August 31, 2018 - Suggested Reading Deuteronomy 19 for Sept 2nds message on Matthew 5:33-48 in our summer worship service at 10am

“Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”

Deuteronomy 19:21 (NIV)

Eye for eye – tooth for tooth sounds so mean to us in Canada in 2018.

But in 1,500 BC eye for eye and tooth for tooth was revolutionary in its fair approach.

Before this Law the strong and the rich could take a life for an eye, and take a family for a life.

Leviticus 24 applies it to any instance, and Deuteronomy 19 softens it in the case of accidental homicide and then applies it harshly in a case of false testimony. It teaches that if someone tries to have an innocent party condemned by giving false testimony, they shall suffer the punishment they wanted to have inflicted on the innocent party. (Brings to mind Haman in the story of Esther, being impaled on the pole he had made for Mordecai)

Rule of law is the basis of all free societies, when every individual is equally subject to the law.

Where justice rules and there is no place for vengeance.

The Rule of turn the other cheek is the basis of the kingdom of heaven,

where every individual is forgiven.

Where Christ reigns in our hearts and there is no place for self.

August 30, 2018 - Suggested Reading Numbers 30 for Sept 2nd s message on Matthew 5:33-48 in our summer worship service at 10am

“When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.”

Numbers 30:2 (NIV)

Not only men, but also women.

Promises promises - taking oaths and making vows is serious to the LORD.

Our word is to be our bond, sometimes we speak rashly but there is no going back unless you are a young girl in your father’s house, or a married woman.

An oath is a solemn promise invoking a divine witness, 

we used to have to take oaths on the witness stand before court - I am not sure if you still do that in Canada - but we used to take an oath before God that we would tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

A vow to the LORD is to promise to dedicate something or some action to the LORD. 

We exchange marriage vows in Canada, as we enter into a marriage covenant.

We bring God’s name into these oaths and vows in order to bring an end to the argument of he said - she said, for we call on God to be the witness and arbiter of our words.

This Law is stating the importance of truth to God’s society. Every society needs truth to function properly, every person needs truth to be healthy.

We may despair that we live in a day and age of “fake news” and conflicting accounts of what the ‘truth’ is, but things were no different in Moses’ day, 

and according to John 18:38 things were no different in Jesus’ day. Truly -
truth is hard to find among humans.

May truth be found wherever we speak.

August 29, 2018 - Suggested Reading Genesis 14 for Sept 2nd's message on Matthew 5:33-48 in our summer worship service at 10am

“But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “With raised hand I have sworn an oath to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth,”

Genesis 14:22 (NIV)

Genesis 14 is an outline of the game called Age of Empires my sons loved to play, you could even chose to be the king of Elam in the game. 

This chapter is fascinating because it gives us a glimpse of another side of Abram, for he trained his men for war, and led them in war, and it also gives us a glimpse into his journey of faith.

There is no record of Abram swearing this oath, only the record of Abram keeping his oath.

Things happened so fast, for once the man who escaped reported the defeat to Abram, allies were notified, troops were armed and the chase began. Somewhere in the midst of this activity Abram prayed to the LORD, asked for His help and made an oath not to keep any of the possessions of the king of Sodom. Abram’s only concern was his beloved nephew, he didn’t mobilize as a way of enriching himself. I wonder if you have a memory of a time like this in your life, where you mobilize to help someone, and while on the way you ask for God’s help - and He brings questions to our minds about our motives and we make assurances to God and ourselves about our motives. Abram kept his oath, he didn’t talk himself out of it, even though the riches were great, for Abram trusted God for his future. Abram’s attitude of trust and faithfulness recorded in Genesis 14 paves the way for God’s oath to Abram recorded in Genesis 15, in which Abram is declared righteous by faith. Hebrews 6 tells us that this oath God swore to Abram should give each of us a hope that is an anchor for our soul. It is a blessing to be able to see into Abram’s journey of faith, we all have our own different journey, but the steps are similar- cries for help, motives checked, assurances given, oaths kept, and faith grows and grows until we see our Lord face to face.

August 28, 2018 - Suggested Reading Ezekiel 36 for Sept 2nd s message on Matthew 5:33-48 in our summer worship service at 10am

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”

Ezekiel 36:26-27 (NIV)

I am thankful that I have no command from God to speak to a mountain range- though we have encouragement from our Lord to exercise faith that tells a mountain to move itself (Matt 17) and to go jump in the sea (Matt 21) - but Ezekiel, like the other OT prophets, was commanded to do sensational things in his ministry that illustrated in an unmistakable way spiritual truths God’s people needed to pay attention to.

The message of hope to the mountains of Israel is that God will punish the nations who took the land as their possession and plundered it, and will then resettle His people on the mountains and cause the land to prosper. (Don’t miss the implication that the land needs the people to prosper- for our secular society teaches the opposite.) As the prophet looked forward in time, he could see that not only would the LORD resettle His people on His land, but the LORD would deal with the root cause of the disaster that had come upon the mountains. How many times in our lives do we ignore the root cause of disaster? We deal with external symptoms and yet we forget that the root cause is our heart. The prophet could see the Gospel, he could see that a time was coming when God would change our hearts through the work of His Spirit, and cause us to follow His decrees and be careful to keep
His Laws.

This desire and carefulness is the mark of a true Christian.

Purify my heart O Lord my God - purify my heart today.

For Your Name’s sake. 

August 27, 2018 - Suggested Reading Matthew 15 for Sept 2nd s message on Matthew 5:33-48 in our summer worship service at 10am

“For out of the heart come evil thoughts—
murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.”

Matthew 15:19 (NIV)

I always chuckle when I read Matthew 15, and wonder “Did the disciples actually think that Jesus didn’t know that he was offending the Pharisees?”

The Lord knew that He was offending them, for He offended them on purpose.

His purpose was to provoke a clear understanding of the gospel.

If we believe as they believed that we are defiled by what goes in our mouths then we don’t understand the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is why the Lord calls them the blind leading the blind.

What about us? Are we blind in this critical area of the gospel?

Do we spend more time worrying about what goes into our bodies then we spend dealing with what goes on in our hearts?

The Lord taught us a righteousness that is greater than the righteousness of the Pharisees.

The Pharisees were concerned about the outside of the body, and neglected their heart. But the gospel is about the heart, it is about our heart becoming righteous, for our heart is the place where everything we think, everything we say, and everything we do comes from.

Our heart is the centre of our life - deal with it.

May we not be a Pharisee today! 

August 17, 2018 - Suggested Reading Matthew 19 for Aug 19th’s message on Matthew 5:21-32 in our summer worship service at 10am

“The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”

Matthew 19:10 (NIV) 

It is wise of us to always be observant while reading Scripture, and observance will pay out great rewards in this chapter if we apply ourselves.

Notice first that this section on divorce follows our Lord’s teaching in chapter 18 on the need for us to forgive one another from our hearts - could there be a connection between unforgiveness
and divorce?

Notice that Matthew 19 is made up of 3 interactions between Jesus and people, 2 similar interactions separated by 1 distinct interaction and yet His disciples are at odds with His approach
in each interaction.

Notice in verses 13 and 14 that the disciples had a different attitude to
little children than our Lord Jesus.

Notice in verses 10 thru 12 that the disciples had a different attitude towards marriage than our
Lord Jesus.

Notice in verse 25 thru 30 that the disciples had a different attitude towards riches and entering the kingdom than our Lord Jesus.

Notice the similarity between the Pharisee’s test and the rich young man’s questions, different intentions, but similar questions in the sense that both questions are centered on righteousness with God. The Pharisees wanted to know the Law – what was legal, and the rich man wanted to know what he should DO to get to heaven.

We should notice Jesus’ answers, how He skillfully and graciously turns the questioners’ attention to their own heart issue, and we should not miss that the questioners are on the 2 big topics of sex and money. These are the big heart issues of us all- just look at the news, think about your own family, and think about yourself.

Don’t be surprised at the various ways people understand this chapter, for it is clear that the church fathers were confused, so it is hardly surprising that we who follow them would have less confusion. But friend, no matter how you understand our Lord’s answers, imitate the behaviour of the children, this is the only way we find grace. Don’t come testing Christ, and don’t come asking “What should I do”- come as a little child, humble, meek, seeking Christ’s Presence, and He will bless you.

August 16, 2018 - Suggested Reading Deuteronomy 24 for Aug 19th’s message on Matthew 5:21-32 in our summer worship service at 10am

“If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house,”

Deuteronomy 24:1 (NIV)

There is very little written in the Law, for something so prevalent in society like divorce.

Deuteronomy 24 is the only place in the Law where the “certificate of divorce” which forms the Pharisee’s test of Jesus recorded in Matthew 19, is found. This passage seems to be about forbidding the remarrying of your divorced wife after she has been someone’s else’s wife, it doesn’t lay out any structure around divorce per se.  No doubt people have been getting divorced for almost as long as people have been getting married. When I think about the stress in Adam and Eve’s lives- just think of the difficulty you would have in your marriage if you had been kicked out of Paradise, and had a child kill another child – I wonder at their ability to stay together. A certificate of divorce gave the woman legal standing in ancient societies and in modern societies, although we try our hardest to pretend that we are so much improved over our ancestors. The Law does speak to certain situations around divorce, such as Leviticus 21 forbidding priests to marry divorced women, Leviticus 22 permitting divorced daughters of a priest to eat the food from sacrifices offered at the altar, Numbers 30 gives a divorced woman full legal standing in regards to obligations and vows, and Deuteronomy 22 obligates a man to marry and never divorce a young girl that he has forced himself on.

Surely marriage issues are the prevalent sign of the rottenness in our human condition across all societies, as we turn the most precious and perfect relationship known to humans - a man and woman joined in holy marriage- into a place of unfaithfulness, broken vows, abuse, neglect and tragedy. Divorce is the means still used by societies to mitigate the harm done to ladies, and to give women legal status, for their protection. I have friends who tell me divorce is harder to go through than the death of a spouse – it is the end of something for sure, but it is also a huge sign of our need for God’s grace in our relationships. 

August 15, 2018 - Suggested Reading Exodus 20 for Aug 19th’s message on Matthew 5:21-32 in our summer worship service at 10am

“And God spoke all these words:”

Exodus 20:1 (NIV)

I wonder if we forget that the entire nation of Israel heard God’s audible voice.

They gathered at the foot of the mountain, being careful not to approach the mountain itself, and waited for God to speak. The LORD then spoke the 10 commandments to the people Himself, without using Moses as an intermediary. The speaking of audible Words by itself amazes me - that God the Eternal Spirit speaks - how does a Spirit speak? Just think of how we speak and how we hear - God entered that auditory sphere Himself and spoke these Words into their ears. It was only after hearing God speak that the people begged Moses to be the mediator between them and God. The writer of Hebrews 12 describes the fear that even Moses himself felt when he heard God speak, for the voice the Hebrews heard was not the gentle whisper that Elijah heard on this mountain hundreds of years later, that brought Elijah the comfort and the encouragement he needed to go on with life and with his ministry. Once again, I find myself amazed, at the God who speaks in various ways at various times, dependent upon the need of the people He is speaking to. The people needed to fear God, for the fear of God would bring obedience and obedience would bring them life, and so He appeared to them in fire and spoke in such a way to scare them. In these last days He speaks to us through His Son, God made flesh, full of grace and truth, Words of acceptance and love, exactly what we need today for life. May we listen today.

August 4, 2018 - Suggested Reading Romans 3 for Aug 5th’s message on Matthew 5:17-20 in our summer worship service at 10am

“But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished —  he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”

Romans 3:21-26 (NIV)

Do these verses warm your heart?

Is there a sense of gratitude to your Lord rising up within?

Praise His Name - give thanks to your Saviour!

For you have received righteousness through faith in Christ.

We should memorize these verses.

We should know them by heart.

Would these not be good verses to have on your lips as you lie on your deathbed?

Would these verses not bear much fruit in our lives if we recited them with our breakfast?

As we memorize them and as we recite them throughout our lives, let us remember Paul’s reminder in verse 31

- Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

August 3, 2018 - Suggested Reading Ezekiel 18 for Aug 5th’s message on Matthew 5:17-20 in our summer worship service at 10am

“For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!”

Ezekiel 18:32 (NIV)

The Law was given to be obeyed.

Righteousness did not come from the people’s experience at Mt Sinai, but came through the people’s obedience of the law - month by month, week by week, day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute. We forget the truth that Christians are made righteous through obedience.

You say; come on John, I am made righteous through faith in Christ Jesus, in His Person and His work, there is no need for righteousness through obedience. Friend if you have been made righteous through faith in Christ Jesus you will want to be made righteous through obedience.

The Sermon on the Mount warns us about saying Lord, Lord and not obeying His commands.

I enjoy reading this 18th chapter of Ezekiel. The book of Ezekiel is an unfinished puzzle to me, more than any other book in the bible, yet I enjoy chapter 18 for it reinforces our Lord’s teaching of the importance of repentance to God through the parables of the lost sheep, coin and son. It also reminds me of Peter’s reason for the delay in Christ’s return - for Peter tells us the Lord’s slowness is caused by His desire for all to come to repentance, and the "unjust-just" argument reminds us of Romans 3. This chapter frees us all from the weight of who our parents were, we can be more righteous than our parents, and we can be more unrighteous - it's up to us - will we repent, obey and live, or will we reject the Lord, embrace unrighteousness, and die?

God wants us to live - what do we want?

August 2, 2018 - Suggested Reading Deuteronomy 4 for Aug 5th’s message on Matthew 5:17-20 in our summer worship service at 10am

“And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?"

Deuteronomy 4:8 (NIV)

It is absolutely amazing that God, the Creator of heaven and earth would pick a people on the face of the earth out of all the other peoples on earth, to set them apart to holiness and righteousness for His glory and for the blessing of all the other peoples on earth. This work of God Almighty the Creator of heaven and earth is accomplished through his people observing all of the Law. One mark of wisdom (men struggle with this) is to read the instruction book that came with your new purchase. The people who made whatever it is that you purchased are the people who know best how it works, and how to fix it. So it is with the Law, the Creator who made heaven and earth, who made you and me, is the One who knows best how we work and how this world works, and He knows best how to fix it. Foolish are those who decide to throw the Book in the corner and make no attempt to discover the righteousness and holiness and blessing upon blessing that come by following the Law. May we be those who have the Book open, who seek Christ’s face, for His grace in our lives to follow those Laws that He has given for our good.

August 1, 2018 - Suggested Reading Psalm 37 for Aug 5th’s message on Matthew 5:17-20 in our summer worship service at 10am

“The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth.”

Psalm 37:5 (NIV)

As I read this psalm the old hymn “This is my Father’s world” comes to mind- especially the last verse – 

“This is my Father’s world: Oh, let me ne’er forget That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. This is my Father’s world. The battle is not done: Jesus who died shall be satisfied, And earth and Heav’n be one.”

This psalm celebrates the present (happening right now) righteous rule of God over all His creation, calling on the earth to be glad because He reigns, describing a God who is too awesome for the earth to handle, and reminding us who believe in this wonderful sovereign God, that we should hate evil and rejoice in the Lord.

Is this rejoicing only for the good times, the times of victory and progress?

The faithful rejoice whether things are “good” or “bad” for we know that God will guard us, deliver us, shine His light on us and bring joy to our hearts.

Be glad – rejoice in the LORD today!