tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8151872124654180582024-03-25T11:11:08.023+00:00To whom it may concernTo whom it may concernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12606673833737508249noreply@blogger.comBlogger999125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-815187212465418058.post-40499954685191096602024-03-25T11:10:00.002+00:002024-03-25T11:10:16.705+00:00Resurrection and the end of pain (John 14:1-3)<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjeZkVtm-VoI3FZq-HNwybwQqHvSCTHyTv62krvJX_21rCEVCAyGlmug8N3EhPOW3dba3tjZ1tA9o96KNX_1MO92kOn5nKuCQtZ05YvjOfXaHkPAeEJIdYEvgU30YmYjKO-devTQ859BRvyxSVpuSdZOMCE5YZAMtsIARn-ea7zeRTkIfL9fzdxDODw7uKC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="255" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjeZkVtm-VoI3FZq-HNwybwQqHvSCTHyTv62krvJX_21rCEVCAyGlmug8N3EhPOW3dba3tjZ1tA9o96KNX_1MO92kOn5nKuCQtZ05YvjOfXaHkPAeEJIdYEvgU30YmYjKO-devTQ859BRvyxSVpuSdZOMCE5YZAMtsIARn-ea7zeRTkIfL9fzdxDODw7uKC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I am conscious that my grief is not unique.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My dad was 92 and we had a great relationship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am aware that most of you have lost loved
ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pain is an inevitable consequence of
living in a fallen world.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My grief is somewhat complicated by the fact that I struggle
with an anxiety disorder, but again that does not make me unique.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am aware that many of you will struggle with
mental health issues, or have people you love who do.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This morning I want us to see that Jesus speaks into our suffering
at Easter time.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have three points:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>- Easter
shows us that we have no friend like Jesus.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>- Easter
shows us the depths of His love.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>-
Easter shows us that Jesus wants us.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Easter shows us that we have no friend like
Jesus</i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Do not let your hearts
be troubled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trust God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trust also in me.’</i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">These are the words that I feel Jesus has been challenging
me with at this time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘Trust me.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But why would we trust Jesus?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well look at the sort of friend that He is!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is the night before the crucifixion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On that night Jesus could have demanded that
the disciples comfort Him, for he was going to go through far more than
they.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But instead He comforted
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was almost as if He was more
concerned about their suffering than His own.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Then think of who this is that He is comforting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He knows that these men will desert him at His
greatest hour of need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But He holds no
bitterness against them.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There is no friend like Jesus.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He then tells them that He will deal with our greatest fear,
the fear of death.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">In my Father’s house
are many rooms, if it were not so would I have told you?</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We misunderstand Jesus if we think that He is
reluctant to bring people to the Father’s house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is a God who delights to rescue people.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But how do we cope as we live in the shadow of death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Good Shepherd is with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These disciples will have many difficult days
in the years ahead, but he will be with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Look down at verse 18, ‘I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to
you.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is talking about how He wills send
them Holy Spirit after He has ascended to heaven. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Somehow, where the Spirit is, there the Father
and the Son are also.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One of the terms we use for the Holy Spirit is ‘comforter.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God promises to be close to the broken
hearted and to lift up those who are crushed in spirit’ (Ps. 34:18).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is more than close to us, He is in us.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Easter shows us the depths of Jesus love</i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘… I am going there to
prepare a room for you’</i> (2b).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I don’t think that He is saying that ‘I am going to my
Father’s house and when I am there I will spend my time decorating a room for
you.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think He is saying, ‘I am going,
and in my going via the cross and the resurrection, I am preparing a room for
you in my Father’s house.’<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It is as He takes our guilt upon Himself on the cross and as
He is raised to life that we are made ready for heaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through His work we are forgiven and changed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being a Christian is not about what we do for
God, but accepting what He has done for us in Jesus.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This life is genuinely offered to all of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus desired than none would reject it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But if we refuse His love and will not let
Him transform us by His grace then we will be excluded from His forgiveness and
spend eternity apart from Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wish it
were not so, but that is the clear teaching of the Bible.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">C. S. Lewis explained that at the end of the day there are
only two types of people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those who say
to God, ‘Thy will be done’, and those to whom God says, ‘Thy will be done.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All those in hell choose it.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Easter shows us that
Jesus wants us</i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘And if I go to prepare
a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me, that you may be
where I am’</i> (3).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There is a debate about what this coming back is referring to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it Jesus’ coming back to be with them
after the resurrection, or when He sends the Holy Spirit, of bring us to
Himself at the end of our lives or His final return?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But what I do know is that it expresses His longing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is almost as if He is saying to them, ‘I
love you so much, that I must have you in my Father’s house with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Father’s house without my people is not
enough for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, I will come back to
bring you to where I am.’<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Indeed, this longing gives us the assurance that He will
never let us go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘And this is the will
of my Him who sent me, that I shall lose none of them that He has given me, but
raise them up on the last day’ (6:39).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Conclusion</i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Many of you have experienced greater grief than I am going
through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus suffered more than all of
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this life we will have many
sorrows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But He has given us the
Comforter, and He has given us each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He has given us His Word, with promises of His presence and wisdom for
our need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he speaks of a future day,
when the risen Christ brings all our pain to an end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then there will be no more crying or sickness
or pain or death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then God Himself will
wipe away every tear from our eyes.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Easter shows us that Jesus is a trustworthy friend.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Easter shows us the depths of His love.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Easter shows us that Jesus wants to be with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>To whom it may concernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12606673833737508249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-815187212465418058.post-15811670557417374282024-03-13T13:25:00.000+00:002024-03-13T13:25:35.501+00:00‘The terrible and marvellous consequences of rejection’ Mark 12:1-12<p><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">On time, many
years ago, I was at the swimming pool with my friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw one of them and swam up behind him to
push him down under the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I caught
him unaware, particularly unaware because the person I dunked did not know
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was only someone who looked like
my friend from the behind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to
apologise to the rather startled stranger.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">Getting people’s
identity confused can lead to funny situations (just ask Stephen Blevins, whose
identical twin will be taking our harvest services next Sunday)!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can also be dangerous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Supposing you are driving down the M1 and you
notice a flashing blue light on the car behind you but you think to yourself
‘no that’s not the police, that’s just a boy-racer with some fancy gadget
attached to his roof.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So you ignore the
car, worse still you think you’ll give them a race!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are going to be in big trouble aren’t
you?<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/template%20(3).doc#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[1]</span></span></span></span></a></span> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">Last week we saw
some men who did not recognise someone important.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They approached Jesus and asked, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“By what authority are you doing these
things? . . . And who gave you authority to do this?”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They did not recognise where Jesus’ authority
came from because they did not recognise who he really was!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This lack of recognition is actually
inexcusable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Mark’s Gospel not recognising
Jesus as the Messiah is the result of a hardness of heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had refused to face up to the fact here
was the promised King, they had resisted his authority, and so they neither
knew who this was nor where his authority came from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Take note, ‘you will never the know power
Jesus Christ in your own life unless you are prepared to submit to his
authority.’<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/template%20(3).doc#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">If you have
refused to face up to who Jesus is, if you have resisted his authority over
your life then these verses should make you feel uncomfortable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For here Jesus tells the religious leaders of
the terrible consequences, for them, of their rejection of him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also speaks of the wonderful consequence
of their rejection of him—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the stone the
builders rejected has become the capstone, and it is marvellous in our eyes.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mark wrote this letter to the church at <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Rome</st1:place></st1:city>. To those who were
Christians there, and to those who are Christians here, these verses contain a
message of encouragement!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">A tale of
treason! </span></i><span lang="EN-GB">(1-8)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">At the end of
last week’s passage we saw that Jesus refused to answer the religious leaders’
questions directly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, then he
begins to speak to them in parables.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
this parable that we are examining he does tell them who he is and he also
tells them of who they are!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">They should
recognise the background to this story immediately—it’s from our Old Testament
reading, Isaiah 5 (verses 1-7).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
God owns a vineyard—that vineyard is his people Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly, this vineyard did not produce good
grapes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It had produced only bad fruit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather than justice his people have produced
bloodshed, rather than righteousness they have caused distress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So the vineyard is going to be destroyed.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">Jesus now adds
some more details to the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">There are the
tenants, the people who are to look after the vineyard—they are the religious
leadership.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is who Jesus is
addressing (v.1) and at the end of the story they know that Jesus had spoken
this parable against them (v. 12).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">Then there are
the many servants sent by the vineyard owner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The tenants treat these shamefully—beating some killing others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can see this happen right throughout the
history of the Old Testament.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God sent
many prophets to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>
(how patient he was with them), yet the people – and in particular their
leadership – rejected and mistreated them.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">Finally, Jesus
introduces himself into the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Surely if the vineyard owner sends his Son they will respect him!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, the tenants think ‘here is the heir
of this vineyard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we kill him then
the vineyard will one day be ours.’<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/template%20(3).doc#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Note what motivates the tenants rejection of
the Son—self!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They will not give him
what is due to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the same for
us if we are resisting Jesus’ authority over our lives—we don’t want to be his
loyal subjects, we want to run things our own way, we’re being selfish!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">The tenants took
him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus is describing what will happen at the
end of the week: that Friday the tenants – those religious leaders – will have
the Son killed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s an act of treason
against God, as they oppose his rightful authority in order to keep the
authority over the people for themselves.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">The religious
leaders had asked Jesus ‘who gave you this authority?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is the answer—‘God did, I am sent by
him, I am his Son.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s more, look at
who you are!’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">Jesus has a
question for those religious leaders:<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
What then will the owner of the vineyard do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They will receive an awful punishment for
their treason against God in killing his Son and the religious authority that
they had over God’s people has been transferred to the twelve disciples—the
tenants are killed and the responsibility for the vineyard has been given to
others.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">While the
tenants in this passage are a specific group of people—the religious
leadership, the warning has relevance to everyone who refuses to recognise who
Jesus is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you will not submit to his
claim over you then you are giving assent to what they have done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are saying to those tenants, ‘I agree
with your treason for I too oppose Father’s authority and the Son’s authority
over me.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can be sure that if you
continue in your rebellion you will face an outcome similar to theirs.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">When we share
the gospel with people we are not just telling them that God can make their
life better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are also warning them
that God who lovingly offers each person his mercy and acceptance, is the God
who will judge those who resist his authority by rejecting the authority of the
Son.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">A new temple
will replace the old—</span></i><span lang="EN-GB">(10-11)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">Now Jesus gives
them another picture from the Old Testament—it’s from Psalm 118.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">“The stone the builders rejected<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">has become the capstone;<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">the Lord has done this,<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">and it is marvellous in our eyes.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">The picture is
that of constructing the temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, there is a problem—the builders have rejected the most
important thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The stone that the
builders rejected is the Jesus himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The temple should have been centred on him—its sacrifices anticipated
his suffering cross, its worship should have looked forward to his coming, when
he went into it he should have been welcomed as its focus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet Jesus found it to be a place of empty
godless religion and so it was going to be destroyed.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">Jesus was the
stone that the builders rejected but God does something marvellous this
rejected stone—he builds a new temple. Not one made of stones and located in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Jerusalem</st1:place></st1:city>, but one that
is a world-wide community of people centred on Christ.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">The great
dividing line in humanity is not between those who are religious and those who
are not (these men were the religious authorities); it is not between those who
pray and those who don’t (you can be sure that these guys prayed); it is not
between those who read their Bible and the don’t (they were experts in the
Scriptures).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The great dividing line in
humanity is between those who reject Jesus and those who lives have him as
their foundation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Going to church,
praying, and reading your Bible are all meaningless if you haven’t yet
submitted your life to the authority of Jesus—if you haven’t become a loyal
subject of the king.<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/template%20(3).doc#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">Sometimes people
want to be ‘church-goers’ but they don’t want to live for Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They want Christianity without Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They miss the capstone!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For those of us who claim to be Christians,
there can be the danger of forgetting that Christianity is Christ—that it is
because of him that we are accepted by God and that it is because of him that
we are joined together as church (part of his new temple).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">What should be
the reaction of Mark’s original readers in the church at Rome when they reflect
upon the fact that Jesus, who was rejected by the temple authorities, has
become the capstone of a living temple of which they are a part?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">It is
marvellous in our eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>They are to
marvel!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What should be our reaction to
the fact that that temple extends to us—that the gospel has being brought to
this island and we have been given the opportunity to become one of Christ’s
people?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are to marvel!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole thing should be marvellous to us!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">It should cause
us to marvel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We should think about it
and think ‘wow!’ with a bigger ‘wow’ than we might think if we were standing
looking at the <st1:place w:st="on">Grand Canyon</st1:place>—this is more
amazing!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is marvellous and it gives
us reason to celebrate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This marvellous
thing should cause more joy than any renovations to our home, a new car, or the
holiday that we are looking forward to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s simply the best things ever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even when life stinks and we may feel utterly down, there is something
amazing that we can be glad about—we are a part of God’s new temple centred on
Jesus, because of his rejection to a cross we have become one of his dearly
loved people!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Conclusion:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">It is a
dangerous thing to refuse to recognise certain people!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would not be good advice to tell a person
in court to ignore the person with the wig and the robes—they might end up
behind bars. It is a dangerous thing to refuse to recognise who Jesus is,
resisting his authority.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The religious
leaders who had confronted Jesus had done that. There opposition to him was
treason against God and they would face a dreadful judgement for what they had
done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have refused to face up to
who Jesus is, not submitted you life to the authority he claims over you
consider this—in resisting him you give assent to the tenants treason and you
will face a similar judgement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a
couple of moments I am going to invite you to repent of your rebellion and to
enthrone him as the rightful king of your life!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">If you have
submitted your life to him I want you to see that there is something marvellous
in this passage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What Jesus prophesied
would happened did happen—the tenants did kill the Son, that Friday Jesus was
crucified and buried.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the stone that
the builders rejected has become the capstone—the Lord has built a new temple,
a living temple, of people who have come to Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After this sermon I am going to ask you to
marvel at this—that he has made us a part of his temple centred on Christ; and
during the week, even if things seem awful, try to take some time to marvel!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/template%20(3).doc#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> Illustration idea adapted from Mark Meynell, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Christ</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Church</st1:placetype></st1:place>,
Fullwood. </span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/template%20(3).doc#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> Roger Simpson, preaching of Mark 11:27-33, at All Soul’s, <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Langham Place</st1:address></st1:street>.</span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn3" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/template%20(3).doc#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> Under specified circumstances an inheritance could be regards as
‘ownerless property’, which could be lawfully claimed by anyone, the prior
right of ownership belonging to the claimant who comes first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lane (1974), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Gospel of Mark</i>, Eerdmans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn4" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/template%20(3).doc#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Point adapted from
Rupert Higgins, preaching at All Soul’s, <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Langham Place</st1:address></st1:street>. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 10.0pt;">During the Methodist church’s conference last June one
minister said the following during a discussion: ‘God has given us many
religions, but only one world.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His
sentiment was sincere, he longs for harmony between differing people groups,
but his theology was rubbish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
religion of the temple had rejected Jesus and so was of no value—any religion
that does not centre on him is worthless.</span></p>
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>To whom it may concernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12606673833737508249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-815187212465418058.post-43769320344110351702024-03-06T17:59:00.001+00:002024-03-06T17:59:08.866+00:00Deuteronomy: ‘The One and Only<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: center 233.85pt left 430.75pt; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqJLNsiWASO3jbKZlE58gkSpaKs9XQTRyuoRozVdn-kZ-k30qi_91HrnzOJQTcIOjNON_4qys6eR2KA0eNF5qLeKACDqYV_2aY0m7jW__r_TvpBJsv4mbLRDo8INxSnm4vyu0RmJ1ACHfwCFjNRbUXGMKCJ9tDw2YJCTzuox1Ms7SHU1irxNUsWPFeU8iq" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="313" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqJLNsiWASO3jbKZlE58gkSpaKs9XQTRyuoRozVdn-kZ-k30qi_91HrnzOJQTcIOjNON_4qys6eR2KA0eNF5qLeKACDqYV_2aY0m7jW__r_TvpBJsv4mbLRDo8INxSnm4vyu0RmJ1ACHfwCFjNRbUXGMKCJ9tDw2YJCTzuox1Ms7SHU1irxNUsWPFeU8iq" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">This book
opens with God’s people in the wilderness preparing to enter the promised
land—do you get a feeling <i>deja-vous</i>?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We’ve been here before—at the beginning of Numbers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However in Numbers a whole generation of
adults<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%207%20Dueteronomy%20(1).doc#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> failed
to trust God and enter the land, so they died in the desert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now we are preparing for entry again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">On the plains
of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Moab</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
by the river <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Jordan</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
Moses addresses them before he dies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
three sermons he gives them God’s instructions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He urges them not to blow it like their parent’s generation had, in the
light of all that God had done they are to trust and obey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Sermon 1 ‘The One and
Only’ (chapters 1:5-4):<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The first and
shortest sermon begins in chapter 1 verse 5.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In this Moses spends a lot of time reminding them of what has been
happening during their time in the wilderness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Despite the fact that God had preformed miraculous signs among them the
people had refused to believe that he could conquer the inhabitants of <st1:place w:st="on">Canaan</st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So that
generation did not enter the land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘Just
like you might send a disobedient child to his or her room, God sent a
disobedient <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>
into the desert to think over their “attitude problem”’<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%207%20Dueteronomy%20(1).doc#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God did however care for them in the
wilderness (2:7), and strengthened them so that, after the period of
discipline, the next generation could receive the Promised Land.<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%207%20Dueteronomy%20(1).doc#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Moses reminds
them of these things to highlight what God is like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To show them how God does things—so that they
might know who it is that they are dealing with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In chapter 4 comes the most important thing
they are to know about God—he is ‘the One and Only’: <i>. . . ‘the LORD is God;
besides him there is no other’ (NIV)</i> (<st1:time hour="4" minute="35" w:st="on">4:35</st1:time>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is not only the central message of the
first sermon—this is the central message of the whole book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Sermon 2 Part 1:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘God who takes the initiative’ (chapters
5-7):</span></u></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The second
sermon, which begins in chapter 5, is the longest by far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has, however, a simple structure: after
telling them more about the LORD, Moses focuses on how they should respond to
him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With this in mind we are going to
divide the sermon in two.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It opens by reminding them
that their relationship with God is the result of God’s initiative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was God who rescued them from <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Egypt</st1:place></st1:country-region> (5:6)—and
in so doing made them into a nation; and it was God who initiated a covenant
with this new nation at Sinai (Horeb) (5:2).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">As in Exodus,
the Ten Commandments are introduced here with a reminder of what God has
already done for them (5:6).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their
obedience to these commands is not what will save them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God has already saved them!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their obedience is to be their response to
his salvation.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">But why did
God save them?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What prompted him to take
the initiative?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deuteronomy 7:6-9:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 18.0pt; margin-right: 17.75pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">For you are a
people holy to the LORD your God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to
be his people, his treasured possession.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 18.0pt; margin-right: 17.75pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The LORD did
not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than
other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it was because the LORD loved you and
kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a
mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of
Pharaoh king of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Egypt</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Know, therefore, that the LORD your God is
God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant love to a thousand
generations of those who love him and keep his commands. (NIV)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Did God choose
them because they were an impressive nation of people?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Quite the opposite, they were insignificant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He simply loved them because he loved them,
and because he is the God who is faithful to his covenant promises.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">When we think
of our salvation we remember that God took the first step.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He rescued us from slavery—a second Exodus, on
the cross freeing us from slavery to sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He has loved us even though we have done nothing to deserve that
love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rom. 5:8 . . ‘<i>God demonstrated
his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us’
(NIV)</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He did not set his love on us
because we were impressive or faithful, we were weak and rebellious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To the Christian he says, ‘I love you not
because you are better, or wiser, or more attractive, or more impressive than
anyone else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I simply love you because
in grace I choose to love you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing
can separate you from my love.’ <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;"> </span></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Sermon 2: Part 2,
Response: ‘Trust and Obey’ (Chapters 6-28)<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Ch. 6 tells us
that there is really only one fundamental response that <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region> should
make to the LORD—to love him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Verses
4-5, <i>Hear, O <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>:
The LORD our God, the LORD is one</i> [he is the one and only]. <i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Love the LORD your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your strength’ (NIV)</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are to love him with every fibre of
their being.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">God has
demonstrated his awesome love for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He has been committed to them through thick and thin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite the stubbornness of his people he has
stuck with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, God disciplined
them—he did it to wake them up to themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He never stopped wanting the best for <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is biblical love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is essentially commitment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Love is not just a warm, fuzzy feeling,
although that may be a part of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Love
is primarily a deliberate expression of loyalty.<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%207%20Dueteronomy%20(1).doc#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The remainder
of the second sermon spells out the behaviour that is to demonstrate their love
for the LORD.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their love is to be shown
in trust and obedience.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Israel</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">’s first attempt to enter
the Promised Land had ended in disaster because they had rebelled against God
and refused to enter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moses points out
that what they had been lacking was trust and obedience (see Duet. <st1:time hour="9" minute="23" w:st="on">9:23</st1:time>-24).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a result they spent forty years in the
wilderness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deuteronomy contains a great
deal of instruction about how that wilderness experience should have taught
them the importance of trust and obedience.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">For example in
chapter 8, Moses points to LORD’s provision of manna.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It should have taught them that God can be
trusted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every day they had to trust God
to feed them, and not once had he failed them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now as they prepared to enter the land they were to trust God, and once
in the land—enjoying its luxuries, they were not to forget that everything
comes from God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">At the start
of chp.11, Moses takes another lesson they should have learned from their time
in the wilderness—a lesson to teach them the importance of obeying God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dathan and Abiram treated God with contempt
and were literally swallowed up by the earth (see Numbers 16:1-35).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through such events God reminds the people
that obedience is important—as is spelt out in the rest of that chapter.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The rest of
the second sermon is heavy going.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
contains lots of specific ways they are to obey God once in the Promised
Land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their diversity reminds us that
every aspect of life is relevant to God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some of them are extensions of the Ten Commandments, applying their
principles for a new setting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many are
designed to be a reminder of God’s absolute holiness.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">But what about
us, are we to follow all the commands that are given here?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have looked at this already in our Bible
overview.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The laws Moses gave to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region> were for
the old covenant, not the new.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Christians are no longer under the law (e.g. Rom. <st1:time hour="6" minute="14" w:st="on">6:14</st1:time>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">However, that
does not mean that these verses are irrelevant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When we read them we should look behind the law and consider what aspect
of God’s character it is referring to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For example, many of the laws relate to God’s concern for the needy—as
we read them we remember that God is merciful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">One last thing
about obedience before we move on to the third sermon: <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region> was to
keep these laws out of love for God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This was not supposed to be a dry, cold, legalism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was to be a labour of love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the same way, as Christians, we are to
obey God out of love for him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God has
saved us, he has made us his people, and in response we ought to love him with
thankful hearts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And our love should be
show itself in obedience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Jesus said,
‘If you love me you will obey my commands’ (John <st1:time hour="14" minute="15" w:st="on">14:15</st1:time>).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;"> </span></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Sermon 3: ‘Happily ever
after?’(Chapters 29-33):<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">As we reach
the third and last sermon the unimaginable is about to happen—Moses is going to
die.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was the leader God used to bring
them out of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Egypt</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
who led them while they were in the wilderness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In preparation for Moses’ death Joshua is endorsed as his successor
(31:1-8), and the things that God had told Moses are written down (31:9-13).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In this last
sermon Moses presents them with a choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is a choice that all of Deuteronomy has been presenting to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are they going to follow God when they enter
the Promised Land?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a choice between
life and death; between God’s way and their own way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">If they choose
God’s way it will be like <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Eden</st1:place></st1:city>
all over again—they will be God’s people, in God’s place, enjoying God’s
blessing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If they choose to go their own
way it will be like the Fall all over again. As Adam and Eve were removed from
the garden, so they will be removed from the Promised Land (see chapter 28).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In the last
chapters we see what <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s
choice will be. Again they will choose not to follow him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Continue reading through the Old Testament
and you’ll see what happens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We read of
continued rebellion, idolatry, corrupt kings, and civil war until—in line with
his warning in Deuteronomy—God tears <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region> out of the Promised Land
(first by sending the Assyrians and then the Babylonians to conquer and displace
them—see 1 and 2 Kings).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So a book that
began with such hope—a new generation about to enter the Promised Land, ends in
disappointment—<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>
will mess it up again!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It leaves us with
questions: ‘what can be done to make a people who are obedient?’ ‘Is there any
way that sin can finally be dealt with?’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">These
questions point us to Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For on the
cross Jesus broke the grip of sin in our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>On the cross Jesus opened up the way for us to be forgiven by God and
become his obedient children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moreover,
Jesus’ followers have the Spirit living within them, enabling us to put to
death our sinful nature.<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%207%20Dueteronomy%20(1).doc#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;"> </span></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Conclusion:</span></u></b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The LORD is
the one and only.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who or what else is
there that should command our greatest loyalty?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The LORD is
the gracious God, who rescued his people from slavery in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Egypt</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s fundamental response to
him is to be one of grateful love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
love that was to be demonstrated by trusting him and obeying him!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The LORD has
rescued us from something worse than slavery in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Egypt</st1:place></st1:country-region>—slavery to sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore our fundamental response to him is
to be one of grateful love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A love
demonstrated by trusting and obeying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
is a response we can make because Jesus has given us a fresh start and a fresh
heart!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%207%20Dueteronomy%20(1).doc#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 8.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 8.0pt;"> A lot of this sermon used material adapted
from Bryson Smith, <i>The One and Only</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Interactive Bible Study available from www.thegoodbook.co.uk<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%207%20Dueteronomy%20(1).doc#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 8.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 8.0pt;"> With the exception of Joshua and Caleb.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn3" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%207%20Dueteronomy%20(1).doc#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 8.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 8.0pt;"> Bryson Smith, <i>The One and Only, </i>p.
13.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn4" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%207%20Dueteronomy%20(1).doc#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 8.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 8.0pt;"> Bryson Smith, <i>The One and Only, </i>p.
16.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn5" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%207%20Dueteronomy%20(1).doc#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 8.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 8.0pt;"> Bryson Smith, <i>The One and Only, </i>p.
33.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn6" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%207%20Dueteronomy%20(1).doc#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 8.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 8.0pt;"> Moses had seen that a radical work was
necessary in the heart was needed (Duet. 30:1-10).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 8.0pt;">J. G. Millar,
‘Despite all that God has done for his people, they will surely disobey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moses however, goes on to anticipate the later
prophetic discussions of the ‘new covenant’ [e.g. Jer. 31-34].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The grace which God has shown to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region> in the
past will one day be surpassed by his provision of a lasting solution to the
problem of human sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the deepest
level, the theology of Deuteronomy is a theology of grace, and thus anticipates
the coming of Jesus to deal with the problem as human sin.<i> </i>In Alexander
and Rosner (Ed.s), <i>New Dictionary of Biblical Theology.</i></span><span lang="EN-GB"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>To whom it may concernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12606673833737508249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-815187212465418058.post-2286793741673310872024-02-28T18:24:00.000+00:002024-02-28T18:24:01.274+00:00Old Testament Overview: Numbers<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjm9hBf_u-ZREwuD1zWDzJFl2Wy3mwGfv52lh4Vz41dmSAnErfqyA4PyRY8Y_-KIrVbD4_JaY_qPlHe93veHozDSQ6lVDQYg3_PE1Doc1z_4Lkwzf21Y3wD6wJdZQ27jjyU65dK3bQBOKyDisQgMA60QutCSm3GwXsqGoQ6QidiuYWegjIYV1hPlfK3ADC4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjm9hBf_u-ZREwuD1zWDzJFl2Wy3mwGfv52lh4Vz41dmSAnErfqyA4PyRY8Y_-KIrVbD4_JaY_qPlHe93veHozDSQ6lVDQYg3_PE1Doc1z_4Lkwzf21Y3wD6wJdZQ27jjyU65dK3bQBOKyDisQgMA60QutCSm3GwXsqGoQ6QidiuYWegjIYV1hPlfK3ADC4" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>By the time we come to Numbers God’s people have experienced some amazing things. They have seen how God delivered them from Egypt. They had walked through the parted sea and watched as God drowned their pursuers. They had been fed manna in the wilderness. They had been delivered from the Amalekites.</span></p><p><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Now they are preparing to enter Canaan. This should be an exciting time for them. God has demonstrated that his power and his faithfulness, surely they will trust him and obey, taking the land that he has promised. If only things worked out so well!</span></p><p>Preparation for entry: (Chapters 1-10)</p><p>On the first anniversary of the Exodus the Tabernacle was erected (Exodus 40:17), a fortnight later the Passover had been celebrated (Numbers 9:1-3), and a fortnight later again a census was taken. Numbers takes its name from the censuses that are recorded in it.</p><p>We see this first census in chapter 1. Note that this census is of all the men twenty years or over, who would be able to serve as soldiers. This is preparation for war—the rabble that had emerged from Egypt is beginning to look like an impressive army. Three weeks later the march begins. The Tabernacle is dismantled and God marches before them in a pillar of cloud (Numbers 10:11-12).</p><p>How are things looking? Things are looking good!</p><p>Entry Postponed: chapters 10-19</p><p>However, within hours of setting out the people start grumbling. They complain about the conditions God was making them endure—especially with regards food and water. They refuse to accept the leaders he has provided. Most seriously, despite all the evidence of God’s power that they have witnessed as he delivered them from Egypt, they will not trust that he is able to bring them into the land.</p><p>Moses had sent out spies to explore the place. They returned with fruit proving that it was indeed ‘a land flowing with milk and honey’, but the spies added that in their view the inhabitants were invincible (see chapter 13). At this report the people wept. Two of the spies, Caleb and Joshua, urged them not to disobey the LORD or fear the people of the land (14:5-9). But it was no use, indeed the people talked of stoning them.</p><p>The people had treated the LORD with contempt, they had refused to believe in him despite the miraculous signs he had performed among them (14:11), and so God’s judgement fell upon them for their rebellion. None of the adults of that generation, except for Caleb and Joshua, would enter the Promised Land. For forty years they wondered in the wilderness, and there they died.</p><p>What has happened God’s promise? In faithfulness to his promise he does not abandon it but, because of their unbelief, it is postponed.</p><p>Preparation for entry ‘again’: chapters 20-36</p><p>It would seem that by chapters 20 and 21 all the older and unbelieving generation had died. The census of chapter 26 confirms this. So at the end of Numbers we are again getting ready for entry into the land. In preparation we see discussions on such things as inheritance issues—for when the people are settled, and the urgent question of who will succeed Moses and lead the people into the Promised Land is answered with the appointment of Joshua. In these chapters God’s promises again come to the fore. We see this in the story of Balaam. </p><p>Balaam is hired by the king of Moab to curse the advancing Israelites, but Balaam finds he is unable to do anything but bless them, even quoting God’s promises to Abraham in the process. Here is a pagan prophet incapable of nullifying God’s promise. The Moabites, standing between Israel and Canaan, are not able to stop its fulfilment.</p><p>In both Matthew (4:1-11) and Luke (4:1-13) a parallel is seen between Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness and Israel’s forty years in the desert. The temptations that Jesus faced were almost identical to those faced by Israel—relating to food, protection and idolatry. But Jesus did not give in to the temptations. He responds to the devil by quoting passages from Deuteronomy—passages that were dealing with Israel’s wilderness experience. Jesus is the new Israel, where the old Israel failed.</p><p>Amongst John’s use of Numbers is the story of the bronze snake in the desert, recorded in Numbers 21:4-9. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, we read in John 3, so the Son of man must be lifted up (a reference to the cross and his exaltation), that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life (John 3:14-15). </p><p>In the New Testament epistles (the letters) this time in the desert stands as a great warning to us. As we have seen, despite being miraculously delivered from Egypt, and daily evidences of God providing for their needs, Israel refused to believe and rebelled against their Saviour. God’s judgements against them are a warning for us. In a passage that draws heavily from Numbers Paul writes, these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did’ (see 1 Corinthians 10:1-13). Vaughan Roberts expands, ‘If we have faith in Christ, we too have been set free from slavery (to sin, not to Egypt) by a Passover sacrifice (of Jesus, not a lamb), and we have been set on a journey to the promised land (heaven, not Canaan). We must make sure that we do not fall because of sin and unbelief, but that we keep trusting God until we reach the destination.’ </p><p><br /></p><p>Conclusion: </p><p>Balaam recognised that God is unchangeable declaring, ‘God is not man . . . that he should change his mind’ (23:19). Because he is unchangeable the Bible is not just describing what God was like but what he is like (see Hebrews 13:8).</p><p><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>In Numbers our unchanging God is affirmed as holy. What should be our response to a holy God? The Apostle Peter tells us: . . . just as he who calls you is holy, so be holy in all you do (1 Peter 1:15).</span></p><p><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>And in Numbers we see God’s presence with his people—the ark and the moving cloud were images of God going with his people. As Balaam declared, ‘. . . The LORD their God is with them . . .’ (23:21). We thank him that through his Spirit he dwells within his people today (1 Cor. 3:16-17). </span></p><p><br /></p>To whom it may concernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12606673833737508249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-815187212465418058.post-72563931732179205982024-01-16T10:27:00.000+00:002024-01-16T10:27:06.603+00:00‘A full Christ is for empty sinners’ (2 Kings 4)<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg99OAu7fn9af_e0PSqHOdt7enxguw3OTQ4gV7UY4FSeA0AT4Wb01FO-FVYkgYZZR1y90eQAccxm7YIdn9eiBfl-lLJBdGpZI71xh5Wf-oVo2HY3ix_YVzhxw1AQxuUOXuwVkeKcDvHvFBqDbo9aEW0QVJT17mcT9YuMVBALKQcM7yk-OqT9Fx8JodFWVPb" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="187" data-original-width="313" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg99OAu7fn9af_e0PSqHOdt7enxguw3OTQ4gV7UY4FSeA0AT4Wb01FO-FVYkgYZZR1y90eQAccxm7YIdn9eiBfl-lLJBdGpZI71xh5Wf-oVo2HY3ix_YVzhxw1AQxuUOXuwVkeKcDvHvFBqDbo9aEW0QVJT17mcT9YuMVBALKQcM7yk-OqT9Fx8JodFWVPb" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Is the Bible sexist?
You see, so often in the Bible it is women who are portrayed as having
the faith that men lack. Then there is
the fact that God reveals His special care for people like widows. Why are women so often shown in better light
than men?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the book of Hebrews, we read that by faith, ‘women
received back their dead to life again’ (Hebrews 11:35). It was women who exercised this
extra-ordinary faith and received this amazing blessing. There are two recorded raising of the dead in
the Old Testament, both in the books of Kings and both to of the sons of
widows.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I think it is because women are often more marginalised, and
that marginalised people are quicker to cry to God for help.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In our reading we have three little stories that each show
the faithfulness of God to people who are in desperation.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->1.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--> Filling
for the empty (1-7)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This widow goes to the prophet Elisha and explains that ‘the
creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves’. In the ancient near east a person could be made
a slave in order to pay off a debt. In
God’s mercy He regulated this practice in His law and put time limits on it.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">All this woman has is a jar of oil. Elisha tells her to gather empty jars from
her neighbours. She does so, and God
fills those jars. Her debts are paid,
and they have oil to live off.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The great preacher Spurgeon comments on these verses saying,
‘a full Christ is for empty sinners only … it is not our emptiness, but our fullness
that can hinder the outpouring of free grace.’
It is only empty vessels that get filled.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One of the reasons that people like widows show such faith
in the Old Testament is because their situation made them vulnerable. They knew that they needed help. They knew that they needed God’s help. It is only when we face up to our brokenness
that we can grow in faith.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->2.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Life for the desperate (8-37)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Then we come to a wealthy Shunamite woman. Another woman who is aware of her need. Another example of God’s provision.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">She practices hospitality, which is something highly valued
in the Bible. Elisha tells her that God
is going to give her a son. The son
comes, years go by, and then the son dies.
She lays the dead boy’s body out on the bed that she has for Elisha in
her home.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One commentator says, ‘the woman lost her child but not her
faith’ (Wiseman).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now look at how the men in this story fail. She doesn’t tell her husband that the boy is
dead, presumably because he doesn’t share her strength of faith and might tell
her not to bother Elisha. Then there is
Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, who tries to keep the woman from the prophet. Even Elisha does not seem to know when his original
plan fails. But she says, ‘I am not
leaving you’. She seems to know better
than Elisha what was needed.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This determined and persistent faith is often shown in how Christian
mothers pray for their spiritually dead children. In the fourth century a woman called Monica
would not give up praying for her spiritually lost son, Augustine. He was found by God and become one of the
greatest Christian theologians of all time.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Do you notice her repeated response to people, ‘it is well’? Commentators suggest that what she is doing
is pushing enquires aside so that they don’t get in the way of her getting to
Elisha. But I wonder if these are also
words of faith. It is well, because God
will make it well. I was working on this
text around the time I found out that my dad was not going to be allowed home
from the hospital, but would have to go to a nursing home. I felt that God was saying, ‘it is well’, it
will turn out well.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The healing itself is a scene of shocking intimacy. It might make us uncomfortable. Men don’t do such closeness, unless of course
if they are doing evil. But this is not
evil, this is pure. To become a
Christian involves an intimate relationship with Jesus. Through the prophet God breathes life into
the boy. In a similar way God has
breathed life into you, if you are alive in Him. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jesus says, ‘I am the resurrection and life, those who believe
in me, though they die, yet shall they have life.’ Jesus raises the dead every day. Spiritually dead people are raised to
life. Those who die in the Lord are
raised to eternal life. If you think
that being made a Christian is any less dramatic that the physical raising of
this young man, then you have not realised how spiritually dead and condemned
sinful people are until Jesus changes us.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->3.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Grace for the starving (38-44)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The final section of our reading shows God’s provision for
starving people. There is both the cleansing
of contaminated food, and the multiplication of food. Our minds might be brought to Jesus who feed
both the four thousand and the five thousand.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Climax: Why are woman
more spiritual than men?</i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Tim Keller says that people who have been shut out from
power are more likely to get the gospel.
You see if you have power you are more tempted to be self-reliant. If you can see your vulnerability and
weakness you are more likely to look to God for help. In the ancient near east, and in almost every
society, women have been pushed down.
That place of merorganization has given them a spiritual advantage.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sadly, male pride can be a great barrier to spiritual
growth. Many men want to portray an
image of strength, and so avoid vulnerability.
Many marriages fail because the husband won’t admit they need help. Many children feel isolated because their dad
doesn’t know how to admit weakness. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p>But whether you are a man or woman, if you want to come to
faith, and grow in faith, then you need to come empty, persistent and
desperate, and you will find that it is well.
‘A full Christ is for empty sinners.’ </p>To whom it may concernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12606673833737508249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-815187212465418058.post-28889056599922252102024-01-08T12:04:00.006+00:002024-01-08T12:04:00.125+00:00‘This year remember there is nowhere else to turn’ (Psalm 107)<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQN31PQVUjkoeNTJIU1fLavPIu05evbfxGS5FVo0ALyshNPoC7rNfzIx2lQISeNJuMQKDFvysRpkoew8LzxTbM7TTHhV3wEFRFs7cBdH01z6drprsGUna7tesnLncG_DhYKsPDEedPJRtYBLs6XgVWPPwVPsaaMrG5s8Rc8nzeQq8T8Cuion3U_69veVRg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="234" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQN31PQVUjkoeNTJIU1fLavPIu05evbfxGS5FVo0ALyshNPoC7rNfzIx2lQISeNJuMQKDFvysRpkoew8LzxTbM7TTHhV3wEFRFs7cBdH01z6drprsGUna7tesnLncG_DhYKsPDEedPJRtYBLs6XgVWPPwVPsaaMrG5s8Rc8nzeQq8T8Cuion3U_69veVRg" width="312" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">‘This year remember there is nowhere else to turn’ (Psalm 107)<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Martyn Lloyd-Jones criticised the language of ‘decision’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He didn’t like how people claim to have made
‘a decision’ to follow Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s too
soft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not desperate enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He writes, ‘A sinner does not ‘decide’ for
Christ; a sinner ‘flies’ to Christ in utter helplessness and despair … the
convicted sinner no more ‘decides’ for Christ than the poor drowning man
‘decides’ to take hold of that rope that is thrown to him and suddenly provides
him with the only means of escape’ (Preachers and Preaching, 280).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In this psalm we see four groups of people cry out to God in
their desperation: the lonely (4), the rebellious (11), the foolish (17) and
the storm-tossed (23).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The lonely<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The lonely are in a wasteland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They do not have a city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They need other people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are not meant to live alone.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">God in His great mercy puts the lonely in families (Ps.
68:6).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He brings us to Himself and He
becomes our Father.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He brings us to His
people and unites us with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are
on our way to a city—the New Jerusalem.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Do we think of our faith in simply private terms?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do we think of it as a ‘personal’
relationship with God?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christianity is
not a solitary faith, it is to become part of a community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you keep other Christian’s at an arm’s
length or you have no meaningful relationship with a church community then you
are being immature, at best.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The rebellious<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In verse 11 we see those who have rebelled against God and
come to painful awareness of their guilt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Their conscience is tortured.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These verses are a little like Psalm 32, where King David had concealed his
guilt after his affair with Bathsheba.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He only found relief when he acknowledged his wrong and confessed his
guilt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then he experienced the joy of forgiveness.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The book of James tells us that we are to confess our sins
to each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why each other and not
just God?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think of three reasons:
confessing our sins to each other humbles us, it also makes us accountable, and
then, most importantly, it gives other Christians an opportunity to remind us
of the gospel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They can assure us that
because of the cross, Jesus never turns away anyone who comes to Him.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The fool<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The fool (17) is a particular type of rebel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their behaviour has them on a path to death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We might say that they have acted with a
sense of self-destruction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tim Keller
says that these people have become self-absorbed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But God rescues us from ourselves and shows
us how to live for Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He saves us from
our own stupidity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘Lord, show me how to
live for you?’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The storm-tossed<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The sea is a good picture of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes the waters are calm, often they are
not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those who cry out, in verse 23, are
in the middle of a storm, and they are scared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Two things are noticeable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Firstly, that the storm is under God’s control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He sent it (25).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our lives are never truly out of control when
our trust is in Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Secondly, He speaks
and stills the storm with a word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surely
that brings our mind to the gospels where we see Jesus doing things that God
does, because He is God the Son (e.g. Mark 4:35-39).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You may be in the middle of a storm at the moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus might come and still that storm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We pray for deliverance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, He might come and walk with is in that
storm.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As you think about this psalm are you willing to admit that
you are weak?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you see that in our
loneliness we need God’s people, we need His family and that together we are
traveling to a heavenly city?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are you
willing to admit that every day we let Him down, and every day we continue to
receive His grace?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can we see that our
foolish choices have left us with many messes, but that He is willing to make
our paths straight?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will we look to Him,
and trust Him, even when the storms in our lives make little sense to us?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Response <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How are we to respond to the God who brings the lonely to a
city, forgives our rebellions, sets our paths straight and still our
storms?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This psalm begins by telling us,
‘Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, His love endures forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let the redeemed tell their story.’ (1).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, that command to give thanks come
after each of the sections in this psalm (8, 15, 21 and 31).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then the psalm finishes saying, ‘let the wise
take heed and ponder’ (43).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We are the redeemed, if we trust in Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That means that God paid a great price to
free us for Himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have reason to
be glad.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We begin by pondering His goodness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ask God to let this fill us with
gratitude.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then it will become natural
to speak to people about His kindness.<o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p>To whom it may concernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12606673833737508249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-815187212465418058.post-44737325718997898932024-01-01T10:25:00.001+00:002024-01-01T10:25:00.133+00:00‘I can see clearly now’ (Genesis 38)<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmDPa4pNMncKo4BQRjuGU5nnaZBYU2bY6g-r7dBD-zKLH7Clb2Seu-E65BtX5mdWXv2ykEmFGRg6jpSGfYG-Y8pWXOPJ6ITb84EKHwOHw8gaGprhLFbMSkSW8enW7HepCSVAhCKEwwJ2-FYVuI59Es84h15SQRObW7C6D9VJfmSHXSWifzR73fnNWzXu9p" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="175" data-original-width="325" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmDPa4pNMncKo4BQRjuGU5nnaZBYU2bY6g-r7dBD-zKLH7Clb2Seu-E65BtX5mdWXv2ykEmFGRg6jpSGfYG-Y8pWXOPJ6ITb84EKHwOHw8gaGprhLFbMSkSW8enW7HepCSVAhCKEwwJ2-FYVuI59Es84h15SQRObW7C6D9VJfmSHXSWifzR73fnNWzXu9p" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I think most of us work off a system of comparative
righteousness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We try to justify
ourselves by comparing ourselves with other people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘I know it’s wrong, but everyone else does
it.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘There are people who are far worse
than me.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we confess to someone,
they might unhelpfully say, ‘sure, you are only human.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A man confessed to his priest, and the priest
replied, ‘I hear a whole lot worse, you’ll be fine.’<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But we are measured by God’s standard, and He does not
simply compare us to everybody else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His
standard is Jesus, and we all fall short.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When we compare ourselves to Him we see our need of forgiveness and
grace.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Judah sees and takes (1-11)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">‘At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay
with a man of Adullam named Hirah’ (1).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is not the first time we meet Judah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When his mother Leah gave birth to Judah she
praised God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Judah does not seem to
share her faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Jacob’s sons
turned of Joseph it was Judah who suggests to sell him rather than kill
him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was that mercy, or was that simply
a desire for profit?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Judah is probably around sixteen or seventeen at the beginning
of the chapter, and as happens many people that age he falls under the spell of
bad influence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He becomes like a
Canaanite.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There is an interesting comparison between the brothers
Joseph and Judah in these chapters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While Joseph left the family involuntarily, being sold into slavery,
Judah chooses to leave. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Presumably he
was leaving his father and his father’s faith as well.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In verse 2 Judah literally ‘saw’ a Canaanite girl—someone
who did not know God—and he took her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There is an echo of Eden here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Like Eve he sees, he wants and he takes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Judah and his wife conceive and she gives birth to Er, then Oran and
then Shelah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jacob takes a wife for Er,
her name is Tamar, but Er is evil in the ‘sight’ of the LORD (7), and God puts
Er to death.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There was a tradition that when a son died without having an
heir the widow would become the wife of the nearest relative and the first son
she would have would be considered the heir of the deceased.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Onan realises that this would not be in
his best interests, he wants the share of the inheritance that would go through
Er, and so he withdraws before he ejaculates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>His unwillingness to provide a son for Er was evil in the ‘sight’ of the
LORD (10), so God puts him to death.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jacob tells Tamar to wait until Shelah is old enough to
marry her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But he has no intention of
going through with this promise because he thinks that Tamar is the reason his
sons died.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is a superstitious man who
will not face his own sin and the sin of his sons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘I might not be walking with the LORD, but at
least I am not like that Canaanite woman.’<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Judah sees and takes, again (12-23)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We have noticed that there is an emphasis of ‘sight’ and saw’
in this chapter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now Judah commits evil
in a place called Enam, which means either ‘two springs’ or ‘two eyes.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God sees what we do.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Tamar is desperate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Shelah has grown up and she now knows that Judah has no intention of
going through with his promise of having her marry him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is likely to be a childless widow, in a
society where that would leave you desperate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">She seems to know what sort of man Judah is—he is a man who
will pay for sex.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was going off to
his sheepshearers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has been
widowed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has a plan.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Lust, and any evil, has a way of making a fool of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He does not recognise Tamar, and thinks that
she is a prostitute.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He offers her the
price of a goat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a pledge he gives
her his seal, staff and cloak—think wallet, driving licence and credit cards.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the next chapter we see Joseph resisting the seduction of
Potiphar’s wife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a contrast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joseph is under great pressure and
resists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Judah very willingly gives in
to lust.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Judah has his eyes opened (24-32)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When Judah finds that Tamar is unmarried and pregnant he
wants justice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He calls for her to be
burned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How different he is from Joseph,
not Joseph his brother but Joseph and Mary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That Joseph seems to do everything to show mercy (Matthew 1:18).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Judah has no mercy!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">God hates the sexism and double standards that Judah
applies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Look at Hosea (4:14), ‘I will
not punish your daughters when they turn to prostitution, nor your daughters-in-law
when they commit adultery, because the men themselves consort with harlots and
sacrifice to shrine prostitutes—a people without understanding will come to
ruin.’<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now Judah has his eyes opened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tamar proves that he is the father.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘She is more righteous than I am, since I did
not give her my son Shelah’ (26).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Judah
sees his guilt in an absolute sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
is no longer trying to justify himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When he compares he sees that others are more righteous than he is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He would be happy to count himself among the chief
of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You are watching something you should not on your computer
and someone walks in; someone exposes a lie that you have been telling; you are
overheard saying horrible things about someone, what do you do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You could make excuses, but you should simply
hold your hands up and ask God to forgive you and change your heart.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Judah actually changes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I looked up the meaning of this chapter on Google and one person explained
that this chapter shows ‘how Judah began to transform from an egocentric person
willing to sell his brother into slavery, into someone willing to become a
slave in the place of his brother Benjamin.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That certainly is part of this story.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Judah seems to have been reunited with his father and his
father’s God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When they reconnect with
Joseph, who is now second in command in Egypt, Joseph tells them to go home but
leave Benjamin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They haven’t recognised
Joseph yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Judah knows that Joseph and Benjamin
were his father’s favourites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He knows
that his father will be heartbroken if anything happens Benjamin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, Judah offers himself as a guarantee in
the place of Benjamin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He sees clearly now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He has seen his own sin, and he responds to God’s mercy with mercy.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Climax</i> (33-34)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This chapter ends with the unusual birth of two twins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tamar gives birth, and Perez is the eldest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The line from Abraham to Judah to David to
Jesus was under threat by Judah’s sin, but God has remained in control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tamar, this dodgy outsider is going to be an ancestor
of the Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God saw Tamar in her
suffering and he cared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He does not
condone her actions, but in mercy he blessed her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">God also saw Judah, self-centred and carnal, and brought him
to his senses.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Can we see clearly now?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There was a line that goes through Judah to Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus who comes to save his people from their
sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A line of grace and mercy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A message that can make bitter people
kind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, we pray, ‘change my heart, O
Lord.’ <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>To whom it may concernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12606673833737508249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-815187212465418058.post-45384923182644604922023-12-19T20:43:00.000+00:002023-12-19T20:43:03.602+00:00When sisters go to war (Genesis 30:1-24)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div><p></p><p>Sibling
rivalry. The relationships between
sisters, and brothers, can be complicated.
Maybe there is a sense of injustice in how you were parented. You might feel that your sibling was treated
as the favorite. Maybe the way your
parents applauded success resulted in you competing for their approval. Maybe you look at how their lives have turned
out and can’t help comparing, making you either self-righteous or bitter. Being sisters can be complicated, but imagine
how complicated it would be if you shared a husband!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Perhaps
Leah thought, ‘if only I had Rachel’s looks, then I would be happy,’ or, ‘if
only my husband loved me the way he loves her, then my life would be complete.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If only I had their marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rachel might have thought, ‘if only I could have
children like Leah.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If only I had their
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are on a dangerous road when we
start comparing our lives to others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
is a road marked discontent, and it’s downhill.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Bitterness
is an acid that eats its own container.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It rots our bones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Watch how
these two women end up using their children as a pawn in a competition with
each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not unusual for
parents to use their children as a tool to try to impress the world and prove
their worth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rachel’s chief desire, for
most of this passage, for having children, was to spite her sister. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rivalry damages our relationships and ruins our
peace</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> (1-13)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">‘When
Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She said to Jacob, ‘Give me children or I
die!’ (1).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">You are in
a bad place when anything in this life becomes so important to us that it feels
that life is not worth living without it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Don’t build your life around getting those grades, grabbing that career,
meeting the right person or being the perfect parent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember that in Christ we have been given
every spiritual blessing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surely if we
know God’s forgiveness, realize His acceptance and have the sure hope of an
eternity with Him, then everything else is secondary.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">But be careful
how you say that to other people, though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They may look at you and say, ‘that is easy for you to say with your
life, you don’t have to live in my pain.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Begin with each other by being aware of the hurts they carry and be
willing to mourn with those who mourn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is then that you may get the opportunity to show them how to count
their blessings.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Jacob seems
to be quite rough in his response to Rachel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>‘It is not me who is stopping you having babies, it is God.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is really angry with Rachel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is a problem when we become jealous of
other people. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bitterness puts a strain
on all our relationships.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rachel is
looking to Jacob for children, not God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But then Jacob is not like his father, Isaac, who prayed for Rebekah
when she was in the same situation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The
horrible thing is that Rachel’s desire for children is motivated by her
jealousy of Leah. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As often happens,
rather than wait of God, Jacob and Rachel come up with their own plan, a
foolish plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rachel gives her servant,
Bilhah, as a substitute wife and Jacob has sex with her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The resulting child was considered
Rachel’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Think how cruel all of this is
to that servant girl!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rachel
feels that she has been vindicated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
her second son is born, she Naphtali, meaning wrestling, and declares, ‘I’ve
won!’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She put one over on Leah. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One commentator writes, ‘can a woman get so
low that she would hit her sister over the head with a baby?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rachel did!’ (Barnhouse).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It is
tragic to watch Leah join this competition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At the end of the last chapter Leah had found her peace in God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now that peace is unsettled by sibling
rivalry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leah though she could have no
more children, so she gives her servant Zilpah to Jacob.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gad and Asher are born.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Asher means ‘happy.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She gives him this name. ‘For I am
happy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The women call me happy’
(13).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her focus is no longer God’s
goodness to her, but simply what other people think of her life! <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Remember
that you are a sister or brother with every other Christian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are a sister or brother with every
believer in your church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are a
sister or brother with the believers in every other church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Christ, you have a heavenly husband who
shows no favoritism, and is working out his individual plan in each of our
lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t compare your life to him or
her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Peter realized the suffering
that he was called to endure for the gospel and asked of John, ‘what about
him?’, Jesus replied, ‘what is that to you? You follow me’ (John 21:22).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Discontent spreads</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> (14-21)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Sadly,
things get more pathetic between Rachel and Leah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leah’s son Reuben finds some mandrakes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reuben is probably about five or six.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He brings them to his mother, and Rachel is
desperate to have some. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Commentators
aren’t sure what the mandrakes are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Hebrew possibly means ‘love flower.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They were probably rare and precious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Matthew Henry comments that ‘the Lord of nature has not only provided
for our necessities, but for our delight.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>God’s creation is both functional and beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He not only provides for us, He loves to
delight us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Look how
far these women have sunk. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Rachel asks
for some of the mandrakes, Leah erupts in bitterness, ‘Is it not enough that
you took my husband, but you must have my son’s mandrakes too?’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(15).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
may be that Mandrakes were thought to induce fertility, which is why Rachel is
so desperate for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She longs for a
child. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Leah has
now fallen back into the trap of her value in Jacob’s assessment of her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘This time my husband will honor me for I
have borne him six sons’ (19).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has
enslaved herself to the opinion of others.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Do you the downward
progression of discontent?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had been
arguing about a husband and children, now they are fighting over flowers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The heart grows harder and harder if we let
bitterness get the better of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So how
do we counter-act bitterness?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ask the
Holy Spirit to shape you as you set your eyes of God’s goodness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My friend Brenda is a lecturer in psychology
in the university of Maynooth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She talks
of the positive affects of gratitude.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Practicing thankfulness can actually reorder the neurological pathways
of our brains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gratitude even
strengthens us to face future traumatic events.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My friend Betsy always tells people to work through the alphabet
thinking of things to thank God for! <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">God can soften our jealous hearts</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(22-23)<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">‘God
remembered Rachel’ (22). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the Old
Testament, when it says that God remembered, it is not implying that He had
forgotten.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It indicates that God is
about to take a significant action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
‘listened to her’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has finally
turned from blaming Jacob for her lack of children, to praying to God for His blessing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He ‘gave her a son’.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rachel has
acted appallingly in this story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But God
has not stopped being kind to her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
does not treat us as our sins deserve but according to His loving-kindness.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">‘God has
taken away my reproach.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fertility was a
seen as a sign of God’s favor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No doubt
Leah had often reminded her of this.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">‘May the
LORD add to me another son’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some
commentators see this as a declaration of Rachel’s renewed confidence and faith
in God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Certainly, we can see her faith
in how she is now referring to God as LORD (Yahweh), the name of the
promise-keeping God in relationship with His people, not simply as the more
general word for God (Adonai).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is
a tragic sequel to this prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
that son does come she dies in childbirth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He is names Ben-oni (‘son of my sorrow’).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Every time
these two women inflicted pain on each other they were presented with a
junction in the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They could either
chose to respond with bitterness or trust in God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The same is true for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When people say things and do things that
hurt us we can either harden our hearts towards them or we can plead with God
to help us love them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems that at
every point in this story these two women chose bitterness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But God did not give up on them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The story ends with Rachel expressing trust
in God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is never too late to put an
end to gossip and a critical spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God
still wants to soften your heart and help you overcome.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Climax:<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">This story
is a reminder of the imperfect people God uses to fulfil His purposes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a horrible story of two bitter and
jealous women.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is sibling rivalry
at its very worst.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is moral
compromise and hatred.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet God uses
these two women, in all their sin, to bring about His purpose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God had promised Jacob’s grandfather,
Abraham, that his descendants would be as numerous as the sand on the sea shore
and the stars in the sky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their rivalry
was helping to bring this about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No-one’s sin stops God’s plans coming into being.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As is seen most clearly on the cross, where
wicked men motivated by bitterness and jealousy crucified Jesus, and in so
doing made the way for us to become a part of Abraham and Jacob’s spiritual
family.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">But what
about your life?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What about those areas
where it doesn’t seem as great as other people’s lives?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You might be content in singleness, but you
might not be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe you never met Mr.
Right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe no one considered you to be
Mr. Right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe you have struggled with
your fertility or endured the pain of miscarriages, and the sight of other
people’s children pains you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What about
sibling rivalry?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did your father or
mother favor your brother or sister?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did
they fail to met your hopes and do you feel like you have not reached their
expectations?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Has your career gone
backwards?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have your children gone
wayward?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Has your own bitterness
consumed you?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">There is
always restoration in Jesus to those who will let Him soften their hearts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of the eunuchs God said, ‘I will give them a
memorial far greater than sons and daughters could’ (Is. 56:7).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surely the blessings associated with
fertility in the Old Testament pointed in part to the uncountable brothers and
sisters, sons and daughters, that we have as children of the Living God!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surely when we feel we have missed out God
calls us to remember that we have received every spiritual blessing in
Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surely when we mess up we need
to remind ourselves that God wants to soften our hearts and fill us with
love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Behold Jesus, let His love
transform you, and let that love flow from us to each other.<o:p></o:p></span></p>To whom it may concernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12606673833737508249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-815187212465418058.post-84928570030451721172023-12-19T20:25:00.003+00:002023-12-19T20:25:40.281+00:00Exodus 16-40, Leviticus: ‘New Life, New Task’<!--[if mso & !supportInlineShapes & supportFields]><span
lang=EN-GB style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-fareast-language:
EN-GB;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA'><v:shape id="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75"
style='width:414pt;height:630pt'>
<v:imagedata croptop="-65520f" cropbottom="65520f"/>
</v:shape><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">We have had the Great Escape—God rescuing his people
from slavery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through this event he
acted in line with the people part of his promise—forming them into a unified,
distinct nation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However they are not yet
in the promised land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their redemption
though real is in a sense incomplete.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Such a situation mirrors that of the Christian, we have experienced
God’s forgiveness and acceptance, but await Christ’s return, when all God’s
promises will be brought to ultimate fulfilment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They, like us, are a rescued people who,
looking forward in hope, must live by faith in the promises of God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">Having passed through the Red Sea they journey towards
Sinai<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%205%20Exodus,%20Leviticus%20(4).doc#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This journey takes them through inhospitable
countryside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite their complaints,
God demonstrates his faithfulness towards them: sending them bread—manna
(meaning ‘what is it?’), and quail (chapter 16); he brings water from a rock;
and he delivers them from the hostile Amalekites<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%205%20Exodus,%20Leviticus%20(4).doc#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
(chapter 17).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">By chapter 19 they are at Sinai and the LORD speaks to
Moses:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 17.85pt; margin-right: 17.85pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-GB">“This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are
to tell the people of Israel:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘You
yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’
wings and brought you to myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now if
you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my
treasured possession.</span></i><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%205%20Exodus,%20Leviticus%20(4).doc#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i>Although the whole earth
is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’. . . </i>(Exodus
19:4-6) (NIV)<i>.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">If they show that their redemption is not merely
outward, but a thing of the heart, they shall be his special possession out of
all the people of his world and will represent him to the world.<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%205%20Exodus,%20Leviticus%20(4).doc#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the
remaining chapters of Exodus and in the book of Leviticus which follows we are primarily
watching God act in line with the blessing part of the promise (remember P, P,
B?).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Vaughan Roberts points out<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%205%20Exodus,%20Leviticus%20(4).doc#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>,
at this stage in their history the ‘blessing promise’ is chiefly fulfilled in
two ways: God gives his people the law at Sinai, and his presence with them in
the Tabernacle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But how can we say law
is a blessing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because in the Bible
there is nothing negative about God’s authority, to live under God’s rule is to
enjoy his blessing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God’s law is for
their good!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB">God’s
Rule-The Law <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">In chapter 20 we have the giving of the Ten Commandments
(or literally the ten ‘words’).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These
are prefaced with the words of verse 2:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i>‘I
am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery’(NIV).</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is their God, and in his grace he has <i>already</i>
saved them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The law he gives them is not
telling them how to earn salvation but how to respond to the salvation that he
has already achieved for them.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">The Ten Commandments have a unique status in the
law—they alone were spoken by God directly to the people; they alone are later
inscribed on stone tablets by the ‘finger of God’ (Exodus 31:18); they are the
heart of the law and they include the principles that govern the whole of the
law.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">However as we read through the Law of Moses we may be
left with a question—how does it relate to us as Christians?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all there is a law in Leviticus (Lev.
19:19) that forbids the wearing of garments made of mixed fibres—I have shirts
that contain a mixture of polyester and cotton!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And Jesus himself abolishes the food laws in Mark 7:19.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">The first thing to say in response to this is that
Christians are no longer subject to the law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Paul says this in Romans 7:6.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is true not just of seemingly obscure laws such as what you can
wear or what you can eat but the whole thing.<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%205%20Exodus,%20Leviticus%20(4).doc#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The law that God gives to Moses was a
temporary measure, dealing with the problems arising from human sinfulness,
prior to the coming of Jesus (see Galatians 3:19).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was temporary and every part of it pointed
to Jesus, although different parts of it pointed to him in different ways.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">So for example the law contains a system of sacrifices
for sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The book of Hebrews (10:4-18)
tells us that the sacrifices in and of themselves could not remove sin, but
they pointed ahead to Jesus’ sacrificial death for our sin, and because of his
death such sacrifices are no longer necessary.<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%205%20Exodus,%20Leviticus%20(4).doc#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">As for the moral instructions of the law, the ethics of
Jesus’ kingdom go beyond that of the law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For example in the Sermon on the Mount when he teaches on adultery he
challenges not just the action, but what goes on in the heart (Matthew
5:27-28).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">And what about my example of such things as clothing
made of mixed fibres, or certain foods the people could not eat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We might call these cultural laws.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When God brought his people out of Egypt he
made them into a nation, a special nation set apart from all others to belong
to God (Exodus 19:5).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such things as
what they ate and what they wore were important as it marked them out as
different from the surrounding peoples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, with the coming of Christ such laws become redundant; food and
clothing no longer serve to set God’s people apart.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">Following Sinai, obedience to the Law was the
distinguishing mark of the people of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However after the coming of Christ it not obedience to the Law of Moses
that is the distinguishing mark of God’s people, but our faith in Christ, and
the transformed life he brings through his Spirit.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-cluster;"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB">God’s presence-The Tabernacle<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">God blessed the people by giving them the Law, so that
they might live under his rule and enjoy his blessing; he also blesses them by
giving them the Tabernacle (which means ‘tent’) where his presence is focused
among them.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">The Tabernacle consists of a courtyard and a tent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tent is separated in two—there is the
Holy Place, and the Most Holy Place (or Holy of Holies).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A curtain or ‘veil’ screens the entrance into
the Most Holy Place.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">Inside the Most Holy Place is a piece of furniture—the
ark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Inside the ark are the stone
tablets on which God inscribed the Ten Commandments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Above the ark is a lid, which has been called
‘the mercy seat’ or ‘atonement cover’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At either end are representations of a cherub (a heavenly creature).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The wings of the Cherubim spread horizontally
over the cover to form the throne of the invisible God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God tells Moses in Exodus 25:22, ‘<i>There,
above the cover between the two cherubim hat are over the ark of the Testimony,
I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites (NIV).’</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The book of Exodus finishes by telling us
that the glory of the LORD fills the tabernacle and stays with them (Exodus
40:34-38).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God blessed the people by his
presence.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB">Approaching a holy God—the Day of Atonement<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">While God’s presence with his people is a magnificent
blessing, it also creates a problem—‘How can a holy God live among a sinful
people?’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The system of sacrifices is
designed to deal with this problem.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">Every day sacrifices were offered in the tabernacle for
the sin of the people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was also
the annual Day of Atonement (Lev. 16).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>On that day the High Priest took two goats, he killed the first as a sin
offering for the people and then he sprinkled its blood on the atonement cover
in the Most High Place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The people
deserved to die for their sin, but God provides a goat to die in their
place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The people can live because that
animal has died.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">As for the second goat—this is the scapegoat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The High Priest confesses the sins of the
people over this goat and then it is driven far away, taking away the sins of
the people.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">The sacrifices enable some measure of relationship with
God but it is not a close one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed
only one man, once a year, can enter the Most Holy Place: the High Priest of
the Day of Atonement.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB">Conclusion<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">The Law, the Tabernacle, and the sacrifices all point to
something better beyond themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">With regards the law we have seen that it was a
temporary measure dealing with the problems arising from human sinfulness,
prior to the coming of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Insofar as
it was temporary, every part of it pointed to Jesus and his teaching, although
different parts of it pointed in different ways.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">God’s blessed his people with his presence in the
tabernacle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the New Testament we read
that Jesus is the true tabernacle—John 1:14, ‘<i>The Word become flesh and made
his dwelling place</i> [literally ‘tabernacled’] <i>among us (NIV)’</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we want to meet with God we must go, not
to a tent, but to Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">The sacrifices were needed if God’s sinful people were
to have a relationship with their holy God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These sacrifices point beyond themselves to the perfect sacrifice Jesus
offers through his death on the cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>His death deals with sin once and for all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His sacrifice opens up the way into God’s
presence ‘beyond the veil’.<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%205%20Exodus,%20Leviticus%20(4).doc#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">Shortly before Bobby Moore died he was asked what it
felt like to up to the balcony of Wembley and receive the world cup from the
Queen. “It must have been a wonderful experience to do that in front of the
home crowd,” said the interviewer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
he replied, “No, it was terrifying, because as I was going up the steps to the
balcony I saw that the Queen was wearing some beautiful white gloves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I looked at my hands and realised that they
were covered in Wembley mud, and I thought ‘How can I shake hands with her like
this?—I’ll make her gloves dirty!’” Apparently, if you watch footage of him as
he walks up the steps he can be seen desperately wiping his hands against his
shorts to try to get them clean.<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%205%20Exodus,%20Leviticus%20(4).doc#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">God not only has white hands, he is white all over,
perfect in his holiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we had not
only dirty hands but in our sin we are dirty deep within.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But through Jesus we have been cleansed from
all our sin and so we who have put our trust in what he has done for us are
invited to enter the Most Holy Place with confidence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Hebrews 10:19-20 declares, <i>‘. . . we
have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new
and living way opened for us through the curtain . . .(NIV)’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;"><br /></div><div style="mso-element: footnote-list;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiIBCYtRY1rsHegb0Xf7DnzS3jdWph8qBy5nZ1ZNfcNLSso1LTKchLFj88Lk0LhqaKKLhi9eu6lsjRffPj6EAfPa5o5Kf5Q_327UvDzcBSTgWCtjtgz6P1me7XuV68ONzZw2OYJGHkT68kZtyPpC40dp_rIj0TBrYOE5prZz9VpNa_kz-JzHXcfthMFZjlz" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="221" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiIBCYtRY1rsHegb0Xf7DnzS3jdWph8qBy5nZ1ZNfcNLSso1LTKchLFj88Lk0LhqaKKLhi9eu6lsjRffPj6EAfPa5o5Kf5Q_327UvDzcBSTgWCtjtgz6P1me7XuV68ONzZw2OYJGHkT68kZtyPpC40dp_rIj0TBrYOE5prZz9VpNa_kz-JzHXcfthMFZjlz" width="295" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div style="mso-element: footnote-list;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%205%20Exodus,%20Leviticus%20(4).doc#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> Where God had appeared to Moses through the burning bush—Horeb
(3:1) is another name for Sinai.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%205%20Exodus,%20Leviticus%20(4).doc#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> In that battle as long as Moses held his staff in the air the
Israelites won.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn3" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%205%20Exodus,%20Leviticus%20(4).doc#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> The idea here is of a king’s special property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See 1 Chronicles 29:3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn4" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%205%20Exodus,%20Leviticus%20(4).doc#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> God had promised Abraham that he would bless all the nations through
him (Gen. 12:3).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We see him act in line
with that promise in the role that he gives Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are to be a kingdom of priests and a
holy nation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The role of a priest was to
approach God on behalf of people and people on behalf of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His people are now called to that role
amongst the nations—they were to represent him to them, and they were to be so
obviously different that the rest of the world might take notice and glorify
God.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span lang="EN-GB">See
1 Peter 2:9.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn5" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%205%20Exodus,%20Leviticus%20(4).doc#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> Roberts, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Big Picture,</i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> p. 68.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn6" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%205%20Exodus,%20Leviticus%20(4).doc#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> There are slightly different opinions regarding the Law among
Christian scholars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A widely held view
(which differs from that which I am putting forward) involves dividing the Law
into moral, ceremonial, and civil laws.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is then said that the civil laws have passed away because God’s
people today no longer constitute a nation; the ceremonial laws because they
pointed to Jesus<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>who fulfilled it by
dying on the cross, thereby rendering them obsolete; but the moral laws remain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For an outline of the position I am putting
forward see John Richardson, <i>What God has made clean</i> (available at <a href="http://www.thegoodbook.co.uk/">www.thegoodbook.co.uk</a>).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn7" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%205%20Exodus,%20Leviticus%20(4).doc#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> Since Christ has come, we no longer need a temple, or a sacrificial
priesthood, or sacrifices (see Hebrews 8:13).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn8" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%205%20Exodus,%20Leviticus%20(4).doc#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> On the night he died, the curtain in the Temple of Jerusalem<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span>
was torn in two by God (Mark 15:58).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
symbolism is powerful—the door to God’s presence in now open for all who will
go in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn9" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%205%20Exodus,%20Leviticus%20(4).doc#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> Illustration taken from Roberts, <i>Turning Points,</i> p. 47-48.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>To whom it may concernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12606673833737508249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-815187212465418058.post-84836412402980455082023-12-19T18:40:00.005+00:002023-12-19T19:39:32.574+00:00John 1:1-14 ‘The Grand Miracle’<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMMubjRaC5OqS2HhoPaROzO9FI9uKloM074yKwlYeWvutxMDhObEM2K-Q0NSO20vg3lUK8gsveXFXZhDb03--Bd1byOczJNy_BsvLX0s7ZOH1kEw4SuNcOlUocUcblfK7_ojfb9LRrdddNHEGuSu9wK13V__Yd8ISYWYXio9DhaM-Pe4Q5mpERxoR42kRG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="92" data-original-width="92" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMMubjRaC5OqS2HhoPaROzO9FI9uKloM074yKwlYeWvutxMDhObEM2K-Q0NSO20vg3lUK8gsveXFXZhDb03--Bd1byOczJNy_BsvLX0s7ZOH1kEw4SuNcOlUocUcblfK7_ojfb9LRrdddNHEGuSu9wK13V__Yd8ISYWYXio9DhaM-Pe4Q5mpERxoR42kRG" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">At various times since the
seventeenth-century certain theologians have shown a great embarrassment about
all the miracles in the Bible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some came
up with clever explanations to get rid of these miracles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, take the feeding of the five
thousand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were theologians who
said that what happened here is that the gathered crowd saw the generosity of
the young boy who offered his pack lunch and they were inspired to share their
own lunches.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The virgin birth seems to be a
particular embarrassment to some.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
listening to the radio a few years ago and heard a friend from my Christian
Union days, a guy who had studied theology, taking it for granted that this was
made up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I must admit that his attitude
confused me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is not an atheist, as
far as I know, so I assume he believes that God created the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If God created the world, is it too much that
to believe that He could get a young woman pregnant?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Without the incarnation Christianity makes no sense</i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">C. S. Lewis writes that miracles
are essential to Christianity in a way that they are not to other faiths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you take any mention of miracles out of
the teachings of Buddha, you would still have Buddhism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you take any talk of miracles out of the
teaching of Mohamad, you would still have Islam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But if you take the miraculous out of
Christianity, it no longer makes any sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For example, the apostle Paul says that we are to be pitied above all
people if Jesus has not been raised from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:14).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lewis calls the incarnation—by which he
refers not only to Jesus’ becoming a man, but also His resurrection and
ascension—as ‘The Grand Miracle’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Everything else depends on it.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jesus is the divine creator</i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In 1961 the Russian astronaut, Yuri
Gagarin, became the first man in space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The space race was really part of an ideological war between the atheistic
Soviets and America.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gagarin couldn’t resist
making an anti-god comment upon his return.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He said that when he went to space he found no god.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>C. S. Lewis came to the rescue of faith with
a brilliant response.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said that going
into the physical heavens expecting to find God is like Hamlet going into the
attic of his castle to find Shakespeare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>God is not a part of His creation, He is the creator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is not a character in the play, He is the playwright.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As John writes, all things that were created
were created by the Word, Jesus (John 1:3).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The playwright becomes a player</i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">During the year we watched Alfred
Hitchcock’s film, North by Northwest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
forty of the fifty-three Hitchcock films we have, he writes himself in as a minor
character.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In North by Northwest you get
to see a small cameo of Hitchcock as a background character who misses a
bus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is just a bit of fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God the divine playwriter, the creator, steps
into the story.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There are certain things that we can know about God the creator and playwright from His creation. The heavens declare the glory of
God (Psalm 19:1a).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can see that He is great and majestic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is a good God who has compassion for all
that He has made (Psalm 145:9). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There certain things we can know through the way God has made us. He has set eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). We rebel against death, often feeling that
this cannot be the end of the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
search for meaning in a way that none of His other creatures do.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">But there are certain things we can only know because Jesus the creator has stepped into His creation. He reveals grace and truth. </span>Jesus doesn’t step into the story
for a Hitchcock-like cameo role.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
comes as the main character.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He comes as the hero who lays down His life in order that we could
become children of God (John 1:13).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Living life without Jesus is like being in a movie where the main character
has been removed.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The true fairy-tale</i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">C. S. Lewis’s friend, J.R.R.
Tolkien, explained that the good news about Jesus is really a true fairy-tale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fairy-tales move us because they speak about
several human longings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fairy-tales
death is defeated, a curse is lifted, little people become significant, a hero
comes to the rescue, loved ones are for ever reunited and evil is
defeated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tim Keller points out that in
fairy-tales, ‘there is a beauty who will kiss you in all your beastliness and
transform you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a prince who
will save us for ever.’ (Keller).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Jesus story is a true story that should keep thrilling our hearts.<o:p></o:p></p>To whom it may concernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12606673833737508249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-815187212465418058.post-39541566933152760262023-12-19T13:50:00.002+00:002023-12-19T13:50:41.064+00:00Wise men still seek Jesus (Matthew 2:1-12)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnQXd-TiodTqoaPjSzYm9H_FrDc0AHviuIPCgwn8Q2ZFCO8jV_sMWHFjHgfJg0rYqK5Gs1DL6dcGMKTNFItzX1KpUU_mboy9xk0XifWdSkSk5uS6cnw5TpoSwrjDINUUph7KAJJG7IXKQEM_toF5v_C4cByjuW9_2psoD03tSyCN5FtXDT4tlaj2STiDsY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="202" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnQXd-TiodTqoaPjSzYm9H_FrDc0AHviuIPCgwn8Q2ZFCO8jV_sMWHFjHgfJg0rYqK5Gs1DL6dcGMKTNFItzX1KpUU_mboy9xk0XifWdSkSk5uS6cnw5TpoSwrjDINUUph7KAJJG7IXKQEM_toF5v_C4cByjuW9_2psoD03tSyCN5FtXDT4tlaj2STiDsY" width="269" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The carol, ‘We three kings of orient are’, was written
by John Hopkins in 1857.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It contains a
number of factual inaccuracies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To start
with, there is no mention of<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> three</i>
kings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were three gifts, but that
does not necessarily imply three kings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then the carol gives symbolism for each of the gifts, but there is no
reason to read anything into the gifts other than they were very
expensive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed, in the providence of
God these gifts may have been used to support the young family as they sought
refuge in Egypt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, these were not
kings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were magi—astrologers and
learned men.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Yet despite all the misrepresentations of this story
there is a lot to learn. We learn that the gospel has a ring of truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We learn that Jesus is the wisdom of
God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We learn that Jesus calls for a
response.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 54.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We learn that the gospel has a ring of truth<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There are things about this story that the Christmas-card
versions make it hard to believe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
always struggled to understand how a star could hover over a stable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But then the Christmas-card version is
misleading.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The idea of a star being associated with the birth of
a king was not unusual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Around the time
of Julius Caesar’s murder, in 44 BC, there was a lot of comet activity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It became known as ‘Caesar’s Comet’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was said to be associated with Julius Caesar
becoming divine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stars in the sky and
events in the life of a king became associated in the minds of the people.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">At that time, in that part of the world, there was a
rumour that a great king was going to come out of Judea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pagan historians mention this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, when the star event appears it is natural
for the magi to go to Jerusalem in Judea to enquire.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The chief priests and teachers of the scriptures
pointed them to Bethlehem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently, the
Greek of the text does not imply that the star stopped over a manger but the
town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That, I will admit, is pretty
extraordinary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, there is no
mention of a manger here, the young family are in a house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The magi may have found where a baby boy was
through discreet enquiry.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This Herod, Herod Archelaus, died in 4 BC, so the
church’s later dating of the birth of Jesus is a few years out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What we read here, and in the rest of Matthew’s
account of this Herod, rings true. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
Herod was a paranoid man, who murdered his favourite wife and two sons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When it says, in verse 3, that all Jerusalem
was disturbed about the star, it was not because of their love for Herod, they
would have been glad to see him replaced, but they knew that the ailing man could
become cruel if he thought there was a rival to his power.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As it happens we know that there were a number of significant
star events in that year.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But perhaps the most striking mark of authenticity is found
in what these men are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are ‘magi’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Magi from which we get the word ‘magic’. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are into things like astrology (think horoscopes).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any time such practices are mentioned elsewhere
in the Bible they are condemned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These
are things that God’s people are not to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If Matthew, a Jew, was making up this story he would never have included
such people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This story is so open to
misunderstanding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So why does Matthew
include this event?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The best answer is
because it happened!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 54.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We learn that Jesus is the wisdom of God<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Matthew is writing for Christians who have come from a
Jewish background.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He wants to show the
link between Jesus and the prophecies of the Old Testament.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed, how Jesus fulfils prophecy is another
evidence of the Bible’s truthfulness.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He also contrasts the unbelief of the Jews and the belief
of outsiders like the magi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On one hand,
be careful not to close your mind to Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>On the other hand, never think that you could not become one of His
people.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He also wants to show us God’s wisdom in Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In our society we think of astrologers as quacks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Things like horoscopes are foolishness at best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in that day these men were considered the
most learned in society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were a
picture of the world’s wisdom at that time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These wise men bow down before Jesus—who is the wisdom of God (1 Cor.
1:18).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Think of the beautiful wisdom of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">How can a God who is perfectly holy and inapproachable
in His perfection come and live among sinful people like us?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He does so as Jesus, God the Son, takes on
human flesh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is what we celebrate
at Christmas. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">How can God Himself save His people, and yet the punishment
for wickedness be paid by humankind?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
answer is the one mediator between God and man, fully God and fully human.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus dying on a cross for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We celebrate that at Easter.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">How can God change natural born rebels so that we
delight to follow Him?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The answer is in
Jesus sending the person of the Holy Spirit, and where the Spirit is He is
there too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christ in us the hope of
glory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We celebrate this at Pentecost.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">What the world considers wise changes all the
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We no longer consider astrologers
to be learned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our generation have
rejected much of what previous generations thought was self-evident.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is called chronological snobbery—every
generation believes it knows better than the ones that went before it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Future generations will mock many of our
considered opinions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the truth of
Jesus will always ring true!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 54.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We
learn that Jesus calls for a response<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Finally, whenever we read a gospel story we should
look at the various responses of people to Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Here there is the response of the religious teachers
and leaders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their response is apathy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They point out that a ruler will be born in Bethlehem,
but they have no interest in going to see Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Like so many people in our world, Jesus is someone that doesn’t really
matter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, at Christmas time in
our culture Jesus is notably not a priority.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">People only remain apathetic towards Jesus when they
can keep Him at a distance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you tell
yourself that Jesus is merely a good teacher then He will never disturb
you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But He comes as a king.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He comes to rule your life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He comes to take control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Herod knew that there was a new king in town
and he responded with hostility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
truth is that our lives will never feel whole until we stop putting ourselves
at the centre and we ask Jesus to be our king.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">That brings us to the magi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those learned and apparently wealthy men—after
all look at their gifts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They saw Jesus
as having worth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much more they saw Jesus
as the end of their search.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Look at
verse 12, ‘they rejoiced greatly’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
literally they ‘rejoiced with great joy’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>G. K. Chesterton, ‘meaninglessness does not come from being weary of
pain, meaninglessness comes from being weary of pleasure.’ <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When all the gifts are open the emptiness will
still be there. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can have all the
learning and all the wealth in the world, but there is still a sense of
emptiness and boredom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus was the end
of their search.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is the only one who
can offer true purpose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He causes His
people to rejoice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, we must not
forget the wonder. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>To whom it may concernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12606673833737508249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-815187212465418058.post-28224710575904677042023-12-13T15:50:00.002+00:002023-12-13T15:50:32.362+00:00‘What is in a name?’ (Matthew 1:20-21)<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKTeI2OEpd9izqqP444mnkdI2uXmgZ9R-1iPTrk-wOA9Jj27j8K3s6oWbVd4rG0_lbjK14HO6NM27trM3DuqyxYIwDkfI-kdGUeeI6Gum0cYDK9HvyDEuWbC_9qnwtV1kcEP5CjNeBkYvBmvp6ak8yenqn0hqLmjJOwaNtRzHniPT0cb6waqqxdHksFf3A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="294" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKTeI2OEpd9izqqP444mnkdI2uXmgZ9R-1iPTrk-wOA9Jj27j8K3s6oWbVd4rG0_lbjK14HO6NM27trM3DuqyxYIwDkfI-kdGUeeI6Gum0cYDK9HvyDEuWbC_9qnwtV1kcEP5CjNeBkYvBmvp6ak8yenqn0hqLmjJOwaNtRzHniPT0cb6waqqxdHksFf3A" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Caroline is the female of
‘Charles’ and means ‘free woman’ (do with that what you may).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I used to tell my children that ‘Paul’ means ‘courageous
warrior’ but they knew that it means ‘small’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>‘Jesus’ is the Greek form of Joshua, and means ‘Yahweh/Jehovah saves.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a name loaded with significance.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">What
does it mean to be saved?</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The angel addresses Joseph
as ‘son of David’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like all Jews at that
time Joseph was looking for a king from the line of King David.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the hope of that people was not a king
who would free them from sin, but free them from the occupying Romans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one seems to be thinking of rescue from
sin, even though the Old Testament had pointed to it in so many ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The angel’s words echo Psalm 130:8, ‘He
Himself will redeem Israel from their sins’.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The online dictionary,
Merrion-Webster, defines ‘sin’ as ‘an offense against a religious or moral law’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is inadequate!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sin is primarily an offense against a person:
God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sin comes from within, and it shows
that there is something wrong with our hearts.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Sin is rooted in
rebellion, ‘I will not live under the loving rule of God.’ <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sin is rooted in pride, ‘I know better than
you how to live my life.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sin is rooted
in ingratitude, ‘I will not thank God for all that He has done for me.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sin is rooted in self, it is self-righteousness,
selfish and self-centred.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sin is rooted
in apathy, ‘I do not care about the death of Jesus.’<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Sin has cut us off from
God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sin leaves us condemned, and the
objects of God’s holy anger.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Yet, in His incalculable love,
Jesus came so that we can be forgiven and free from the condemnation and power
of sin.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">That is what it means to
be saved!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">How
does Jesus save us from our sin?</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In chapter nineteen of this
gospel, a young moral man approaches Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Without any sense of shame or hypocrisy he can talk about all the
religious laws that he keeps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like everyone
in our society, he bases his hope before God on the idea that ‘I am a good
person.’ Yet his conscience is uneasy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In his heart he does not believe it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jesus bursts his self-righteous bubble, ‘no-one is good but God alone.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are no amount of rules that we can keep
that will put us right with God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Yahweh/Jehovah saves
people from their sin because we are completely incapable of saving
ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tim Keller points out that
while traditional religion says, ‘obey God and he will love you’, Jesus teaches
us to accept God’s free gift of Love and you will want to change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have lost the desire to become more
like Jesus it is probably because you have lost the wonder of the gospel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But how does
Yahweh/Jehovah save us in Jesus?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Matthew
records Jesus’ words, ‘even the Son of man [Jesus] did not come to be served,
but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many’ (Matthew 20:28).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A ransom is a price paid to set some one free—like
paying a price to free a slave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
price was paid for our guilt?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus
Himself!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the cross of Calvary we see
Jesus taking the punishment we deserve.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Who
are His people who will be saved?</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">‘For He will save His
people from their sins’ (21).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember
Psalm 130:8, ‘He Himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a Jew Joseph might first have thought of His
people the Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But while God worked
through that people in the Old Testament, you will see that many of that people
were not in a loving relationship with God, there were people who were not Israelites
who were found by God, and God repeatedly spoke of His desire to bless people
from all over the world.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When a Roman centurion
shows faith that was sadly lacking among the Jews of that day, Jesus declares,
many will come from east and west, and will take their place at the feast with
Abram, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven’ (Matthew 8:11).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the end of Matthew’s gospel Jesus
commissions His disciples to go to all the nations with the good news (Matthew
28:20).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Then there is another surprise
about His people, which I will mention tonight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>By and large the traditionally religious people didn’t want Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In their pride they wanted to earn a place in
heaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The so-called thugs and scumbags
flocked to Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus outlined His
mission statement saying, ‘I have not come to call the righteous but sinners’
(Matthew 9:12).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I remember talking to a friend
of mine, Ronnie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ronnie told me that his
wife and his son were Christians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
asked him whether he had thought of becoming a Christian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He replied, ‘I am not the type.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think Ronnie would have been surprised to
see who were Jesus’ type.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Climax:<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Tim Keller writes, ‘The
gospel says that you are simultaneously more sinful and flawed than you dared believe,
yet more loved and accepted than you dared hope.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The thing that I find interesting is that
quote is taken from his book on marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You see this gospel is to have a profound affect on how we relate to
other people.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You might be able to give
me a really good definition of the good news of Jesus, but is it being lived
out in your relationships?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Are you defensive?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you keep people at arm’s length?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you struggle to forgive?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are you easily insulted?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are you critical and demanding?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you hurt people with your words?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then our problem is a gospel problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When we see God’s love in
Jesus, we will become more loving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
we experience His kindness and patience, we will become less critical.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we know His forgiveness, we will have
the power to forgive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we see that
He reaches the least and the last, we become less proud. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we rejoice in His mercy, we will be
kind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We never move on from the
gospel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We simply grow deeper in it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>To whom it may concernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12606673833737508249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-815187212465418058.post-74168278291980935742023-12-13T10:15:00.004+00:002023-12-13T10:15:57.039+00:00'God with us' (Matthew 1:18-25)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhOC41Qade9MllS_MMgYHkLSZAsUzkRsiEtCdNoVK2hgb23xgjr25LB8MKUYUIpiKc3EjjAIjUxpvC6nDjxRcVEpyqfTrdt1df24uvgXwfr1R7Xn797ymTGhCZ_Gt0XZYtS_rSi1VWpDcXfUcX8kxptgM_Wb52Y7H3_tDXiOA7jqroajaMYjaXztpgVN8IV" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="162" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhOC41Qade9MllS_MMgYHkLSZAsUzkRsiEtCdNoVK2hgb23xgjr25LB8MKUYUIpiKc3EjjAIjUxpvC6nDjxRcVEpyqfTrdt1df24uvgXwfr1R7Xn797ymTGhCZ_Gt0XZYtS_rSi1VWpDcXfUcX8kxptgM_Wb52Y7H3_tDXiOA7jqroajaMYjaXztpgVN8IV" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">In one church where I served I asked some of the small
groups to give me lists of the characteristics of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As you could imagine, all of the groups
included love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To my surprise none of
them mentioned holiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God is
love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But He is also separate and holy.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Up to this point in the Bible there has been an emphasis on
the fact that God is inapproachable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He appears
in a pillar of fire and a whirlwind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Get
too close to Him and you will fall down dead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So how amazing that we now read that in Jesus we have Immanuel, ‘God
with us’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The God of love and holiness
has found a way to dwell with people.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jesus is God</i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the New York Times there was a review on a book about
Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reviewer was Jewish and he
made the following observation: ‘the big question is actually, why did Jesus’
first disciples worship Him?’ <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Jews of that time were hoping for a Messiah, they wanted
a political leader who would free them from Roman occupation, but they were not
thinking in terms of God becoming man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They were the last group of people who would have thought like that.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Yet Jesus acts like God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In the book of Job, we read that God treads the waves (Job 9:8), in the
gospels we see Jesus walking on water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
Jesus forgives a man all His sins, Jesus’ enemies rightly ask, ‘who can forgive
but God alone.’<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Our God is mysteriously, one God and yet three persons
within the God head: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is God the Son!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jesus is God with us</i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How can God, who is infinitely holy, live among people who
are not holy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The answer lies in part in
the carol, ‘Hark the Herald’, which includes the line, ‘veiled in flesh the
godhead see.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When God the Son becomes a
man, His glory is somewhat revealed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet
at the very same time, Jesus in human flesh reveals the glory of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Jesus we see His compassion, we witness
His love, we hear His truth.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The surprise of us</i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But why would God have had a problem dwelling among people?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why had people feared to be in God’s
presence?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, ask yourself, ‘what are my
attitudes like?’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘What are my thoughts
like?’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘Would you want everyone to see
and hear what you think and feel?’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
truth is we are not holy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are not
like God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are not pure and good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is why people could not dwell with the
perfectly pure God.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, you might expect that when the Son of God walked amongst
us, it would be the religious and respectable that came close to Him and that
those who had made a mess of their lives stayed well clear of Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet just the opposite happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The religious hated Him and people like the
sexually immoral flocked to Him.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Why was that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because
the ‘good’ are bad, and the bad know they need to be forgiven.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One day, a respectable and ‘good’ man came to Jesus to talk
about eternal life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus told that man
that ‘there is no one good, but God alone.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We are all selfish, bitter, self-absorbed and proud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is when we realise this that we rejoice in
the words, ‘He will save His people from their sins’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through His death He offers full
forgiveness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through His resurrection He
gives us the power to change. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Climax:</i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I want to finish by pointing out that ‘God with us’ even
becomes ‘God in us’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The risen Jesus
offers to dwell in our hearts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With Him
there we can experience the power to change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You will not be perfect in this life, and if anyone claims to be you can
be sure they do not know God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But you
can change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus gives us new desires
and new loves that show themselves in compassion and truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Christian is someone who is both humble
and growing—humble because we know that we have done nothing to deserve His
love, and growing because He is making us more like Himself.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">(The idea for this sermon and the illustration from the New
York Times are taken from Tim Keller). <o:p></o:p></p>To whom it may concernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12606673833737508249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-815187212465418058.post-70093681249859607302023-12-06T18:27:00.003+00:002023-12-06T18:27:51.919+00:00 Exodus 1-15 ‘The Great Escape’<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKZCM5g-R0o3qZCR3VD7o7B-aBRuw-DUZOw4bjiH3_wq9mefTlrPdZWH7ZNTBRGPzJ9-Q37hHwPkchH0PH2_Jv-gfF--Mb8ZB1oKivX6VaKvodAb7MmupBdhFjUrRGPmkOqjwacSr9tWnrf9MkMa5SgmQCTeR-lRRTM5UCpa1X4rtMkBXG7lUIH9PcoQhC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="425" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKZCM5g-R0o3qZCR3VD7o7B-aBRuw-DUZOw4bjiH3_wq9mefTlrPdZWH7ZNTBRGPzJ9-Q37hHwPkchH0PH2_Jv-gfF--Mb8ZB1oKivX6VaKvodAb7MmupBdhFjUrRGPmkOqjwacSr9tWnrf9MkMa5SgmQCTeR-lRRTM5UCpa1X4rtMkBXG7lUIH9PcoQhC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>When I was a child I was fascinated by the film, ‘Escape from Alcatraz’, the story of one man’s bid for freedom from the famous island prison. More recently was the ‘Shawshank Redemption’, a film that is well worth watching. Perhaps the most loved film in this genre is ‘The Great Escape’, staring Steve McQueen, and based on a 1943 breakout from a Nazi prisoner-of-war camp.</span></p><p><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>In each of these films the escape depends on the ingenuity of the escapees and a certain amount of luck. The escape that we are looking at in this chapter is entirely different, it doesn’t depend on the escapees or on luck—God orchestrates the whole thing! As for the size of this escape, this is not about the freedom of just one individual or a small group but of a whole nation.</span></p><p>Introduction: (chapters 1-2)</p><p>In the last sermon we looked at the promise/covenant that God made with Abraham. There we claimed that this promise forms the backbone of the whole of the Old Testament. But as we read the opening chapters of Exodus we might think that God has forgotten this promise. Abraham’s descendants have not become a great nation (although they are multiplying in number) and they have not yet taken possession of the promised land, indeed they are not even in the promised land. As their stay in Egypt turned into slavery it must have seemed that fulfilment of God’s promises is becoming less and less likely.</p><p>Yet, as we noted in the last chapter, the circumstances that stand in opposition to God’s promises merely serve to underline that their fulfilment can only be achieved by the supernatural power of God. In the Exodus we will see the LORD free his helpless people with ‘an outstretched arm and mighty acts of judgement’ (6:6). </p><p><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The situation for the slaves goes from bad to worse when the Pharaoh orders the killing of all the Hebrew baby boys that are born. It is against this background that we read of someone who will have a special place in this story. Through the ministry of Moses God will redeem his people. In this sense the role he plays reveals and foreshadows the nature and work of Christ. When we read of how Moses was placed among the reeds, found by Pharaoh’s daughter, given to his mother to nurse, and later adopted by the princess we are witnessing the ‘overruling of the powers opposed to his kingdom so that they cannot hurt the one chosen to mediate God’s plan of salvation’. </span></p><p><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Moses is given a Hebrew and an Egyptian upbringing in preparation for his ministry. The next stage of his preparation will be in Midian, where he takes refuge after killing an Egyptian. However the end of chapter 2 brings us back to Egypt. Verse 23-25:</span></p><p>During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.</p><p>Of course this does not mean that God ever forgot the covenant, ‘but rather that he is about to act on the basis of these promises.’ What we are about to witness in the book of Exodus is God’s covenant in action.</p><p>‘I AM WHO I AM’: (chapters 3-6)</p><p>God begins the rescue operation by appearing to Moses in a burning bush at Horeb (another name for Sinai). He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (verse 6)—who in grace made his covenant with them. He is about to act upon that covenant by freeing his people from Egypt.</p><p>He commissions Moses: ‘So now, go, I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt’ (verse 10).</p><p>But what if the Israelites do not believe Moses when he returns to Egypt and claims to be God’s chosen for this task? God reassures him on two grounds. Firstly, Moses ‘will identify the God who has spoken to him as ‘I AM’ and as the God of their fathers (3:14-16). Secondly, Moses is given some miraculous signs which he will be able to repeat to persuade the Israelites of his mission (4:1-9)’. </p><p>Let’s think about this divine name for a moment. ‘I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: “I AM has sent you” (verse 14). While this affirms his existence, much more it means his active presence. But with what sort of action does God affirm his active presence? Verses 16-20—he is the God, who delivers his people, who keeps his promises and who overthrows his enemies. </p><p>The third person singular of ‘I AM’ is ‘he is’. God says of himself ‘I AM’ his people say ‘he is’. The Hebrew translated LORD in verse 15 is YHWH (the Hebrew has no vowels—translated Jehovah in some older translations, but better pronounced Yahweh) which means ‘he is’. Whenever you read ‘the LORD’ spelt with small capital letters here and elsewhere in the Old Testament it is a translation of the divine name. Yahweh, the God who makes and keeps his promises.</p><p>Moses returns to Egypt and convinces his brother Aaron and all the people of his God given task. But when he goes to Pharaoh and issues God’s command, Pharaoh responds by imposing even harsher condition on the captive people, who are in turn annoyed with Moses.</p><p>Then God gives Moses one of the great covenant statements of the Bible. In it he says, “. . . say to the Israelites: I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you . . . I will redeem you . . . I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God . . . (6:6-7). As they experience release from slavery they will know God in a new way as the God who keeps his covenant. </p><p>God’s name is more than just a title it expresses his character, his character which is revealed in his acts to redeem his people. ‘If we want to know who he is, we must watch him act in history on behalf of his people.’ </p><p>Salvation by substitute: (chapter 7-12) </p><p>When Moses had appeared before Pharaoh in chapter 5 and delivered God’s command to set his people free, Pharaoh replied with contempt: ‘Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go?’ (5:2). He is about to find out!</p><p>In chapters 7-11 God sends ten terrible plagues against Egypt. Each plague demonstrates the mighty power of the LORD, and the powerlessness of the so-called gods of Egypt. Each time Pharaoh stubbornly refuses to let the Israelites go until the last plague which breaks his resistance. On that dreadful night, God passes through the land in judgement, and every first-born Egyptian son is killed. That night is the Passover.</p><p>While the night of the Passover was a night of sorrow for the Egyptians it was a night of salvation for the Israelites. In his grace God had provided them with a way of escape. Each family was to kill a lamb and put its blood on the door-frame of their house. Moses explains in verse 23, ‘When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the door-frame and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.’</p><p>We see an important principle here—God saves by substitution, an innocent lamb dying in their place. In this, ‘we are being prepared for a greater act of deliverance, of which the Passover is just a shadow.’ </p><p>That greater act of deliverance is achieved by Jesus on the cross. He is called ‘the Lamb of God’ (John 1:29), his death takes place at Passover time (Matthew 16:19; John 19:31), Paul explicitly declares, in 1 Corinthians 5:7, ‘Christ, our Passover lamb, has been crucified.’ And so we too can be rescued from God’s judgement by the death of a Passover lamb.</p><p>Salvation by conquest: (chapters 13-15)</p><p>There is one great drama left before the Israelites are free of the Egyptians. God’s power is again going to be demonstrated at the Red Sea (14:3-4).</p><p>The natural way out of Egypt would be along the well trodden road through the Philistine countryside (13:17). However God does not lead the Israelites that way, but rather through the wilderness to the shores of the sea, where they set up camp (14:2).</p><p>Back in his palace Pharaoh has a change of mind: ‘What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!” (14:5), so he sends his army to pursue them and they soon catch up.</p><p>Now the situation looks hopeless, they have been led up an apparent blind alley, hemmed in by the desert, blocked by the sea, and now trapped by the mighty Egyptian army. </p><p>As Pharaoh approached, and as the Israelites saw the Egyptians marching after them, they were terrified. They cry out to the LORD, and say to Moses, ‘Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us out to the desert to die?’ (14:11-12). </p><p>Moses answers their complaints, verse 13-14, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today . . . The LORD will fight for you; you need only be still.’</p><p>And so it happens. The waters are driven back, the Israelites go through the sea on dry ground, but when the Egyptians pursue them they are drowned (14:21-28).</p><p>Once again this act of salvation foreshadows what God has achieved through the death of Jesus. Before we came to faith we were enslaved to the powers of sin and the devil, but God defeated them through the cross and has set us free. Paul writes in Colossians 2:15, ‘. . . Having disarmed the powers and authorities [evil spiritual forces], he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross’.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>At the beginning of the book of Exodus it might appear that God’s covenant promises to Abraham have amounted to nothing. However it is on the basis of these promises that God brings his people out of Egypt (2:23-25; 6:1-6). In doing this he reveals his character as being one who is absolutely faithful to his covenant commitment. He is the LORD, the covenant keeping God.</p><p>Rather than going straight to the promised land, the LORD bring them to Sinai (where he had appeared to Moses in the burning bush). There he declares, ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles wings and brought you to myself’ (Exodus 19:4). He has acted upon the ‘people’ part of his promise. In the exodus God begins to fulfil his promise by forming Israel into a ‘unified, distinct nation which is on its way to the promised land’. </p><p>What about us, how does this relate to us? Firstly it tells us something about the LORD. The first question that we should ask when we come to the Scriptures is ‘what does this show us about God?’ It tells us that he is faithful—he is faithful to his covenant and does as he said he would (see Genesis 15:13-14). Secondly it shows something of his salvation. The LORD, the covenant-keeping God invites us to be a part of his covenant people. He is willing to rescue helpless people like us who are unable to rescue ourselves. The Passover Lamb, Jesus has been slain that we might escape his judgement. On the cross disarmed the powers and authorities that we might know his freedom.</p><div><br /></div>To whom it may concernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12606673833737508249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-815187212465418058.post-25423518928047423252023-12-06T11:40:00.002+00:002023-12-06T11:40:10.721+00:00‘Is it better to be just or merciful?’ (Matthew 1:19-20)<p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>
<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnLBs5iX9corW6k8KVeodjDnO1r2Zuy-REUFyHz62rrQLpJ2L0TOR5b4WGAJrkg7KyAP_5AySpIcO4EcS1OS-Iz-p-KsOkR7WZOwmQmNoU-DnYEjpfzAiRlfDriuTZrPJkIUOZUGz5UffnsJfAHmTOhCFgFGHiXZwA2upT5ort4mAgfnrMTMrDoLcuND0i" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="768" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnLBs5iX9corW6k8KVeodjDnO1r2Zuy-REUFyHz62rrQLpJ2L0TOR5b4WGAJrkg7KyAP_5AySpIcO4EcS1OS-Iz-p-KsOkR7WZOwmQmNoU-DnYEjpfzAiRlfDriuTZrPJkIUOZUGz5UffnsJfAHmTOhCFgFGHiXZwA2upT5ort4mAgfnrMTMrDoLcuND0i" width="320" /></a></div><p></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>In 2019 Joe Humphries wrote an article in The Irish Times
entitled, ‘Why humans need mercy more than justice.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It began, “’Is it better to better to be just
or merciful?’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a question that has
troubled politicians and preachers down through the ages, but in recent times
the hammer of justice has been banging particularly loudly.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He explains that ‘by recent times’ he means since the
enlightenment – when the Christian virtue of forgiveness started to drift out
of fashion in political theory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
quotes on Oxford University professor, who wrote that ‘it is the fact that
other people do not exercise their power of harm to the full that allows us to
survive from one day to the next.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
professor even states that when the robots take over we had better hope they
are merciful.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The justice and mercy of Joseph<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Because Joseph her husband
was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace,
he had in mind to divorce her quietly</i> (19).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Joseph faced a dilemma: he wants to respond to Mary’s situation with
both mercy and justice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Betrothal in that culture was like engagement, but it was
more binding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joseph would have been
between eighteen and twenty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mary
between twelve and fourteen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
engagement would have been arranged by their parents, but with their
consent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Promises would have been made
before two witnesses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would be a year
before they marry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Galilee they were
strict about the pair being alone together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They might never have been alone in private.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If a person cheated in betrothal it was considered an act of
adultery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Under the Old Testament law
that could be punished by stoning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That
fact made me think of the Oxford University professor’s remarks—we owe our
existence to the fact that others do not do us the full harm they could.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joseph could have fought to have Mary killed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">However, in Joseph and Mary’s day this death sentence was rarely
carried out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What Joseph would have been
expected to do was divorce her publicly, and expose her to great public
shame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Joseph is merciful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He can divorce her quietly and save her as
much condemnation as possible.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The justice and mercy of Jesus<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When I read the story of Joseph I think of two other
occasions of women accused of sexual immorality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first is in Genesis 38 where Judah
accuses his daughter-in-law Tamar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Thinking that she had been a prostitute he had slept with her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When he finds out that she is now pregnant he
wants her to be burned to death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Until
his own guilt is exposed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Judah wanted
justice, but he had no place for mercy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Justice was self-righteous and hypocritical.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Self-righteous people are often the least
merciful of people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we lack mercy it
might be because we have forgotten about the mercy that God has shown to us.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Then there is Jesus in John 8.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A woman caught in the very act of adultery is
brought to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The people who brought
her care neither for justice or mercy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They are just trying to put Jesus in a difficult situation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus refuses to condemn her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But he warns her to leave her life of
sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is merciful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But there will be a day of justice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Justice and mercy kiss in the life of Jesus.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Justice and mercy in the Old Testament<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How can Joseph, who is faithful to the law, show mercy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can Jesus, who is upholds the law, show
mercy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The law shows us what we deserve,
but mercy seeks our forgiveness!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the book of Zechariah, we see a High Priest by the name
of Joshua (Joshua is the Hebrew form of the name Jesus).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The High priest stood between God and His
people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In particular the High Priest
acted out God’s mercy and justice on the annual day of atonement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That day of atonement pictured God’s desire
to remove the people’s sin, and the fact that sin required the shedding of
blood.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But as Joshua stands before God his robes are covered in
excrement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In his sin he is unworthy to
carry out his duties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then God puts
clean robes on him saying, ‘see, I have taken your sin’ (4).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How does God do this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He does it by exercising both mercy and
judgement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘I will remove the sin of the
land in a single day’ (9).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a
greater day of atonement where Jesus was sacrificed fulfilling the need for
justice, and where in mercy our sins were taken from us.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Climax:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which is better, mercy of justice?</i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It is not really a good question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need both mercy and justice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in His justice God has not forgotten
mercy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He offers us mercy now, and there
will be some justice now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But he warns
us that we need to be ready for a future day when there will be justice without
mercy.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Tim Keller writes, ‘mercy isn’t the job of the Christian, it
is the mark of a Christian.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Christian is someone who knows that a just God has found a way to show us infinite
mercy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore, like Joseph we should
be people of mercy.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Think of the Dublin riots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yes, we want to see justice done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We want to have a society of law and order.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But so many of the reactions lacked
mercy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone was looking for someone
to blame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It began with a merciless act
of violence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before long tweets were
circulating pointing out that the Irish citizen who had done this was from
another country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was an attitude
that stirred by hatred to the migrant, in contravention of the Bible’s teaching
to welcome them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then there were the
looters, young men mostly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even our Ministry
of Justice called them ‘thugs and scumbags’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That is hardly language wants mercy to people, many of whom come from
socially deprived areas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then there was
the lack of mercy shown to that Minister of Justice, a young woman who has
endured much pain in her life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then
there is the demonizing of a who variety of groups labelled as the ‘alt-right’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, we want justice to be done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But surely, we want guilty people like
ourselves to be transformed by the mercy of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surely the first thought of a Christian (and
I am not sure it was my first thought) is ‘Lord have mercy’. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>To whom it may concernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12606673833737508249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-815187212465418058.post-20645981295784939032023-11-28T17:47:00.001+00:002023-11-28T17:47:14.456+00:00The girl no-one wanted (Genesis 29:15-35)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmHuESjzLvMBH8R6pZ7PAXJGEonNopbv6wiZC7F6Q5vSc2oo8KIN8aNj-4FCyR6Jf_A_pljIwK3aZlRM-eSUU2CpXJDMYCW-hlZZj6vJX0-SWKMtaUcukHF4P7ifwiK5FzbXFcuY1NjCTtQa_609sid_b_q-Hfz5ppHaADYLrAxEAVsK29EfgjCiVLnSH6" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="121" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmHuESjzLvMBH8R6pZ7PAXJGEonNopbv6wiZC7F6Q5vSc2oo8KIN8aNj-4FCyR6Jf_A_pljIwK3aZlRM-eSUU2CpXJDMYCW-hlZZj6vJX0-SWKMtaUcukHF4P7ifwiK5FzbXFcuY1NjCTtQa_609sid_b_q-Hfz5ppHaADYLrAxEAVsK29EfgjCiVLnSH6" width="160" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Have you
ever been rejected?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">You loved
him, but he has no interest in you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You
had thought that she was the one, but she no longer wants you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your marriage started well, but now it is
cold and indifferent.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It might
not be romance that has caused this pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Maybe it was a parent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your
father was always at work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your mother
always criticized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You always felt
unwanted.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It could be
friendship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Friends can let you
down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Friends move away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Friends can lose interest in the friendship.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">This
morning’s passage is for those times when we feel that no-one cares.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For Leah was the girl that nobody wanted.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Only God can complete us </span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">(15-25)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In the
movie Jerry Maguire, the lead, played by Tom Hanks, looks at the woman he loves
and utters the immortal word, ‘you complete me.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hope that a person, a possession or
anything other than God can complete us has left so many people
disillusioned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just look at Tom Cruise’s
off-screen life and you will see that no relationship has ever left him feeling
complete.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Jacob was
on the run from his brother Esau, whom he had deceived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He heads for his uncle Laban.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first person he meets in that area was a
beautiful young girl called Rachel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
seems to have been love at first sight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Maybe he thought to himself, ‘she will complete me’.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Not only
did Jacob seek refuge with Laban, he put himself to work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Laban sees his value and offers to start
paying him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘What will be your wage?’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jacob asks for Rachel.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In that
culture there was the custom of a bride-price.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The prospective husband paid the girl’s father in order to have her hand
in marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although Jacob came from a
wealthy family, he had fled with nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All he can offer is himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Laban sees that Jacob is desperate for Rachel, and sets the price high,
at seven years work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jacob’s love for
Rachel is so strong that his time of working goes quickly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The day for the wedding comes. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Jacob was a
deceiver.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had tricked his father into
giving him his dying blessing, by dressing up as his brother, Esau.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now Jacob is going to taste some of his own
medicine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The deceiver is about to be
deceived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">On the
first night of the wedding feast, which was to last a week, Laban switches
Rachel for her sister, Leah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leah was
not pretty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think that Jacob knew it
would be hard to get someone to marry Leah, and that this is why he tricks
Jacob.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">On the
night of the wedding Laban switches daughters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I wondered how he got away with this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Well, all day the bride would have worn a veil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time the evening came, when the switch
happened it was dark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also suspect
that Jacob may have been fairly drunk.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I think it
also shows how forceful a man Laban was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Leah might have been talked into this arrangement, but it is very hard
to see how Rachel could have been persuaded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Laban was a man who had to get his way.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In the
morning Jacob woke up and, behold, it was Leah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jacob is not only shocked, he is disappointed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Old
Testament scholar, Derek Kidner, suggests that this is a picture of the
disappointment we all feel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are all
on a quest to find that someone, or something, that will complete us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jacob’s experience is our experience, we
reach out to take hold of ‘Rachel’, thinking that this will make everything
right, but in the morning, we behold Leah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In the heat of the night we think sex, popularity, romance or the next
purchase will finally make us happy, in the cool of the morning we are left
with disappointment.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">There is an
itch that only God can scratch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Augustine famously wrote, ‘you have made us for yourself and our hearts
are restless until they find their rest in you.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Similarly, C. S. Lewis explained ‘If I find
in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most
probable explanation is that I was made for another world.’<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Only Jesus paid an incalculable bride price for
us</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> (26-30)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Only God
can complete us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But how does He scratch
that itch?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe that the way He
scratches that itch is showing us how much He loves us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think that there is nothing more essential
for your growth as a Christian than seeing how much you mean to him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Leah meant
nothing to Jacob.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, it seems that
he resented her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leah had to live with
the fact that while Jacob was willing to work fourteen years for her sister,
Rachel, he hadn’t lifted a finger for her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She had to live that her father had to trick someone into marrying her,
and every day she saw that Jacob loved Rachel more than her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She really was the girl that no-one
wanted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe that is how you feel at
times.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Wouldn’t
you feel special if someone was willing to work for fourteen years to have
you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are a Christian you have to
realize that there is someone who went to infinitely more trouble to make you
His.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus left His Father’s side in
heaven, took on the nature of a man, lived a life of suffering and died a
shameful death on a cross so that you could be His.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">You may feel
that no one wants you, but Jesus delights in you.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Jesus gives us a love
that we do not and cannot earn </span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">(31-34)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">God kindness is very evident to Leah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He sees that she is hated and rejected and He
cares.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He opens her womb and she gave
birth to Reuben— ‘see, a son’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God has
seen her, but that is not enough for her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She hopes that giving birth to a son will cause her husband to love
her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then she gives birth to Simeon and
Levi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Levi means ‘attached’. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She hopes that Jacob will be attached to her
because she has given him three sons.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Leah thought, ‘I will be complete if Jacob
loves me’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But if you read ahead you
will see that Rachel did not feel complete even though Jacob loved her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is still looking in the wrong place to
find wholeness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He doesn’t want us to
try to earn His love, the way Leah was trying to earn Jacob’s..<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He simply wants us to be transformed by His
love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not by works that you have
been saved, it is the free gift of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jesus says, ‘come unto me all you who are heavy laden and I will give
you rest.’<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Ask God to show
satisfy you in His love</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The Bible is honest that singleness can be hard
and lonely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Bible is very honest
that marriage can be a struggle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But perhaps
the hardest place to be is in a marriage that is cold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was Leah’s experience. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">But in our final verse something changes for
her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the birth of her fourth son,
she does not say, but ‘now my husband will love me,’ she says, ‘this time I
will praise the LORD’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore, she
called him Judah, which means ‘praise’ (35).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She no longer finds her identity in being a victim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She no longer idolizes Jacob’s love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has found her life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is free.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She has given up on looking for a human relationship to complete her.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I am not saying that it is wrong to want
romance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That can be a gift from
God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am saying that you will always be
disappointed if you demand a parent, a child, a friend or a spouse to complete
you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘I would be happy if I had a
boyfriend,’ no he won’t complete you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>’I
would be happy if my marriage was better,’ no that won’t complete you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘I would be happy if my children loved me
more wholeheartedly,’ no that too won’t complete you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only God completes us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We find that sense of completion as we look
at Christ and see how much He loves us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>May the Holy Spirit help us know something of the depths of that
love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May we have the wisdom to spend
time with Him nurturing that relationship.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Leah wanted a husband who would love her
wholeheartedly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That husband actually
came from her womb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her son Judah, would
become an ancestor of King David, who was the famous ancestor of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus is the one who took upon Himself the
bridegroom language of the Old Testament.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So, listen to what He says to you,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">‘As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so
will your God rejoice over you.’ (Isaiah 62:5)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>To whom it may concernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12606673833737508249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-815187212465418058.post-57810592676718555572023-11-22T17:22:00.003+00:002023-11-22T17:23:40.488+00:00Don't grow up (Mark 10:13-16)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj98aPcnHrsrY4rFqe6RojzIA9-H71tbiTcGLNzkoNjf0S_8-_0i7Aj6cutCP4W06lLLQUeiIB0cSCCqWmNUjoWDsApN8vT3y_b1emasXmItHYLwDzgifVjV57H9b-v4M6TNB-l1-sWA8-WOKDBzOZ8ZCzUe-DM1E8OQ7l--Jjn0LoQBQPdJv0tx2lgMLsx" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="120" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj98aPcnHrsrY4rFqe6RojzIA9-H71tbiTcGLNzkoNjf0S_8-_0i7Aj6cutCP4W06lLLQUeiIB0cSCCqWmNUjoWDsApN8vT3y_b1emasXmItHYLwDzgifVjV57H9b-v4M6TNB-l1-sWA8-WOKDBzOZ8ZCzUe-DM1E8OQ7l--Jjn0LoQBQPdJv0tx2lgMLsx" width="240" /></a></div><br />One of the first Sundays that I was in Limerick Baptist I was standing in the hallway of the church building when a young man and his wife came in. I asked this guy if he was new, and he said he was. He was South African, and I asked him what brought him to Limerick. He explained that he played for the Munster rugby team. I was in awe. While I didn't know him, he was on the fringes of the team, I was star-struck. I fawned over him.<p></p><p>The problem was that on that very Sunday I was due to go on holidays. I felt like saying to the church, 'don't mess this up.' Maybe they did, because when I returned he had stopped attending. In truth, if we put him off it was more likely my fussing over him than anyone else's actions.</p><p>I don't think that Jesus would have been impressed with my behaviour towards this guy. He had no interest in who the world considered to be stars. While we make some people more important than others, He loves to welcome those considered to be nobodies. He wants us to come to Him like children. </p><p>Jesus welcomes children and tells us to be like them. So let's not grow up.</p><p>1. Why did people bring children to Jesus?</p><p>In verse thirteen we see that people brought children to Jesus so that he might touch them. The touch of Jesus is a theme in Mark's Gospel. His touch made people clean and healed their brokenness. I had a good friend who used to always pray, 'Lord, may they receive a touch from you.'</p><p>People still bring children to Jesus. While I was working on this passage I was challenged to bring my not-so-little children to Jesus more often. I am so grateful to all those who remember them in their prayers. May we bring our kids and grandkids to Jesus often.</p><p>He laid His hands on those children and blessed them. I wonder what the result of that blessing was. Did the grow up learning to understand and accept the love of God in Christ for them? How do we want Jesus to bless our children? There are many things we may want for them, but nothing is more important than the see His love and love being loved by Him</p><p>2. Why did the disciples not want children to come to Jesus?</p><p>The disciples wanted to be part of an impressive kingdom with an impressive king. They did not want a king who had children on His lap. In that culture children were considered unimportant. This was not the look they liked for Jesus.</p><p>I think that God values how we treat those that the world considers small. I also think that Jesus is not impressed when we try to make ourselves something.</p><p>I was speaking to some students in a Christian Union in Dublin. After the meeting I invited them to come talk to me if they wanted prayer. I was struck that a couple of the students mentioned their sense of seeking grades for personal validation. What they meant is that they felt the need to prove themselves through their studies. I wanted to tell them that we need to come to God naked. He doesn't want us to dress ourselves in our achievements. He wants as we are.</p><p>But coming to God naked is scary for us. We are aware of our struggles and failings. Jesus calls us anyway. Dane Ortland writes, 'the thing that makes you wince the most only strengthens his delight in embracing you. At your point of deepest shame and regret that's where Christ loves you the most' (Deeper). </p><p>Isaiah declares, 'I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in the robes of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding or a bride with her jewels.' We come with nothing, and even in shame, His death on the cross enables us to be beautiful in His sight. He treats us pure and delights over us.</p><p>3. How should we come to Jesus?</p><p>There are ways in which we must grow up. We should grow in knowledge of the truth and godliness. We should not squabble like children. But there is a way in way in which we must not grow us. </p><p>Jesus says that we need to come into the kingdom like children. What does that mean? Children know their need, see His love and simply desire His blessing. </p><p>Ed Welch says, 'as I grow more and more to be like a child, I grow more and more to depend on my Father.'</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>As I worked on these verses I tried to think of myself as being a child sitting safely on Jesus' lap. He will never turn away anyone who comes to him. He loves to embrace!</p><p>In the book 'Deeper', Dane Ortland writes, 'we grow no further than we enjoy his embrace of us. .. 'The love of Christ is settled, unflappable heart of affection for sinners and sufferers- and only for sinners and sufferers. He doesn't have to work himself up to love. He is a gorged river of love, pent up, ready to gush forth upon the most timid request for it.'</p><p>As I was working through this book, 'Deeper', with a couple of friends, I mentioned to one the fact that God sings over us. She wasn't aware of that verse (Zeph. 3:17). As she read it the tears began to roll down her cheeks. It can seem to good to be true!</p><p>Let us rejoice and grow in His embrace!</p><p><br /></p>To whom it may concernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12606673833737508249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-815187212465418058.post-4471301948509249852023-11-15T18:56:00.002+00:002023-11-15T18:56:34.987+00:00Genesis 12-50 ‘Promises, promises, promises!’<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhzKINIUYy7CmFYI_ubx8BcI6WBUbJ267CLI53uGPla1hxjInJqOoiswaeEqRA3yxQq7P1_a-8nNTNzV1jgDdKA1G0DnnAJfoCg43Di5SOACHZk7h2wjL32622OY_vTyf352h-YLfU6B2WSPEUH1AMcnU9YXDTn0FIwzdTvm9Za_E8-jOg4DhGZTDXvztve" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="185" data-original-width="183" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhzKINIUYy7CmFYI_ubx8BcI6WBUbJ267CLI53uGPla1hxjInJqOoiswaeEqRA3yxQq7P1_a-8nNTNzV1jgDdKA1G0DnnAJfoCg43Di5SOACHZk7h2wjL32622OY_vTyf352h-YLfU6B2WSPEUH1AMcnU9YXDTn0FIwzdTvm9Za_E8-jOg4DhGZTDXvztve" width="237" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Imagine your home
was hit by an earthquake!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As you walk
around you see the cracks in the wall, the broken glass, and the tiles that
have been dislodged from the roof.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You
face a choice—‘do we repair the damage or do we simply knock it down and start
again?’<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Genesis started out well but then disaster
struck—humanity rebelled against their creator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>From that rebellion we see a cycle of sin and punishment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed the rot runs so deep that even after
the flood people return to their rebellion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What should God do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Can the damage be repaired?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Should he give up on humanity?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Maybe he would be best to forget about this creation and start again
elsewhere.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">What does God
do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amazingly he does not give up on
humanity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather he sets about repairing
the damage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He does so by certain
promises that he makes to a man named Abram.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In this sermon we shall look at this promise or covenant, we shall also
look at the related themes of faith and grace.<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%203%20Genesis%2012-50%20(4).docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The Covenant</span></i></b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">The LORD had
said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and
go to the land I will show you.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">“I will make you into a great nation<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">and I will bless you;<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">I will make your name great,<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">and you will be a blessing.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">I will bless those who bless you,<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">and whoever curses you I will curse;<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">and all peoples on earth<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">will be blessed through you.”</span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 180.0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">(Genesis 12:1-3).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">God goes on to
promise Abram the land of Canaan (12:7).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">We can note
three aspects of this promise: people—Abram’s descendants, place—Canaan, and
blessing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sound familiar?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In chapter 2
we underlined the fact that before the Fall God’s people—Adam and Eve, were in
God’s place—Eden, and were enjoying God’s blessing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now through his covenant with Abram God is
promising to make a new people, put them in a new place, and bless them (and
through them bless all peoples!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God is
promising to reverse the effects of the Fall!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">This promise
is made on a number of occasions throughout these chapters against a background
of events that seem to make its fulfilment impossible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example Abraham and Sarah are well beyond
child-bearing age, and the Promised Land is already occupied by the Canaanites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If these promises are to be fulfilled it will
only be by the supernatural work of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The promises confirmed to Abraham’s son Isaac, and Isaac’s son
Jacob.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In chapter 17 God changes Abram’s
name (Abram—‘Exalted father’) to Abraham (‘Father of a multitude’) to signify a
prominent aspect of the covenant: Abraham will be the father of many nations.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">David Jackman
points out that when God makes this covenant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He is not striking a bargain, he is not saying, ‘you scratch my back and
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">I’ll scratch yours’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather in his grace he is promising to move
in a way, that he will always fulfil, to bless another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is as if God is saying to Abraham, </span>“out
of the heart of love which is my nature, I want to bless the whole world, and
therefore I choose you, Abraham, as my covenant man with whom I will begin”.<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%203%20Genesis%2012-50%20(4).docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">This covenant
comes with a sign—circumcision.</span><b style="text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt;"><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p><span style="text-decoration-line: none;"> </span></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Faith<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">What does
Abraham contribute to all this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Nothing!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All he does is receive
God’s word and believe God’s promise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
so doing he becomes an example of someone who is justified by faith.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Genesis 15:6
is a key verse in the Bible for understanding the nature of faith: <i>Abram
believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.</i><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"> <a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%203%20Genesis%2012-50%20(4).docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Although
Abraham demonstrates the reality of his faith by his actions, it is not his
actions that made him right with God—Abraham is counted righteous before God by
simply believing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our good works, our
church-going, our prayers can’t put us right with God—we are put right with God
by placing our belief, our trust, our faith in what he has done for us.<b><u><o:p></o:p></u></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Abraham’s
faith is not always strong (e.g. Gen.15:2-3), however at critical times he
takes God at his word and believes his promises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘The key thing is not the strength or
perfection of Abraham’s faith, but the strength and perfection of the God he
trusts. Abraham learns that God is utterly reliable and faithful to his word.’<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%203%20Genesis%2012-50%20(4).docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In chapter 22
Abraham shows the reality of his faith by his actions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God calls him to go to Mount Moriah and
sacrifice his son Isaac there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What does
Abraham do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He believes God’s promises
and obeys God’s command.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He knows that
it is through Isaac that all the blessings would come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He knows that God will fulfil his
promise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He knows that God can do
anything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He ‘knows that if God calls
him to do this, and he is obedient to the command, God has a better plan than
any plan than Abraham could see.’<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%203%20Genesis%2012-50%20(4).docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hebrews 11 tells us that Abraham reasoned
that God could raise Isaac from the dead if he was killed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this chapter Abraham is an example of a
person who believes God’s promises, and shows that he believes God’s promises
by obeying God’s commands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the
mark of being a justified sinner, that we believe God’s promise, and show the
reality of our belief by obeying his commands.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Grace:</span></i></b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">We don’t know anything of Abraham’s faith or knowledge of God before
chapter 12.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We know that he lived among
a pagan people and his family worshipped other gods (see Joshua 24:2).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no hint that God calls Abraham because
of any goodness that he sees in him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Rather it seems God calls Abraham through unmerited, underserved,
unearned favour—i.e. his grace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed
right throughout these chapters Abraham’s relationship with God is on the basis
of grace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Abraham is not portrayed as a
deserving man but rather we see him ‘warts and all’ (see Gen. 12:11-20;
20:1-18).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is clear that God’s
goodness to Abraham is something that Abraham does not deserve.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Another example of God’s grace at work is in his choosing of Jacob (see
Rom. 9:10-13).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of Isaac’s twins God
chooses Jacob to be the one whose descendants will be the line of promise and
become the people of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is not an
obvious choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only is he the
younger twin, but in the early part of the story he comes across as a rather
unpleasant character.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In chapter 27 he
tricks his elderly and nearly blind father into giving him his blessing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘Once again we learn a principle that
operates right throughout the Bible: God does not choose people on merit.’<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%203%20Genesis%2012-50%20(4).docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>If we are Christians today, it is not
because we are better than anybody else; it is simply because of God’s
sovereign grace.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Before we draw some conclusions we ought to note two people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both are sons of Jacob.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The first is Joseph (see chapters 37-50).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Joseph’s words to his brothers, in Genesis 50:20 are key—<i>‘You
intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now
being done, the saving of many lives’</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>God has been in control of Joseph’s circumstances all along.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has seen to it that Joseph ends up in his
position of authority in Egypt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a
result he is able to help his brothers when they coming looking for it during
time of famine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So the embryonic people
of God are preserved, and God’s promise to make a great nation from them is
protected.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Last week we
were on the search for the offspring of Eve (3:15) who would crush the
serpent’s head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We still haven’t found
the serpent-crusher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We followed a line
that led to Abraham and in these chapters we can see that line carry through to
Jacob (also called Israel).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
fulfilment of God’s promises appears to be connected with this line<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%203%20Genesis%2012-50%20(4).docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
and we have good reason to see this line as anticipating royalty (Genesis
17:16)—thus we are anticipating a king through whom God’s blessing will be
mediated to the nations.<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%203%20Genesis%2012-50%20(4).docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Who does the
line go through from Jacob?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Judah!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In chapter 49 Jacob gathers his twelve sons
(who are the ancestors of the twelve tribes of Israel) and makes a prophetic
blessing on each.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of Judah<b> </b>he
says, <i>The sceptre will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from
between his feet’ </i>(49:10) —<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"> </span>one of
Judah’s descendants will rule over all nations forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later in the story we will see that King
David comes from Judah, and from King David there is a royal line that leads to
the eternal king, the conqueror, the one who crushes the serpents head—Jesus!<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%203%20Genesis%2012-50%20(4).docx#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[9]</span></span></span></span></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Conclusion:</span></i></b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">We covered a
lot of ground in this sermon and some of it has been fairly heavy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are like me you will need to read over
the key points a number of times before they are clear and they stick in your
head!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it is important to understand
God’s promises to Abraham for as John Stott writes, ‘It may truly be said
without exaggeration that not only the rest of the Old Testament but the whole
of the New Testament are an outworking of these promises of God.’<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%203%20Genesis%2012-50%20(4).docx#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn10;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything that happens in the Old Testament
from this point onwards has God’s promise to Abraham in view, and the Old
Testament points forward to Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In 2
Corinthians 1:20 we are told that Jesus is the ultimate fulfilment of all God’s
promises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God’s promises to Abraham are
no exception.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We see part fulfilment of
these promises through Jesus now, and full fulfilment in heaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now through faith in Jesus we are God’s <b>people</b>,
the true seed of Abraham (see Gal. 3:29), in heaven we will see a great
multitude from every nation (Rev. 7:9 cf., Gen. 22:17).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the Old Testament Eden was a picture of
God’s people enjoying God’s rest, and the promised land is thought of as the
place of rest—confusing as this sounds now the <b>place</b> part of the promise
is fulfilled in the rest we have in Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30) and will one day
be ultimately fulfilled in heaven—where God’s people enjoy rest (Revelation
14:13).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now through Jesus we enjoy every
spiritual<b> blessing </b>(Ephesians 1:3) and in heaven we will experience,
with all God’s people, the fullness of that blessing (e.g. Rev. 22:3).</span></p><div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%203%20Genesis%2012-50%20(4).docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> Idea for opening illustration taken from Phil Campbell and Bryson
Smith (2000) <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Full of Promise, </i>The
Good Book Company.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%203%20Genesis%2012-50%20(4).docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> Jackman, <i>Bible Overview Lectures</i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">, available from the Proclamation Trust.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn3" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%203%20Genesis%2012-50%20(4).docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> This verse that is quoted a number of times in the N.T.—Rom. 4:3;
Gal. 3:6; James 2:23.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn4" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%203%20Genesis%2012-50%20(4).docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> Goldsworthy, <i>According to Plan</i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">, IVP,</span> p.158. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn5" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%203%20Genesis%2012-50%20(4).docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> Jackman, <i>Bible Overview Lectures.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn6" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%203%20Genesis%2012-50%20(4).docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> Roberts(2003), <i>The Big Picture, </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">IVP, </span>p. 63.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn7" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%203%20Genesis%2012-50%20(4).docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> The promise to Abraham is closely linked with his ‘seed’ (22:18
26:4).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b><u><o:p></o:p></u></b></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn8" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%203%20Genesis%2012-50%20(4).docx#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> Alexander (1998),<i> The Servant King, </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">IVP</span> p. 33. <i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn9" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%203%20Genesis%2012-50%20(4).docx#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> This prophesy is initially fulfilled in David, and ultimately
fulfilled in Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn10" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%203%20Genesis%2012-50%20(4).docx#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn10;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> Stott, <i>Understanding the Bible,</i> p. 45.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>To whom it may concernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12606673833737508249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-815187212465418058.post-23164389611944964402023-11-13T14:33:00.005+00:002023-11-13T14:33:45.058+00:00What is the best thing about marriage? (Mark 10:1-12)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">What’s the best thing about marriage?</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;">I think as a teenager I would have thought
that sex might be the best thing about marriage.</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;">That was what I was looking forward to.</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;">Now sex is a great gift for marriage, but it
is not the best thing about marriage.</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;">As
someone who has been married for over twenty years, I think companionship is
one of the best things about marriage. </span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;">But
even this is not the best thing about marriage.</span><span style="text-align: left;">
</span><span style="text-align: left;">The best thing about marriage is that it gives us a glimpse of the
infinite love God wants people to experience in Him.</span></div></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I used to read Isaiah 62:5 at weddings: ‘as a bridegroom
rejoices in his bride, so your God rejoices over you.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I used to invite the congregation to look at
the groom and learn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Watch him as he
smiles at his bride, see him whisper in her ear and look at him as he leaves
this building with her on his arm, acting like the cat that got the cream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is just an inadequate picture of the
infinitely greater love that God wants people to experience in Him.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In fact, in Mark’s gospel (2:14), Jesus takes this picture
of a bridegroom for Himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus, God
the Son, wants you to experience and enjoy His love.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Marriage is a gift<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jesus has moved from Galilee to Judea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is no longer just speaking to His
disciples but a crowd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The religious
leaders ask Him a question to catch Him out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>How do they intend to catch Jesus out?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Well, remember when John the Baptist criticised King Herod for marrying
his brother’s wife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That got John’s head
cut off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are hoping Jesus might get
in similar trouble with His views of marriage.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As often happens, Jesus answers a question with a question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘What does Moses say?’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moses wrote the first five books of the
Bible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In one of those books, Deuteronomy
(24:1-4), Moses gave God’s command, for that time, on divorce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A divorce law was given assumed that divorce
was taking place and it was aimed at making it harder for men to divorce their
wives, so that they would not simply treat their wife as a commodity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that law, given through Moses, was given
because people’s hearts were hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God’s
original design for marriage is found in Genesis 2.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In Genesis chapter 2 God’s design for marriage as a life
long union of one man and one woman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
man and woman are seen as equals (‘made in the image of God’) but
different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are a compliment, a fit,
for each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a great gift
from God to people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, Jesus talks
of God as being the one who puts people together.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Notice, in Genesis 2, what Adam does when he is presented
with his future wife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He sings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of
my flesh, she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man’ (2:23).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you want to bless your spouse rejoice over
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Look to see their beauty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be thankful that God has given them to
you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ask God to help you appreciate
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you want to ruin your marriage
become an expert in criticism and comparison.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>‘Why couldn’t our relationship be like theirs?’ ‘Why isn’t he as kind as
…?’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘Why isn’t she as beautiful as …?’<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Like a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so your God
rejoices over you (Is. 62:5).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t stop
imitating God in this!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Marriage is difficult<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The whole conversation about marriage in our reading from
mark’s gospel, is set in the context of questions about divorce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here Jesus forbids divorce, although I think
Mark assumes that his readers are familiar with what Matthew records of this
account, that divorce is permitted in the case of sexual immorality (Matt.
19:9).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If your spouse commits adultery
you may, although you do not have to, divorce them.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Going back to Genesis we see that while marriage is a gift
from God, after the first couple rebel against God, marriage becomes hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their desire is to control each other (Gen.
3:16).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, when God confronts Adam
about his sin, the first thing that he does is point the finger at his
wife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Marriage is now a union of two
sinful and selfish people, and that makes it difficult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are finding marriage hard, you are not
alone.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the early years of our marriage we really struggled to
get along.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, we were very excited when
the Bible teacher Paul Tripp came to speak at a local church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my self-righteous heart I hoped that he
would point the finger at wives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
thought he would say, ‘the problem is that Christian woman just don’t respect
their husbands these days.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe
Caroline was hoping that he would say, ‘the problem today is that Christian
husbands are lazy.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said
neither.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His message was simply, ‘repent,
repent and repent.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is only when we
ask God to expose our faults, rather than been an expert in our spouse’s faults,
that we have any hope to change.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Which brings me to my final point!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
gospel can restore marriages<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Old Testament law of Deuteronomy was given because ‘people’s
hearts were hard’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Jesus expects
more from His people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He can soften our
hearts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is important to notice the
context of the apostle Paul’s teaching on sacrificing husbands and respectful
wives (Eph. 5:32).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The context to Paul’s teaching on marriage in Ephesians is
that Christians are not to grieve the Holy Spirit with bitterness, but to be
kind, compassionate and forgiving (4:34).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We are to forgive as Christ has forgiven us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To sustain our marriage, we have to daily
remind ourselves of the gospel of God’s forgiveness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, rather than depend on our own strength,
we are to be filled with the Spirit (5:18).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is only as we lean on Him that we will submit to each other out of
reverence for Christ. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Look at Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let
His grace transform you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ask the Holy
Spirit to change you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then you will be
become less preoccupied with changing your spouse and more concerned with being
like Jesus.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Conclusion: The woman no one wanted. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When I talk on marriage I feel really insensitive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know that some of you would love to be
married but have never had the opportunity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I also know that some of you may have experienced the pain of a difficult
divorce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Bible is clear that
singleness can be difficult, marriage can be difficult, but what is worse than
both is living in a cold marriage.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I need to be clear at this point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am talking about a cold marriage not an
abusive marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you find yourself
in an abusive marriage you need to get out of there straight away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would hope that your church will support
you.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But many people live in cold marriages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their marriage simply does not reach up to
their expectations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If they were shaped
by rom-coms those expectations may have been unrealistic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All marriages travel through down times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember at the beginning of our marriage
thinking, ‘is this really what I spent years looking forward to?’<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If you are in a cold marriage, take heart, not only can he
restore your marriage, but even if it is not restored He want to shower you in
His love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Tim Keller once had a sermon called ‘The Woman no-one wanted!’<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the book of Genesis, a deceiver was deceived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is no surprise because all God’s people
in the Bible are flawed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jacob has his
heart set of a girl called Rachel, but on the wedding night Rachel’s father
switches the bride and Jacob wakes up married to Leah. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leah is not as beautiful as Rachel. Jacob
would later go on to marry Rachel, and he always loved Rachel more than
Leah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leah had to live in a marriage that
was cold.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But God loved Leah, and she gave birth to a son called
Judah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Judah would become a descendant of
the great King David, who was a descendant of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Jesus we have the heavenly bridegroom who
rejoices over His people with singing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Leah’s imperfect marriage was blessed in love by God to be a
part of His great plan of salvation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You
may feel like the man or woman that no one wants, but God wants to shower you
with love in Jesus, which is better than any marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your plans for marriage may not have worked
out as you hoped, but God has even better plans for you.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What is the best thing about marriage?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not the sex, not even the companionship, but
the fact that marriage is an imperfect picture of the love that God wants you
to enjoy in Him! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>To whom it may concernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12606673833737508249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-815187212465418058.post-89211255563623250802023-11-09T19:11:00.001+00:002023-11-09T19:11:18.585+00:00Genesis 4-11: Searching for the serpent-crusher<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAlW2Fu_jFtInOcURSugMR2bXVCaMxoL5lEYm2icrBC_JhdIXFHnTHx_G3-eeuo4zx0cmNNOhuyGKrIt4RHsPH8RAbiiO44K8lXIXdodR5jU17j6vdRaJ3WpjlyRwXMfRuyEjYNHdDOohUeYWyFg7F5XQs-KgjODkGdLEVSjBwm6ikeZV9Zo_mlwl3u12h" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="219" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAlW2Fu_jFtInOcURSugMR2bXVCaMxoL5lEYm2icrBC_JhdIXFHnTHx_G3-eeuo4zx0cmNNOhuyGKrIt4RHsPH8RAbiiO44K8lXIXdodR5jU17j6vdRaJ3WpjlyRwXMfRuyEjYNHdDOohUeYWyFg7F5XQs-KgjODkGdLEVSjBwm6ikeZV9Zo_mlwl3u12h" width="292" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My dad loves genealogies—working on the family tree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know of at least one occasion where our
summer holiday included a picnic in a graveyard—dad was gathering information
from a gravestone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suppose the thrill
is in the search, searching further and further backwards into history and the
people who were there.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There are genealogies in Genesis and they too are part of
a search, but this search looks forwards not backwards, for it is anticipating
someone that is to come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This search begins at chapter 3, verse 15.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There the LORD God says to the serpent:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i>And I will
put enmity<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Between you and the woman,<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And between your offspring and hers<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">He will crush your head,<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">and you will strike his heel.</span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Note in this verse the singular ‘he’ and ‘his’!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is an individual we are looking
for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are searching for the offspring
of Eve who will crush the serpent’s head?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%202%20Genesis%204-11%20(1).doc#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Cain and Abel (chapter 4)<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In chapter 4
we read of the first of Eve’s offspring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Cain is the first-born.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will he
be the one to crush the serpents head?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact Cain crushes his
brother Abel!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this murder we see how
the breakdown in relationship between God and humanity inevitably leads to a
breakdown in relationship among humans.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">With regard to
finding to the serpent-crusher Cain and Abel lead to a dead end (in Abel’s case
literally!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Abel has no descendants,
and when we read of Cain’s (<st1:time hour="4" minute="17" w:st="on">4:17</st1:time>-24)
we see little hope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The line from Cain
leads to Lamech, who boasts of killing a man for striking him (<st1:time hour="4" minute="23" w:st="on">4:23</st1:time>).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So where will
the offspring of Eve that will crush the serpents head come from?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In verse 25 we read of the birth of another
son born in the place of Abel, Seth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
new line of descendants begins and immediately it is associated with the
worship of God— <i>at that time men began to call on the name of the LORD</i>
(verse 26).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the line of
descendants that we are to follow as we search for the serpent-crusher.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The account of Adam’s line (chapter
5)</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">You might be
tempted to skip over chapter 5 if you are working your way through
Genesis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Certainly it is not the most
exciting read: ‘so and so had lived for a certain number of years, he became
the father of someone else, he lived for a certain number of more years and had
other sons and daughters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Altogether he
lived a certain number of years, and then he died.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pattern is repetitive!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But there are important things being taught
here!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">To start with
a certain line is being traced, only one member in each generation is
mentioned: we are moving in a direction towards one person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This line, as we will see, continues right
through Genesis and contrary to expectation it does not always continue through
the first-born—it goes through Seth rather than Cain, Isaac rather than
Ishmael, Jacob rather than his first-born twin brother Esau.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">This genealogy
also serves as a reminder that the consequence of sin—death. Again and again we
read—<i>and then he died.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People
don’t like to talk about death, some even try to avoid the word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently there is a hospital in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region> that
refers to death as ‘negative patient care outcome’<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%202%20Genesis%204-11%20(1).doc#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However death is a harsh reality of life.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Noah (chapters 6-9) ‘Grace and
Covenant’:</span></i></b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In chapter
five the line leads to Noah who is introduced by his father’s hopeful words, <i>“He
will comfort us in the labour and painful toil of our hands caused by the
ground the LORD has cursed”</i> (5:29).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Although the
story of Noah and the Flood is a favourite with Sunday school children, it is
not an easy story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed I once shared
a house with a friend who cited the flood as<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> part his reason for not believing in God: ‘God wasn’t so loving when
he drowned all those people’, he used to say.<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%202%20Genesis%204-11%20(1).doc#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However it should be noted that while God
does act in judgement he does so with sorrow—</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> the LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart
was filled with pain</i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> (6:6).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This ‘is not some vindictive tyrant, this is
a God whose heart is breaking’.<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%202%20Genesis%204-11%20(1).doc#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">God saw how great humankind’s wickedness had become,</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was
only evil all the time </span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">(6:5)</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">.</span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">
So with justice that will not condone wickedness, that will not treat sin
lightly, that will not turn a blind eye to mankind’s rebellion, God announces
judgement—</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I will wipe out mankind, whom I have
created . . </span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, as well as this being a story of judgment it is also one of
salvation—</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">but Noah found favour in the eyes of
the LORD</span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> (6:8)</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">.</span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Why did Noah find favour in the eyes of the LORD?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The obvious answer seems to be to look at
verse 9 and say that he found favour with God because he was a righteous
man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that sounds like salvation by
works; that sounds as if God looked for someone who deserved his salvation and
then saved them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such an explanation
seems very different to the salvation by grace that is taught in the rest of
the Bible.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">We are best to work from verse 8 to verse 9.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Noah found favour in God’s eyes—that is
grace, God showing undeserved mercy to an undeserving person from a sinful
world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The result of that grace, the
result of Gods’ favour, is verse 9: Noah becomes a righteous man blameless
among the people of his time.<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%202%20Genesis%204-11%20(1).doc#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">In
verse 18 we have the first mention of what is a key unifying theme in
Scripture: covenant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This first mention
of covenant involves God’s commitment to save Noah and his family from
destruction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The flood comes, but God has provided a rescue plan for Noah and his
family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ark carries them through the
judgement into the salvation that lies beyond.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What a picture of the gospel!<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%202%20Genesis%204-11%20(1).doc#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For those of us who have put our trust in him
Jesus is like our ark—he has taken the brunt of God’s judgement in our place,
as we shelter in Christ the ark we are carried through the tide of judgement
into the world of salvation that lies beyond.<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%202%20Genesis%204-11%20(1).doc#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The story of the flood and the ark is a great act of judgement and
salvation, but the effects of the fall are not yet reversed and we have still
not found the serpent-crusher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
chapter 8 we read that every inclination of man’s heart is still evil from birth:
the problem of sin remains—indeed the account of Noah ends with him getting
drunk and one of his sons mocking him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even though God’s charge to Noah, in chapter 9—to fill the earth and
exercise dominion over it, reminds us of the creation account—this new start is
not in a new Eden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The story of
salvation has not come to its climax yet!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The
scattering: (chapter 11)<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">With the problem of sin not yet dealt with it comes as no surprise to
find humanity again rebelling against God in chapter 11.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Verse 4, </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Then they
said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the
heavens, that we might make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the
face of the earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">‘The
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">tower</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Babel</st1:placename></st1:place> is a vivid symbol of our own
sinful desire to exalt ourselves and create our own kingdom independently of
God’<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%202%20Genesis%204-11%20(1).doc#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>,
their sin results in the very thing they feared—the scattering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘Human beings are now divided not just from
God but from each other.’<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%202%20Genesis%204-11%20(1).doc#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[9]</span></span></span></span></a></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Conclusion</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Having worked through Genesis 4-11 we might feel that things look
bleak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed two of the dominant themes
of these chapters are humanities sinfulness and God’s response in
judgement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is, however, a third
great theme: God’s amazing grace!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We see
that grace in chapter 4, when God places a protective mark on the unrepentant
Cain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We see that grace in chapter 5,
when we read of Enoch </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">who walked with God; then
he was no more</span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">’ (we ‘are given the hope that even in a
fallen world, it is possible to know God and escape the penalty of death’<a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%202%20Genesis%204-11%20(1).doc#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn10;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We see that grace in chapter 6—God showing
favour to Noah and rescuing him and his family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We see that grace in chapter 9 with God’s covenant to preserve creation
and never again destroy it with a flood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And we have seen that grace in the promise of the serpent-crusher.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">What about the serpent-crusher?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Keep following the line of descendants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This section ends with another genealogy (chapter 11): from Shem to
Abram.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The search for the
serpent-crusher continues!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Abram will be
the next great character in God’s story of salvation but he will not be the
serpent crusher, we have to carry on many more generations until we come to
him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Who will the serpent-crusher be?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No prizes for guessing, Jesus!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
defeated the serpent, Satan through his death on the cross, and he will return
to complete the job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The apostle Paul
echoes Genesis 3:15, when he assures the Christians in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Rome</st1:place></st1:city>, ‘</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The God of
peace will soon crush Satan under you feet.’ </span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">(Romans
16:20).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%202%20Genesis%204-11%20(1).doc#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> One of the main reasons for the genealogies (the family line) in
Genesis 1-11 is the search for this descendant.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John Richardson, <i>Get into the Bible</i>,
The Good Book Company.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%202%20Genesis%204-11%20(1).doc#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> Cited in Vaughan Roberts, <i>The Big Picture</i>, p.41.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn3" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%202%20Genesis%204-11%20(1).doc#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> For scientific issues relating to the flood see relevant chapter in
Lucas’s <i>Can we believe Genesis today?</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn4" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%202%20Genesis%204-11%20(1).doc#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Jackman, </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bible Overview Lectures</i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn5" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%202%20Genesis%204-11%20(1).doc#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> David Jackman makes this point by pointing to the phrase ‘This is
the account of’ at the beginning of verse 9.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is more literally translated ‘this is what came out of’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He suggests that we read this in relation to
Noah, i.e. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Noah found favour in the eyes
of the LORD, <u>this is what came out of that</u>, Noah was a righteous man . .
.</i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn6" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%202%20Genesis%204-11%20(1).doc#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> See 1 Peter 3.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn7" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%202%20Genesis%204-11%20(1).doc#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> Jackman, <i>Bible Overview Lectures.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn8" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%202%20Genesis%204-11%20(1).doc#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> Vaughan Roberts,<i> The Big Picture</i>, p.42.<i> <o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn9" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%202%20Genesis%204-11%20(1).doc#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> Vaughan Roberts, <i>The Big Picture, </i>p.42.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn10" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///C:/Users/the3r.LAPTOP-T5IC3EA2/Downloads/Part%202%20Genesis%204-11%20(1).doc#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn10;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> Vaughan Roberts, <i>The Big Picture,</i> p.50.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>To whom it may concernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12606673833737508249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-815187212465418058.post-25752312852810510262023-11-02T12:14:00.002+00:002023-11-02T12:14:49.790+00:00Signs of life (Mark 9:41-50)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhWqoQ_ohNgFOGd1gDDgPX7pTHUKcso-cnaFte0xWlcCmQgaRAP0NKbP5-r-4bmBCyC9YqGvzPoC3BRzrZjfUVgpehuSL1CvSimASf4pFt4qIxsEi5wY7AAD8BRF4RNLxqmSB-EjBciya2QuNbCuDiL_mIFaqfrI8GeICdredecNiy4WljJmBM1vv1R8Qun" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="172" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhWqoQ_ohNgFOGd1gDDgPX7pTHUKcso-cnaFte0xWlcCmQgaRAP0NKbP5-r-4bmBCyC9YqGvzPoC3BRzrZjfUVgpehuSL1CvSimASf4pFt4qIxsEi5wY7AAD8BRF4RNLxqmSB-EjBciya2QuNbCuDiL_mIFaqfrI8GeICdredecNiy4WljJmBM1vv1R8Qun" width="229" /></a></div><br />I was
looking through a little book called, ‘Spiritual Health check’. In fact, I was a little bit skeptical about
it, because I feared it would simply ask questions about how regular you have a
quiet time, how often you share your faith, how much of your income you give
and so on. The truth is that we can do
all these things in a mechanical way that gives no evidence of a heart touched
by the love of Jesus. But the little
book was much better than I anticipated.
It was really a heart check. It
talked about growing in love for Jesus, having an increasing gratitude for the
cross, being excited about the day we see Jesus face to face, sincerely loving
God’s people and longing to become more like Jesus.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I hope we
all want to grow!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In our
passage, Jesus is talking to those who say that they follow Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He both seeks to encourage and warn
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He even asks them to consider if
they really are born again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do they
really love Him?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">As we
examine Jesus’ words we will see that people who love Jesus love His people, people
who love Jesus are always seeking to change, and people who love Jesus keep
their flavor.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People who love Jesus love His people (41-42)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Notice the
contrast in the opening two verses we read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>‘I assure you that the person who gives you a mere drink of water in my
name, because they follow me, will most certainly be rewarded’ (41).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘… and I tell you, that the person who
disturbs the faith of one of the humblest of those who believe in me would be
better off to have a millstone thrown around their neck and thrown into the sea’
(42).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">On one
hand, we have reward for kindness to God’s people, and on the other hand,
severe judgement on those who harm them.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Carl Laferton
writes, ‘it is strikingly simple, and deeply challenging: our love for other
believers is a Christ-given diagnostic tool for knowing if we truly love Him …
if you do not sincerely, sacrificially and actively love God’s people, then you
are struggling spiritually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you do,
then you are growing spiritually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
as simple as that.’<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In fact,
these words go further.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actively loving
God’s people is evidence that you are born again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A bitter and hostile attitude towards them
places real doubt over you’re the reality of your spiritual life.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Notice the love
of God in these two verses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even a small
act like giving a struggling Christian a glass of water will not go unnoticed
by God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See, too, that His fierce
judgement is rooted in the concern that He has for His children.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People who love Jesus are always seeking to change
(43-47)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Jesus
teaches using hyperbole—a exaggerated form of speech designed to powerfully
drive the point home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘It is better to
cut off your hand, foot or eye than go to hell’.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It is not
that our holiness keeps us out of hell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus’
work on the cross keeps us out of hell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But when Jesus gives us new life, we receive the person of the Holy
Spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the Holy Spirit dwells with
us then we cannot remain apathetic towards the bitterness and apathy you see in
your heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christians do sin, we are
lying if we deny it (1 Jn. 1:8), but they can no longer be content in their
sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They long to change!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I think
that Jesus uses the picture of foot, hand and eye because they are so important
to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The battle is serious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also think that He uses us to challenge us
about where we go, what we do and what we look at.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jesus is teaching that our actions reflect our heart, our
words reflect our heart and our attitudes reflect our heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When our heart changes it will be seen in how
we act!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The frustrating
thing about talking about spiritual health is that some people worry about the
reality of their faith when they should not, and others are confident when they
have no reason to be.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The true
Christian is someone who admits that they are more sinful than you will ever
see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like the apostle Paul, they have no
problem counting themselves among the chief of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This makes them humble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But they are confident, because they know
that the grace of Jesus covers more than the worst of sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And they cannot be apathetic (that is the
point being made in these verses), because the Holy Spirit is always showing
them how they can become more like Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">If the
hardness and bitterness of your heart, makes you feel wretched, be encouraged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a sign of the Holy Spirit at work in
you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That wretchedness is a sign of
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But then we must marvel at the
cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus has paid for it all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Justice for our guilt has been served.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we must move beyond wretchedness to
celebration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are free and forgiven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, in grateful love we lean on Jesus to
change us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">People who love Jesus keep their flavor
(48-50)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Now we come
to the most difficult to understand verses in this passage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">‘For
everyone will be salted with fire’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
seems that this everyone is composed of two groups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are those who will not let the Holy
Spirit challenge them about the state of their heart, shown in their actions,
and thus demonstrate that they are not really born again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They will one day face the fire of
judgement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then there are those who are
leaning in to God to change them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life
will not always be easy for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
will pass through the various fires.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
God will use these for good, making them more mature, compassionate and
humble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">‘Salt is
good.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was used as a preservative and
for flavor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But if it loses its flavor it
becomes useless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus had already
talked about those who would only follow for a while and then fall away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some people can tell you the day and hour
they decided to give their life to Jesus, but they have become bitter and
cynical.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They might travel through the
outward duties of church going, prayer and giving, but they have no love and
joy for God’s people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are lost, and
they don’t even realize it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">But then
how do I know that I am a true Christian?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Is the Holy Spirit showing you that you need to change?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then be encouraged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you realize that your heart is more bitter
and struggling than people see?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then you’re
are being real.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you see that Jesus
has done more than enough to rescue even wicked people like us?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then be glad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Does your gratitude for what He has done on the cross make you want to
become more like Him?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then it would seem
you have the signs of life!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember that
it all Him and His work in your heart!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be
humble and confident.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Note the
last words of our reading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘Live at peace
with each other.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember that our love
for other Christians is one of the most accurate indicators of our spiritual
life and health.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cry out to God to
enable you to forgive and be at one with each other.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Conclusion:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Finally,
think of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beholding Him is the way
to change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gazing upon His beauty if the
way to soften your heart.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Jesus who
calls us to metaphorically cut off our arm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What did He cut off?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was cut
off fellowship with His heavenly Father.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He didn’t have His eye cut out, but He had His blood spilt, His side pierced
and nails driven through His wrists and ankles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He did it, not for His sin, but ours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He took our sin very seriously.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">He calls us
to pursue peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Including forgiving
those who have offended us and loving those we find difficult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What did He do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He prayed for forgiveness for the very people
who mocked and spat on Him as the life drained out of Him on the cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He loves us, when we were apathetic toward
Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He persists in love towards us even
though we fail Him every day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He pursued
us even though we ran from Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He calls
us to be peacemakers.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">There
really is only one way to become spiritually healthy: behold the beauty of the crucified
and risen Jesus. <o:p></o:p></span></p>To whom it may concernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12606673833737508249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-815187212465418058.post-48947785164453568072023-10-24T09:34:00.003+01:002023-10-24T09:38:21.264+01:00A new kind of greatness (Mark 9:30-37)<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgD27WBiqyv94urUIARDHe6ohBgntFR3tr63Dw6PuMeO9Ei7Mml-2_OfaWbhrruqQJ5j8g7zBCzS7FQb4ELPMI6sB1nE_tvxnssErXGvVb3gNJsBrQU2Z9ohL4VgLeP57LWozasqirYAvcHCNMbbKtuShvuqTi0E6FLKwpcUQKda7vDZe3SsuhX6drpEFUF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgD27WBiqyv94urUIARDHe6ohBgntFR3tr63Dw6PuMeO9Ei7Mml-2_OfaWbhrruqQJ5j8g7zBCzS7FQb4ELPMI6sB1nE_tvxnssErXGvVb3gNJsBrQU2Z9ohL4VgLeP57LWozasqirYAvcHCNMbbKtuShvuqTi0E6FLKwpcUQKda7vDZe3SsuhX6drpEFUF" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="text-align: left;">Do you care what people think of you?</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;">I do!</span><span style="text-align: left;">
</span><span style="text-align: left;">In fact, when I meet people who say that they don’t give a stuff what
people think about them, they tend to people who are wounded and cynical.</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;">I would worry for you if you don’t care what
people think of you.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But we can care too much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We can be insecure, and always need approval, or we can be proud, and
always demand applause.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes
approval and applause become a functional god to us: they are what we look to
for security and significance.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As in all things, Jesus is our example when it comes to how
to live in a manner that is healthy and right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He tells us to be willing to be the lowest, be happy to be considered
last and love those who are considered the least.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Be willing to be the
lowest</i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For the second time in Mark’s gospel we see Jesus foretell His
death and resurrection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The disciples
hear what He says and yet they do not understand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, their ignorance is culpable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are afraid to ask Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They don’t want to know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They fear the implications of His death for
their lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, they busy
themselves arguing who is the greatest among them.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In going to the cross Jesus is willing to take the lowest
place. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A Roman citizen could not be
crucified.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In polite company you would
not talk about crucifixion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crucifixion
was for the worst of criminals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
involves being mocked, spat on and stripped naked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus endured such shame for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also sets us an example.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The example is picked up by the apostle Paul in his letter
to the Philippians (2:3-5).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are to
have the mind of Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are to see
His example, and so think of others as being more important than
ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are to be willing to take
the lowest place.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Be happy with the last
place</i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How do you take criticism?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>How do you feel when no-one notices the good you have done?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do you react when people overlook you for
a position?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jesus sat down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That
was the traditional posture for a rabbi when teaching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He tells the disciples that anyone who wants to
become first must be servant of all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This was long before the notion of ‘servant leadership’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is talking of being willing to be
genuinely humble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I struggle with my mental health, and so I try to do some Cogitative
Behaviour Therapy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In CBT you try to
replace negative thoughts with true thoughts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So, let’s do some thinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Negative thoughts tell us that no one notices what I do, true thoughts
counters this by reminding me that God delights in every good we do (even
though our best deeds are tainted with selfishness).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Negative thoughts say that no one thanked me,
true thought responds that our Heavenly Father notices every kindness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Negative though reminds us that we do not
like serving, true thought shows us the beauty of Christ’s service.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Encouragement and affirmation are good things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Look at how the apostle Paul encourages
people in his letters, however we must not depend on being noticed.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Love those in the
least place</i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Then Jesus take a child in His arms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You learn a lot by how children feel around people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus was a secure and safe adult who valued
children.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You must realise that in those days, children were not
idolised the way they are in our society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They were considered insignificant, and were a picture of
helplessness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus’ embrace of
children reminds us of His embrace of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You had nothing to offer, but He cherishes you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are to follow this example picks up on
this attitude and we must not be proud, but be willing to associate with people
of low position, not be conceited (Rom. 12:16).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jesus does not care about who is good to be seen with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He knows nothing of an ‘in’ crowd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Words like geek and nerd are not a part of
His vocabulary.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Conclusion</i><u><o:p></o:p></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How do we change?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How
do we go from being self-conscious to considering others more important than
ourselves?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do we move from demanding
applause to turning attention away from ourselves?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do we gladly surrender the fight for
position?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I think there is only one way to change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is to behold Jesus (2 Cor. 3:15).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gaze at the person and work of Jesus and ask
the Holy Spirit to make you like Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then
we should be willing to make ourselves low, happily be among the last and love
the least. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>To whom it may concernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12606673833737508249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-815187212465418058.post-59972896610367496392023-10-10T17:01:00.004+01:002023-10-10T17:01:24.599+01:00Christianity is free, but it will cost you your life (Mark 8:34=38)<p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjGmLB5uZ2MhJyDTM3TBLvPSQWTYa2DIN1ds9L1OwnOoifXJ2kFuDslnSh7oxJSvO0TF5eB7sFAgccOxDeG9YdwvMF7AE4nP5CtK9zVQ5ctj9yuPYxvtfC8D4RUhHA0BERW4nzUUZMIp_ifPnhBWIKzVzutC7_7ze8GKBL0Y7P39IGmszx6bs7IBisYssiP" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="267" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjGmLB5uZ2MhJyDTM3TBLvPSQWTYa2DIN1ds9L1OwnOoifXJ2kFuDslnSh7oxJSvO0TF5eB7sFAgccOxDeG9YdwvMF7AE4nP5CtK9zVQ5ctj9yuPYxvtfC8D4RUhHA0BERW4nzUUZMIp_ifPnhBWIKzVzutC7_7ze8GKBL0Y7P39IGmszx6bs7IBisYssiP" width="320" /></a></div><br />A number of years ago a man from Limerick went to the ploughing championships and came back claiming that he had led hundreds of people to Jesus. That got some of us thinking. What did this man tell people about following Jesus? How did he explain what was involved in being a Christian? Had he really explained the gospel? Did these people really become Christians?<p></p><p>You see, if I went up to you and asked, 'would you like to know Jesus?, then raise your hand'. 'Would you like to be forgiven?, then pray this prayer.' 'Do you want to go to heaven when you die?, then sign this form.' You might do all these things. But you might not know what it means to follow Jesus.</p><p>Don't get me wrong. Becoming a Christian involves receiving a free gift. Jesus did it all. We contribute nothing to our forgiveness and acceptance. But if you are going to become a follower of Jesus, and live a life empowered by the Holy Spirit, then everything is open to change.</p><p>In this post, I want to encourage you to see that although Jesus calls you to come and die, it is worth it.</p><p>1. Jesus is worth more than your passions</p><p>Look at how our reading began. 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me' In the original Greek it says, 'if anyone "desires" to come after me.' In other words, we are to desire to follow Jesus more than anything else in life.</p><p>My mind was brought to Galatians 5, which reads that those who belong to Jesus have crucified the flesh with its desires and pleasures. There Paul talks about the passions of the sinful nature. Our natural inclination includes fits of rage, cheap sex and jealousy. Becoming a Christian involves asking the Holy Spirit to help us resist such urges.</p><p>In exchange for those ugly passions of the sinful nature, God, through the Holy Spirit, is willing to produce a different fruit in us. Fruit like love, joy, patience, kindness and gentleness. Now tell me, is that worth it? Is it worth following the One who can change you from the inside out? Is it worth allowing Him make you more like Jesus?</p><p>2. Jesus is worth more than your possessions</p><p>Tim Keller says that in every culture there are things of which people tell you 'if you gain this, have this and earn this then you will have a real sense of self.'</p><p>Maybe you are trying to find your sense of self in relationships. But what happens when she says 'I am not interested in you, it is over?' Maybe you are building your sense of self through what you own. We talk of retail therapy. But no one seriously puts retail therapy alongside other types of therapy, because everyone knows that it does not work.</p><p>Do a profit and loss, and you will see that what you get in Christ is greater than anything the world has to offer. Don't let stuff stop you putting Jesus first in your life.</p><p>We all began the Christian life knowing that Jesus was enough for us, but over time discontentment slips in and we start thinking, 'Jesus and the next achievement, that will be enough.'</p><p>3. Jesus is worth more than your popularity</p><p>Jesus talks about an adulterous and sinful generation. Adultery is the ultimate act of disloyalty. People are fickle and selfish. They let us down.</p><p>In a little while Peter will tells Jesus about those he left behind to follow Jesus. Jesus then reminds Peter of all the new brothers and sisters and mothers he has in faith. The church is a part of God's blessing to us. Psalm 16 states that God's people are to be our delight.</p><p>However even Christians let us down. But look at the context of this passage. Before Jesus challenged us to take up our cross, He tells them that he picks up his cross. The cross is not just something that happens for us, it is something that happens in us: it proves to us that God loves us. </p><p>Again, ask yourself, 'is it worth it?' Is it worth trusting Jesus, more than all untrustworthy people? Is it worth resisting peer pressure for One whose love is steady and sure? </p><p><i>Conclusion</i></p><p>I started by telling you about that man who went to the ploughing championship and came home claiming to have led hundreds of people to Jesus. Did he just ask people to pray a prayer, or did they really count the cost. Christianity is free, but following Jesus will cost you your life. </p><p><br /></p>To whom it may concernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12606673833737508249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-815187212465418058.post-12282292991346476612023-10-10T11:04:00.002+01:002023-10-10T11:04:17.703+01:00Christianity without the cross is a lie of the devil (Mark 8:31-33)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBIud7aTnZP1_F19nABpsH3Z0j-xv-Qf5SS9F2-YVYcCQiXOyTGOjO4yXwrpgLuPhxsVkhU1LBI1fl7kSdRJ6mK0epfAyMC8yhJQIJDqIy_Rz40lvAoERqrOsNAFY-Zn4Q5_jIymv9sQTGf1F5JJrV6UDxU85KhKQmn3sh6rgprYmamUNnhC9K-mPHDSk7" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="193" data-original-width="291" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBIud7aTnZP1_F19nABpsH3Z0j-xv-Qf5SS9F2-YVYcCQiXOyTGOjO4yXwrpgLuPhxsVkhU1LBI1fl7kSdRJ6mK0epfAyMC8yhJQIJDqIy_Rz40lvAoERqrOsNAFY-Zn4Q5_jIymv9sQTGf1F5JJrV6UDxU85KhKQmn3sh6rgprYmamUNnhC9K-mPHDSk7" width="320" /></a></div><br />Everything in the Bible centres on the cross and resurrection of Jesus. <p></p><p>Jesus was chosen before the foundation of the world to shed His precious blood to redeem us (1 Peter 1:18-21). On the road to Emmaus He told the disciples that the Old Testament foretold His death and resurrection (Luke 24:45-46). Six of the sixteen chapters of Mark's gospel, which we are now studying, centre on the week of the cross, because that is its chief concern. The apostle Paul sums up his preaching by saying, 'we preach Christ crucified' (1 Cor. 1:23). He can say to the Christians in Galatia, in what is now Turkey, 'before your very eyes Christ was portrayed as crucified' (Gal. 3:1). In heaven we will eternally celebrate the cross, as we worship the lamb who was slain (Rev. 5:6).</p><p>Yet the cross has always had its opponents. The leader of a Christian organisation referred to the cross as bad public relations, and explained that was why there was no cross in his charity's logo. A chaplain in a university wrote an article in the college newspaper saying that the death and resurrection of Jesus was not 'the crux' of Christianity. </p><p>In our reading we see objections to the cross.</p><p>1. Peter's objection to the cross</p><p>Jesus had just asked the disciples, 'who do you say that i am?' Peter had responded as spokesperson for all the disciples in declaring that 'you are the Christ.' Then Jesus went on to explain that the Christ must suffer, die and be raised from the dead. Peter objects.</p><p>It is amazing that Peter would have the insolence to rebuke the one he has just declared to be the Christ. Why did Peter do this? Peter rebukes Jesus because his view of the Christ is too shallow and too narrow.</p><p>His view was too narrow because he was only thinking of a saviour that would come for his own people. </p><p>God's plan was always to bless people from all over the world. Go back to the promise God made to a man called Abram, from a place called Ur, in what is now Iraq. There God said that he would enter into a relationship with Abram's descendants, and that through these people bless all the peoples of the world. When Jesus came He began His mission to Abraham's people who were settled in Palestine, but the mission was never to be confined to them. I am so blessed to be the pastor of a church that is made up of people from all over the world, because this testifies that Jesus' mission is succeeding. Good news for the nations.</p><p>But peter could only think in terms of a messiah for his people, the Jews. He wanted a messiah who world come to his people and rescue them from Roman occupation. This was where he was too shallow. Peter wanted freedom, but Jesus had a much deeper idea of freedom than mere political freedom.</p><p>As Christians we know a freedom that is far better than any political cause can deliver. Jesus brings something deeper: freedom from guilt, freedom from shame, freedom from the fear of death, freedom from the bondage of sin, freedom from God's judgement and freedom into His love and acceptance. It is so much deeper. It is all much deeper than Peter realised.</p><p>There are many people who live in supposedly free countries whose conscience enslaves them. They know that they have done all sorts of things that are wrong and they don't know where to get relief. They know that there are things that are not right in their hearts and they don't know that power to change. There are also people who live under tyrannical regimes, who are free indeed, for they know that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.</p><p>2. Satan's opposition to the cross</p><p>What a terrible rebuke Peter receives from Jesus. 'Get behind me Satan!' Jesus heard an idea of Satan in Peter's words. Peter was being unwittingly used by the devil. All through this gospel Satan has been trying to divert Jesus off the road to the cross. Just think of the temptations in the wilderness. Satan tries to get Jesus to take another road to glory. But Jesus stands firm.</p><p>Why does Satan despise the cross? Well, if Jesus doesn't go to the cross the plan of God fails. Jesus will not have shown Himself to be the obedient Son. We won't end up seeing Jesus risen and exalted in heaven. God will not get the glory. There will be no people of God. There will be no forgiveness. Heaven will be empty.</p><p>Christianity without the cross is satanic. It is exactly what Satan wants. If you think that Christianity is just one other means of showing that you are a good person who leads a moral life and is worthy of heaven, then the devil delights. No, Christianity is the cross!</p><p>3. Why people object to the cross</p><p>Jesus explains, 'you do not have in mind the things of God but the things of man'. </p><p>People have always objected to the cross because the cross hurts our pride. One writer explains the gospel by saying, 'my sin is so serious that nothing less than the death of God's own Son can deal with it, and that is exactly what God has done for me.' The cross reminds us of the serious nature of our sin and our utter inability to make it up to God. That is not necessarily a message that people want to hear.</p><p>In Matthew 16 when Peter declared that Jesus was the Christ, Jesus responded 'blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you.' Seeing that Jesus is God's unique Messiah is an evidence of the Holy Spirit at work in us. </p><p>Look at the miracle just before this passage. A man is healed of blindness, but in two stages. That is a picture of what has happened to the disciples. They have had their eyes opened to the disciples. They have seen that Jesus is the Christ, but their vision is still blurry about what sort of Christ He is.</p><p>These things are spiritually discerned (1 Cor. 2:14). So be greatly encouraged if you have come to a place where you see who Jesus is, you accept His verdict on your need for the cross and you celebrate His work on the cross. This is evidence of God's work in your heart. Be thankful! If the cross is not good news to you, ask God to open your eyes.</p><p><i>Conclusion</i></p><p>We were the church weekend away and we went swimming. We had a bunch of teenage girls with us and some guys started to show an interest in them. The guys wanted to know where we were from, and the girls said that we are from Limerick Baptist. They then asked what Baptists believe. My daughter turned to me to give an answer. I am not always very good in these situations, but I said, 'we are no better than anyone else, we are simply forgiven, and that is a result of the cross.' That, of course is not just what Baptists believe, it is what everyone who claims to be a Christian should believe. It is all about the cross.</p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p>. </p>To whom it may concernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12606673833737508249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-815187212465418058.post-1769026251396304862023-09-12T13:09:00.002+01:002023-09-12T13:09:23.086+01:00An encounter with the New Heaven and New Earth (Shincheonji). <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjNmT8A4vR1imPjsBeTKYqQOIfeOibOOIzdWh6hamb7SEmxmguTQghDu8OCvNt9SO7pOfUtYnr2OU2FjGmsSJoyf9WTx1-ton_-gEly2qZPXloHpNoIFTIIR_rSsuprDsbIogtlg7z3hzx2YfOlddF4UpP7AsR-X6O20lZKydhdpJcgYGX1asW8wIQJOMck" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="318" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjNmT8A4vR1imPjsBeTKYqQOIfeOibOOIzdWh6hamb7SEmxmguTQghDu8OCvNt9SO7pOfUtYnr2OU2FjGmsSJoyf9WTx1-ton_-gEly2qZPXloHpNoIFTIIR_rSsuprDsbIogtlg7z3hzx2YfOlddF4UpP7AsR-X6O20lZKydhdpJcgYGX1asW8wIQJOMck" width="320" /></a></div><br />Imagine a man claiming that he alone can understand the book of Revelation. Imagine that God had left us in the dark all these years. Imagine someone suggesting that the Bible is not adequate for our Christina maturity, that we needed his interpretations. Imagine a church that believes no other church has the truth. You actually don't have to imagine. This is the cult of the New Heaven and the New Earth (Shincheonji). It is dangerous and it is targeting Christian students in Ireland.<p></p><p>Like all cults its methods are underhand. You might get someone who invites you to a Bible study, not telling you that they think that your church is totally deficient. Like every distortion of Christianity they don't believe that the Bible is enough. You could even end up in a Zoom Bible study where you are surrounded by other seekers, who you think are just like yourself, but are actually planted there in order to give credibility to the cult's teaching.</p><p>A few months ago I was asked for coffee by a nice young man. Normally when someone asks to meet me for coffee they get to the point fairly quickly, they have a reason for wanting to talk. But I couldn't figure out why this guy wanted to meet.</p><p>Eventually we talked about church and faith. He said that he had encountered a church that preached the Bible in a way that he had not encountered before. He said that he felt that preachers today depend too much on commentaries. I actually wondered what he understood what a biblical commentary is - the commentaries I glean from are just the help of people who may be able to show me how the text is illuminated by the whole teaching of the Bible, how the original languages help us understand its meaning etc.</p><p>It was noticeable that this young man was vague about what his church was in. Then I heard him refer to 'The New Heaven and The New Earth'. I knew this to be a cult with roots in Korea. He fed me the unlikely story that its leader had been foretold in the book of Revelation. But why has no-one noticed that such a person was to come? He explained that just as Jesus' first coming had been misunderstood, so was their leader's coming. The fatal flaw in such reasoning is that no-one denies that the Old Testament prophesied the coming of the Messiah, they had just pushed their own political agenda on him. I suggested that it was inconsistent to say that we should not be reading the Bible alongside respected commentaries and then claim that we cannot understand the Bible without the teaching of a particular cult leader.</p><p>Why is this dangerous? Like all cults they will separate you from church family and biological family. They will tell you that the Bible is not sufficient without the accompaniment of their teaching. They teach things that are clearly untrue. </p><p>The thing that scares me about this cult is that I now know three people who have got entangled in it (thankfully one has left). They are all young adults and nice people. While this cult is so obviously off the mark it seems to be targeting young Christians and it will be targeting Christian Unions this term. Beware!</p><p><br /></p><p> </p>To whom it may concernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12606673833737508249noreply@blogger.com0