, Jesus the Son of Man who
will one day return with the clouds from heaven!</span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">2.
Isaiah 7:14: “</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Therefore
the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall
conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”</i></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>
</i></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> Isaiah
8:1-4 Often in scripture there are 2 fulfilments to prophesy, the one
will always be incomplete and the other total in accuracy. Isaiah's
wife or maiden as the word for virgin could be translated conceived
and gave birth to a son, his name was significant in that it spoke
of what the Assyrians would do when they invaded Israel. They took
Syria, Israel and Judah into exile. They were <b>quick to plunder and
swift to spoil</b> which is what Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz means. What a
name to give a baby! </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">But
</span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> The
greater fulfilment was realised many years later in a stable in
Bethlehem where Immanuel was born. <i>Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday, today and forever. </i>He was, is and always will be
Immanuel which means: <i><b>God with us. </b></i></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> Many
today discount the virgin birth on account of the linguistics of this
verse and the possibility that the word translated as virgin can
mean either maiden/wife or virgin. From the context of the passage it
is obvious that the prophet was speaking of someone infinitely
greater than his own son. The signpost of which would be a virgin
being pregnant which could be nothing less than a miracle of God's
good grace. The baby born will be a Son who is <i><b>God with us.
</b></i>How important this is at our Christmas season when He is
devalued to a doll in a crib and worse still a man in a false beard
and a ridiculous red outfit who we are led to believe loves his
children more than Immanuel does!</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-19707"></a>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">3:
Jeremiah 31:15 </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Thus
says the Lord: “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter
weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be
comforted for her children,because they are no more.” </i></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.51in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">This
prophesy is recorded by Matthew as being fulfilled when Herod
murdered the boys under the age of 2 years in the region of
Bethlehem. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.51in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">But
where is Ramah?</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.51in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Ramah
is the place where Rachel died whilst giving birth on her way to
Bethlehem Ephrathah. She died whilst giving birth to her second son
Benjamin. Even the best attempts of the midwives to console her by
telling her that she had a son failed. Benjamin was the cause of her
weeping but prophetically his birth was also a pointer that the
through suffering of another son there would be hope for the future.</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Ramah
was also the place where Samuel went after he had anointed David to
be king in Bethlehem.</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">In
Jeremiah's day it was from Ramah that captive Jews were being
deported into exile by the Babylonian occupiers.</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">In
Matthew's day Rachel is found weeping once more this time over the
slaughter of the children in Bethlehem. There is no comfort found
until the death of Herod when Jesus and His family returned to
Judea. The nation did not realise it but the Hope of the nations was
alive and was growing up.</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Ramah
was a place of disappointment and a place of grief and yet it is a
place that is fruitful because the King was anointed from there
through tears.</span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
Christmas story must always be balanced by gospel truth. If we remain
at the birth narratives then we are in danger of falling into
sentimentality. Christ's purpose for coming was always about
sacrifice. No matter how remarkable His birth is and no matter how
grateful we are to His condescending to become human there is no room
for a baby Saviour! Jesus was born to die a sacrificial death and so
we unashamedly move on to the fulfilment of another </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">prophecy</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> which
was made concerning a descendant of Eve.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">In
Genesis 3:15 God tells Satan that one day the offspring of another
woman will be injured by a son of Satan but that through Him Satan
will be finally dealt with by Him. That son of Satan referred to was
Judas Iscariot spoken of in Psalm 41:9 </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>“Even
a close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his
heel against me.” </i></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">John
13:18 records this as being fulfilled by Judas who betrayed Jesus.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-23041"></a>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Judas
is further spoken of by the prophet Zechariah chapter 11:12-13. </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Then
I said to them, “If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if
not, keep them.” And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of
silver.</i></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Then
the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the lordly price
at which I was priced by them. So I took the thirty pieces of silver
and threw them into the house of the Lord, to the potter. </i></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">This
was fulfilled when Judas returned his “blood money” to the
priests who bought a potters land with it! Matthew 27:9-10. Jesus was
arrested after Judas led the Chief Priests etc to Him, he was tried
in their kangaroo court, convicted and crucified. For his efforts
Judas was paid the PRINCELY sum of thirty pieces of silver which
after the trial of Jesus He returned to the chief priests. They
refused it and so Judas threw it down in the temple. The chief
priests ironically saw keeping the money as unlawful and so they
bought a field from a potter which would be a burial ground. Prophecy
is even accurate down to the minute detail. The gospel can be found
through the words of the Old Testament prophets because that is the
point of God's revelation ever since the fall. There has always been
hope for repentant sinners by faith in the gracious gift of God who
is </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Immanuel</b></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">
or </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>God
with us!</b></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Psalm
22 is a prophesy about Jesus' crucifixion and death which he took to
Himself as he was dying alone and separated from God the Father. The
Psalm begins with <i><b>“My God, My God why have you forsaken me?”
</b></i>of which many interpret to
mean that Jesus was doubting God on the cross and wondering why He
was left alone in His darkest hour. There could be nothing further
from the truth. Jesus was using the opening statement of Psalm 22 to
declare to all around Him that the Psalm was being acted out in front
of their very eyes. He was the One who was so graphically described
within the Psalm. The sin which He took to Himself had
separated Him from God. The creator God was now guilty of the most
gross sins and yet He had done no wrong. He suffered and died alone,
how marvellous, how wonderful is my Saviours love for me! The baby
born in Bethlehem is the same Jesus who died a sacrificial death on
the cross and the two must never be separated, to do so either causes
us to be sentimental or morbid. It is a lovely story that a bay is
born, we must never leave Jesus in a crib. To only have a Jesus who
suffered is morbid and gives us the impression that He was specially
equipped as God the Son to suffer as He did. At Christmas we need to
keep the cross in view in order to keep a true perspective as to the
mission that Jesus willingly and happily came into the world to
accomplish. In the manger He was God the Son let us not be
sentimental about the truth. On the other hand when it comes to
Easter we need to keep an eye on His birth otherwise it is tempting
to forget that He was fully Human.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>The
purpose? </b></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">See
Zechariah 12:10 </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>
</i></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>“</i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>And
I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of
Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they
look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him,
as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one
weeps over a firstborn.”</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Jesus,
<b>God with us</b> had to die in order that a spirit of grace and
mercy might be poured out from God to His people who despite being
guilty of killing Him can come to Him for salvation!</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08587097423004792645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678364666154335588.post-80902964887011877892015-11-29T00:31:00.001-08:002015-12-06T09:06:14.328-08:00Acts part 17: Accepted by the church.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="RIGHT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Building
the right foundation part 17</b></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<h1 align="JUSTIFY" class="western">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Acts
9:10-22 </span></span></span></h1>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-27214"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-27215"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-27219"></a>
<i>Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said
to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”</i><span style="color: black;"><i>
</i></span><i>And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street
called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus
named Saul, for behold, he is praying,</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>and he has seen in a vision a man named
Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his
sight.”</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard
from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at
Jerusalem.</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>And here he has authority from the chief
priests to bind all who call on your name.”</i><span style="color: black;"><i>
</i></span><i>But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen
instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and
the children of Israel.</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>For I will show him how much he must suffer
for the sake of my name.”</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>So Ananias departed and entered the house.
And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus
who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that
you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>And immediately something like scales fell
from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was
baptised;</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>and taking food, he was strengthened. </i>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-27224"></a>
<i>And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying,“He
is the Son of God.”</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>And all who heard him were amazed and said,
“Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who
called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to
bring them bound before the chief priests?”</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>But Saul increased all the more in strength,
and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus
was the Christ. </i>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b>English
Standard Version Anglicised </b></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>****************</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Saul
has had the most amazing experience on his way to Damascus, he had
met with the risen and glorified Lord Jesus Christ who had spoken to
him from heaven. Through this experience Saul had to recognise that
he did not know God at all. The brightness of the Light of the Lord
had left him blinded which caused the great and powerful man to be
humbled and was then led by his accomplices into Damascas. For three
days Saul was blind and he neither ate nor drank. It is after these
three days that the events in our passage take place. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Our
purpose this morning is to consider how it was that Saul the
persecutor of the church can become an accepted member of the church
in Damascus. As we shall see in the weeks to come this is only the
beginning of his being fully accepted by the church. Saul was just
about to set out on a 17 year journey to acceptability! Chapter 9 of
Acts covers this whole period of time and is quite remarkable as an
historical account. At first reading the events of the chapter seem
to flow and give the impression that they cover just a few days or
weeks but it is only when you compare Acts with scriptures in the New
Testament that the reality is fully discovered, but more of that next
time.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Today
we will consider how the church in Damascus accepted Saul into their
number. It all started with: </span></span>
</div>
<ul>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>An
unsung hero; </b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">who
was:</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Led
by the Holy Spirit; </b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">which
resulted in :</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Saul
being accepted by the church.</b></span></span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
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<br />
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Ananias
an unsung hero:</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">It
just so happened that Ananias was a member of the church in Damascus,
he was a disciple of Jesus who had a very important and specific job
to do. As far as I can see this is the only time that this Ananias is
mentioned in scripture; he is best known for this purpose recorded
here. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>If
we stop for a moment and consider what it was that the Lord expected
him to do it was a fearful task! </b></i></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Just
imagine for a moment the scene: </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Ananias
as a member of the church in Damascus knew well of Saul's reputation.
They all knew of the great harm done to the church in Jerusalem. They
had heard of the great persecution that he had orchestrated and so
for anybody to have anything to do with him would be foolishness at
the very least.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">They
also knew of Saul's commission. They knew that Saul was there for the
purpose of arresting all of the Christians that he could lay his
hands upon. Later on in his letter to the Galatians Paul reveals how
he had persecuted the church with great violence in his attempts to
destroy it. That reputation had gone before him and hence the church
in Damascus clearly were afraid of his arrival. Saul had the full
backing of another Ananias (and his evil High Priestly family in
Jerusalem) to be about the business of killing Christians and ridding
Judea of the followers of Jesus.</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>BUT</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Ananias
went into the house where Saul was staying and greeted him as a
brother. Ananias really put his life on the line in doing so. We of
course know of the leading that he had received from the Spirit of
God but before we look at that we need to see that being an ordinary
believer sometimes leads us into great adventures. I have just
finished reading the 60</span></span><span style="color: black;"><sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">th</span></span></sup></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">
anniversary edition of Brother Andrew's “God's smuggler.” In his
conclusion to the book, Brother Andrew challenges his readers that if
God can use a man such as he who had very little schooling and had a
violent past and who after his conversion did not even complete a
bible school education then He can use any one of us for what Andrew
calls the great adventure of being a Christian. Ananias' visit to
Saul of Tarsus was the beginning of an adventure that Luke would
record until the end of the book of Acts. The key player in this
adventure from this moment on is Saul who would soon become known as
Paul.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">God
on that day in Damascus was clearly working out His purpose in
getting the gospel to the Gentiles. Saul of Tarsus was God's chosen
man for the task and Ananias was chosen to heroically go to Saul's
house and help him. He was to pray for him and to lay hands upon him
whereupon Saul's conversion would be completed by the infilling of
the Holy Spirit. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>What
a privilege that Ananias to be a part of this! </b></i></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">When
he spoke to Saul, Ananias knew the purpose had for Saul. He told him
that he knew of his experience on his way into Damascus and that he
was now about to receive his sight once again which would
authenticate that this was the work of Jesus. Isaiah in chapter 35:5
of his prophecy told of the day when the work of the Messiah would be
proven by the blind seeing or the deaf hearing. Saul's sight restored
was a sign that proved to both himself and Ananias that this was a
work of God. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>What
a privilege it is to see God at work!</b></i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">We
can only expect to see God at work when we are faithful and bold as
was Ananias. Do not undervalue what it was that this unsung hero did,
it was like one of us going into the home of the leader of Islamic
State and speaking of Jesus to him. Saul was just as dangerous as any
other enemy of the gospel and yet Ananias went to him.</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>How
could that happen?</b></i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">It
was because he was:</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Led
by the Holy Spirit:</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">See
how the Holy Spirit led Ananias to go and do such an heroic thing. It
might seem obvious but firstly the Holy Spirit of God came to
Ananias. For Ananias it was by way of a dream but the more we study
scripture we find that the Holy Spirit came to various people in a
variety of ways. He always comes with a purpose which is to speak to
them and to direct them in the way that they should go. The New
Testament tells us that formerly God spoke through the prophets but
now He speaks through His Son. The scripture is the normal way that
God speaks today and so God will never instruct His people to do what
or to go where scripture forbids. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">The
Holy Spirit of God on this occasion instructed Ananias to go to Saul.
His instructions were specific; Ananias was told exactly where to go
and to whom. He was also told that Saul would be expecting him
because the Holy Spirit had also spoken with Saul. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>God
never works in a vacuum, as He works out His purposes He also
prepares the way for all who are involved. </b></i></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Saul
was already waiting for a man called Ananias to come to him. Just
consider for a moment what would have happened if Ananias had refused
to go. God's sovereignty would have been compromised and then who
could ever trust Him again? But of course that did not happen.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">We
do however see the grace of our God in this, He is not above being
questioned by His people. Ananias articulated to God the difficulties
that he had for such a commission. We have looked at them earlier and
so we now see how God dealt with them. He had already told Ananias
that Saul was praying, in other words Saul is a changed man and his
prayers were now heard and accepted by God. He is then told to
simply go to him because Saul is chosen by God and will take the
gospel to the Gentiles and also to royalty and Israel. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>Saul
was to be a much better known servant than Ananias was but Ananias
was to be instrumental in Saul's commissioning. </b></i></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">We
also are called to be faithful to the calling of God on our lives, it
is never wrong to question God about His calling; we are not
expected to be automatons who are unquestioning, God expects us to
check out our calling but then when it is confirmed then we are to
be like Ananias who went and did exactly what God had instructed him
to do. When he did Ananias was the first Christian that Saul would
have met, he was the first to greet him as a fellow Christian and he
was the man that introduced Saul to the church.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Ananias
was immediately making a disciple of Saul, he was mentoring him by
introducing him to the company of believers. I am glad that this
account is recorded by Luke because it is a challenge for us. Do we
introduce people to the church or are we so negative towards our
brothers and sisters that we would never bring others to meet the
church and to be a part of it? Would we be as bold as was Ananias
with Saul? Are we willing to go where God directs however difficult
it might seem to be to us? We must be faithful to God's calling
otherwise we will miss out on the blessing that faithfulness brings.
I can imagine Ananias after this following closely the ministry of
Saul and being proud of being part of what God was doing through him.
</span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Saul
was also accepted by the church in Damascus:</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Luke
simply records that Saul was for some days with the disciples at
Damascus. A small statement of fact but it was massive in content.
All that Ananias had gone through in accepting Saul the whole church
now had to come to terms with. Ananias I am sure had to convince
every single believer that this was a genuine conversion and not a
deception that would bring about their annihilation. But he was
clearly successful in doing so and Saul was accepted by the church. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">I
can think of few people who would be more odious than Saul of Tarsus
and yet he was embraced by the church.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">How
do we accept new people, are they really welcome amongst us or do
they feel the suspicion that comes towards them from us? The church
must be a place of total acceptance for true believers and yet it is
so often by reputation a place of negativity towards one another. </span></span>
</div>
<br />
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"> </span>
</div>
<br />
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>Who
knows who it is that comes amongst us and what the Lord has in store
for them and through them and us together!</b></i></span></span></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08587097423004792645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678364666154335588.post-79532663206119228852015-11-15T00:24:00.004-08:002015-11-15T19:55:07.672-08:00Acts part 16: The conversion of a radicalised young man.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Building
the right foundation part 16</b></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; text-align: left;">Acts 9:1-23 </span></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>But
Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the
Lord, went to the high priest</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>and asked him for letters to the synagogues
at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or
women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>Now as he went on his way, he approached
Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>And falling to the ground he heard a voice
saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he
said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>But rise and enter the city, and you will be
told what you are to do.”</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>The men who were travelling with him stood
speechless,hearing the voice but seeing no one.</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>Saul rose from the ground, and although his
eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and
brought him into Damascus.</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>And for three days he was without sight, and
neither ate nor drank.</i></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-27214"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-27215"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-27216"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-27217"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-27219"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-27223"></a>
<i>Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said
to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”
And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called
Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named
Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man
named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might
regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from
many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at
Jerusalem.</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>And here he has authority from the chief
priests to bind all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to
him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name
before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>For I will show him how much he must suffer
for the sake of my name.” So Ananias departed and entered the
house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord
Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me
so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy
Spirit.”</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>And immediately something like scales fell
from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was
baptised; and taking food, he was strengthened.</i></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<i>For
some days he was with the disciples at Damascus.</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the
synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>And all who heard him were amazed and said,
“Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who
called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to
bring them bound before the chief priests?”</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>But Saul increased all the more in strength,
and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus
was the Christ.</i></div>
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<br />
<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b>English
Standard Version Anglicised </b></span></span></span>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>****************</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">The
passage that we have before us today is truly remarkable in every
way. We have this man Saul of Tarsus whom we have already encountered
on a couple of occasions. Saul was a young man who at the time was
probably in his early thirties. He was born in Tarsus at around or
just after the birth of Jesus. There is no evidence found in
scripture that he had ever met or heard Jesus speak but it would seem
highly probable that he would have done. Saul was the up and coming
Pharisee who by his own testimony was zealous for the law and a top
notch Pharisee of Pharisees. He was clearly a proud and arrogant
young man who was fast heading for the top. He had trained under the
best authority of the day and was obviously very intelligent and a
top scholar of his religion. He was also vital to the leaders of
Judaism and had been entrusted with cleansing society of those who
followed what he described as the Way. He hated the church and the
disciples of Jesus and was commissioned to do all in his power to rid
the world of the curse that is the church. Humanly speaking there can
be no hope for such a man as this!</span></span></div>
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<br />
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>BUT</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Thankfully
we do not live in the hopes and aspirations of man. God has a plan
and purpose in this world and He chooses to use people from all sorts
of backgrounds for gospel purposes. God chose to use Saul of Tarsus
as an Apostle who would eventually write a large proportion of the
New Covenant scripture and who would also take the gospel to the
surrounding area and in particular to the Gentile nations. Before
that could happen an amazing transformation had to take place.</span></span></div>
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<br />
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b>An
amazing transformation</b></u></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>:</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Paul's
own testimony is more powerful and indeed more accurate than my
interpretation will ever be. Therefore come with me to Paul's defence
in Jerusalem as accounted by Luke in Acts 22:3-5</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-27694"></a>
<span style="color: black;">“<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>I
am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city,
educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of
the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this
day.</i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>I
persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison
both men and women,</i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>as
the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness.
From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed towards
Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to
Jerusalem to be punished.” </i></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Look
also to Paul's own defence before Agrippa as recorded in Acts 26:9-12</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-27818"></a>
<span style="color: black;">“<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>I
myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the
name of Jesus of Nazareth.</i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>And
I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in
prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when
they were put to death I cast my vote against them.</i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>And
I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them
blaspheme, and </i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><u>in
raging fury against</u></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
them I persecuted them even to foreign cities.”</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
“<i>In
this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and
commission of the chief priests.”</i></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">It
is obvious from Paul's own words that he had no desire to be a
follower of Jesus, in fact he says of himself that he was “ignorant
and unbelieving.” (1 Timothy 1:13) Saul of Tarsus could not have
been further from the faith but yet he was stopped in his tracks on
that day as he travelled to Damascus. He was rabid for his religion
and hated the very name of Jesus and the church, today we might say
of him that he had become “radicalised!” As such an extremely
religious man he could easily justify the torture and killing of
Christians. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>We
have from his own lips a description of his own total depravity. </b></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">It
seems that he loved his work and we know from the accounts that we
have in scripture that he was good at it, his reputation had gone
before him. Ananias when called by God to visit the newly converted
Saul gave testimony to the reputation of Saul in verses 13-14.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">There
is also another side to what we hear from man's testimony; the Lord
Jesus Christ also has an opinion. From heaven He had been observing
all that was happening to the church by Saul; this passage gives us
some insight as to how Jesus is affected by the persecution of His
people. When He called from heaven to Saul He did not ask why he was
persecuting the church but “why are you persecuting me?” Saul's
attack may have been directed at the people of God but it was Jesus
that was the offended One. The reason for that is that the Church is
God's people, we are one with Him, when we are attacked He feels it
even more than we do. It is He that is mortally wounded by the
attacks that we are under as Christians therefore Jesus was offended
by what Saul was doing.</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">BUT</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">By
His mercy and grace the Lord Jesus Christ reached out to this
unregenerate evil man and saved Him. Saul did not ask for it, he did
not reach out to Jesus but Jesus reached out to Him and saved him and
an amazing transformation took place.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Many
Christians believe that Saul's conversion is the model for all
conversions. In some ways they are right, Saul heard the word of
Jesus, believed and repented and was saved. That is always the
pattern of salvation but: </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>the
mode that Jesus used to bring Saul to Himself was entirely unique to
Saul of Tarsus. </b></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">He
was suddenly sanctified on the road to Damascus. Does it then follow
that we are all to have a Damascus Road type of experience? In one
way the answer is yes in that we need our blind eyes to be opened to
the truth of the gospel </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><b>BUT</b>
</span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">the
way that the Lord does that for each person is completely individual.
In fact it similar to a snowflake which is totally unique in shape,
size and pattern; there is not another amongst the many billions that
are like it. Likewise before God we are all totally individual and so
He treats us just as unique individuals. Some He brings to Himself in
moments others it is a long road that leads to saving faith over a
long period of time. The one thing that is certain is that He saves
all that call on His name in repentance just as did Saul of Tarsus on
that day. The call to salvation is twofold as is a British coin. On
the one side is the sovereign's head and the other is the value and
the emblem of the country. Both are together making the coin
complete. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>In
conversion Jesus calls out to sinners and then sinners in turn call
out to Him and conversion is complete!</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">The
important question for you this morning is: </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;">“<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Have
you called on the name of the Lord and been saved?”</b> </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">If
you have not then you remain under the judgement of God and if you
were to pass from this life in that state then no amount of church
attendance will be good enough to give you access to heaven. There is
no name other than Jesus given under heaven by which you must be
saved, why not trust Him today and then experience the same amazing
transformation that Saul of Tarsus did. Paul was immediately
transformed from radicalised terrorist to an apostle of Jesus Christ.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">For
Saul it was to be an amazing transformation and for those travelling
with him it would be:</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b>An
amazing experience</b></u></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>:</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Just
imagine being one of those travelling with Saul on that day. They
would have been a happy band of brothers travelling with one purpose
in mind. They were like the pack of hounds with the fox in sight.
They could smell blood and were pursuing those wretched Christians
wherever they could find them. But an extraordinarily bright light
shone from heaven which caused Saul to fall prostrate to the ground
and to speak to somebody that was unseen. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">They
did not know it but they were in the presence of the risen and
ascended Lord of Glory. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Jesus
was showing Himself to Saul; in 1 Corinthians 15:8 Paul explains that
Jesus appeared to Him even though he was unworthy and was persecuting
the church.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">The
most amazing thing was happening in Saul but his friends knew nothing
of it. In fact they saw the bright light: </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The
Light of the world was right next to them and they did not see Him! </b></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">They
heard Him and were themselves struck dumb but they still did not call
out to Him. Saul was led away by them, he was now blinded by the
light and they were unmoved. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>How
amazing is that? </b></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">A
miracle of grace was taking place and the onlookers were amazed but
untouched by it, they simply carried on with life as before. They
took Saul to Damascus but he was now of no use to them, a blind and
converted terrorist is not what they needed! </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Unbeknown
to them Saul was now a new creation, he was done with the old way of
life and now he was part of those whom he had come to destroy.</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">I
am so glad that Luke recorded these facts because it shows clearly
that people are not absorbed into the life of faith by the experience
of others. We might think that this event would have been conclusive
evidence to Saul's companions. After all many would say that if Jesus
were to visit earth then they would believe, they never did on this
occasion. They never did as Jesus lived on earth for 33 years and
they never will until the day when He appears finally in glory and
judgement and when he will take the church to be with Him in glory by
which time it will be too late for them. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Saul's
companions that last day will be saying to Jesus “did I not see You
when you visited Sail on the road to Damascus?” Jesus will say “
But I never knew you!” Others will say “Did I not do this that or
the other for you?” and He will once again answer “but I never
knew you!” Still others will be saying “but I lived a good life,
I was religious, I even attended church every week!” and Jesus will
say “but I never knew you!!!”</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Please
do not be one of those! </b></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">If
you are trusting in anything or anybody other than Jesus for your
eternal security please stop and come to Him alone who alone can
forgive all of your sins and transform your life just as He did Saul
of Tarsus.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Jesus
is:</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b>An
amazing Saviour</b></u></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>:</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">The
Apostle Paul in his letter to the church at Ephesus when instructing
husbands to love their wives told them that they must love their
wives in the same way that Jesus loved the church and gave Himself up
for her. (Ephesians 5:25) </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Saul
on his way to Damascus learned something of Christ's amazing love,
grace and mercy.</b> </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">It
was Jesus that arrested him on his way, it was Jesus who called out
to him from heaven. It was Jesus who knew his name and called him in
exactly the same way as he had Samuel of old. Just as in 1 Samuel
3:10 the Lord called “Samuel, Samuel” in calling him into service
so it was with Saul. There are eight incidences recorded in scripture
where God calls them by name twice. </span></span>
</div>
<ol>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Abraham
when God calls out to him as he is about to sacrifice Isaac (Gen
22:11-13, Abraham had proven that he was willing to obey God in
whatever way that God called.</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Jacob
when he had just discovered that his son Joseph wasn’t dead but in
fact he was second in command in the Egyptian empire. Jacob was old
and wanted to see Joseph before he died. On his way to Egypt in a
vision God called to him naming him twice and telling him not to be
afraid. (Gen 46:1-4)</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Moses
after he had killed an Egyptian and fled from Pharaoh’s
punishment. He was living as a shepherd when he saw the burning bush
from which God called: “Moses, Moses” God proceeded to
commission Moses to bring the Israelites out f slavery. (Exodus
3:1-10)</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">
</span></span></span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Samuels
as above.</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Martha
Jesus visited his friends Martha and Mary, who both had opposite
response to the Lord. Mary sat at Jesus’ feet, listening to his
teaching. Martha busied herself preparing food etc and had got
herself upset because her sister was not helping she therefore
appealed to Jesus to tell her off but He simply said “Martha,
Martha she has chosen a better way.” The Lord was calling her to
faithfulness to Him and not servitude. (Luke 10:38-42)</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Jesus
at the last supper spoke to arrogant Peter who was waxing lyrical
about how great he was by calling: “Simon, Simon” and proceeds
to tell him that he will deny Him but that later he will be restored
and we know that after Jesus had risen from the dead He returned to
the subject and commissioned Peter to testify of Jesus and also to
die for Him. (Luke 22:31-32 & John 21:15-19)</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Saul
as we are considering.</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Finally
it is Jesus calling out to God Himself from the cross when in
fulfilment of all that Psalm 22 prophesies He cries “My God, My
God why have you forsaken me.”</span></span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: #686868;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Apart
from the last one each time that a person is called twice it is to
call them into a clear and active service for God. It is amazing that
our God knows His people by name and that He calls them personally
into a working relationship with Him. The last occasion where Jesus
calls out to God the Father demonstrates His own total reliance and
dependence upon God and His plan of salvation. Jesus was willing even
at the extremity of pain and suffering to submit to His Father's
calling upon Him. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: #686868;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Jesus
is the most amazing Saviour that calls the radicalised terrorist Saul
to be adopted into His family and to save him from his sins even
though he was totally dead in his iniquity and sin. This same Jesus
is our Lord who has also called us by name to be His children. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: #686868;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Do
we stand amazed in His presence and do we follow and serve Him fully
as our Lord and Master just as He did His heavenly Father?</span></span></div>
<dl>
<dl>
<dl>
<dl>
<dl>
<dd><table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="width: 238px;">
<colgroup><col width="234"></col>
</colgroup><tbody>
<tr>
<td width="234"><div align="LEFT">
I stand amazed in the presence<br />
of Jesus the
Nazarene,<br />
and wonder how he could love me,<br />
a sinner,
condemned, unclean.<br />
<br />
For me it was in the garden<br />
he
prayed: "Not my will, but thine."<br />
He had no
tears for his own griefs,<br />
but sweat-drops of blood for
mine.<br />
<br />
In pity angels beheld him,<br />
and came from the
world of light<br />
to comfort him in the sorrows<br />
he bore
for my soul that night.<br />
<br />
He took my sins and my
sorrows,<br />
he made them his very own;<br />
he bore the burden
to Calvary,<br />
and suffered and died alone.<br />
<br />
When with
the ransomed in glory<br />
his face I at last shall see,<br />
'twill
be my joy through the ages<br />
to sing of his love for me.<br />
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT">
How marvellous! How wonderful!<br />
And my song
shall ever be:<br />
How marvellous! How wonderful<br />
is my
Saviour’s love for me!</div>
<div align="LEFT">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Charles
H. Gabriel</i></span></span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</dd></dl>
</dl>
</dl>
</dl>
</dl>
<br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08587097423004792645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678364666154335588.post-88341353326552917592015-11-07T23:05:00.005-08:002015-11-07T23:05:32.094-08:00Acts part 15: "What prevents me from being baptised?"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b style="text-align: left;">Building
the right foundation part 15</b></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<h1 align="JUSTIFY" class="western">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Acts
8:26-40</span></b></span></span></h1>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<i>Now
an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go towards the south
to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a
desert place.<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><b>
</b></span></span>And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a
eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was
in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><b>
</b></span></span>and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he
was reading the prophet Isaiah.<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><b>
</b></span></span>And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join
this chariot.”<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><b>
</b></span></span>So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah
the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><b>
</b></span></span>And he said,“How can I, unless someone guides
me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><b>
</b></span></span>Now the passage of the Scripture that he was
reading was this:</i></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-27198"></a>
<span style="color: black;">“<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Like
a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its
shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation
justice was denied him.<br />Who can describe his generation?<br />For
his life is taken away from the earth.”</span></span></i></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-27199"></a>
<i>And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the
prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?”<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><b>
</b></span></span>Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with
this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><b>
</b></span></span>And as they were going along the road they came to
some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents
me from being baptised?”<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><b>
</b></span></span><span style="color: #ff6600;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">(And
Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And
he replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”)</span></span></span><span style="color: #ff6600;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><b>
</b></span></span></span>And he commanded the chariot to stop, and
they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he
baptised him.<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><b>
</b></span></span>And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit
of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and
went on his way rejoicing.<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><b>
</b></span></span>But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he
passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came
to Caesarea.</i></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black;"><b>English
Standard Version Anglicised </b></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>****************</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<i><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Before
we consider the passage together it is important for us to consider
the highlighted words contained in our reading. They are in brackets
because they are not to be found within most of the modern
translations of the bible but are included in versions such as the
Authorised and New King James. This has caused many to be disturbed
by modern translators and scholars who have decided to put it in the
footnotes. It is the short discourse of Philip telling the Ethiopian
that he can be baptised if he believes with all of his heart and the
Ethiopian confirming his faith that Jesus Christ as the Son of God. </span></span></i>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<i><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">New
testament scholars believe this to be part of an early baptismal
liturgy which was later added to the text by a scribe who believed
that Philip after baptising Simon the magician falsely would have
been keen to make sure that the Ethiopian was not baptised wrongly.
That is a strong possibility but is somewhat unprovable and it is
certainly true to say that the statement is not found in the earliest
and most reliable manuscripts from which our bible is translated. It
is therefore right to treat it with caution and therefore sensible to
highlight the problem. That having been said the man's declaration is
a fair one without which he should not have been baptised.</span></span></i></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">****************</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Back
to the passage: Luke has recorded Philip's next evangelistic
adventure for our encouragement. As we have previously said, the
gospel is moving ever outwards and towards the Gentile world just as
Jesus had commanded that it must. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">To
move on from his ministry in Samaria Philip has:</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<u><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">A
heavenly encounter</span></span></b></u><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>:</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">It
is by a visit from a Messenger (Angel) of the Lord who is none other
than the Holy Spirit. In verse 26 He is referred to as an angel of
the Lord speaking and directing Philip. By the time we come to verse
29 it is the Spirit who is speaking and directing and in verse 39 it
is the Spirit of the Lord who carried Philip away. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>This
encounter is purely of the Lord whose purpose in coming to Philip is
the conversion of one very important man.</b></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">As
far as Philip was concerned he had been preaching the gospel to the
Samaritans and proving that Jesus is their long awaited Messiah
resulting in many being converted. Now all of a sudden his ministry
is to take a sudden change of direction. God spoke to him and told
him to go to the Jerusalem to Gaza road which is desert. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<i><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Philip
immediately obeyed and went!</span></span></b></i></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I
wonder if we are as willing to go to where God by His Spirit calls
us. Our God is never changing, He is always the same and he always
works with His people in just the same way. Therefore the God who
called Abraham to leave Ur of the Chaldees; who called Moses out of
the wilderness to Egypt and who called the prophets to stand and
speak to the nation for Him is the same God who directed Philip on
that day to go with a message to a man in the desert. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<i><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">God
is still calling and sending His people to a lost world. </span></span></b></i>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Sometimes
God's call is simply by circumstance of life as it had previously
been for Philip in Samaria and at other times it is directly by His
word as it was on this occasion. Sometimes His call is to a whole
town as Philip in Samaria but on other occasions it is for the
benefit of just one man. Whatever God's purpose is He is still
sending us His people out into the world with the glorious gospel of
salvation.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">It
is safe to say that the majority of us here today are where we are by
God's directing through circumstance, of course some may be here
because they have been clearly directed by God's Spirit. The truth is
that we are all here and we have a purpose, it is not simply to enjoy
life. Enjoying life is a part of our purpose but as we enjoy the
privilege of belonging to Jesus and His church then we also have a
responsibility to introduce all that we can to the Saviour.</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<i><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Are
we like Philip willing to go wherever God leads us and to take that
opportunity to direct others to Jesus?</span></span></b></i></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">When
Philip went he met:</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<u><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>A
man in need</b></span></span></span></u><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>:</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Luke
goes to great pains to tell us many things about this man. Firstly he
was an Ethiopian which means that he came from Africa. He also tells
us that he was a eunuch which simply means that he had been castrated
in order to make him loyal to his employers. We are told also that he
was a court official to the queen of Ethiopia. Candace was probably
not a name of the particular person but was an official title given
to the queen mother who office was to represent the king on various
occasions and functions. Luke tells us that this man was basically
the accountant in charge of all of her financial dealings. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<i><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">This
man could not be more different from the Samaritans amongst whom
Philip had previously been evangelising. </span></span></b></i>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">There
are more significant differences also, the Samaritans were an
apostate nation who had no care for Judaism but this man was
returning from worshipping in Jerusalem which means that he was
either Jewish by birth or a convert to Judaism. He was not only
returning from worshipping in the temple but he was also reading the
prophet Isaiah which was something else that the Samaritans would
never do, they had long before rejected the word of the prophets.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">In
every way this man had been prepared for this very encounter, he was
reading Isaiah 53 and could not understand who it spoke of, he was
confused as to whether it was concerning Isaiah or somebody else. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<i><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">What
a wonderful opportunity that Philip had!</span></span></b></i></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">As
we said a little earlier Philip was led by God's Holy Spirit out into
the desert for the purpose of speaking with this very important man.
God's purposes are not only for the poor and marginalised as were the
Samaritans, He is concerned for the salvation of people from every
walk of life and from every nation in the world. There are none that
are excluded from His saving grace. There are no untouchables in
gospel work, we are simply called to go where God sends. Before going
to my previous church in the wealthy part of South Wales I had to be
reminded that the gospel is for the wealthier of society just as much
as it is for the poorer people in the mining valleys.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">We
must never be selective with the gospel but must be like Philip and
be willing to speak of the Lord Jesus to whoever we are in contact
with. As the church here in Callington we must be about a gospel
witness. We must take the opportunities that God gives today. Philip
moved on from Samaria and spoke of Jesus freely in the new
circumstances that he found himself in. As Christians we are often
guilty of having our heads pointing in the wrong direction. We seem
to think that just because we evangelised in one particular way in
the past then we must always do the same things. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<i><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">That
could not be farther from the truth. </span></span></b></i>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">We
are what we are today and we are here in Cornwall in this particular
day with all of it's complexities therefore we must reach out to the
people in a way that is relevant for today. We are not about setting
up groups simply because they were once successful but will be led by
the Lord to reach out as He by His Spirit directs. That is why we
must pray for His guidance, starting with the leaders but eventually
as the whole church. We will start nothing until we are convinced
that it is of God and that we therefore have the personnel for the
task. We need to pray that God will equip us as His people for the
gospel work that He has for us. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<u><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The
gospel effect</b></span></span></span></u><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>:</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Philip
asked the man a simple question: “do you understand the
scriptures?” The man's answer was </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;">“<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>who
can understand unless somebody guides them?”</b></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">As
Christians we so quickly forget this very truth, the bible is there
for all to read but we know the words of eternal life, we are to be
interpreters of the bible to those who cannot understand it for
themselves. Therefore we must know what the bible is all about and
how it works, which is why we have our “Reading the bible for all
of its worth” studies. The man was reading Isaiah 53 which speaks
of the Suffering Servant who we know is Jesus but he did not and so
Philip began with that passage and declared the gospel of Jesus.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Are
you able to speak of Jesus from the scriptures? All of scripture
speaks of Jesus; would you be able to help somebody who was reading a
portion of scripture to find Jesus as Philip did? The man heard the
good news of Jesus which simply means that Philip was able to tell
the man that the Promised One of God would fulfil all that Isaiah 53
speaks of. It is He that takes all of our iniquity, it was Him who
was crushed for our transgressions. It is by His wounds that we are
healed from the sickness that is sin. It is Him that brings eternal
peace to the sinful soul because it was He who would suffer and die
in order that we might have forgiveness of sin and the promise of
life eternal.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">As
Philip was explaining all of this the man's heart was being dealt
with by the Spirit of God, he was believing all that he was hearing
and was trusting in Jesus as his own personal Saviour. This is a very
different response to the gospel that Simon the magician had
displayed. This wealthy Ethiopian man simply believed and then wanted
to prove that all of this was true for him and so when he saw water
he asked Philip: </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;">“<i><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">what
prevents me from being baptised?” </span></span></b></i></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Philip's
unrecorded answer is “nothing now prevents you from being baptised”
and so they stopped the chariot and Philip went into the water and
baptised the man. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<i><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Many
at this point try to prove the point of total immersion because it
says that they went down into the water. Total immersion cannot be
proven from that comment because it would logically mean that both
the man and Philip were totally immersed as they went down, be
careful of fanciful interpretations. That is not the point of the
passage. </span></span></i>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Luke
is once again simply recording what happened, we can logically draw
the conclusion from this episode that it is important for a new
convert to be baptised in obedience to the word of God. The Gospel
message preached by the apostles was to repent, believe and be
baptised. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
Ethiopian eunuch obeyed the word of the Lord and was faithful in his
witness as he was baptised. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<i><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">There
are many Christians today that do not see baptism as important. </span></span></b></i>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">If
you are one of those who are not baptised then I would ask you to
think again. It is true that baptism is not necessary for salvation
but it is vital to prove obedience to Christ! </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Are
you baptised, we would be very pleased to talk to you about it. If
you are truly born again I would ask you:</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;">“<i><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What
is it that prevents you from being baptised?” </span></span></b></i></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">This
baptistery can soon be filled with water for you to be baptised in
obedience to the Lord Jesus' command. Why not obey the command of
your Master and follow Him through the waters of baptism?</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<br /><br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">As
far as Philip was concerned his was job done. The man took the gospel
with him to Ethiopia and Philip was transported by the Holy Spirit on
his next missionary adventure of spreading the gospel from Azotus to
Caesarea. The work of grace in the man's heart was all of God's grace
and he was safe and sound in God's care, he went on his way singing
praise along with countless angels in heaven.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<i><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Let
us also move on in our gospel witness both as individuals but also as
the church.</span></span></b></i></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08587097423004792645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678364666154335588.post-73823627109943420262015-11-01T00:19:00.003-07:002015-11-01T00:20:41.956-07:00Acts part 14: Taking liberties with the gospel.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Building
the right foundation part 14</b></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<h1 align="JUSTIFY" class="western">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Acts
8:8-25 “Taking liberties with the gospel.”</span></span></span></h1>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-27177"></a>
<i>There was much joy in that city. But there was a man named Simon,
who had previously practised magic in the city and amazed the people
of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great.</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>They all paid attention to him, from the
least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that
is called Great.”</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>And they paid attention to him because for a
long time he had amazed them with his magic. But when they believed
Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name
of Jesus Christ, they were baptised, both men and women.</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>Even Simon himself believed, and after being
baptised he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great
miracles performed, he was amazed.</i></div>
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<i>Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received
the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and
prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit,</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>for he had not yet fallen on any of them,
but they had only been baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then
they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Now
when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the
apostles' hands, he offered them money,</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>saying, “Give me this power also, so that
anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>But Peter said to him, “May your silver
perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God
with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your
heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness
of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your
heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of
bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.”</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><i>And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the
Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”</i></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<i>Now
when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they
returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the
Samaritans.</i></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b>English
Standard Version Anglicised </b></span></span></span>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>****************</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Philip
has found himself away from home due to the severe persecution of the
church that Saul was causing. As we saw last time; persecution rather
than halting the gospel was the vehicle which spread it outside of
the borders of Judea. Philip instead of sulking about being ejected
from home took the opportunity to tell the Samaritans of Christ. The
people were enthralled at the gospel which was accompanied by signs
and wonders which in turn brought great joy into the city. Our
passage today begins with a but, as always there is a negative
response to the preaching of the gospel. On this occasion it came by
a man named Simon who himself was a recognised wonder-worker and who
called himself great.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">It
seems that the people of that city in Samaria were keenly interested
in spiritual things. Luke recorded in verse 6 that the crowds with
one accord paid attention to the gospel as Philip preached he also
tells us in verse 10 that they had up until this time paid attention
to Simon. From the highest to the lowest of society they believed
Simon to be “the power of God that is called Great!” To them
Simon was the Messiah who for a long time had amazed them all with
his own wonder-working power. As you can imagine there was now a
conflict; a battle was ensuing and the gospel was about to be
victorious. Many believed the gospel and were baptised, the news of
this when it reached Jerusalem caused the apostles to send Peter and
John to go to Samaria to check it out. They discovered that these
people who had heard the word preached and had responded and been
baptised were not yet in receipt of the Holy Spirit. Peter and John
pray, lay hands on them and the Holy Spirit is received.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
New Testament clearly teaches that when a person believes and is
baptised they receive the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the
Holy Spirit as Peter preached in Acts 2:38. Therefore this account of
what appears to be a two tier Christian experience is highly
controversial. Many use it as evidence of a normal two fold Christian
experience either to further their belief in the baptism of infants
and then confirmation of faith at a later stage. Others believe that
it is the theological basis for a two tier Christian experience that
proves that a baptism of the Holy Spirit comes later and is
accompanied with signs such as tongues. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Is
that what Luke is teaching here?</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Luke
as a good historian is simply recording the facts without comment,
the Holy Spirit was given to the people at the hands of Peter and
John therefore the event must be measured up against the full weight
of New Testament theology. The New Testament always whether it be
Paul or Peter teaches that the Holy Spirit is gifted to repentant
believers. This event in Samaria is unique in that it is the first
effective gospel outreach to Samaria and so as such it must be
treated as a one off event in the same way that the Pentecost
experience was. So what can we learn from it?</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b>Spiritual
interest is not necessarily conversion</b></u></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>:</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">It
is important for us to once again emphasise that this is a history
and not a theological treatise. Luke is simply and accurately
recording the events as they happened. The one thing that we can be
certain about in this account is that Philip's preaching to the
Samaritans was unique in that it was the first time that the gospel
had gone beyond the borders of Judea and that it was being received
eagerly by the Samaritans. The <i><b>“But”</b></i> of verse 9
puts the brakes on what is happening and throws up a number of
warning signs. Simon the magician has been for a long time doing
similar miracles to Philip in the city and has a great following. He
is their proclaimed messiah and now there is conflict therefore
something has to give. The city folks allegiance to Simon is now
under threat. The <i><b>but</b></i> that introduced Simon is now
trumped by the <i><b>but</b></i> of verse 12 which reminds us that
Philip preached and the people believed the good news of Jesus. Upon
faith they were baptised in accordance with what has already been
taught by the apostles. Even Simon was included in this number. Simon
then followed Philip and was amazed at the signs and great miracles
performed. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>This
whole event caused the apostles to send Peter and John to
investigate!</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Why?</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">They
had heard that the Samaritans had received the word of God and went
to see what was going on. We have to remember here what we considered
last time that this was a unique occasion the Samaritans who had
erred from the true worship of Yahweh were now embracing the Lord
Jesus as the long awaited Messiah. That was massive and needed
authentication. There was so much contention between Jew and
Samaritan that there could easily have been a disastrous split in the
infant church due to this very event. Luke records that the apostles
simply went along and discovered that because the Holy Spirit had not
come upon the believers that they were to be part of the conversion
experience of these new believers. They therefore prayed and laid
hands upon them and they received the Holy Spirit. Conversion was
then complete.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">From
the text it is impossible to discern whether before the receiving of
the Holy Spirit the people were truly born again but personally
without the filling of the Spirit I cannot see how that was possible.
The gift of the Holy Spirit is intrinsically bound with conversion!
On this unique occasion there was a delay in the process of being
fully regenerated which was significant because of who it was that
was being converted. The gospel was now spreading out into all of the
world of which Samaria was the beginning.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">We
are however on safe ground when we consider Simon whose experience is
similar to that of the rest of the people. Simon along with the
people displays a desire to know the truth and is fascinated formerly
with the miracles of Philip and then with the gifting of the Holy
Spirit at the laying on of hands by the apostles and now simony is
born. Simony is the term used for somebody who wants to buy favours
from God for their own gain. It is obvious that Simon wants to
continue his deception to the city by having the power to dispense
God to whom he pleases which in turn brings a sharp rebuke from Peter
to him. He is told that his heart is not right before God and
therefore that he needed to repent and pray for forgiveness and also
that Peter could see the total depravity of his heart. (verse 24)</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Simon
is clearly a different case to the rest of the people, he was never
really impressed by the word which was irresistibly drawing the
people to Jesus. He was out for personal gain but yet at first he
looked just like the rest and was baptised upon faith in Jesus which
goes to prove that outward spiritual interest does not prove personal
conversion. The apostles came to Samaria in order to confirm that
this was truly a work of God's Spirit but also to expose disingenuous
faith. </span></span>
</div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Simon
was taking liberties with the gospel and was found out.</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">He
tried to be like the rest but was unconverted and then when
confronted couldn't even pray for himself, even though he had been
told that he must. He would not humble himself to pray but wanted
others to do it for him, repentance must always come from the
individual; even the apostle Peter could not work that miracle. If
you are taking liberties with the gospel today then you are in the
same situation as Simon was and therefore you must repent and pray
for forgiveness.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What
can we learn from this passage?</b></span></span></span></div>
<ul>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Firstly
that we must not take historical accounts by themselves to be proof
texts for our own doctrinal desires. This passage might well suggest
a two tier conversion experience but that is not consistent with the
rest of New Testament teaching. It was not normal circumstances
therefore God worked on this occasion uniquely. The bible is the
best interpreter of the bible and so we must weigh up all that is
recorded in the historical accounts with the doctrinal sections of
scripture and reconcile all that is going on. Normally when a person
believes and repents of their sin and is baptised then the gift of
the Holy Spirit is given.</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">A
large number of people on that day in Samaria were truly converted
certainly by the time that they had received the Holy Spirit at the
hands of the apostles Peter and John. God authenticated His work of
regeneration in their hearts at the hands of the Apostles which in
effect brought them into a united fellowship with the rest of the
infant Christian church. The nationalistic barriers were broken
down. There was neither Samaritan nor Jew but they were all one in
Christ Jesus. The Prince of Peace brings peace even to deeply
divided people.</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">There
will always be some amongst us who are disingenuous, they will for a
time look the part but they are merely followers of man rather than
Jesus. They want the privileges of belonging but not the Saviour. It
is the responsibility of the elders of the church to check out a
work of grace as genuine. It is not negative to wait and see whether
great claims of faith are real or not!</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">God
by His Spirit will work in the way that He chooses and not in the
way that our particular theologies dictate. This passage is somewhat
uncomfortable for all on both side of a theological divide. Our
considerations this morning are totally inadequate to fully
understand what is going on. There have been centuries worth of
debate on the issues at hand and so we need to re-visit and discuss
all angles but what we can say is that God chose to work on that
occasion in the way that Luke recorded. We must not expect Him to do
it again and neither must we deny that He could if He so wished to.
The case is open for God's purposes alone.</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Saving
faith comes from personal repentance and prayer and never from a
third party. However much we might like to pray somebody into the
kingdom it is not at all possible as Simon no doubt discovered.</span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08587097423004792645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678364666154335588.post-57384006988073933952015-10-25T01:26:00.001-07:002015-10-25T01:28:30.101-07:00Acts part 13: Taking the gospel to the unlovely.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Building
the right foundation part 13</b></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<h1 align="JUSTIFY" class="western">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Acts
8:4-8</span></span></span></h1>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>Now
those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went
down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ.</b></i></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
A</b></i></span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>nd
the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by
Philip when they heard him and saw the signs that he did.</b></i></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>For
unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who
had them, and many who were paralysed or lame were healed.</b></i></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>So
there was much joy in that city. </b></i></span></span>
</div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b>English
Standard Version Anglicised </b></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>****************</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Last
time we saw that the persecution of the church was escalating and
that Stephen had become the first recorded martyr for Jesus. His
death was a glorious one in which he looked only to Jesus and saw
heaven open up for him to freely enter into. His death according to
Psalm 116 was precious to God and so the Lord Jesus awaited His
precious servant into His eternal presence. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Stephen
of course was one of the seven righteous men chosen by the church to
deal with the contention between the Hebrew and Greek widows. Both in
life and in death Stephen displayed the true characteristics of a man
of God. He was clearly a man who was full of the Holy Spirit and
wisdom and so he proved the church to be correct in their calling of
him to serve them through their difficulties. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Another
man chosen by the church on that occasion was Philip who Luke now
concentrates on. For Stephen the gospel was the cause of his
martyrdom from which followed severe persecution resulting in the
scattering of the church far and wide. Philip was included amongst
those scattered; many went throughout the regions of Judea but
Philip went to Samaria. This is a direct fulfilment of the promise
of Jesus found in Acts 1:8 where He told His disciples that they
would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends
of the earth. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The
gospel is spreading out!</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">But
who would ever have thought that it would be due to severe
persecution that the promise of Jesus was to be fulfilled! The
devil's intention was that through persecution the church would be
stopped in its tracks, but in reality the scattered believers as good
disciples could not be silenced.</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>They
took the gospel everywhere thy went!</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Philip
is an example in this; as a refugee he had to start a new life in a
very different place. We could forgive him if he had thrown his hands
up in anger to God blaming Him for his plight but he did not. He saw
his inconvenience as be an opportunity to proclaim Christ. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The
gospel comes to Samaria:</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As
we have said before; the Samaritans were odious to the Jews because
they had seriously strayed from the true worship of God. They had set
up idolatrous worship in Dan and Bethel, the excuse being that
Jerusalem was too far for them to go. In direct opposition to the
temple at Jerusalem they had set up their own temple on Mount
Gerazim. Remember when Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well He
said to her that the Samaritan's worshipped what they did not know on
their mountain but the Jews worshipped the God of salvation from
their holy mountain. Samaritan worship was heretical and therefore
odious to the Jews. It is true to say that they both had a common
belief in the Pentateuch that was really the only similarity in
faith. (I suppose that in this it is a little bit like Islam today
who believe in the first five books of the bible and also in some of
the prophets.) For approximately 1000 years there had been an
acrimonious separation of the Jews and the Samaritans therefore
Philip preaching the gospel to the Samaritans was almost miraculous.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Many
believers of the day would have kept away from evangelising the
Samaritans but Philip simply could not do anything but speak of
Christ.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b>Challenge</b></u></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>:</b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Are
we so taken up with Christ that whatever the circumstance we find
ourselves in we cannot but speak of Him? Last time we saw that
Stephen could do no other than speak of Christ even though it meant
certain death! Now we find Philip in the land of the outcast, where
contention between the two faiths is part of their normal life.
Samaria was a place where their near neighbour Judah was hated and
that was reciprocated by Judeans. </span></span>
</div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>The
one thing that they were totally united in was their hatred of each
other. </b></i></span></span></span>
</div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Philip
was in the land of the unlovely but yet He so loved Jesus and was
concerned for the spiritual state of the people that he was amongst
that he simply had to tell of the hope that he had in Christ Jesus.
Do we love Jesus and are we concerned for all that we are in contact
with that they might come to know salvation? We may not have been
sent to Samaria but we are here in our daily routine as was Philip on
that day. Have you told of Jesus to those whom you rub shoulders
with?</span></span></div>
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<br />
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b>Signs
and wonders</b></u></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>
</b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">accompanied
Philips proclamation. They heard his gospel and saw the signs that he
did which caused them to pay close attention to what he said. It is
amazing how this theme is recurring so far throughout Acts: </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>The
signs draw attention and the word takes effect! </b></i></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">At
Philip's command paralysed and lame people were healed and devilish
spirits were noisily cast out which in turn brought great joy to the
city. This new gospel outreach to the Samaritans was authenticated by
powerful signs by the Holy Spirit of God. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>But</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Note
that it was not the signs that affected the people but that it was
the preached word. Luke simply says that the result of which brought
joy into the city. God was at work in the hearts of unlovely people
and a difference was visibly seen in the city. During the revivals in
Wales the effect was seen clearly in the community. There are many
anecdotal accounts of children wearing shoes, happy wives, pit ponies
fed and treated well all due to men having heard and responding to
the gospel call. This in turn was the cause of much rejoicing in
mining villages all over Wales. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Signs
and wonders do not proliferate today as they did in the days of the
early church: </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>But
</b></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;">“<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Joy
fills my soul for Jesus has saved me, freed me from sin that long had
enslaved me, lifted me up from sorrow and shame now that I belong to
Jesus.” When that is true of you and me then we naturally want
others to know that they too can have true joy in their hearts if
they will only come to Jesus in full repentance and trust in His
saving blood. The only way that they will ever know is if they are
told, how can they hear without a preacher and who will that preacher
be if it is not you and me?</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
gospel was spreading beyond the borders of Judea and had now entered
the land of the heretical outcast and guess what they were being
saved! We also need the gospel to extend beyond our boundary and out
into the street and to go from there throughout Callington and into
the surrounding district and then guess where: into Devon and further
afield. Who is responsible for taking it?</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>You
and me.</b></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-bottom: 0.1in;">
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
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