The way we speak and the way we live are intimately connected. God has wonderful things in store for us, but we need to make sure our what passes our lips is what He wants.
James 3:1-3
Controlling your tongue and what you speak is a vital part of living the right way.
James 3:3-6
Just as a bit in a horse’s mouth can control the horse, so even though the tongue is small it can have an impact on things.
James 3:6
He was emphasising this whole aspect of the use of our tongue and what we say. We can cut someone dead or build them up, bless them or curse them.
James 3:7-9
Isn’t this a bit over the top – to say that the tongue is almost evil of itself? In the beginning was the word, and the word was of God. God is a communicating God. He wants to communicate with us and be in fellowship, and He is the word. James is saying that when you use words in the wrong way, you’re going against what God was doing, if you use your means of communication to do the work of evil.
James 3:9-12
The first twelve verses of this chapter are all about the problem of the tongue. In the second part of the chapter, he moves to what we should be doing with our tongue. Some people feel you have to be natural, to be yourself. But we need to be naturally supernatural. As a Christian, it’s Christ that lives inside. I don’t like swearing. I think a looseness has come in. Some people will say I’m just being religious. But you wouldn’t encourage a small child to swear would you?
James 3:13
The way you live – your conversation, your manner of life – out of that way, show who you are with meekness of wisdom.
James 3:14-17
He’s gone deeper here. If you have bitter envying and strife in your heart, what comes out of your tongue will reveal it, and bitterness and envying will kill you and destroy others. If you have these things in your heart, don’t boast about it. It’s earthly, natural, devilish.
Where envy and strife is, there is every evil work. If I’m gossiping about someone behind their backs, there is in my heart that which will destroy me. That doesn’t mean we don’t judge. But if I cash in on a conversation which pulls someone else down, there is confusion, tumult, every evil work. You know if a conversation is going that way, it’s easy to throw your bit in...
As we go forward together, and together we’re going forward as God wants us to go forward, as His people, and we’re part of a worldwide. If we have envy and strife, there will be confusion and evil works.
James 3:17
Eight things which are the wisdom from above. I want to get involved in that wisdom because Christ lives inside me. I am involved in it. I have a choice. I can use what I’m saying in accordance with that wisdom, or I can go contrary to it. Eight things which are from above, and we didn’t get these from our first birth, but from when God got hold of us on the inside and changed us.
James 3:18
We are facing a critical time over the next weeks. And that time God knows about. And that time will result in God being glorified in what He is doing.
And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
Philippians 1:9-13
We kick off with love – that it may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all judgment.
By your fruit ye shall know them. Fruit is apparent. The wisdom from above is apparent. God’s love and life in your heart is apparent. And what I pray, is that ye being filled with the fruits of Jesus ... it’s wonderful, glorious, as a result of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who took sin into His own body, rose from the dead and conquered death so you can live forever, and so that the creator God will cause you to be thankful joyful, and enable you to achieve His destiny for you in your life.
We don't know what will happen to the younger generation. But i know we want them to know Him as Saviour. Am I confident in that? Yes. Can we educate them into it? No. How we will help? We will help the parents work as a unit, helping but not interfere.
God’s going to build his glorious church. How will he do it? We don't know we need to take it a day at a time, and God is in control, and there is no reason to fear anything. Perfect love casts out fear. Who is perfect love? Jesus Christ. Who lives inside you? He does. Are you afraid? No.
But whatever God wants for your life, that’s where we want to be. Whatever God wants is the best. And it’s rooted and founded in Him, in His love for you and for me.
It’s a wonderful Gospel.
I have no doubt that in the weeks ahead, people will be drawn across your path, and you’ll invite them, and He’ll meet them. We need to make sure that we reach out and do not isolate people, and we’ll reach out together for whatever He has in store for us – filled with the fruits of righteousness: not with the miracles, but with the fruits of righteousness. God will do miracles, yes, but we’ll reach out filled with the fruits of righteousness.
Sunday 27 April 2008
Sunday 20 April 2008
God will Supply all Your Need
Philippians 4:19
Whilst Paul was under house arrest in Rome he wrote this letter to the Philippians. Paul worked, paid his way, and did God’s work as well!
Philippians 4:10 – 13
It didn’t matter what state of mind or condition Paul was in, Jesus Christ provided everything for him. He’d been in situations where he had nothing, and situations where he had a lot, and God had always been his source of supply and meant everything to him.
Philippians 4:14 – 17
Paul received support from the people he was writing to but he wasn’t hoping that people would keep sending him gifts, because Christ was his strength. What he really desired was fruit to abound to their account. What did he mean by fruit?
Ephesians 5:8 – 9
When he speaks of fruit, he means goodness, righteousness and truth.
Philippians 4:17 – 18
Despite the situation he was in, he was full because God provided for him. Many of you have worked as unto God for many years, and He knows that you did it for Him.
Philippians 4:19
I want to explain each part of this verse: -
‘My God...’
Whose God? Paul’s God was the creator of everything. He is my God, and if you are a Christian He is your God. He is the creator God and He was also the God who was in Christ. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. He is not somebody that is afar off, or someone that I’m worrying about, that I need to communicate with. He lives inside. He’s my God. When you’re facing situations in your life, who are you going to turn to? Your God. He will supply all your needs. He brought you to Himself by His love, to reveal more and more of Himself to you.
‘...shall supply all your need...’
2 Kings 4:1 - 7
This lady was in a terrible situation, her husband had died and she had debt which she could not pay. As if that was not bad enough the man she owed money to had come to take her sons away in recompense. She went to Elisha and explained her situation and he told her to go and borrow as many vessels as she could from her neighbours. The vessels were collected up and she started pouring and she kept pouring, and suddenly she had a vast quantity of oil.
Some of you are facing situations where you cannot figure it out. You’re trusting God, but you cannot see how He is going to bring a solution. This woman was facing a man of God with a debt that was burdening her. The solution was totally unusual; it was something she hadn’t thought of. God specialises in meeting your needs in ways you hadn’t thought of. God’s delight is to surprise you in how He provides.
‘...according to his riches in glory...’
He is going to do it according to his riches in glory. The oil stopped at the point where there were no more vessels. We are talking about a limitless supply, according to the riches that are in glory.
Revelation 21:10 - 23
I’m talking about a limitless supply of glory from God who has given you life. When that woman woke up that morning, the debt was crippling her. She didn’t know what to do and needed an answer from God, and God miraculously worked it all out so that the debt was paid.
Some of you are in situations where you don’t know what you are going to do – But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory. Do you think He hasn’t heard you? Do you think He doesn’t realise? Do you think He has somehow missed you out? No. My God shall supply all my need.
‘...by Christ Jesus.’
Peter had met with the Lord on the mount.
2 Peter 1:17 - 18
Who lives inside you as a Christian? Jesus Christ. And God is well pleased with Him. He rose from the dead to give you life. He paid a debt He didn’t owe, so you can live.
My God shall supply all my need according to his riches in glory, by Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:20 - 23
Friday 18 April 2008
Think Right
The Bible is very practical.
Philippians 4:1
We have looked previously at how the church of Philippi was formed and the bond that was formed between Paul and the people.
Philippians 4:2
It’s good to be of the same mind as someone else, but you have to be founded in the right way, you both have to be Christians. You can identify with your brother and sister if they are Christians. To have fellowship with them, that identification is fundamental.
Philippians 4:3
Your name is written in the book of life
Your name will be written in the book of life because of what Jesus Christ has done for you. It’s not that you’ve done a certain amount of things, or performed a certain way of life. This is written in present tense – your name is written. Your name is written in the book of life when Jesus Christ comes inside your heart and your sins are forgiven.
A Christian is someone who knows that God has got hold of them and they want to do God’s will in their life.
Philippians 4:4-6
In everything
God is running the agenda because He loves you. His agenda is that He wants to prove His love for you more and more. I’ve witnessed how things that could apparently cause incredible harm are being turned around completely because God is at work. ‘In everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’
Philippians 4:7
Without a shadow of a doubt in the midst of turmoil, of apparent destruction, there is a peace in God, that He gives. It passes all understanding because naturally you would act differently.
Philippians 4:8
This is what we are meant to do. It is proactive, it is practical – we are to think on these things.
When Paul was under house arrest his secret was to concentrate on all these things. If we do this, we will be surprised what God will do in our midst. In your thought life, be positive and think on the right things. Make a habit of thinking on the right things. God really does know what He is doing because He loves you and He lives inside you. It is Jesus Christ and He is your foundation.
This verse was not to encourage the Philippian church to shrink, it was for all of them to look to God, and to show them how to carry on living.
Think on these things and you will think right and you will be surprised - more God-conscious than ever before.
Philippians 4:9
In other words, people of Philippi, ‘You know what I was like when I was with you, I’m just explaining what I am about, and that is Jesus Christ. What I want you to do is cultivate your way of thinking so that you think on all these things.’
Your mind never stops working and you dwell on what goes in. What are you dwelling on? If you dwell on what is pure, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report then the peace of God will be there. Not so that you become an irrelevance to the world and its problems, but you will know who your foundation is, where you’re going and what you want to do in life.
God is building His church.
He cares about us and as we go forward together, we will realise more and more the goodness of God and His love. He is in control. He loved you so much that He knew His son had to come to this earth for you.
Philippians 4:8
God will outwork His love in you and me.
Sunday 13 April 2008
God is Love
God’s whole nature is one of love. We have to be focussed on the fact that He loves us and is in complete control of everything.
Who is God?
1 John 4:7 - 8
I want to examine the nature of God and what this means, because it has a direct bearing on our appreciation of our Creator. Our Creator is the one who has redeemed us and given us life, the one who dwells in our hearts. As Christian’s we know that we are on the path which leads to the place where one day we shall see Him.
Given that God is love, as we read the following scriptures; I am going to replace the word agape – charity – with God, because He is love.
1 Corinthians 13:1 – 3
Sometimes we assume familiarity with these verses; I think it’s possible to forget what can be done without God. I can give my body to be burned. I can have faith to move mountains. Those things are possible without God but without God it means nothing.
The list is profound – tongues, prophecy, understanding all mysteries. You can do all of that, and yet without God it is nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:5
What is the nature of agape love? What is His nature? He suffers long, He is patient and kind. He doesn’t envy, doesn’t vaunt Himself – is not rash. He is not full of Himself. He thinks no evil whatsoever. As He is working His purposes out on this earth and building His church in His way in His time, He does it on the basis of His love for us.
1 Corinthians 13:6
I want to amplify this - that God rejoices in the truth.
John 15:26 - 27
The role of the Holy Spirit, the spirit of truth, is to testify of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came to testify to God, and God is love.
John 16:13 - 15
He isn’t trying to force us to glorify Him. He is a God who is love. He wants to demonstrate His love to you and has already done that in sending His son to die on the Cross for you. God is about His love and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of truth who will refer everything about Jesus Christ to you. That’s His role.
If I believe that the Holy Spirit is here and is using these words to give you faith, and I do, He’s saying to you God is love and He is interested in you more than you realise. He loves you.
1 John 5:20
We’ve seen that God is love. He rejoices in the truth and the spirit of truth is here because He wants to focus our minds on Him. He does not want you to focus on anything else but Jesus Christ and who He is.
God never fails
1 Corinthians 13:1 - 8
God never fails. He knows what He is doing. He is so careful for each one of us.
1 Corinthians 13:9 - 13
He is alpha and omega. He started what He started in your life because He is going to complete it. God is a faithful witness and the work He has done in you is secure, solid and eternal.
It is truth and love that confront। Someone who doesn’t know God is confronted by something so wonderful when he hears truth and love. When God comes, He confronts that situation, and it is His love which draws us to repentance. He is love.
1 Corinthians 16:13 – 14
God is the focus, the centre. He’s the one.
Quit you like men. Be strong. And let everything be done with God. That’s what we need to do. We’re focussing on Him, and He is in complete control.
Tuesday 8 April 2008
Holding forth the Word of Life
As Christians, we need to hold forth the word of life.
In the early church, God organised everything so that His word of life came upon a variety of people and changed them forever.
Acts 16:12 – 18
The damsel was a fortune teller and her masters were running a business through her and conning people out of money.
Acts 16:19 – 34
How did God get hold of that keeper of the prison? The keeper had carried out his job and locked Paul and Silas in prison. When the earthquake happened Paul and Silas had the opportunity to escape but they didn’t, which resulted in the keeper of the prison coming to them and asking what he must do to be saved.
God Knows What He Is Doing!
God manoeuvres things in the circumstances of mankind because He loves us. God knows what He is doing in the affairs of man. He knows what He is doing in building His church. He knew what He was doing when His son went to Calvary.
Philippians 1:1 – 7
God does what He does at the time He does it for a purpose. There is no template of how God operates. He is faithful and He is love. God has opened our hearts and our minds for that word of life to come and dwell inside us.
Philippians 2:1 – 4
These verses are very practical. The people of Philippi knew how the church had started and the miracle that happened with the earthquake. Paul wanted them to hold forth the word of life. They needed to be aware of what God had done in their midst. God builds His church in His way and in His time.
Philippians 2:5 – 8
The reason why Jesus humbled Himself, was because He knew what needed to be done in order for the church to exist. For the joy that was set before Him he endured the cross. He went through everything for you and me and forgot His own reputation. Nothing matters other than what is inside of a person.
From generation to generation God communicates His life, because He loves us. What’s the future for us and our children? Our future is to bring praise to the One who has given us life inside. Our future is to communicate to others and allow Him to share his love to others through us.
Philippians 2:9 – 11
He’s alive. He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. His life is communicated to people and changes them on the inside. We are here at this time in our life, because He wants us to hold forth the word of life that He has given us.
What Is Your Foundation?
Philippians 2:12 – 13
It is God who is working in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Our standing before God does not change because of the current circumstances in our life. What is the foundation of your life? Where is your trust?
Philippians 2:12 – 15
Across the world there are people who can’t stand the Gospel and so we are to be as lights in the world, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation. We are going to hold forth the word of life, and recognise what God has done in our lives.
What’s the future of your life? To allow God to work in your life and to be obedient to Him. The keeper of the prison didn’t consider that putting Paul and Silas in prison would result in His salvation. How are you going to react to a new circumstance? What’s your foundation? Where are you going? There are people who are just waiting for that time when God’s life comes to them.
Philippians 2:16
Are you going to hold forth the word of life or are you going to let a circumstance turn you about? You know the miraculous provision of God and how God’s life was communicated to you. God is organising His church in His way worldwide. He knows what He is doing.
He’s a wonderful saviour and the church is His bride. There is nothing that can prevail against it. He went to the cross, took everything in Himself and died to it, so that sin could be conquered in your life. You don’t have to live contrary to God, your life can change. There was a reason for the miracle that happened in Philippi.
God is faithful. He is true. He is all love. He forgives you and me. He has forgiven you and me. Why? Because He is building His church.
We’ve only got one life. Let’s go forward, holding forth the word of life.
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