Be Ye Holy as He is Holy

We are told to be holy as God is holy. That’s not some impossible requirement – we are called to be holy, because God has made it possible for us to be holy.

On Friday we set the scene for 1 Peter. The letter was written to churches in modern Turkey. At the time the letter was written, people were becoming aware of Nero’s persecution in Rome.

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1 Peter 1:7

There was no doubt that at the time they received this letter – or certainly soon after – the persecution was very apparent and very real.

I mentioned how things happen in life and it’s our response to those happenings ... when something happens, the resulting pressure – the need for healing, for finance, for finding a particular solution – that pressure is something much more precious than gold.

I said that Peter knew the pressure there was when he denied Christ. He wasn’t in the best frame of mind at that point. But Jesus returned to speak to Peter – “Do you love me? Do you love me?” And Jesus drew out the guilt. And Peter was aware of the trial when Jesus gave His life – and for Peter, Jesus’ resurrection was specifically for Him, Peter.

Jesus returned also specifically for Thomas so that his faith would be unshakeable.

This morning we’ll look at how God is involved with you. It doesn’t matter what frame of mind you came in here with, the prompting of that frame of mind is a result of God already speaking to you. God makes us aware of our heart condition, of our need of Him. He causes us to realise that without Him there is no way forward. That realisation comes specifically to you this morning from a God of love.

We’ll look at some very practical things we can be doing to make sure we go forward in the right way.

1 Peter 1:1-16

The holiness of God – he mentions now. The quote “Be ye holy” comes from Leviticus. When it says that, it’s not some impossibility, that God casts down as a requirement. When Peter refers to this, it doesn’t say that we should be omnipotent like God, or omniscient. It’s that we should be holy as He is holy. What does that mean?

We also have the idea of being sanctified, set apart, different. God isn’t telling us to do our best, and we might hit it or not. Through God’s, mercy and the death of Jesus Christ, imputing to you the satisfaction that a holy God can now see through the sacrifice of the Lamb of God the resolution of the requirements of the law.

“Be ye holy” states that God is holy; and He gives you the capability of being holy. Each day we become more and more like Him, until we see Him face to face. There’s a sense in which it has all been done: sin has been dealt with, the price paid, the Lamb sacrificed. But there’s still a progressive aspect – we’re changed from glory to glory. We’re perfected as each day passes.

Maybe you’ve come wishing that God would do something, and believing it has to come from Him because you can’t do anything. These verses will help you. Peter points out that there is something you can do. You’re hearing this word this morning because God is working things out. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God.

1 Peter 1:13

We need to be ready to run. We need to be serious.

1 Peter 1:14

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

His prayer for them was that the God of peace would make them holy as individuals.

For some people who are trying to sort things out – perhaps finding it difficult – you can think back to the time when perhaps your parents dedicated you as a baby to God. The prayers of your parents were valid. God heard them. And faithful is He who calls you now who also will do it. You’re not here by accident. The stirring in your heart which may have made you realise there’s an emptiness inside, something which needs to be sorted out ... that realisation is God working in you.

I said to the school children that perhaps they were waiting for God to write their name in the sky, waiting for some cataclysmal event. But your realisation that something has to change ... that in itself is God working in an individual. That’s valid.

I referred to God the Holy Spirit working in you. Why is He called holy? Holiness matters. There’s a way of life where we have choices ... ally that to the working of God’s Holy Spirit working inside, and there’s an irresistible force going forward through the nature change on the inside, as God outworks His purposes inside you.

1 Peter 1:17

“Call on the father” – maybe you’ve prayed, calling out for help.

“Fear” means reverence, not some cowering thing.

1 Peter 1:18

“Vain tradition” means empty way of life.

1 Peter 1:19-21

It’s good to call on the Father. And in this whole passage ... Peter has in mind what happened at the Passover, when they were led out of Egypt, were led out of the land, and entered a land flowing with milk and honey. In the same way, as God outworks His purposes in your life, He’s calling you out of the old empty way of life which does not work, and He’s saying we should desire the sincere milk of the word.

1 Corinthians 5:7-8

With the young people, it was apparent that under God’s direction, there was the ability and security of folk being honest, sincere, coming to the truth.

The light now coming into the hall is symptomatic of what God is doing, bringing to light His truth by His Holy Spirit – unearthing things, not to condemn or point the finger, but because faithful is He who called you, who also will do it. He’s working on your life. You say you have quite a few questions still. He knows that, and He has started answering those questions.

“Purge out the old leaven” means there’s a way of life we can adhere to, and as God reveals things which need changing, it will be because those things will change.

Ephesians 1:6

It’s all to do with His love for you. He’s holy. He can’t abide sin. There is no sin in heaven, no darkness. God Himself never changes and He is holy.

The more I’ve thought about this, the more it’s come home – the impact which it must have had on God when the sin of the world was put on to His Son. And that was the only way that you and I could become accepted into the beloved – that we could stand in front of a holy God.

But it’s not just that God has done that. There are things that you can I could be doing. Maybe you couldn’t quote a day when you were born again. All the same, God is at work in you – even here this morning. And He doesn’t want to try to shoehorn each one of us into the same experience. We don’t have to be blinded on a donkey on the way to Damascus – otherwise Paul would have promoted the idea.

God is at work in your heart this morning. Sometimes we get so caught up trying to pinpoint things. Have I been born yet? Am I one year old yet? You get caught up with these things and lose sight of the fact that it’s God we’re involved with, and that Jesus gave His life so that you might be free.

Our liberty in Christ is our freedom not to sin. The work of Christ on the cross has made you free not to sin. Before that you can’t but sin. The whole book of Galatians is about how we use that freedom and whether we allow licence or legalism to come in. But God puts in us the power to live right.

1 Peter 1:19-22

No hidden agenda, no secret whispers.

1 Peter 1:23

It is the Word of God which lives and abides forever.

In verse 24, he compares the eternal Word of God with where things are in this world.

1 Peter 1:24-25

Isaiah 40:3-8

It’s great that at every level, the aim is for every age group to be studying the Word of God. That’s what we want to do. We want the Word of God to be central to what we’re about. We want to be excited by studying God’s word. If anyone feels we could do better in this, please tell me. That’s the aim. Because everything else will fade. His Word is where it’s at. And thank God for the freedom we have to study His word. And through His Holy Spirit, God speaks to us – in the beginning was the Word.

1 Peter 2:1-3

Have you tasted that the Lord is gracious? Are you aware that maybe there is an answer for you? It just needs a taste as it were. This is where the milk and honey of the Promised Land comes in. Just as a baby desires milk, you desire the sincere milk of the word so that you can grow.

Psalms 34:1-8

There’s a testimony! David is rejoicing. “I sought the Lord. He heard me and delivered me.” Those fears you’ve had have to go. Perfect love casts out fear. Jesus Christ has become your life, and perfect love casts out fear. That’s not mind over matter.
Fears – be gone!

God knows what He is doing in your life, and the trial of your faith is more precious than gold.
Peter really wanted people to know that relationship with God, to know that they need not fear.

1 Peter 2:1

We’re one in Christ. There’s something He’s called us to, and the outworking of that is that you love one another fervently, and you lay aside all this other stuff, because, like a baby, we desire the sincere milk of the word – if so be you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

I’m excited by what God is revealing in each person’s life. I think it’s a time when there is not only a reassessment of the foundation of life. There’s more. There’s a realisation from God by His Holy Spirit that you as an individual ... He’s more concerned about you than you are. He loves you.

We’re talking here about sincerity, about truth, about His Holy Spirit – who He is.

“Gird up, be sober, be ye holy, call on the Father, lay aside, desire the milk.” Peter wasn’t going to leave them in any doubt. It was practical stuff. You weren’t to sit back and wait for God to do something. You were to get on with things and trust to Him that He would do what He had called you for.

He’s wonderful!

Encourage one another. If someone is in trouble, look to see what you can do to help. Pray. Pray that the right person will speak to them, that they will become dissatisfied with a way which they know to be wrong but have become trapped in, so that God in His mercy and love will become their solution.

God Already has Your Answer

God has heard your prayer and He already has the answer. He is the answer. As with Peninnah, who prayed every year to have a child, He will answer your prayer. It is His delight to prompt you to pray and then to be the answer to that prayer. God loves communicating with us. Jesus came for His people, for the church and we are part of that church. God will answer your prayer because He loves you. You can be relaxed in the knowledge that God is in control. You must accept this as Mary accepted what the angel told her, because God does love you and with God all things are possible.

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It’s wonderful to know that when things are seemingly barren and wrong, and you’re not sure if God is sorting things out, that it is God’s delight every time, to be the answer. He outworks His solution in a way we don’t expect. His solution is the best. I want to look at two episodes in two ladies lives. The first one just hung in there and God’s solution came. And the second realised the eternal purposes of God as she was to be the one to bear the Messiah. By the end of this morning I want you to know that at this point in time, no matter what has been an attempt to write things off, to hold up the white flag and say there is no answer, I want you to know in your heart of hearts that God is in control and He knows what He is doing. He has heard you.

1 Samuel 1:1-5

The situation was obvious, but to Hannah it was grievous. Her grief was that Peninnah had produced children, but she had not.

1 Samuel 1:6-8

With Hannah it was that things were not as she wanted them to be. It got to her because she wanted to have a baby. The taunting of Peninnah was unkind and uncalled for. There’s something about a taunt to someone who’s standing up for what is right that is from the pit. Don’t taunt anyone who is trying to go right. Don’t write a family off because they have one child who is in a predicament at the moment. You have to stand together and help each other.

1 Samuel 1:9-22

1 Samuel 1:26-28

God has not forgotten the prayers you have made for your children. The more these weeks progress the more it becomes apparent that in quite a few lives there has been a reassertion in the faith that God has given you. He’s caused you to believe that what you prayed before He has heard. God answered Hannah’s prayer. I don’t care what taunt there has been in the past to you. I want to confirm to you that God is a God of love and what He has done in your life of late is to form a relationship with you. The pressure has caused you to pray more and He has heard your prayers. Hannah’s song will be echoed later when we read the song of Mary. This is the song she prayed after she had dedicated Samuel.

1 Samuel 2:1-10

No gloating there. No going round to Peninnah and saying ‘you see’. My God has heard me. It’s not the fact that He’s my God, it’s who God is. This song is so wonderful because it reveals how God doesn’t take what the world views as strong – 1 Samuel 2: 2. The enemy of your souls might point the finger at you and convince that you’re never going to get blessed because of what you have done. Your God, who is a God of love, is someone who listens, draws alongside and knows what He’s doing in response to your prayer. It is God’s delight to prompt us to pray. We are then co-workers with Him because He has prompted us to pray and we then witness His answer. God loves communication with us. God’s nature is to communicate His life with you and me.

Luke 1:28-37

That was news to Mary because she didn’t know her cousin was pregnant. She thought that Elizabeth was too old, but with God nothing is impossible.

Luke 1:38

Your life based on the Word of God and with His life inside you will stand sure. Your God is someone who hears you. He is the King of Kings. He created heaven and earth. I want to confirm to you that your God is a faithful God. All the way through the circumstances you’ve had over the past weeks He has been there, He’s heard you. It’s His delight to be the answers to the prayers that He has prompted you to pray.

Luke 1:40-45

You can’t stop God’s goodness to you. You can’t stop God’s love for you. It doesn’t matter what people have said to you, you cannot stop the love of God operating in your life. For Mary, Elizabeth’s child was a confirmation.

Luke 1:46-54

These words are an echo of what Hannah says. Mary knew, from the book of the Prophets, what Hannah had said. The common denominator between there words was that they both glorified God. I want to encourage you to stand your ground and to realise that your faith is rightly placed in Him. I believe in my God who has saved me and given me life. You can trust Him. The word to you is that the prayers that you have prayed have been heard. I am particularly making reference to any of you who have family members who aren’t here this morning. The prayer that you prayed has been prompted by God.

How old was Mary? Some say she was fifteen. There was an awareness that somehow she was going to be the one that would bear the Messiah.

Luke 1:54

In those words she linked the father of the faithful, Abraham, the seed of Abraham, right through to Jesus, the One who would save us from our sins.

Genesis 17:1-8

The everlasting Covenant given to Abraham means that God forever and ever is with His people. His people are to as many as God will call. It includes you all. In physical terms we were talking there about the gathering of Canaan. But as you know this is a picture of us possessing our souls. Mary knew that there would be a son born of God, who is in a direct line of outworking God’s purposes from Abraham. And at the end of time the church would be the bride of Christ. That’s why He’s interested in you because you are part of the bride of Christ.

Luke 1:46-54

Galations 3:13-14
Galations 3:28-29

What’s that promise? The promise is that the Holy Spirit was given. In your life you can be at ease knowing that God is outworking His purposes for good in your life. Stand your ground. The pressures that you’re in at the moment don’t let the enemy of your soul taunt you. Stand fast in your God. Lift Him up. During this coming week find some time when you can think about this word and apply it to your life. We need to be witnesses of God’s love to others.

God has heard your prayer. He will step in and help because He loves you. It’s not that you have to chalk up brownie points for Him to answer; He loves you. In the same way with Hannah, where the taunting year after year was hellish, so it was that God answered He prayer. With Mary there was that immediate acceptance of ‘be it according to thy word’. And Jesus was born in Bethlehem. His life was given that you and I could be made free from the penalty and power of sin. We can be in relationship with God because of what Jesus did for us.

This Day is this Scripture Fulfilled in Your Ears

Things can be very specific with God when he outworks his purposes. He seems to manage always to get things on time, in time, every time. And I know to some who are here, what we are going to look at in the scriptures will be God’s timing for you. I’m going to look at a section in the gospel of Luke where Jesus refers to what we will be looking at in 2 Kings 5.

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God is very careful and specific with you. There is nothing but nothing that takes place in your life without his guiding hand upon it. And what I mean by that is, our God is a faithful God and he makes provision for his children. And our God is clear. And the clarity of his purpose was made clear to this gentlemen in 2 Kings.

2 Kings 5:1-7

It’s amazing what God allows to happen at particular times to work things out. He will fulfil his purposes.

2 Kings 5:8-9

He expected Elisha to come out and heal him.

2 Kings 5:10-12

Sometimes our reaction to the way God has provided an answer to our problem is hard to accept. We need to submit to his way of answering. This answer was not the one Naaman wanted. Don’t prejudge the solution God is bringing to you. Don’t prepackage the way it should come. Don’t have preconceived ideas of the way he will answer. We’re talking here about the God of love and who has the answer to all our problems; everything and anything.

2 Kings 5:13-19

Luke 4:16-21

When Jesus read those words from Isaiah, they were incredulous in the synagogue; they couldn’t believe the authority with which he spoke those words. He fulfilled that scripture. Two words: ‘this day’. There comes a time when God, like a shaft of light, causes things to be in certain order such that at that point, by his Holy Spirit he reaches inside, and his work is done. It might well be, that what you’re hearing right now, is sufficient for you to wonder, ‘Is this my day for what I want and need to happen?’ The fact that I’m speaking these words in this way in this time, is significant to you. There is no way God has brought you here for any other reason than for you to hear his words of truth and for that shaft of light to be real to you. His name is Jesus. It doesn’t matter what you already know about him; it doesn’t matter what your past experiences are; it doesn’t matter that you would have worked things out differently for the solution to come. He knows what he is doing and he loves you.


Luke 4:22-27

This is Jesus talking about the story we read earlier. Why did he mention Naaman? What was he trying to get at? He just read out the prophesy concerning himself and those five or six things were about to be fulfilled in front of them.

Luke 4:28-30

The specifics of God is involvement, constant involvement in your life, is to bring you to the point where your eyes are opened to who he is. And he is the answer to your prayer. He is the solution to your predicament. He is the miracle you need. He is.

“This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”

God is in Control

God is in the area of having created the heavens and the earth. To him, momentous events have occurred already in what he has done through that creation, and through what he has done in sending his son to this earth to provide the solution for mankind. He’s into thinking globally.

I want to look at a time when God revealed his purposes in global terms, but it was very specific to one man and his family.

Genesis 6:1-7

Why did God allow that to happen? I don’t have many answers, but I want you to see the sequence where God had his purpose.


Genesis 6:8

If ever there was a time when we need to have that as the strapline across our forehead, as it were, it’s now: “We’re walking with God.” It’s when men’s hearts fail them for fear. Noah walked with God and found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

Genesis 5:24

Noah walked with God in an evil and wicked generation, and he found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

Genesis 6:10-22

Whatever God said, that’s what Noah did. He was mocked, laughed at, but he was looking beyond. Because he was doing what God told him to do, he knew it was right, accurate and true. In your life, your faith is in the one who began that faith inside you. He’s the author and finisher of your faith.

People’s faith is tested. Things happen outside of anyone’s control, but God is in control. Noah was getting on with what God commanded him to do, in the midst of a crooked and wicked generation.

Genesis 7:1-3

Even in the midst of violence and evil across the world, God’s plan was secure. This wasn’t a hastily revised plan. His plan was secure to keep seed alive across all the face of the earth.

Genesis 7:16

There wasn’t a rope by which Noah pulled the door up, after they got in. This was God’s solution, and the Lord shut him in. There are people who have proved that God has shut them in to himself. They don’t fear what man can do to them because the Lord is in control.

The rain and floods had come, and the water had been on the earth for about five months.

Genesis 8:15-22

It doesn’t matter what occurs.

God is in control, and after all this had happened, and it was just Noah, his family and the animals, God’s covenant was that while the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. This made me realise how significant it is that God has put faith in your heart. The faith that he has put in your heart, even though it might be as a grain of mustard seed, the smallest seed will grow into a massive tree.

Hebrews 11:5-7

Noah found grace in the eyes of God and did all that God commanded him to. We need faith inside us, in what God has done in our hearts. God is in control. And of your life and your viewing of circumstances, you are in the palm of his hand. Your times are in his hand.

I can say that’s what I believe, because of what God has done in my heart. It doesn’t matter what things are going on.

When Noah was on this earth, what he did was what God commanded him to do. There is a thread of faith on the earth.

Everything revolves around Jesus Christ, and when he came to this earth, he made it possible for you to be a partaker of his life. As far as you’re concerned, you want to live your life believing in Him.

We need to share faith with our neighbour. We have the answer, and his name is Jesus. God has dealt with global issues, and he knows every individual. He is the solution for everything

The Prayer of Jesus

Pastor Peter Linnecar looks at the prayer of Jesus in John 17, looking at what Jesus had to say about Himself, what He said to the disciples, and what He speaks directly to us. Because of what He did on the Cross, we can share with Jesus the life of delight, peace and rejoicing that He knows with the Father in heaven.

I want to say something very personal to you. At various places in the Word of God, we are made aware of what it is like in heaven. Before the foundation of this world, there was God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit.

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We’re going to listen in to Jesus’ prayer with the disciples, two days before He died. But first I want to point out what it was like in eternity when Jesus was the Father before He came.

Proverbs 8:22 - 31

This is Jesus: Proverbs 8:30

There is a peace, a delight, and joy in heaven always. And before Jesus came to this world, He was daily, His Father’s delight.

John 1:1 - 5

When Jesus was with the disciples, life in all its fullness was walking with them. He is life. He was daily, His Father’s delight before He came. He was Father’s delight when He came, because He fulfilled the Father’s will all the way to the Cross where He gave His life for us and then rose from the dead.

In John 17, we hear Jesus praying. At some point in their journey with Jesus, the disciples asked Him to teach them to pray.

Prior to John 17, we go back to the last supper. Jesus washed the feet of all the disciples – Judas included. Jesus shared things with the disciples but said they wouldn’t apply to all of them because one would betray Him. The disciples couldn’t figure it out who it could be, so Peter told John to ask Him who He was talking about and Jesus said it was the one to whom He would give a piece of bread, and He gave it to Judas. At that point Satan entered into Judas and he went out. Once Judas had left, Jesus opened things up, and in chapters 14-16, He shared His heart with them. He spoke of the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, and later when the disciples looked back, everything fell into place.

When God speaks a word, it isn’t wasted. When you see Him at work in your life, He never ever wastes time. There is never ever a plan B, because He knows what He is doing. And He loves you.

John 16:33

The glimpse we had in Proverbs and John 1 was that there is complete harmony, peace, joy and rejoicing in heaven. We’re passing through this world now, and our life is a discovery of how much God loves us and of how He is. More than that, He comes to live His life inside us so that when we look at the empty cross, we know it is empty because He went through death, came back to life, and in Him is life. He can’t but be life and love. It’s His character. He is always the same. So when we have difficult circumstances in life it’s good to step back and see things in God’s perspective.

It’s significant for us what God reveals here because it has a direct impact on your life. You’ll see that because He’s alive, He keeps and sanctifies you and keeps you from evil. He is at the right hand of God making intercession for you – right now. The work on earth was finished when He cried out on the cross, but He still makes intercession for us.

John 17:1 - 5

These verses are to do with Jesus Himself.

The Disciples

The next section deals with the disciples and the last part with us.

Everything begins and ends in God. Your faith is from God, and He will complete the work He has begun in your life. What is that work? It’s to prepare you for when you will see Him face to face.

John 17:3

That’s a church. We might have various structures and doctrines, but life eternal is that we might know Him the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.

John 17:5

Ephesians 1:3 - 4

When did He choose you? Before the foundation of the world. Before the foundation of the world He made provision for you. At this very point in time, before the foundation of the world, God has sorted everything for you. The power of sin in life which you were born with, the consequences of that sin He has taken away, and the power has been broken, because He finished the work.

John 17:6 - 8

Imagine the disciples looking at Jesus. You would just be so aware of His heart for you.

John 17:9 - 11

In v5 we had ‘glorify’. Now in v11, we have ‘keep’. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee” because when your mind is focused on the fact that everything is organised that you might know Him and His perfect love.

The word ‘keep’ is eternal.

John 17:12 - 13

Your life as a Christian is one where it doesn’t matter what the circumstances are in your life. What God is doing is showing you how much He loves you and that He has heard and answered your prayers. There has never been a time when He hasn’t heard you pray. There’s harmony between a Christian and heaven. You have God’s life inside you, and there is peace in heaven. Everything is joy and peace.

“But I live on this earth”. I know. But as a Christian you were in God before the foundation of the world. He put the faith in your heart to believe. He’s sorted things out in your life. It may be that your experience of this differs from someone else’s. No matter. Each one of us is unique.

John 17:14 - 19

You and Me

At that point He steps back again to talk about you and me, the Church as it is, at this point in time. Up to v19 He had been revealing His heart to the disciples. We’ve thought a lot about Peter recently, and as Jesus prayed, everything slotted into place – how He called him and changed his life about. The words He said had power. He is life. He lives.

In v20, He incorporates us. His life has been incorporated in our bodies. As you go about your life, it’s His power inside you. He’s keeping you until you see Him face to face, and it is a life of joy. That doesn’t mean things don’t go wrong, but we know that all things work together for good to those who love God. And the reason we love Him is because of the love He’s given us.

So now we have Jesus praying in front of the disciples, but praying for you.

John 17:20 - 21

“That the world may believe that thou has sent me”. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.

Are we ready for outreach? Who’s given you your faith?

John 17:22 - 26

What Jesus reveals here is the fulfilment of His purpose on earth in verses 1- 5; then how things would work out for the disciples; and now, as He turns to you and me, it’s all to do with the people He upholds.

He’s alive. He fulfilled what Father wanted with the work He did when He gave His life, on the cross. He bought the Bride of Christ: worldwide, millions of people from all round the world, brothers and sisters in Him, fulfilling His purposes.

Romans 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

At this second, He is making intercession for you and me to Father.

Hebrews 7:24 - 25

Forever. He ever liveth to make intercession for them. He’s alive – forever. He reigns. He’s Lord.

John 17:26

He is for you. And there is no problem in your life for which He does not have the solution. So during this week, take the time to link up with Him. Don’t race for the news or the newspaper too quickly. Communicate with Him. Share your heart with Him. Read His word. He loves you.

Going Forward in God

No matter how impossible the circumstances we face, God has provided a way for us as we go forward in Him.

Ephesians 2:5 – 6

As a Christian, you live knowing that Jesus Christ is the answer for everything. His life is inside you, and you know that you can trust God in any circumstances as you go forward. It’s a glorious thing to know your times are in God’s hand.

There was a particular time when the children of Israel faced an impossible situation. When you face the impossible God is able to see you through, He is able to fulfil His destiny in your life.

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Isaiah 51:15

It was an impossible situation, but He divided the sea. He rebuked the sea and, according to Nahum made it dry. It was not until 800 years later Isaiah wrote these words. This was an event of such significance that it was still recalled.

There came a time in the history of the children of Israel when their situation couldn’t have got any worse. They had been slaves of the Egyptians, ten plagues had been brought on the Egyptians, and still Pharaoh would not let them go. The Passover came and the firstborn of every Egyptian died, and the children of Israel thought that now they had made it. Pharoah finally agreed to let them leave Egypt.

There are some people today who need to realise that when it seems impossible to go forward, God is opening the way for you. God can sort things out.

Exodus 12:31 – 32

The following is history...

Exodus 14:1 – 5

Suddenly the Egyptians realised that they were letting their slaves go. To the Israelites it must have appeared that everything was sorted out for them but suddenly they were facing another problem.

Exodus 14:6 – 9

The Israelites must have been thinking “We thought it was sorted, Lord. There was an agreement. What are you doing?”

When the Passover happened the firstborn of every Egyptian family had died. But the one thing the plagues hadn’t touched was the army, and Pharaoh trusted the army.

Sometimes we look at situations which we thought were resolved, and fear comes inside. But fear not. Jesus Christ lives on the inside. Perfect love casts out fear. Don’t be afraid.

Exodus 14:10 – 12

The children of Israel were trapped at a dead end with 600 relentless chariots coming after them. There really was nowhere to go. There were over 1.5 million people, with the sea ahead of them, the wilderness behind, and the chariots approaching. What they thought was sorted out apparently was not. And the complaints and murmuring set in.

Exodus 14:13

“Fear not”. God used those same words with Abraham in Genesis 5, to Joshua, to Gideon, to Daniel.

Luke 12:31 - 32

Without God in this world, there is fear – fear of the economy, of the credit crunch, of the knife culture. You can’t but fear without God.

If you’re not a Christian, God wants to show you something. He’s saying that this Christianity you have heard about is something you need to get involved in. Jesus is speaking to you right now. You know you’ve been worried about the way things are, about your own life.

God is on the throne. Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God. He has a future for each person on this earth.

The children of Israel heard Moses say, “Fear not”.

Isaiah 26:3

The only way to get peace inside and going forward is in God.

You have only to look at the news these days, and it’s as though each day brings something worse than the day before. People are asking what is the answer, what is the way forward, what is the fabric of society meant to be? Do politicians have the answer? The more it goes on, the more imperative it is that we should not be silent about our faith. Jesus Christ is on the throne. He has the answer. There is a way for society He knows about. It involves one person at a time coming to know Him.

Ephesians 1:19 – 23

The reason why we have an empty cross is that when He went to the cross, He took our sin, broke the power of it, was buried and rose from the dead – and the power of God that brought Him up from the dead is the power which comes by His Holy Spirit to live within an individual.

God has everything under His feet. There isn’t one thing God doesn’t know about, and isn’t involved in. He loves you, and there is peace in heaven. There is never a ripple of any fear or doubt, because in heaven everything has been completed.

As you evaluate your circumstances, you can have confidence that God is taking you forward, that He will see you through. On our own, we can’t do it. The world does not have an answer. The children of Israel did not have an answer.

“Fear not, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.”

Some of the children of Israel thought there was no chance it would happen. Others said they didn’t know how it would happen, but they believed.

Exodus 14:14

Forget your way of working things out, your way of coming up with an answer. It’s the Lord who fights for us and sees us through. Fear not, stand still. It’s the Lord who fights for us and we will see the salvation of the Lord. Don’t worry about whether it will work out or not. Of course it will.

Exodus 14:15-18

I wonder what Moses thought when God said that. He’d been used to miraculous power. He’d seen the burning bush. He’d seen the plagues. And now, something else miraculous was to happen – something we would still talk about today. God had the solution. It’s something you’d never dream of, because humanly speaking it is not possible.

Exodus 14:19

God provided a solution the children of Israel didn’t think of. In their mind they followed the cloud. Suddenly it was switched about. You think there is no way forward, but God has the solution.

Exodus 14:20-31

This was an incredible miracle because there was no way forward. Humanly speaking it was impossible. You may think that the situation you are facing is impossible, but God has prepared the solution. It doesn’t matter what anyone says. God knows what He is doing, and He has already provided a way forward for you in the circumstances of your life.

Philippians 4:19

The guarantee is that God is who He is. The God who has started a work in your life will complete it. And whatever your need, God will supply all that need.

Hebrews 11:29

I don’t think there was a motorway formed through the sea which they just strolled through. I think the people started, and as they went forward it moved apart, and they kept going. Each step they took, the miracle provision continued, by faith. And there were a lot of people, over 1.5 million. Step by step by step. Our God is a God of miracles. He has done everything, and it’s perfect to provide a solution for your life.

Ephesians 2:5 – 6

Jesus Christ living on the inside

His Holy Spirit lives in us now. And the pillar of fire is a type of the Holy Spirit, the protection. With Jesus Christ living on the inside, as you go forward, remind yourself that we have a God who makes the impossible possible. He will and He does. Everything begins and ends in Him.

Face to Face with God

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

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

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

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Genesis 32:1 – 8

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

Genesis 32:9 – 15

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

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

Genesis 32:13 – 15

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

Genesis 32:16 – 24

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

Genesis 32:24 – 26

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

Genesis 32:27 – 29

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

Genesis 32:30 – 31

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

Genesis 32:32

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

Ephesians 2:1 – 5

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

Ephesians 2:6

Everything is settled

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

Ephesians 2:4 – 10

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

Revelation 22:1 – 5

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

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