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Psalm 16

1 Preserve me, God, for in you do I take refuge.
2 My soul, you have said to Yahweh, “You are my Lord.
Apart from you I have no good thing.”
3 As for the saints who are in the earth,
they are the excellent ones in whom is all my delight.
4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied who give gifts to another god.
Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer,
nor take their names on my lips.
5 Yahweh assigned my portion and my cup.
You made my lot secure.
6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places.
Yes, I have a good inheritance.
7 I will bless Yahweh, who has given me counsel.
Yes, my heart instructs me in the night seasons.
8 I have set Yahweh always before me.
Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my tongue rejoices.
My body shall also dwell in safety.
10 For you will not leave my soul in Sheol,
neither will you allow your holy one to see corruption.
11 You will show me the path of life.
In your presence is fullness of joy.
In your right hand there are pleasures forevermore

Partake – Words In Scripture Explored – Sacrifice

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In the Old Testament, the people of Israel were to make sacrificial offerings to God, in order to worship and have fellowship with Him. For without sacrifice, nobody could enter God’s presence! But what does all this have to do with us in the 21^st century.

In the book of Leviticus, God commanded that the cleansing of a defiled house required sprinkling with a mixture of blood and ‘living’ water, the bird having been slain over the water (Leviticus 14v51). Elsewhere we read of the ‘water of cleansing’ (Numbers 19), which is also called ‘living water’. This was water that had been sprinkled with the ashes of a young cow, and was kept aside for purification by sprinkling those who had touched a dead body. In both cases, this water had been cleansed by the shedding of blood and sacrifice. The cleansing was to be through the blood of sacrifice, applied through the sprinkled water. For there is no cleansing without the shedding of blood.

At the time of Ezekiel, Israel was in exile due to their sin and idolatry. They needed to be cleansed before being allowed back into their own country. Ezekiel 36v24-25 tell us that “God will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your filthiness, and from all your idols.” This pointed forward to One, the Messiah, who would be slain as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.

This One, was Jesus Christ who died for sin, the just for the unjust (1 Peter 3v18 ). That is how God is both the Just and the Justifier of sinners. That is why if Jesus was not simultaneously fully God and fully human, His death on the cross would not be the full substitutionary sacrifice that was necessary to deal with the permanent consequences of sin! This substitution was the sin offering sacrifice, required so that Jesus as the Lamb of God could take away the sins of the world (John 1v29). Jesus became sin for people (2 Corinthians 5v21) and it was His blood as the lamb without spot or blemish (1Peter 1:18-19) that permanently fulfils God’s righteous requirements.

If you are a follower of Jesus, you are no longer defiled and you have no need to make sacrifices to God, in order to enter His presence, worship Him or have fellowship with Him. Jesus, who is your living water and your sacrificial lamb, gives you permanent access to God.  You may no longer be called to make sacrifices, but you are called to be a sacrifice. You are to be a living sacrifice that continually offers sacrifices of praise to God! You do this, through a whole life totally devoted to God, doing good and sharing (Hebrews 13v15-16)! By doing this, you help Jesus’ church revolutionise the world! May it be so. Thank you.

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Partake - Words In Scripture Explored – Sovereignty of God.

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G’day! Welcome to WISE. The word for today is Sovereignty of God.

The sovereignty of God means that God is in control at all times and nothing can occur outside of His control and will. God loves His creation and cares for it. He won’t deny people their humanity when dealing with them.

Decrees – a part of Sovereignty

Sovereign decree: When God says “Eternal life is available for all. You may choose to accept or reject it. Those that accept it, I will call my children.” Your own reaction as a Christian Disciple is that you have taken up God’s offer and are trusting and obeying.

Conditional decree: When God says “I am willing to give you my opinion and help when you ask.” Our reaction should be to read the Bible, and pray and talk to God about the situation!

Natural decree: When God has created a lemon tree, that lemon tree wont produce potatoes.” Our reaction should be to plan in view of that.

But!

A question often posed is one that goes “Well if God is sovereign, then why doesn’t He do something about the suffering of the masses such as those in who are dying for lack of food?” But God has done something about it! God has provided enough food for all people everywhere, just that we in the West are greedy! So the problem is not with God, but with people! God’s provision to all people has become God’s provision for the minority, through humanity’s inhumanity to others. As for other kinds of suffering, that’s part of the reason for the cross, where God Himself experienced human suffering when Jesus died on the cross: Jesus, the man who was both fully God and fully human. God is not so removed from our sufferings, which He Himself endured and suffered at the Cross. Just because God allows free will to all people to sin, doesn’t mean that God is responsible for the sin – that is, and must remain, people’s responsibility! If not, we would all just be robotic automatons instead of free people.

God knows…

God’s sovereignty is inclusive in that it covers all actions of people, good or bad (Acts 2v23; Ephesians 2v10). The foundation of God’s sovereignty is wisdom according to Paul (Ephesians 3:8-11). So, when we are faced with a decision, God knows what is going to occur. He knows all the options and choices. It is important when faced with making decisions to pray about it and read the Bible. He seeks you to respond to Him with love and affection. Why not start today, and ask Him for help? God is interested in every facet of your life. If He were not, then He couldn’t be personal, and He certainly wouldn’t be sovereign!

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This was uploaded today because I gave these bible verses to Lorri Mazara -Pringle on the occasion of her baptism on August 10th, 2008!!

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Colossians 3v1-4 “Remember Who You Are!”

Preached as my homiletics assessment in Year 1.

3:1 If then you were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God.

3:2 Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are on the earth.

3:3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

3:4 When Christ, our life, is revealed, then you will also be revealed with him in glory.

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Psalm 11

11:1 In Yahweh, I take refuge.

How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain!”

11:2 For, behold, the wicked bend their bows.

They set their arrows on the strings,

that they may shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.

11:3 If the foundations are destroyed,

what can the righteous do?

11:4 Yahweh is in his holy temple.

Yahweh is on his throne in heaven.

His eyes observe.

His eyes examine the children of men.

11:5 Yahweh examines the righteous,

but the wicked and him who loves violence his soul hates.

11:6 On the wicked he will rain blazing coals;

fire, sulfur, and scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.

11:7 For Yahweh is righteous.

He loves righteousness.

The upright shall see his face.

World English Bible

As read by Sharona

God Comes to Town - Preached at Bishopsdown Baptist Church by me

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Ezekiel 1:1-4

In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. On the fifth of the month—it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin- the word of the LORD came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, by the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians. There the hand of the LORD was upon him. I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north—an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, 5 and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures.

Ezekiel 1:27-28

I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

Ezekiel 2:1-2

He said to me, “Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.” As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.

Partake – Words In Scripture Explored –Redemption

For some of us the only time we see or hear the word redemption is on a supermarket or magazine coupon, which unless used for its specific purpose, has a redemption value of 0.001p. In the Old Testament, the idea of a redeemer is found in the story of Ruth and Boaz, which climaxes with “So Boaz took Ruth into his home, and she became his wife. When he slept with her, the Lord enabled her to become pregnant, and she gave birth to a son. Then the women of the town said to Naomi, “Praise the Lord, who has now provided a redeemer for your family! May this child be famous in Israel” (Ruth4v13-14). That baby was Obed, the grandfather of David, an ancestor of Jesus Christ. Redemption was also a familiar word in New Testament times, because its main use was to refer to the buying back of a slave - the price paid to buy the slave’s freedom. A slave had no possessions of their own to sell in order to buy their freedom – they would always be dependent on somebody else to do that.

God’s Idea of Redemption

All humans are born into slavery to sin and alienation from God. Furthermore, no human is able to do anything to escape this slavery and alienation by them self. Redemption means that God has paid the price (1 Peter 1:18-19) so that humans can be freed from the slavery to sin (John 8:35 Romans 7:14). The price was the precious blood of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) on the cross at Calvary. As Christian Disciples, we are bought at a price, and we have a new position before God! We are bought out of slavery to sin, into glorious freedom where we are now slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:19); slaves to Christ (Romans 6:22). We are also Jesus Christ’s personal possession, for as Paul writes in (1 Corinthians 6v19-20 “You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price.”

Our Responsibility

But it is the humans’ responsibility to choose that way! God does not coerce forcefully – He leaves it as a choice for humans to make as individuals. For as one of the Church Fathers, Augustine, wrote: “For no one is redeemed except through unmerited mercy, and no one is condemned except through merited judgement.” Redemption is not just about looking back to the cross. It also means we are to live a life worthy of the cost paid by Jesus Christ. That means we are to actively live a life of total dependence upon, and total obedience to, God. That is the best way to show you have accepted God’s offer of redemption – a life being transformed into the very image of the Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

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Psalm 10

10:1 Why do you stand far off, Yahweh?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
10:2 In arrogance, the wicked hunt down the weak.
They are caught in the schemes that they devise.
10:3 For the wicked boasts of his heart’s cravings.
He blesses the greedy, and condemns Yahweh.
10:4 The wicked, in the pride of his face,
has no room in his thoughts for God.
10:5 His ways are prosperous at all times.
He is haughty, and your laws are far from his sight.
As for all his adversaries, he sneers at them.
10:6 He says in his heart, “I shall not be shaken.
For generations I shall have no trouble.”
10:7 His mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and oppression.
Under his tongue is mischief and iniquity.
10:8 He lies in wait near the villages.
From ambushes, he murders the innocent.
His eyes are secretly set against the helpless.
10:9 He lurks in secret as a lion in his ambush.
He lies in wait to catch the helpless.
He catches the helpless, when he draws him in his net.
10:10 The helpless are crushed.
They collapse.
They fall under his strength.
10:11 He says in his heart, “God has forgotten.
He hides his face.
He will never see it.”10:12 Arise, Yahweh!
God, lift up your hand!
Don’t forget the helpless.
10:13 Why does the wicked person condemn God,
and say in his heart, “God won’t call me into account?”
10:14 But you do see trouble and grief.
You consider it to take it into your hand.
You help the victim and the fatherless.
10:15 Break the arm of the wicked.
As for the evil man, seek out his wickedness until you find none.
10:16 Yahweh is King forever and ever!
The nations will perish out of his land.
10:17 Yahweh, you have heard the desire of the humble.
You will prepare their heart.
You will cause your ear to hear,
10:18 to judge the fatherless and the oppressed,
that man who is of the earth may terrify no more.

As read by Ian Wakeham

Partake – Words In Scripture Explored – Repentance

I wonder what you think the word, “Repentance” means.   The dictionary defines repentance as

·    Feel pain, or regret for something done or not done;
·    Change your mind, or conduct, because of regret;
·    Having sorrow or regret over an action or inaction.

And this is of course partly true!  But for the Christian, Repentance means more than these!

Repentance is a voluntary change in mind, in which the person turns from a life of sin to living a life of righteousness.  “Repent!”  Cried the Roman officer to his soldiers!  In other words, turn around now!

The importance of repentance was central to the teaching of Jesus (Matthew 4v17; Mark 1v15); John the Baptist (Matthew 3v1-2); The Apostles (Acts 2v38; 20v21); Commanded by God (Acts 17v30); God’s will that all people repent (2 Peter 3v9; 1 Timothy 2v4)

Repentance is done in three spheres:

a) Mind (Intellect) - recognition of personal sinfulness and guilt before God (Psalm 51v3; Romans 3v20)
b) Emotional (Heart) - genuine sorrow for sin - Godly sorrow… leads to repentance (2 Corinthians 7v8-10)
c) Will - decision to turn from sin, self-pleasing and self-centredness to God.

Continual repentance

A question I often hear, is why do we need to continue to repent even though we are a Christian Disciple?

Firstly because by doing so regularly, we maintain the honour of His Holy Name.  Secondly, it keeps your relationship with God pure and your soul in good health.

Going forward in repentance.

When you realize you have sinned, ask God to forgive you.  Don’t give sin a chance to get hold!  It may take a second to commit some kind of disobedience against God, but it also only takes a second to ask forgiveness, which God will do, if you truly mean it.  For in the words of Martin Luther, “To do so no more, is the truest repentance”.

John Donne, wrote in the 17th century “Sleep with clean hands, either kept clean all day by integrity or washed clean at night by repentance.” That is good advice to take hold of.  Before you sleep, confess your sins to God asking Him to forgive you for the things you have done in that day that have offended him.

When you became a Christian Disciple, your sins were forgiven through Jesus’ death on the Cross.  That is when you had your “bath” as it were. That is the point when you were justified before God and declared His child. Having been justified already, you don’t need a bath anymore! But to maintain a healthy relationship with God, you do need the equivalent of a feet washing regularly and a cleansing of your sin when you confess it before your God and repent.

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Re-recorded sermon preached by me on 27th April, 2008 at Bishopdown in Salisbury

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