Bought to be the Bride of Christ

When Jesus went to the Cross, it was to purchase to Himself a faultless Bride – the church. In His eyes, the church is a previous thing, because it cost Him His very life.

I want to talk about Jesus Christ and His church. In this epistle, Paul parallels the marriage between husband and wife with Jesus Christ and His church. The church is the Bride of Christ. Jesus is our husband. We have the Cross here as a symbol of what Jesus has done for us. I want to convey the significance of the Cross and why Jesus came for us. Jesus had you on His mind when He was on that Cross. It was as if it as just you on His mind. All that happened at Calvary was because He had you on His mind. He wanted each of you to be set free inside to become part of the Bride of Christ, the church. That was the joy set before Him.

Ephesians 5:25

If you’re married here this morning, it’s significant that husbands should love their wives as Christ loved the church. Christ loving the church was everything. Hew gave His whole life for the church.

Ephesians 3:10-11

Romans 7:4

Similar parallel. We’re dead to the law, alive in Christ. We’re married to another. If you’re a Christian here this morning, you have Jesus Christ on the inside and He is the common denominator. He is the author of your faith and mine. For the joy set before Him He endured the Cross.
He got very personal when He prayed :

John 17:9

He was aware of the people of God, the Bride of Christ. That extends to both Jew and Gentile – those who are part of His church. His death was sufficient for the whole world, efficient for the church. He draws people to Himself and those people form part of the church, the Bride of Christ, the one thing that He died for, the person He died for.

He purchased you, He purchased the church, and the price was ... everything, Himself, Him giving up His place in glory to become as a man. He became the servant of all. Why?

Philippians 2:5-10

Jesus did not regard His equality as a prize to hold on to. He didn’t cherish it, and say He would never give it up. He came to the earth as a man and went to the Cross because there were a people for whom He would die who would become part of His bride, to whom He would be a husband.

Everything was based in love, mercy and grace, based on service. He became a servant for you and me. He didn’t have to, but He did. Because He knew that at this time, all of us are part of God’s purposes as He forms His Bride, the church He died for.

Why do we preach the Gospel? Because there are others who will become part of the Bride, because there are others in desperate need, who need to be freed from the drives of sin. Is there a solution? Of course. The Word of God is powerful. And it’s by preaching that the Spirit of God can come inside and they can be born again. The membership criterion of the church is that we have Christ on the inside. We’re members of His body. We each have a part to play. The church is the Bride of Christ.

It’s wonderful how God organises things so that the church progresses, and at the time when He comes again the church will be ready. The work has already been done on the Cross. The outworking of time is while others are being brought into the body of Christ. As you share with your fried or neighbour ... you don’t engineer it, but a conversation starts up. And unbeknown to you, over the weeks people have been watching, seeing how you react to things, talk to people, react to them. And suddenly a need comes in their life and they need to talk to you.

Maybe you’re not a preacher, but God can speak through you. Be open to someone who will be drawn across your path this week. Invite them along. God is gathering together the people in His church. I don’t who those people are, but He does. And He’s perfecting what He has begun.

Titus 2:13-15

He’s redeemed us through the Cross from all iniquity and is purifying a special people, a set-apart people. You’re part of that people. This world is not your home – you’re just passing through.

That’s the priority of my life, you may think. I want to do what God wants in my life – number 1: God; number 2: everything else. Allocation of my time, of what I do, what I listen to, what I see. Whatever it is, it’s what I want You to do in my life.

If you’re planning a university course, the first question is to find out what God wants, because that will be the right way for you. “What do You want my life? I want to do what You want me to do. Im being zealous of good works.”


Ephesians 5:25-28

He’s sanctifying the Christ, cleansing it. He’s cleansing you. That’s why it’s important to hear the Word of God of preached. In the beginning was the word, and a word communicates.

He wants to present to Himself a glorious church – not any old thing, but one holy and without blemish. Things are happening because He is sorting things out in His church. It matters to Him. He gave His life for it. His purpose is to present the church faultless. He knows what’s He’s doing, and the church worldwide is part of what He’s doing. It’s the thing He came and died for – the church, and the church is made up of you and me. Our citizenship is in heaven.

Philippians 3:20

If you get out your passport, it says, “European Community, Great Britain, citizenship of this country.” As a Christian, you’re a citizen of heaven, part of the family of God, part of the church He came for, part of something which He is purifying and cleansing for the time when He incoming back. Everything is being prepared. He came for the church. He’s cleansing it, purifying it, working things out so that everything is on time in accordance with His purposes. It’s His decision to sanctify us, not ours.

He gave up His position in heaven and came as a servant because He knew that there needed to be a people. the Bride of Christ, the church. He knows all about the circumstances of your life. Where you wonder how you are going to get through things, He is the solution. And He has called you to be a part of His church, and to do the things which please Him. He wants you to be totally open with Him, knowing that you are part of the family of God, part of the church. And that’s why it’s important we play our part in the church, that we operate so that everything can function correctly.

Ephesians 5:27-34

Whether married or not, as individuals we are part of the Bride of Christ.
Anyone who is married ... they are a couple. I have no wish to exert control over Ben, Stephen or Amy. As they get married, they become their own unit – part of the wider church, but their own unit.

Some of you have doubts, because you look at other people getting married and think it hasn’t happened for you. But do you really thing that a God who created heaven and earth is not able to sort out a life-partner for you?

Somewhere on this planet God has your husband, your wife. Don’t think it will never happen to you. Please don’t. God loves you, and He makes provision and is faithful.

Revelations 21:2-4

Revelations 21:9-12

Revelations 21:22-28

Your name, my name, in the Lamb’s book of life, part of His church, why He came. That’s why we’ll never forget the Cross. That’s why He came – for you and me. Remember how important it has been for God to come to this earth for you. He loves you. He knows the future. He has made provision. And what He has stated in your life, He will complete. The work on the Cross is completed, and the outworking of it is happening now.

My place in the Bride of Christ

God has set us in His church, and He has a unique place for each one of us.

Hebrews 12:2

The one focus we have had, and will continue to have, is to look unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. God doesn’t start something He isn’t going to finish. He knows the ends from the beginning. And His initiatives are inviolate and certain. He knows what He is doing. He is preparing the Bride of Christ, the church.

I want to talk about the church – you and me as part of the Bride of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:12

Everything has been sorted. He is seated at the right hand of God. Christ, in a sense, is made up of the members of His body worldwide. We’re part of the worldwide church of God.

1 Corinthians 12:13-18

Everybody has their part to play in the church of Christ. It’s exciting to examine the blossoming of an individual as they realise their potential to fulfil their place in the body of Christ. It’s marvellous, because, for the joy set before Him, He endured the cross. He conquered death and the power of sin. The prime thing on His mind was that you would be set free to be part of the Bride of Christ, the church. And you have a unique place in the church.

We looked with the children yesterday at careers and education. But the long term thing is for you and me to be functioning members of the church, fulfilling what God wants us to do.

1 Corinthians 12:18

It’s His pleasure to get it right, to fulfil His purposes in your life. And it’s as it has pleased Him for you to fulfil the part God wants for you in the living church. I’m not talking about any specific task. Each of us has our own specific part to play. The point is that everyone is a part of the church, and each of us has a part to play. There is definitely a specific role for each of us to play as we go forward as part of the worldwide church. But it’s as it pleases Him, and I want each of us to find what it is He wants.

1 Corinthians 12:19-26

The emphasis in verse 18 is that all this happens as it pleases Him. The emphasis in verse 25 is that the members should have the same care one for another. So when it comes across my path that Claus is fighting cancer and is due to have another operation in the week is to gather together and help.
Prays for Claus.

There is no schism in the body, no division. Think of your own body. You’re not going to fight yourself.

1 Corinthians 12:26-29


Collectively the body of Christ. In particular, members. And each person here is of value in the kingdom of God because He thought of you and gave His life for you. That’s how valuable you are to Him. He didn’t just pronounce a blessing. He gave His whole life so you could become part of the Bride of Christ and a member in particular.

It’s a tremendous time we’re living in – God is building His church in His way in His time, and He knows what He’s doing. He loves you, and more will come here and be part of His church. We’re not the only church in the world – we’re part of His church worldwide.

Face to Face with God

This sermon looks at the significance of Jacob’s meeting with God. He met God face to face and his life was preserved. God is a God of Love and is the solution to every need.

I want to talk about the fact of God wanting and managing to meet each of us face to face. The word ‘Trinity’ means meeting God face to face.

We are going to look at the story of Jacob, he had served ten years of his life with Laban, and he was now on his way back to see Esau.

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Genesis 32:1 – 8

Jacob was a very scheming person, and when he heard about Esau he thought of a strategy straight away. Despite this, Jacob knew deep down that he needed God. So we have one of the first prayers recorded in scripture:

Genesis 32:9 – 15

That was a prophecy of what was going to happen in his life, and now he was stuck with Esau and four hundred men coming and so he asked God not to forget what He promised him.

Sometimes you can get into a situation where it is seemingly impossible to find your way out. The impossibility that you face is there because God is going to show you how He alone will work out the solution. That’s what He loves to do. He is going to bring your solution purely because He loves you, and wants you realise that He is the one who does it.

Genesis 32:13 – 15

He wanted to make sure that Esau would not do what he thought he was going to do.

Genesis 32:16 – 24

There comes a time where, even for Jacob, the strategies ran out. He sent the presents off, and he was left alone. Sometimes that’s your situation, and for some of you it’s just you and God. And God, in that time, manages to get your attention. I am confirming His word to your heart, even though you’ve been alone in your heart, despite the other people around you, God is interested, and has been there all the time, and is now ready to provide the solution to your situation. You are not alone.

Genesis 32:24 – 26

Somehow he knew who he was wrestling with, and somehow he knew that in this curious way, he had to hang on. He wasn’t going to be put to one side on this one. “I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.” For some of you, it’s been as if God is the only one left. He is a good one to have as the last one, because He delights to provide you with Himself, who is the answer. It’s a great place to be – just you and God. The solution is there because God’s there. When it’s you and God, He has your full attention. There is no one else. As your heavenly Father, He delights to show you and lead you to the solution: Himself.

Genesis 32:27 – 29

Jacob wanted to know the man’s name. In a sense Jesus made himself of no reputation. His life on this earth wasn’t to build up a fantastic CV for a job. His life was to make Himself of no reputation, so that when you are alone with God, it’s His life, Himself, His love, His provision that you will acknowledge and greatly accept, because there is no other solution. You’ve tried this and tried that, and He’s been very patient with you, but even when Jacob had all his strategies, he was still left on his own.

Genesis 32:30 – 31

There was no strategy to overcome the limp. It was a reminder to him always that God is the solution.

Genesis 32:32

The name of this place is Trinity because we want people here to meet with God.

Ephesians 2:1 – 5

When Jacob met with God, he knew his life was preserved. When you meet with God, He gives you a new life, and you live that life until you meet God face to face. It is heaven on earth now because Christ’s life is inside us. He’s birthed you into life. Jacob thought he was facing death, but his life was preserved, not because of what happened with Esau, but because he met God face to face.

Ephesians 2:6

Everything is settled

Now we get into a situation where everything is settled. There are no surprises in heaven. There are no credit crunches, there are no worries, and there is no fear in heaven. With the life of Christ inside you, as you face circumstances in life, you are seated with Him in heavenly places. This world is not my home, I am just passing through. My passport has ‘heaven’ on it, because I’m a citizen of heaven. When Jacob wrestled with God he knew his life was preserved. As a Christian, your life has been launched in new birth. God is going to fulfil his purposes in your life until such time as you see Him face to face. He loves you. In a sense, it is as if we were at the foot of the cross, our sin put Him there, and we would have been alongside those who put Him there.

Ephesians 2:4 – 10

The gift of God is faith. The gift of God is Himself in your life. This is not up in the clouds – this is reality. This is God mixing with you in your life, preparing the way, and knowing what’s happening in the weeks ahead. He knows exactly what He’s doing, and everything is couched in His love and provision for you. Everything. If you want to view things differently, you can, but why? Why think that God isn’t going to make provision? He is, because everything that He’s done He’s prepared.

Revelation 22:1 – 5

Jacob called the name Trinity, because he had met with God face to face. As we now experience the bounteous mercies and grace in our lives, we are moving forward to a point where we shall see His face. The Church, bought with the blood of the Lamb, shall have His name on their foreheads. Your name is in the book of Life. At some point we will see His face. It is through His work and His grace. I won’t be presenting an earthly CV to get into heaven. I will be evidence of God’s grace in an individual, and that’s what you will be.

This week, is your mind going to be oriented the way it was last week, or is it going to be oriented on and in God? He has made provision. He is my provider. He is a God of love. Jacob met with God face to face, and God preserved his life.

The Lord’s Supper

As we come to the Lord’s Supper, we need to come worthily, mindful of the things He purchased for us on Calvary.

I want to talk about aspects of Holy Communion. When Jesus Christ comes into a person’s life to change them, there is a complete and utter transformation. It’s the difference between death and life.

God takes note of different things ...

Malachi 3:16

Jesus referred to something that has a bearing on each one of us.

Luke 10:17 – 20

There is a recording which is eternal. For those who are Christians, your name is written in Heaven.

Revelation 20:12

God is establishing His purposes, outworked by the recording of our names in the Lamb’s Book of Life, solely as a result of what Jesus Christ has done for each one of us.

Hebrews 10:9 – 17

“Their sins will I remember no more.” What He is remembering is that He has recorded your name in the Lamb’s Book of Life. On the other hand, things are actively being forgotten. God is active in not remembering our sin. He chooses not to remember. Some people are concerned about their past, and keep replaying things they have done wrong. The enemy delights in that. Whereas God in Christ has said, “Their sins will I remember no more.” Sometimes we dredge up things which someone else may have done, and we regard ourselves as superior. God has forgiven them, but sometimes we take part in conversations where the whole thrust is to pull someone else down. That’s not what we’re about as we partake of the bread and wine. The Psalms tell us how beneficial it is when the people dwell together in unity.

Previously I talked about how the Passover was a memorial of the angel of death passing over the houses of those who had eaten of the lamb and had the blood sprinkled on the door post. We saw how the Passover lamb became Jesus – behold the Lamb of God. And 1 Peter talks about the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

When Jesus spoke of His body being eaten, He instituted something we were to do to remember Him until He came again. Taking the bread and wine helps us remember what He has done for us until He comes again.

The Corinthian letters were very practical. There were four and we have two left.

1 Corinthians 5:6 - 8

You need to be sincere and conduct yourself in truth – no malice or wickedness.

1 Corinthians 10:16 - 21

You can’t serve God and mammon – there’s a difference between being a Christian and not being a Christian. And when you take the bread and wine, you are identifying with Christ and saying, “You have given me life. You are my life. I’ve forgotten those things which went before. I’m identifying with who You are and what You’re doing in me.”

In the Corinthian church, there were people supposedly going God’s way and people going the world’s way. Impossible! Here, we are identifying with what God has done in us.

In the Corinthian church, people were coming together, not having eaten at home, and making the most of it as a meal.

1 Corinthians 11:22 - 23

Luke 22:19 – 20

1 Corinthians 11:23 - 27

It’s possible to come unworthily. People were treating this like any old meal. Think about what it means to take things unworthily. It wouldn’t be a good idea to take part if you don’t have a clue what Christianity is all about, or if you aren’t a Christian. That can be remedied, though. What is the situation with you and God? You know all about Him, and maybe today God is saying, “What I did on the Cross was done for you and it doesn’t matter if there was no one here apart from you”. You were on Jesus’ mind when He went to the Cross and died for you. He didn’t want you to be bound in sin, to have those habits you can’t overcome because there is a power of sin which hasn’t been broken. He wants you to live clean, because He wants to give His life inside you, to take the power and penalty of sin. He wants to give you His life.

1 Corinthians 11:28 - 30

If we sorted ourselves out and got things right, we’d be ok.

1 Corinthians 11:32 - 34

We are taking part in something instituted by Jesus Christ – “This do in remembrance of me.” How frequently should we do this? It doesn’t say. But periodically, we need to do it, to remind ourselves of what Jesus Christ did for us on the Cross, and how He rose from the dead to break the power of sin. When I eat, I thank God for what He has done for me.

He loves you. He’s concerned about you. He wants you to be secure. He wants you to know that what He has started in you by giving you His life, He will complete, until that time when He meets you.

I know what God instituted by taking the bread and wine. It was a tangible thing so we would remember who He is and what He did until He comes again. And the love He expressed on Calvary for each one of us isn’t just a quick phrase in the Bible – God is love, and He didn’t want you to live your life on an impossible pathway which doesn’t work. He wanted you to live your life to fulfil His purposes, which are the best for you and will bring glory to His name.

The church is the Bride of Christ, and is fulfilling the purposes God has for His people. And there are lots of other people who will become Christ-ones through what God will do. He is acting throughout the world, and we are part of the church worldwide. It’s not my church – its God’s church. It’s all to do with an expression of God’s love for mankind. “Behold how they love one another.” You need to examine yourself right now. But as we identify with what Christ did, so it is that we are one body, one faith, one baptism.

The Lamb of God

Exodus 12:1-13

Exodus 12:21-27

God instituted this ordinance - it was something to be repeated and not forgotten, so that they would know that it was the lamb - the blood that was inside and over them - that was why they were safe.

Exodus 12:26-29

They had to make sure that the lamb was inside them, and that the blood was on the doorposts over their house.

Exodus 12:29-38

John 1:29

John 1:35-37

John 6:41-44

John 6:51-54

Luke 22:19-21

The ordinance that was set up in the Old Testament was carried right through to when Jesus came to live on earth. He as the Lamb of God then took the bread and wine and said “this do in remembrance of me.”

Matthew 5:21-25

By taking bread and wine together in church, we are identifying not only with what Jesus has done for us, but also with each other as brothers and sisters.

The Good Shepherd

There is a huge contrast between those shepherds who are concerned only for their own interests, and the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep. Whatever our needs in life, if we hear His voice, we will find that He has already prepared the way.

Jesus was talking to the Pharisees after healing the man who was born blind. When the man returned after being healed Jesus had moved on, but later Jesus came and found the man again.

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John 9:36 - 41

Jesus told the Pharisees that if they were blind, they would have no sin, but because they claimed to see, their sin was still inside them. The Pharisees were kidding themselves. They didn’t see. The man born blind could now see and wanted to know the person who healed him.

The Pharisees were in positions of importance, linked to the Temple, teachers of the law, and they lorded it over other people. When Jesus spoke about shepherds, the Pharisees would have known what the Old Testament taught on the subject.

Ezekiel 34:1 - 4

The prophets – the shepherds – were only out for themselves.

Ezekiel 34:5 - 16

Ezekiel 34:23 - 24

Verse 23 prefigures the verses we will now look at, where Jesus said “I am the good shepherd.” There is one shepherd, the bishop of your souls. When He said that, the Pharisees and the others knew the background. There were shepherds who only lived for themselves. Their lifestyle was paramount; the people were not. Everything was geared to them, not to the people. God said, “I will seek them, will feed them, will provide for them.”

John 10 shows that what Jesus said resonated with His hearers.

John 9:41 – 10:5

Remember the context. He has just told the Pharisees that they were fooling themselves, convinced that they knew what they were doing and how to preserve their lifestyle. They said they saw, and therefore their sin remained, because they didn’t admit their need, they didn’t admit what was inside. The sheepfold - four walls with one door – anyone who doesn’t come in by the door is a thief. This would have hit the Pharisees between the eyes.

Jesus is far more interested in you than you know. He knows each of you by name, and He wants you to be aware that He is the Good Shepherd, that He does provide and has made every provision for your well-being.

John 10:6 - 7

Before it was a case that you had to go in through the door. Now He is saying He is the door.

John 10:8 - 9

This was a revolutionary thought to the people who were listening. Jesus was ascribing to Himself who He was. He was describing Himself. From our perspective, we can look back and see how things worked.

It doesn’t matter who you are. It doesn’t matter if you’ve written yourself off, thinking you’re not good enough, thinking that your problems are too difficult to solve. He’s saying He is the door. You are safe – safe from the consequences of your sin, safe from retribution, safe because you have Christ’s life in you. Some of you have written yourselves off, but I want to confirm God is saying to you, “I am aware of you more than you know.” He loves you. Some of you have have wondered but He has heard your prayers and does hold your future in His hands.

The freedom will be there to go in and out to find the pasture. The sheep will be cared for. It even goes to the point where if the sheep were in danger, the shepherd would give his life to care for the sheep.

John 10:10

In verse 9, a man will be saved, go in and out and find pasture. By contrast, the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. What a revolutionary thing Jesus was saying! And the Pharisees were listening.

John 10:11-16

There’s a direct link back to Ezekiel. And Jesus now extends this to include both the Jews and the Gentiles.

John 10:17-18

You’ll be saved, go in and out, find pasture. Sometimes, people ask about God’s guidance, and what is the right way for a person’s life. God is interested in you. And He’s so careful to get it right for you. He’s so careful that He’s sorted things out in advance for the best – the best way to fulfil the destiny He has for your life.

Isaiah 30:18 - 21

You’ll hear His voice. His sheep know His voice. You may think “But I’m not important. God won’t speak to me like that.” Why not? We’re talking about anyone here, you don’t have to be something special. He knows what you’re facing, and He knows that if you keep going forward, you’ll hear a voice saying ‘This is the way’.

In 1978 I went for a financial job in London. An agency sent me to see a Mr Low at National Mutual. They said the agency had sent me to the wrong company by mistake. I said, “Well, do you have a job?” And that’s how I got the job. God wanted me in National Mutual. If you’re moving, the rudder of a ship can be effective. If you’re stuck in dry dock, it won’t. You have to go forward, and you can trust God to sort it out. He specialises in providing for you because He loves you.

Psalm 37:4 - 5

Delight yourself in the Lord. “But my heart’s wicked”. How does that stack up? You’re a Christian. You’re delighting yourself in God. So He’ll create in your heart that desire which He will then meet. Everything will tie in. You have abilities and skills. Delight yourself in Him and He will give thee the desires of thy heart.

Psalm 37:5

Ephesians 2:10

He knows the future. Your times are in His hands. And your voyage of discovery in life is to rejoice in the provision of God for you in ways you never expected. He loves you. If any man hear His voice, he will find pasture.

1 Peter 5:6 - 7

Humble yourselves. Don’t make out that you see if you don’t. Be honest. Realise God is listening to you on the inside, and He has the answer already.

John 10:27 - 28

He’s talking to the Pharisees here as well. No matter what anyone says, no man will pluck you out of Jesus’ hand.

John 10:29

God is greater than all. There is no way He’s not in control and making provision for you.

John 10:30

I don’t know how you got here today or what you were thinking. Possibly you were wondering about your future. Jesus says to you today, “I am the door. By me if any man enter in, he shall be saved and go in and out and find pasture.”

He gives eternal life, which you experience now.

Everything is Ordered by the God of Love

God has arranged all things for our good, so that we can discover our place in Him. Everything is ordered by the God of love.

Tonight’s verses show God is in control, and everything is organised so that you are able to discover God’s love for you. Maybe you’re a visitor and Christianity isn’t your thing. At least open up your mind to the fact that got you here tonight, and there is a time for everything.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Psalms 31:15

Ecclesiastes 3:2-9

I mentioned hatred the other week – it is right to hate the wrong things.

Psalms 119:113

Psalms 119:128

You hate the false way.

Ecclesiastes 3:9-12

“He has made everything beautiful in His time.” You have only to think of Genesis. God saw everything that it was good. And the way God is weaving your life is to perfect you so that you will sometime step out of this body and be face to face with Him for eternity. And the tapestry He is weaving in our lives is perfect. Sometimes it’s as though all we see is the tangled web of threads on the back of the tapestry, but a picture is being formed on the other side.

There is a lovely old English quote, “It is the wise and regular and orderly administration of one who sees the end from the beginning and for whom there is no unanticipated contingency ...” Nothing surprises or upsets God. His emotions are constant. He is love. Nothing catches Him out. He’s planned for everything, set in the context of making everything good.

Nothing goes amiss in God’s economy. If you look at News at Ten, you wonder who is in control in man’s terms. In God’s terms there is a time for everything. He is a God of love and is concerned for us.

Some of you have wondered about God. There’s a time when God comes to you and says, “Now is the time for you get to involved with me because I want to get involved with you.”

Ecclesiastes 3:11-14

There’s a time for everything. There are times you can look back in your life when God was near and you were conscious of it. And it’s time again for you to get involved with God because it’s the right time.

Galatians 4:4-6

There came the fullness of time when God said, “This is the point in time” – so many thousands of years since the world was created – the perfect time for Him to send His son to live on the earth so that we could be set free. The perfect time came for Jesus Christ to be born on earth. It was so He could work out His purposes, so He could redeem a people for Himself – you and me and millions of others.

All the angels looked on and wondered and marvelled at what God was doing in preparing a bride for Himself.

Galatians 4:5

Instead of our first birth, there came a time when God stepped into our lives, opened our eyes and came to change us so that He then became our heavenly father.

You may think that’s obvious. But for a few of you here tonight, now is the time to realise why Christ came and why He is interested to change your inside for the good. He loves you.

Ecclesiastes 3:14-16

Acts 15:18

Ecclesiastes 12:13-15

God is ordering things after the counsel of His own will. He got you here tonight because He wants you to acknowledge who He is, so He can share His life with you and come inside you. He loves you. It’s a curious thing that those moments come, when you know inside God saying, “Now is the time” – and you know it is right.

How long will you be on this earth? Don’t know. Average age at death currently 78 male, 82 female. Quite a few of you will love to be over 100. What is your life all about? Up to this point, God has kept you. You’ve been getting on with your life. You’ve had thoughts about the future. At this moment God is getting involved with you and you know you have to sort things out. He’s prompting you. Circumstances are such that you have to sort things out.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Everything is ordered by the God of love.

Come as a Little Child

Mark 10:13 - 16

Parenthood

First, I am going to talk about parenthood. The second part will be about coming as a little child, and that includes everyone.

Children, as we know, are the church of tomorrow, and it is important that we get it right when it comes to raising children. As Jesus pointed out to the disciples, children are important, they matter. Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, and people were trying to get within reach of Jesus that He might bless the children. I don’t know what was going through the disciples’ minds. It says that the disciples rebuked the people.

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We all know the story of the five loaves and two fishes. Who had time for the little boy? Jesus did. Jesus had time for the children. It could be that the disciples thought they were insignificant. When Jesus spoke to the disciples he was much displeased. It mattered to Him that the children were involved.

Mark 10:14

It’s so important that you and I spend time with our children. That sounds incredibly obvious, but it’s important that we get to know them and have fun with them. It’s not just a series of do-nots, but a series of dos. We are not here to break the will of a child, but to train the will of a child. We don’t know what God has in store for our children, but we know that He has a unique destiny for each child. You don’t know what a little child will grow up to be. Our hearts as parents are that our children grow up to know the Living God as their Lord and Saviour. That’s paramount for our children, not money or fame.

Deuteronomy 6:5 - 8

Parents are to communicate with their children about God. There are principles in God - to be diligent and consistent. We need to take the time to get alongside children in their development. It is important in how we approach things. We must create in interest in the heart and mind of a child that would make him reach out and take hold of the things he is taught.

Children are people that God wants to spark, through you, into taking hold of what is right, and not what is wrong. You cannot discount the significance of a child. A child doesn’t rule the roost, but it’s simply that Jesus was adamant in his understanding of who the children were, and their importance - of such is the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is a reality. As a Christian parent, the thing that your heart is set upon is that you want your child to become a Christian. It’s God’s pleasure to give us the kingdom, and there’s no way he’s going to let any parent down in this desire.

Our school, Trinity Academy, is not about exam results, it’s about training children in the right way. The engine of our school is the nursery school, because we can set things right in the children there. We can train them in the right way at that age.

Mark 10:15

You can receive the kingdom of God. There comes a time in a person’s life when that happens, and there is a receiving of the kingdom of God.

Luke 17:20 – 21

It’s not as if the kingdom of God is somewhere out there, but you receive the King into your heart, and that King is within you.

John 1:12 – 13

We want to reach the lost. We want to be looking outward, not inward. We need to proclaim the Gospel of Christ to all.

Come as a little child

Mark 10:15

What is a little child? What are the attributes of a little child that I need to have to receive the kingdom of God? How would you describe your child? Simplicity springs to mind. There’s nothing complicated about a little child. Everything is straightforward.

I have thought of ten attributes of a little child:

1.Simplicity.
2.Innocence - A child is innocent and not suspicious.
3.No worry for the future.
4.Everything is black and white.
5.Eager to learn.
6.Dependency - We are totally and utterly dependent on the grace of God in our lives.
7.Totally trusting – Children do not get too complex and read into things.
8.Open-faced.
9.Humility.

Matthew 18:1-6

Jesus said that whoever humbles himself shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. He knew what the disciples were saying. He just took the child and put the child in the middle, and said that you must become as a little child to enter the kingdom of heaven. That cuts away our trying to prove ourselves or gain God’s acceptance. It cuts all that out, because if we come as a little child, we know that he is our heavenly father. Except you become as humble as a little child, you’re going to get things around the wrong way and you’re going to find things a burden. That is life. Let’s keep our feet on the ground as a little child. You need to look unto him for everything.

Unquestioning

Matthew 10:29-31

Luke 12:22-29

A child doesn’t doubt the provision of a parent.

Luke 12:30

Father’s heart is to give you the kingdom. I am a citizen of heaven. The kingdom of God is within me and I have received Jesus Christ into my heart. He has changed me. I’m not of this world, but I’m in this world to prove who He is and His love and provision for me. And that’s why you’re here.

Mark 10:13-16

We will see more and more people enter the kingdom of God over the coming weeks and months. The reason why that will happen is for God’s glory. It’s His church, and He’s building it in His way, in His time.