Showing posts with label the gospel message. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the gospel message. Show all posts
Monday, January 3, 2022
Saturday, August 15, 2020
The Chosen Global Livestream: Episode One
In this last week I have watched the first six weeks of "the Chosen" a mini series about Jesus and the Gospel story.
I watched to see if this was going to accurately portray the Biblical accounts of Jesus life and times.
It is an amazing achievement for this band of people who have produced, acted ,written it and directed it.
If you are Christian many scenes will bring tears to your eyes.
If you are not you may be awakened to the reality of Jesus and His life and why He came to earth.
You will find the Director,Dallas Jenkins, a very enthusiastic promoter of this series.
The money to keep it going and producing it is being funded by crowd sourcing.
You may well find after you have watched a few episodes that you wish to contribute.
The acting is superb and the way the individuals in the series have been "imagined" based on scripture is I think remarkable.
I recommend this whole heartedly.
Below is episode one.
As you go through the series you will see by people's comments that lives are being changed.
Here us a link to an excellent review
https://pastorunlikely.com/the-chosen-tv-is-amazing-a-pastors-review/
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Pistol Pete Maravich christian testimony
Pistol Pete Maravich is arguably the best ever basketball player.Search on youtube for some of the documented highlights.Amazingly he quit basketball in his prime.He died when he was only 40.Not long before this his Christian testimony was recorded.This is an incredibly earnest presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.If you are not a Christian listen to this compelling story.If you listen right through you will be moved.
Sunday, March 8, 2020
The Birds can teach us by Geoff Thompson
I presented this Christian message on 8/3/20 at the Lifecare Parkrose Nursing Home United Congregation on Sunday 8/3/20.
Here is a link to my youtube posts about Apostle Birds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0DqMeEYtpc&t=407s
If you would like to see more about Australian birds I have done a small series on you tube.
Here is a link to my introduction to this series and then you can checkout the later videos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riaxYpUyLgg&t=17s
The Birds our Teachers
You would have noticed
in my power point presentations for this service I often have pictures of
Australian Birds.
That stems from my
love of birds and bird watching and bird photography.
Today I would like
to speak about how we can learn from the birds much about God.
(I got the idea to
do this today as a few weeks back Roger Brown was using the Eagle as part of
his message.)
In fact you often
come across people who say there is no God and that we just evolved as slime from
the mud of the ocean.
They don’t believe
there is a creator and therefore don’t believe in God let alone Jesus.
All they really
have to do is look around and think about the beauty of our creation.
Where did it all
come from?
As Paul says in
Romans 1.20
“Since earliest
times men have seen the earth and sky and all God made, and have known of His
existence and great eternal power. So they will have no excuse when they stand
before God on judgement day.”
The birds are part
of creation and they do feature quite a bit in the Bible.
I started bird watching
on the encouragement of my father when I was about 12.
Mainly because at
that age I had my own air rifle and I was in the habit of shooting the sparrows
in the backyard.
I had no regard
for them as creatures.
Not a good habit
to get into.
Back then
Australia had a “own your own gun and use it mentality” just like America still
does.
Thankfully that is
largely a thing of the past although some still insist on recreational duck
shooting.
Well I got myself
a bird identification book, was given some binoculars as a Christmas present
and a groundsheet to sit on while I watched birds.
These days they would probably have called me
a nerd.
Anyway my interest
and knowledge grew.
When I finally got
into photography in about 1970, then my passion for bird photography started to
take off.
So what has all
this got to do with today’s message?
Well my father in
law was an expert on birds and he was always saying they were cleverer than us
and even had a language they could communicate with each other.
He believed we
could learn a lot from birds.
He used to talk
about birds as if they were humans.
For example
he would call them husband and wife.
Not male and
female.
They are not
humans of course and the message we had read to us today from John 3 does not
apply to them.
In the sense they
are not sinners and do not need salvation in the way we do.
Our response to
God and the Gospel also has an impact on our world and indeed the birds.
A famous
Theologian, the late John Stott, was also a keen birdwatcher and photographer.
He wrote a book
some years back called “the birds our teachers”.
He invented what
he called “Ornitheology”.
I am going to draw
on some of his ideas today and share one or two of my own.
He was introduced
to birdwatching by his father at the age of 5 or 6.
His interest grew
and as his preaching duties took him around the world he was able to observe
and photograph birds everywhere he went.
In the book of
Genesis,
Adam was given the job of naming the birds and
animals.
They were first assigned to him as companions.
Then God gave him Eve.
I wonder how many of his names are still used?
Please note that
the subject of birds is a big one.
Many have written
about birds,
many have drawn
and painted them,
many have
photographed them,
many have recorded
their songs,
many study them,
there are many
documentaries about birds,
some try to teach
us about evolution through them,
many have
worshipped them and also used them as sacrifices,
and of course many are eaten daily as food.
My focus today is
on birds as exclusively created by God and how in some ways they can point us
to Him.
My aim, as always,
is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ;
and how the birds around us can assist us in
this.
Jesus was and is
their creator.
So lets start
talking about some of these birds and how they might help us draw closer to God
in our thinking.
The Sparrow.
Luke 12:6-7 Living Bible (TLB)
6 “What is the price of five
sparrows?
A
couple of pennies? Not much more than
that.
Yet God does not forget a single one of
them. 7 And he knows the
number of hairs
on your head! Never fear, you are far more
valuable
to him than a whole flock of
sparrows.
(show
slide of sparrows)
It is
a fact that in some countries small birds such as sparrows and songbirds are
still sold in market places for food.
The
little dead sparrow in the picture I photographed on Everard terrace just out
the front of Parkrose some years ago when visiting Aunty Doreen.
I
took it because of this verse, and I thought one day I might give a talk such
as todays.
John Stott focuses
on this well known verse in his book.
(That was our call
to worship today.)
John says there is
an epidemic around the world these days of what is called low self esteem and
depression and mental health issues.
We don’t have to
look far to notice this.
Well he argues
that we should realize how blessed our lives are, and we really don’t have a
good reason to be down in the dumps.
By learning from
this passage we are given a glimpse of the way out.
He tells the story
of Joni Earekson-Tada.
You might remember
her as the 17 year old all American teenager who tragically broke her neck in a
diving accident.
She had a re
awakening of her faith when this happened but has been in a wheel chair all her
life.
She married Ken
Tada and although she started and still leads a ministry for disabled people
she has had her bouts of depression.
Especially after
25 years in a wheelchair and she became bed ridden for a time.
Her husband Ken,
placed a bird feeder outside her window.
This is what she
is quoted as saying in John’s book.
“I glanced at the
bird feeder and smiled. I could understand Jesus noticing an eagle…but a
scrappy sparrow? They’re a dime a dozen,
Jesus said so
Himself.
Yet from thousands
of bird species the Lord chose the most insignificant, least noticed
,scruffiest bird of all.
A pint sized thing
that even birdwatchers ignore.
That thought alone
calmed my fears.
I felt significant
and noticed….if the great God of Heaven concerns Himself with a ragtag little
sparrow,
clinging to a bird
feeder outside my window,
He cares about
me.”
This was the
catalyst that helped her overcome her depression.
He cares about all
of us.
So we can learn
from the sparrow when we remind ourselves of this verse.
How impressive is
it when you see a hen bird of any species protecting it’s young under it’s
feathers.
(show slide)
I was admiring
with Shirley Rumbelow a few weeks ago, the little quails in the atrium/aviary here
in Parkrose.
A little Hen quail
,
though itself is
tiny,
had even tinier
little chicks under the protection of it’s feathers.
How wonderful is
the gift of Mothers,
who are like hens for us when we are little,
and usually throughout our lives.
And God Himself is
likened to our protector as we shelter in his “wings”.
He is both our
Father and Mother.
We can learn from
the protecting and nurturing nature of hens.
The Thrush
(show first slide)
There are many birds
around the world that are wonderful
songsters.
We have several
species in Australia.
However I would
like to concentrate on one bird we have in Australia.
It is a beautiful
songster.
The Grey Shrike
Thrush is common in the countryside in Australia and has a number of beautiful
calls.
They can become
very tame if you are lucky enough to have them on your property.
(show video clip)
They and other
birds such as the Nightingale, The Black Bird, The Willy Wagtail and the
Butcher Bird have beautiful calls.
The Australian
Magpie also has beautiful warbling song,
If you are ever
fortunate enough to be in woodland in Australia at Dawn you can hear the
beautiful dawn chorus of any number of species all joining in together.
Music and song is
such a great gift God has given us and the birds.
A reminder that
with this gift we can praise God together and in doing so inspire each other
and be uplifted as we touch our living God in joyful song.
The Thrush, and
other songbirds
give us a
wonderful example of the beauty of praise.
Of making a joyful
noise unto the Lord.
The Apostle Bird
(show slide)
Here is a link to my youtube posts about Apostle Birds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0DqMeEYtpc&t=407s
The Apostle Bird
is a bird of inland Australia.
I first saw these
birds when I was 13 on a station property on the Darling River in NSW.
A mid sized grey
bird that always seems very busy and noisy when not resting in the shade of a
tree.
They are called
Apostle birds because when first observed by early settlers they seemed to
always be together in groups of about 12.
I have actually
seen lot larger groups than that but never big flocks.
They are very
communal birds,
a fellowship if
you like.
They build one mud
nest that is utilized by all in their group.
They look out for
each other and their young.
I’ve seen them
surrounding a sparrow hawk and chasing him off when he was too close to their
nest.
(show slide)
The early
disciples of Jesus were very communal and shared possessions with each other.
We could learn a
lot from the “love” and sharing the Apostle Birds have for each other.
The Dove.
(show slide)
The dove is widely
recognized as a symbol of peace and also of God’s Holy Spirit.
When Jesus was
baptized a dove descended on him representing the Holy Spirit.
The Bible tells us
when we are baptized we receive the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:38
We are also told
in the Bible that God is always with us.
No matter what our
circumstances
He is with us every day,
every hour,
every minute,
every second.
As a dove is a
symbol of the Holy Spirit
their presence all
around in our gardens and parks is a great reminder of The Holy Spirit’s
presence in our lives as our comforter, our helper,our teacher our source of
God’s power in our lives.
So in conclusion:
We have touched on
some Birds about :
God’s love for us,
no matter how insignificant we think we are,
The need to work
together as Christians
and love and
support each other.
God is always with
us.
His Holy Spirit is
always with us.
We have much to
praise God about and can do so in song.
Of course we have
our Bibles to tell us so much more
but if we didn’t
we can still learn
about God’s love from the
“Birds our
Teachers”
They have many
more lessons for us if we take notice.
When I gave Valmai
today’s reading she said there is nothing about birds in it.
That’s true in a
sense.
But this reading
is recommended in the lectionary for today as we are approaching Easter,
The reading
features the famous “ God so loved the world” verse.
“For God so loved
the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him
shall not perish but have everlasting life.”
and verse 17 says
“God did not send
His son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.”
In regard to v17
it should be realized when Jesus came the world was already condemned since the
fall in the Garden of Eden.
In verse 16 we can
put our own name in the place of world to allow that verse to hit home to us
with the Gospel.
But the verse also
says He loves the world.
His creation.
He loves His whole
creation including the birds.
The sparrow in
particular is highlighted to help us in our understanding of God’s love for us.
Sparrows can’t
believe in Him, well they don’t have that capacity, but we can on their behalf
and all other creatures.
The Birds and all
of creation rely on us humans to help sustain the planet and their habitat.
We have heard a
lot about that lately, haven’t we?
Perhaps I will
close with a famous encounter with a bird in the new testament.
It happened just
before the Crucifixion of Jesus.
It is found in
Luke 22:31- 34,54-62
(Read from Bible).
Peter was found
out by the crowing of a rooster.
It was not a
message for the whole world to hear.
Only for Peter!
But in turn we who
are Christians can now heed it’s lesson.
It applies to us.
Is our love for
Jesus genuine?
Would we give our
lives up for His sake?
Would we ever deny
Him before men?
Do we need to take
steps to grow in our faith?
That is a lesson
for us to ponder.
As we approach
easter and people are talking about the resurrection as they do, will we walk
away from the conversation like Peter?
What a challenge!
Below is a link to John Stott's book and how you can obtain an audio version.
https://www.audible.com.au/pd/The-Birds-Our-Teachers-Audiobook/B075DFDGSN?source_code=M2MOR1341126180055&ipRedirectOverride=true&source_code=M2MOR131091619005N&ds_rl=1252391&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3-WC3Pms6AIVQouPCh39wANvEAAYASAAEgI5N_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
https://www.audible.com.au/pd/The-Birds-Our-Teachers-Audiobook/B075DFDGSN?source_code=M2MOR1341126180055&ipRedirectOverride=true&source_code=M2MOR131091619005N&ds_rl=1252391&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3-WC3Pms6AIVQouPCh39wANvEAAYASAAEgI5N_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
If you would like to see more about Australian birds I have done a small series on you tube.
Here is a link to my introduction to this series and then you can checkout the later videos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riaxYpUyLgg&t=17s
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
More from My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
The Miracle of Belief
By Oswald Chambers
Paul was a scholar and an orator of the highest degree; he was not
speaking here out of a deep sense of humility, but was saying that when
he preached the gospel, he would veil the power of God if he impressed
people with the excellency of his speech. Belief in Jesus is a miracle
produced only by the effectiveness of redemption, not by impressive
speech, nor by wooing and persuading, but only by the sheer unaided
power of God. The creative power of redemption comes through the
preaching of the gospel, but never because of the personality of the
preacher.
Real and effective fasting by a preacher is not fasting from food, but fasting from eloquence, from impressive diction, and from everything else that might hinder the gospel of God being presented. The preacher is there as the representative of God— “…as though God were pleading through us…” (2 Corinthians 5:20). He is there to present the gospel of God. If it is only because of my preaching that people desire to be better, they will never get close to Jesus Christ. Anything that flatters me in my preaching of the gospel will result in making me a traitor to Jesus, and I prevent the creative power of His redemption from doing its work.
“And I, if I am lifted up…, will draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12:32).
Real and effective fasting by a preacher is not fasting from food, but fasting from eloquence, from impressive diction, and from everything else that might hinder the gospel of God being presented. The preacher is there as the representative of God— “…as though God were pleading through us…” (2 Corinthians 5:20). He is there to present the gospel of God. If it is only because of my preaching that people desire to be better, they will never get close to Jesus Christ. Anything that flatters me in my preaching of the gospel will result in making me a traitor to Jesus, and I prevent the creative power of His redemption from doing its work.
“And I, if I am lifted up…, will draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12:32).
Thursday, July 12, 2018
The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
I recommend this and Lee's books.
There is also a dramatically acted version of this true story that is very good.
If you are searching for God and Truth take the time to watch it. Geoff Thompson
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Have you heard of Keith Green?
When my wife and I were young Christians in the late 1970's and early 80's one of the greatest influencers we had for our Faith, someone who challenged us all, was the late Keith Green.
Keith Green was an amazing Musician, Songwriter and Evangelist all in one.
A book about his life written by his wife after his tragic death in a plane crash, his own which he was flying, is called "To Obey is better than Sacrifice".
Keith preached and played and sung at amazing Gospel Events around the world.
Just go onto youtube and you will find the many examples of his ministry and gifts.
He and his wife established "Last Days Ministries" and made much material available to help new Christians.
One tract, which I still have, was "What's wrong with the Gospel?"
This youtube video is Keith explaining his reasons for writing this and how his faith was growing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP5fZU_NnTY
This blog is just to encourage the younger generation to discover his music and his message.
Above all to discover the God in Jesus, who was his Lord and Saviour and mine also.
Below are 2 links.
One that shows the amazing talent Keith had even as an 11 year old.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ6Vi2PUx08
Another to give you an example of his music and ministry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzWyZxlwGKI
I trust you will find this challenging and a blessing.
Many of course are already greatly appreciative of his legacy.
Keith Green was an amazing Musician, Songwriter and Evangelist all in one.
A book about his life written by his wife after his tragic death in a plane crash, his own which he was flying, is called "To Obey is better than Sacrifice".
Keith preached and played and sung at amazing Gospel Events around the world.
Just go onto youtube and you will find the many examples of his ministry and gifts.
He and his wife established "Last Days Ministries" and made much material available to help new Christians.
One tract, which I still have, was "What's wrong with the Gospel?"
This youtube video is Keith explaining his reasons for writing this and how his faith was growing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP5fZU_NnTY
This blog is just to encourage the younger generation to discover his music and his message.
Above all to discover the God in Jesus, who was his Lord and Saviour and mine also.
Below are 2 links.
One that shows the amazing talent Keith had even as an 11 year old.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ6Vi2PUx08
Another to give you an example of his music and ministry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzWyZxlwGKI
I trust you will find this challenging and a blessing.
Many of course are already greatly appreciative of his legacy.
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
The Bible Exhibition- Now on at Berri South Australia
I have been in the Riverland today and yesterday saw some people setting up for a Bible Exhibition on the lawns at Berri.
It is a display and gospel Mission under the guidance and leadership of Bryan and Dawn Stewart.
Below is a link to their website.
http://www.bibleexhibition.net/about-us/4593550928
There are gospel addresses on each night at 7pm until next Thursday.
I managed to catch the last 20 mins of an address by Len Walker.
He and his wife Nerida worked as missionaries in Colombia for some 15 years.
 |
| Len Walker,one of tonight's presenters. |
I was too late to hear Bryan speak.
This is a marvellous exhibition and listening to Len speak I believe the Gospel is being presented faithfully, thoughtfully and without compromise.
I would recommend that anyone who is in the Riverland ,Berri,Renmark, Loxton, Waikerie,Barmera and other nearby towns get along to hear and see this unique presentation.
For many years around the world and in Australia many "tent" missions were held with many turning to God as a result.
There may be some reading this who have had their minds stimulated by the recent death of Billy Graham the well known Evangelist.
Well this is not Billy Graham but I am sure he would endorse this and so do I.
I hope to attend on another night.
 |
| Dawn,a friend, Nerida and Len |
 |
| Bryan in discussion in the background |
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
Keeping Short Accounts with God by Geoff Thompson
This post is a transcript of the message I brought to the two Renmark Uniting Church Congregations on 9th July 2017.
ORDER OF SERVICE RENMARK 9/7/17
Welcome : Geoff
Call to worship: Psalm 45:1-7 and prayer of invocation.
Hymn: “Jesus lover of my Soul” AHB 139
Bible Reading: Romans 7:15-25 (NIV)
Hymn:”O Love that wilt not let me go.” AHB 525
Offering:
Prayers of Repentance,Intercession, and confession
Hymn:“To God be the Glory.” AHB 85
Sermon: “Keeping short accounts with God.”
Hymn: ”What a friend we have in Jesus” AHB 165
Benediction:
Vesper: “May our Lord,God of Peace.” Edelweiss tune
SCRIPTURE READING
Romans 7:15-25
Romans 7:15-25New International Version (NIV)
15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[a] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
SERMON:”Keeping short accounts with God”
“For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.”
Do you wonder in dismay when you see someone in an AFl game just out of the blue, king hit someone and knock them out.
Usually the person will say that is just not my usual character.
“I am ashamed I did that.”
“I am so sorry.”
They usually have apologised before the day ends to the person they hit.
I can remember in my football days doing things I was immediately not proud of.
Do you find yourself, as a committed Christian, that like the Apostle Paul, this is your ongoing experience?
“For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.”
Do you have days when you are feeling quite spiritually aware,
and in tune with God’s voice,
and His involvement in your life,
and yet,
other times where you can’t seem to touch base with Him,
and even sometimes don’t want to.
And when you don’t want to,
you feel guilty because you think
“I am a Christian, I shouldn’t think that way.”
When that’s happening you can feel like you are in a tug of war with God.
So we ask ourselves how real is my faith?
Am I really a Christian or am I just pretending?
Do I really believe what I tell people?
We have thoughts that come into our heads along the lines of “You call yourself a Christian, so how come you said that?”
Other thoughts we might have might say “the Christian life is just too hard, why don’t I just live like everyone else does?”
The Apostle Paul was obviously having some battles when he wrote the words in Romans 7.
“For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.”
You can see we are in good company when we have similar thoughts.
So will we ever be free of all this too-ing and frow-ing in our minds?
Now to many people who observe us from a distance they might think we are wonderful Christians.
That can be because we are very good at making sure others don’t know about our secret sin or thoughts that are less than Christian.
We don’t want people to think ill of us.
We have a reputation after all!
I think back, and you can probably think of examples, where a fine upright Christian person has been caught out for embezzelement and fraud.
Totally the opposite to how the person came across.
Were they just plain evil and deceitful?
The Bible teaches us as Christians that we have 5 enemies.
Sin
The flesh
The devil
death.
the world
Let’s deal with the flesh.
This is what Paul says.
“5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.”
And he goes on to say :
“8 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you[a] free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh,[b] God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.[c] And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
Note how three of our enemies are dispensed with here.
Sin, Death and the Flesh.
This has all been accomplished by Jesus on the Cross.
We do need to recognise this of course and make this real in our lives.
The “flesh” is where the enemy of mankind, the devil, attacks us.
He attacks us through
our minds,
our thoughts.
The things we look at,
the things we read,
the things we listen to,
our behaviour towards others;
So will we ever be free of temptation to do wrong?
No!
But we can be free of any power that temptation has over us.
We can claim the victory that our position in Christ has given us.
Paul gives us the answer.
It is found in other parts of the Bible also.
“9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.”
“but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 “
Abiding in Christ.
Walking in the Spirit
is the key to peace with God.
How do we do that?
We allow God to control our behaviour through His Holy Spirit.
We cultivate and develop right habits.
Habits like daily reading the Bible so that our minds become saturated with God’s will for us.
Habits of always seeking to forgive and not condemn.
The habit of giving up our right to ourselves!
Always wanting to be served first!
get special favour above everyone else!
We might see where some Christian we know is failing in their Christian walk.
Usually we can only see where someone else is failing because we have the same sin in our own lives.(finger pointing exercise)
It is not for us to criticise or condemn but to intercede on their behalf.
So what about the devil?
The devil is still very active in the world today.
He attacks Christians through his accusations and life's circumstances.
But the devil is defeated.
He was defeated when Jesus was crucified.
Listen to this in Colossians 2:14-15
“He has forgiven you all your sins: Christ has utterly wiped out the damning evidence of broken laws and commandments which always hung over our heads, and has completely annulled it by nailing it over his own head on the cross. And then having drawn the sting of all the powers ranged against us, he exposed them, shattered, empty and defeated, in his final glorious triumphant act!”
"And then having drawn the sting of all the powers ranged against us, he exposed them, shattered, empty and defeated, in his final glorious triumphant act!”
The Bible tells us we don’t fight with flesh and blood but principalities and powers in high places.
Those powers are the realm of the devil and they were dealt with on the cross.
We need to stand up to the devil like a traffic cop has the authority to stop traffic.
We have all the authority of the Cross of Christ behind us.
So will we go on sinning?
that is very likely,
as human beings,
tainted by the fall in the Garden of Eden.
But this is where our title comes in.
“Keeping short accounts with God!”
How do we keep our faith fresh and alive?
How do we keep these so called short accounts.
It’s called repentance.
We have someone we can turn to when we fail.
1 John 1: Living Bible
5 This is the message God has given us to pass on to you: that God is Light and in him is no darkness at all. 6 So if we say we are his friends but go on living in spiritual darkness and sin, we are lying. 7 But if we are living in the light of God’s presence, just as Christ does, then we have wonderful fellowship and joy with each other, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from every sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him,[a] he can be depended on to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. And it is perfectly proper for God to do this for us because Christ died to wash away our sins.* 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are lying and calling God a liar, for he says we have sinned.
1 John 2Living Bible (TLB)
2 My little children, I am telling you this so that you will stay away from sin. But if you sin, there is someone to plead for you before the Father. His name is Jesus Christ, the one who is all that is good and who pleases God completely. 2 He is the one who took God’s wrath against our sins upon himself and brought us into fellowship with God; and he is the forgiveness for our sins,[a] and not only ours but all the world’s."
If we sin,
we recognise it,
we repent,
we forgive,
we confess,
we keep on with walking in God’s light.
Did I mention the world earlier as an enemy?
We have to live in the world and mix with the worldly,
but we don’t have to be part of it!
we don’t have to conform!
We have choices don’t we?
We can make these choices new each day.
Keeping Short accounts with God through our Saviour and Advocate,
the Lord Jesus Christ!
Just one real life example:
A well known Christian author,pastor and counsellor!
This was just one of his quotes.
He was a highly motivated and gifted Christian.
“Anger is a divinely implanted emotion. Closely allied to our instinct for right, it is designed to be used for constructive spiritual purposes. The person who cannot feel anger at evil is a person who lacks enthusiasm for good. If you cannot hate wrong, it's very questionable whether you really love righteousness.”
You see he was very much against evil,
against what he did!
I have some of this mans books and tapes of his sermons.
He was without doubt a very influential and wonderfully gifted teacher and counsellor.
I still value his teaching and books etc.
He fell from grace very badly.
He had an affair.
The good news is his wife forgave him and so did the Church, in time.
He had to take the same course that I have been outlining here.
Confession!
Repentance!
Acceptance of God’s grace!
And God has forgiven him!
He is now with His Lord.
None of us here are denied God’s grace.
The love of Jesus Christ!
Perhaps we should all check our overdue accounts!
Before I close I would just like to make an observation:
When I was about 20 I was overcome by a serious anxiety state or depression.
It was really because of feeling guilty about something.
It gave me some very serious physical and emotional problems.
Lesley at this time, suggested we go to Church and that might help.
This was before we were married.
The sermon was by a man who really belted out the Gospel.
I heard the word sin mentioned about every second word.
All the sermon did, as I heard it, was convince me I was a hopeless case.
Because I felt guilt I knew my problem was sin.
The trouble is I was so neurotic at the time I didn’t hear that a solution was also being offered.
All I was hearing was "the wages of sin is death"
I was thinking I had no hope to be relieved of these symptoms.
I was a hopeless case!
I wasn't hearing the part that says: "but the Gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.!"
I came out of that Church feeling worst than when i went in.
Some 8 years later I fully understood what he was saying and was able to know the peace and forgiveness that Jesus brings.
My prayer and hope that today if there is someone here, who just like me so many years ago, is not really able to cope with all this sin talk, will go home and realise that while sin is a reality in everyone’s lives,
that Jesus indeed provides the way of escape as we have been learning.
and does choose to receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour.
Through:
1Faith and Belief that Jesus is the Son of God,
2. Confession of sin.
3. Repentance
4. Acceptance that He is your only Saviour
5. And by being obedient in Baptism
AMEN!
PS. I have recorded this message and may put it up on youtube later.
If any would like a copy of the recording I can email it to you.
ORDER OF SERVICE RENMARK 9/7/17
Welcome : Geoff
Call to worship: Psalm 45:1-7 and prayer of invocation.
Hymn: “Jesus lover of my Soul” AHB 139
Bible Reading: Romans 7:15-25 (NIV)
Hymn:”O Love that wilt not let me go.” AHB 525
Offering:
Prayers of Repentance,Intercession, and confession
Hymn:“To God be the Glory.” AHB 85
Sermon: “Keeping short accounts with God.”
Hymn: ”What a friend we have in Jesus” AHB 165
Benediction:
Vesper: “May our Lord,God of Peace.” Edelweiss tune
SCRIPTURE READING
Romans 7:15-25
Romans 7:15-25New International Version (NIV)
15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[a] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
SERMON:”Keeping short accounts with God”
“For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.”
Do you wonder in dismay when you see someone in an AFl game just out of the blue, king hit someone and knock them out.
Usually the person will say that is just not my usual character.
“I am ashamed I did that.”
“I am so sorry.”
They usually have apologised before the day ends to the person they hit.
I can remember in my football days doing things I was immediately not proud of.
Do you find yourself, as a committed Christian, that like the Apostle Paul, this is your ongoing experience?
“For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.”
Do you have days when you are feeling quite spiritually aware,
and in tune with God’s voice,
and His involvement in your life,
and yet,
other times where you can’t seem to touch base with Him,
and even sometimes don’t want to.
And when you don’t want to,
you feel guilty because you think
“I am a Christian, I shouldn’t think that way.”
When that’s happening you can feel like you are in a tug of war with God.
So we ask ourselves how real is my faith?
Am I really a Christian or am I just pretending?
Do I really believe what I tell people?
We have thoughts that come into our heads along the lines of “You call yourself a Christian, so how come you said that?”
Other thoughts we might have might say “the Christian life is just too hard, why don’t I just live like everyone else does?”
The Apostle Paul was obviously having some battles when he wrote the words in Romans 7.
“For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.”
You can see we are in good company when we have similar thoughts.
So will we ever be free of all this too-ing and frow-ing in our minds?
Now to many people who observe us from a distance they might think we are wonderful Christians.
That can be because we are very good at making sure others don’t know about our secret sin or thoughts that are less than Christian.
We don’t want people to think ill of us.
We have a reputation after all!
I think back, and you can probably think of examples, where a fine upright Christian person has been caught out for embezzelement and fraud.
Totally the opposite to how the person came across.
Were they just plain evil and deceitful?
The Bible teaches us as Christians that we have 5 enemies.
Sin
The flesh
The devil
death.
the world
Let’s deal with the flesh.
This is what Paul says.
“5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.”
And he goes on to say :
“8 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you[a] free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh,[b] God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.[c] And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
Note how three of our enemies are dispensed with here.
Sin, Death and the Flesh.
This has all been accomplished by Jesus on the Cross.
We do need to recognise this of course and make this real in our lives.
The “flesh” is where the enemy of mankind, the devil, attacks us.
He attacks us through
our minds,
our thoughts.
The things we look at,
the things we read,
the things we listen to,
our behaviour towards others;
So will we ever be free of temptation to do wrong?
No!
But we can be free of any power that temptation has over us.
We can claim the victory that our position in Christ has given us.
Paul gives us the answer.
It is found in other parts of the Bible also.
“9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.”
“but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 “
Abiding in Christ.
Walking in the Spirit
is the key to peace with God.
How do we do that?
We allow God to control our behaviour through His Holy Spirit.
We cultivate and develop right habits.
Habits like daily reading the Bible so that our minds become saturated with God’s will for us.
Habits of always seeking to forgive and not condemn.
The habit of giving up our right to ourselves!
Always wanting to be served first!
get special favour above everyone else!
We might see where some Christian we know is failing in their Christian walk.
Usually we can only see where someone else is failing because we have the same sin in our own lives.(finger pointing exercise)
It is not for us to criticise or condemn but to intercede on their behalf.
So what about the devil?
The devil is still very active in the world today.
He attacks Christians through his accusations and life's circumstances.
But the devil is defeated.
He was defeated when Jesus was crucified.
Listen to this in Colossians 2:14-15
“He has forgiven you all your sins: Christ has utterly wiped out the damning evidence of broken laws and commandments which always hung over our heads, and has completely annulled it by nailing it over his own head on the cross. And then having drawn the sting of all the powers ranged against us, he exposed them, shattered, empty and defeated, in his final glorious triumphant act!”
"And then having drawn the sting of all the powers ranged against us, he exposed them, shattered, empty and defeated, in his final glorious triumphant act!”
The Bible tells us we don’t fight with flesh and blood but principalities and powers in high places.
Those powers are the realm of the devil and they were dealt with on the cross.
We need to stand up to the devil like a traffic cop has the authority to stop traffic.
We have all the authority of the Cross of Christ behind us.
So will we go on sinning?
that is very likely,
as human beings,
tainted by the fall in the Garden of Eden.
But this is where our title comes in.
“Keeping short accounts with God!”
How do we keep our faith fresh and alive?
How do we keep these so called short accounts.
It’s called repentance.
We have someone we can turn to when we fail.
1 John 1: Living Bible
5 This is the message God has given us to pass on to you: that God is Light and in him is no darkness at all. 6 So if we say we are his friends but go on living in spiritual darkness and sin, we are lying. 7 But if we are living in the light of God’s presence, just as Christ does, then we have wonderful fellowship and joy with each other, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from every sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him,[a] he can be depended on to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. And it is perfectly proper for God to do this for us because Christ died to wash away our sins.* 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are lying and calling God a liar, for he says we have sinned.
1 John 2Living Bible (TLB)
2 My little children, I am telling you this so that you will stay away from sin. But if you sin, there is someone to plead for you before the Father. His name is Jesus Christ, the one who is all that is good and who pleases God completely. 2 He is the one who took God’s wrath against our sins upon himself and brought us into fellowship with God; and he is the forgiveness for our sins,[a] and not only ours but all the world’s."
If we sin,
we recognise it,
we repent,
we forgive,
we confess,
we keep on with walking in God’s light.
Did I mention the world earlier as an enemy?
We have to live in the world and mix with the worldly,
but we don’t have to be part of it!
we don’t have to conform!
We have choices don’t we?
We can make these choices new each day.
Keeping Short accounts with God through our Saviour and Advocate,
the Lord Jesus Christ!
Just one real life example:
A well known Christian author,pastor and counsellor!
This was just one of his quotes.
He was a highly motivated and gifted Christian.
“Anger is a divinely implanted emotion. Closely allied to our instinct for right, it is designed to be used for constructive spiritual purposes. The person who cannot feel anger at evil is a person who lacks enthusiasm for good. If you cannot hate wrong, it's very questionable whether you really love righteousness.”
You see he was very much against evil,
against what he did!
I have some of this mans books and tapes of his sermons.
He was without doubt a very influential and wonderfully gifted teacher and counsellor.
I still value his teaching and books etc.
He fell from grace very badly.
He had an affair.
The good news is his wife forgave him and so did the Church, in time.
He had to take the same course that I have been outlining here.
Confession!
Repentance!
Acceptance of God’s grace!
And God has forgiven him!
He is now with His Lord.
None of us here are denied God’s grace.
The love of Jesus Christ!
Perhaps we should all check our overdue accounts!
Before I close I would just like to make an observation:
When I was about 20 I was overcome by a serious anxiety state or depression.
It was really because of feeling guilty about something.
It gave me some very serious physical and emotional problems.
Lesley at this time, suggested we go to Church and that might help.
This was before we were married.
The sermon was by a man who really belted out the Gospel.
I heard the word sin mentioned about every second word.
All the sermon did, as I heard it, was convince me I was a hopeless case.
Because I felt guilt I knew my problem was sin.
The trouble is I was so neurotic at the time I didn’t hear that a solution was also being offered.
All I was hearing was "the wages of sin is death"
I was thinking I had no hope to be relieved of these symptoms.
I was a hopeless case!
I wasn't hearing the part that says: "but the Gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.!"
I came out of that Church feeling worst than when i went in.
Some 8 years later I fully understood what he was saying and was able to know the peace and forgiveness that Jesus brings.
My prayer and hope that today if there is someone here, who just like me so many years ago, is not really able to cope with all this sin talk, will go home and realise that while sin is a reality in everyone’s lives,
that Jesus indeed provides the way of escape as we have been learning.
and does choose to receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour.
Through:
1Faith and Belief that Jesus is the Son of God,
2. Confession of sin.
3. Repentance
4. Acceptance that He is your only Saviour
5. And by being obedient in Baptism
AMEN!
PS. I have recorded this message and may put it up on youtube later.
If any would like a copy of the recording I can email it to you.
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Whatever happened to Evangelism? A challenge for young Christians and not so young.
 |
| A Churches of Christ Tent Mission from way back. I think these were conducted by E C Henriksen.Note the blackboard at the front with clear instructions on salvation |
I became a Christian in 1974.
My wife and I were a product of the "Jesus" revolution of the 1970's.
The signature symbol of the movement was the one way logo with the hand with index finger pointed to the sky.
There was a world wide movement of God's Holy Spirit reaching out to young people fresh from the 60's cultural revolution.
There was a lot of rebellion in that time world wide. Check the stuff online.
There started to be a revival around the world that was complemented by a thriving Christian Music Industry and dynamic Preachers and Evangelists and testimonies of many people, some pop celebrities, telling how they had found Jesus as Lord and Saviour.
The paraphrased "Living Bible", which put the Bible in today's language, was a major tool in this movement.
I still find it my main "go to" Bible.
The Gospel was very enticing and proposed without fear or favour.
Paul Stukey of Peter Paul and Mary became a Christian when a young "Jesus Freak" aproached him backstage at a concert and boldy presented him with the Gospel. Apparently Paul had been searching for answers prior to this happening.
Barry Maguire the famous singer of the Protest Era anthem ,"The Eve of Destruction" became a Christian.
He this day seems to still be a Christian but like many he has changed his views on some things along the way.
He featured in a very popular Gospel Musical called "the Witness".
My wife sang in the choir in an Adelaide production of this.
Keith Green, Christian Musician and Evangelist, a little bit further along the continuum, became a huge influence.
He made his albums of Gospel music free if you couldn't afford the price and his concerts had huge attendances and a strong challenge for Christian Commitment.
He met an untimely death aged 28 in a plane crash.
http://www.lastdaysministries.org/
To "witness", to tell of your faith and what Jesus had done for you and what was possible for your "witnessee" was the norm for new Christians in the evangelical tradition.
We were trained in how to do this and the booklet "The Four Spiritual Laws" produced by Campus Crusade for Christ was widely used.
In fact when I became a Christian my Pastor used it to help summarise for me what I was doing the night I responded to the Gospel invitation after an evening service.
I have seen many people both "famous" and "nobodies" along the journey profess Jesus as their saviour.
Sadly some fall by the wayside which is a "normal" happening when you take into consideration the parable of the sower.
These days, in the city of Adelaide,South Australia, I see little evidence of a vibrant Christian movement in our Churches.
Perhaps I don't get out much.
There have been many great revivals over the years but there seems to be a lack of anything like revival in these times.
People seem to have lost sight of the Power of The Cross of Christ and instead water the Gospel down with all sorts of promises of experiences and "connecting " with God.
We hardly connect with each other let alone God.
My wife and I and others were fortunate to be exposed to some very balanced and Biblical teaching.
What seems to be lacking today is for example:
1. a spirit of discernment. The whole idea of if you stand for nothing you fall for anything seems to be well and truly operating.
2. A thorough Biblical understanding of the Christian conversion process and progression from there.
3. An accurate theology on the Holy Spirit and the Gifts of the Spirit.
4. The recognition of who the Christian's enemy is and the weapons God has given us to combat the enemy.
5. The need to preach the Cross only and to recognise that when you do that people are confronted with Jesus.
6. An understanding of the three most important things. The Book, The Blood and The Blessed Hope.
I have been going back through some of the writings of some of my predecessors in the denomination in which I have hung my hat.
One of our mottos was we are not the only Christians but Christians only.
A good motto I think.
About 130 or more years ago Adelaide people had a hunger for the Gospel.
Gospel Meetings were attended by large crowds.
See this written account by HS Earl who was a visiting Evangelist from America called to Australia by the Churches of Christ.
this was in 1866.
"ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA,
Editors of British Harbinger.--The past month has been one of unusual interest; indeed it stands without a parallel in the history of the cause we plead, or any other religious body, in Australia. Our audiences have been overwhelming, the interest most solemn and profound, and the results most soul-inspiring. Last Lord's day, August 26, I preached in the New Town Hall to the largest audience ever congregated for religious purposes in South Australia. It is estimated by the press and others, that upwards of 2,200 were present, and more than 500 were unable to gain admittance. All available space was occupied, and hundreds stood during the whole service. The most marked attention was given by this vast assemblage, and a profound interest prevailed. All classes and creeds were represented--The Mayor of the city, Councilors, Members of Parliament, Ministers, Lawyers, Doctors, Merchants, Artisans, and Mechanics--Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, Episcopalians, Congregationalists, Universalists, &c. At the close of the discourse several persons confessed their faith in Christ. Last week I baptized the largest number of persons ever baptized at one time in South Australia, and the meeting was one of intense interest. During the past month no less than forty-three persons "have been baptized into Christ" and added to the Church of Christ, and several others have confessed their faith in Christ, and will be "buried with him in baptism" to-night, (D.V.) Thus the cause of "Pure Christianity" is advancing most gloriously in South Australia, and would soon occupy the foremost rank in power and influence, if we could only get several able and devoted Evangelists in the field. The Brethren are very anxious to hear that the Evangelist sent for from America is on his way hither. We sincerely hope there will be no delay. Now is the time he is specially needed here, as also the one sent for for Victoria. "The harvest truly is plenteous but the labourers are few.
H. S. EARL, "
 |
| People waiting to hear the Gospel |
Indeed the labourers are few.
You might say today's citizens of Adelaide are a lot more "sophisticated" than the people of that day.
Mores the pity.
We think we have made progress with our technology, out theories of evolution, our anything goes type of society.
Our so called "wisdom" is our downfall.
We have been caught like frogs in "the boiling frog" analogy.
As the Apostle Paul puts it.:
1 Corinthians 1
Christ Crucified Is God’s Power and Wisdom
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written:
20 Where
is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the
philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the
world? 21 For
since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know
him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to
save those who believe. 22 Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
Young person or older person will you become a "fool" for God?
"For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength."
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