September 29, 2018 - Suggested Reading Hebrews 10 for Sept 16th s message on 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 in our worship service at 9:00 am

“How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?”

Hebrews 10:29 (NIV)

How do you answer this question.

We see the logic in it - for the new covenant we have God in Christ Jesus is so much greater than the old covenant.

Under the old covenant forgiveness was attained through the blood of animals.

Under the new covenant forgiveness is attained through the blood of Christ.

Under the old covenant the people were required to keep the law themselves.

Under the new covenant we have been given the Spirit who works in our inner person to
fulfill the law.

The logic is flawless, for if under the old covenant a person who rejected the law was condemned to die, then those who reject the law by continually sinning deserve something far worse.

This passage is a warning for those who continue in sin after confessing Christ as their Lord.

I love the end of this passage- for Paul is convinced that we will turn to Christ in faith, 

persevering in our desire for salvation, and receiving the goal of our faith.

We belong to those who have faith and are saved.

Amen- let it be Lord let it be.

September 28, 2018 - Suggested Reading 2 Corinthians 3 for Sept 16th s message on 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 in our worship service at 9:00 am

“He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

2 Corinthians 3:6 (NIV)  

Confidence comes from competence.

This is true in all areas of life and especially true in our lives as Christians.

Paul is confident in Christ before God because God has made him competent as a minister of the new covenant. The Corinthian Christians are the proof of his competence in ministering the new covenant. Their faith and their changed lives are evidence of the work of the Spirit within their lives.

Some of us read this and say “good for Paul but I am not required to be competent in the ministry of the new covenant”. 

Would you be willing to consider that every Christian is a minister? 

Would you be willing to consider that every Christian teaches others? 

For sure those who are parents must be able to see themselves in this light!

Are we competent in our ability to teach our children the new covenant?

Have they learned that life comes from surrender to the Spirit, or do they think being a Christian is about following the rules.

To be competent as a minister of the new covenant requires that we live by the Spirit ourselves.

To be competent only happens when we realize our incompetence and ask the Spirit to fill us, to teach us to use us- for it is God who makes us competent.

September 27, 2018 - Suggested Reading Luke 16 for Sept 16th s message on Matthew 6:1-21 in our worship service at 10:45am

“He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.”

Luke 16:15 (NIV)

You can’t play games with God.

We can fool people, and we can fool ourselves - but God sees right through us.

The Pharisees had themselves fooled into believing they loved God, and that their wealth was their reward from God for their righteousness. Our Lord Jesus could see their hearts, He knew they loved money and He knew that they placed a high value on the

“rewards” in this life of wealth and easy living.

The parable of the shrewd manager teaches us that money has been given to us to be used to make friends in heaven.

Will I have any friends in heaven?

Have I spent or given any money towards the kingdom of God?

How many friends will I have in heaven?

One, ten, twenty, a hundred, a thousand?

The story of the beggar and the rich man flips up-side down the assumption of the Pharisees that wealth is proof of righteousness in God’s eyes.

The beggar is in heaven, and the rich man is in Hades.

They didn’t accept this, for they didn’t believe Moses and the Prophets, and they don’t believe Jesus now, nor will they believe when Christ rose from the grave.

Faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us is highly valued by God.

Not wealth, homes, food, and lifestyle.

September 27, 2018 - Suggested Reading Acts 5 for Sept 16th s message on 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 in our worship service at 9:00 am

“Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”

Acts 5:9 (NIV)

For those of us who doubt Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 11:30 that our Lord will judge His people by bringing sickness and death to us, we have been provided by the Holy Spirit with the account of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 and the letters to the churches at Pergamum and Thyatira found in Revelation 2.

None of us like fear, and fear is the enemy of faith.

Yet when it comes to an assembly of Christians, Acts 5 makes it very clear that the fear of the Lord is a church growth catalyst. 

We could only dream that Parkdale would experience the growth described in Acts 5 after this act of judgment by the Lord.

God killed Ananias and Sapphira for lying to the Holy Spirit (church) about their gifts of money.

God tells His churches in Revelation 2 that He will bring sickness and death upon those who teach and lead His people into idolatry and sexual sin.

God brings sickness and death upon the Christians in Corinth for their refusal to discern the body of Christ during their observation of communion.

What kind of a God treats His people like this?

A God who saves us from ourselves, who is willing to step into lives, and do whatever it takes to save us and the Christians around us from our sinfulness.

September 26, 2018 - Suggested Reading Malachi 3 for Sept 16th s message on Matthew 6:1-21 in our worship service at 10:45am

“Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name.”

Malachi 3:16 (NIV)

May we speak properly about God.

May we speak properly about God in the world, among unbelievers.

May we speak properly about God in our church among believers.

May we speak properly about God in our families, and with our spouses.

May we speak properly about God with our friends in the coffee shop.

May we speak properly about God in our prayer life.

May we speak properly about God in our thought life.

God hears us, and He will write down what we say correctly, as we honour His Name, for the purpose of rewarding us in the future.

September 26, 2018 - Suggested Reading Luke 22 for Sept 16th s message on 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 in our worship service at 9:00 am

“And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.”

Luke 22:15 (NIV)

As we consider Paul’s instructions to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 11 regarding the proper observance of the Lord’s Supper – I thought it would be good for us to read one of the gospel accounts of the Last Supper. The first thing I noticed was that Judas was present, and that our Lord acknowledged his presence, and that the disciples questioned among themselves who Jesus was speaking of. In one of J Vernon McGee’s old radio broadcasts - he tells pastors that we should expect what our Lord experienced in His ministry, that a wise pastor counts the flock, divides that number by 12 and that is how many devils are in the congregation. Not sure if J Vernon is speaking truth in this, but for sure we should not be surprised at the presence in our congregations of Judases, and it should be part of a church’s practices to have leaders examine leaders on a regular basis.

 The next thing I noticed was our Lord’s eagerness eat with His men. It wasn’t that He was hungry, it seems to be a sense that He is ready to give Himself as spiritual food for us. He was eager to die for the sins of all these men, including Judas, to offer that sacrifice that makes us clean before God and restores our souls. He was eager to set a table for us in the presence of our enemies, to overflow our cups with grace.

When we find ourselves looking forward to communion Sundays in Parkdale, we are reflecting our Lord’s eagerness to share Himself with all of us.

September 25, 2018 - Suggested Reading 1 Kings 18 for Sept 16th s message on Matthew 6:1-21 in our worship service at 10:45am

“So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed.”

1 Kings 18:28 (NIV)

Our Lord tells us not to think we will be only heard in prayer by uttering many
words like the pagans do.

This account of the confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal, illustrates for us the custom of pagans. They shouted, they danced and they cut themselves, all because they believe that their god wasn’t paying attention to them.

Our God is different than this false gods, He is our heavenly Father and His attention is on us.

He knows what we need before we ask.

The situation we are in right now is under His loving control.

He knows what we need.

Let us quietly and humbly acknowledge His Presence and His Sovereignty over our situation, and ask Him for what we need today.

September 25, 2018 - Suggested Reading Leviticus 10 for Sept 16th s message on 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 in our worship service at 9:00 am

“Moses then said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD spoke of when he said: “‘Among those who approach me I will be proved holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.’” Aaron remained silent.”

Leviticus 10:3 (NIV) 

Do you see us in this chapter?

We are the priests who approach God, who come to Him in prayer.

It is true that the censors with fire have a special significance to God, that these 2 men were struck down for their casual approach, as was King Uzziah in 2 Chronicles 26. We see the censors in the book of Revelation and glimpse a little of the spiritual significance of this ritual instituted by God for the ancient Israelites, and wonder at what it looks like when our High Priest approaches God with His prayers bathed in the fire of the cross.

Yet Peter tells us that we are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that we might declare the praises of Him who called us. So we understand that God’s call  on our lives is a call of priesthood and has the purpose of holiness attached to that priesthood, that He has called us to declare His praise through the holiness of our lives and our actions.

 We love to sing of the holiness of God.

Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD God Almighty.

We know that when He called our name, and we came humbly to His Son for salvation, that this call He placed on our lives was a call to holiness.

Not only has He made us holy through faith in His Son, He is continually making us holy.

It scares me a little when I read what happened to these forerunners of us, and realize that God will judge His people. But the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, so I welcome the fear and ask God to keep me from a lackadaisical approach to our Holy God.

September 22, 2018 - Suggested Reading 1 Peter 2 for Sept 16th s message on 1 Corinthians 10:14-33 in our worship service at 9:00 am

“ Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”

1 Peter 2:12 (NIV)  

The Words in this chapter grip me.

Not only does Peter challenge us to holy living, he reminds us that it is possible to live in such a way, because of who we are in Christ Jesus.

We are surrounded by pagans, in our schools, in our neighbourhoods, in our workplaces, and in our families. We are called to live in a different way than they live, constantly fighting our sinful desires, and constantly living good lives, knowing that our holy lives will bring accusation and trouble from pagans now, but when our Lord returns the same people who accuse us now will glorify God for how we lived our lives among them.

Think of a person who despises you because of Christ, who mocks you and laughs at your faith.

Then read 1 Peter 2:12 and realize that all of this will change on the Day the Lord returns, that in some mysterious way – that same person who opposes you now will glorify God because of how you lived your life of faith. They will see your deeds differently in the light of the Lord’s Glorious Presence.

Instead of being irritated by you sharing your faith, they will recognize that you loved them and tried to bring them to Christ.

Instead of mocking you for your weakness, they will see that what they thought was weakness was actually meekness.

Instead of hating you for your stand on sinful living, they will see how your holiness preserved their lives by staying God’s hand of judgment.

And they won’t praise you, for they will recognize that it wasn’t you, it was God working in you.

They will glorify God.

September 21, 2018 - Suggested Reading Deuteronomy 15 for Sept 16th s message on Matthew 6:1-21 in our worship service at 10:45am

“There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.”

Deuteronomy 15:11 (NIV) 

God has commanded us to give to the poor.

Not an option for us, not a nice thing to do if you manage to get around to it.

Be openhanded and freely lend

Give generously without a grudging heart.

Open handed is how we are supposed to live with everything we have and everything we are.

We are to give our lives up, if we cling to our life we lose our life.

We are to share our wealth with the poor, if we cling to our wealth we lose.

If we open our hands to the poor, God will open His hand to us.

We love to define poor- some even will say there are no poor in Canada compared to Africa.

Its is like defining old age- its all relative - for old is older than me- poor is poorer than me.

We are all rich in Canada you say- yeah we are all rich compared to the rest of the world- but not compared to each other.

Another argument against giving to the poor is that they need to change their behaviour, surely in a rich country like Canada people are poor by choice. Interestingly there is no mention of the responsibilities of the poor to change their behaviour, only of the responsibilities of those who are not poor to help the poor financially.

Canada is a land of milk and honey and a place of peace and prosperity, a country highly rated amongst the peoples of the world.

So when we read verse 4 we realize that there need be no poor in our land, for God has richly blessed us, and yet God says in verse 11 that there will always be poor in the land, for He knows how tight we hang on to our wealth. He knows the hardness of our hearts.

Forgive us Lord, change us Lord, use us Lord.

September 21, 2018 - Suggested Reading John 6 for Sept 16th s message on 1 Corinthians 10:14-33 in our worship service at 9:00 am

“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

John 12:27-28 (NIV)

Oh that we would learn that the hour of trial has come for a reason.

Oh that we would learn when our soul becomes troubled to pray as our Lord prayed.

We have a choice as our Lord had a choice - our prayer could be “save me from this hour”- but how much better would it be to pray “Father glorify your name”.

The other gospels record our Lord’s prayer in the garden, but John records our Lord’s prayers before the garden, and in doing so John reveals our Lord’s heart behind His prayers in the garden. The heart behind the prayer “if possible take this cup from me” is a heart who above all else wants His heavenly Father glorified. It is a heart that is willing to endure anything so that God would be praised and honoured and His Name lifted up.

What a wonderful promise we have in this verse as our Father speaks from heaven and declares that He has and will glorify His Name. It gives me such hope to know that God is determined to glorify His Name thru me, and that He will work in me and thru me, in spite of me and my propensity to seek my glory and my well being at the expense of His glory.

Oh that I would learn that the hour of trial has come for a reason.

Oh that I would learn to pray in every situation “Father glorify your name”.

September 20, 2018 - Suggested Reading Psalm 15 for Sept 16th s message on Matthew 6:1-21 in our worship service at 10:45am

“LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain?”

Psalm 15:1 (NIV) 

Anytime Christians start to discuss amongst themselves the requirement of a righteous life for entrance into God’s Presence, the subject of the thief on the cross comes up. He died for his sins and yet Jesus told him that he would be in the Lord’s Presence as soon as he died. This is an amazing story that teaches the truth of God’s grace, that is an encouragement to all of us that as long as person draws breath, there is still the chance they will respond in faith to Christ Jesus and be saved. It is however the lone exception among a large body of Scripture that teaches the requirement of a righteous life for entrance into God’s Presence. Psalm 15 is among that large body of Scripture, for David answers his own question by describing a person who lives out their life in a righteous manner.

they speak truth from their heart

they don’t harm their neighbour with their tongue

their heroes are righteous people, not the unrighteous

they keep their word no matter the cost, or even they change their mind

they respect and care for the poor treating them justly

The truth is that the vast majority of people become Christians long before they get to their death bed, and the truth is that a person who has been made righteous by the blood of Christ on the inside will be righteous on the outside.

So how do we measure up with this list in Psalm 15?

The Lord Jesus who is alive in us lined up perfectly with this list.

September 20, 2018 - Suggested Reading John 6 for Sept 16th s message on 1 Corinthians 10:14-33 in our worship service at 9:00 am

“Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”

John 6:53 (NIV) 

What do you think about this teaching?

The disciples thought this was a hard teaching, that cannot be accepted.

But our Lord tells us; “The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.”

John 6 is all about food, for it starts with our Lord providing physical food, and then records the lengths the people went to track Him down for more physical food, and His challenge to them to put the same effort into acquiring spiritual food from heaven. John records that many people stopped following Jesus after He told them that they needed to eat His body and drink His blood, for they could not perceive the spiritual meaning of His Words.

I think of Paul instructing the Corinthians about eating or not eating food offered to idols, and I wonder if Christians will always struggle to understand the spiritual truth that we share in the sacrifice that brings us forgiveness. The Israelites ate the meat of the sacrifices offered to God, and our Lord is the sacrifice offered once for all, so we must eat of His flesh and drink of His blood. It is a spiritual truth our Lord is sharing, the truth that a human is linked, or is in union with whatever sacrifice they participate in.

What a wonderful experience it is to participate in the Lord’s Supper at Parkdale. As those who have participated in the cross, come forward to demonstrate their spiritual union with Christ Jesus, by drinking juice and eating bread – physical symbols of the spiritual union Christ is speaking of in John 6. The Lord is present in a special way with us as we in fellowship together celebrate our union with Him, the sacrifice who took away our sins.

He is our life!

September 19, 2018 - Suggested Reading Psalm 4 for Sept 16th s message on Matthew 6:1-21 in our worship service at 10:45am

“Offer the sacrifices of the righteous and trust in the LORD.”

Psalm 4:5 (NIV)

This little psalm is not a quick read, for questions abound as you read these 8 verses.

Who are the many in verse 6? 

Are they the ones referred to in verse 2? 

Who is it that David is speaking to in verse 4 and 5? 

Is he speaking to the many or his enemies or the righteous?

The psalm is the prayer of a faith filled man for it begins with a cry for help, then a statement of faith that God hears him even in the face of disbelief by others, and it ends with a statement of faith that God is the One who will prosper us and fill our hearts with joy, and that David can sleep soundly for he knows that God keeps him safe.

In the middle of this psalm is instruction for those who seek true righteousness.

Our Lord taught us this in the Sermon on the Mount, he started in our hearts and then moved to outward acts of righteousness, just as David does here.

The truly righteous offer sacrifices.

The ones who have been made righteous through the sacrifice of their Saviour Jesus Christ will offer the sacrifices of the righteous.

Not sacrifices to make us righteous – NO - that is salvation through works.

Sacrifices of the righteous.

That is grace working through us.

We are not saved thru works- rather- we do works because we are saved.

May we trust the Lord and offer the sacrifices of the righteous.

May we offer our body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to our Lord today.

September 19, 2018 - Suggested Reading Leviticus 7 for Sept 16th s message on 1 Corinthians 10:14-33 in our worship service at 9:00 am

“The meat of their fellowship offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the day it is offered; they must leave none of it till morning.”

Leviticus 7:15 (NIV)

As Paul instructs the Corinthians about eating meat offered to idols, he reminds them to consider the people of Israel, and the truth that when they ate the sacrifices they participated in the altar. Most of us who have been taught the Old Testament know that animals were brought before the LORD and sacrificed for the people’s sin, but we overlook or forget that going to the temple to be forgiven through animal sacrifice was also the time for a family meal. We see a great example of this in the account of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1, and as you read it you get the sense of the family meal around a fellowship offering.

The altar was the place where the sacrifice for sin was accepted, where the punishment for sin was carried out, and where forgiveness for the sin was extended from God to sinner who came. In Matthew 23 our Lord very pointedly reminded the Pharisees of the importance of the altar, and in Hebrews 13:10 we are reminded that the altar we come to (the cross where Christ Jesus was sacrificed) is greater than the Mosaic altar.

We participate in the cross, when we come to the Lord for forgiveness, mercy and grace.

Oh friend have we have gone to the cross today?

May we stay close to the cross of Christ.

September 18, 2018 - Suggested Reading Matthew 15 for Sept 16th s message on Matthew 6:1-21 in our worship service at 10:45am

“You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:”

Matthew 15:6 (NIV)

Do you ever thank God for the Pharisees and teachers of the law?

Do we notice how much wonderful truth came from our Lord in His confrontations with them?

Here we have THE biblical definition of hypocrisy.

We are a hypocrite if we honour God with our lips, but our hearts are far from Him.

If our lips and our hearts are not in sync - we are a hypocrite.

Are we are a hypocrite when we thank God for all His blessings in our lives, but won’t speak of the anger we have in our heart towards Him because of what He allowed our loved one to go thru?

Are we a hypocrite when we tell people God is good to us, but inside we are devastated over the state of our marriage and our family?

Are we a hypocrite when we call Jesus Lord but refuse to honour our parents?

Are we a hypocrite when ……? – you fill it in

The disciples knew that Jesus offended the Pharisees, by calling them hypocrites - and in this offense we see the cure - if we are willing to taste it. Offense will cure us if we are willing to endure its bitter taste, it will change to sweet honey which brings life, when it is combined with repentance.

 Oh Holy Spirit offend us today.

Send an angel, even our spouse to offend us with their words.

That we may see the hypocrisy in us, and turn and be healed.

September 18, 2018 - Suggested Reading Song of Songs 8 for Sept 16th s message on 1 Corinthians 10:14-33 in our worship service at 9:00 am

“Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave.

It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.”

Song of Songs 8:6 (NIV)

I like to tease pastor Mark that the next book series in our Sunday services will be Song of Songs- and he always groans. Most of us feel a little queasy reading this book, except for those who believe it is a book about gardening, and if you believe it is about gardening – bless you.

Love songs are sung wherever humans are, because the love between a husband and wife in a covenant relationship before God is the most precious and perfect relationship known to humans., and is the primary relationship of all other human relationships. 

This particular love song seems to cross the boundaries into erotic language, which makes us a little uncomfortable discussing the meanings of the phrases in public settings. I will let you go verse by verse to get the meaning from this chapter - perhaps you should read it out loud with your spouse, and the meaning might become very real.

I only want us to notice that jealousy exists wherever true love exists.

I for one, am glad that God has placed me like a seal over his heart, that His love for me is stronger than death, and His jealousy will never yield, for His love for me never grows cold!

Praise His holy Name.

May I place Him as a seal over my heart, and may my love for Him always burn hot.

September 17, 2018 - Suggested Reading Psalm 26 for Sept 23rd's message on Matthew 6:1-21 in our worship service at 10:45am

“I do not sit with the deceitful, nor do I associate with hypocrites. I abhor the assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked.”

Psalm 26:4-5 (NIV)

No doubt the hypocrites of our Lord Jesus’ day could quote vs 4 thru 10 of Psalm 26, Word for Word and all the time believing that they were blameless and righteous in God’s sight. The hypocrites of our Lord’s day were furious with Him because He “sat with the wicked”.

But a hypocrite could not quote verses 1 thru 3, for those verses ask God to test and try us, to examine our hearts and minds, these verses are an invitation for God to change us, to impose His will upon us, and hypocrites want nothing to do with God’s examination- they are into self- examination. And how about verses 11,12? A hypocrite doesn’t need deliverance, nor do they need mercy, nor does their feet stand on level ground. Rather a hypocrite is standing on quicksand, being sucked into the swamp of deceit, self-righteousness and insincerity before God,
all the while too proud to call out for help.

Oh God examine my heart, pull me up short - keep deceit far from my dealings with You and me. 

Have mercy O Lord – deal with me according to your unfailing love.

Deal with me according to Your love for Your Son, for I am in Christ.

September 17, 2018 - Suggested Reading Exodus 34 for Sept 23rd's message on 1 Corinthians 10:14-33 in our worship service at 9:00 am

“Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”

Exodus 34:14 (NIV)

In my view we can not overestimate the importance of God’s self revelation of His glory to Moses, recorded for us in Exodus 34. Moses asked God to show him His glory (Ex 33:18), and the Lord’s response was to have His goodness pass in front of Moses, as God proclaimed His own Name. We can all have our own theories about who God is,
yet in these Words God Himself sets the record straight.

His glory is His Name, and His glory is His goodness.

His glory (defined as that part of Him who makes Him look good) is completely wrapped up in how He treats His people. It is true that His glory is revealed in the wonders of creation, and that His glory is revealed in His ability to speak truths to us about the future.

The radiance of His glory is the Lord Jesus, He makes God’s goodness shine forth like the sun, for anyone who cares to notice.

Moses cared- He didn’t want to move anywhere until he saw the glory of God, and so we can benefit from his request, by gazing at God with Moses, in wonder at this God of compassion and grace and love and forgiveness and justice, this God who is slow in anger, and who is jealous. Yes jealous! His name is Jealous!

Not jealous in any negative sense of the word - as if God somehow has the emotional hang ups a jealous, controlling spouse might have. NO  - jealous in the pure and perfect sense of the Word, our Divine Lover jealous for all our love- He wants our hearts, He wants us to love Him and Him only. This love can only be expressed to Him through our worship and our service.

His name is Jealous.

May we love Him with all our hearts!

It is the path of all blessing in our lives.

September 8, 2018 - Suggested Reading Colossians 2 for Sept 9ths message on Matthew 5:48 in our summer worship service at 10am

“Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.”

Colossians 2:23 (NIV)

Rules seem wise.

The TV character Gibbs in NCIS has life rules, and we marvel at his discipline in following rules.

Parents make rules because children need them for a healthy life, and if parents don’t make rules the children suffer. Just follow the rules we tell our kids as they grow up and move away, knowing rules will keep them safe, because what we want more than anything else is that our grown children
will be safe.

Our highways are based on rules, chaos erupts if more than the rebellious few decide to flaunt the rules, imagine if everyone decided they don’t need to stop at a red light.

Rules are wise for our temporal life, but living our Christian life by rules is a disaster. For rules focus our attention on the external and take our attention away from the internal, and we fall into the trap the Pharisees were in.

We are to live our lives here on earth by faith in the Son of God who loves us and gave His life for us. He took our old sinful self away and nailed it to the cross. He rose from the grave and we rose with Him, dead to sin, alive in Christ, we don’t have to sin.

Don’t live your Christian life by rules- live by faith.

Don’t live your Christian life safely – for without risk in your life, how can there be faith?

September 7, 2018 - Suggested Reading Hebrews 2 for Sept 9ths message on Matthew 5:48 in our summer worship service at 10am

“In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what
he suffered.”

 Hebrews 2:10 (NIV) 

This chapter is a warning for all of us, to not drift away from the faith.

The apostle gives us a positive action to take for he tells us to “pay the most careful attention to what we have heard”. I am guilty of not paying close attention to many things and people in my life, and each time I don’t pay attention, there are negative results. How much more negative will the result be when I don’t pay close attention to what the Gospel says?

The Gospel teaches that Jesus was made lower than the angels for a little while, and then crowned with glory because He suffered death. The Gospel teaches that Jesus is the pioneer of our salvation (that is He traveled the path before us, He blazed the trail for us to follow) and that enduring suffering prepared for Him is what made Him perfect.

We need to pay attention to this, for our natural expectation is that we would be spared suffering, because of the sufferings of Christ. We think great- He suffered for me, so I don’t have to suffer, and we miss the truth. The truth is that how our Lord was made perfect is how we will be made perfect and suffering is the tool that will be used.

Isaac Watts asked this question in his hymn entitled Am I a soldier of the Cross;

 Must I be carried to the skies On flowery beds of ease,

While others fought to win the prize And sailed through bloody seas?

 May we pay attention to the Gospel, expect suffering, and not drift away.

September 6, 2018 - Suggested Reading Psalm 50 for Sept 9ths message on Matthew 5:48 in our summer worship service at 10am

“From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth.”

Psalm 50:2 (NIV)

We have heard from Moses that God’s works are perfect.

We have heard from David that God’s ways are perfect and that God’s Law is perfect.

In this psalm we consider David’s assertion that God’s beauty is perfect.

We may look at the sentence and say wait- it is Zion who is perfect in beauty – not God.

But from where or whom does Zion get its beauty?

 Now Zion is the place on earth where God dwells with His people, it is the term for the temple mount in Jerusalem, and the beauty of Zion comes from the Presence of God in the midst of His people, for His people receive their beauty from God, and God’s beauty is perfect.

In this psalm we have a worship service laid out- for the people are summoned when the sun rises, to hear God speak about the covenant, about the sacrifices, about the righteous and about the wicked. When God comes to speak He comes from Zion, and He comes in perfect beauty.

Visualize standing in the courtyard of the temple with your animal sacrifice being burned on the altar and knowing your sins are forgiven for God has made a way.

Now visualize standing in front of the cross with our Lord dying in your place and knowing your sins are forgiven for God has made a Way.

From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth.

Do you see His beauty?

Do you see His perfection?

September 5, 2018 - Suggested Reading Psalm 19 for Sept 9ths message on Matthew 5:48 in our summer worship service at 10am

“The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul.

The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.”

Psalm 19:7 (NIV) 

David calls the Law perfect - that is with no defect.

David calls the Law perfect- that is complete in every way.

How could it be incomplete or defective, for this Law comes from the Creator?

We look into the heavens and consider the testimony of the stars, and then focus in on our star - the one we call the sun.

Surely if there was a defect in the heavens – the heavens would come crashing down.

Surely if there was a defect in the sun- it would not follow its course - and we would not live.

NO - the heavens and the sun give testimony to the perfection of the Creator and therefore the Law – the Words of the Creator given to the created - is perfect without defect, complete in every way.

This view of the Law is hard to find among Christians today, and yet it was the view of our Lord.

He did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it.

Oh Lord may we see the Law with your eyes.

May we humble ourselves under your Law.

May we declare your glory without words.

September 4, 2018 - Suggested Reading Psalm 18 for Sept 9ths message on Matthew 5:48 in our summer worship service at 10am

“As for God, his way is perfect; The LORD’s word is flawless;
he shields all who take refuge in him.”

Psalm 18:30 (NIV) 

This song of David was sung to music, unlike the song of Moses, and it celebrates the perfect works of God on David’s behalf, for God came from heaven and rescued David from all his enemies. As David recounts how God dealt with David according to David’s righteousness, we start to squirm a little, and wonder how David’s hands could be clean when Scripture records some of his sins. His hands are clean the same way my hands are clean and your hands are clean, for David went to God for forgiveness, confessing and repenting of his sin and being washed and cleansed by God’s gracious application of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is true that David lived before Christ died, and yet it is also true that the sacrifices David offered for cleansing pointed to the One True Sacrifice.

This is the way of God that is perfect.

His way is to forgive those who come in repentance.

To shield those who take refugee in Him.

To save the humble.

I am so grateful that God’s way - the way of repentance and forgiveness - is perfect.

I am so glad that His Words are flawless, no error at all.

For all who come to Christ seeking forgiveness, believing on His name will be washed clean, and made whole.

Rescued from our great enemy, the accuser of our soul.

I love you LORD!

September 3, 2018 - Suggested Reading Deuteronomy 32 for Sept 9ths message on Matthew 5:48 in our summer worship service at 10am

“He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.”

Deuteronomy 32:4 (NIV)

As we meditate this week on what our Lord meant when He told us that our heavenly Father is perfect, we will start with this declaration of Moses that God’s works are perfect.

Deuteronomy 32 is the song that Moses recited to the people before he left them to go to his death on Mount Nebo. He didn’t sing it, rather he recited it, so we may consider it a poem of some sort, for a song to us needs music. This song is full of theological truth and is so rich that it will never be exhausted by us reading it, for we will see something new each time. 

Today let us notice that God’s works are perfect - no mistakes, no wrongdoing, - God’s works are perfect.

Now we may object by pointing towards the fallen state of our creation, or by pointing towards a handicapped child or even by pointing at ourselves in the mirror, for all of us are the work of God. But friend to object in that manner is disingenuous, for we know full well that what is wrong in this world is the result of the fall - the sin of Adam- it is the work of man that mars the work of God. Moses contrasts the God whose works are perfect with God’s people who are corrupt, and he calls on us to remember that although we are but few, that God in His perfection has established all the nations of the world in their places in such a way to benefit His people. 

Let us fix our minds on the truth that God's works are perfect, for what is our hope in Christ- but that a perfect God takes the imperfect humans that we are and changes us little by little through the internal work of His Spirit until we see Him face to face and become perfect. 

His works are perfect, that is they are without defect.

His works are perfect, that is they are complete.

September 1, 2018 - Suggested Reading Leviticus 19 for Sept 2nds message on Matthew 5:33-48 in our summer worship service at 10am

“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbour as yourself. I am the LORD.”

Leviticus 19:18 (NIV) 

He is the LORD and He is holy.

We are the LORD’s and we are to be holy.

This chapter clearly teaches that being holy is to behave towards our neighbours with love.

vs 9,10 provide for the poor

vs 11-13 don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t deceive

vs 14 don’t mistreat the deaf and blind

vs 15 apply justice equally without regard for their status

vs 16 don’t slander or endanger your neighbour

vs 17 don’t hate your neighbour but rebuke them for their sin

vs 18 no revenge - no grudges - only love

We all love our own bodies, we care for its needs, and its appearance, and so we should love our neighbours, caring for their needs and their appearance.

Loving your neighbour as yourself is holiness.

Loving your enemy is godliness.