We make life very complicated. But at the basis of life for a Christian are Jesus’s words that to enter the kingdom of God, we need to come as little children. And coming in that way, we can have absolute confidence in God as our Provider.
Galatians 3:23-26
This shows that before someone becomes a Christian, there’s a way of living which is demonstrated by the law. There’s a way to live which is right, and a way that’s wrong. But before we become a Christian we find we can’t keep that law because our nature keeps failing. But the law is there for a purpose. It’s a schoolmaster. It brings us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. The schoolmaster is the means by which God shows us we can’t live a good life, that our thought life is completely awry. And as we realise that, God uses the law by His Holy Spirit to convict us and make us realise we can’t keep it. When we admit that, it’s often the time when God reveals that eternal solution – faith in Him, His faith in what He did for you and me.
Galatians 3:23-26
Sometimes we rattle off that phrase, but as Christians we are all a child of God. We’re not a mature man or woman of God – we’re children of God. When Jesus was with His disciples, it was a voyage of discovery to realise exactly who Jesus was and His nature on the inside. His reaction to circumstances was often completely the opposite to their reaction. They tried to get it right, but they didn’t because inside they were as they were born – contrary to the things of God.
In Galatians, Paul was writing after Jesus had died, and risen and the Holy Spirit had been given. So he talks in terms of faith coming to a person. After that, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. We are all children of faith.
Galatians 3:27-28
The common denominator is that we are children of God. It isn’t that I’m a man, that my wife’s a woman, not that I’m free or in bondage, not that I’m a Greek or a Jew. All that is washed away. You are all one as children of God in Christ Jesus.
Brilliant! Because each person as an individual given life by God is able to completely trust our heavenly father, to have His life living through us. And as we go forward in life, we have to maintain that knowledge that we are a child.
I want to look at three times when the disciples were with Jesus, and He zeroed in on their heart condition. It’s all to do with you and me as a Christian being a child of God. To be a child isn’t complicated. I don’t have to work everything out. If I think of a youngster aged two, enjoying life to the full, everything is a discovery. Is that child worried about the things that I’m concerned to provide for them? No. Their existence is complete and utter trust. They wouldn’t term it trust. They just live and enjoy life to the full in complete trust. There’s no worry with a youngster where the next bit of food is going to come from, whether there will be a bed to sleep in. There’s no worry in a youngster at all.
So when I say that you are a child of God and I am a child of God, and we are all one in Christ, it’s important we keep that attitude in mind. Yes, difficult questions can be thrown at someone, to try and destabilise them in their faith. We don’t reject intellect. But I want to look at the fact that we as a Christian are a child of God. So when I think about this coming week, are two-year-olds worried about Thursday, about that meeting on Friday, that bill that’s due on Saturday? No – they’re just enjoying life to the full, getting on with life. Life is a voyage of discovery. And it hit the disciples big time when Jesus focused in on this.
Jesus had just been talking about Himself, and the disciples were concerned as to which of them would lead the pack.
Luke 9:46-48
Mark 9:33-34
Jesus knew what they had been talking about. But none of them would admit to it.
Mark 9:35-37
Jesus knew what they had been talking about – who had the rightful claim to be number one, dog-eat-dog. And it was as foreign to Jesus as the east is from the west.
When Jesus picked up the child, He said :-
Mark 9:37
To be child-like is not something to be sneered at, disciples. What you need to be, what you will be, the spirit you will exhibit, is this. You won’t desire to be first. But inside you will be that spirit which wants to be the servant of everyone. That’s the greatest.
So this extends practically into what happens if I learn some information about someone – “How can I help that person? I can pray for that person even if I can’t get near them to speak to them.” It’s not a waste of time – I can get in line with what God wants for that person. “Lord, bless them. Cause them to learn what you want them to learn at this time. Reveal Yourself to them.” That’s the spirit of Christ.
Jesus was identifying Himself with the child. In Philippians, Paul says He made Himself of no reputation. To him, Jesus’ thoughts were always for someone else, never for Himself. The only time He thought about Himself was to ensure He was fulfilling Father’s will.
Was Jesus fun to be with? You bet! He was good to be around. Did He enjoy life to the full? Yes. During the three years they were together, it was a reorientation of thinking.
As He sat there with a child in His arms they felt very small. He wasn’t trying to score points off them. But He was trying – and succeeding – to convey to them the nature of the kingdom of God.
Matthew 18:1-6
Except ye be converted and come as little children, you shall not come into the Kingdom of heaven. This is back a step. We’ve been saying that as a child of God, you can have complete trust in Him. It’s not complicated – so much so that coming into the kingdom of heaven, we have to come as children. There’s something about the nature of a little child, the understanding of a child, the way a child relates to the parent. I don’t have a list of forty questions that I need to have answered to the nth degree before I become a Christian. At some stage will come the realisation that it comes down to a simple faith. We don’t dispel questions. But except ye become as a little child, ye shall not come into the kingdom of heaven.
“Offend one of these little ones” I don’t think this refers just to children, but also to those who have a childlike quality of faith. Do you have that quality? Very simple – in the world’s eyes, simplistic. In God’s eyes, I’m a child of God.
1 John 4:4
As a little child, greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world. It doesn’t matter what the enemy might throw at me. Greater is He that is in me. How big is your problem, that circumstance you can’t get your head round to work out the solution? Well if you come as a little child to God, He has the solution. It’s not a worry to Him, something He has to work out. It’s not impossible. Your future is in His hands. He loves you.
The enemy makes things complicated, so that cause and effect comes into our lives, bringing law back in again, so that we have to do things in a certain way before God will save us. No – that’s not God. The grace of God is sufficient for you and me. Greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world.
Except ye be converted and come as little children, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven ...
Is a two-year-old self-reliant? No – he’s reliant on his parents. Is He self-sufficient, able to sort everything out? Not at all. A child has complete trust. He has complete peace. There’s no worry about the future. He has complete awareness of having no anxiety, no worries, nothing to worry about.
2 Corinthians 5:17
It’s as if you have been born again. In Christ you are a child of God, all things become new. Life is a constant voyage of discover, because He knows what He’s doing. And the spirit of life working within you will enable to you share your faith with others who are in desperate need.
There’s an answer in Christ that only He can give.
The discovery which is going on as regards parliamentary expenses – it’s just another expression of man’s nature without God.
You and I are children of God.
If you’re not a Christian, that’s what God wants to do for you – to make you become something which is different on the inside. It’s the failure to fulfil His law, that paralysis inside which frustrates you. You know what you ought to do, but you can’t. God in Christ broke all the habits of sin. He took into Himself the power of sin. He took the power which causes us to do the wrong thing.
In Christ, we are a new creation and we are children of God.
I’m a child of God. He’s my Provider in every way – physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, every way. He’s my Provider.
Showing posts with label children. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children. Show all posts
Sunday, 10 May 2009
Sunday, 1 March 2009
Nehemiah (Part 9 of 9) - Keep Things in Order
In the final chapters of Nehemiah, we see Nehemiah’s determination that the achievements of the people should not be wasted. We need that same determination. We need to stand for what God wants in our lives and families.
Ezra / Nehemiah really is one book. Often is was bound as such. The two men were both involved with what was going on in rebuilding the walls and the gates of Jerusalem.
I’ll look at something relevant to us in our situation in what we do as a Christian, or as a Christian parent. There were three returns from the Babylonian captivity. The first was under Zerubbabel when 50,000 returned and the Temple was rebuilt. Eighty years later, Ezra came back with about 1,800 people, and he was involved in reforms of the people, one of which we’ll look at today. And then fourteen years later, Nehemiah came, inspired by God, and as you know, he rebuilt the walls and the gates of Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 8:1
We saw that Ezra read out the law. He was on a platform – everyone could see him, and everyone realised the significance that now the walls and gates had been rebuilt, the law of God would become central once again.
Nehemiah 8:10
This is a phrase you may know.
We saw how Jesus talked to the disciples about fulfilling joy was an encouragement or command – “Ask and you shall receive and your joy will be full.”
I mentioned that perhaps there are things you’ve been asking about over the last weeks and months. God has heard your prayer. Ask, and you shall receive that your joy may be full.
We saw in James that joy can result from our reaction to experiences and pressures in our lives, to circumstances where things seem to be going against – or indeed are going against. That circumstance, that pressure can result in patience – let patience have her perfect work; count it all joy when you meet pressures – not in a masochistic way, but the in the fact that God will provide the solution.
In the following chapters there are various lists, and the people listened to the law …
Nehemiah 10:28-29
There was an oath. At the end of this chapter they sealed their names to the oath – an oath which involved keeping the law of God; not marrying outside; not mixing the marriages; keeping things right; keeping the Sabbath, the holy day; not forsaking the house of our God; keeping to the rules of the Temple; and making sure the Levites were catered for.
In chapter 11 there is a list of those who sealed their names.
Nehemiah 12:27-35
Nehemiah was organising two companies to walk round the walls and then they came into the city and gathered in front of the Temple. There was a rejoicing going on. The work had been completed.
Asaph appears in the Psalms. He wrote ten of them, and this Asaph was his son. Everyone was involved.
Nehemiah 12:36-38
One company was led round by Nehemiah, and the other by Ezra. They came together. Ezra’s name meant help. Nehemiah’s was comfort, emboldening, with strength. They were a good team. Ezra was very conscious of the law and laid it on the line for all of the people., Nehemiah was very practical – good project leader. Now the people are rejoicing with the two companies going round to meet each other.
Nehemiah 12:40-43
In vv 44-47, he speaks of the singers and porters and the maintenance of the right structure for the Temple.
Nehemiah 13:1-3
We have the situation where the work is finished, the rejoicing has happened. The law has been distinctly read. There were thirteen people alongside Ezra who explained the law to the people so they understood it and knew what they had to do.
There was an instant outworking – they were to separate themselves from the Ammonite and the Moabite.
Then Nehehmiah went back to the king Artaxerxes and reported what had happened in Jerusalem. Some time elapsed before he returned to the city to see how things were getting on. Unfortunately, despite the sealing of the oath, despite the reading of the law, things had drifted. All that work had been done to rebuild the walls and gates, and now he returns.
Nehemiah 13:4-5
Eliashib was a priest. He was in charge of the rooms of the Temple. When Nehemiah was away, Eliashib had allowed Tobiah to move in. You may recall Tobiah :-
Nehemiah 4:3
Totally opposite to what Nehemiah was about. We see him again:-
Nehemiah 6:19
This is the person who had been mocking, sending the letters, and now Eliashib had let out a room to Tobiah in the Temple. There was some mixing going on. Incredible!
Nehemiah 13:4-6
This happened while he was away. Now he comes to Jerusalem, and learns of the evil Eliashib had done.
Nehemiah 13:7-9
He couldn’t believe it. Tobiah had been invited in. His household stuff was in the room in the Temple of God, and he was totally contrary to what they were about.
John 2:13-17
Sounds familiar! There was something where there as a mixture going on, even in the use of the Temple. In John, Jesus cleared them out. This isn’t what the Temple is for. You can’t use church as a cover for malpractice, for hidden works of darkness. You can’t use church as a cover for business. And when Tobiah was in the room, Nehemiah was incredulous. How on earth could you have allowed him into this place? And when the disciples witnessed Jesus cleansing the Temple, there was a zeal, fixed, certain, direct – this Temple is not for that purpose.
I know God is faithful – particularly in cleansing and protecting His people. And also He is more than keen for us to treat the Word of God and the things of God seriously.
There’s something about respect for what we come in here to do and to be.
Tobiah’s stuff was just thrown out. And God in His faithfulness will sort things out and bring to light where things need to be brought to light, and there’s a safety, a knowledge that it’s His church and He is sorting things out in His way. But He used Nehemiah in this way.
Nehemiah 13:9-14
What was meant to have happened was that there was as structure and the gifts and tithes were given in, and the Levites, as full-time workers, were to be fed using the money. But people had stopped giving. The result was that the Levites were out working in the fields. As far as Nehemiah was concerned, this flew in the face of all the oaths taken by the people.
First he had come across Tobiah in the Temple. He sorted that out. Now he comes across the fact that the Levites were out working in the fields. So there was a reform – instant reform – which had to happen. There was a structure, a way of life in terms of giving and what should be happening.
In this financial situation we face as a nation, as a world; and in your financial situation, keep your priorities right. Keep the structure right which God has laid down.
After each reform, Nehemiah, said, “Remember me God.” That was the structure he was in.
Nehemiah 13:15-22
Sabbath-keeping. Even people from Tyre brought mouldy fish and were selling it at the gates. There was trade, laxity, drift. They knew the law, what they had signed up to.
This is an old covenant. It refers to the Jewish people. How does it relate to us and our Sunday? What’s your attitude to coming to church on a Sunday? You get to work on time. Sunday? I’ve tried to keep it – this might sound pedantic – I’ve tried to keep it that we start at 10 o’clock. Otherwise people wouldn’t know when things would start. Some of you live within 500 yards of here.
There’s a seriousness about this whole rebuilding of the walls and gates which as far as God was concerned, there was something which then needed tightening up. Not in an overbearing sense, not in the sense of the “thou shalt” with God trying to do someone in. But there’s a way of doing things. There’s a way of having respect for the things of God.
Nehemiah was very practical – he shut the gates so as to stop people going in and out.
Nehemiah 13:23-25
This was tricky. They had been in captivity in Babylon and had got to know the ways of the people there. The law had been submerged to some extent. But now in the reforms of Nehemiah and Ezra, they were dealing with intermarriage of the Jews with the tribes of the land. The parallel for us is … if you’re a parent and your children … if there is the situation where there is something developing where your offspring as a Christian is planning to link up with someone who isn’t a Christian, that won’t work. It won’t. You say, “God is over all. He is love. He’ll sort things out.” There’s a situation where things are clear cut. This is one of them. I’m not trying to dredge the Old Covenant into the New. Light and darkness won’t dwell together. That’s from the New. Be not unequally yoked. That’s from the New – quoted in the New. In a liberalised sense, the walls had been built, and the gates. Tobiah had been sorted out. But there was a drift, and in their liberalised way, it was as though they felt it didn’t really matter.
Probably Nehemiah was talking to children just outside the city, and they were only half Jewish. They couldn’t speak in the language of the Jews, but according to the language of each people. The children were in the world and yet the children were in the church. Specifically he refers to not marrying the outside tribes. If you have offspring who are thinking of getting married, the key question is, will that partner for life be … or is that perspective for life … a Christian? Yes, or no? You may ask who you are to judge. You can’t mess about when it comes to this significant event in a person’s life. And the mixing of marriages was a problem. There were specific rules in the law about the children of mixed marriages. They were to be readmitted after the tenth generation – or in certain cases, after three generations. We’re not into that. What we are into is being aware of what God requires, of what He, in His wisdom and mercy, recommends. Why does He recommend that when it comes to marriage? Because you can’t share your life with someone who does not believe what you believe. You can’t. You can’t manage your money if the one you’re marrying is not involved in the church, doesn’t consider the things of God. So I’m talking particularly about anyone who is thinking of getting married, or any parent whose children are thinking of getting married. You can’t mix it up. You can’t. And as surely as night follows day, the result of that linking up will be a life of compromise. As far as Nehemiah was concerned, there were those who had married wives outside of Israel and it grieved him. What got to him more was what he was with the children – unable to speak in the language of the Jews.
Let’s think about your children. What does this mean where you are half speaking a Jewish language and half the language of a foreign tribe? I think it means that when it comes to our children, it is totally necessary for us to oversee everything. I mean in our homes. It may sound obvious to you. But it really struck me how Nehemiah was struck by this. Where do you draw the line when it comes to the media, to owning the latest phone, when there is such intense pressure to keep up with the latest this and that. I’ll tell you. You draw the line as a Christian, and that line will not budge. I’m not going to try and put that line into hundreds of different circumstances of life. I’m talking about the principle. You can’t mix things up. Probably Nehemiah couldn’t believe it – here were children unable to speak in the language of the Jews. It was half and half. And with your children at home, which is your main area of influence, is it a worldly or a Christian home? Are the pervasive influences from the world, or are they as a Christian home? I know it’s more difficult now to keep track of things – the opportunities to find out about things are more readily available via the internet and so on. Should a young child be able to access the internet from their own bedroom? Should I need to ask that question? It’s not as if there’s a sort of ... “OK if the computer is in the bedroom, I’ll be ok, because I can trust that child.” There are things coming through that computer which are trying to get hold of your child.
Nehemiah 13:23-25
Nehemiah 13:26
That’s quite a sobering passage to refer back to.
1 Kings 11:1-8
That had a direct impact on Rehoboam, Solomon’s son. You can’t muck about, Solomon. At the end of his life, this occurred. Why did Nehemiah quote that? It says that no matter how old we are, we need to be vigilant. No matter how old we are, there are principles we have to adhere to. We need to be open with our God. We need fellowship with God. We need to be reading His word, meeting with other Christians, praying. We need fellowship right the way until He calls us and we see Him face to face. You can’t build up a track record of Christianity and then live on the interest from what you have built up. Day by day until we no longer draw breath, until we are called to glory. No let up.
Is that a gruelling, dismal life? Absolutely not. It’s a wonderful life. But don’t take your foot off the brake or accelerator (!). If you’re driving a car, and that’s your life, you have to keep your eyes open, know where you are going, have petrol in the tank. But if you think that the journey you did yesterday is sufficient to get you through today, you’re going nowhere.
God brought to Nehemiah’s attention various aspects of the way the people were living. He had only been away a short time.
Nehemiah 13:26
Nehemiah 13:27-28
Eliashib had a real problem. He had let Tobiah into the Temple. And his grandson was son-in-law Sanballat, who was the other person who had caused trouble to Nehemiah. Enough was enough.
“But we’re meant to love everyone aren’t we.” We’re a Christian, and the love of God in our hearts reaches out to those in need of Him. I want people to move from darkness to light. But there are ways of living, where the liberalisation of our thinking, where opting out of the rat race results in drift. Little by little, an explanation is made for that, for that. “Ah but you have to remember …” “Ah but look at him – see what he did …” There’s a plethora, a whole load of explanations.
It’s interesting that when Nehemiah got going he said,
Nehemiah 13:25
Compare this with :-
Ezra 9:1-4
They were different. When Nehemiah got upset, he plucked the hair of other people. When Ezra got upset he plucked his own hair! The common denominator between the two was – “What are you playing at? Come on – there’s a way of life you have to live as a Christian.”
The good news is that God knows our hearts, and knows and will honour someone as a parent who wants to get it right for their children. He will honour that. He will protect them. I know some people who, through financial difficulties are having to sort things out for their children away from our school. Let me just confirm to you that the door is open to come back as soon as you like. The bursary scheme is there so we can help in some way. Is the school going to close because of people withdrawing children? Absolutely not. It’s not bravado. God gave us the school. And I anticipate a year from now handing out more certificates to the children.
God knows your heart. He knows the situation with your children, and the situation of your children in your home. And it’s that which I’m zeroing in on. What are you communicating with your children at home? Because what we don’t want is a half way position.
Romans 12:2
Each of you, going forward, myself included, we are to prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. How? By not being conformed to this world. Transformed, by the renewing of our mind.
So it doesn’t matter what the external pressures are in my home, it doesn’t matter what the media would promote, what the internet would beckon with. There is a line drawn and I will not budge from that as a parent.
Romans 12:2
I read on Friday the verses where it talks about the New Jerusalem, the church. No need to repair gates or walls there. He is fashioning His church by the washing of water by the word. He is sorting things out. He is bringing people into that wonderful relationship with God, away from the dark paths of sin, away from living a wrong way to living a right way, to having God by His Holy Spirit inside. And there will be more that will come to His church.
Is this the only church? Not at all. We’re a part of His church worldwide. Transformed by the renewing of your mind, the cleansing, washing of His word.
Overall, the Book of Nehemiah is one of triumph. But it underlines in the last chapter, how significant it is for you and me to live right. Don’t respond to that by saying you can’t live right. You can. I’m not trying to force the idea on you. It is God within you which causes you to live of His good pleasure. He is preparing good things for you to walk into. It’s His strength. The joy of the Lord is your strength. That joy for Jesus was the church. Because of that He gave His life for you and me. Are we partakers of that joy here this morning? Yes we are. Is there a way forward for you in the pressures of our life at the moment? Of course!
Nehemiah 13:29-31
Ezra / Nehemiah really is one book. Often is was bound as such. The two men were both involved with what was going on in rebuilding the walls and the gates of Jerusalem.
I’ll look at something relevant to us in our situation in what we do as a Christian, or as a Christian parent. There were three returns from the Babylonian captivity. The first was under Zerubbabel when 50,000 returned and the Temple was rebuilt. Eighty years later, Ezra came back with about 1,800 people, and he was involved in reforms of the people, one of which we’ll look at today. And then fourteen years later, Nehemiah came, inspired by God, and as you know, he rebuilt the walls and the gates of Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 8:1
We saw that Ezra read out the law. He was on a platform – everyone could see him, and everyone realised the significance that now the walls and gates had been rebuilt, the law of God would become central once again.
Nehemiah 8:10
This is a phrase you may know.
We saw how Jesus talked to the disciples about fulfilling joy was an encouragement or command – “Ask and you shall receive and your joy will be full.”
I mentioned that perhaps there are things you’ve been asking about over the last weeks and months. God has heard your prayer. Ask, and you shall receive that your joy may be full.
We saw in James that joy can result from our reaction to experiences and pressures in our lives, to circumstances where things seem to be going against – or indeed are going against. That circumstance, that pressure can result in patience – let patience have her perfect work; count it all joy when you meet pressures – not in a masochistic way, but the in the fact that God will provide the solution.
In the following chapters there are various lists, and the people listened to the law …
Nehemiah 10:28-29
There was an oath. At the end of this chapter they sealed their names to the oath – an oath which involved keeping the law of God; not marrying outside; not mixing the marriages; keeping things right; keeping the Sabbath, the holy day; not forsaking the house of our God; keeping to the rules of the Temple; and making sure the Levites were catered for.
In chapter 11 there is a list of those who sealed their names.
Nehemiah 12:27-35
Nehemiah was organising two companies to walk round the walls and then they came into the city and gathered in front of the Temple. There was a rejoicing going on. The work had been completed.
Asaph appears in the Psalms. He wrote ten of them, and this Asaph was his son. Everyone was involved.
Nehemiah 12:36-38
One company was led round by Nehemiah, and the other by Ezra. They came together. Ezra’s name meant help. Nehemiah’s was comfort, emboldening, with strength. They were a good team. Ezra was very conscious of the law and laid it on the line for all of the people., Nehemiah was very practical – good project leader. Now the people are rejoicing with the two companies going round to meet each other.
Nehemiah 12:40-43
In vv 44-47, he speaks of the singers and porters and the maintenance of the right structure for the Temple.
Nehemiah 13:1-3
We have the situation where the work is finished, the rejoicing has happened. The law has been distinctly read. There were thirteen people alongside Ezra who explained the law to the people so they understood it and knew what they had to do.
There was an instant outworking – they were to separate themselves from the Ammonite and the Moabite.
Then Nehehmiah went back to the king Artaxerxes and reported what had happened in Jerusalem. Some time elapsed before he returned to the city to see how things were getting on. Unfortunately, despite the sealing of the oath, despite the reading of the law, things had drifted. All that work had been done to rebuild the walls and gates, and now he returns.
Nehemiah 13:4-5
Eliashib was a priest. He was in charge of the rooms of the Temple. When Nehemiah was away, Eliashib had allowed Tobiah to move in. You may recall Tobiah :-
Nehemiah 4:3
Totally opposite to what Nehemiah was about. We see him again:-
Nehemiah 6:19
This is the person who had been mocking, sending the letters, and now Eliashib had let out a room to Tobiah in the Temple. There was some mixing going on. Incredible!
Nehemiah 13:4-6
This happened while he was away. Now he comes to Jerusalem, and learns of the evil Eliashib had done.
Nehemiah 13:7-9
He couldn’t believe it. Tobiah had been invited in. His household stuff was in the room in the Temple of God, and he was totally contrary to what they were about.
John 2:13-17
Sounds familiar! There was something where there as a mixture going on, even in the use of the Temple. In John, Jesus cleared them out. This isn’t what the Temple is for. You can’t use church as a cover for malpractice, for hidden works of darkness. You can’t use church as a cover for business. And when Tobiah was in the room, Nehemiah was incredulous. How on earth could you have allowed him into this place? And when the disciples witnessed Jesus cleansing the Temple, there was a zeal, fixed, certain, direct – this Temple is not for that purpose.
I know God is faithful – particularly in cleansing and protecting His people. And also He is more than keen for us to treat the Word of God and the things of God seriously.
There’s something about respect for what we come in here to do and to be.
Tobiah’s stuff was just thrown out. And God in His faithfulness will sort things out and bring to light where things need to be brought to light, and there’s a safety, a knowledge that it’s His church and He is sorting things out in His way. But He used Nehemiah in this way.
Nehemiah 13:9-14
What was meant to have happened was that there was as structure and the gifts and tithes were given in, and the Levites, as full-time workers, were to be fed using the money. But people had stopped giving. The result was that the Levites were out working in the fields. As far as Nehemiah was concerned, this flew in the face of all the oaths taken by the people.
First he had come across Tobiah in the Temple. He sorted that out. Now he comes across the fact that the Levites were out working in the fields. So there was a reform – instant reform – which had to happen. There was a structure, a way of life in terms of giving and what should be happening.
In this financial situation we face as a nation, as a world; and in your financial situation, keep your priorities right. Keep the structure right which God has laid down.
After each reform, Nehemiah, said, “Remember me God.” That was the structure he was in.
Nehemiah 13:15-22
Sabbath-keeping. Even people from Tyre brought mouldy fish and were selling it at the gates. There was trade, laxity, drift. They knew the law, what they had signed up to.
This is an old covenant. It refers to the Jewish people. How does it relate to us and our Sunday? What’s your attitude to coming to church on a Sunday? You get to work on time. Sunday? I’ve tried to keep it – this might sound pedantic – I’ve tried to keep it that we start at 10 o’clock. Otherwise people wouldn’t know when things would start. Some of you live within 500 yards of here.
There’s a seriousness about this whole rebuilding of the walls and gates which as far as God was concerned, there was something which then needed tightening up. Not in an overbearing sense, not in the sense of the “thou shalt” with God trying to do someone in. But there’s a way of doing things. There’s a way of having respect for the things of God.
Nehemiah was very practical – he shut the gates so as to stop people going in and out.
Nehemiah 13:23-25
This was tricky. They had been in captivity in Babylon and had got to know the ways of the people there. The law had been submerged to some extent. But now in the reforms of Nehemiah and Ezra, they were dealing with intermarriage of the Jews with the tribes of the land. The parallel for us is … if you’re a parent and your children … if there is the situation where there is something developing where your offspring as a Christian is planning to link up with someone who isn’t a Christian, that won’t work. It won’t. You say, “God is over all. He is love. He’ll sort things out.” There’s a situation where things are clear cut. This is one of them. I’m not trying to dredge the Old Covenant into the New. Light and darkness won’t dwell together. That’s from the New. Be not unequally yoked. That’s from the New – quoted in the New. In a liberalised sense, the walls had been built, and the gates. Tobiah had been sorted out. But there was a drift, and in their liberalised way, it was as though they felt it didn’t really matter.
Probably Nehemiah was talking to children just outside the city, and they were only half Jewish. They couldn’t speak in the language of the Jews, but according to the language of each people. The children were in the world and yet the children were in the church. Specifically he refers to not marrying the outside tribes. If you have offspring who are thinking of getting married, the key question is, will that partner for life be … or is that perspective for life … a Christian? Yes, or no? You may ask who you are to judge. You can’t mess about when it comes to this significant event in a person’s life. And the mixing of marriages was a problem. There were specific rules in the law about the children of mixed marriages. They were to be readmitted after the tenth generation – or in certain cases, after three generations. We’re not into that. What we are into is being aware of what God requires, of what He, in His wisdom and mercy, recommends. Why does He recommend that when it comes to marriage? Because you can’t share your life with someone who does not believe what you believe. You can’t. You can’t manage your money if the one you’re marrying is not involved in the church, doesn’t consider the things of God. So I’m talking particularly about anyone who is thinking of getting married, or any parent whose children are thinking of getting married. You can’t mix it up. You can’t. And as surely as night follows day, the result of that linking up will be a life of compromise. As far as Nehemiah was concerned, there were those who had married wives outside of Israel and it grieved him. What got to him more was what he was with the children – unable to speak in the language of the Jews.
Let’s think about your children. What does this mean where you are half speaking a Jewish language and half the language of a foreign tribe? I think it means that when it comes to our children, it is totally necessary for us to oversee everything. I mean in our homes. It may sound obvious to you. But it really struck me how Nehemiah was struck by this. Where do you draw the line when it comes to the media, to owning the latest phone, when there is such intense pressure to keep up with the latest this and that. I’ll tell you. You draw the line as a Christian, and that line will not budge. I’m not going to try and put that line into hundreds of different circumstances of life. I’m talking about the principle. You can’t mix things up. Probably Nehemiah couldn’t believe it – here were children unable to speak in the language of the Jews. It was half and half. And with your children at home, which is your main area of influence, is it a worldly or a Christian home? Are the pervasive influences from the world, or are they as a Christian home? I know it’s more difficult now to keep track of things – the opportunities to find out about things are more readily available via the internet and so on. Should a young child be able to access the internet from their own bedroom? Should I need to ask that question? It’s not as if there’s a sort of ... “OK if the computer is in the bedroom, I’ll be ok, because I can trust that child.” There are things coming through that computer which are trying to get hold of your child.
Nehemiah 13:23-25
Nehemiah 13:26
That’s quite a sobering passage to refer back to.
1 Kings 11:1-8
That had a direct impact on Rehoboam, Solomon’s son. You can’t muck about, Solomon. At the end of his life, this occurred. Why did Nehemiah quote that? It says that no matter how old we are, we need to be vigilant. No matter how old we are, there are principles we have to adhere to. We need to be open with our God. We need fellowship with God. We need to be reading His word, meeting with other Christians, praying. We need fellowship right the way until He calls us and we see Him face to face. You can’t build up a track record of Christianity and then live on the interest from what you have built up. Day by day until we no longer draw breath, until we are called to glory. No let up.
Is that a gruelling, dismal life? Absolutely not. It’s a wonderful life. But don’t take your foot off the brake or accelerator (!). If you’re driving a car, and that’s your life, you have to keep your eyes open, know where you are going, have petrol in the tank. But if you think that the journey you did yesterday is sufficient to get you through today, you’re going nowhere.
God brought to Nehemiah’s attention various aspects of the way the people were living. He had only been away a short time.
Nehemiah 13:26
Nehemiah 13:27-28
Eliashib had a real problem. He had let Tobiah into the Temple. And his grandson was son-in-law Sanballat, who was the other person who had caused trouble to Nehemiah. Enough was enough.
“But we’re meant to love everyone aren’t we.” We’re a Christian, and the love of God in our hearts reaches out to those in need of Him. I want people to move from darkness to light. But there are ways of living, where the liberalisation of our thinking, where opting out of the rat race results in drift. Little by little, an explanation is made for that, for that. “Ah but you have to remember …” “Ah but look at him – see what he did …” There’s a plethora, a whole load of explanations.
It’s interesting that when Nehemiah got going he said,
Nehemiah 13:25
Compare this with :-
Ezra 9:1-4
They were different. When Nehemiah got upset, he plucked the hair of other people. When Ezra got upset he plucked his own hair! The common denominator between the two was – “What are you playing at? Come on – there’s a way of life you have to live as a Christian.”
The good news is that God knows our hearts, and knows and will honour someone as a parent who wants to get it right for their children. He will honour that. He will protect them. I know some people who, through financial difficulties are having to sort things out for their children away from our school. Let me just confirm to you that the door is open to come back as soon as you like. The bursary scheme is there so we can help in some way. Is the school going to close because of people withdrawing children? Absolutely not. It’s not bravado. God gave us the school. And I anticipate a year from now handing out more certificates to the children.
God knows your heart. He knows the situation with your children, and the situation of your children in your home. And it’s that which I’m zeroing in on. What are you communicating with your children at home? Because what we don’t want is a half way position.
Romans 12:2
Each of you, going forward, myself included, we are to prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. How? By not being conformed to this world. Transformed, by the renewing of our mind.
So it doesn’t matter what the external pressures are in my home, it doesn’t matter what the media would promote, what the internet would beckon with. There is a line drawn and I will not budge from that as a parent.
Romans 12:2
I read on Friday the verses where it talks about the New Jerusalem, the church. No need to repair gates or walls there. He is fashioning His church by the washing of water by the word. He is sorting things out. He is bringing people into that wonderful relationship with God, away from the dark paths of sin, away from living a wrong way to living a right way, to having God by His Holy Spirit inside. And there will be more that will come to His church.
Is this the only church? Not at all. We’re a part of His church worldwide. Transformed by the renewing of your mind, the cleansing, washing of His word.
Overall, the Book of Nehemiah is one of triumph. But it underlines in the last chapter, how significant it is for you and me to live right. Don’t respond to that by saying you can’t live right. You can. I’m not trying to force the idea on you. It is God within you which causes you to live of His good pleasure. He is preparing good things for you to walk into. It’s His strength. The joy of the Lord is your strength. That joy for Jesus was the church. Because of that He gave His life for you and me. Are we partakers of that joy here this morning? Yes we are. Is there a way forward for you in the pressures of our life at the moment? Of course!
Nehemiah 13:29-31
Sunday, 28 December 2008
Walk as Children of the Light
For 400 years leading up to the birth of Jesus, there had been no prophet to bring the Word of God to Israel. The silence was finally broken when the Angel Gabriel came to Zacharias to tell him that his prayer for a child had been heard (Luke 1:13):-
But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. / And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. / For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. / And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. / And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
Later Zacharias was to prophesy over the child (Luke 1:68) :-
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, / And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; / As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: / That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; / To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; / The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, / That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, / In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. / And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; / To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, / Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, / To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Sometimes we find ourselves in dark circumstances, unsure of the way forward. But as we see here, God can bring about a complete and utter change – just as at the very beginning of creation, He spoke light out of darkness.
In the passage above, Zacharias referred to scriptures written 700 years before in the time of Isaiah and King Ahaz. Israel and Judah had split, Ahaz was going contrary to God, and there was no hope in the land. Against this background of darkness, Isaiah prophesied both of the evil which was to come, and of the hope which found its realisation in Jesus (Is 8:21 22, 9:2) :-
And … it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward. And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness … The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
When Zacharias spoke, he knew he was heralding a transformation – no hope to hope, darkness to light.
The passage from Isaiah continues: For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. / Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
The child Jesus Christ is the one who became a light to the Gentiles, who brought light in the midst of darkness, as Paul reminds us in Corinthians (2 Cor 4:6) :-
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
The same God who commanded light out of darkness, who made something out of nothing … that same God came through the one heralded by John the Baptist. He came as a light to lighten the Gentiles and has come into your life and taken what was decay and total darkness, has drawn you with His chords of love, and has caused you to come to His glorious light.
So what does all this mean for us? You may be in circumstances where there is darkness and you feel uncertain of the way forward. But the God who brought light out of darkness can change everything. As we go into a new year, lay aside the analysis which you have played over and over in your mind, and be like Zacharias, proclaiming Jesus Christ, Lord and Saviour, the light who dispels darkness.
Ephesians 5:8,10 says :-
For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: / Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
As we stand at the threshold of a new year, I invite you to join me. Together in 2009 let us walk as children of the light.
But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. / And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. / For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. / And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. / And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
Later Zacharias was to prophesy over the child (Luke 1:68) :-
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, / And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; / As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: / That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; / To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; / The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, / That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, / In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. / And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; / To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, / Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, / To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Sometimes we find ourselves in dark circumstances, unsure of the way forward. But as we see here, God can bring about a complete and utter change – just as at the very beginning of creation, He spoke light out of darkness.
In the passage above, Zacharias referred to scriptures written 700 years before in the time of Isaiah and King Ahaz. Israel and Judah had split, Ahaz was going contrary to God, and there was no hope in the land. Against this background of darkness, Isaiah prophesied both of the evil which was to come, and of the hope which found its realisation in Jesus (Is 8:21 22, 9:2) :-
And … it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward. And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness … The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
When Zacharias spoke, he knew he was heralding a transformation – no hope to hope, darkness to light.
The passage from Isaiah continues: For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. / Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
The child Jesus Christ is the one who became a light to the Gentiles, who brought light in the midst of darkness, as Paul reminds us in Corinthians (2 Cor 4:6) :-
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
The same God who commanded light out of darkness, who made something out of nothing … that same God came through the one heralded by John the Baptist. He came as a light to lighten the Gentiles and has come into your life and taken what was decay and total darkness, has drawn you with His chords of love, and has caused you to come to His glorious light.
So what does all this mean for us? You may be in circumstances where there is darkness and you feel uncertain of the way forward. But the God who brought light out of darkness can change everything. As we go into a new year, lay aside the analysis which you have played over and over in your mind, and be like Zacharias, proclaiming Jesus Christ, Lord and Saviour, the light who dispels darkness.
Ephesians 5:8,10 says :-
For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: / Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
As we stand at the threshold of a new year, I invite you to join me. Together in 2009 let us walk as children of the light.
Tuesday, 25 November 2008
Prayer (Part 2 of 3)
One thing from last week. Somehow Almighty God causes us to be co-workers with Him. Everything is prompted by Him – we are prompted to pray in a certain way for a certain person, and Father’s name is glorified.
Matthew 6:5
A clear castigation of those who pray to be seen to be praying. Forget it.
Matthew 6:6-9
We’re not to go on and on for half an hour in the belief that that will cause God to answer. If I’m praying about something and really need an answer, there’s nothing wrong in praying more than once. But don’t simply watch the clock to chalk up brownie points.
God knows what we need, but through His grace and love and mercy He likes us to take part. He loves communication. It was His voice – the communicative ability of God with man – that walked in the garden.
Matthew 6:9-16
Luke 11:1-13
The key part is following on from the Lord’s prayer – “Ask and it shall be given to you. ”We do need to spend time in prayer. It’s not an option. It’s part of us being co-workers with God and it’s Him communicating with us. If your child never spoke to you, it would get to you. Here He is our Father. So, in Matthew and Luke, the whole accent is on the relationship. We saw the story of a man and his friend. I’ll help you – you’re my friend. And so with prayer, the communication is like father and son.
“Our Father”. Jesus always prayed to His father and referred to Him as such. Only once did He refer to Him as God :
Matthew 27:46
This is the only time Jesus is recorded as talking to God as God. Every other time, it was “My father”.
RT Kendal says, “That was the moment all our sins were transferred to Jesus and God turned His back on His one and only son. The sense of fellowship was momentarily forfeited. It was the worst part of His suffering. ”
Father is a term of intimacy . God has a special relationship with His children. He accepts us because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. An unbeliever can call God creator, judge, but he can’t call Him father. There is a special relationship, a father-son relationship, from which that intimacy flows.
Galatians 3:25-26
You’re a child of God by faith. So when you pray, as a child with a father, there is an intimacy, a link. When my children were younger, there was total trust – “What you say, dad, I’ll believe. ”No worries about provision – “I’m a member of a family and he’s my dad. ”
Romans 8:16-18
These verses underline the father/son relationship – children of God, birthed into Christ, relationship with the Father. So when the fatherhood was examined . . . I talked about George Muller last week, and thousands of children went through his orphanages, and it was a life of prayer. It was when he read Psalms 68:5.
Psalms 68:5
That he was inspired to take in orphans, and from then on it was a life of faith,
Muller: “By the help of God this shall be my argument before Him respecting the orphans in their hour of need. He is their father, and I have only to remind Him in order to have it supplied. By the grace of God this is no cause of anxiety to me. These children I have cast upon the Lord the whole work is His. I am able to roll the burden upon my heavenly father. ”
Our relationship is with God our heavenly father. We don’t cringe behind a door. That’s not a relationship of father son. Prayer is sharing with your father. You’re asking Him, talking to Him. Think of a child not talking to their father.
Ecclesiastes 5:3-4
You can be at peace in that father/son relationship. We’re His children, but there also needs to be a sense of reverence.
“Hallowed be thy name” – let His name be treated as holy, given the honour He deserves. When people use the word Jesus off-hand at work, with no relation to Him, when they use Christ as a swear word, it does affect you, I find.
Isaiah 42:8
John 5:43
There was something special about father’s name – hallowed be thy name.
This is God’s church. His name is to be revered here. He is in control of His church. If I were to put my name on this church, it would be contrary to what God is about. It’s His work.
“Thy kingdom come”
John 3:3
The Lord’s prayer is a template of the things which should be involved in prayer. We don’t have to use these precise words. The disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray.
Everything is god-ward. “Our Father, . . . hallowed be thy name . . . thy kingdom come. ”It’s good to think about Him and what He wants when I come to prayer.
So much of praying is man-centred. We don’t think of who God is.
James 4:3
Let’s think about what God is about. “Thy kingdom come. ”It’s not to do with me.
1 John 5:14
It’s good for us to be aware of who God is and what He wants. That’s key. So much is it key that the next petition is . . .
“Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. ”We want not just the kingdom to come, but also the will of the King to come about. We’re getting more specific. Prayer doesn’t change God’s will. It changes ours. As we get to know God and learn what He wants and are prompted by the Spirit, He brings our hearts and minds into alignment with what He wants. We can’t force God into a mould and tell Him what to do. Jesus prayed that the cup might pass from Him – yet not as I will, but as thou wilt.
There are two ways God reveals what He wants. He uses the Bible, and there is also the secret will personal to you, which He has planned for you.
Psalms 47:4
Ephesians 2:10
There’s a will of God unique to your life. Your pathway, each one of you, is different from everyone else’s. I want the King’s will in my life. I want His will, not mine. I don’t want sin or rebellion to be in the way. I want Him to be Lord of my life.
John 15:5-8
The key is His words abiding in you. We want everything of God to happen. You’re in alignment. God’s Holy Spirit prompts you to pray in a certain way, and you’re in alignment with God’s will and It’s His delight for you to be a co-worker and see your prayer answered. And the end result is glory to Him, wonderment, thanks for what He has done.
“Give us this day our daily bread”. Our needs – but this comes only after the first god-ward issues.
“And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. ”This isn’t a plea for salvation. When I come to pray I need to have got things sorted out. Just as you clear the decks before taking communion, so here. We’re saved by faith alone, but we need to keep short accounts with God and with other people.
Matthew 6:14-16
You need to keep the right perspective.
“And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. ”Most commentaries say this should really read “deliver us from the evil one”. God doesn’t tempt anyone . . .
James 1:13
It’s simply a prayer that we won’t get caught in the devil’s snare. But we have this promise :
James 4:7
RT Kendal: “The main thing we learn from the Lord’s Prayer is that we are primarily to seek God’s face, not His hand. Jesus wants for us to have fellowship with the Father. ”
The first part of the Lord’s prayer is God-directed. The second part is directed towards us and our needs. And then we return to God again.
Three guiding principles . . .
Hebrews 4:16
1 John 4:16
He’s our heavenly father, the God of love.
Phillipians 4:6
With thanksgiving. Try and get into the habit – and you can learn this – get into the habit of being thankful to God, no matter what you are praying about.
Mark 1:35
He prayed a great while before day. If we were to leave it at that . . . Aside from audience: “Count me out. ”
Matthew 14:23
Mark says before day. Matthew says it’s evening.
Luke 6:12
Jesus prayed before day, in the evening and all night. There is no set time to pray. The key point is to do it. Whatever is convenient is what’s right. It’s not more spiritual to pray in the morning, in the evening, all night. Whatever fits in best is what we should do. But we need to pray.
So much for the when.
John 11:41
John 17:1
Just talking about practicalities, Jesus prayed with His eyes open here. There is no set pattern. With eyes closed, there is less distraction. But it’s not wrong to pray with your eyes open. What matters is that you pray.
In what posture should you pray
Psalms 95:6
1 Kings 8:54
Kneeling. Then kneeling with hands spread to heaven.
Luke 22:39-42
Jesus knelt.
Acts 7:59-60
All examples of people kneeling. The Pharisees tended to stand.
Hebrews 1:3
Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:
We pray in Jesus’ name, through Him to Father. He is now sat down at the right hand of God. There is no hard and fast rule as to the posture for prayer. It would look odd on the Central Line in the rush hour if you knelt – although I’ve been on a Muslim airline where there is a prayer mat and the passengers knelt down.
It doesn’t matter when you pray, whether your eyes are open, your posture. The key point is to pray. Common sense says that if you kneel it makes you humbled. But we know that you can pray driving in the car. I used to love praying on the underground – I used to love the idea I could pray to God through the ground. You knew you were talking to God.
Just make sure that the posture is suitable for you to be able to pray. Getting on your knees doesn’t change you. If you’re knackered, getting on your knees won’t change that.
1 Peter 3:7
Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
Talking to husbands. Our relationship with our wives matters. It’s like keeping things right with those close to you. Don’t think you can pray in whatever posture without having things right with your wife. Your prayers will be hindered.
I think what God is doing in these studies is to cause each of us to increase in our relationship of faith in Jesus Christ, to grow and share that relationship with God. In time that will have a knock-on effect with us corporately. I don’t think we’ll end up having prayer meetings. But as we learn now to pray more individually, so if God wants us to pray specifically for something corporately, it will happen more easily.
Acts 12:1-5
James had just been killed. Peter had been caught. What would happen to him. there was instant and earnest prayer.
Acts 12:7-18
I don’t blame them for being astonished. What were they praying. Was it that he wouldn’t be killed. Probably. Could they have thought God could have got him out of the prison like that. Probably not. What an answer to prayer. Never rule out anything God can do in answer to your prayer. He will answer in the way He chooses.
I have no doubt there will come a time when we will do the same. Not for the same reason. But who knows What I do know is that that was a key part of the early church. I don’t think things were different then. But what an answer to prayer
I’ve spoken to a few people in the last few days who have quoted wonderful things to me – specific answers to prayer.
Five things that we as Christians have in Jesus Christ as far as prayer is concerned.
1. The Christian has the teaching of Christ.
2. The Christian the example of Christ.
3. The Christian has the blood of Christ – and there is a new and living way though what Jesus has done on the cross.
4. The Christian has the intercession of Christ. He ever liveth to make intercession for us.
5. The Christian has the name of Christ. The Christ one – the Christian. The name above every name. That at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow.
Isaiah there some magic in asking prayers in Jesus’ name No. But it’s as if all prayer is bound up in this relationship. We are co-workers together with Him. We haven’t uncovered some formula, to which we append the name of Jesus and things automatically work. We’re not talking about that. We’re talking about a relationship between father and son. The glory is to His name and we go forward from glory to glory. Very practical. Very real.
Matthew 6:5
A clear castigation of those who pray to be seen to be praying. Forget it.
Matthew 6:6-9
We’re not to go on and on for half an hour in the belief that that will cause God to answer. If I’m praying about something and really need an answer, there’s nothing wrong in praying more than once. But don’t simply watch the clock to chalk up brownie points.
God knows what we need, but through His grace and love and mercy He likes us to take part. He loves communication. It was His voice – the communicative ability of God with man – that walked in the garden.
Matthew 6:9-16
Luke 11:1-13
The key part is following on from the Lord’s prayer – “Ask and it shall be given to you. ”We do need to spend time in prayer. It’s not an option. It’s part of us being co-workers with God and it’s Him communicating with us. If your child never spoke to you, it would get to you. Here He is our Father. So, in Matthew and Luke, the whole accent is on the relationship. We saw the story of a man and his friend. I’ll help you – you’re my friend. And so with prayer, the communication is like father and son.
“Our Father”. Jesus always prayed to His father and referred to Him as such. Only once did He refer to Him as God :
Matthew 27:46
This is the only time Jesus is recorded as talking to God as God. Every other time, it was “My father”.
RT Kendal says, “That was the moment all our sins were transferred to Jesus and God turned His back on His one and only son. The sense of fellowship was momentarily forfeited. It was the worst part of His suffering. ”
Father is a term of intimacy . God has a special relationship with His children. He accepts us because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. An unbeliever can call God creator, judge, but he can’t call Him father. There is a special relationship, a father-son relationship, from which that intimacy flows.
Galatians 3:25-26
You’re a child of God by faith. So when you pray, as a child with a father, there is an intimacy, a link. When my children were younger, there was total trust – “What you say, dad, I’ll believe. ”No worries about provision – “I’m a member of a family and he’s my dad. ”
Romans 8:16-18
These verses underline the father/son relationship – children of God, birthed into Christ, relationship with the Father. So when the fatherhood was examined . . . I talked about George Muller last week, and thousands of children went through his orphanages, and it was a life of prayer. It was when he read Psalms 68:5.
Psalms 68:5
That he was inspired to take in orphans, and from then on it was a life of faith,
Muller: “By the help of God this shall be my argument before Him respecting the orphans in their hour of need. He is their father, and I have only to remind Him in order to have it supplied. By the grace of God this is no cause of anxiety to me. These children I have cast upon the Lord the whole work is His. I am able to roll the burden upon my heavenly father. ”
Our relationship is with God our heavenly father. We don’t cringe behind a door. That’s not a relationship of father son. Prayer is sharing with your father. You’re asking Him, talking to Him. Think of a child not talking to their father.
Ecclesiastes 5:3-4
You can be at peace in that father/son relationship. We’re His children, but there also needs to be a sense of reverence.
“Hallowed be thy name” – let His name be treated as holy, given the honour He deserves. When people use the word Jesus off-hand at work, with no relation to Him, when they use Christ as a swear word, it does affect you, I find.
Isaiah 42:8
John 5:43
There was something special about father’s name – hallowed be thy name.
This is God’s church. His name is to be revered here. He is in control of His church. If I were to put my name on this church, it would be contrary to what God is about. It’s His work.
“Thy kingdom come”
John 3:3
The Lord’s prayer is a template of the things which should be involved in prayer. We don’t have to use these precise words. The disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray.
Everything is god-ward. “Our Father, . . . hallowed be thy name . . . thy kingdom come. ”It’s good to think about Him and what He wants when I come to prayer.
So much of praying is man-centred. We don’t think of who God is.
James 4:3
Let’s think about what God is about. “Thy kingdom come. ”It’s not to do with me.
1 John 5:14
It’s good for us to be aware of who God is and what He wants. That’s key. So much is it key that the next petition is . . .
“Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. ”We want not just the kingdom to come, but also the will of the King to come about. We’re getting more specific. Prayer doesn’t change God’s will. It changes ours. As we get to know God and learn what He wants and are prompted by the Spirit, He brings our hearts and minds into alignment with what He wants. We can’t force God into a mould and tell Him what to do. Jesus prayed that the cup might pass from Him – yet not as I will, but as thou wilt.
There are two ways God reveals what He wants. He uses the Bible, and there is also the secret will personal to you, which He has planned for you.
Psalms 47:4
Ephesians 2:10
There’s a will of God unique to your life. Your pathway, each one of you, is different from everyone else’s. I want the King’s will in my life. I want His will, not mine. I don’t want sin or rebellion to be in the way. I want Him to be Lord of my life.
John 15:5-8
The key is His words abiding in you. We want everything of God to happen. You’re in alignment. God’s Holy Spirit prompts you to pray in a certain way, and you’re in alignment with God’s will and It’s His delight for you to be a co-worker and see your prayer answered. And the end result is glory to Him, wonderment, thanks for what He has done.
“Give us this day our daily bread”. Our needs – but this comes only after the first god-ward issues.
“And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. ”This isn’t a plea for salvation. When I come to pray I need to have got things sorted out. Just as you clear the decks before taking communion, so here. We’re saved by faith alone, but we need to keep short accounts with God and with other people.
Matthew 6:14-16
You need to keep the right perspective.
“And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. ”Most commentaries say this should really read “deliver us from the evil one”. God doesn’t tempt anyone . . .
James 1:13
It’s simply a prayer that we won’t get caught in the devil’s snare. But we have this promise :
James 4:7
RT Kendal: “The main thing we learn from the Lord’s Prayer is that we are primarily to seek God’s face, not His hand. Jesus wants for us to have fellowship with the Father. ”
The first part of the Lord’s prayer is God-directed. The second part is directed towards us and our needs. And then we return to God again.
Three guiding principles . . .
Hebrews 4:16
1 John 4:16
He’s our heavenly father, the God of love.
Phillipians 4:6
With thanksgiving. Try and get into the habit – and you can learn this – get into the habit of being thankful to God, no matter what you are praying about.
Mark 1:35
He prayed a great while before day. If we were to leave it at that . . . Aside from audience: “Count me out. ”
Matthew 14:23
Mark says before day. Matthew says it’s evening.
Luke 6:12
Jesus prayed before day, in the evening and all night. There is no set time to pray. The key point is to do it. Whatever is convenient is what’s right. It’s not more spiritual to pray in the morning, in the evening, all night. Whatever fits in best is what we should do. But we need to pray.
So much for the when.
John 11:41
John 17:1
Just talking about practicalities, Jesus prayed with His eyes open here. There is no set pattern. With eyes closed, there is less distraction. But it’s not wrong to pray with your eyes open. What matters is that you pray.
In what posture should you pray
Psalms 95:6
1 Kings 8:54
Kneeling. Then kneeling with hands spread to heaven.
Luke 22:39-42
Jesus knelt.
Acts 7:59-60
All examples of people kneeling. The Pharisees tended to stand.
Hebrews 1:3
Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:
We pray in Jesus’ name, through Him to Father. He is now sat down at the right hand of God. There is no hard and fast rule as to the posture for prayer. It would look odd on the Central Line in the rush hour if you knelt – although I’ve been on a Muslim airline where there is a prayer mat and the passengers knelt down.
It doesn’t matter when you pray, whether your eyes are open, your posture. The key point is to pray. Common sense says that if you kneel it makes you humbled. But we know that you can pray driving in the car. I used to love praying on the underground – I used to love the idea I could pray to God through the ground. You knew you were talking to God.
Just make sure that the posture is suitable for you to be able to pray. Getting on your knees doesn’t change you. If you’re knackered, getting on your knees won’t change that.
1 Peter 3:7
Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
Talking to husbands. Our relationship with our wives matters. It’s like keeping things right with those close to you. Don’t think you can pray in whatever posture without having things right with your wife. Your prayers will be hindered.
I think what God is doing in these studies is to cause each of us to increase in our relationship of faith in Jesus Christ, to grow and share that relationship with God. In time that will have a knock-on effect with us corporately. I don’t think we’ll end up having prayer meetings. But as we learn now to pray more individually, so if God wants us to pray specifically for something corporately, it will happen more easily.
Acts 12:1-5
James had just been killed. Peter had been caught. What would happen to him. there was instant and earnest prayer.
Acts 12:7-18
I don’t blame them for being astonished. What were they praying. Was it that he wouldn’t be killed. Probably. Could they have thought God could have got him out of the prison like that. Probably not. What an answer to prayer. Never rule out anything God can do in answer to your prayer. He will answer in the way He chooses.
I have no doubt there will come a time when we will do the same. Not for the same reason. But who knows What I do know is that that was a key part of the early church. I don’t think things were different then. But what an answer to prayer
I’ve spoken to a few people in the last few days who have quoted wonderful things to me – specific answers to prayer.
Five things that we as Christians have in Jesus Christ as far as prayer is concerned.
1. The Christian has the teaching of Christ.
2. The Christian the example of Christ.
3. The Christian has the blood of Christ – and there is a new and living way though what Jesus has done on the cross.
4. The Christian has the intercession of Christ. He ever liveth to make intercession for us.
5. The Christian has the name of Christ. The Christ one – the Christian. The name above every name. That at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow.
Isaiah there some magic in asking prayers in Jesus’ name No. But it’s as if all prayer is bound up in this relationship. We are co-workers together with Him. We haven’t uncovered some formula, to which we append the name of Jesus and things automatically work. We’re not talking about that. We’re talking about a relationship between father and son. The glory is to His name and we go forward from glory to glory. Very practical. Very real.
Sunday, 14 September 2008
Christian Parenting in an Uncertain World
- Are you worried about peer pressure?
- Do you feel that you are shut out of your child’s life?
- Are you concerned about how much time your kids spend chatting on the internet?
- Are your teenagers tearaways?
- How do you bring up children?
- Have you lost communication with your child?
- Are you concerned about who your children are mixing with?
- What should you do if your child starts lying?
- How much freedom should you give them, what is reasonable…?
- Does it matter if we don’t eat meals together?
- Do you have rebellion in
your home? - The importance of consistency…
So what is the right way?
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” Proverbs 22:6
This series addresses the issues which concern you as a parent, a grandparent, a teacher, and find the right way in God’s word.
PART 1: The heart of a parent is to reach out with love and compassion to our children, and to build the principles of God into their lives so that they are equipped to stand in an uncertain world.
PART 2: Pastor Carolyn Linnecar shares the principles of bringing up children, focusing on the early years of a child’s life. The establishment of a child’s trust in the word of God starts with trust in the word of the parents.
PART 3: Pastor Peter Linnecar concentrates on older children and the importance of communication between them and with their parents.
PART 4: IT consultant Paul van Haver presents useful and practical information for parents about the technology their children are likely to be using, specifically focusing on the internet and its associated dangers and benefits.
External Links:
Listen to the online sermon (Podcast) »
Watch the program online (YouTube) »
Download the PowerPoint notes »
Listen to the online sermon (Podcast) »Watch the program online (YouTube) »Download the PowerPoint notes »PART 5: Pastors Peter and Carolyn Linnecar look at the life of Caleb, showing us to look at the nature of our Father, rather than getting swamped with fears and doubts we realise that there is nothing that He will withhold from those who love Him and walk with Him.
Sunday, 22 June 2008
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.
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.
Sunday, 1 June 2008
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.
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.
Sunday, 11 May 2008
Look Unto Me
God is in control of everything. That has been particularly pressed upon me lately. God is interested in your life at this time. He is careful to organise things, so that He can prove His love for us.
Isaiah is often referred to as a fifth Gospel and I will be particularly concentrating on the following verse.
Isaiah 45:22
At that point in time, Jerusalem was in ruins, and various prophets had foretold that worship would resume at Jerusalem, and the temple would be rebuilt.
Isaiah 45:1 - 4
Cyrus, the king of Persia, would outwork the purposes that God wanted for His people, the children of Israel. God knows the affairs of man. History is about God building His church at this time, in His way, worldwide. There are situations in your life, perhaps, where you’ve thought that you just don’t know the way forward. Your God is in control of your situation. He’s heard you. He’s not caused you to be washed up on a beach somewhere, stranded.
Isaiah 45:5 - 8
God is in complete control. Some of you have been wondering in your heart about the way forward in your life, and God, by His Holy Spirit will quicken to you that now is the time to just realise what Christ did for you on Calvary, and what the resurrection from the dead is going to mean to you personally at this time. What does it mean for me to be a Christian?
Isaiah 45:9 - 12
He’s the creator God. He gave you life and formed you in the womb.
Isaiah 45:13 – 15
It doesn’t matter what the situation is with the people around you. God specialises in changing things where the impossible to your mind becomes possible in Him. He specialises in that. When He was hanging on the cross, and everyone had written Him off, it was the end... and yet it was the beginning. He endured the cross for your sin and my sin.
Isaiah 45:15-17
If that isn’t clear, I don’t know what is. Through Isaiah the prophet, God is saying, this is what I am. This is who I am.
Isaiah 45:18 - 21
I am your Saviour. Look to me.
What is it that you’ve tried to put into your life to plug that gap? God is saying to you, I am your Saviour. Look to me.
Isaiah 45:22
Look unto me. There’s not some weird formula or some weird experience that you must have. Look unto me, He says. That’s all. All He wants us to do is to look. You don’t have to prove yourself or be somebody, you don’t have to do this or that so I can bless you. Look unto me, God says. Forget everything else you’re trying to fill your life with. Look unto me, and be ye saved.
This was the verse that converted Spurgeon. He was so conscious of his sin and his need of a saviour, and he realised it was so simple. He thought, I can do that. I can look. You can do that. There’s nobody that is of a different caste. There’s nobody that isn’t of the elite.
Who is He? He’s God. Who is like Him? No one. What can you somehow have as a replacement for God? Nothing. Would you want a replacement? I don’t think so. Why would you want a replacement? All that’s needed is for you to realise that you can’t do it on your own.
I was looking through various phrases that Jesus said in the Gospel of John.
John 8:12
John 10:11
John 12:32
John 14:6
He knows what He’s doing, and He loves you. He knows your inside, and He wants your inside to propel your outside. He’s the only one who can get hold of the inside of you and change everything. No one else can do that.
Isaiah 45:23 - 25
Philippians 2:5 – 11
Romans 14:11 – 12
It all ends there. There is a direct quote of Isaiah 45 in Romans 14. We will all give account of ourselves to God. There are some here today, who know in their hearts, right now, God is saying, Come on, look unto me and be ye saved. He loves you.
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