Does God know you?

By Pastor Peter Linnecar
The parable of the wise and foolish virgins reminds us of the need to be watchful, and to press ahead with God.
Zechariah prophesied after the exile. He had eight visions, and here we have the fifth one.
Zechariah 4:1-6 (show/hide)

1 And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep,
2 And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:
3 And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.
4 So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?
5 Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

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Zerubbabel rebuilt the Temple when they returned from exile. Joseph and Mary separately came from the sons of Zerubbabel.
In the world's eyes, might and power equals authority. In God's kingdom, the work of His spirit is vital.

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I identified with the people who spoke of the life and death situation faced in Nigeria. There's an urgency, a vitality about being a Christian here this morning for you and me.
In the Old Testament, where oil is referred to, it speaks of the work of the Holy Spirit.
Song of Solomon 1:3 (show/hide)

3 Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.

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In 2 Kings, when Elisha came to the widow, she ended up having a pot of oil, and it was as she kept pouring that oil out that it kept flowing. The moment they got to the end of the vessels, it stopped.
There is something about what God is saying to us. There is a requirement – not a duty, but a requirement out of the love of God which He has given to us, for us to share that with other people, to be a channel through which God by His Holy Spirit can reach other people. There's something about that principle of being alert and awake so we're ready whenever God wants to speak through us.
Ephesians 5:14-18 (show/hide)

14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

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The parable we are going to look at revolves around us being prepared so that God has free reign over our lives. It's the enemy of our souls who wants us to focus on something which will derail the main purpose of us being here.
Matthew 25:1 (show/hide)

1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

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It was a Jewish custom – often weddings were held in the evening. There were ten attendants whose role was to go out and meet the bridegroom and bring him in.
Matthew 25:2-4 (show/hide)

2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

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Two different types of people. The common denominator is that each had a lamp. You couldn't distinguish between them, except that five had a reserve of oil. They made a point of gathering that store.
Matthew 25:5-6 (show/hide)

5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

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They were all sleeping. The bridegroom was later than expected.
Matthew 25:7-9 (show/hide)

7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

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This wasn't selfish. They knew that the bridegroom was on his way and that they had a separate container of oil for just such a time. They told the foolish to go and buy some, but the foolish wanted to take from the wise. This tells us that you can't rely on another person's faith. When we reach heaven, and if a question is asked of us, I won't be asked about Carolyn's faith, about the faith of someone else, but about who I am before God and what He has done in my life by His Holy Spirit. Each one of you is responsible for our own walk with God, and He loves you.
Some people have been skirting around the idea of a relationship with God. But we need to remain watchful of our walk with God. We need to get involved with God so that He has free reign. I wonder who God is speaking to right now who has skirted around this. God has been talking to you. He keeps getting inside you and pointing things out – your life needs to be right before God.
Matthew 25:10 (show/hide)

10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

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"But I thought I'd postpone becoming a Christian, or getting 100% for God until that point. I have to do this or that first." But the door was shut. You don't have more and more time for you to be on fire for God and to have your sin dealt with at Calvary.
Matthew 25:11 (show/hide)

11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

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"You know who it is, that I've been to church, that I was going to sort things out."
Matthew 25:12 (show/hide)

12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

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It's like when Jesus said to Philip "Have I been so long time with you, yet thou hast not known me?" It's as if the Lord is saying to you this morning, "Let's say today was your last day on this earth. Let's share together the times when I have faithfully come to you and talk to you and convict you so that you would turn from the way you had been living, because you know it has been wrong. There was that time, that time, that time. And each time, you said, 'Not now – I need to do this or that first.'"
Matthew 25:13 (show/hide)

13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

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Talking about the second coming.
Luke 12:35-37 (show/hide)

35 Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;
36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.
37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.

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That's the heart of God. The father was open to the prodigal and the elder son, both. He urged them to come in and rejoice.
Here's Peter's message :-
2 Peter 3:11-14 (show/hide)

11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

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If we had a peace-ometer, are you at peace this morning? Or has what I've said got hold of you, and you know you've been pushing Him away?
How do you have that reserve of oil? I have the lamp, I'm sharing my faith with others, but what do I have to do to have that reserve of oil? This parable means it is vitally important that we keep that line of communication open with the living God. He's inside me, but I can spend my time ignoring the experience of God in your life, or I can spend your time enriching and building it.
How often are we reading the Bible on our own? How often do we spend time in fellowship, building each other up?
That reserve of oil is building up our store of holy faith. Are we programming ourselves into the Word, into each other? Are we giving and giving, and as we give, it is never ending. Praying, professing our faith, not being asleep?
This parable applies to us all. It doesn't matter what situation we're in. There are some who are desperate because they are out of work. I know specifically for you that God has not forgotten now.
What does it mean to be watchful, alert, awake? To live a life of faith is simply being a Christian. I know what God has planned for us to the end of this year particularly, specifically it will be for us to be open before God that He by His Holy Spirit will work through us as we share our faith with others, and others will come.
God is sorting things out I'm not dismissive of anyone here or who used to be here. What I am most specific about, though, is that we will lift up the name of Christ full time, and as we do that, He will come alongside each one of us and speak to each one of us, just as He is speaking specifically to some this morning. Don't defer. That's not God's heart for you. He has been faithful. And once again He is there right in front of you. "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour." It's His love which is drawing you and is pointing out things in you."
That attitude of being watchful doesn't involve taking time out. It doesn't step back. It looks God fully in the face and say, "I thank you for what you have done in my life, for how you took my sin into yourself at Calvary. You rose from the dead and conquered sin and the power of sin has gone from my life. And going forward I want to recognise each day that work of grace in my life. And each day I want to make the choice to go your way."

The Older Brother

By Pastor Peter Linnecar

The parable of the Prodigal Son shows us two sons: one who went astray and one who in his own eyes, had done everything right towards his father. It also shows us the heart of the Father, which was to forgive the younger son and to celebrate his return regardless of what he had done. We must make sure our reaction towards those who have gone astray is not, like the elder brother, one of anger and condemnation, believing that we are better than they, but one of forgiveness, rejoicing in their return. Christianity is outward, we must be open to what God wants to do through us to reach others who have gone astray.

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I want to talk to you this morning about that relationship which God has with an individual as a Christian. He is our loving, heavenly Father. All that He is, and all that He has He has made available to you. I'm going to be speaking about a parable. Any word in the Bible God uses to reveal Himself, through the Holy Spirit, to you.

This is Jesus speaking to His disciples, and it is as if He is speaking to you and me too:

John 15:3-5 (show/hide)

3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

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God's purpose in our lives is that we bear fruit unto Him. That could be in terms of the fruits of the spirit, or that could be God working through you so that others, in their desperate need, would find the answer in Jesus Christ.

We have in the following scripture perhaps most the famous parable. We are talking here about a certain man who had two sons. Often in this parable, the focus is on the one who went away; it is not so often on the elder brother who stayed at home.

Luke 15:11-16 (show/hide)

11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:

12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.

13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.

14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.

15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

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He took his inheritance from the father and went to a far country, little realising that a famine would hit. He ended up with no friends, no food and no joy or peace in his heart. He also ended up working with swine; it was the complete and utter pits. It is possible for someone to have a fling, and to imagine that living the world's way, will result in peace and friendship. However, as we see, this fling ended in no peace or friends.

Luke 15:17-19 (show/hide)

17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

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So he had the rehearsed confession of what he would say to his father. He realised that even the hired servants were in a better position than him.

Luke 15:20 (show/hide)

20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

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What's going to come out of this parable to us is the attitude of God, our loving heavenly Father. This man rehearsed the confession and he'd probably worked out how he would meet his father again. He didn't realise that his father had spent every day looking for him. And when he came back he found his father running to meet him.

Luke 15:21-24 (show/hide)

21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.

22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:

23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:

24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

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The robe and the ring are emblems of sonship. The shoes are to show that he is above the servants, who had no shoes. It says in Romans 5:8

Romans 5:8 (show/hide)

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

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That means - transposing just briefly from the parable - that, when you were doing your own thing and were a million miles from God and were in sin, God was looking out for you. Their came a time in your life where He ran, as it were, to meet you. He changed you and me from nothing into something, from hell-bent to heaven-directed. I don't know if you remember the time before you came to know Him. Here this morning you may have realised that, although you are here at church, you are like the younger brother.

Now we come to the reaction of the elder brother.

Luke 15:25-28 (show/hide)

25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.

26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.

27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.

28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.

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We are now going to see the character of the elder brother. Some have said that the younger son represents the publicans and sinners, and the elder brother represents the Pharisees and the Scribes. What is important though is that the Father's heart is the same to both sons.

When the younger son returned, his brother was angry because, for all of his life he had been serving his father. But now, this son who squandered his inheritance, had been welcomed back with a fatted calf and a ring and robe as if he had done nothing wrong. Here we can see the heart of the older son. He had judged his brother, deciding that he was a wastrel, and therefore, even thought his brother had returned, he could not forgive him.

Luke 15:29 (show/hide)

29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:

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So he quickly assimilates a lifetime and calls it serving, he vows that he has never disappointed his father but yet has never been given a kid to make merry with his friends. This was a self-righteous, and a self-pitying position. Woe betide any of us who does not rejoice with a brother or sister who has been restored or blessed by God. When you see that, are you angry inside? Do you immediately pigeon-hole people who have, in your opinion, gone the wrong way?

Luke 15:30 (show/hide)

30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.

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The elder brother's reaction was one of complete condemnation. He was angry because his brother had wasted his life with the wrong people, and yet his father had welcomed him back. If you think about it, the elder brother's comments were all focused on him: he had done everything right, he had served his father all his life, and he had not been given a fatted calf. He had no reason to be angry because he still had his inheritance, but there was something about his way of life which had made him a slave to religion. The moment his brother came it disrupted his position.

It was true that when the Pharisees and the Scribes saw Jesus linking up with the dregs of society, that they were angry and couldn't understand. But in your heart, do you get angry? Or do you rejoice with them that rejoice? When you see someone that has gone wrong, what is your attitude towards them?

Luke 15:31-32 (show/hide)

31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.

32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

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The father ignores the sarcasm of the older son, when he says that his brother has been living with harlots. The father says that it was right to celebrate his return, because he was dead and is now alive. This means that, as a Christian, you can't choose not to link up with another Christian because you think that they had previously gone the wrong way. The older brother was so bound up with himself that he didn't understand or identify with his father's grief at his brother's previous absence; his brother was dead for all he cared. The heart of the elder brother is something we all need to be careful of. Firstly, in terms of the younger brother, we need to make sure we don't take the gifts of God and squander them on a wrong lifestyle. But also with the older brother, we need to make sure that we don't become self-righteous and quick to condemn others.

The father's heart was to look out for both sons. Each day he looked out for the younger one and then, when the older one got angry, he went out to him and entreated him. I want to convey to you that what you have in God is a precious gift. It is a gift of faith.

This parable reveals that we need to be outward looking, as the father was. Not constantly comparing yourself with others and judging others. We need to be people who are constantly reaching out and waiting for those have gone astray to return home. It doesn't say at the end of the parable whether the older brother did go in. I would think that he did because there are two people here who ended up with their father. You can see through this how easy it is for the enemy of our souls to bring division. If you judge someone and refuse to forgive them when they return, you will be divided.

It is interesting that the father didn't really listen to the confession of the younger son. He didn't care because all that mattered was that he returned. He tried to explain this to his elder son, but he couldn't see and rejoice that his brother had returned. During this coming week I want each one of you to ask God who it is that He wants you to reach this week. Who is it that you've written off, that you should now be reconciled with? Pray for those who have gone astray. And in this coming week, in whatever you do, be open to what God through His Holy Spirit wants to do through you. It is Father's heart inside you and it is His power to cancel out sin and save. He is the One who does it all.

A little later on in John 15, Jesus went on to say these words:

John 15:12-16 (show/hide)

12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

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We are meant to bring forth fruit, and we will. As you think about this parable, I want you to be open to what God, our heavenly Father, is speaking to you. It is outward, it is about others. We must be open about our faith with others. I am grateful to God for the way that, at this time, He is causing each one of us to be open before Him to share that faith He has given us. Don't get tied up in the legalism of the older brother, come into the celebration with the younger brother and rejoice in Him. Come into the place where God can work through you to reach others who have gone astray. He is a wonderful heavenly Father and He loves regardless of what you have done or what others may say.

Redeeming the time

By Pastor Peter Linnecar

Eph 5:8-17

Quite often people ask me what God's will is in their life. This letter just referred to the will of the Lord. So what is it? "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil."

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The parable that we're going to look at briefly tonight applies to you and me, what we're doing with our lives, and how much we value the fact that we've been given time on this earth to fulfil God's purposes.

Mt 25:14-15

The first point I want you to note tonight, is that it involved the three of them. There wasn't someone that didn't get given something. In this church, you've been given something by God which is for his purposes in your life to glorify him. Every man was given according to what he could cope with and could develop. There has been a tailoring in your life. Each one of us has been given something of God that we might be able to develop that for his glory. They were equal, in the sense that each person was given something, and each person was given the ability to make that something into double what they were given. I don't think this refers to money, I think this refers to the personality and the life that God has given you, and what you are going to do with it. They each had the potential to develop.

Mt 25:16-18

The first two were the same, with 100% increase. The third one did absolutely nothing. True, he preserved what he had been given, but he buried it.

Mt 25:19-23

They were commended for being good and faithful, given more responsibility, and told to enter into the joy of the Lord. There is something about making yourself available for God's work that gives you joy.

Mt 25:24-25

There is a smokescreen here. Basically he had done nothing with his life. He was lazy, slothful and even though God had given him exactly the same potential for life, he opted not to be fulfilled. The smokescreen is the excuse that he has come up with, which we have just read.

Mt 25:26-28

You might think that seems a bit unfair. He did actually give back what God had given him. The crucial point is this, that when the talents were handed out, it was a level playing field. They all had the opportunity to develop what God had given them for his glory. The first two did. The third one, though, instead of developing anything, lived his life for himself. He tried to package up what God had given him, bury it, and in the mean time live the life that he wanted to live. The Lord called him wicked and slothful.

Mt 25:29-30

What does that mean? It means that at the end of your life, if it has been the case that we have justified ourselves all the way through to keep God in a box, even though I've been given life by him, God has every right to say that we had the same opportunity. What's God's heart for you and for me tonight? By His Holy Spirit in me bringing this to your attention tonight, it's for us to take stock of where we're at. What are the abilities God's given you? Don't say you don't have any, because you have. You have the equivalent potential as the person next to you.

To fulfil God's purpose in your life means that your whole mindset is to do his will for his glory. It's as simple as that. What we will always do in this place is lift up the name of Jesus Christ, because all of us come together individually and then corporately to revere and honour him. It's thrilling to know that what God is speaking to us now is that he's preparing each one of us to take stock of our lives. The potential of what he wants to do through you is colossal.

We are to walk as children of light, as God walks through you, as you meet people and talk to people and have responsibilities.

The man who hid his talent wasn't afraid. Deep down, God is a true and faithful witness to us all, and deep down you know what it is that God has given you as an ability to fulfil his purposes in your life.

Gal 5:22-23

If I handed out a piece of paper to you, and we were all to list down the abilities that God has given us, what would we write? How can we be hospitable in his kingdom? How can we communicate his life to others? What is it that God has given you? Because each one of us has been given something of God inside.

Eph 5:15-17

The talents that God has given us are for his glory. We're not to waste the time that God has given us. He will outwork his purposes and draw others to him. It's going to be thrilling to see what he does over the rest of this year as each of us focuses on what his holy spirit is bringing to our attention.

Open Your Heart

It is vital that our hearts are open and receptive to the Word of God. The parable of the sower is not about the sower, but about the four types of people who hear the word. We can be those who hear but are not willing to receive, or those who let it take root but not to the foundation of our lives, so that when persecution comes our faith is broken, or those who hear but are too taken with the worldly pleasures to really listen and obey God; or we can be those who have open hearts and willing ears, who hear the word and act on it. God had given us freedom, to remain in that freedom we must continue in His word.

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There’s one theme that I want to talk about, which is to do with freedom and what we do with it. I’m going to a parable, maybe in a different way to how you have looked at it before. During this month, I’m going to be looking at a different parable each evening.

Jesus came back to this small place called Nazareth first after being baptized.

Luke 4:16-21

That was quite a dramatic moment because, for the first time, Jesus proclaimed why He had come. Part of that proclamation was that He was going to set at liberty them that are bruised. So if you are Christian, you have been set free from the power of sin inside to make choices that please Him. Jesus has come inside you to give you the power to live right. He said what He said, He then sat down and said that this day that scripture was fulfilled.

We have freedom as to how we respond to the word. It is that use of freedom that I want to focus on now. This next scripture is a few years later when Jesus had been preaching and performing miracles in the synagogues and to the people at large:

John 8:30-32

There’s the sense that freedom is continuing in God’s word. A little later He says:

John 8:36-37

Freedom is to do with how we respond to God’s word. We have the freedom to create how we are going to hear it. It is important how we hear it. Now this is the parable itself:

Matthew 13:1-9

This parable is to do with your use of God given freedom because your freedom allows you to be one of four types of people, so that when you come to listen to preaching, your freedom has determined the soil that’s in your heart. You have made the choice, even as you came in this morning, to either hear or not hear. This parable is often referred to the parable of the sower, but really it’s the parable of the person who got it right in the way he heard God’s word. It is vital that you and I are open to what God wants to speak to us in His word. The principle is that we have ears to hear. That is why Jesus told them that they had ‘ears to hear’. Are the words sinking in, or do they just bounce off you?

Matthew 13:10-12

In other words, the more you hear this word, it compounds good unto good or confirms the opposite; it depends how you hear.

Matthew 13:13-15

There’s an active thing that He quotes there, of the way we come to hear God’s word. Quoting from Isaiah, He says that their hearts are waxed gross, their eyes and closed and they are dull of hearing.

Matthew 13:16-17

What’s matters is how we hear. The principle is that we need to have an open heart to what God by His Holy Spirit wants to say to us. It is possible for us to emphasise the freedom God has given us whereby we close off, the hearts waxes gross, the ears become dull and the eyes shut.

Matthew 13:18-19

The wayside is where it’s all compressed ground and there is no ability for the seed to take root so it just gets washed away. So the first choice is that when I come into this room I can set my heart not to hear. I will hear the words spoken, but will push it away and not let it sink it. It might be you’re at home, reading your Bible, or the thought has occurred to you that should read the Bible, but then you decide actually, no, I don’t need to. The enemy of our soul is ever ready to capture any word that you bounce away.

Matthew 13:20-21

The stony places are where there is only a thin layer of soil so no roots can grow. This is the sort of person whom receives the word for a while, and on the surface all looks good. But, when persecution comes, because there is no foundation, their faith will fade away. We have to continue in His word, because by continuing, we can endure persecution.

Matthew 13:22

So there’s a two-horse race going on with this type of hearer. They have made the choice and hear the word. But parallel with that word, the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches means that they both come to church and go out and enjoy the cares of the world. In time, the word, although they hear it every week, will be choked because the cares of this world are too important to that person.

Matthew 13:23

There’s a sense in which you and I have a responsibility with the freedom God’s given us, to be open to what He wants to say to us. God wants us to be open. He will continue relentlessly to be revelatory to you by His word because He lives you. What He wants in our lives is fruit that is pleasing to Him. That fruit is the fruit of the spirit and talking to other people so that, through our lives, other people are drawn to Him.

Galatians 5:1

Don’t get so bound up in legalism and what the world is such that you come here but are not open. Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free.

Galatians 5:13

As far as I’m concerned, when I come into this hall, it must be the case that I come in with a receptive heart to God’s word. God is specific to each one of you. I know that each one of us can look back at our lives, and see the difficulties we’ve overcome, and testify to the faithfulness of God through it all. To me, the opportunity God has given to us, to hear His word and for His Holy Spirit to come is so wonderful.

When you get baptised, as those who are getting baptised today, you are proclaiming to the world that you believe in Jesus Christ and that you have set you course to obey them. I am not going to be a dull hearer or someone who thinks they know it all. The testimony of those getting baptised today is, as far as I’m concerned, God inside me, my faith in Jesus Christ means I’m a Christian and I’m going to go forward in Him.

Yesterday, a field near my house, was harvested. I’d been looking out at this field for the past months, watching the wind and rain and thinking that there was no way there would be no crop. But, as it was harvested, there was a constant reliance on the combine harvester of the crop. There is no way, if God has got involved in your life, that you will not bear fruit. What is that fruit for? It’s for His glory; it’s to show others that He is the Lord of your life.

We don’t know what life holds, or when we will go to be in glory. But we do know that the freedom we need to exercise, day in and day out, is to be open to Jesus Christ. Who does He want to reach through you this week? When was the last time you reached out to someone in need with the Gospel? You are here because He got you here; He loves you. I know that as we are faithful to His word, and fulfil His purposes in His time, the glory will be unto Him and unto Him alone. He is a wonderful heavenly Father.

Forgiveness

This morning I want to look at a parable that we all need to hear. We have to be open to what God wants to teach us this morning. I am going to talk about forgiveness. Forgiveness is vital in how we treat each other. Some people have actually written that forgiveness is as important as your belief in Christ.

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Matthew 18:1-20

The disciples have seen Jesus pick up a child and He has shown them that they have to become like a child to enter the Kingdom of God. He has talked to them about His heart of compassion for the one who has gone astray. He then talked, in verse 15, about the situation where someone has hurt you in some way. He showed them that there is a procedure when this happens.

Matthew 18:21

Peter was worried about this whole relationship of brother with brother in God. He wanted to know how many times he had to forgive his brother. He had a problem with this particular point because of his character. Peter knew that in the Jewish law it was written that you should forgive your brother three times. So, he doubled it and added one, thinking that that would be sufficient.

Matthew 18:22

The effect on Peter’s face due to this reply was such that Jesus recounted this parable:

Matthew 18:23-24

In modern equivalent ten thousand talents is about £72,000,000. In this parable, for money, read sin. So here’s someone who owes £70,000,000.

Matthew 18:25-28

In a parallel sense, all of us here when we are first born are born in sin and have clocked up a life of rebellion against God. The amount of sin that you have been forgiven in coming to God is colossal; we have broken the law in every part. When Jesus went to the cross it was to forgive you and me all our sin. He completely changed our nature so that we then have the choice not to sin and the power to go the other way; before that the default is that we can’t help but sin. The amount of sin that each one of us brings to the cross is inevitability a life-full of cross. When Jesus hung on that cross, make no mistake, it was you and me banging those nails in. But, yet He still hung on that cross because of His love for us, even when were His enemies. £72,000,000 of sin was written off because of His death; He paid a debt we could not.

Matthew 18:28-31

Here we have then a person who has been totally forgiven all that amount of money in the context of the story. In the parallel, we have been forgiven all our sin by our Redeemer who paid the penalty of our sin. In monetary terms we have had £72,000,000 of sin written off. And then, I come over to this person here has £120 of debt towards me, and I take him by the throat and command him to pay back the debt. Even though this man had been forgiven so much, he threw his debtor into prison, despite his pleadings.

Matthew 18:30-36

We have to forgive our brother from our hearts. There is a duty and command of God that we forgive one another. As we will see in a moment, unless we do that, we can pray as much as we like but our hearts will be a million miles from where God wants us to be. This is a quotation from a Puritan:

“We need not climb up into heaven to see whether our sins are forgiven, let us look into our hearts and see if we can forgive others. ”

That is the bottom line because the enemy of our souls wants us to get at each other’s throats. We cherish anger when we think of the people who have wronged us, but yet all that time, my Redeemer lives and I can see His glory. If there is a source of bitterness against someone inside you, it makes no difference how much you praise God, because it is impossible to praise God whilst harbouring bitterness against others. You must leave the person who has wronged you to God, so that He can sort them out.

So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

If we do hang on to a slight the net result will be sourness in our spirit, bitterness of heart, and God will not bless us. Now I don’t mean you should make a list of all the people you must forgive. You know in your heart whether you have forgiven someone, or whether you have held on to your bitterness against him.

Matthew 6:14-15

That is pretty clear.

James 2:12-14

In other words, we can trust God to sort things out, in the sense that, we commit everything unto Him. If we harbour bitterness against someone else it will eat into us like a cancer.

Ephesians 4:31-32

This is a direct command.

Colossians 3:13

Jesus is our example. When He was on the cross He cried out: “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do. ”When Stephen was being stoned He prayed: “Lay not this sin to their charge. ”

Mark 11:24-27

This attitude can develop into a whole realm of bitterness. This is obviously important because this the way Jesus has told us to live. I know that there are some who will not let go the throttling of the £120 debtor because they did what they did. This morning it is time to let it go.

Here we are amongst the children of Israel who have just gone through the Red Sea today.

Exodus 15:23-26

The waters were bitter. What had to happen was that the tree had to be cut down and thrown into the waters, only then did they become sweet. That is a picture of us allowing God’s Holy Spirit cleansing us of any malice we have against anyone. We must do this because it will cause us to view things from a bitter and wrong viewpoint. God has showed us all a tree: Calvary’s Cross, which means that the bitterness inside us can be cleansed and made sweet.

Some of you may be thinking that you don’t need to forgive anyone. Let me be clear, God is faithful, and if there is anything that anyone of you is harbouring inside, God will have already put His finger on it. We are not to dust off that thinking process which we know if we get involved with will only end in us boiling with antipathy against an individual.

Romans 12:19

So God is sorting things out in the overall sense and we can commit everything to Him. This means I’m not going to resurrect something that someone did to me in the past.

Therefore, what are we supposed to do?

Romans 12:20-22

That is the bottom line: ‘be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good’. God has brought this to our attention this morning because He wants us to live clean and right. In your heart are you asking God who He wants you to reach todayIt is the glorious Gospel we are involved in that enables us to reach those who are lost. We are servants of the living God; that’s who we’re involved in. But we can’t harbour stuff inside. I’m convinced, more than ever, that God by His Holy Spirit wants to work through each one of us, so that He can reach others who are in desperate need. The only way that the enemy can stop us is if we allow bitterness and hatred to dwell in us against others.

Actually, Peter asked the wrong question. We should not really stop forgiving our brother when we’ve fulfilled the correct number; that is not the heart of a Christian. To anybody who wants to come into this hall: you are welcome. I’m not going to harbour stuff against anyone. This place will grow because we are going to lift up the name of Jesus, and when His name is lifted up, He draws people to Himself.

The heavenly meaning of this parable is a direct input into the way you live your life each day. It’s an attitude of heart and of mind. God in His faithfulness, mercy and love has brought it to our attention because He wants to work through us for His glory in our lives, in reaching out to others. We forgive from our hearts, we forgive fully and we forgive often.

Involved with God

Over this coming time, during August, we are going to be looking at different parables. Everything revolves around Jesus Christ and the work of God, and what He is doing in His church, in His time. All of us are involved in what He is doing, because of His work within us. That doesn’t mean that we have to go abroad, or have to be someone special in some way; we are all one hundred percent involved in the work of God.

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Listen to the online sermon (Podcast) »
Including Andrew Love's testimony of his family's mission trip to Africa

This parable refers fundamentally to the character of God. Let’s zero in on what you here are involved in now and what God is doing for you.

Matthew 20:1-4

A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. The householder here is God. It is God who got up early in the morning to hire labourers. He then agreed a penny for their work.

Matthew 20:4-16

Each one of us here is a partaker of God’s grace. There is no one here who can say that because they have been a Christian for a long time they deserve more of a blessing than a younger Christian. I want to emphasize that God found you and it is by His grace that you are here at all. What God is doing in our midst is stirring each one of us to evaluate what we now need to prioritise in order for our lives to in line with His will. The perspective of all this is that God is a good God and He draws us by His love. There is no one here who could look God in the face and say: ‘you never told me’. It’s His love that has, and is finding, you. What we need to do is to focus on Jesus Christ and lift Him up. Are we selfish in our life? Or is our attitude toward the life God has given us to find out and obey God’s will?

The Lord is Your Helper

Hebrews 12:1-2

Deuteronomy 9:1-2

It was a known proverb. Who can stand against the children of Anak? And that proverb often took root in the minds and hearts of the children of Israel, just questioning, how on earth are we going to overcome these people!? Who can stand against the children of Anak? And sometimes in our lives we get to the situation where it’s possible that fear might grip your heart because you’re facing a situation or it’s something you’re facing and the enemy of your soul wants you to be gripped by fear.

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Caleb heard this proverb. It was widely known. And when you hear something, what the enemy of your heart wants to do is to grip it with fear. It’s as if you become paralyzed in the headlights; you can’t move. Perfect love casts out fear.

You and I have to remain focused. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee. And the opposite of fear is perfect love and Jesus dispels fear.

Not just this week, but for our whole life, my heart is not going to be afraid because of who God is and what he is going to complete in my life.

There was a promise made to Caleb.

Deuteronomy 31:4-7

I’m going to keep my focus on the Lord God. Caleb had a different spirit.

Numbers 32:12

You and I have the choice in our life to go forwards in the right way or not. We are free to make that choice. Before we are a Christian, the default of your life is sin. As a Christian, we have the option and the glorious power and strength of God so that we can go forwards and fulfil his will in our lives.

Joshua 14:6-10

Forty five years he’d been waiting for the fulfilment of the promise for the land he would have. During that time he didn’t doubt God. More importantly he didn’t become resentful that this thing wasn’t happening for him. He didn’t feel bitter that God had somehow forgotten him, as it were. But he wholly followed the Lord.

Joshua 14:11-12

His strength was undiminished. What I want to highlight to you this morning that the key thing was that his focus hadn’t altered. He wholly followed the Lord. Don’t discount this because it was in the Old Testament. We’re talking about a man’s relationship with God. But I’m emphasising to you that when we read about someone like Caleb who is a witness of how God interacts with an individual., how he takes an individual so carefully and nurses that life and that life in Caleb’s terms was one where he stayed focused, week in week out, and when others might have got blessed or there was something he heard about, as far as he was concerned, wholly he stayed focused. And in forty five years he still knew God was going to see him through.

Is there a mountain in your mind that you’ve been facing this week. Something that the enemy has said “you see that won’t work out” or “God will never provide for you in the way you thought he would” or “you’re never going to get blessed”. And the enemy will use anything he can to cause our hearts to be gripped by fear.

But God is faithful and he will complete the work he started in your life and this morning, the faith that is being communicated to you, as with Caleb, now therefore Lord, let’s go for it. I want to see you glorified because I want to bring glory to your name, because I am trusting you. In everything I am trusting you and until that day when I shall see you face to face after I have fulfilled my days on earth, all I want to do is to fulfil your purposes for my life. And I want to help others to fulfil the purposes for their lives.

“Give me this mountain Joshua.” God says.

Psalms 48:14

And Jesus in the New Testament he refers to “continue in my word and the truth shall make you free”. Our call is that we should continue steadfast in God.

With Caleb it was a case of “Joshua, don’t worry about the fact that this has still got to happen. I’m still relying on God to do this.”

Joshua 14:13-15

Hebrews 13:5-6

That is true of you this morning. The Lord is your helper. The Lord is your helper. Don’t fear what man can do to you. It might be in your workplace that you’re facing something that’s gripping people with fear at the moment. The Lord is my helper. It might be concerns about your family or your children or in your marriage. I will not fear what man shall do unto me because the Lord is my helper.

He is faithful and the one who has called me. I will not fear.

So Caleb possessed the area of the Anakins.

Joshua 15:16-20

There is something about having that focus in your life. You transmit it. But the key point is for us to stay focused; I’m going God’s way, I will not fear what man will do. In any situation in my life, I’m going forward in Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 12:1-4

Verse 2: “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith”. That’s focused. That’s Paul saying “This is the way to live and this is how you should go forwards in your life: Looking unto Jesus” By his holy spirit he lives inside you.

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. He completed the work God sent him to do.

Mr Russell

John 6:53-56

This is the most wonderful union we can have. Day by day we walk by him. He’s inside you. He’s never going to leave you. You belong to him. You’ve become one with him. That is the first thing we remember as we come.

But there is another thing. When Jesus spoke to his disciples at the last supper, it used to be a supper to commemorate the deliverance out of Egypt. But Jesus said,” From this day on, whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, do this in remembrance of me”. For hundreds of years they had celebrated it to remember the deliverance from Egypt but now Jesus said “From now on, you do this to remember what I have done for you.” It was always a celebration meal. It was never meant to be me and Jesus alone, thank you Lord. It was never meant to be that. It was a meal.

The power is in your relationship with Jesus and in him. And because he lives in you, the power is in you. The power is not in the bread and wine, it’s in you! There is no mystic power in the food and drink. It was meant to be a celebratory meal to enjoy and to share together. In the acts of the apostles “and they broke bread with joy and gladness”. It’s a joyful time because we remember what Christ has done in us but also it’s a time to celebrate our one with Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:10

We give thanks to God for our relationship with Christ and our fellowship with one another. Let me say this, until you know that oneness with him, you will never understand oneness with one another. Until we get our focus on him, we won’t have fellowship with one another. You’ll only see the problems and the negativity. When I have a difficulty with someone, I can look at that person and say “he or she loves Jesus as much as I do and he or she has a longing and desire to serve him as much as I do, and therefore, we are one together”. This was very helpful in seeing past the problems and the difficulties.

When your walk with him is right, your walk with your brethren is right. And you’ll be able to see past all the problems and the negativity and see the unity.

Hebrews 12:2

The joy was us!

[Communion]

There should never be any condemnation in Jesus Christ and we should never feel condemned by one another. But now we can rejoice in what God has done for us. We are all brothers and sisters. By focusing on him and not on the negatives, that is how we love one another.