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Posts Tagged ‘Craig Anderson’

ARE YOU GOIN’ WHERE I’M GOIN’?

Posted in Church, Equip the Saints, Soul Winning, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 6, 2014| Leave a Comment »

LOVE REACHES OUT #1AMreaches out

In this life, how do you see yourself? As a pilgrim? As a foreigner journeying through to a better and eternal future? a Or does this world so fill your vista that you hardly think of eternity? Listen to this amazing verse: Eccles 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He also has planted eternity in men’s hearts and minds [a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working through the ages which nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy], yet so that men cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

Ultimately what matters is people. Everything else is temporary. 2 Cor 4:18 Since we consider and look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are visible are temporal (brief and fleeting), but the things that are invisible are deathless and everlasting. All your stuff that you worked so hard for, all the possessions, the house, the cars, the clothes etc. will all vanish in a puff of smoke one day; and all you have left is you and your loved ones.

What will you be doing in a million years from now? Seriously! If you say, “I’ll be in heaven.”, then how glad are you about that? You could be in the other place. Eternity is such a long time!! It’s all a bit hard for the human mind to comprehend; right?

What we have been learning in the messages preached all year is that God loves you so much and His magnificent loving kindness has come and rescued you, redeemed you and set you free. It’s a natural step to see that God loves each and every person on the planet and some know that and some don’t know that yet. John 3:16  For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.(AMP)

All around us are precious people who are perishing. In Australia, we are an especially heathen bunch. Although 61% write on the census that their religion is Christian, only 13% attend any kind of church monthly or more often and of those we can only guess the percentage that is born again. Some estimates of the Born Again population are as low as 5%. Perhaps attending church is a poor measure of whether a person is born again. We should rather choose the measure that one of the greatest preachers in history used: “Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you’re not saved yourself, be sure of that!” ― Charles H. Spurgeon. What’s our percentage now?

As you look around at your loved ones, work mates, neighbours, do you consider their eternal destiny? Does it drive you to prayer and cause you to consider how to share the answer to life with them? If not, then let’s look at the scriptures and see the convincing reality of what lies before us in heaven and hell.

Hell is real

Luke 6:19-31

19 There was a certain rich man who [habitually] clothed himself in purple and fine linen and [m]revelled and feasted and made merry in splendour every day.

20 And at his gate there [n]was [carelessly] dropped down and left a certain [o]utterly destitute man named Lazarus, [reduced to begging alms and] covered with [[p]ulcerated] sores.

21 He [eagerly] desired to be satisfied with what fell from the rich man’s table; moreover, the dogs even came and licked his sores.

22 And it occurred that the man [reduced to] begging died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.

23 And in Hades (the realm of the dead), being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom.

24 And he cried out and said, Father Abraham, have pity and mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.

25 But Abraham said, Child, remember that you in your lifetime fully received [what is due you in] comforts and delights, and Lazarus in like manner the discomforts and distresses; but now he is comforted here and you are in anguish.

26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who want to pass from this [place] to you may not be able, and no one may pass from there to us.

27 And [the man] said, Then, father, I beseech you to send him to my father’s house—

28 For I have five brothers—so that he may give [solemn] testimony and warn them, lest they too come into this place of torment.

29 But Abraham said, They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear and listen to them.

30 But he answered, No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent ([q]change their minds for the better and heartily amend their ways, with abhorrence of their past sins).

31 He said to him, If they do not hear and listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded and convinced and believe [even] if someone should rise from the dead.

Rev 21:8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars–their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.(NIV)

Matt 13:49-50 49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (NIV)

Rev 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no respite (no pause, no intermission, no rest, no peace) day or night—these who pay homage to the beast and to his image and whoever receives the stamp of his name upon him.

All these verses clearly show that eternity without salvation is horrifying and inconceivably worse due to the fact that it goes on for ever and ever without respite.

General William Booth founder of the Salvation Army church movement was quoted as saying as he trained his preachers and Christian workers. “If I could, I would dangle you over hell for 5 minutes to see the cries of the damned.”   People without a Knowledge of God and even some Christians find this truth so shocking that they fall into wrong believing saying that God could not be as cruel as to send people there forever, or that God will give people a second chance. Some have believed in a purgatory, where people work off their sins and eventually make it to heaven; but all these ideas are false.

Listen again to William Booth – “Not called!” did you say? “Not heard the call,” I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear Him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father’s house and bid their brothers and sisters and servants and masters not come there. Then look Christ in the face — whose mercy you have professed to obey — and tell Him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish His mercy to the world.”

When you hear these pleading words, do you think that’s how they spoke in an era long ago, or do you think that’s outdated language and form that doesn’t work today; or is it just that we have fallen so far from biblical truth in our generation that we fall for soft wishy washy beliefs about God that are not supported by scripture?

Heaven

Heaven on the other hand is awesomely wonderful. Imagine infinite joy! Life with a capital L.

Rev 21:4-5 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”  He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”

Rev 22:3-4 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.  They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.  There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

John 14: 2-3 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. 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.

Matt  25:20-21 And he who had received the five talents came and brought him five more, saying, Master, you entrusted to me five talents; see, here I have gained five talents more.

21 His master said to him, Well done, you upright (honorable, admirable) and faithful servant! You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little; I will put you in charge of much. Enter into and share the joy (the delight, the [c]blessedness) which your master enjoys.

Convinced that people without Christ are going there?

One error I find many Christians fall into is that somehow good people will get into heaven. They believe that most people around them are going to make it somehow because God is loving and merciful. This view is dangerous especially to those around them who are not born again yet. Let me ask you a very simple question. If there was any way at all that a person could make it to heaven on their own, did Jesus need to come and die on the cross?

Jesus Himself stated very clearly: John 14:6 Jesus said to him, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) Me.(AMP)

Jesus was moved by the plight of broken people. His heart for lost people will become our heart too if we walk with Him. Look at His reaction in the gospels Matt 9:35-38 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news (the Gospel) of the kingdom and curing all kinds of disease and every weakness and infirmity. 36 When He saw the throngs, He was moved with pity and sympathy for them, because they were bewildered (harassed and distressed and dejected and helpless), like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 So pray to the Lord of the harvest to force out and thrust laborers into His harvest.

What should be our reaction? Perhaps some may be so deeply concerned that they become a certified bible carrying, tract giving, bible bashing preacher to everyone around them, and it isn’t very fruitful. That’s overboard and that’s not love in action. The sad thing is that many Christians are the opposite, there’s almost no evidence of witness in their lives, it’s like they want to enjoy the benefits of salvation and not care that all manner of people around them are perishing.

So how are we to live?

  • Recognise the truth that faith in Christ alone saves a person from eternity in hell.
  • Decide to pray for those people in your world who do not know Jesus yet, that God will have mercy on them and show them the truth.
  • Love people, serve them and share your heart with them at every opportunity.
  • Trust that the Holy Spirit will lead you to people and will give you the words to say.
  • Share your testimony and the God stories that give evidence of God at work among us.
  • Invite as many people as you can to join you church or UC group or a family picnic or a night at the movies or the church trivia night etc. etc.

This month we are focusing on the “How To” of sharing your faith. We will be equipping you with practical help to know how to share your faith, what to say to people who are far from God and how to begin a great conversation about your testimony and how God loves the person you’re speaking to. In all our Urban Connect groups we will be helping you to learn skills about sharing your testimony, and what the gospel message is that we need to share with people.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Do you think Spurgeon’s measure of whether a person is born again or not is a fair one? (Whether you care that others are lost)

2. How do you see non Christians?

3. What about people of other faiths, are they lost too? (Acts 4:12)

4. If Jesus really is the only way to heaven, why do so many other faiths exist?

5. If Jesus really is the only way to heaven how should we live?

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WHEN EVERYTHING GOES WRONG.

Posted in Church, Equip the Saints, Preaching messages, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 22, 2014| 1 Comment »

LOVE UNCONDITIONAL #4PMdepression

When everything goes wrong…..

They say bad news comes in threes, but for some people it seems to just keep on coming…

Everyone feels overwhelmed at times, so how do you handle that when it comes?

One good friend of mine arrived home to see his house going up in flames. His reaction? God is good!

Ps 61:2 From the end of the earth will I cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed and fainting; lead me to the rock that is higher than I [yes, a rock that is too high for me].

Ps 142:3 When my spirit was overwhelmed and fainted [throwing all its weight] upon me, then You knew my path. In the way where I walk they have hidden a snare for me.

God knows exactly how you feel. Heb 4:13 And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, naked and defenceless to the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do.

14 Inasmuch then as we have a great High Priest Who has [already] ascended and passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession [of faith in Him].

15 For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning.

16 Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].

 

David calls out to God in the depth of his despair.

Ps 6:6 I am weary with my groaning; all night I soak my pillow with tears, I drench my couch with my weeping.

Ps 42:5 Why are you cast down, O my inner self? And why should you moan over me and be disquieted within me? Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall yet praise Him, my Help and my God.

6 O my God, my life is cast down upon me [and I find the burden more than I can bear]; therefore will I [earnestly] remember You from the land of the Jordan [River] and the [summits of Mount] Hermon, from the little mountain Mizar.

7 [Roaring] deep calls to [roaring] deep at the thunder of Your waterspouts; all Your breakers and Your rolling waves have gone over me.

8 Yet the Lord will command His loving-kindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me, a prayer to the God of my life.

9 I will say to God my Rock, Why have You forgotten me? Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

 

Ps 116:1 I love the Lord, because He has heard [and now hears] my voice and my supplications.

2 Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live.

3 The cords and sorrows of death were around me, and the terrors of Sheol (the place of the dead) had laid hold of me; I suffered anguish and grief (trouble and sorrow).

4 Then called I upon the name of the Lord: O Lord, I beseech You, save my life and deliver me!

5 Gracious is the Lord, and [rigidly] righteous; yes, our God is merciful.

 

Does it surprise you that a person who was such a great and accomplished leader went through such a time of deep depression?

My darkest moments

I wasn’t when my I was sick, it wasn’t when others in my family fell ill, it wasn’t when I lost money in a bad investment…. It was when I thought I had failed God.

Jesus knows and cares about your darkest days. He carried the weight and the pain of it all. The cross is the place where Jesus bore all the difficulties and troubles that weigh down your soul.

Isaiah 53:3 He was despised and rejected and forsaken by men, a Man of sorrows and pains, and acquainted with grief and sickness; and like One from Whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we did not appreciate His worth or have any esteem for Him.

4 Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried our sorrows and pains [of punishment], yet we [ignorantly] considered Him stricken, smitten, and afflicted by God [as if with leprosy].

5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole.

When you are feeling overwhelmed then it’s time to turn to Jesus and receive His love. When you consciously acknowledge that He carried all that weight for you, then cast all your cares upon Him because He cares for you. Meditate on what He has done for you at the cross. Meditate on how much He loves you and how He knows your situation and how you feel. Roll your burden onto Him and enter into His rest.  (Read and mediate on Hebrews 4)    If you believe you cant handle your feelings go to see your doctor for further advice. Try also this website – http://www.beyondblue.org.au/ 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Why are feelings so difficult to handle – they are only feelings?

2. Can a person who suffers with depression still achieve great things?

3. Would you say King David suffered with depression?

4. Did Jesus know these down feelings?

5. How can we receive the answer from God when we feel down?

 

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GOD’S OUT TO GET YOU… WITH LOVE

Posted in Church, Equip the Saints, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 21, 2014| 1 Comment »

LOVE UNCONDITIONAL #3AMchesed_etymology

God’s insatiable desire to love you in spite of you can never be quenched.

If I could ask anything of God today it would be that He would reveal to you His mighty loving kindness.

Psalm 69:16

Hear and answer me, O Lord, for Your loving–kindness is sweet and comforting; according to Your plenteous tender mercy and steadfast love turn to me.

Today I want to reveal to you a secret in the word of God – the revelation of God’s Chesed – His loving kindness, and how it is His everlasting passion to do good to those who are in covenant with Him in spite of their faults and failings.

King David knew and understood God’s loving kindness and how it was there for him as part of God’s covenant promise to him.

Ps 18:50 – strong deliverance came to David through God’s loving kindness.  Vs50  He gives great [a]deliverance to His king, and shows loving kindness to His anointed,
To David and his [b]descendants forever.(NASB)

Ps 31:7 – When in great trouble and adversity, David rejoices in God’s loving kindness. Vs7 I will rejoice and be glad in Your loving kindness, Because You have seen my affliction; You have known the troubles of my soul (NASB)

Ps 51:1 – After great failure, deal with me according to your loving kindness. Vs 1 Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your loving kindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions.(NKJV)

King David deeply understood the loving kindness of God. 127 times loving kindness is mentioned just in Psalms alone. The phrase “Your mercy and loving kindness endures forever is mentioned 43 times.

Chesed is a Hebrew word commonly translated as “loving-kindness,” “kindness” or “love.” Chesed is central to Jewish ethics and Jewish theology. Many Jewish thinkers view chesed as the primary virtue. Chesed is valued by religious Jews of all denominations. It is considered a virtue on its own, and also for its contribution to tikkun olam (repairing the world)

“Loving-kindness” is used as an English translation of chesed, originating with the Coverdale Bible of 1535. Although some consider it to be a somewhat archaic translation,[1] it remains one of the most common translations.[2] “Love” is often used as a shorter English translation. Daniel Elazar has suggested the translation of “covenant-love.”[8] “Grace“[9] and “compassion“[10] are also occasionally used as translations of chesed. In Greek Eleos (often understood as mercy or pity) is the word used by the Septuagint to translate “chesed” into Greek. Chesed has also been understood as linked with the Greek word agape and its Latin   equivalent, caritas (charity).

Chesed is the core ethical virtue ascribed to God.

A statement by Rabbi Simlai in the Talmud claims that “The Torah (The first 5 books of the bible) begins with chesed and ends with chesed.” This may be understood to mean that “the entire Torah is characterized by chesed, i.e. it sets forth a vision of the ideal life whose goals are behaviour characterized by mercy and compassion.” Alternatively, it may allude to the idea that the giving of the Torah itself is the quintessential act of chesed.[12] The following are actions undertaken in imitation of the qualities of Chesed:[13]

  • love God so completely that one will never forsake His service for any reason
  • provide a child with all the necessities of his sustenance
  • leading a child into covenant relationship with God
  • visiting and healing the sick
  • giving charity to the poor
  • offering hospitality to strangers
  • attending to the dead
  • bringing a bride to the chuppah marriage ceremony
  • making peace between a man and his fellow

In the Torah loving kindness is epitomised by Exodus 34:6-7  And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord! the Lord! a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving-kindness and truth,

7 Keeping mercy and loving-kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but Who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.(AMP)

 

When Miles Coverdale, translated the bible in 1535 it is one of the words he used in the Psalms to translate the Hebrew chesed into loving kindness when it refers to God’s love for his people Israel.

The theological importance of the word chesed is that it stands more than any other word for the attitude which both parties to a covenant ought to maintain towards each other. It combines the twin ideas of love and loyalty, both of which are essential. Yet it must convey the idea of the steadfastness and persistence of God’s sure love for his covenant-people. The etymological core of the word is ‘eagerness, keenness,’ God’s loving-kindness is that sure love which will not let Israel go. Not all Israel’s persistent waywardness could ever destroy it. Though Israel be faithless, yet God remains faithful still. The continual waywardness of Israel has made it inevitable that, if God is never going to let Israel go, then his relation to his people must in the main be one of loving-kindness, mercy, and goodness, all of it entirely undeserved. For this reason the predominant use of the word comes to include mercy and forgiveness as a main constituent in God’s determined faithfulness to his part of the bargain. It is obvious, time and again, from the context that if God is to maintain the covenant he must exercise mercy to an unprecedented degree. The loving-kindness of God towards Israel is therefore wholly undeserved on Israel’s part. If Israel received the proper treatment for her stubborn refusal to walk in God’s way, there would be no prospect for her of anything but destruction, since God’s demand for right action never wavers one whit. Strict, however, as the demands for righteousness are, the prophets were sure that God’s yearnings for the people of his choice are stronger still. Here is the great dilemma of the prophets, and indeed the dilemma of us all to this day. But this much is clear: when we try to estimate the depth and the persistence of God’s loving-kindness and mercy, we must first remember his passion for righteousness. His passion for righteousness is so strong that he could not be more insistent in his demand for it, but God’s persistent love for his people is more insistent still. The story of God’s people throughout the centuries is that their waywardness has been so persistent that, if even a remnant is to be preserved, God has had to show mercy more than anything else. It is important to realize that though the Hebrew chesed can be translated by loving-kindness and mercy without doing violence to the context, yet we must always beware lest we think that God is content with less than righteousness. There is no reference to any sentimental kindness, and no suggestion of mercy apart from repentance, in any case where the Hebrew original is chesed. His demand for righteousness is insistent, and it is always at the maximum intensity. The loving-kindness of God means that his mercy is greater even than that. The word stands for the wonder of his unfailing love for the people of his choice, and the solving of the problem of the relation between his righteousness and his loving-kindness passes beyond human comprehension. One may describe His loving kindness as aggressive kindness, goodness and mercy toward us.

Excerpts from – Bibliography: N.H. Snaith, Distinctive Ideas of the Old Testament, London (1944).

An example of God’s pursuit of Israel is in Hosea.

Psalm 57:10

For Your mercy and loving–kindness are great, reaching to the heavens, and Your truth and faithfulness to the clouds.

Psalm 59:16

But I will sing of Your mighty strength and power; yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy and loving–kindness in the morning; for You have been to me a defense (a fortress and a high tower) and a refuge in the day of my distress.

Psalm 63:3

Because Your loving–kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You.

Psalm 66:20

Blessed be God, Who has not rejected my prayer nor removed His mercy and loving–kindness from being [as it always is] with me.

Psalm 69:13

But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord. At an acceptable and opportune time, O God, in the multitude of Your mercy and the abundance of Your loving–kindness hear me, and in the truth and faithfulness of Your salvation answer me.

Psalm 85:10

Mercy and loving–kindness and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

Psalm 86:5

For You, O Lord, are good, and ready to forgive [our trespasses, sending them away, letting them go completely and forever]; and You are abundant in mercy and loving–kindness to all those who call upon You.

Psalm 86:15

But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in mercy and loving–kindness and truth.

Psalm 89:2

For I have said, Mercy and loving–kindness shall be built up forever; Your faithfulness will You establish in the very heavens [unchangeable and perpetual].

Psalm 103:4

Who redeems your life from the pit and corruption, Who beautifies, dignifies, and crowns you with loving–kindness and tender mercy;

Psalm 103:11

For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great are His mercy and loving–kindness toward those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him.

Psalm 106:7

Our fathers in Egypt understood not nor appreciated Your miracles; they did not [earnestly] remember the multitude of Your mercies nor imprint Your loving–kindness [on their hearts], but they were rebellious and provoked the Lord at the sea, even at the Red Sea.

Psalm 106:45

And He [earnestly] remembered for their sake His covenant and relented their sentence of evil [comforting and easing Himself] according to the abundance of His mercy and loving–kindness[when they cried out to Him].

Psalm 107:8

Oh, that men would praise [and confess to] the Lord for His goodness and loving–kindness and His wonderful works to the children of men!

God’s loving kindness is everlasting. He is persistent in desiring your ultimate good. He longs for righteousness but as soon as we turn to Him, He abundantly pardons and then goes into overdrive with mercy, protection, provision, deliverance, peace and life. As you read the Psalms from now on; every time you read loving kindness, stop for a moment and recognise God’s intense desire to love you and show you mercy and kindness.

Never again feel lost, abandoned, alone or without hope. Remember God’s loving kindness. Remember His intense desire to bless you with kindness. As you turn your heart to Him he will abundantly provide for you.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1.  Describe in your own words what you think the Hebrew word Chesed means.

2. So often Christians think that God has abandoned them, or doesn’t care about them because trouble has come their way. Why would that be?

3. But nothing could be further from the truth. God longs to show kindness to those He is in covenant with. List all the ways God shows kindness to us.

4. What qualifies us to receive this kindness?

5. Compare Ephesians 2:4 (AMP)  with this idea of Chesed or covenant love and it’s persistence.

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BROKEN LIVES MADE WHOLE

Posted in Church, Equip the Saints, Preaching messages, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 8, 2014| Leave a Comment »

LOVE UNCONDITIONAL  #2AMLove Unconditional

WHEN YOU TRULY KNOW GOD LOVES YOU TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY, YOU ENTER INTO A LIFE OF STRENGTH AND VICTORY WHERE YOU EXPERIENCE HIS GRACE AND PROVISION AND ABUNDANT LIFE.

Humanity is broken.

We live in the lucky country, but many struggle with low self-esteem, depression, loneliness, rejection, sickness, financial trouble and substance abuse.

Jesus is the answer, He is the hope of every person who puts their trust in Him. Yet we often see God as far away, aloof, non-caring, too busy running His vast universe to ever notice me let alone care for me. Yes, they have heard that Jesus loves them, but does that cliché answer their current pain? Often as I talk to people who have not met Jesus yet they see God as a judge who will punish them for their wrongs. They see God as the rule maker and the fun taker. While 70% of Australians believe there is a God, most have never experienced His powerful healing and rescuing love.

How do you see God? Deep down in your heart where your inner thoughts reside, how do you think God sees you? I once saw God as if He were a person busy at His desk and with piles of papers on the desk and He seemed oblivious to my presence. Or does He seem like a loving Father with arms outstretched waiting for you to jump right up onto His lap?

Mental illness is very common. One in five (20%) Australians aged 16-85 experience a mental illness in any year. The most common mental illnesses are depressive, anxiety and substance use disorder. These three types of mental illnesses often occur in combination. Almost half (45%) Australians will experience a mental illness in their lifetime [1].

Suicide in Australia

Every day, at least six Australians die from suicide and a further thirty people will attempt to take their own life [5]. While suicide accounts for only a relatively small proportion (1.6%) of all deaths in Australia, it does account for a greater proportion of deaths from all causes within specific age groups. For example, suicide is the leading cause of death for young people aged 15-24 [6]. Australians are more likely to die by suicide than skin cancer.

Men are at greatest risk of suicide but least likely to seek help. Attempted suicide is also an important issue with estimates that in Australia over 60,000 people a year attempt to take their own lives, the majority being women.

Depression

Depression has a high lifetime prevalence – one in seven Australians will experience depression in their lifetime [1]. Depression has the third highest burden of all diseases in Australia (13.3%) [3] and also third globally [8]. Burden of disease refers to the total impact of a disease measured by financial cost, mortality, morbidity and other indicators. The World Health Organisation estimates that depression will be the number one health concern in both the developed and developing nations by 2030 [8].

Rates of depression are slightly higher in women with depression, affecting one in six (17%) compared to one in 10 (10%) men experiencing depression in their lifetime. http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/docs/Factsandfiguresaboutmentalhealthandmooddisorders.pdf

God loves everyone equally. His love is complete. He is a loving heavenly Father. However you must receive it to experience it.

WHEN YOU TRULY KNOW GOD LOVES YOU TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY, YOU ENTER INTO A LIFE OF STRENGTH AND VICTORY WHERE YOU EXPERIENCE HIS GRACE AND PROVISION AND ABUNDANT LIFE.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (ESV)

1 John 4:9-11 9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. (NLT)

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect ([a]free, large, full) gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of all [that gives] light, in [the shining of] Whom there can be no variation [rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [as in an eclipse]. (AMP)

 

If He put His Spirit inside us what does that say?

I stood at the altar 35 years ago and said to Chris, I choose to live with you until one of us dies. It’s a big deal to live with someone. You probably couldn’t live with just anyone! However God says, I want to make my home within you!

John 14:23 Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. (NLT) AGAPE love. The love that gives expecting nothing in return. This love not conditional from God’s point of view, but it is from ours.

1 Cor 6:19 Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own, (NCV)

See God as the perfect parent.

Matt 7:11 If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good and advantageous gifts to your children, how much more will your Father Who is in heaven [perfect as He is] give good and advantageous things to those who keep on asking Him!(AMP)

God’s first priority is for us to receive His love. If someone truly knows that they are loved by God then insecurity, fear, unbelief is smashed. God is on your side, He has made provision for your every need through the cross.

As you receive His love you will be set free from insecurity, low self image, fear, low expectation etc by receiving a revelation that God’s love so big and so complete!   John 10:10 I have come that they will have life and life abundant. Deut 28:13 I will make you the head and not the tail. Above and not beneath. Ps 17:8 You are the apple of His eye. Rom 8:31 If God be for you who can be against you?

How then can one experience such love and acceptance and favour?

  • Meditate on these scriptures. (Also read 1 John 3 & 4)
  • Imagine the cross and see His love poured out for you as He died for you.
  • Watch the face of the heavenly Father as He turns away from Jesus when He became Sin for us. Jesus complete rejection and judgment that was meant for us.
  • Thank Him for this love.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Have you ever prayed for a revelation of God’s love? – Why not do it right now?

2. Love means doing the highest good for another. Describe what God did for us through Jesus Christ.

3. There are 5 love languages; Touch, words, gifts, acts of service and time. What’s your love language?

4. Do you feel loved if the love expressed to you is not in your love language?

5. Can you acknowledge God’s love for you even if you may not be feeling loved?

 

 

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HE LOVES ME; HE LOVES ME NOT.

Posted in Church, Preaching messages, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on May 31, 2014| Leave a Comment »

LOVE UNCONDITIONAL #1AMUnconditional-Love

FEELING LOVED?

How big is God’s love for you? So high, so wide, so great, so deep is God’s love for you. Ephes 2:4-6 But God—so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us,

5 Even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favour and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved ([a]delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation).

6 And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together [giving us [b]joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

So often we judge God’s love by our own human viewpoint. We feel that God doesn’t love us when we suffer loss or go through tough times. When we take this view that God doesn’t care or doesn’t love us then we lose faith, we cannot believe that God will answer our prayer. We feel lost, alone, separated from hope and we doubt ourselves, sometimes we even go to the place of self-hatred thinking that if God doesn’t care for me, then I must be worthless. Why do you need this message about God’s love for you? Let me tell you it is the biggest key for a full and overcoming life as a Christian.

We need a revelation of God’s unending, unyielding, unconditional, unqualified, unlimited, unbeatable LOVE for you and me. When we get this revelation, we smash unbelief and doubt. We soar in confidence that God works all things together for good to them that love Him and are called according to His purpose.  We say goodbye to a low self-esteem and walk around knowing He watches over us. His eye is on the sparrow, so much more is His every thought about you and for your good.

Key verse for the month – Isaiah 49:15-16 Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yes, they may forget, yet I will not forget you. 16 Behold, I have indelibly imprinted (tattooed a picture of) you on the palm of each of My hands.(AMP)

Ps 103:14 For He knows our frame, He [earnestly] remembers and imprints [on His heart] that we are dust. He gets how hard it is for us in this sin soaked and selfish world, He was in all points tempted like as we are, so He is an high priest who can be touched by the feelings of our weaknesses.(Heb 4:15)

HE CARES – always and at all times. Receive it! Meditate on it!

But, you say, why did I suffer? Why did I go through so much trouble?

Romans 8:31-37

31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honour at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”[o]) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.(NLT)

STORY

The death of Stephen

54 Now upon hearing these things, they [the Jews] were cut to the heart and infuriated, and they ground their teeth against [Stephen].

55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit and controlled by Him, gazed into heaven and saw the glory (the splendor and majesty) of God, and Jesus standing at God’s right hand;

56 And he said, Look! I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at God’s right hand!

57 But they raised a great shout and put their hands over their ears and rushed together upon him.

58 Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him, and the witnesses placed their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.

59 And while they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, Lord Jesus, receive and accept and welcome my spirit!

60 And falling on his knees, he cried out loudly, Lord, fix not this sin upon them [lay it not to their charge]! And when he had said this, he fell asleep [g][in death].

This story contrasts the cruelty of religion with the love of God. Who would choose to be Stephen? Perhaps the first Christian Martyr. Was there a wife left grieving? Or children left without a father? We will never know, but what we now and what God wants us to see about this tragic event is what Stephen experienced at this time.

Those who stoned Stephen basically committed murder because they did not like what he believed! Religion is cruel and hate filled. Religion says, “You must do this and this to be accepted” Religion says, “You have no right to challenge the status quo.”  But in the midst of this hatred and violence the love of God shone through.  Stephen experienced all the following:

  1. An opportunity to share the gospel with a large number of people
  2. An overwhelming sense of God’s presence and protection –  55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit and controlled by Him, gazed into heaven and saw the glory (the splendour and majesty) of God, and Jesus standing at God’s right hand; 56 And he said, Look! I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at God’s right hand!
  3. The act of forgiveness for his assailants
  4. The initiation of Saul’s conversion.

Do you think Stephen felt abandoned by God? No, in no way. When he reached heaven and began his experience of eternity he could see the eternal significance of what took place that day. Saul’s later conversion, millions experiencing the power of the word of God through Paul’s writings. The church scattered by the mounting persecution so that it invaded all the known world. Spreading out far and wide.

When you think back over your life do you look at the tough times and ask God where were you? Perhaps we will never know the whole picture in this life about why things happen, but we know this, All things work tether for Good to them that love God and are called according to his purpose.

How can I convince you about His unending love for you? Do you want life on your terms or God’s terms? Can you say you are smarter than God and know what is best for you and for His plans and purposes? Humility allows us to fully trust God knowing His ways are perfect and all His ways are just. His love for you is unending and fully complete. He that spared not his only son, will he not with Him freely give us all things?

What Now you say?

How can I receive a revelation of this amazing love?

  • Meditate on these scriptures. (Also read 1 John 3 & 4)
  • Imagine the cross and see His love poured out for you as He died for you.
  • Watch the face of the heavenly Father as He turns away from Jesus when He became Sin for us. Jesus complete rejection and judgment that was meant for us.
  • Thank Him for this love.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Is it necessary to feel God’s love?

2. Can you feel your mother’s love right now? What about if you think about all that she has done for you? Is it getting a bit easier now?

3. If God wants the best for you, how can you cooperate with that?

4. What was the main point in this message concerning the story of Stephen’s death?

5. Can you trust God when things seem to be going the wrong way for your perspective?

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IT’S MY CHURCH

Posted in Church, Giving, Preaching messages, tagged , , , , on May 25, 2014| Leave a Comment »

LOVE HONOURS #4AMMain Corflute Sign - 1800x1000mm.indd

IT’S MY CHURCH

JOSH 6:1-7

Now Jericho [a fenced town with high walls] was tightly closed because of the Israelites; no one went out or came in.

2 And the Lord said to Joshua, See, I have given Jericho, its king and mighty men of valor, into your hands.

3 You shall march around the enclosure, all the men of war going around the city once. This you shall do for six days.

4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns; and on the seventh day you shall march around the enclosure seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.

5 When they make a long blast with the ram’s horn and you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the enclosure shall fall down in its place and the people shall go up [over it], every man straight before him.

6 So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, Take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.

7 He said to the people, Go on! March around the enclosure, and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord.

 

The people of Israel have been walking around in the wilderness for 40 years! That’s a long time! Now at long last they get to make the second attempt to enter the Promised Land. Imagine their feelings right now. After such a long time waiting and such an uncomfortable passage through the wilderness they didn’t want to fail this time. The Promised Land was still a land flowing with milk and honey – a good land, but there are giants!

So I guess the feeling was determination but not a little trepidation. The worry about whether we can overcome was real; it was palpable. They were excited but they were fearful also. We have a Promised Land to enter into as well! Our promised land is souls saved, lives changed, miracles and community impact – a church that continues to grow and multiply planting other churches. That’s exciting for us as Christians. However there are giants in our promised land also.

Everybody marched and everybody shouted. As this bible reading showed, the people were to take the fortified city of Jericho first. To look at Jericho from the outside was frightening. Very high walls and very thick walls. It looked impossible. But God had a plan. God always has a plan. March around the walls six days then seventh day seven times and on the last time Shout! This story was so important to set up Israel for future victory. God said everybody marches and everybody shouts! This way, in the future every single Israelite has personally witnessed God’s miraculous power to overcome impossibilities.

In this church we have a promised land and we also face a giant. Our giant is financial. Let me share with you our journey so far.

Our church began in 1994, we moved from two rented buildings to our Mill Park Location at the corner of Plenty Rd and Centenary Drive in 1998. We bought the building for a very low price in 2000 and stayed there till we sold in 2010. Moving into this building was a step of faith as our building costs went from $40K to $140K overnight.

Over the four years in which we have been in this building, we have grown. However this has mostly been growth among youth and young adults, which is great but it adds very little to our revenue base. We have secured tenancies to assist us by paying rent.

Thank you for being a giving church. This step we are taking is essential for the continuation of the church into the future but it is not the complete solution! We must, as a church, take the challenge and meet it head on. The answer lies in growing the church, and being faithful in our giving. What motivates us as a finance committee overseeing these decisions is not paying for a building, but reaching lost people. To do that effectively, we must have a home, a place to bring people. A place to service the community.

JERICHO

We are just like the children of Israel facing Jericho as in the story we read today. I believe that God gave me this picture for our church for today.

There is a Promised Land in front of us in terms of souls saved, lives changed, miracles and community impact – a church that continues to grow and multiply planting other churches. But there is a giant. For us the giant is finances. God asked all the men of war to march around the walls of Jericho, God asked all the children of Israel to shout when the time was right. God made the walls fall down flat and gave the people the victory.

The vision in front of us is exciting, what we have seen and achieved in the last four years is remarkable, but our future victory depends on all of us rising up to embrace the challenge. The answer lies in growing the church and in faithful giving. If we choose to walk in faith – it is bread for us, we can overcome, the giants are like grasshoppers in our sight; but if we walk in unbelief we will fail to enter in like the first generation of the children of Israel who walked in the wilderness for 40 years until all those who chose unbelief died out and new generation arose.

I am asking you all to join Me and Chris, John and Marita and the leaders of this church in stepping up. Will you be part of the answer? You may well ask What can I do to help in this situation?

This is what I am asking of each and every one of you.

  1. Decide – This is my Church – I want it to grow and prosper and I am going to do all I can to make that happen.
  2. Pray – Believe with us for God’s provision firstly for souls saved and people added to the church and also for His provision for us all.
  3. Bring others to church. Invite, Invite, Invite. Help grow the church by inviting others. In July we will be training and equipping the congregation on how to share their God story and how to initiate conversations that lead to witnessing opportunities.
  4. Be faithful in your giving.  When we play it safe, we limit what God can do. He asks us to see our giving as a seed. It is sown into the good soil of the kingdom and it multiplies for provision and blessings.

Today you have an annual report summary in your hands outlining the main points of the church financial position.

Next week we will have our annual AGM on Sunday right after the morning meeting in the kid town room

If you have any questions about today’s announcement or to do with any financial matters please ask Me or John or any one on our Finance Committee.

 

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A WORD TO THE WISE – GUYS

Posted in Church, Culture Watch, Equip the Saints, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on May 10, 2014| Leave a Comment »

LOVE HONOURS #2AM – MOTHER’S DAYLove Honours A

A WORD TO THE WISE – GUYS

Who do we celebrate? The hall of famers we celebrate as guys is often the sports heroes that have distinguished themselves with amazing achievements and courage to persevere.

Just think who we talk about the most – who we honour as our legends…

Maybe golfer Adam Scott who could possibly be world no. 1 within weeks.

What about The Don, Don Bradman, with a monster Test average of 99.94, more than 50% better than the closest retired batsman Graeme Pollock’s 60.97.

And even though he retired in 1948, Don Bradman is still the only Australian batsman to pass 100 first-class centuries with 117, the closest Justin Langer with 86, Darren Lehmann 82, Mark Waugh 81, Steve Waugh 79, Matt Hayden 79, and Stuart Law 79.

Maybe Marjorie Jackson who in the 1952 Olympics created history as the first Australian woman to win the sprint double – the 100 and 200.

Or in 1956 Olympics when Betty Cuthbert went one better with the 100, 200, and relay and eight years later added a fourth gold with victory in the inaugural 400.

Rome 1960 and the magnificent 1500 run by Herb Elliott. And Sydney 2000, when Cathy Freeman stopped the nation with her 400 gold.

Heather McKay who won 16 successive British squash Opens from 1962 to 1977.

Rod Laver won two Grand Slams, 1962 as an amateur, and 1969 as a pro, the only two-timer, Margaret Court won her Grand Slam in 1970.

Kay Cottee was the first women to sail single-handedly and non-stop around the world, it took her 189 days in 1988 and was named Australian of the Year.

Cadel Evans’ 2011 Tour de France win is right up there, with thanks to Phil Anderson for hanging in there in the early days to give Australia some recognition.

Jimmy Carruthers in boxing, The Americas Cup win in 1983, for John Bertrand, Queensland’s seven-year State of Origin domination from 2006 deserves special mention, so too the 1991 and 1999 Rugby World Cup victories.

I could go on!

But for most of us there’s someone right here at home we need to honour as a person of real courage and perseverance. – Your mother and /or your wife!

Let’s face it who could put up with you for this long without bringing out the knives or turning into a blubbering mess with sheer frustration?

A couple of weeks ago our guest speaker Marcus Ardern mentioned how his friend Ray Comfort when he had his first child, was struggling with sleepless nights and frustrating times and wrote to his mother and said thanks for not drowning me in a bucket when I was a baby!

Three times in the gospel story Jesus refers to the commandment that we are to honour our father and mother, making it a high priority in the journey of pleasing God. Ephesians calls it the first commandment with promise, saying Honour your Father and mother that your days may be long in the earth. I haven’t figured out yet if your days are longer because your father and mother didn’t kill you or if there’s a blessing of God that comes upon an honouring child that gives them long life!

Today being mother’s day throws the spotlight on the importance of honouring our mothers and just as importantly helping our kids to honour their mothers. Men, is there honour in your home? To put perspective on this subject of honour, what we are teaching this month is that Love Honours. That means that we see a tremendous importance of honour as a kingdom value and that value flows across the church and the home. Where there is honour, there is the blessing and favour of God; hence the reference to longer lives when we honour father and mother.

Let’s take a look at this scene from that famous Australian movie called “The Castle” The movie is meant to be a comedy and quintessentially Australian culture or perhaps we should say Bogan culture. (The scene is about the dinner table conversation where Darryl Kernigan, the dad, is appreciative of mums cooking and the kids see a great example of valuing the mum’s effort)

Sadly such a scene might seem make believe in many homes around the nation in recent times where getting everyone together at the dinner table seems like a lost art. I love this scene because Dad leads the way in valuing mums effort as simple as it may seem. This is honour and it comes from love. Let’s rehearse again what honour is: Honour means to value, to give weight, to esteem, to count as precious, to give worth and recognition to. In contrast to that, dishonour means to be familiar, to take for granted, to count as being worth less, to ignore and to be rude.

Where is the put down in your home? Is there a culture in your home of devaluing words directed at mum? In so many homes around the nation, not only do we see hurtful and harmful words spoken to wives and mothers but we see open violence perpetrated on an increasing scale. The definition of family violence includes verbal abuse, – “Family and domestic violence is any violent, threatening, coercive or controlling behaviour that occurs in current or past family, domestic or intimate relationships. This includes not only physical injury but direct or indirect threats, sexual assault, emotional and psychological torment, economic control, damage to property, social isolation and any behaviour which causes a person to live in fear.” – DHS Victoria. http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/for-individuals/children,-families-and-young-people/family-violence/what-is-family-violence

Is there dishonour in your home? Guys, do not tolerate it. Do you treat your wife with honour? Do your children and teens treat their mother with honour?

Romans 12:10 Love one another with brotherly affection [as members of one family], giving precedence and showing honour to one another.

MY STORY – Growing up I had no dad, and so I had an attitude that I needed to help my mother because it was hard for her. Nevertheless I dishonoured her a few times, like when the police brought me home one day for riding a motorbike on the road unlicensed at 14 years of age. In my home I have watched over the conversations so that my four sons kept their words honourable towards their mother.

Ephes 5:33 However, let each man of you [without exception] love his wife as [being in a sense] his very own self; and let the wife see that she respects and reverences her husband.

1 Pet 3:7 In the same way you married men should live considerately with [your wives], with an intelligent recognition [of the marriage relation], honouring the woman as [physically] the weaker, but [realizing that you] are joint heirs of the grace (God’s unmerited favor) of life, in order that your prayers may not be hindered and cut off. [Otherwise you cannot pray effectively.]

THE JESUS STORY

Of course we would expect Jesus to honour His own mother, but where would we see hat example? Perhaps in the story at the cross.

John 19:25-27 But by the cross of Jesus stood His mother, His mother’s sister, Mary the [wife] of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

26 So Jesus, seeing His mother there, and the disciple whom He loved standing near, said to His mother, [[b]Dear] woman, See, [here is] your son!

27 Then He said to the disciple, See, [here is] your mother! And from that hour, the disciple took her into his own [keeping, own home].

 

WHY WE MUST LOVE AND HONOUR OUR WIVES AND MOTHERS

A study on women’s work responsibilities in May 2103 showed they put in a huge effort! http://tinyurl.com/leblfoo

Wondering why you’re tired all the time? It could be that you’re overworked. Not necessarily by your employer, but by both the paid and unpaid hours you’re putting in to get stuff done at home and in the office.

Australian women are still spending around twice as many hours on child care and household duties than men, even once women increase their time in paid employment.

A fact sheet prepared by the Australian Institute of Families Studies for the National Families Week conference this week breaks down the gender differences between mothers and fathers when it comes to paid and unpaid work.

It found these differences are particularly obvious during the childbearing years, with the biggest divide in the average time spent on paid work, parenting and household tasks occurring between mothers and fathers of children under five.

Mums working full-time with a youngest child under five were found to be spending an additional 3.6 hours on child care and 2.4 hours on housework a day. For part-time mums, the figure extended to 4.9 hours on child care and 3.5 hours on housework, while those not in paid employment were spending 5.7 hours on child care and 4.5 hours on housework.

So for those mums working an eight hour day in paid employment, factor in the child care and household work and she’s working a 14 hour day. That’s not including commuting time, and the extra unpaid overtime she may be putting in at the office. All up, that means she’s working a 70 hour week – also not factoring in any additional duties completed over the weekend.

Unsurprisingly, the report found working mothers were more likely than any other group to feel pressed for time, with 62% of such women declaring they’re almost always, or often, rushed or pressed for time. Just 6% of employed women with children reported they’re rarely or never rushed for time.

Dads step up only slightly when mums are in full-time work, spending 2.6 hours on child care and 1.8 hours a day on housework compared to the 2.1 hours on childcare and 1.3 they spend when mums were not working.

In households with a mother, father and children under 12, Dads were found to rarely be undertaking the child care tasks alone – with mums staying home more often when their kids were ill, while dads were getting involved during more-shared tasks, such as getting the children ready for bed.

Still, despite feeling pressed for time, Australian employees are generally satisfied with employment flexibility, according to comments made by AIFS’ Senior Researcher Dr Jennifer Baxter in the report.

“Employed men and women reported quite high levels of satisfaction with the flexibility they had to balance work and non-work commitments,” she said.

“Around six in ten employed men and women reported being very satisfied about their job flexibility. The most satisfied were those who said they could access flexible start and finish times.”

 

DISHONOUR IN YOUR HOME?

What does a put down look like?  Sometimes we don’t realise what power our words have. We may use words that devalue the gift that God has given us.

See if any of these statements have filled the air in your home, whether from your lips or your kids.

“Oh that’s rubbish! Where did you get that from? You’re an idiot!”

“You spent how much? What do you think I’m made of money? #Expletive#”

“Come on, hurry up. I’ve been waiting for hours! We are going to be late. If you’re not ready in five, I’m going without you.”

“I hate spaghetti bolognaise, do I have to eat it? We have it nearly every night”

“No I’m not watching that #expletive# If you want to watch that go and find yourself another TV set.”

“No I don’t want to go and see your mother this weekend. It’s so boring there I nearly died last time, make up some excuse.”

Guys, you’re the head of the home. You’re in charge of the culture that is set there. Even if your home has been broken through separation, don’t bow to common culture but keep honour there. Bring value to your mother, and your wife and help your kids to bring honour to their own mother. In the next two weeks we are going to look at how we would bring honour where father or mother has been unworthy of it.

1. Is there Honour in your home?

2. Instead of thinking “My home is doing OK” Let’s think of ways we can improve the Honour in our homes.

3. What conversations need to change in your home so that people honour one another and especially children honour parents?

4. What example do we set to our children as we practice Honour for those in authority like police, politicians, and teachers?

5. How does honour look in your home when discussing church leaders?

 

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WHAT IS HONOUR?

Posted in Church, Equip the Saints, Preaching messages, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 4, 2014| Leave a Comment »

LOVE HONOURSLove Honours A

It has been wonderful to share so many messages on LOVE so far this year.

I hope and pray that you are being changed and your behaviour is different as you apply God’s word that you are hearing. If we say, “That sermon was interesting, but I’m doing great I don’t need to change anything, I’m truly loving,” then we are deceiving ourselves. Instead why not come to God and say, “Breathe on me Lord change my heart, let me be different.”  If January’s messages, called LOVE SEEKS, touched your heart; you will realise Love begins with God who is seeking for us to be restored and loved. In February, the message called LOVE ROMANCES was all about our love for God and how we will express that in our own lives and especially here at church in the praise and worship times at the beginning of each service. In March the theme was LOVE ANOTHER and we spoke about how we express God’s love to one another. Last week’s church picnic was a time of outworking that love. In April we unpacked the story of LOVE LIMITLESS and just how huge God’s love for us really is, and also for lost people. As that touches us, we are set free and valued, and then compelled to reach lost people.

May’s theme is LOVE HONOURS

We are part of a Kingdom. Jesus our King is building His kingdom on earth, and we are living in Kingdom values. Jesus asked us to pray; your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.(Matt 6:10) The word Kingdom is used 158 times in the New Testament. One of the values operating in the Kingdom is Honour. So what is Honour? Honour means to value, to give weight, to esteem, to count as precious, to give worth and recognition to. The Kingdom runs on Honour. Without honour there is a big blockage in the flow of life and blessings in the kingdom.

To contrast to that, dishonour means to be familiar, to take for granted, to count as being worth less, to ignore and to be rude. In our Ausssie culture sometimes dishonour is an art form. “Hey Morrie, you’re late for the BBQ, where have ya been ya dirty bludger?” This is not kingdom stuff, God calls us to give honour where honour is due (Rom 13:7) So where is honour due?

Honour is due to the godly appointed people who have purpose in the kingdom. We give honour to those in authority, to one another, and God honours us when we walk in humility and love. Let’s take a look at honour in the scriptures and see how it works.

Firstly see how Jesus honours the Father; Jesus answered, I am not possessed by a demon. On the contrary, I honour and reverence My Father and you dishonour (despise, vilify, and scorn) Me.(John 8:49) The Father Honours the Son; For when He was invested with honour and glory from God the Father and a voice was borne to Him by the [splendid] Majestic Glory [in the bright cloud that overshadowed Him, saying], This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased and delight, (2 Peter 1:17) Again the Holy Spirit Honours Jesus; He will honour and glorify Me, because He will take of (receive, draw upon) what is Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you. (John 16:14)

Let’s read a story from the Old Testament about honour.

1 Samuel 25:1-44

Now Samuel died, and all the Israelites assembled and mourned for him, and buried him at his house in Ramah. David arose and went to the Wilderness of Paran.

2 A very rich man was in Maon, whose possessions and business were in Carmel. He had 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats, and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

3 The man’s name was Nabal and his wife’s name was Abigail; she was a woman of good understanding, and beautiful. But the man was rough and evil in his doings; he was a Calebite.

4 David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep.

5 And David sent out ten young men and said to [them], Go up to Carmel to Nabal and greet him in my name;

6 And salute him thus: Peace be to you and to your house and to all that you have.

For a full chapter go to – http://tinyurl.com/lesbq9l

In this story David is not yet King, but it has been prophesied that he will one day rise to lead Israel. Nabal has a bad attitude towards David. He ignores the fact that everyone in Israel knew that David slew Goliath and saved Israel and that he had been warring against the Philistines ever since and keeping Israel safe. Nabal did not know or did not care that David and his men had kept Nabal’s shepherds and livestock safe against the plundering armies of Philistines.

So when David’s men ask Nabal for some food and water for his troops, Nabal abuses David’s men and tells them to get lost. Nabal, whose name means foolish lives up to his name and dishonours David, saying David had issues with King Saul. David plans to kill Nabal and all his men, but before he can get to them, Abigail, Nabal’s wife, hears what has happened and nearly has a fit. She hurries to meet David, bows very low at his feet and gives him a whole lot of food. She asks forgiveness for her husband’s foolishness. She covers her husband, saves his life, and the life of all Nabal’s men, and gives honour to David, saying he was called of God and had been the Lords instrument in fighting the Lord’s battles. When Abigail later tells Nabal that he was nearly wiped out by David, Nabal is paralised with fear and ten days later the Lord smote him and he dies. David then takes Abigail as his wife.

Here’s the lesson. Nabal, the fool, has a wrong attitude, it stops him honouring David, a man in whom God had obviously placed His blessing. His outcome was an ignominious death. Abigail, who is a virtuous woman, honours God’s servant David and not only saves many lives; but ends up as the Kings wife to live out her life in nobility.

I recently went to a church pastors Conference in Brisbane. It was a lesson in honour. From start to finish I was honoured and valued and so were any senior pastors who attended. It was a beautiful and showed a culture in our movement that is very healthy. Last Sunday night Pastor Marcus Ardern was our guest speaker and he shared a story or two about honour. Here’s what he said:

STORY

Marcus Ardern shared how as a bible teacher one church said to him, “We will see if we can squeeze you in to speak but we are not sure whether we want you.” Marcus replied, “Well I won’t come because God can’t bless you because you’re not hungry, you be sent away empty handed. If you won’t say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,’ and receive me as a servant of God, I can’t feed you. But if you honour me for my master’s sake, not me, it’s totally different.” At another place he went to speak, it was a Maori church in New Zealand and they brought out the mats they had for King Korakeethi, they brought a king size bed from somewhere else, and gave him all this great food, Marcus said thank you so much for honouring me, They replied, don’t be so proud, none of it’s for you, it’s for Jesus.” Do you get it?

Honour in the church works up, down and sideways.

We are to honour those over us in the Lord. Let the elders who perform the duties of their office well be considered doubly worthy of honour [and of adequate [a]financial support], especially those who labour faithfully in preaching and teaching.(1Tim 5:17)

We honour one another; Show respect for all men [treat them honourably]. Love the brotherhood (the Christian fraternity of which Christ is the Head). Reverence God. Honour the emperor.(1 Peter 2:17)

As leaders we honour those under us;I warn and counsel the elders among you (the pastors and spiritual guides of the church) as a fellow elder and as an eyewitness [called to testify] of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a sharer in the glory (the honour and splendour) that is to be revealed (disclosed, unfolded):

2 Tend (nurture, guard, guide, and fold) the flock of God that is [your responsibility], not by coercion or constraint, but willingly; not dishonourably motivated by the advantages and profits [belonging to the office], but eagerly and cheerfully;

3 Not domineering [as arrogant, dictatorial, and overbearing persons] over those in your charge, but being examples (patterns and models of Christian living) to the flock (the congregation).

4 And [then] when the Chief Shepherd is revealed, you will win the [a]conqueror’s crown of glory.(1 Peter 5:1-4)

 

Be careful not to give dishonour to one another and to leaders; because when we do we shut down God’s flow of favour and blessings.

And coming to His own country [Nazareth], He taught in their synagogue so that they were amazed with bewildered wonder, and said, Where did this [u]Man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?

55 Is not this the carpenter’s Son? Is not His mother called Mary? And are not His brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?

56 And do not all His sisters live here among us? Where then did this Man get all this?

57 And they took offense at Him [they were repelled and hindered from acknowledging His authority, and caused to stumble]. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honour except in his own country and in his own house.

58 And He did not do many works of power there, because of their unbelief (their lack of faith [v]in the divine mission of Jesus).(Matt 13:54-58)

Let’s take note here, no honour – no favour – no miracles.

Respect is earned but honour is given and is not about the person as an individual but is about who they represent.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Discuss what  honour looks like in the presence of an earthly king or queen.

2. What are some of the attitudes that stop is from honouring those in authority?

3. Why do you think people in Nazareth couldn’t honour Jesus in the passage above?

4. Discuss how familiarity blocks honour.

5. How can we practice honour in our church in a better way?

 

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CAN YOU FEEL THE LOVE TONIGHT?

Posted in Church, Preaching messages, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 13, 2014| Leave a Comment »

LOVE LIMITLESS # 2 PM

CAN YOU FEEL THE LOVE TONIGHT?Love Limitless

Some people are so ugly they are referred to as someone with a face “only a mother could love.” Let’s face it mothers deserve a break… They put up with a lot and they still love their rotten to the core offspring! So who here has a mother? And tell me does your mother love you?  My mother only watched me play football once! She wanted to go on the field and “Bop the guy who tackled me.” So your mother loves you, right? So can you feel her love right now? Maybe if you think about it a bit you can sense that reality, right? What about God’s love, can you feel that?

The facts: Jesus lived in Palestine around 2000 years ago, He claimed to be the son of God. He died on a cross and his followers told of how He rose again from the dead.

The Motivation: John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (ESV)

The Connection: God’s love demonstrated in this act of surrender can be experienced or not depending on your receptivity.

Let’s look at those who were and who weren’t affected by this love.

  1. Barabbas – Doomed to die for crimes of insurrection, but now pardoned instead of Jesus. Did he ever stop to think that Jesus went to death in his place? So close he came to losing his life, but Pilate wanting to release Jesus was forced by the crowd to crucify Him and release Barabbas instead.- Did he feel the love?
  2. One Bitter Thief – This man crucified with Jesus cries out: Luke 23:39  One of the criminals who was suspended kept up a railing at Him, saying, Are You not the Christ (the Messiah)? Rescue Yourself and us from death! (AMP) His one time meeting with Jesus who died for him was brief but ineffective. Did he feel the love?
  3. One open hearted thief – The other thief rebuked the first and could clearly see Jesus was who He said He was – The Son of God and not worthy of this ignominious death, unlike himself who deserved all he got due to his many wrongs. He said: Luke 23:40-43

40But the other one reproved him, saying, Do you not even fear God, seeing you yourself are under the same sentence of condemnation and suffering the same penalty?

41 And we indeed suffer it justly, receiving the due reward of our actions; but this Man has done nothing out of the way [nothing strange or eccentric or perverse or unreasonable].

42 Then he said to Jesus, Lord, remember me when You come in Your kingly glory!

43 And He answered him, Truly I tell you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.

  1. John the disciple – As John watched the agony of the crucifixion, he was moved to do what he could to alleviate Jesus pain. All that rushed through his head and heart were those things that Jesus had repeatedly told the disciples over and over: I will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes to be killed; to give my life a ransom for many, for God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. And so the words rang in his head and heart; but to see the agony in such a graphic scene must have broken his heart.

 

  1. Mary the mother of Jesus – For thirty three years she watched her beloved son grow up. She watched Him fall down as He tried to walk at a tender age, she watched him learn his father’s trade at carpentry, She wondered at His amazing wisdom that arose so early in His life as He lived in the reading of the old testament writings. Now as she watches the crucifixion, His agony is her agony. This is not another man tortured for his crimes but her beloved Son in complete agony. Yet over and over He had told her: this is why, because of my father’s love. It ripped her heart out but she saw the love first hand.

Millions have heard of His love. His love for them. Millions have let that love pass them seemingly unaffected. Millions more have been deeply affected by this love, this limitless love. Whether this love affects you or not is not up to God but up to you!

I can tell you all the facts of the greatest act of Love, but whether it affects you or not depends on you and where you stand. Where do you stand tonight? What affects you? What moves you? Will you allow your heart to be moved and if not why not?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What does love feel like? What about God’s love?

2. How is it some people are open to God and others are not?

3. How open are you to God?

4. What can you do to be more open to God, more willing to listen to Him, more willing to hear His voice?

5. Could you become more responsive to God’s love?

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DEEPER THAN THE DEEPEST OCEAN

Posted in Church, Preaching messages, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 6, 2014| 1 Comment »

LOVE LIMITLESS # 1 AMLove Limitless

Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows and proclaims His handiwork.

The firmament or the sky declares the glory or the bigness of God, since He created all things, and there is not anything that is made that he has not created. So how big is the universe? This is just one site that tries to estimate the vastness of the universe. http://www.space.com/25303-how-many-galaxies-are-in-the-universe.html

200 Billion Galaxies in the observable universe and what lies beyond that? A galaxy such as the one we are in, called the Milky Way, is big. The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy some 100,000–120,000 light-years in diameter which contains 100–400 billion stars. It may contain at least as many planets as well. Get the picture!

The size of the universe is so vast and beyond our comprehension and this verse says the universe declares the glory or the bigness, wonder, power of God. God is big, and since the bible declares that God is love, then obviously love is limitless; infinite. As God’s love is limitless, so also is His holiness and His justice. So let’s begin at the beginning.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Gen 1:1) God created man in His own image, after His likeness (Gen 1:26) God the Father desired offspring, to have sons and daughters with whom He could have fellowship. As God created the first man Adam, He created him with the capacity to know and understand and communicate with Him. Adam walked with God in the cool of the garden. (Gen 3:8)

To deepen the fellowship and have true love from His offspring, He made man with free will. This was a two edged sword giving man the capacity to walk away from God or come to Him and choose to love Him for who He is. To make room for the bigness of this decision God made a way for redemption and salvation for man should He choose to walk away and then need to return. God in His infinite wisdom choose His only begotten son to give his life as a sacrifice and ransom to pay for the wrongs of the whole of mankind that would come. (Rev 13:8)

In ages past some of the angels, created beings had also chosen to walk away from obedience and had fallen, there was no way back for them since they already possessed their eternal state. This creation of man in mortal attire provides his opportunity on earth to know God, and choose to serve Him before the final judgement that sets his eternity.

And so God created man and in his choices, he chose to disobey God and he was cast out of the garden and he tilled the ground for food and his wife bore children in the pain of childbirth. (Gen 3:16-23) One son murdered another and lawlessness grew, until the time of Noah when God said: Gen 6: 5-7

5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination and intention of all human thinking was only evil continually.

6 And the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved at heart.

7 So the Lord said, I will destroy, blot out, and wipe away mankind, whom I have created from the face of the ground—not only man, [but] the beasts and the creeping things and the birds of the air—for it grieves Me and makes Me regretful that I have made them.(AMP)

God is holy. Perfectly Holy, without any sin or blemish. God is righteous, and He is unable to accept wrong doing, sin, and overlook it. If righteous men, as judges, must punish lawless men found guilty; and we expect them not to let off a criminal for his misdeeds, how much more would we expect a Holy and righteous God to punish every wrong man commits? Not only is God just and righteous, He is the judge of all and He sets the standard of what is right and wrong. (Remember how big He is) It is God’s holiness that requires He be just and execute judgement on all wrong doing.

As Noah’s offspring populate the earth again, God promises to never judge the earth in the same manner again – that is, with a flood. He desires to have men choose to follow Him because He is good. Yet again and again man chooses his own way. (Is 53:6) As Moses leads the chosen nation of Israel into a promised land, God is incensed at their rebellion; In Ex 32:9 God chooses judgement;

9 And the Lord said to Moses, I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people;

10 Now therefore let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and that I may destroy them; but I will make of you a great nation.(AMP)

And again later after the nation of Israel refused to believe the two faith filled spies who told of the Promised Land, God chooses to destroy all of Israel. Num 14:11-12.

11 And the Lord said to Moses, How long will this people provoke (spurn, despise) Me? And how long will it be before they believe Me [trusting in, relying on, clinging to Me], for all the signs which I have performed among them?

12 I will smite them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and will make of you [Moses] a nation greater and mightier than they. (AMP)

 Again and again God warns Israel; Walk in My ways and obey me and you will be my people; and again and again they rebel.

At this time let me remind you of how the human heart and mind work. How easy it is for us to measure ourselves against one another and for each and every person to come to the conclusion quite wrongly that I am a good person. That God should accept and receive me as I am. The strong deception of pride rules the hearts of men.

Prov 21 :2-4 2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs and tries the hearts.

3 To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

4 Haughtiness of eyes and a proud heart, even the tillage of the wicked or the lamp [of joy] to them [whatever it may be], are sin [in the eyes of God].

Again and again Israel promise to walk with God only to fall into disobedience again. God warns them continuously,

1 Kings 17:13-14. 13 Yet the Lord warned Israel and Judah through all the prophets and all the seers, saying, Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the Law which I commanded your fathers and which I sent to you by My servants the prophets.

14 Yet they would not hear, but hardened their necks as did their fathers who did not believe (trust in, rely on, and remain steadfast to) the Lord their God.

Again and again God promises to forgive and restore them if they would only return to Him with all their hearts.

Zechariah 10:6  And I will strengthen the house of Judah and I will save the house of Joseph [Ephraim]. I will bring them back and cause them to dwell securely, for I have mercy, loving-kindness, and compassion for them. They shall be as though I had not cast them off, for I am the Lord their God, and I will hear them. (AMP)

Why is it that man cannot see the holiness of God, and cannot comprehend His passion for righteousness and holiness and His unending thirst for justice? We stand before Him naked and ashamed with no defence for our many sins. We are fodder for the wrath of God and He will execute His judgment upon all who have disobeyed Him.

2 Thess 1:8-9

8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; (KJV)

Can you see that, as with all of God’s attributes, His Holiness is infinite? If His thirst for righteousness and justice are infinite, then where do we stand? Just as His holiness and righteousness are infinite, so is His love and mercy. So great was His desire for His offspring to be restored and set free from the power of sin, He sent forth His only begotten Son to take the entire and complete punishment for all our sins. All His wrath against sin was released against Jesus Christ. The wrath of God against sin was born by Jesus Christ as our atoning sacrifice.

Romans 5:8-10

8 But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us.

9 Therefore, since we are now justified ([f]acquitted, made righteous, and brought into right relationship with God) by Christ’s blood, how much more [certain is it that] we shall be saved by Him from the indignation and wrath of God.

10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, it is much more [certain], now that we are reconciled, that we shall be saved (daily delivered from sin’s dominion) through His [[g]resurrection] life.

How vast our God is, His ways are past finding out. How great are His judgements. He is righteous altogether. His holiness is complete to perfection and all His ways are just. When He executes judgement, who can stand before Him? Yet as vast as His justice is; and His desire for all wrongs to be punished, He is full of mercy and loving kindness to all who bow their knee and their hearts to Him. His love limitless compels Him to place our judgment upon Jesus, and to let us go free if we repent and bow our hearts to the living God.

Ps 103:11

For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great are His mercy and loving-kindness toward those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him.(AMP)

His love is limitless. His love needed to be limitless to meet the challenge of His perfect justice and wrath against all sin. To the extent of His holiness, is the extent of His great love.

Our Key verse for the month – Ephes 3:17-19.

17 May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love,

18 That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it];

19 [That you may really come] to know [practically, [e]through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses [f]mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] [g]unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and[h]become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR URBAN CONNECT GROUPS

1. How can we describe God’s holiness?

2. If God is perfectly just and He knows all things, then what will be His reaction to any sins or wrongful deeds?

3.  Do you think some people, perhaps even Christians, take a casual approach to sin?

4. Knowing all God’s wrath against your sin was endured by Jesus – how do you feel?

5. This justice – limitless; this holiness – limitless; this mercy – limitless; Our thankfulness – ????

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