Sunday 15th May 2022 : God upon His Throne
Some five hundred years ago, John Calvin, a reformation forefather observed that there were three things that would contribute to the backsliding of a Believer and the Church.
(1) One was a low appreciation of God’s Grace. If we do not have a deep appreciation of God’s Holiness and the utter offence of sin to Him, then we will not have an appreciation of God’s amazing and undeserved grace! Today, generally speaking, there is a lack of respect for authority and of things sacred. Everything is permissible, and authority is something to be disregarded. Wrongdoing is considered to be a product of one’s upbringing or simply making a mistake. Accepting responsibility is fast becoming a forgotten virtue. The Law of God that was given to convict us of our sin before the Lord is now ignored, or re-interpreted. Even as Christians it is easy to adopt our modern cultural values. If there is no conviction of sin then, conversely, there is no appreciation of Grace.
(2) The second is a low view of the Bible. The Lord has revealed Himself in nature as Creator and also through the Bible as Redeemer. We cannot know Who God is and what He has done in Christ and is doing for His people if we do not have the Bible. If we no longer believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, His rule for faith and living, then there is no standard of holiness and purity before the Lord. Religion becomes our experience of ‘god’. The Bible merely is a record of man’s search for God, and ‘truth’ is how it affects me. If there is no absolute Truth, how can we be held accountable for our lives before a Holy God?
(3) The third is a low view of the Glory of God. God is all-powerful and sovereign over all things. He is guiding history to His ordained end – the salvation of His people for His glory. All creation was made for the glory of God. Our salvation also is for His glory in our Joy. If we do not believe that God is sovereign and all things are under His hand and power, then we default to fate or being masters of our own destiny. Today, with an emphasis on science and technology, God is being pushed out of the picture. However, if the Lord is not Sovereign and all-powerful, how can He guarantee our salvation? In our modern age, do we, as Christians, give the glory and praise due to God for ‘Who and what He is’ as God?
The guarantee of our salvation is in God being Who He is as Creator and Redeemer, Who has revealed Himself to us through His Word. Let us hold these three virtues with a very high (Biblical) view of God’s Grace, His Word and His Glory, resting in the assurance of our salvation and the praise of His glory. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 8th May 2022 : A Mother’s Love
Today is Mother’s Day. For many it is a day where we can show an extra appreciation for Mum and her love for us as a family. There is no more intense love and bonding than a mother with a nursing baby. Mum will get up at any time of night and day to feed her baby, hear and respond to its every cry, cuddle and play with it, clean her baby every time it is dirty, bathing it, and delighting in her baby’s smell. When a baby is born, Mum’s life centres around the needs of her baby.
Now the Lord says that His love is even greater than the intense love and bonding of a mother with her nursing baby, because, while a mother will love her baby intensely, yet she will love imperfectly as she battles with brokenness of sin in her life. There will be times when she is impatient, tired, at the end of her wits, and even forgetful! But the Lord loves perfectly – His commitment and love are perfect.
Israel, in Babylonian Captivity, was ashamed, discouraged and had lost her identity as God’s people. They said, “The Lord has forgotten us, the Lord has abandoned us! How can we worship the Lord in a foreign land when we know that it was our rebellion that brought us here? Why should God remember us?” Why? Because He made a promise to Abraham, “I will be your God and you will be my people, you and your descendants after you.” Again and again, the Lord confirmed His promise, even to the extent of Isaiah prophesying that the Lord will take King Cyrus of the Medes & Persians by the right hand, bringing him to the gates of Babylon to overthrow it and set God’s people free. God’s love is greater, deeper, fiercer and more loyal than even the greatest love of humankind: the love of Mother.
Remember that love of God when you battle with feelings of disillusionment and disappointment, hopelessness and despair, feeling abandoned and forgotten, and confused about your identity. Look to the Lord and His unfailing love. Bask in the glow of His tenderness and compassion. Rest in the comfort of His promises as you see them fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The intensity and depth of the Love of God is seen in the Cross, for there the Lord was willing to give up His Only Innocent Son to make you His own precious possession! What more could you ask for? How much more important could you be? What greater evidence do you need? Pastor Alan
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Sunday 1st May 2022 : Christ Begotten; Believers Adopted
Adoption is a unique and beautiful relationship. Adoption is the legal declaration that a child is accepted into another family as if they were born into that family. All legal ties are cut off from the birth family and they are grafted into their adopted family, with all the rights, privileges, responsibilities and inheritance of being a child in that family. It is a new life, a new start and a new status. It is also irrevocable – it cannot be reversed or undone; even the birth certificate is changed to list the adoptive parents as their parents.
The Apostle Paul uses the illustration of Adoption in Romans 8 of the new relationship we have with the Lord as Christians. In Jesus, not only are our sins forgiven, but we have a new status – Children of God. When we believe in Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, God the Father declares that we belong to His family by adoption – His commitment to our eternal destiny.
This is no small matter or theological nicety. We have a new status from sinner to saint; from being children of the devil (John 8:44) to being Sons of God. In Christ we belong to the family of God. In Christ we possess security, status, and an inheritance. Jesus, the Son of God, is our Brother and we are co-heirs with Him (Romans 8:16) – whatever is true for Him is now true for us. This sense of belonging, this security of the Father’s love, the glorious inheritance of eternal life, gives us great comfort and joy. We are not on our own; we are not orphans left to fend for ourselves. No, we have family!
An expression of being in God’s family is belonging and being active in the local church. The Lord has designed the local church as an expression of His family, to be a place of comfort, encouragement, help, direction, and worship. We call the church family the “Communion of the Saints”. It is where we have our “family connections”. A new life, a new start, a new status – children of God – are all ours by faith in Jesus. A truly wonderful and amazing relationship! As the Apostle John writes: “How great is the love the Father has lavished upon us that we should be called Children of God; for that is what we are!” Pastor Alan
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Sunday 24th April 2022 : The Sweetness of the Word
How do you view the Bible? What role does it have in your life? Is it something you read every day or only when you may remember to? Is it a rule book that makes you feel bad because you just keep breaking the rules?
King David was really excited about the Bible! He thought it was sweeter than even pure honey (with no processing or additives). Why was he so excited about it?
Because the Bible is the Word of God. It reveals Who God is as Creator and Lord, and what He is doing in His plan to save His people in Jesus Christ. It shows us God’s design for creation and His relationship with us. It shows how we got it so wrong in Adam and Eve and why the world is like it is, and what He is doing about it. It shows us how to live for the Lord, and how to live in the Lord and in His strength. It transforms our life as we come into a relationship with the Lord. The Bible gives us wisdom as we see God’s order in life. It gives us discernment as we understand the world around us.
Anyone who reads the Bible can understand the message it brings. It shows us how we are to worship the Lord, and shows the way of the Gospel – how through repentance and faith in Jesus as our Lord and Saviour we come into a restored relationship with the Lord. As the Sunday School song says, “The best book to read is the Bible!” and this is because the Bible is much more than just a book of Laws and Religion. It is God speaking to us, showing His Holiness, Love and Faithfulness. Like a woman eagerly receiving letters from her fiancé anticipating the day of their wedding, so the Bible is God’s love letters to us, revealing His love and promises, looking forward to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Let’s read the Bible eagerly, being affirmed in the Love of God, preparing and living in anticipation of His Return. The Best book to read IS the Bible! Pastor Alan
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Sunday 17th April 2022 : He is Risen! Go, Tell the Disciples … and Peter
Many of us struggle with feeling unworthy. There are numerous areas in our lives that we desire to be and do better. It takes maturity to be comfortable in ‘your own skin’. More than that, it takes a sense of identity, knowing who you are and where you belong. At the Resurrection of Jesus, the angel singled out Peter from the other Disciples – Peter who had so emphatically declared his loyalty to Jesus in the Upper Room; Peter who spoke over the top of Jesus when Jesus predicted that Peter would deny Him three time before the rooster crows, boldly declaring that even if the other Disciples would desert Jesus, he – Peter – would be prepared even to die for Jesus. A few hours later, however, we find Peter cringing in denial, even on oath, ‘I do not know this man!’ Then Peter went out and wept bitterly! How he had failed the Lord Jesus!
And now, the angel in his message had distinguished Peter from the other Disciples. Did that mean he was now unworthy, that he was considered no longer to be a Disciple of Jesus? How ashamed he must have felt. Peter was indeed unworthy to continue as a Disciple of Jesus in his own strength.
But notice, that distinction of Peter also revealed the infinite love of Jesus. In His death and resurrection, Jesus had paid the price for Peter’s failure. He had removed the guilt of Peter’s sin. Jesus now had a new life for Peter, the life in the Holy Spirit. In the saving and redeeming work of Jesus, Peter the Denier became Peter the Preacher. It was Peter who preached the first Gospel sermon at Pentecost!
You know, we stand there with Peter, denying Jesus after declaring our love for Him. We fail and fall short, often acting out our fears rather than acting with courage. But in Jesus, we who were unworthy in our sin and shame now stand Holy and Blameless before the Almighty God. We who were unworthy in our own efforts have been made worthy by the blood of Jesus. That is the Good News of the Gospel! The joy of the Resurrection! Let us also have joy and celebrate this wonderful Gospel event, the Resurrection of Jesus. Jesus is alive! He is Risen! Pastor Alan
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Sunday 10th April 2022 : Behold, your King!
In order for the government to make and widen roads, especially highways, they sometimes have to buy up land from the landholders. If the landholder does not want to sell up his land, the government has the power and authority to ‘compulsorily acquire’ that land and provide compensation. While we might not like it, especially if we are directly affected, that is the authority of the law. Throughout history kings also had the authority to acquire land, labour, men for the army, and all sorts of things.
In the Triumphal Entry, Jesus was revealing Himself as the Messiah-King. He captures the attention of the people by instructing two of His Disciples to go into the next village and simply take a colt (a donkey that has never been ridden) that is tied up there and bring it back to Him. Was this stealing? Actually, no, not at all. Jesus was exercising His right as King, the right of ‘Acquisition’. As King He had the authority to ‘acquire’ possessions from his subjects (1 Samuel Chapter 8). When Jesus sat on the colt, the people remembered how David made his selection of Solomon to succeed him as king known by his riding on King David’s mule (1 Kings 1:33). So, when Jesus sat on the colt on the coats thrown on it by the Disciples, the crowds quickly picked up the kingly expectations.
And spontaneously, there was a right royal welcome on that road into Jerusalem! The chief priests and scribes were indignant and commanded Jesus to stop the singing of ‘Hosanna’ to Him as the King of David! But, in His public declaration as King, Jesus sought to bring about a confrontation with the religious leaders of Israel, in order that he could be tried and executed. It was in His suffering and dying on the Cross that Jesus would do His greatest work as King for His people, giving up His life so that they could have eternal life in Him. As we celebrate Palm Sunday, let us remember and praise the Lord Jesus that, as the Messiah-King, He was willing to lay down His life to win the battle over Satan at the Cross to bring us peace. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 3rd April 2022 : Jesus – Hated without Cause
When we consider the war of Russia on Ukraine, we see so much hate and blatant disregard for human life. The Russian President has a goal to re-unite Ukraine to the ‘Russian world’ and appears to be willing to do anything to achieve that goal. This is nothing new. The Sanhedrin had plotted the death of Jesus for years. He was a ‘burr under the saddle’; a religious and political nuisance that threatened their authority and power. So, they schemed up charges against Him. So successful were they with their propaganda that they convinced a crowd that welcomed Jesus as the King David in the Triumphal Entry on Palm Sunday a few days before, to now scream “Crucify Him!” to Pilate. They also blackmailed Pilate to sentence Jesus to death by crucifixion – even though Pilate as Judge had declared Jesus innocent of any charge. The Sanhedrin were definitely an evil tool of Satan in the trial and crucifixion of Jesus. They were determined to get rid of Jesus by whatever means, once-for-all. Now, it is easy for us to look at the Sanhedrin and Putin, shake our heads and ‘tut, tut’ with disapproval, but actually we display the same evil intent in everyday lives! On a very small scale to be sure, but we also have a natural sinful tendency to ‘lord it over others’, turn situations to our advantage; today often by claiming to be a victim.
All praise be to God our Father that He has sent Jesus as the solution to all this hatred and evil, Jesus Who suffered and died on the Cross under the evil intent of the Sanhedrin, so that we could be set free from sin and evil. In suffering and dying on the Cross Jesus claimed victory over sin, Satan and death, rendering them powerless – over Satan, whose personal agenda is to spoil God’s every good gift. By satisfying the Justice of God, Jesus has taken away the power of Satan to accuse us and consequently to have a hold over us. It would be like Ukraine being set free from Russian oppression – free to be Ukrainians. So also, in Jesus Crucified and Resurrected, we have been set free from sin to be the Children of God we were created to be. In humble thankfulness let us consider the suffering of Jesus for our freedom in this time of Lent. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 27th March 2022 : Jesus or Barabbas?
In this time of Lent, we especially remember the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. In the Gospel of Mark we see the Jewish religious leaders (the Sanhedrin) having Jesus arrested, and holding a kangaroo court with trumped up charges. In the morning they met again, and, fearing the people, they agreed to hand Jesus over to the Roman Governor, Pilate, to be executed by crucifixion. This would make it a Roman issue – in a sense, like Pilate, they wanted to wash their hands of Jesus. However, Pilate did not take their word for it and conducted his own court of investigation, concluding with a verdict declaring the innocence of Jesus: “I find no basis for a charge against this man!” Even though a verdict of innocence had been declared, the Chief Priests continued to press charges against Jesus. Instead of enforcing his verdict as Judge and closing the court using his soldiers to move the people on, Pilate became an advocate, asking Jesus if He had any answer to make. Jesus remained silent because there was no case to answer – the Roman Court had just morphed into a kangaroo court.
Pilate had discerned that the Chief Priests were motivated by envy – they simply wanted Jesus out of the picture so their own authority could be restored – so Pilate thought he could play the chief priests against the people of whom they were afraid. When the crowd asked for the customary releasing a prisoner at the Passover Feast, Pilate offered the crowd to choose whether to release Jesus or Barabbas. Surely the crowd would choose Jesus and they could all go home. But that back-fired as the crowds demanded Barabbas instead, resulting in Pilate treating Jesus as a criminal by having him flogged and handing him over to be crucified.
What a travesty of justice! But the Apostle Peter tells us in Acts 3, that this travesty of justice was according to the will and purpose of God. Jesus, although innocent, had to be declared a criminal worthy of death so that He could take our place and pay the penalty for our sins on the Cross. The fear of the Sanhedrin and Pilate’s fear led to the corruption of justice which the Lord used to bring salvation! The other point of the passage is that we are faced with a choice: Jesus or Barabbas? But we will let the sermon consider that further this morning. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 20th February 2022 : Our Awesome God
Sometimes in life, God feels so far away. And the question that is asked is, “Who moved?” When horrific things happen, like your child being molested or abused, you feel such tremendous anger, and wonder ‘What is a loving God doing allowing this wrecking of the innocence of my child? What did she do to deserve this?!!!’ It may take a while to regain a sense of perspective.
Or, when a loved one is journeying terminal illness, sometimes you question why God leaves them to continue living; they know where they are going. ‘Why don’t you call them home Lord?!’
Life has many “why’s?” Things that make us fearful, or simply just confused and leaving us feeling God is so far away, unconnected to us, even. The way to regain perspective is to see God for Who He is and not what we want Him to be or do. Isaiah is speaking to Judah after he has prophesied their captivity by the Babylonians. And he declares the promises of God that He will call them back and re-settle them in Jerusalem after 70 years of captivity, just as He had taken Israel out of Egypt. And the people say that it can’t happen – Babylon is too strong! And Isaiah says that they think too little of God, and spends a whole chapter to show how God, the all-powerful Creator God, has the power to keep His promises.
Mankind is not in charge of the world – God is! God rules over history, nations and the very creation itself to bring about His loving and saving purposes. When we see God for Who He is, our why’s become ‘for what reason?’ and ‘How will the Lord show His love and grace even in this atrocity?’
The brokenness and corruption of sin is a man-made reality; Satan is determined to spoil all of God’s good gifts. But the Lord provides strength for the weak, comfort for the distressed, reconciliation for the broken, forgiveness for the guilty, justice for the oppressed, assurance for the fearful and guidance for the lost. He picks up those who fall down, and in Jesus He gives us hope for the future. It can all be summed up as, “Fear not for I am with you!” When God feels so far away, remember Who He is, and that He came to us in Jesus so that nothing can separate us from His love, ever! Pastor Alan
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Sunday 13th February 2022 : Blind Bartimaeus
What do you want Jesus to do for you? James and John wanted to be elevated to the greatness of power and prestige. They wanted greatness! Blind Bartimaeus wanted to see; he wanted to be whole. What was the difference between them? The Disciples believed in Jesus as the Lord’s Messiah, but they still saw Him as bringing in a political kingdom by leading a revolution against Rome and re-establishing the throne of David in Jerusalem. And they wanted part of that action! After all they had stuck by Jesus for three years now! The Disciples felt entitled.
Blind Bartimaeus, however, came to Jesus in humility. “Please, let me recover my sight?” You are the ‘Son of David’, the Lord’s Messiah; let me be part of Your Kingdom through my healing.
The irony regarding the Disciples is that in their desire for earthly greatness, they were blind to the Kingdom greatness that was already theirs in Christ! John got it later on when he writes in his letter, “How great is the love the Father has lavished upon us that we should be called children of God; for that is what we are!” And Peter when he writes, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession…” How great is that! Our ‘greatness’ is in being in Christ and all the benefits of salvation that comes in Him. The problem with the sense of entitlement (I want to be recognised and I deserve these things) is that it makes you the centre of attention – which is the sin of pride, just like Adam in the Garden eating the forbidden fruit. The beauty of humbleness is that it focuses on Christ and seeks His glory – which is where it should be.
Well, what do you want from Jesus? What do you want from this worship service? Do you come with a sense of ‘entitlement’ and find disappointed expectations – like James and John? Or do you come with the sense of humbleness like Bartimaeus, knowing that Jesus owes you nothing, that it is all grace and nothing but grace? Humbleness expresses itself in praise and glorifying God. Entitlement or humbleness – what do you want from Jesus? Pastor Alan
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Sunday 6th February 2022 : Why are you called Christian?
As Christians, being members of the Body of Christ, we are called to continue on the Gospel work of Jesus in the world. We are to ‘confess’ His name. To confess means to openly make known; to declare. We are to be publicly and unashamedly Christian. But how do we confess Jesus as our Lord and Saviour to our children that have entered into same-gender relationships or are in de-facto relationships or just plain ungodly lifestyles? Do we “keep the doors of communication” open at the expense of confessing Jesus? How do we confess Jesus in a society that is increasingly becoming antagonistic to church and God, especially in the light of the Royal Commission on Child Sexual Abuse and the Same-Sex Marriage Debate? Are we willing to make a stand for the Gospel; even to being persecuted for it?
You see, it is not enough to ‘believe’ in Jesus. We need to have FAITH in Jesus: which is to have a sure knowledge, a firm conviction and a deep-rooted assurance that Jesus died for me and has saved me from my sins. True Faith is conviction in action. To confess Christ calls us to be ready in every area of our lives and all our personal relationships to witness for Jesus. As the Apostle Peter writes “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope you have.” (1 Peter 3:15). In other words, we must be ready when the time and situation is right, when the Holy Spirit opens the door. The average person in Australia is not really impressed with many words and packaged witnessing. They look for genuine lifestyles. They will ask, “Is this guy fair dinkum?” And that ‘fair dinkumness’ will be seen in your faith by your practice in relationships. As they say, you need to be seen to ‘walk the talk’. Outreach programmes are very useful tools but must not be a substitute for personal relationships, where the genuineness of your faith will be tested! Jesus calls us to continue His work of the Gospel on earth. Not all are called to be evangelists, but each and every one of us is called to confess Jesus, to witness to what we believe and cherish, to bubble forth our love for Jesus – a living witness ready for the openings the Holy Spirit provides and making the most of every opportunity (Colossians 4:5). Pastor Alan
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Sunday 30th January 2022 : The Lord’s Supper
Lord’s Supper is planned to be commemorated this coming Sunday 6th February. The Lord’s Supper is the New Testament sign of God’s salvation as it fulfils the Old Testament Passover Feast. The Passover commemorated the Lord’s Angel of Death passing over the households where the blood of the Lamb, that had been roasted and eaten, had been put on the door frames. This was part of the Exodus from Egypt where the Lord delivered the Hebrews from slavery to become His people under His promise and care. Jesus is the Passover Lamb, and His blood was shed on the Cross so that the Lord’s anger and Judgement would Pass-over our sins. Jesus satisfied God’s Justice and removed our guilt by His death on the Cross, and so we have received the Lord’s forgiveness and have been reconciled to Him by adoption as His children. In His Resurrection we have received the new life in Christ – now, with renewed hearts and the Holy Spirit living in us, and, in the future, when we will receive our resurrected bodies and dwell with the Lord in the glory of heaven.
The Lord in His kindness, and condescending to our frailty, has gifted to us this Holy Sacrament for the reassurance and strengthening of our faith – something we can see, feel, touch and taste. As we eat of the bread and drink of the cup, we are reminded of the Body of Jesus broken on the Cross, and His blood shed to pay for our sins. Jesus did this for me, a rebellious sinner! It reminds us that God the Father loved us so much He was willing to give the ultimate sacrifice – Himself through His Innocent Son. What amazing, impossible grace; wretched sinners reconciled to the Holy, Almighty, Majestic Lord!
The Lord’s Supper also celebrates our oneness as the Body of Christ, a unique relationship of faith, bound together by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in each of our hearts, a relationship that transcends and yet fulfils every other relationship. It reminds us as a church that we are not simply an organisation of like-minded people, but a spiritual entity in Christ.
When you put all these things together, you realise that Lord’s Supper can never simply be a religious ritual or empty tradition. The celebration of the Lord’s Supper is a spiritual event – the Gospel expressed through physical means. As such it is unique, to be cherished, experienced and gratefully accepted. As we come to the Table next Sunday, let us do so with conviction, reverence and joy. The Father in His love crucified His Son on the Cross and raised Him from the Dead for each of us – so now I am His child, under His care and promises. Let us celebrate the Gospel that is real in our own lives by repentance, faith and forgiveness. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 23rd January 2022 : Love the Lord
This morning we will witness Matt & Brodie declaring their love for Jesus and their desire to live for Him. We will also witness and participate in the Baptism of Scarlette, Alexia, and Elijah. Baptism, God’s sign of the promise to be our God and we to be His people with our children. Having publicly declared their faith, Matt & Brodie have made a stand for the Lord. The question is, `How do their and their family remain standing firm in their faith?’
That was the question Moses was addressing with the Israelites on the banks of the Jordan River as they were about to go in and conquer the Canaanite nations to possess Canaan as God’s Promised Land. In one sense it was very simple, “Love the Lord with all your heart, soul and strength” As you journey through life, keep your focus on the Lord and His Word.
Firstly, we need to understand the impossible, amazing love of God, Who reached out to us in love through His promises fulfilled in Christ, and now calls us to respond by loving Him back – a relationship.
Secondly, to respond in love by repentance and faith – Yes, Jesus, I love you and desire to live for you.
Thirdly, to express that love for Jesus with an intentional commitment to follow in the Lord’s ways. It is like being married, making an intentional commitment to love for life, through all circumstances. A good marriage takes effort. Make no effort and the marriage relationship crumbles to estrangement.
Fourthly, instruct your children in the ways of the Lord so that they may receive their spiritual inheritance – the Blessings of being under the Heavenly Father’s love, care and protection. Again, we are called to do so intentionally; Moses instructs us as parents to pierce their hearts with the Word of God; to equip them for the spiritual battle so that they too may stand firm in the faith.
Now, some argue that our children should be able to make up their own minds and they shouldn’t be brainwashed by their parents. That is mischievous at best and of evil intent at worst. Children are easily influenced and come under many influences – if not their parents, it will be someone else. Note how Moses instructs us to teach our children the commands of the Lord diligently! Why? Because they are under His promise and because God’s ways are always the best ways.
This morning, let us again delight in the love of God in Christ that has come to us and our children! Pastor Alan
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Sunday 16th January 2022 : The Lord Reigns
Phew! What a week it has been. China with whole cities in lockdown. Russia with a large military build-up on the Ukraine border but diplomatically insisting it is not going to invade. The debacle over an international tennis player and his visa status with regard to Covid-19. A Government announcement that you will be fined for not reporting a positive Rapid Antigen Test that you can’t take because they are not available. Covid infections rapidly increasing. National Cabinet emergency meetings to discuss shortening isolation times because there is a transport driver shortage resulting in fairly empty supermarket shelves. To be sure, such uncertainty, changeableness, lack of security can make us feel stressed, anxious and even fearful. As human beings, we naturally desire security!
Jesus said, I tell you truth, do not worry, who by worrying can add a single hour to his life? But seek first the Kingdom of God… What is Jesus saying? God is in control! Our Heavenly Father is ruling over all creation for His saving purposes. You want certainty, steadfastness and security? They are all yours in the Lord God. He created the heavens and the earth and rules over it; directing history to bring about His Promises. He brings and withholds the rain and makes the sun to rise and set. He raises up and breaks down kingdoms and governments. Nothing is outside His purpose and will. That is certainty! He came to us, in Jesus Christ, to call us to Repentance and Faith that we might be called Children of God being under His Fatherly care and co-heirs with Christ – that is security! God is in control, bringing about His Promises – that is steadfastness. And there it is! All that we are seeking to feel loved, secure, and confident.
So why do we still worry, feel anxious and fearful? Because we unwittingly let Satan tempt us with his lies that we need to be control – anxiety comes from not feeling in control. We know and believe that God is ruling over the universe; that He has proven His love, faithfulness and power in Jesus Christ, that our future of heaven is guaranteed in Christ, and yet we feel anxious and fearful – why the disconnect? The bridge between our `feelings’ and our faith is TRUST. This morning the Lord calls you to TRUST Him. Like a boy feels secure holding his father’s hand in a large crowd, so we are called to be secure by holding on to the Father’s hand in the uncertainty of everyday life. Will you? Life in this world looks very different when holding on to the Father’s hand. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 9th January 2022 : Elders; Christ’s Under-shepherds
Biblically, the Office of Elder is a unique appointment. There is a temptation to see the work of an Elder as administrating the ministries of the church. But it is actually very different from being administrators of an organisation. The difference being that the Office of Elder is a Divine (by God) appointment; it is a spiritual appointment over the spiritual Body of Christ. Let me explain.
Firstly, it is a Divine Calling. Men are called by God to serve as Elders. We use the pattern in Acts 6:1-6 for discerning the mind of the Holy Spirit through the vote of the congregation. Acts 20:28, tells us that the Holy Spirit has made Elders overseers, to care for the Church of God. 1 Peter 5:1-4 tells us that Elders are to shepherd the flock of God…which He has entrusted to their care.
Secondly, it is a Divine Task. The Elders are called to “shepherd” the flock of God. Their business is about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, preaching and teaching the Word of God for growth in faith and calling to Repentance and Faith. Elders are `Under-shepherds’ serving on behalf of the Great Shepherd – Jesus Christ. They serve with the authority of Christ through His Word and by the guidance of His Holy Spirit.
Thirdly, it has a Divine Accountability. The Elders are not first and foremost accountable to the congregation. They are not like politicians representing and being answerable to their constituency. Quite the opposite, Elders represent Jesus (the Great Shepherd, the Head of the Church) and are answerable to Him for their work, the Bible setting out the task. Hebrews 13:17 calls us to obey and submit to the Elders for they keep watch over your souls, as ones having to give an account (to God).
What does this mean for how we view our Elders? It means that the Church belongs to Jesus and everything we do is to advance the Gospel and for His glory, and that the Bible is our guide and standard – whatever we think or feel, do or say. In 1 Timothy 5 we read that the Elders are to be treated with honour, and we should not make frivolous accusations, or gossip against them, requiring the evidence of two or three witnesses (i.e. A serious charge with facts to substantiate the accusation).
Today, Br. Dean Ruddy will be ordained as an Elder, an ‘Under-shepherd’, who serves on behalf of the Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ. May God, through him, bring His blessings to us as a congregation; and may we as a congregation bring God’s Blessing to him, as we live by His Word in the empowerment of His Holy Spirit. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 2nd January 2022 : Jesus, the Suffering King
Yesterday was the start of a New Year – 2022! A New Year in which to live in praise and thanks to the Lord; everyday an act of worship to Him as our Father and Creator; a New Year in which to serve in the Lord’s vineyard, using the gifts and circumstances He had apportioned to each of us as His workers; a New Year to witness to the glorious Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; a New Year of prayer giving glory and thanks to the Lord and pleading the cause of His Kingdom in the world; a New Year to live in anticipation of God’s wonderful outpouring of His grace and gifts.
Is that how you see the New Year or are you living in fear of the Covid-19 virus and how it may restrict your freedoms and cause further angst? Are you worrying about the future and what it may bring, finding that a complaint comes more easily on your lips than praise? By default, we become people of our culture where ‘self’ is at the centre of life (complaining is expressing that you are not getting what you think you deserve, after all). We have to work (by the Holy Spirit’s empowerment) at being godly.
How do we reset the spiritual compass for 2022? Jeremiah was a prophet of doom. He prophesied the total destruction of Jerusalem; city walls broken down, Temple robbed and razed to the ground, and the Israelites deported and dispersed throughout the Babylonian Empire. Life was hopeless! God’s people enslaved and scattered by an enemy nation, somewhat like the Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh. But Jeremiah also prophesied words of hope after prophesying that the Israelites would be captive for 70 years, and he says in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know I have plans for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” How? Immediately in the Return of the Captives to Jerusalem (where they would sin and rebel again), but ultimately in the Coming of Jesus as the Lord’s Messiah, Who would bring in the ‘New Covenant’ of Jeremiah 31:34 by bearing the curse of the Law for us by His death on the Cross. This was also the comfort to Mary and Joseph and the Jews when Herod slaughtered all the male boys under 2 years of age. Jesus as the Christ brought with Him the sword of suffering as Satan tries to stop Him from bringing the Lord’s salvation. The reason Jesus came was to defeat Satan and claim His own – but that is a battle of the Gospel that brings suffering. Our hope and comfort is not in having the lack of suffering and pain (which is what we are saying when we complain), but rather in our suffering being redeemed by the promise and hope of God’s salvation. So, how do you see the New Year? Pastor Alan
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Sunday 26th December 2021 : Jesus, the Promised King
If someone asked you, “How can you be sure that Jesus is really the Saviour?”, how do we know that Jesus is not just a Christian version of Santa Claus? What answer would you give them? The Apostle Matthew was writing to fellow Jews and in his Gospel shows that Jesus is the Messiah-King predicted by the prophets, and the fulfilment of God’s promises given in the Old Testament. Firstly, Matthew shows that Jesus is born of the Royal line of David – He has a royal inheritance in Joseph – the right to the Throne. Matthew then shows that Jesus also has a Divine heritage through His conception by the Holy Spirit – being born of the Virgin Mary, fulfilling the prophecy of Micah 5:2. Matthew goes on to show that even the King-Makers of the East recognised the Kingship of Jesus as they came and worshipped Him with gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. Matthew continues with prophecies about four locations: Bethlehem, Egypt, Ramah and Nazareth. There some 332 prophecies about the coming of Jesus Christ. So, what’s the point? Even by the laws of probability, that one person could fulfil all these prophecies and not be the Lord’s Messiah would be impossible.
How does that fit into my everyday life? Why would I want to spend time looking at dry, old prophecies written hundreds of years ago and written in some old book called the Bible? I just want to know how to get through the day! How to pay my mortgage and save my marriage! Well… those dry, old prophecies from hundreds of years ago authenticate that Jesus really is the Christ. And that is fundamentally important because you are being asked to entrust your eternal destiny to Him. God sent Jesus as His Messiah-King to claim back a world corrupted and spoiled by our rebellion against the Creator God. Through Jesus as the Lord and Saviour, God is re-creating the world to perfection – where He will make all things new. In Jesus (upon repentance), our rebellion against God is forgiven and guilt removed. In Jesus we receive new hearts that want to love God and please Him. In Jesus we receive a new standing before God – being His Beloved Children. In Jesus we have a new life with new values – loving our enemies, serving others, finding contentment in God’s providence. In Jesus we have a new future – death has been transformed into a doorway to Heaven, and we anticipate an eternity in the glory of heaven. Believing in and following Jesus is life transforming! But, why would I put my hope in just an idea, merely a philosophy? How can I know that Christianity is really true? Because of the Baby in a Manger which we celebrate as Christmas. The Baby in the Manger is the fulfilment of all God’s Promises made from the time of Adam & Eve through to the prophets. Jesus is historically real, with a real physical lineage. For me, the historicity of Jesus, through God’s promises and his physically descending from Adam, is so persuasive that I have committed my whole life and eternity to Him.
What about you? Whom or what do you believe? Have you committed your life (your eternal destiny) to Him? Pastor Alan
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Sunday 19th December 2021 : Jesus, the Universal King
As we were walking down the street one evening, we admired the ‘Christmas’ lights in people’s front yards. Some were plain and simple, and others elaborate and quite spectacular! It was beautiful. All beauty is from the Lord and was made to bring glory to the Lord. And that set me to thinking: Who is this beauty giving glory to? There are generally two scenes displayed; the Nativity scene and the Santa theme (of course, there are those displays that are simply an array of festive blinking lights). Who is being worshipped? In Matthew 2, we see the Magi who came from the East. The Magi were of a priestly line, experts in the occult, astronomy and astrology. They were also the power behind the throne; the King-Makers. No man was made King without the approval and training of the Magi. Yet there they were in Jerusalem enquiring after the newborn King of the Jews because they had seen His Star in the East. These Gentile King-Makers had come to worship Jesus the King! Then there was Herod. He was paranoidly terrified when he heard about this King of the Jews linked to the prophets. He asked the Magi to identify where Jesus was so that he too might worship Him. When he felt betrayed by the Magi, he went into a vicious rage and ordered that all boys up to two years of age be slaughtered. Herod was about worshipping himself and would do absolutely anything at all to keep hold of his throne.
As we look at the beautiful display of lights on the houses in the street, we see the same battle going on! Santa is the myth that society lets children believe in, Santa with his elves, with a kingdom in the North Pole and the supernatural transport of the reindeers and carriage, benevolently dispensing gifts and good cheer around the world. Santa is the world’s alternative to the worship of Jesus – the newborn king. But closer to home: Whom do our Christmas practices worship? The cards, the gifts, the Christmas lunch, the getting together and all the festivities – do they bring our focus to Christ, or, could it be that they are subtly self-indulgent, like Herod? Let us indeed enjoy the Christmas lights in our neighbourhood in the beauty that God has created. But in our enjoyment let us remember that it is Jesus Whom we worship. Jesus, the Christ-Child – the New born King. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 12th December 2021 : Jesus, the Divine King
You know, with the Christmas Story I always felt a bit sorry for Joseph. Everyone else seemed to have a part. Mary talked with the angel and sang her song, the angels sang in the heavenly chorus, the shepherds ran off to Bethlehem and told everyone they met, and even the Magi had speaking parts. But Joseph just stood by silently, watching. Or did he?
In Matthew 1:18-25, we see that the role of Joseph was significant! It was Joseph that passed on to Jesus the (genealogy) Royal line of David, so Jesus could legitimately be the King. It was Joseph who by his righteous and merciful actions preserved the life of Mary and the unborn child. Under Jewish Law (Deuteronomy 22:23), he could have had Mary stoned to death for adultery – and that would have been the end of the line of salvation. It was Joseph who believed the words of the Angel of the Lord that Mary had conceived by the work of the Holy Spirit and, in a response of faith and obedience, took her home as his wife, but waited until the child was born before having marital relations. It was Joseph who named the baby “Jesus”. What we see is that Joseph was the father of Jesus in every way, except he was not his biological father. It was Joseph who later protected Mary and Jesus by fleeing to Egypt from the cruel killing spree of Herod.
In his love and mercy, faith and obedience, Joseph was reckoned to be a ‘righteous man’, a man to whom the Lord entrusted to be father to the Christ-Child. As one writer put it, “God laid His biggest gift in Joseph’s calloused hands.” In Sunday School we were told to ‘dare to be a Daniel’. But I fervently ask the Lord that I might be a righteous man like Joseph – who was the most blessed of all men (besides Jesus) – to be entrusted with the role of being the father of Jesus! Pastor Alan
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Sunday 5th December 2021 : Jesus, the Gracious King
Under Covid-19, we all know about authentication: needing credentials to go and get into places. You need to sign in with a QR code and then show your Vaccination pass. No pass, no entry. Or under Church Safe, if you do not have a Working with Children Check Certificate, you can’t help out with children’s programmes or teach SRE. If you want to get a job, you need to show proof of your qualifications. Even if you want to drive a car, you need to show your driver’s licence to the Police to show you are qualified to drive on the roads. ‘Authentication’ is part of our everyday life.
In his Gospel, Matthew is declaring that Jesus is the Messiah-King, the One prophesied about and promised from long ago. But how do we know that Jesus really is the Messiah-king, because in the time of Jesus, there were a number of men going about proclaiming that they were the Messiah! How do you know who was speaking the truth? In the opening 17 verses of Matthew Chapter 1, Matthew presents the ‘credentials’ of Jesus Christ by laying out His genealogy – a bit like the Apostle Paul in Philippians Chapter 3 laid out his religious and ethnic credentials to prove that he had the right to speak alongside the Scribes and Pharisees. Matthew follows the Royal ancestry line to Abraham, with whom the Lord had made a Covenant and through whose descendants the Lord established the people of Israel. And to David also, to whom God had promised that a descendant would rule on his throne forever! Matthew shows that Jesus has the legal right and the bloodline right to be the King of Israel. Jesus is the ‘Real Mc Coy’, the authentic Messiah-King!
You know, often we simply skip over the list of names when they come up in the Bible. Many of them are so hard to pronounce! This morning we see that those lists of names are there for good reason. The reason of ‘authentication’. Jesus did not simply pop-up in history as all the other religious leaders did. He was promised from the time of the Garden of Eden and His ancestry can be traced right back through David, Abraham to Adam (in Luke). God in His amazing grace leaves no room for doubt; Jesus is Real! So, let’s believe and follow Him with confidence. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 28th November 2021 : True Greatness in the Kingdom
Much is said and taught today about promoting yourself. You have rights, you can be what you want to be, you need to feel good about yourself, etc. However, I wonder if our country is a better place with all this modern emphasis on self?
James and John, Disciples of Jesus, had their eyes on the glory of Jesus and how they would sit on the twelve thrones with Him. But they wanted more, they wanted the place of honour, to sit on the right and left of Jesus. It is interesting that in the Parable of the Wedding Feast, Jesus advises that we do not just go and sit in the place of honour, lest you be told to move down the table to a lower position. It is in our sinful nature to think more highly of ourselves than we ought; even if we take on a victim mentality or an inferiority complex. They too are a preoccupation with self in disguise, in that we think we are not getting what we deserve. In fact, most of us wrestle with thinking about and serving ourselves most of the time. Think of the last time you got angry or disappointed or even frustrated. They are all symptoms of not being in control – not having your interests being served!
James and John wanted to be ‘one up’ on the other disciples by being seated next to Jesus in glory. But Jesus gently teaches them a better way to life and relationships: the way of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom principle is quite simple but radical, “True Greatness in the Kingdom is by being a servant!” The test of a man is not by how many people he can dominate, control and direct for his own purposes. Rather a test of a man of God is his ability to serve the needs of others for their good – to submit his ego and need for control to the Lord and be busy in His kingdom work. Humility (power under control – a fruit of the Holy Spirit) is the real test of a man.
Jesus is the ultimate example of this. He had been given all power, dominion and authority as the Son of Man, and yet, the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many. A ransom is to pay a price to set a slave or prisoner free. A slave was on the lowest rung of Roman society, yet Jesus the Supreme One laid down His life for us to set us free from the slavery of sin, we who were under the judgement of the Holy God. Jesus suffered God’s judgement on the Cross for us. And now, He calls us to follow His example, to live a life of Kingdom service by serving the needs of others for their good. Next time you are angry, disappointed or frustrated, ask yourself ‘whose interests are you serving?’ Next time you gossip, putting others down to make yourself look good, ask yourself ‘whose interests are you serving?’ True Greatness is not in getting your own way – it is by serving the needs of others for their good. And that takes character and humility. Whom are you serving? Pastor Alan
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Sunday 14th November 2021 : Jesus, On the Pathway to Suffering
We find Jesus striding off up the road to Jerusalem, leaving His Disciples to follow on behind Him. The Disciples are not keen about where Jesus is going. They were expecting Jesus to sound the rally call to arms and to lead the people against the oppression of Rome. Instead, Jesus is insisting on going to Jerusalem by Himself – no army, no armed guards, just Jesus and His band of Disciples. They are worried because Jesus is a marked man. There are lots of people who want to see Him dead! Going to Jerusalem was like signing a death warrant.
What they failed to see is that that is exactly what Jesus was doing – going to Jerusalem to serve a death sentence. And Jesus tells them that: I will be delivered up to the Sanhedrin, who in turn will hand Me over to the Roman authorities who will treat Me abysmally, declare a death sentence and hang Me up on a Roman Cross. But you need to know this, I am not going as a helpless victim. I am the Son of Man to Whom God the Father has given the authority to rule and judge and I am going on My terms.
You see, all this has to happen to bring to fullness what the prophets of the Old Testament have predicted concerning Me. I have come to do the Father’s will, which is that as the Christ I will suffer and die on the Cross to pay for the sins of my people, to be the ultimate and perfect sacrifice to which all the Old Testament sacrifices pointed.
Jesus knew what was coming and He turned to face it – voluntarily, willingly, lovingly and obediently. He was willing to suffer and die for you and for me. Though He was first in status as the Son of Man, He was willing to become the Last, reckoned the greatest of all sinners, through His suffering and death.
Have you stopped recently to consider what Jesus did for you, the price He was willing to pay, the extent of suffering He was willing to endure? Does it evoke a sense of awe and thankfulness?
Notice the hope in the suffering: ‘after three days He will rise’. The Resurrection of Jesus is the sign of His victory over Sin, Death and Satan. It bursts the shackles of death and the grave. It crushes the head of Satan and sets us free from the condemnation of the Law, reconciling and restoring us to God as our Father. Jesus is the victorious King Who has ushered in the Kingdom of God that the Disciples were so eagerly anticipating! Although they did not realise it yet, that came at Pentecost. Let us with grateful hearts praise and give thanks to the Lord today. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 7th November 2021 : Christ – the Anointed One
We are very taken up with credentials. Currently you have to have the credentials of being double vaccinated to enter into non-essential services. If you go to a national Rugby Match, you need to show your credentials – a valid ticket – to be allowed to go in. If you drive on the road and the police pull you over, you have to provide credentials – your driver’s licence – to prove that you are allowed to be driving your car on the road.
In the church too, we use credentials: If we go as representatives of our local church the Classis (regional church) Meeting, we need to provide credentials – a signed form from the church – saying we are officially representing our local church at the meeting. Ministers have to sit church examinations and be officially ordained – seen in the granting of the official title of Reverend and informal title of Pastor. Elders and Deacons are ordained, set apart and given the authority of Office by their vows and the laying on of hands.
Jesus is called the ‘Christ’ – the ‘Anointed One’ – which is His Title of the Office of Mediator. Why does this matter? Because it distinguishes Jesus from every other prophet or religious leader through all of history. There are many religions in the world, but there is only ‘One’ Who has been appointed and anointed by God to be the Mediator, Jesus Christ, an appointment and anointing to the Office seen in His Baptism by John the Baptist, where the Holy Spirit descended as a dove and God the Father spoke words of confirmation from heaven.
Sometimes we are challenged as Christians how dare we claim that Christianity is the only true religion in the world! We make that claim because Jesus is the ‘Christ’. Only Jesus has been given the authority by God the Father to represent His people before the Throne in Heaven. Because Jesus is the Christ, our salvation is guaranteed and secure, and therefore we can declare with the Apostle Paul that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ and no fear of separation from the love of God the Father!
Also, some accuse Christianity of being intolerant and exclusive. But that is the nature of things! We do this exclusion exercise every day and all the time! No green vaccination tick – no entry into non-essential services. No ticket – no entry into the Rugby match. No licence – no driving your car on the road. You either have the credential or you do not. If you do not have the credential of faith in Jesus the Christ – no entry into heaven. It is not about exclusivity (keeping people out); rather, it is about eligibility (who is allowed in) – as all credentials are. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 31st October 2021 : No Condemnation!
Dr Martin Luther was a Roman Catholic monk who lived in terror because he could not find peace for his soul. He tried everything to get right with God. He kept every rule of the Roman Catholic church, praying all night, confessing his sins to the priest every day, fasting, whipping himself, sleeping on the cold concrete floor, and humbling himself by begging on the streets. But no matter how hard he tried he could not find peace. He only felt the burden of God’s Judgement. He saw God as an angry God Who demanded satisfaction for sins.
And isn’t that often our struggle? “I’m not good enough to be a Christian.” “Why should God forgive me, when I’ve done it again for the umpteenth time?” “How can God forgive me, if only you knew what a terrible person I am.” “I hope God will have mercy on me when I die!”
Martin Luther was a very miserable and disillusioned monk! Until one day, the Holy Spirit opened Martin’s understanding of Romans 1:17:
“For in the Gospel a righteousness of God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith… for the just will live by faith.”
And like a blinding light the truth of this text struck Luther! This “Righteousness of God” did not come by what WE do, but by what Jesus has done for us by His dying on the Cross. This ‘righteousness of God’ (i.e., God no longer being angry at our sin, rather accepting us as His children) was in fact a righteousness that came from God through Jesus Christ. It is His FREE GIFT to us in Jesus Christ.
Now you can imagine the indignation of Luther when he realized we are saved by grace, and the Roman Catholic church taught that you need to earn your way into heaven by your own good works and serving time in purgatory when you died. He was incensed that the church sold certificates for forgiveness of a number of sins (called indulgences), even more so to people who could not even afford to feed their children but were so terrified of hell that they bought them anyway. In his indignation he nailed 95 theses to the Wittenburg Castle door for scholarly discussion, pointing out how the Catholic church needed to change to reflect what the Bible taught about salvation. These Theses were printed and sent around the known world and became the spark that set alight the fire – what we know as the Reformation – recapturing the truth of the Gospel: Saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 24th October 2021 : Religious or Righteous?
Jesus remarked how hard it was for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. In Jewish thought, a rich man was a man blessed by God, like Abraham, Job and King David. A man blessed by God was under God’s favour. So, if the Rich Young Ruler failed the grade, who then can be saved? It is impossible! And that was the point that Jesus was making; it is impossible for a person to earn or negotiate their way into the kingdom of God. Only God Himself can open the way to heaven, which He did when through His grace He sent Jesus to die on the Cross for our sins that we might be reconciled to Him.
Then you can see Peter’s mind ticking over……. But we have left everything to follow Jesus as He commanded the Rich Young Ruler, so if we can’t earn our way into heaven……. where does that leave us? Jesus reassures Peter and the Disciples that the Kingdom brings great rewards – rewards that wealth and human power cannot buy or achieve.
What are those rewards?
First of all, it is reconciliation with God, receiving the gift of eternal life, with God as your Father, Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, the Holy Spirit as your Counsellor and the Bible as your guide for faith and life.
The second is being joined by faith into the Body of Christ. This is what Jesus goes on to describe to Peter and the Disciples: Kingdom rewards of God’s grace that come through His Church. Whatever you lose for the sake of Christ and His Gospel, you will receive one hundred-fold, i.e., uncountable blessings of God’s grace through the Church.
However, in our modern culture, even as Christians, we tend to think individualistically. We tend to relate as nuclear families – Mum, Dad and the kids. We tend to look at the church as an organisation from a consumer perspective: that the church is there to meet my needs. In fact, we tend not to have a very high view of the Church. But the church is much, much more than an organisation; it is the Body of Christ! It is an organic, spiritual unity of Believers through which God pours out His grace. But in order to receive the rewards of the Kingdom, you must belong to the Church, be part of the Body of Christ by faith, using your gifts in the place God has given you (Romans 12:3-8). Pastor Alan
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Sunday 17th October 2021 : Do Not Hinder the Children
There is a saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive…” But you know, it is actually a lot easier to give than it is to receive. Because when we give, we work from our strengths. When we receive, we feel beholden. Someone gives us a gift and we rebuke them, “That’s for me? – Oh, you shouldn’t have!” Someone compliments us and we play it down, “Oh, I didn’t play that well, really!” As we help people in the community, many find it hard to accept help; they feel in debt and often cannot understand that we do it from the Love of Jesus – no repayment needed as Christ has paid it all.
In the Jewish culture, the people were busy trying to earn God’s favour by obeying the Law; they even put the tradition of the Elders around the Law to help you keep the Law! We see that in the Parable of the Pharisee and Tax-collector. God, look at me, at all the good things I have been doing – You just give the word and I am ready to step right into heaven … and the Kingdom of God! They were more than ready to grab a sword and fight off the oppression of the Romans – Jesus the Miracle worker (in their perception) just needed to give the word!
So, imagine the brain strain when Jesus holds a little baby in His arms, a little person on the lowest rung of society, utterly helpless and dependent, and says, “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a little baby shall not enter it.” What’s that?! That can’t be right! We are ready to fight and overthrow the Romans and restore the Kingdom of King David. No, teaches Jesus, the Kingdom of God is entered by repentance and faith; by submission to God; by being utterly dependent on the work of Jesus; no earning your way as the Pharisee tried to, no negotiating like the Rich Young Ruler tried to – simply receiving it by faith as Zacchaeus did.
No one likes to be told they are a sinner deserving God’s anger and Judgement. Immediately we say that ‘we are not that bad’. But you can’t get into heaven by being an “okay Guy”! God sets the standard of perfection and we can only reach that perfection in Jesus Christ. Eternal life – heaven – is God’s free gift. But you have to give yourself up, yield completely to Jesus as your Lord and Saviour through Repentance and Faith, and keep giving yourself up, handing over the steering wheel of life to Jesus – like a Baby, utterly and totally dependent on Jesus. How dependent are you? Pastor Alan
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Sunday 10th October 2021 : The Saints at Work
It is interesting that nowhere in the Bible is slavery directly condemned. It was one of those practices that was not denounced as evil – yet was regulated like Divorce (Matthew 19:2-8) and Polygamy (Leviticus 18:18) – but also never commended. Slavery was a widespread, universally accepted and unquestioned practice in the ancient world. What the Gospel does is renew the institution from the inside out. For example, in 1 Corinthians 7, Paul calls them to live as they have been called: if you are a slave, be content as a slave (although if you can get your freedom then do that!); if you are free then live as bondservant of Christ. What he is teaching is that the outward institution is superseded by the relationship with the Lord. A Bondservant is a ‘freedman of the Lord’ and a free man is a ‘bondservant of Jesus Christ’. Earthly institutions do not determine or dictate our status before God. The Gospel renews these institutions. Look at Paul sending Onesimus back to his slave owner Philemon: Philemon is not instructed to set Onesimus free but to treat him as a ‘Brother in Christ’! Consequently, the institution becomes somewhat irrelevant. The Apostle Peter calls on slaves to bear up even under harsh masters, pointing to Jesus as the example of suffering unjustly.
Slavery has many faces; from being kidnapped and made to work in horrific inhumane conditions, to bosses holding their workers to ransom, threatening job loss if they do not comply, to coercive control in the home. The Gospel redeems these institutions from within. It reminds us that no one is truly free in the sense that they can do what they want, when they want and how they want. We are all answerable and accountable to someone else: ultimately to God the Creator. And so, in his letters, the Apostle Paul encourages slaves to serve their masters well, with good will and respect. Why? Because ultimately, we are all serving the Lord – doing your work well is doing it for the Lord. Our modern culture urges us to see the boss as the enemy, who is trying to rip us off for his own gain and profit, and so we justify cheating him as our due. But the Gospel says that God is our Boss, and He sets the standards; honour Him in the way you do your work! We live in a world broken and corrupted by sin which invades every part of life (that is not to say we should not pursue justice against slavery like the International Justice Mission).
But how do we live within this brokenness and corruption? We are called to redeem the workplace by living godly, honest, upright lives working for Jesus. A powerful witness to the Gospel is when we are serving our Master Jesus through our work. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 3rd October 2021 : God’s Design for Families – Husbands (2)
When we consider our marriages, as we have been in the ‘God’s Design for Marriage’ series, many of us live with regrets. Many of us, as husbands, have not loved our wives as Christ loved the church with a self-sacrificing, purifying, caring and unbreakable love. We have not been as kind, considerate and loving as we could have been. We have often been guilty of neglecting our wives on many fronts. So, what do we do with these regrets? Is it too late? No. With the Gospel it is never too late; while there is life there is hope for forgiveness and renewal!
The Bible calls husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church. And when we fail?
Firstly, we need to be convicted by God’s design for marriage. This is what He calls us to be and do as husbands.
Secondly, we are called to have the courage to follow God’s design for marriage, without blame shifting or excuses, simply ‘stepping up to the plate’ and starting to be the man God’s called you to be.
Thirdly, we are to come before the Lord in prayer and seek His strength to live in His ways, by a submitting of the heart and the transforming of the mind.
Fourthly, we repent, firstly before God – for squandering this precious gift of marriage – and then before our wife and children – naming and taking ownership of our failures.
Fifthly, we seek their forgiveness, remembering that we may have hurt them very deeply, humbly waiting to regain their trust. Forgiveness is an act of mercy on their part and not your right.
Sixthly, it is to live in the newness of life of the Gospel, accepting the forgiveness from others and forgiving yourself for what God in Jesus has forgiven you. Do not offend God again by carrying guilt for what He has forgiven you. The Gospel brings a new start. Jesus loved the church and sanctified her to present her to Himself as Holy, Blameless and Pure, now worthy of His love and affection. Go and live out that new start!
“Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church…”
How wonderful our marriages will be as we follow the example of our Lord Jesus Christ! Pastor Alan
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Sunday 26th September 2021 : God’s Design for Families – Husbands (1)
I once asked a husband, “Tell me six things about your wife that irritate you?” Before you could say, ‘Robinson Crusoe’, he had listed six things! Then I asked him, “Tell me two things you really love about your wife?” He paused, scratched his head and said, “You’ve got me there!” The couple had spiralled so far down the slope of hurt and bitterness that they lost sight of love. Let’s face it, marriage requires hard work. If you want your marriage to fail, simply put no effort into it.
Why is marriage hard work? Because we battle with the curse and brokenness of sin! When Adam and Eve rebelled against God, one of the curses from God was that the husband and wife would battle for their own way (Genesis 3:16). What hope is there, then? Is it better not to get married – as the Disciples suggested in Matthew 19:10? No. Marriage is one of God’s greatest gifts to humanity. The Apostle Paul calls us to look to Jesus and His relationship with the Church as our model. Husbands are called to love their wives as Christ loved the church! In Jesus, we see that love is firstly an attitude. Jesus loved the church even though she was unlovable in sin and rebellion; in fact, He gave up His life for her, taking upon Himself her sin upon the Cross. She did not deserve His love, but He gave it to her to meet her need to make her holy and pure. As a husband we love our wife as a commitment to her wellbeing, not in response to what she does for us.
Secondly, love expresses itself in action. Jesus loved the church so much He gave up His life for her! He did what it took to bring her to her fullest potential. As husbands, we are called to do what it takes to bring our wives to their fullness as a person, woman, mother and wife. There may be a number of things we have to give up in order to cherish our wives. Biblical headship is about serving, not about being the boss. Jesus is the Head of the church, yet He died for her so that she might be saved and purified.
Well, husbands, does your wife feel loved, honoured and cherished? If not, what are you going to do about it? This morning Jesus calls you to imitate His love for the church! And if it all feels overwhelming, then go to Jesus, He will provide the Bible as your Guide, the Holy Spirit as your Encourager, and the church as your support. You are not on your own. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 19th September 2021 : The Battle Call
The International Justice Mission shares numerous stories of people who have been released from the Slave Trade. One of them is Dom, a subsistence farmer in rural Cambodia. He was offered a job to work on a fishing boat in Thailand promising to make enough money to care for his family. When Dom reached Thailand, he was put on a boat with other Cambodian men and was forced to work 19-20 hours a day for no pay. Dom had been sold into slave labour. This went for 6 years before the boat was seized by Indonesian authorities and Dom was allowed to return home.
Imagine Dom’s horror when he returned home and found that his son had been deceived and trafficked by the same people! Dom then worked with IJM to stop this network of traffickers who were caught and convicted. Dom’s son was also rescued and returned home.
Slavery is a horrific manifestation of the spiritual battle of the kingdoms; the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. There is a spiritual battle going on in the background that rages in our everyday lives. Satan is a fallen angel who has made it his self-appointed task to attempt to de-throne God and spoil all His good gifts in creation. Slavery is a way that Satan attempts to spit God in the eye, to insult and offend the Creator God. He does this in attacking the image of God in humanity by dehumanising slaves in their being treated worse than animals: no dignity, no voice, no choice, forced to labour, and often inadequate food or rest.
In Ephesians Chapter 6, the Apostle Paul calls us to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might by putting on the full armour of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. Paul teaches us that there is a battle going on between the kingdoms, and he identifies Satan as the enemy who has a battle plan to rule the world in place of God and take down as many people as he can. Paul calls us to be aware of this battle in the attempt to de-throne God, as it goes on right before our very eyes every day. But Jesus has won the victory on the Cross; He is the Lord over all; He has given to us the Bible and the Holy Spirit to strengthen and equip us. So let us be strong in the Lord and help the fight also on the battle front of slavery by supporting the work of the International Justice Mission. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 12th September 2021 : God’s Design for Families – Children
Over the last 50 years there has been an increasing emphasis on child-centred training in the home. Children’s feelings and preferences are accommodated over against parent directed teaching of self-discipline and respect for authority. As parents we began to feed self-indulgence instead of self-control; children’s freedom of expression and natural cravings were elevated to the point that children have become more outspoken, defiant and demanding of gratification. In fact, today children have come to view gratification as a right. In the old days we would have said that children today behave like ‘spoiled brats’. How did we get here?
One could blame Dr Spock and his child rearing book “Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care”, which had contributed to an increase of permissive parenting in America as parents began to be afraid to impose on the child in any way. While Dr Spock may have heavily influenced a post war society that experienced great prosperity with an indulgence and appetite for luxury, that is only half the answer. The other half is that as Christians we let go of God’s design for the family; we allowed culture to develop our thinking rather than the Bible.
In the Bible, God gives His design for the family: Parents are to bring up children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, and children are to obey and honour their parents. In fact, God protects His design for the family with the fifth commandment – the first commandment with a promise, indicating its significance. The significance is that the family is the foundation of society: a child who obeys and honours his parents at home has the ability to make relationships work on any other level. The Fifth commandment is the key to all society: without obedience and honour in the home there will only be chaos in society. In other words, a breakdown in the family will result in the breakdown of society. Romans 1:18-32 shows us what a broken-down society looks like – and disobedience to parents is one of the characteristics.
As Christians, we have a wonderful ministry by example to our community when we live by God’s design for the family. The Lord takes pleasure when we reflect His love for us, as the Heavenly Father, to one another. He is pleased to give His blessing upon families that live for Him and by His word. Will you have the courage to be Biblical rather than cultural? As adult children, will you honour your parents so that they feel loved and not neglected, not just a burden to others in their older age, but a blessed part of the family? Pastor Alan
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Sunday 5th September 2021 : God’s Design for Families – Fathers
Today is celebrated in our country as ‘Father’s Day’, a day in which we show our appreciation for the place of fathers in our lives. For some this has been a good experience; their father being their hero in the faith. For others it has been a negative experience; suffering at the hands and voice of an abusive father. But we can all give thanks and celebrate God as our Heavenly Father Who loved us with a love so great that He sent His One and Only Son to die on the Cross, to pay the ransom for our sins and to remove our guilt and shame – so that we would be called ‘Children of God’. The Apostle John puts it this way, “Behold what manner of love the Father has lavished upon us that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”
The greatest and most meaningful thing in life is that we know God as our Heavenly Father through our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul affirms that in Ephesians 6, calling parents to bring up their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. There have been many child-rearing strategies throughout the years from Dr Spock to Dr Dobson. But the Bible teaches that teaching with consequences – to set boundaries – is a universal principle. God has set the boundaries for godliness and calls parents to instil them in their children. Instruction needs to go with discipline. If we discipline without instruction (the children not knowing why), we cause resentment. Children have a high sense of justice. As adults they normally do not remember their childhood discipline if it was fair, but they do clearly recollect being disciplined unfairly! If we instruct without discipline (talking without doing), we breed contempt. Children deeply desire that we are people of our word – that we can be trusted. In this they have security.
We can all look back and have regrets about our parenting performance. Hindsight can give us 20/20 vision. But for most of us we did the best we could for where we were at and what we knew at the time. Thank God that His grace is greater than our shortcomings! But if we have failed as parents, the Lord offers forgiveness through repentance. The Gospel gives a new start if we all bend the knee to Jesus. We may have to live with the consequences of our actions, but the Lord in His Gospel grace provides a new start. Now, as some of us are grandparents, may we continue to share with our grandchildren the promises of God which come in Jesus Christ. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 29th August 2021 : God’s Design for Marriage – Wives (2)
Marriage is one of the most wonderful gifts that God has created for mankind; a mystical organic unity expressed physically, spiritually and relationally; one man and one woman in a lifelong committed love relationship. But how do we relate to one another as husbands and wives? In Ephesians, the Bible tells us that we are to ‘submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.’ ‘Submit’ here means to consider the interest and wellbeing of the other before ourselves, living under the authority of the Lord Jesus by following the ways He has shown us in the Bible. This submission to one another is by wives respecting their husbands and husbands loving their wives.
And then Paul gives the ‘headship’ principle; ‘For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church.’ What does this mean? In simple terms it means that the husband is responsible for the marriage. Note how it goes on, “as Christ is the head of the church, His body, and is Himself its Saviour.” What did Jesus do as our Saviour? He died on the cross to pay the ransom for our sins and remove our guilt and shame. He sent us His Holy Spirit to be our Paraclete, as our guide and comforter, and He gave us the Bible. In other words, as our ‘Saviour’ Jesus functions as a Shepherd loving, protecting, providing and preserving. That is not an authoritative role as Lord, but a serving role as Shepherd. Husbands are not called to be ‘lords’ over their wives as those whom must be obeyed; rather they are called to be responsible for the marriage relationship by serving their wives as shepherds. Paul seems to be addressing the gender weaknesses seen at the Fall into sin (Eve taking control and Adam abdicating his responsibility) so that there would be a godly submission to one another out of reverence for Christ.
God’s design for marriage was that it would be liberating, fulfilling and a delight, bringing both husband and wives to their fullest potential as they encourage and enable each other to fulfil their calling as godly men and women. I pray that your marriage may be a “taste of heaven” as you delight in, respect and love one another as God designed you to. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 22nd August 2021 : God’s Design for Marriage – Wives (1)
In the Apostles’ Creed we confess that we believe in “God the Father Almighty, Creator of the heavens and the earth.” God created the universe for His glory; for His enjoyment and delight. “And it was very good!” The crowning glory of creation is creating mankind in His own image. Male and female He created them. You see, God intentionally created humans as male and female, and so He delights in their genders! He delights in the manhood of males, in the womanhood of females, and how He created them to become one flesh in a committed love relationship for life in marriage, bearing children to create His very own people to have a special friendship with and to take pleasure in. That is how God designed marriage; one man and one woman in a committed love relationship for life, protected by marriage.
In His design for marriage, the Lord also gave a pattern for the expression of maleness and femaleness. Males have characteristics and responsibilities that come with being a man, and females have characteristics and responsibilities that come with being a woman. A husband is called to love, nurture and help his wife grow into the woman of God that God has called her to be. The wife is called to respect, encourage and allow her husband to have the responsibility for protecting and caring for the family as God has called him to do.
But that was spoiled by the Fall into sin. Now, a man tends to abdicate – run away – from his responsibilities to the family, and the woman tends to want to control the family. In the brokenness of sin (and curse of the Fall), the marriage has become a battle ground of wills; husband and wife both each exerting their independence, rather than living in interdependence; of wanting their rights to be served by the other (expressed in, “what about me?”) rather than being willing to serve the needs of the other in love. Today, submission – serving the needs of others for their wellbeing – has become a dirty word of exploitation. Gender is promoted as a curse and is considered oppressive.
Are you tired of the ongoing battle and strife? Are you weary from the hurt and pain of a strained or broken relationship? Then look at what God’s design for marriage is. In simple terms, wives respect your husbands and husbands love your wives! Explore what the Bible teaches about the roles in a marriage that reflects God’s wonderful design and His delight in the genders that He has created. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 15th August 2021 : Submit to One Another
What is the most important thing in your life? One good aspect to the Covid-19 virus and lockdowns is that it has made many of us evaluate what is truly important. Being stopped in our tracks, restricted to our homes and able to do little else, has helped us to think, What is it all about? What is important? Is having a well-paid job really that important for the hours and energy I have to put into it? Is it having my dream home, really, with the mortgage I have to pay for it? Is winning that argument worth the broken friendship it has brought with it? The most important thing in life is relationships. Loving, caring and reaching out to others. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13, that if I have done and achieved all sorts of marvellous things in life, but have not love – I am nothing! Patterned on the Trinity, God has made us to be communal beings; people in relationship with one another.
The Apostle addresses relationships in Ephesians 5. He commands that we not be drunk with wine (the selfish sinful nature) but to be filled with the Spirit which results in being filled with joy, in joining with others in worship to God, and in thanksgiving. The way we do this is by ‘submitting to one another’. It is to submit our selfish desires and control to one another so as to serve the good of others and to grow relationships. It is interesting that Paul gives submitting to one another as a command. It is not a choice but a characteristic of being filled with the Spirit. Just as Jesus gave Himself on the Cross for our wellbeing, we are now called to serve the needs of others so we may grow in relationship: Jesus said, “All men will know that you are my disciples if you have love one for another.”
How do we submit to one another?
Firstly, by realising that we are all equal in sin and humanity – no one is superior to another. Everything we are and can do is but a gift from God.
Secondly, by realising that we are all part of the Body of Christ. Everything we do is to build up and grow the Body of Christ. In our modern world we tend to think that life is all about me, what I desire, what I deserve. But as Christians we are all part of the Body of Jesus, each having gifts and the place assigned to me by God for the glory of Jesus Christ. It is like being on a soccer team – you all work together with your gifts and positions assigned to you to win the game. Your focus is the good of the team. And our motivation is, “out of reverence for Christ”; love for Jesus and thanks for His saving work.
Jesus has led the way by serving us and our needs in His death on the Cross. Paul says, in Philippians 2, that our attitude should be the same as that of Jesus who… was willing to go to death on the Cross for you and me. Covid has ‘knocked many of us for a six’. How are you submitting yourself to serving the needs of and encouraging others in growing relationships? Pastor Alan
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Sunday 8th August 2021 : God’s Design for Marriage
Marriage is the most amazing, wonderful and unique relationship of all human relationships! It is the only relationship where the four expressions of love (erotic love, friendship love, family love and serving love) can legitimately be expressed and enjoyed. Marriage is a gift of God, given in the Garden of Eden at creation before the fall into sin. God had created Adam and given him the mandate to fill the earth. But Adam was unable to do that as a single male on the earth. Then, from Adam God created Eve, an exquisite female, and presented Eve to Adam to be his wife so they could have this extraordinary relationship of marriage – a love protected and made secure as the two became one flesh in marriage: one man and one woman in a love commitment to one another for life. And from that love comes children, further life. And that is how Adam and Eve, completing one another, fulfilled God’s mandate to populate the world!
But marriage has been distorted in so many ways: Love has been spoiled by violence and coercion. Trust has been broken in affairs, pornography has degraded wives, physical intimacy has been turned into recreation and prostitution. Commitment has been betrayed by divorce. Living together treats the partner like a prostitute. Marriage has been trivialised by TV game shows like Married at First Sight, Bachelor, Bachelorette, a Farmer needs a wife and even many years ago, the Love Boat, where romance is detached from the commitment and security of marriage. Something that God designed and gifted as a beautiful expression and commitment of love is now the means of hurting and soul-destroying one another.
It was no different in the time of Jesus. The Jews used divorce for a type of wife swapping. The Pharisees thought they could trap Jesus when questioning Him about Moses and Divorce, but Jesus taught them about God’s design for marriage as the Creator. The absolutely amazing thing is that marriages can be renewed and transformed back to God’s original intent in Jesus! The Gospel transforms and renews the heart, as Jesus shows us how in the example of His relationship with the Church; if husbands love their wives as Christ loved the Church, and wives respected their husbands as the church submits to Christ as her Lord, then Marriage should be a taste of heaven. If it isn’t? Bend the knee to Jesus! Bend the knee to Jesus in repentance for squandering God’s wonderful gift of marriage and let Him renew your marriage to God’s design. And then delight in it with joy. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 1st August 2021 : Jesus – the Most Beautiful Name
What’s in a name? Names represent different relationships. I could be called: ‘Reverend’ – my official church title; or ‘Alan’ is used by friends in a more personal relationship; ‘Dad’ is what my children call me; ‘Pa’ is my name with the grandchildren. Names represent a relationship. In Lord’s Day 11 of the Heidelberg Catechism, it asks, “Why is the Son of God called Jesus, meaning Saviour? (As it considers the Apostles Creed: “I believe in Jesus Christ…”), and then it explores the different relationships we have with Jesus as expressed in His names. Note that God Himself gave Jesus His name – Mary and Joseph did not choose it – because the name of Jesus was in itself a revelation about Who He is and what He does. Jesus was sent by the Father to save us from our sins. Now that has implications for us; it means we need to admit we need saving, that we needed to be rescued from hell. It means that we caused Jesus to suffer and die on the Cross, for your sins and mine! Jesus was willing to suffer the very depths of hell to draw us into His love.
And now, He lives with us and walks with us in everything so it is no longer ‘I on my own’ but it ‘us’ – Jesus and me together. We live together through His Holy Spirit. Through His Word and Holy Spirit, Jesus helps us to learn new things and grow, to change old habits, to forgive and be restored, to live the new life in Him, to have hope and confidence and contentment, whatever the circumstances – for we live every day secure in His love. You see, the Christian life is not ‘something out there’, merely an ideology/religion; it is not following a bunch of rules and regulations. Rather, it is a beautiful, living relationship with our Lord Jesus. We live in Him, with Him and for Him. What is true for Jesus is also true for us as Believers.
Do you know Jesus in a personal relationship? Is He the focus of your life? Do you trust Him with your life and your future?
‘Jesus’: Isn’t that the most beautiful Name? Pastor Alan
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Sunday 25th July 2021 : Are you Trustworthy?
In Mark 9:42 Jesus gives an extraordinary warning using mafia style speech. ‘Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better that a great millstone was hung around his neck and he were thrown into the depths of the sea.’ That is a very graphic picture of comparison, showing the very serious nature of the action. This verse is often used with regards to breaking the trust of children by (sexual) abuse, that God takes this very seriously indeed. But Jesus is also talking about those who are vulnerable in their faith, becoming disillusioned and even turning away because of the selfishness and even sinfulness of other believers. The Disciples were caught up in a power game; who was the greatest, who would sit on the right and left side of Jesus when He came into His glory. And then they ‘pulled rank’ on a stranger, yet fellow believer, who was casting out demons in the Name of Jesus. He is not one of us, so he has no right or authority to cast out demons – so they tried to stop him. When our egos get in the way of the Gospel, we lead others astray. In our Western culture we are typically self-oriented and self-entitled. Even as Christians we would be surprised how much of our western culture we have taken on when we stop and have a good look. In the Gospel, church is to be a safe place, yet how many people have moved on, disillusioned by the loneliness and lack of acceptance. We can preach the Body of Christ, and yet be a stumbling block by our lack of hospitality. And Jesus warns us, ‘Look out! Do not cause a vulnerable believer to stumble into sin because of your lack of Gospel trustworthiness.’ Are you trustworthy? Can you say with Paul, ‘Imitate me as I imitate Christ?’ Are you a father or mother in the faith to others?
And if you have failed, broken trust? Then there is always a way back through Repentance and Forgiveness. The Gospel brings restoration and renewal. Our fathers and mothers in the faith that we look up to are not perfect, but they do live by and in the Gospel (including repentance and seeking forgiveness), and in that they are trustworthy. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 18th July 2021 : Kingdom Greatness – Humility through Service & Acceptance
We all strive to be great, to do well, to be recognised, to achieve, to succeed; it is part of being made in the image of God and drives creativeness and inventiveness. The Disciples were arguing amongst themselves about who was the greatest. Note that Jesus does not rebuke them for this desire, but redirects it from sin to righteousness. Worldly Greatness is about self: what can I gain out of this for my advantage, to advance my cause. Often, it bends the rules, ignoring the rights and needs of others, and ignoring the truth. Worldly greatness is about having power, prestige, influence and control – being at the ‘top of the ladder’. Kingdom Greatness, however, is about humility: serving the needs of others to honour the Name of Christ. It seeks to be the least, to raise the other up. Worldly greatness is self-centred; Kingdom greatness is Christ centred.
Jesus is the greatest example of Kingdom Greatness! Jesus, who was the greatest as the Son of Man, gave up the glory of God in heaven to come to earth, emptying Himself of all reputation, taking on the human nature and being obedient to death, even death on the Cross (Philippians 2:5-8). He became the LEAST of all, so that we who were the least in sin, would become great before God – inheriting eternal life and being adopted as His children. There is no higher ‘greatness’ than that!
Our greatness is not in what we do, but in who we are in Christ; by faith in Jesus, we are sons of God, and in that greatness in the eyes of the Father, to be the least by serving and accepting others as Jesus served and accepted us. To be truly great in the Kingdom is to be like Jesus. As we battle with our pride, (even an inferiority complex is an act of pride as we see ourselves less worthy than God does, Who made us in His image), it is easy to slip into worldly greatness. How do we battle that?
Firstly, by prayer – as prayer opens our heart to God.
Secondly, by being in the Word – which transforms our minds to God.
Thirdly by asking, ‘Who am I doing this for?’ Checking our motivation. It is honouring to the Lord to do well, to achieve goals, to succeed, but only when it is done in humility, for His glory, will it be truly great. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 27th June 2021 : Living by Faith and not by Sight
The Disciples found themselves in an embarrassing situation; a father had come to them and asked them to cast a demon out of his only son. They were not able to. The Scribes started to make fun of their inability and an argument broke out about Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus came and asked what they were arguing about, and the father said that the disciples were unable to cast the demon out of his son, and since they were his disciples, then maybe – if Jesus can do anything more than his Disciples – could He please help us? The inability of the Disciples brought doubt into the father’s mind about the power of Jesus.
Jesus redirects the son’s father; the issue isn’t about power but about faith. All things are possible for those who believe! God’s power is there, but it is given through faith. The father declares that he does believe, but can you help me in my unbelief. Can you overcome my doubts? I am desperate here.
Jesus rebukes the evil spirit and the demon comes out of the boy with a final battering of his body, leaving him for dead. Jesus took the boy by the hand, raised him up and gave him to his father.
Later, the Disciples asked Jesus, why couldn’t we cast out that demon? You gave us the authority to do so, but it didn’t work. Why? Jesus says that it takes prayer. That is, the Disciples were operating in their own strength. They thought that, as Disciples, THEY themselves had the power of Jesus to cast out demons. They relied on their own devices to handle the demon. Jesus teaches that He is the source of Power that is given through faith by prayer.
The question is, how many times have we tried to serve others with this same self-reliance as the disciples? Could this be one of the reasons for our lack of power? It is so easy for us to cross the line from (God’s) Kingdom extending to (self) empire building. At these times, the Lord humbles us through our failures so we would look to Him and find our strength in Him rather than relying on ourselves. The Lord’s power comes through us by His Word and through faith by prayer. Have you observed in your life a relationship between lack of prayer and failure? True faith sees our need for Jesus and His power through faith by prayer; we cannot do it by ourselves. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 20th June 2021 : The Glory and Suffering of the Messiah
The Disciples were on a completely ‘different page’ than Jesus! When it dawned on them that Jesus was indeed the Lord’s Messiah, the Son of God, they were very excited. Now Jesus would lead them in the glory and honour of battle against the Romans, and restore the Kingdom of David just like the prophets predicted in the Old Testament. And then, Jesus dashes those expectations with the declaration that He has to suffer and die and be raised again after three days. Peter is so upset that he rebukes Jesus, No! That is not the way it is supposed to happen. Jesus in turn sternly puts Peter in his place. Two pages: one, the glory and honour of battle to win a political kingdom; the other, glory and honour through suffering and death to usher in the spiritual Kingdom of God. Jesus teaches that the glory of the Kingdom is coming, but through suffering and death so that sins may be forgiven by satisfying the justice of God.
In the Transfiguration event, Jesus reveals His glory as the Son of God, and the glory that is to come. The Transfiguration event authenticates His prediction that He will come in the glory of the Father (Mark 8:38). As they are coming down the Mountain, the Disciples question Jesus about the prophecy of Elijah coming before the Messiah: So we can see that you are the Messiah, but where is Elijah as prophesied? Jesus replies that it is good to see that they are interested in Old Testament prophecy, so how about considering the prophecies that the Messiah must suffer and die in order to bring in the Kingdom? Do you get it now? The glory of the Kingdom of God will come through the shame of suffering and death in being rejected. Oh, by the way, Elijah has come in John the Baptist, who prepared the hearts of the people as the messenger of the Messiah.
Which “page” are you on? Are you like the Disciples who put their own (earthly) expectations on the Kingdom of glory without the shame? Or do you follow Jesus the Messiah of the Bible? Are you willing to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and bear the ‘shame’ of the Cross? After the suffering and shame comes the glory of the Cross. As Jesus was exalted by the Father (Philippians 2:9), so we too shall be exalted by the Father to eternal glory! Pastor Alan
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Sunday 13th June 2021 : The Cost of Discipleship
There was a story about a convict who had been sentenced to the penal colony of Australia. Over time he had bought his freedom and claimed 100 acres to make a farm. It was his dream empire! But the aborigines also claimed that land as their own, to the extent that they harvested the colonist’s crop for themselves. Inevitably a clash followed. One day a group of colonists planned a savage surprise attack on the tribe of aborigines in the early hours of the morning. The colonists brutally slaughtered the aborigine tribe. This convict went on to be a wealthy land owner. He had gained much over the years and yet was never quite at peace with it, for he had sold his soul in the slaughter of those aborigines. He had crossed the line of integrity and justice.
Jesus teaches us, ‘What good is it for a man to gain the whole world yet forfeit his soul?’ What good is it to have wealth, prestige, power, pleasure – if you have lost your soul, if you cannot, despite all these achievements, find peace and true satisfaction?
God created this world and everything in it. And He created it for His praise and glory.
But Satan tempted Adam and Eve to live for their own glory; that life is about self-autonomy, living as I like, to be calling the shots.
Jesus gives us a way back to living for the glory of God, having a fullness of life of blessing and peace. He calls us to follow Him, to be His Disciples. But you need to be ready to lose it in order to gain it. What is it we need to lose?
First, we must lose ourselves by putting Jesus on the throne of our lives. We now live for Jesus and no longer for ourselves.
Secondly, we must take up our cross. That means being willing to suffer for the Name of Jesus as we live our everyday lives.
Thirdly, we must follow Jesus, that is, live in obedience to His ways, choosing to do and say what Jesus commands us to do and say, and looking to Him for the power to see it through, to do these things even when we don’t feel like it.
Jesus calls us to lay down our lives so we may gain His life and the glory of His salvation. Are you truly laying down your life? Pastor Alan
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Sunday 9th May 2021 : Mother’s Day
Proverbs 31:28, “Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.” My Mum was my hero in the Christian faith. The Lord in His love and compassion took her home last October, her work on earth for the Kingdom finished. It is my privilege to be one of the children who arise and call their mother blessed. Now don’t get me wrong, my Mum certainly had ‘clay feet’. But she left me with a spiritual legacy that I will always praise the Lord for. My Mum was a happy person. She would not allow herself to become a victim of circumstances. She was never thrilled about migrating from Holland to Australia. Nevertheless, she followed her adventurous husband and, in many ways, simply made the best of it. I got to know her in a new way after Dad died some 20 years ago. By faith, she had a positive outlook on life. My Mum was a loyal friend. I can remember a lady in the congregation who lived in perpetual misery and self-pity. But Mum always rang her and kept up a one-sided friendship for many, many years, patiently enduring the moans and groans and complaints. My Mum had a quiet ministry of encouragement. She would make cards and send them off. She always had a friendly word for everyone. One time she rang a young man in the congregation, asking if he was all right because she missed him at church lately. Many years later that man said, “Tante Renske, I was about to leave the church, but your phone call changed my mind. Thank you for caring.” In worldly terms, my Mum was an uneducated, unskilled, simple migrant. But she had a firm faith in her Lord and was unashamed to let people know. As her son, I arise and call her blessed, thankful for the spiritual legacy she has left me.
Today, motherhood is not honoured very highly; feminism calls women to advance themselves; often having children is seen as impeding a working career. But be the woman God has called you to be! Be convinced of God’s plan for the family as the foundational building block of society. One person wrote, ‘the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world’. Motherhood is a most blessed place in the family and in society. Cherish it, enjoy it, be blessed by it. As Mother’s Day is celebrated in our country today, my prayer is that your children will arise and call you blessed because of the spiritual legacy you have passed down to them. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 2nd May 2021 : The Father is here; It’s All Right
The situation in India is critical. People are desperately seeking medical help as they suffer from Covid-19, with despair in their eyes as they watch loved ones dying before them on the street. A question that often arises in such circumstances is, “Where is God? If God is a God of love, why does He allow so much anguish and suffering of the innocent?” The Psalmist writes, “God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble…” So where is God in the Covid-19 pandemic?
Let’s consider a few Biblical truths: We suffer because of sin in the world. When Adam and Eve rebelled against God they brought the curse of sin into the world – and in their sin-corrupted hearts, people want to be god. They want to be superior and in control. Therefore, people make bad choices that hurt other (even innocent) people. The creation is also under the bondage of sin, resulting in natural catastrophes and diseases. We as the human race are responsible for the suffering in the world!
On the other hand, God is sovereign, nothing happens outside His purpose and will. Even the hairs on our head are numbered and accounted for. So, is it God’s will that we suffer? No, He feels our pain and hears our cries, and evil makes Him indignant (Matthew 18:5-6); He is not simply like a policeman impartially directing traffic. Our heavenly Father is intimately acquainted with our everyday lives. So why does He “allow” suffering? Because in His infinite love and mercy He has reached down to us by sending His Son, Jesus of Nazareth, to suffer and die on the Cross to pay for our sins and reconcile us to Himself. It was God’s will that Jesus should suffer and die on the Cross (Isaiah 53:10). Yet it was our sin that was responsible for His death! In His wisdom and power God has used evil to overcome evil at the Cross. God had done something about our suffering, and is doing something about our suffering, in Jesus. God Who loves us so much that He was willing to sacrifice His own Son is not a God Who is callous, unfair, and cruel in His dealing with humanity. And yet, He is the God Who sovereignly controls our evil and the curse of the world in such a way that He will ultimately bring everything to good – just look at the Cross. God’s sovereignty and our responsibility; who can understand it? But we don’t have to – we just have to look to the Cross and TRUST Him as our Heavenly Father. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 25th April 2021 : Blessed are Those who are Persecuted (The Joy of Persecution)
Today we celebrate ANZAC Day; coming together, in person and in spirit, to commemorate the men and women who have served our nation in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations. On the 25th of April 1915, Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of the Allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula. These became known as ANZACS and the pride they took in that name continues to this day. One of the aspects of ANZAC Day is pride, being proud of and thankful to our servicemen and women who have paid the price to leave us the legacy of what our nation is today; free, democratic, one people of Australia (made up of three people groups: Aboriginal, English and Immigrants). It is this idea that Jesus is bringing when He talks about the joy of persecution. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven … Rejoice and be glad”.
In the Jewish culture, suffering was seen as a punishment from God. In our western culture suffering is seen as something to be avoided. But in the Kingdom of Heaven, suffering is seen as privilege and joy.
For one, it is a badge of discipleship, of belonging. Jesus said if you follow Me you will be persecuted; what happened to Me will also happen to you.
For another, we suffer knowing that our reward is in heaven. It is part of the journey of faith.
And finally, suffering for the sake of Jesus is being part of the proud tradition of the prophets. Our names are included in the Heroes of Faith listed in Hebrews 11. In suffering for the sake of Jesus we know where we stand (we belong to Jesus); we know where we are going (on the journey to heaven); and, we know we are standing in the tradition of the prophets (worthy to stand with them in faith which is a heritage as old as the Bible story itself).
As we commemorate those who have died for our country to give us the freedom we enjoy today, let us also celebrate that we may be part of the battle of the Kingdoms as followers of Jesus, finding a joy and gladness in our suffering for Jesus as it affirms our identity as His People and the hope of heaven to come, where we may enjoy the freedom from sin in all its forms in the New heaven and the Earth; where all things have been made new. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 18th April 2021 : Blessed are Those who are Persecuted (The Trials of Persecution)
Last year, Margaret Court was awarded the Companion Order of Australia Award to recognise her outstanding tennis achievements, but also partly to rectify a gender imbalance in the awards – ‘that our greatest women’s player deserved the same level of recognition as our greatest men’s player (i.e. Rod Laver).’ A great howl of protest came from all quarters that this award should not be given to Margaret Court, because as a Christian and Pastor she had been publicly saying that same-gender relationships are against the design of God the Creator as taught in the Bible. Others who also had received the Award of Australia handed them back in protest – they maintain that giving the Award to Margaret Court sanctioned her hurtful and disgraceful views which caused division! One protestor put it this way, “I’m returning this award because I believe the elevation of Margaret Court is contrary to the integrity and meaning of the award and her effort in amplifying divisive opinions has not made our community a better place and contradicts the objectives of the award. I couldn’t think of a better use of the award (i.e. handing it back in protest against Margaret Court’s award) than to stand up to religious bigotry.”
Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” Margaret Court is indeed being persecuted for being a Christian and publicly holding to Biblical Christian views!
What about you? Are you willing to stand up and be counted as a follower of Jesus? Are you willing to be persecuted for Righteousness sake? Willing to call out wrong as wrong, in the eyes of the Lord? Today we will consider this Beatitude as the ‘Trials of Persecution’; next Sunday the ‘Joys of Persecution.’ Pastor Alan
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Sunday 11th April 2021 : Blessed are the Peacemakers
Mother used to say, “I am just going for five minutes peace!” when the household got very busy with playing and fighting children. ‘Peace’ is often thought of as ‘the absence of conflict’. But True Peace is more than the absence of something. The Old Testament word “Shalom” captures the Biblical idea of peace. When two Jews greeted one another with the word ‘Shalom’ they were saying: ‘May you enjoy full satisfaction and tranquillity that God brings. May God’s highest good be yours!’ And so, it carries the idea of wholeness, harmony, being at one with God. True Peace is being reconciled to God through Jesus Christ and living under His favour. So how does that translate into everyday life in the call by Jesus to be Peacemakers?
Essentially, being a True Peacemaker is to apply the Gospel to conflict. How did God reconcile Himself to sinful and rebellious mankind?
Firstly, He ‘called out’ sin for what it was, “Adam, Where are you? What have you done?” Adam was confronted with his wrongdoing.
Secondly, God dealt with our sin through the death of Jesus on the Cross. The price was paid; His justice satisfied. There was no compromise, no negotiating, and no sweeping under the carpet. He dealt with our sin through Truth and Righteousness.
Thirdly, He called us to repentance, to a change of heart: to confess our sins, seek forgiveness, with a desire to turn away from the wrong.
Fourthly, in giving His forgiveness, there is now reconciliation and a new relationship, a new start: He forgives us our sins and remembers them no more. That is the Biblical pattern for resolving conflict.
True Peace is where two people resolve a conflict through a change of heart by repentance and forgiveness, and live in harmony without that wrong standing between them. But our modern Western culture has introduced a new offence “you have hurt my feelings”. Consequently, feelings have become the benchmark of right and wrong rather than truth and justice. Subsequently, relationships become power games as we force our personal views on others rather than working with truth and justice. And so we have ‘bending the knee’, renaming, re-education, more laws, cancel culture, etc., as the power game for dominance is played out. However, God’s way is always the best way! Let us be True Peacemakers by applying the Gospel to conflict, towards true reconciliation and Peace. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 4th April 2021 : The Empty Tomb
It is hard to grieve when there is no body. It is even more tragic when you believe the body of your loved one has been desecrated. Imagine Mary Magdalene’s horror when she came to the tomb of Jesus and found it empty. She was beside herself with grief and horror! She and the women had come to the grave early Sunday morning (when the Sabbath was over) to perform the last burial rites on their Beloved Teacher, Jesus; an act of love and dignity. Instead they found the tomb empty. The angels sitting inside the tomb asked Mary why she was weeping. At first, you would think that was obvious, but in fact it was not, because Mary was actually seeking the living among the dead. Jesus had Risen from the Dead – seen by the empty tomb and folded grave clothes. Jesus the Good Shepherd gently and lovingly steers and comforts Mary. He calls to her, ‘Mary!’ – revealing Himself to her as the Resurrected Christ. Mary is overjoyed to see Jesus alive! But Jesus then rebukes her, ‘Do not cling to Me’ because I have not just been made alive again (like Lazarus who died again later) – I have been resurrected to glory and therefore our relationship has changed. I am no longer your Teacher; I am now your Lord and Saviour.
The very purpose of the Crucifixion and Resurrection was to bring in a new relationship: restoration between God and sinful mankind. This new relationship is expressed in the new terms Jesus uses about the Disciples: ‘My brothers’. In Jesus Crucified and Resurrected we are now adopted as the Children of God the Father! Imagine the relief the Disciples had when Mary told them what Jesus had said. The cowardly deserters who had all run away at the Cross have now been restored to Jesus! My Brothers!
As we celebrate the Resurrection let us rejoice in this new relationship; God as our Father and Jesus as our Brother, and we being brothers and sisters in Christ. A new relationship with a new life and a new lifestyle. All because Christ has Risen indeed! Pastor Alan
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Sunday 14th March 2021 : Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
Conception and birth are still something of a mystery/miracle, despite our scientific knowledge today. When does the soul enter the body; how is the soul created, where does it come from? At conception everything is there to make a person. The wonder of conception and birth drives us in praise and adoration of our Lord God, Who created the heavens and the earth and everything in them.
When a child receives the sign and seal of baptism, it is a sign of belonging; God’s mark on that child as belonging to the Covenant family with all the blessings of being brought up in a Christian home; tasting the good things of God. This sign of belonging and being under the promises of God is also a call to that child to claim these promises of God by a personal faith as he/she grows older and more aware.
The psalmist guides our thinking when He praises the Sovereign Lord in His power as Creator and of Providence. God designed us a humans; we are His workmanship – being made in His image, able to reason and have morals and hold relationships. A baby is God’s gift of life. And we don’t have to worry about that child’s future in a changing world because his/her days have already been ordained and written in God’s Book of Providence. God is working out His gracious and loving purpose and will; even through the wicked intentions of mankind – we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus! Let us praise the Lord this morning for His power as Creator and being the God of Providence and for His saving presence in our lives through Jesus Christ – our Lord and Saviour. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 7th March 2021 : The Almighty God – My Father in Christ Jesus
Imagine two boys playing in the school ground. They are arguing about their Dads. One boy says to the other, “My Dad is stronger than your Dad!”, and the other replies, “Oh Yeah! Well my Dad is smarter than your Dad!” There is a real sense of pride for a child to think of their Dad being strong and clever; with it comes a sense of security. With a Dad like that, we will be okay. Dad is smart enough to fix it and strong enough to deal with it.
You could say that this is also the tone of Lord’s Day 9 of the Heidelberg Catechism as it teaches us about the Almighty God being our Father. The Lord Almighty Who created the heavens and the earth is my Father! It is a celebration of comfort and security. How great is our Father in Heaven? He knows everything and can do anything! What a comfort it is and what security it provides to have the Almighty God as our Heavenly Father.
How can the Almighty God, Who created the universe and upholds it every day with His word and will, be our Father? Through our Lord Jesus Christ; His Son. When we repent of our sins (for rebelling against God and not giving Him the glory as Creator) and believe that Jesus died on the Cross to pay for our sins, God adopts us as His ‘Beloved Children’ and we come under His favour and care as our Heavenly Father. In Jesus, I trust my Heavenly Father to provide whatever I need in body and soul, and that He will turn to my good whatever adversity He sends me in this dark world.
In whom do you trust? Pastor Alan
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Sunday 28th February 2021 : Despair
In the past week or so some of us have had news from friends that their children have committed suicide. It is hard for most of us to imagine the sense of hopelessness and despair that leads to such devastating actions. Often, we advise people to give themselves a mental shake and just get on with it – especially when some are hit very hard by grief. Having a friend or family with suicidal fixations is very hard – not knowing what you will find every time when you come home. You can find yourself dealing with anger for feeling that your life has been hijacked by this family member / friend’s unwellness. And it is so typical that we make these events about us and so we lose the compassion for helping the other. Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy” (Matthew 5:7). How can we show mercy in these situations?
Well, the Psalmist in Psalm 77 felt despair. He is so troubled that he cannot speak, he cannot sleep, and God feels so far away – life is just darkness, like being in a black hole. He cried out to God and felt disturbed; he felt abandoned even by God, that God had rejected him, that God had withdrawn His love and compassion.
But there was one little ray of light that shone in the blackness of despair! When he stopped looking at God through his feelings and started to look at God through His actions in history, the Psalmist could trace the utter faithfulness of God in His dealings with His people Israel in history. Whatever he felt, the facts were that God has not abandoned him, He has not failed in His promises, He has not withdrawn His love; and so, with those Biblical facts, the Psalmist slowly realigned his thinking. And in time, the darkness of feeling abandoned and in despair turned into the light of being loved and cherished – God is indeed faithful! But this understanding is something each person has to come to within themselves by the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Of course, mental illness (depression) is far more complicated than correcting wrong thinking brought about by feelings of despair. There can be hormonal and chemical imbalances, trauma, exhaustion, grief, sin, and all other factors could also be involved. For the Psalmist, realising that God had not abandoned him was the pin-light of hope in the darkness of despair that grew into a brilliant light of God’s love in his life. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 21st February 2021 : Blessed are the Pure in Heart
How do you ‘get right with God’? That has been the question right through history! The Psalmist asks, “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in His holy place?” (Psalm 24:3) The Psalmist replies, “He who has clean hands and pure heart…” (Verse 4). That is, who lives a holy life and has their heart in tune with God.
Jesus and the Pharisees argued about it. The Pharisees taught that if you obey the Law of Moses and follow the tradition of the Elders, you will earn God’s favour. In other words, you get right with God by what you do. (And many people today would say the same thing – God will let me into heaven when I die because I have lived a pretty good life).
But Jesus replied that ‘getting right with God’ is a matter of the heart; because what you do is directed by the condition of your heart. In the Beatitudes Jesus puts it this way, “Blessed are the Pure in Heart for they will see God.” A sinful heart is blinded by sin. God created the world; sinful man explains the beginning of the world by evolution. God created male and female equal yet complementary to one another; sinful man says that you can be whatever gender you choose to be and have intimate relationships with whatever gender you choose. God gave His Law to govern the harmony and wellbeing of mankind (second use of the Law); sinful man says that I choose my own rules to live by. In this sinful blindness, sinful man cannot ‘see’ God for Who He is and what He has revealed Himself to be. It is only when our hearts have been cleansed and renewed by repentance and faith that we can see what God’s will is, His good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:2). A Pure Heart is a heart that has been cleansed and renewed by the Holy Spirit through repentance and faith.
A Pure Heart that has been cleansed and renewed then strives to live a life of “clean hands” – with integrity, a hunger for purity, a hatred for sin, a love for fellow believers, and a preoccupation with God (the reason why man exists is to bring glory to God and enjoy Him forever). To love God is to love His Word and Will, to desire to be holy as our Heavenly Father is Holy.
The sad fact is that we wrestle with our old nature and fall into sin and temptation. At those times it is hard to “see” God, hard to appreciate His Love and Kindness as in our sinful blindness we demand to know “why”, or think life is unfair. However, in repentance and faith we have further renewal of hearts and then again we can ‘see’ God!
Are you living life by externals, living up to the expectations of others, obeying the religious rules? Or do you have a Pure Heart, seeing God by a living relationship with Him as your Heavenly Father? ‘Clean hands and pure heart’ – in Jesus through repentance and faith. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 14th February 2021 : Blessed are the Merciful
Are you compassionate? Do you care for other people and have a desire to help them in their need? It doesn’t come naturally! On the one hand, we live in a very entitled and self-absorbed western culture (I deserve to be happy and fulfilled), and even as Christians some of it rubs off into our thinking and feelings about things. On the other hand, we have a tendency to be critical rather than gracious. If we see an overweight person we tend to think ‘well… you are what you eat!’, often without considering their (mental) health issues or possible side-effects of medication. We can very quickly judge people by what they look like to us and disassociate ourselves from them, rather than seeing them as people with needs just like you and me. Just go down to the supermarket and watch people and analyse what you feel about them as you consider what they look like to you. How many did you think critically (if only they…) about? If a person smells do you simply walk away (disassociate) to escape the smell, or do you consider why they would smell like that and can I help?
When Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful…”, He was introducing a very radical concept and attitude. We could describe mercy as “Compassion in Action”. That is: Seeing someone in need, feeling compassion (having a desire to help) for them, and doing something to help them in their need. For example, a person who asks your forgiveness is a person in need of being released from their guilt. Forgiveness is by its nature an act of mercy because it is asking you to let go of the hurt you have the right to feel. Compassion desires reconciliation of the relationship and ‘compassion in action’ (mercy) is to forgive and be restored.
We are empowered to be merciful as Christians because we have first-hand experience of being treated with mercy – compassion in action – when God the Father reached out to us in Jesus Christ Crucified, to bring forgiveness and reconciliation. If God had treated us as we deserved we would be lost under His Anger and Judgement. But the Lord chose to be compassionate, and putting that compassion into action (mercy), brought us salvation, meeting our greatest need in life, the forgiveness of our sins. Knowing God’s loving kindness, we can be forgiving as He has forgiven us; we can be compassionate as He has reached out to us in our desperate need. Being merciful is a part of the character of being a Christian, for not only have we received mercy from the Lord, but we also have the guidance of the Bible and empowering indwelling of the Holy Spirit! The greatest act of mercy is to bring the Gospel in word and in deed, by telling the message and showing that message by a heart of compassion in action. Are you compassionate? Pastor Alan
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Sunday 7th February 2021 : What Must I Do to be Saved?
The Philippian Jailer asked Paul and Silas, “What must I do to be saved?” This is a good question! Paul and Silas replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved!” Now what does that mean, “Believe in the Lord Jesus”?
What answer would you give? Can you give witness to the four tenants of the Gospel?
- In the beginning God created the world and it was very good. He created mankind to worship and have a special friendship with Him.
- But Adam & Eve rebelled against the authority of the Lord God, breaking that relationship, and bringing God’s anger and judgement on the world.
- But in love and faithfulness the Lord God sent His Son Jesus to die on the Cross to pay the penalty for our sin so we can be restored to a relationship with Him.
- This work of God in Jesus calls for a response of repentance and faith; believing in the promises of God and so turning away from sin to live a new life of thankfulness in Christ.
And so, firstly we need to KNOW what the Gospel is. Many people today do not know about Jesus except as a swear word in the movies.
Secondly, we need to be CONVICTED that the Gospel of Jesus is true. It is not another religious myth or story but that Jesus literally and historically came and died on the Cross and rose again from the dead. He was a real person with a real God-given task.
Thirdly, we need to be ASSURED that this is true for me! That Jesus died on the Cross for MY sins! And so it calls me to respond in repentance and faith, confessing my sin, being forgiven, and living in thankfulness to the Lord.
These three – Knowledge, Conviction and Assurance – make up True Gospel Faith; if we don’t have them we are not saved. Many people do not even ask the question put by the Philippian Jailer. They simply go along their everyday lives of eating and sleeping, working and playing, without a thought for eternity. The Apostle Peter calls us to be prepared at any time to give an account for the hope that is within you – so that you may be able to answer clearly when questioned: “What must I do to be saved?” Pastor Alan
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Sunday 31st January 2021 : Blessed are the Passionate
What is your passion in life? What gets you up in the morning and gives direction to your day? The Apostle Paul says that his driving passion is to know Christ! Forgetting what lies behind, he strains forward to the goal of being more and more like Jesus! He has given up all his good works realising that they are but a putrid stench in the nostrils of the Holy God and so he has thrown his life upon the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus His Lord. In Jesus is a righteousness that comes from God by faith in Him. Now what does that actually mean?
Well, righteousness means “to be right with God.” And we are right with God in three ways: legally, morally and socially.
- Legally, being right with God is by God the Father declaring that a person who believes in Jesus as their Lord and Saviour stands Holy, Blameless and Pure before Him. Sin has been forgiven and guilt removed – just as if I had never sinned nor been a sinner. We also call that being clothed with the righteousness of Christ – being saved.
- Morally, being right with God is by living in God’s ways as He has revealed to us in the Bible and His Law. It is the desiring and striving to become more and more like Jesus as we live our everyday lives, under the guidance of the Bible and empowering of the Holy Spirit.
- Socially, being right with God is striving to bring His justice in the world, to set the captive free, release the oppressed, protect the innocent and to comfort the grieving. It is being the representative of Jesus in the Public Square because the Gospel has something to say about all of life to bring transformation under the Kingship of Jesus. We have a voice to be heard!
To ‘hunger and thirst for righteousness’ is to be passionate about the Gospel of Jesus, to dedicate our whole life to Jesus and His transforming Gospel work in whatever we do and wherever we are in life. Paul’s passion was to know Jesus and to be like Him in every way – because Jesus is the Perfect Person.
What about you today? Are you merely interested in Jesus – in what He can do for you? Or are you passionate about Jesus – how you can serve Him in all things with your whole life? He gave His whole life for you! Pastor Alan
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Sunday 24th January 2021 : Blessed are the Meek
In the end it is all about control. Depression, anxiety, manipulation, abuse, terrorism, war: it is all about having control or feeling that you do not have control. Our western culture promotes being in control. You have the right to be happy, to fulfil your goals, ambitions and desires. You can be anything you want to be. Now, to have control is part of being human. God made us to take care of His creation; we have the instinct to survive; we have the ability to organise and be creative; we have the ability to have relationships and be responsible. Control is not an evil thing. It is necessary in order to live. It’s when we want to have the ‘power’ to control that things can become evil.
Look at the civil unrest in the United States as the groups strive for the power to control! Our culture tells us that being powerful is to be successful – you can’t get ahead unless you have power! Might is power! That is also how the Jews felt at the time of Jesus. They were waiting for a Messiah to lead them to battle to overthrow the Romans and establish Israel as an independent nation again.
But Jesus says to them, “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.”
No! No! No! That can’t be right! Blessed are the powerful for they shall conquer the enemy and take back what is legitimately theirs! Blessed are the meek? Generally, meekness is considered as weakness or being helpless or spineless. But Jesus is teaching something else altogether.
Biblical meekness is ‘power under control’. The Bible says (Numbers 12:3) that Moses was the meekest man on earth, yet he led the nation of Israel out of Egypt and through the desert for 40 years! He was a powerful leader! What made him meek? He put his power of leadership under the control of the Lord God of Israel. He was the Lord’s servant. And that is the crux of it – who is in control of your life? Do you submit the control of your life to the Lord and His ways, or do you seek to control your life yourself by your ways? For example, in principle, anxiety is about control; you feel you are not in control of the situation so you feel helpless. One way to ease anxiety is to remember in faith that God is in control of the universe and history, and in Jesus is working out all things for the good of those who love Him. As the Apostle Paul says, if God has sent Jesus to die on the Cross for us, will He not also give us all things? Give the control to God and it will ease your anxiety. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit all the blessings of belonging to God – God Who is making a new heaven and new earth! To whom do you give the control of your life? Pastor Alan
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Sunday 17th January 2021 : Blessed are Those who Mourn
`Happy are the unhappy, for they shall be comforted.’ That sounds a bit contradictory, doesn’t it? To be happy you need to be unhappy. Lots of people are unhappy – just take the effects of the Covid-19 Virus; especially those people in Brisbane that are required to do their time of quarantine all over again! Or, Victorians who were locked out of their own State! Many people in America are unhappy as they are embroiled in civil unrest; let alone the whole Black Lives Matter issue that seems to have gone off the boil. We can be unhappy in our marriages, or with work, our financial situation, our struggle with health and depression. We are NOT happy to be unhappy at all!
So what is Jesus teaching in the second Beatitude? Simply put, Jesus is saying that those who ‘mourn’, that is, those who have a godly sorrow over sin, will be comforted by the power of the Gospel. Remember ‘happiness’ is a feeling that is tied to our circumstances; we feel good when things are going our way. The focus of happiness is me! But to ‘mourn’ with a godly sorrow is to have the focus on God, to consider how we have hurt and betrayed the Lord with our disobedience and defiance; and how sin spoils all His good gifts to us. To mourn is to look at the world and life from the Lord’s point of view.
Godly sorrow over sin leads to repentance, where we receive the Lord’s forgiveness and come into His family, under His Fatherly care and protection. And that is our comfort; that I am not my own but belong to Jesus Who has paid for all my sins and set me free from the dominion of the devil; coming under the loving care of the Father and receiving the Holy Spirit who empowers me to live for Jesus. When we repent and live for Jesus, we receive the power of the Gospel in our lives. In Jesus we receive a wholeness and wellbeing in our lives that makes us blessed. In Jesus we receive mercy and find grace in our time of need. It means that we can be patient and loving in a difficult marriage because we are loved by the Father. It means we can be accepting when our bodies get old and worn, because our self-worth is not in what we can do but who we are in Jesus (and we have a renewed body in store for us at the Resurrection!). It means that we can find hope when we are down and feel lonely, because Jesus is our brother. It means we can be at rest when things just seem to go all wrong, because our Father is working out all things for our good – yes even through the terrible times. This is Gospel power! This is the comfort for those who ‘Mourn’. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 10th January 2021 : Blessed are the Poor in Spirit
Is there a difference between ‘Happiness’ and ‘Blessedness’? Do you have the right or deserve to be happy? Many people think so! Often we hear the comment, “Oh well, as long as they are happy it is alright.” But is ‘Happiness’ the value to measure life on? Happiness has the idea of happening in it; it is what we feel in response to what is happening to us – to our circumstances. If things do not go our way, we are not happy! That means to be happy we want to control our circumstances. Happiness is self-centred and self-absorbed; it is all about me and what I am feeling or desire. The world is obsessed with the pursuit of happiness – just consider the content of all the commercials.
In the Beatitudes, Jesus brings an alternative focus to life: “Blessedness”. To be ‘blessed’ is to live under the approval and favour of God. Rather than us controlling circumstances, we let God control the circumstances as He works out His purposes and will for all those who love Him. There is a joy and contentment even in terrible circumstances because the Lord will provide grace in our time of need. The Apostle Paul has declared in Philippians 4 that he has learned to be content in whatever circumstances because he can do all things in Him Who strengthens me.
How do we enter into this ‘blessedness’? By being ‘Poor in Spirit’ realising that we are but spiritually destitute before the Holy God and have nothing to bring to the table but our dirty hands and a plea for mercy. Often we think of ourselves more highly that we ought – especially in the pursuit of happiness (having my desires and dreams come true) – as we focus on ourselves. Today, Jesus calls us to see ourselves as we really are; condemned sinners but saved by grace through our Lord Jesus Christ. Living in the kingdom of God – under His approval and favour – brings true joy and happiness as we live and serve Him as the focus of our lives. Our self-image, self-worth, value, meaning for life, contentment all come to fullness in Jesus Christ. In Him we have true blessedness as we live under God’s approval and favour. What are you busy with today – the pursuit of happiness or the receiving of Blessedness? Pastor Alan
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Sunday 3rd January 2021 : God’s Substitute Who Satisfies
Imagine being in court, and the accused is found guilty and convicted of the crime committed. He has to pay a substantial fine. A benefactor says he will pay the penalty, the fine, for the man’s crime. But the criminal still hasn’t got off ‘scot-free’ – because the court record shows that he has been found guilty and fined. He is still guilty of the crime even though the penalty has been paid. And that guilty record hounds him wherever he goes. If he wants to apply for a job, a visa, or rent a house – inevitably one of the questions will be ‘Does he have a criminal record?’
In the Gospel, Jesus has set us ‘completely free from sin’ and made us right with God; the two are different sides of the one coin. God is a holy and just God and He will deal with all sin. Jesus dying on the Cross paid the penalty for our sin – but He also took the guilt of our sin. His obedience has been reckoned to our account and our sins have been laid on Him on the Cross. Therefore, in Christ, God sees us as Holy, Blameless and Pure before Him; just as if I have never sinned nor been a sinner. No sin, no guilt, slate wiped clean – restored to a friendship with God the Father.
This is the amazing Good News of the Gospel. This is what makes the celebration of the Lord’s Supper so significant. Jesus died on the Cross for me; to pay for my sins, to erase my guilt, to restore me to the Father. As we celebrate the Lord’s Supper today, may we again have that sense of awe and amazement as we eat the bread and drink from the cup – the body of Jesus broken and His blood shed for my sins, for me! And let us praise Him as our Lord and Saviour. Pastor Alan
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