Genesis 4:8 - 16
There are many murder mysteris on TV, thousands of books books written about murder and crime. Murder is a dreadful, horrible thing. The Bible never shirks away from telling how awful sin is. This is an account of the first murder. Christians are followers of the gentle Lord Jesus who had no hate. We see here the stark opposite of Jesus. We can see the horror of sin and the need to repent. Francis Schaeffer spoke of the two natures, the two lines of Cain and of Abel. Cain is the first unbeliever while Abel is the first true worshiper of God and also the first martyr. Everyone in the world is either in the 'line of Cain' or the 'line of Abel'. Everyone in space and time are in one line or the other. Cain is proud and stubborn, self reliant, he had his own worldly religion. The way of Cain is the way of the World today. To claim that all religions are the same is the way of Cain. It goes against the way of Abel which seeks the way of the cross.
1.THE FIRST MURDER - verse 8.
This was a premeditated murder in the first degree. Murder is to slaughter a victim (Greek). He murdered his own brother, his mother's son. He murdered one he should have loved. It was a terrible crime. Why did he do it? Had he been abused? Brutalised by war? Neglected? No, it was pure wickedness, he had allowed anger to build up. God tried to talk him out of it and it had destroyed him, he gave into it. John 3:12, he murdered because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. Jesus spent his whole life doing good and living a life of love, he experienced hate and was murdered by evil men. He was hated without reason and was handed over out of envy to Pilate. People are being murdered in parts of the world because they are believers. Matthew 5:2 - 23, to be angry without cause is to make ourselves subject to judgement. There is a little bit of Cain within all of us and a lot in some of us. We must not allow anger to well up in us.
2. THE FIRST TEMPORAL PUNISHMENT
His parents were overwhelmed with grief
a) God's questions are met with denial of responsibility - verse 9. God interrogates him, he had the evidence and Cain evaded, he lies. He won't even aknowledge his sin. Brothers should stick together, Cain says 'I don't have any responsibility for him.' Dio we hear the voice of modern man in Cain's cruel question? Individualism goes against God's order. The sense of belonging is seriously out of vogue today, many do not want to get involved, they cross the road and claim to be free. We are all our brothers' keepers, we each have a responsibility for our brother. How can we love God who we have not seen if we cannot love our brother who we have seen. We are called to care by God. We are a family of brothers and sisters and called to care for each other in and out of the church. We should not ask what our family can do for us but what we can do for our family.
b) God's sentence delivers him to restless wandering - verses 11 to 12
Cain hoped God would ignore sin, if it seems he does, there is the day of judgement. God's punishment is two fold, he does not have a patch of land of his own and is left to wander. He doesn't kill him, he has time to repent and there is no government to execute him. Thirdly he will be an example to others, he is a warning, he will be full of remorse and guilt and live a life of regret. To know relief he must repent. So he says to him you'll be a vagrant, aimless, detached, no roots, living under a suspended sentence.
c) God punishment brings self pity and fear - verse 13. He cares only for himself. He doesn't express even the tiniest twinge of repentance. He only fears for his own life. He fears what Abel's relatives will do. When God sends some sort of judgement people complain and say 'God's not fair' - Proverbs 19:3. A man's own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the Lord. He does not find forgiveness because he will not repent.
d) God's grace promises protection - verse 15 and Romans 2:24. He has a mark on him to ward people off. We can repent and live an upright life or we can be bitter and not deal with it. Cain went away from God and wandered in a tractless land. David and Paul both repented when they sinned. God had already pleaded with him to make a right choic, now he protected him from death, which would have given him an opportunity to change and say I'm sorry, I repent. That is the common grace that God extends to every unbeliever. We can know God's peace if we repent of our sins in the name of the Lord Jesus.
e) God's grace was spurned. Abel's faith could not convince Cain but it speaks to us today. It records the guildty man who lives and the innocent man who died, this happens today. The way of Cain is a hard way, a way of hate. He presented human excuses, he wandered away from God, he knew human loneliness instead of human friendship. Abel's was a far better way, we can know this
Sunday, 11 November 2007
God's Spiritual House
If only we could capture Peter's vision, we could see every meeting a quarry for living stones, every missionary a stonemason sent to the ends of the earth to find living stones for God's temple.
1. WE ALL ARE PRIESTS - verse 59
The followers of Christ are being now represented not as the building, but as the priests officiating inside it. The living stones are seen offering up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ - 1 Timothy 2
a) We are Holy Priests - a Christian is set apart for God.
b) We are Royal priests - believers have the dignity of kings and the sanctity of priests - Exodus 19:5 Revelations 1:6 and 5:10.
2. WE ALL ARE TO OFFER SPIRITUAL SACRIFICES - verse 5
What are these sacrifices?
a) Our bodies - Romans 12:1 . The Lord may call a few to physically die for Him, but He asks all of us to live for Him.
b) Our praise - Hebrews 13:15. It is always fitting to praise God.
c) Our love -Ephesians 5:1 'Don't talk about His love, walk in His love.
d) Our good works - Hebrews - 13:15 Everything you do should be a thank offering to Christ. Your motive is gratitude to the Lord.
e) Our ministry - Romans 15:16. Paul says that his teaching and preaching the gospel was a sacrifice we cab offer to God.
f) Our giving - Philippians 4:18. The loved gift pleased God, relieved Paul, and enriched the Philippians.
g) Our prayers - Revelation 8:3
3. WE ALL HAVE A CORPORATE IDENTITY - verse 9
a) A chosen race - Isaiah 43:20 Psalms 33:12
b) A holy nation
c) A people belonging to God who has received mercy - Hosea 2:23
d) A people to declare His praises. We are left on the earth to proclaim how excellent the Lord is. That's our job description.
e) A people called out of darkness into His marvellous light. Gathered as the church, we worship our great God and we build up one another. Scattered into the world, we proclaim God's mercy and light to those who are still in the darkness.
1. WE ALL ARE PRIESTS - verse 59
The followers of Christ are being now represented not as the building, but as the priests officiating inside it. The living stones are seen offering up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ - 1 Timothy 2
a) We are Holy Priests - a Christian is set apart for God.
b) We are Royal priests - believers have the dignity of kings and the sanctity of priests - Exodus 19:5 Revelations 1:6 and 5:10.
2. WE ALL ARE TO OFFER SPIRITUAL SACRIFICES - verse 5
What are these sacrifices?
a) Our bodies - Romans 12:1 . The Lord may call a few to physically die for Him, but He asks all of us to live for Him.
b) Our praise - Hebrews 13:15. It is always fitting to praise God.
c) Our love -Ephesians 5:1 'Don't talk about His love, walk in His love.
d) Our good works - Hebrews - 13:15 Everything you do should be a thank offering to Christ. Your motive is gratitude to the Lord.
e) Our ministry - Romans 15:16. Paul says that his teaching and preaching the gospel was a sacrifice we cab offer to God.
f) Our giving - Philippians 4:18. The loved gift pleased God, relieved Paul, and enriched the Philippians.
g) Our prayers - Revelation 8:3
3. WE ALL HAVE A CORPORATE IDENTITY - verse 9
a) A chosen race - Isaiah 43:20 Psalms 33:12
b) A holy nation
c) A people belonging to God who has received mercy - Hosea 2:23
d) A people to declare His praises. We are left on the earth to proclaim how excellent the Lord is. That's our job description.
e) A people called out of darkness into His marvellous light. Gathered as the church, we worship our great God and we build up one another. Scattered into the world, we proclaim God's mercy and light to those who are still in the darkness.
The First Family
Genesis 4:1 - 7
This is a fundamental and critical part of the Bible. This is the first family and first public act of worship. The story of Cain and Abel is well known to many in the World who lack faith. Cain was the first born in the world, the first farmer, the first family member and the first murderer.
1. THE FIRST FAMILY - verse 1 - 2
All human life comes from God, this was not a biological process, it is why we oppose abortion and tinkering with life. God is the author of life. Eve knew God gave life, she said 'with the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man' - maybe she hoped he would bruise the serpent's head, bring new hope. Adam and Eve believed God's word in this passage. Maybe he would be the saviour. She had her second born - Abel. This means breath or passing, was she being prophetic of how brief life is or how brief his life. We do not know how long he lived. The first 2 children were a wonderful event, they had never seen the marvel of a baby. They looked forward to a happy future, growing up, learning life skills, have a good calling, one was a shepherd, the other a tiller of the soil, a gardener who provided fruit and vegetables. Adam and Eve had the joy of seeing their boys in a settled life in professions. Here was a hopeful beginning. Cain and Abel shared the same parents, the same spiritual background, yet one followed God, the other followed his own desires. One broke their hearts, the other left only happy memories behind him. Both were equally loved. disciplined and cared for. One was the innocent victim, one left a trail of blood. We can be full of hopes and joys but our children can leave us heartache. Adam and Eve's circumstances still had sin in it. The only one who can guarantee a happy future is the living God. Parents often want to do the best for their children. The best they can do is to teach them the ways of God and to show them true worship. It is good to see happy families but we need to lead them to the Lord by our lives.
2. THE FIRST ACT OF WORSHIP - verse 3.
People have always had an innate understanding that we should worship God. Both boys knew they should do this. The verses suggest there was a particular time for worship, maybe their own families told them. Cain brought produce, Abel brought portions of the first born. The brothers worshipped God each in their own way. People think they can worship in their own way. The only problem was Abel's was accepted by God, Cain's was rejected. Was God being arbitary or unfair?
a) There is one passage that makes clear what was wrong - Hebrews 11:4. Where there is no faith, even the finest offering cannot make up the difference, Proverbs 15:8. Abel came with real faith , Cain only went through the motions. God looks at the heart. Are we here out of duty? As we always do? Or do we come to truly worship God and learn of him. When they came to worship Abel's heart was in tune with God's, Cain's was not. God wants all of us, not just on Sundays. We cannot buy God off by our gifts.
b) There may have been a difference in the quality of it. Abel offered his best, we do not read this of Cain. When we come to God we must bring our best to him, our best attention, our best worship. We must give our best to the Lord. David said 'Nor will I offer burnt offering to the Lord my God with that which cost me nothing' - 2 Samuel 24:24. We want to put our best into everything we do. We don't just give our cast offs to the Lord.
c) There was a difference in the kind of offering made. One brought something from blood shed, the other from the garden. Later God said Cain knew what was acceptable. If Cain did not have an animal he could have bartered for one. The animal was once again a substitute. Hebrews 10:19 - we can enter the most holy place by the blood of Jesus. We need a mediator. There are only two ways you can approach God. You can come offering what you have done or come pleading what another has done in your place. Cain decided 'I'll do it my way'. He had to come God's way knowing he was sinful.
d) There is an important lesson to all who worship God. God has prescribed the way we are to worship. We do not know how God showed his approval. There was a stony silence regarding Cain's offering. There are many people around the world who worship God in their own way. God rejects their worship if they come in their own way. We cannot go to a sports match in our own way, we have to have a valid ticket. In the same way we must come to God in the way he has prescribed.
3. THE FIRST EVIDENCE OF SIN IN THE HUMAN RACE
Cain was very angry and his face was full of anger, it was downcast. People get very angry when they hear that Jesus is the only way. Cain got it wrong and knew it but he did not repent or reform. An angry face is a horrible thing, a face full of resentment is ugly. Cain could have accepted that he was wrong and changed. We do not want to be around people who are angry or resentful. Cain's face showed what was within. God said 'why are you like this? Put it right.' When we do wrong, change. If we do well, we will feel well. If we do wrong, we will feel wrong.
4. THE FIRST WARNINGS IF SIN'S POWER.
God came to Cain with a warning, why do we have these feelings? Sinful attitudes are like a wild animal. If you struggles, God Will help you. God's word says petting bad feelings are not the way, they are small, when they are mature they are deadly. We need to deal with sin when it is the mental stage, it will, as in Cain's case, consume is and we will end up committing great sin like Saul did. Sin is like a maggot in an apple, if we harbour it in our hearts it will grow until it emerges out of our hearts, like a fly out of an apple. The sin we nurse like a pet will write our doom and be our ruin. We see much here culminating in God's call to change, he gives is the means to change in the Lord Jesus.
This is a fundamental and critical part of the Bible. This is the first family and first public act of worship. The story of Cain and Abel is well known to many in the World who lack faith. Cain was the first born in the world, the first farmer, the first family member and the first murderer.
1. THE FIRST FAMILY - verse 1 - 2
All human life comes from God, this was not a biological process, it is why we oppose abortion and tinkering with life. God is the author of life. Eve knew God gave life, she said 'with the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man' - maybe she hoped he would bruise the serpent's head, bring new hope. Adam and Eve believed God's word in this passage. Maybe he would be the saviour. She had her second born - Abel. This means breath or passing, was she being prophetic of how brief life is or how brief his life. We do not know how long he lived. The first 2 children were a wonderful event, they had never seen the marvel of a baby. They looked forward to a happy future, growing up, learning life skills, have a good calling, one was a shepherd, the other a tiller of the soil, a gardener who provided fruit and vegetables. Adam and Eve had the joy of seeing their boys in a settled life in professions. Here was a hopeful beginning. Cain and Abel shared the same parents, the same spiritual background, yet one followed God, the other followed his own desires. One broke their hearts, the other left only happy memories behind him. Both were equally loved. disciplined and cared for. One was the innocent victim, one left a trail of blood. We can be full of hopes and joys but our children can leave us heartache. Adam and Eve's circumstances still had sin in it. The only one who can guarantee a happy future is the living God. Parents often want to do the best for their children. The best they can do is to teach them the ways of God and to show them true worship. It is good to see happy families but we need to lead them to the Lord by our lives.
2. THE FIRST ACT OF WORSHIP - verse 3.
People have always had an innate understanding that we should worship God. Both boys knew they should do this. The verses suggest there was a particular time for worship, maybe their own families told them. Cain brought produce, Abel brought portions of the first born. The brothers worshipped God each in their own way. People think they can worship in their own way. The only problem was Abel's was accepted by God, Cain's was rejected. Was God being arbitary or unfair?
a) There is one passage that makes clear what was wrong - Hebrews 11:4. Where there is no faith, even the finest offering cannot make up the difference, Proverbs 15:8. Abel came with real faith , Cain only went through the motions. God looks at the heart. Are we here out of duty? As we always do? Or do we come to truly worship God and learn of him. When they came to worship Abel's heart was in tune with God's, Cain's was not. God wants all of us, not just on Sundays. We cannot buy God off by our gifts.
b) There may have been a difference in the quality of it. Abel offered his best, we do not read this of Cain. When we come to God we must bring our best to him, our best attention, our best worship. We must give our best to the Lord. David said 'Nor will I offer burnt offering to the Lord my God with that which cost me nothing' - 2 Samuel 24:24. We want to put our best into everything we do. We don't just give our cast offs to the Lord.
c) There was a difference in the kind of offering made. One brought something from blood shed, the other from the garden. Later God said Cain knew what was acceptable. If Cain did not have an animal he could have bartered for one. The animal was once again a substitute. Hebrews 10:19 - we can enter the most holy place by the blood of Jesus. We need a mediator. There are only two ways you can approach God. You can come offering what you have done or come pleading what another has done in your place. Cain decided 'I'll do it my way'. He had to come God's way knowing he was sinful.
d) There is an important lesson to all who worship God. God has prescribed the way we are to worship. We do not know how God showed his approval. There was a stony silence regarding Cain's offering. There are many people around the world who worship God in their own way. God rejects their worship if they come in their own way. We cannot go to a sports match in our own way, we have to have a valid ticket. In the same way we must come to God in the way he has prescribed.
3. THE FIRST EVIDENCE OF SIN IN THE HUMAN RACE
Cain was very angry and his face was full of anger, it was downcast. People get very angry when they hear that Jesus is the only way. Cain got it wrong and knew it but he did not repent or reform. An angry face is a horrible thing, a face full of resentment is ugly. Cain could have accepted that he was wrong and changed. We do not want to be around people who are angry or resentful. Cain's face showed what was within. God said 'why are you like this? Put it right.' When we do wrong, change. If we do well, we will feel well. If we do wrong, we will feel wrong.
4. THE FIRST WARNINGS IF SIN'S POWER.
God came to Cain with a warning, why do we have these feelings? Sinful attitudes are like a wild animal. If you struggles, God Will help you. God's word says petting bad feelings are not the way, they are small, when they are mature they are deadly. We need to deal with sin when it is the mental stage, it will, as in Cain's case, consume is and we will end up committing great sin like Saul did. Sin is like a maggot in an apple, if we harbour it in our hearts it will grow until it emerges out of our hearts, like a fly out of an apple. The sin we nurse like a pet will write our doom and be our ruin. We see much here culminating in God's call to change, he gives is the means to change in the Lord Jesus.
Harvesting
John 4:27 - 42 and Matthew 9:35 - 10:10
This reflects on sending out someone into the harvest field.
1. THERE IS A HARVEST FIELD
This world is very needy and lost, there is a need for us to go and make disciples. We should see it is white, ready for reaping.
Jesus had been accused of using Satan's power, he answers by what he does and what his disciples do. The harvest is the crowds of people - verse 36. They are like sheep who need a shepherd, they need protection and guidance from a shepherd. People need spiritual guidance like sheep need a shepherd. Jesus compared the father to a shepherd who searches until the lost sheep is found. Jesus himself is the Good Shepherd. He saw some people didn't know right from wrong. He saw some people misused the Bible. The image of a shepherd is very strong in the Old Testament - Moses, Ezekiel and David use this image. Ezekiel and Zecheriah rebuked leaders for their poor leadership. People can get secular learning from school and university but people need guidance as to how to live to God. Secular learning cannot do this. People, like sheep, need leading.
Poverty often comes from ignorance not economics. People need a good shepherd. There is a harvest field all over the world - China etc. People have a big, aching emptiness that only be filled by Christ. All the rituals in the world cannot bring us to the living God. We need to be connected to God. Even the western world is spiritually bankrupt, there is a huge underclass and children who indulge in drink and drugs and millions who do not know Christ. We need the good shepherd to give us the values we can live by. There is a harvest field among our neighbours and friends who have never cared for him.
2. THE HARVEST NEEDS COMPASSIONATE PEOPLE.
Jesus saw people as harassed and helpless. He went around healing people of every illness and disease and preached the good news to them. He not only taught but showed deep concern for humanity, it was a medical and evangelistic ministry, he showed compassion. What Christ was doing we cannot imitate to the same degree but we can show compassion for the hurts of humanity. Spurgeon said 'his sympathies were awakened; he could not look with an indifferent countenance, his inmost soul was stirred.' Jesus showed true concern and did not expect a return from them. He didn't preach self help but told them the good news so when they came to Christ they would change. His example should stir us to great compassion. We need to life our eyes and see the need. There are teeming millions right here in England. We need the Lord to give us his eyes to see and his heart to to feel his concerns. We need to remember what we were before God's grace touched our lives and saved us from our sins. Are we too busy to take time to share the gospel.? Do we deep down, have an urgency and a concern to share the gospel with those around us? People are shepherd less without Christ.
3. THE HARVEST NEEDS A TEAM OF PEOPLE.
In the next chapter we see our Lord sending out the workers as teams. Ephesians 3:10. The church is a place to gather the harvest. The disciples are organised to work in time. The church is a base camp where there is prayerful, practical and financial ministry. The church is the place to meet for new believers to be built up so they can become workers in the field. Missionaries need to go God's way with the support of the local church.
4. THE HARVEST NEEDS PEOPLE TO TEACH AND PREACH.
Jesus taught in their synagogues. He went where He got a hearing. Jesus preached the good news. He had something to share with people. Preaching is teaching and instruction, it is more than that, it is God's message that demands a response or a verdict. It is God's authoritative way to bring God's word to people. We can bring unbelievers to where God's word is preached, the church.
5. THE HARVEST NEEDS PRAYER.
How do you create Christian workers and preachers? It can't, it is gifts and graces that God gives and are nurtured by the Church. Calvin said 'there never was greater necessity for offering this prayer than during the fearful desolation of the church which we now see around us.' It is also important that workers are called by God. There are almost always more need than workers but we need to pray to God for him to call more workers. We have a host of problems in our day , pray for workers.
6. THE HARVEST NEEDS WORKERS.
There are millions who are without God and hope and hope who are hastening to eternity. In Europe there are 1% of people who are evangelical believers. The harvest needs to be gathered before it rots. The doctrines of grace should not make us fatalistic but keen to work in the certain knowledge of its success. It needs willing workers, it needs helpers who will be committed full time, it needs short term workers, it needs all to be workers. It needs persevering and patient workers like Carey and Judson, we may have to work long and hard, but the harvest day comes. They worked for years before they had converts. Carey worked for 7 years before his first convert. Jesus preached to a despised Samaritan woman. It needs workers with faith and vision, we need the expectancy and hopefulness of Christ that anticipates harvest time, Luke 18:24 - 27. This country is ripe for the gospel. The old adage nothing ventured, nothing gained applies here. How will people be saved if we do not tell them? People receive power the spirit comes on them to preach. If we do nothing God will call us to account. Do we have eyes to see opportunities? The history of the growth of the church is marked by enterprise and vision. God blesses people who work with the most deprived and under privileged of people. Missionaries need to persevere and work where they see the need to work. We live in desperately dark days. We need to send out workers. Will you ask the Lord of the Harvest to send workers into His harvest? Will you volunteer for duty yourself? We need to do what we can - give leaflets, invite people in, speak to people. We can also pray for workers. We cannot tell what one conversation can do, Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman and through that, preached to a whole city. We need to see the need and go out and share the gospel. We are so timid, fearful and unbelieving, the world needs us to go out and work. We need to resolve to pray for the work in other lands and on our own doorsteps for workers.
This reflects on sending out someone into the harvest field.
1. THERE IS A HARVEST FIELD
This world is very needy and lost, there is a need for us to go and make disciples. We should see it is white, ready for reaping.
Jesus had been accused of using Satan's power, he answers by what he does and what his disciples do. The harvest is the crowds of people - verse 36. They are like sheep who need a shepherd, they need protection and guidance from a shepherd. People need spiritual guidance like sheep need a shepherd. Jesus compared the father to a shepherd who searches until the lost sheep is found. Jesus himself is the Good Shepherd. He saw some people didn't know right from wrong. He saw some people misused the Bible. The image of a shepherd is very strong in the Old Testament - Moses, Ezekiel and David use this image. Ezekiel and Zecheriah rebuked leaders for their poor leadership. People can get secular learning from school and university but people need guidance as to how to live to God. Secular learning cannot do this. People, like sheep, need leading.
Poverty often comes from ignorance not economics. People need a good shepherd. There is a harvest field all over the world - China etc. People have a big, aching emptiness that only be filled by Christ. All the rituals in the world cannot bring us to the living God. We need to be connected to God. Even the western world is spiritually bankrupt, there is a huge underclass and children who indulge in drink and drugs and millions who do not know Christ. We need the good shepherd to give us the values we can live by. There is a harvest field among our neighbours and friends who have never cared for him.
2. THE HARVEST NEEDS COMPASSIONATE PEOPLE.
Jesus saw people as harassed and helpless. He went around healing people of every illness and disease and preached the good news to them. He not only taught but showed deep concern for humanity, it was a medical and evangelistic ministry, he showed compassion. What Christ was doing we cannot imitate to the same degree but we can show compassion for the hurts of humanity. Spurgeon said 'his sympathies were awakened; he could not look with an indifferent countenance, his inmost soul was stirred.' Jesus showed true concern and did not expect a return from them. He didn't preach self help but told them the good news so when they came to Christ they would change. His example should stir us to great compassion. We need to life our eyes and see the need. There are teeming millions right here in England. We need the Lord to give us his eyes to see and his heart to to feel his concerns. We need to remember what we were before God's grace touched our lives and saved us from our sins. Are we too busy to take time to share the gospel.? Do we deep down, have an urgency and a concern to share the gospel with those around us? People are shepherd less without Christ.
3. THE HARVEST NEEDS A TEAM OF PEOPLE.
In the next chapter we see our Lord sending out the workers as teams. Ephesians 3:10. The church is a place to gather the harvest. The disciples are organised to work in time. The church is a base camp where there is prayerful, practical and financial ministry. The church is the place to meet for new believers to be built up so they can become workers in the field. Missionaries need to go God's way with the support of the local church.
4. THE HARVEST NEEDS PEOPLE TO TEACH AND PREACH.
Jesus taught in their synagogues. He went where He got a hearing. Jesus preached the good news. He had something to share with people. Preaching is teaching and instruction, it is more than that, it is God's message that demands a response or a verdict. It is God's authoritative way to bring God's word to people. We can bring unbelievers to where God's word is preached, the church.
5. THE HARVEST NEEDS PRAYER.
How do you create Christian workers and preachers? It can't, it is gifts and graces that God gives and are nurtured by the Church. Calvin said 'there never was greater necessity for offering this prayer than during the fearful desolation of the church which we now see around us.' It is also important that workers are called by God. There are almost always more need than workers but we need to pray to God for him to call more workers. We have a host of problems in our day , pray for workers.
6. THE HARVEST NEEDS WORKERS.
There are millions who are without God and hope and hope who are hastening to eternity. In Europe there are 1% of people who are evangelical believers. The harvest needs to be gathered before it rots. The doctrines of grace should not make us fatalistic but keen to work in the certain knowledge of its success. It needs willing workers, it needs helpers who will be committed full time, it needs short term workers, it needs all to be workers. It needs persevering and patient workers like Carey and Judson, we may have to work long and hard, but the harvest day comes. They worked for years before they had converts. Carey worked for 7 years before his first convert. Jesus preached to a despised Samaritan woman. It needs workers with faith and vision, we need the expectancy and hopefulness of Christ that anticipates harvest time, Luke 18:24 - 27. This country is ripe for the gospel. The old adage nothing ventured, nothing gained applies here. How will people be saved if we do not tell them? People receive power the spirit comes on them to preach. If we do nothing God will call us to account. Do we have eyes to see opportunities? The history of the growth of the church is marked by enterprise and vision. God blesses people who work with the most deprived and under privileged of people. Missionaries need to persevere and work where they see the need to work. We live in desperately dark days. We need to send out workers. Will you ask the Lord of the Harvest to send workers into His harvest? Will you volunteer for duty yourself? We need to do what we can - give leaflets, invite people in, speak to people. We can also pray for workers. We cannot tell what one conversation can do, Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman and through that, preached to a whole city. We need to see the need and go out and share the gospel. We are so timid, fearful and unbelieving, the world needs us to go out and work. We need to resolve to pray for the work in other lands and on our own doorsteps for workers.
Sunday, 4 November 2007
Living stones
Ephesians 2 and Romans 9 l Peter 2:4 to 8
Last week the analogy was of babies drinking pure milk. This week it is a different analogy, the building of a spiritual body, a temple. Many of those he wrote to were Jews by birth, they knew of the temple, that it was the centre of the nation, built by them where they met to worship God. It is now no more, no more visible place, the people were the building, it would last through all generations. It was built on Christ of living stones. Peter shows that our salvation must be lived out by being built upon Christ and in Christian community. We must focus on important things, the most important is that we are built on Christ as a community. We must build together in Christ.
JESUS CHRIST - THE CHOSEN CORNERSTONE – verse 4
A rock is a common picture of God, it is solid, dependable, lasting – Isaiah 26:4, Psalm 3l:2, 6l:2 and 78:5. God is their rock, their redeemer. We call some people a rock, they are dependable and reliable. People want and need a rock to build upon. The Old Testament recognised God could be turned to, to protect them as a permanent source of help and strength. Our lives change, we sometimes go through deep disappointment, who can we turn to, a rock. The New Testament takes thought further, it identifies the second person of the Trinity as that rock who is dependable. That Christ is a solid foundation on which to build our lives. When we build a house it needs a solid foundation, we often have it checked. It is important to make sure it is deep and solid. It must not let us down. We need the power of Jesus for us to build on.
a) Peter refers to Jesus Christ as a stone people come to – verse 4. We live in a restless world where people are confused and anxious, where guilt burdens us. Jesus is the answer to a messed up world. We can go to Jesus for sustenance and nourishment. We keep coming for personal fellowship, help and forgiveness. The Christian life is a continual coming. He has the answers. He is the only foundation.
b) Peter also identifies the Lord Jesus Christ as chosen. He is chosen by God but rejected by men. The Old Testament tells us much about God’s plans and how Jesus was sent to a world prepared – the Roman Empire.
c) Peter also says that Jesus is the chief cornerstone. Not A cornerstone, but THE cornerstone – Isaiah 28:l6 and Ephesians 2:20. It is the actual starting point in the building, it sets the horizontal and vertical lines for the rest of the building – Ephesians 2:2l – 22. It establishes the precise symmetry of the building. Today they are usually ceremonial, ancient buildings had it as their most important stone, it was of critical importance. It was irreplaceable. Jesus is irreplaceable, he sets the angles of God’s house and its purpose and place.
JESUS CHRIST – THE REJECTED STUMBLING STONE – verse 4
For some it means they reject him. People stumble because they disobey the message, they were destined for this. For believers Jesus is their cornerstone. Unbelievers reject him and stumble over him. Psalm ll8: 22 describes Israel as the cornerstone of God’s purposes, they were special in God’s plans. But they were despised by other nations, God defended Israel again and again so it was preserved. Attackers stumbled and fell. Israel’s leaders rejected him. He preached the parable of the tenants. This rejection is nothing new. Why rejected He showed them up as people who needed to change their ways, he told them truths about God they did not like, he warned them of things to come they did not want to think about, he made them feel guilty, he exposed the inadequacy of their beliefs, he was so convincing that they had either to accept Him and submit to Him, or else stumble on headlong to destruction – Acts 4:ll. The people had no excuse, his perfect life, his miracles, all attested to his divine nature yet they rejected him. Pride prevented them building on him. The Jews threw the cornerstone away. Their temple was destroyed and their nation scattered. Their nation has been persecuted and murdered. This is all parts of God’s judgement. God’s church has been persecuted, it has had internal heresies and suffered decline but it remains and causes people to stumble if they do not believe in Jesus. These people were destined to stumble.
JESUS CHRIST – THE PRECIOUS LIVING STONE – verse 4
There is nothing more dead than a stone, it seems incongruous to liken Jesus to a stone. Jesus called Peter a rock. It says that the church is an ever growing collection of stones. Far more important than the world and the buildings they worship. A church and its pastor and officers can seem very weak, but if they are united as one they can be very solid and lasting. When we come into contact with Jesus Christ, we are made alive with him. That tells us that the church is more than a human organization. The true church is an ever growing collection of living stones. We don’t go to church, we are the church. God never intended that we live as Lone Rangers. We are made to fit together, one with another. Peter wants us to see that not only must believers trust Jesus fore square on what his word says but we must fit together in the face of the individualism of the world. There is a need for community in the church. We need other believers. We are a body together. If we take a tile off or a brick out of a wall it weakens the building. We all have a part to play in the wall of God’s church. Absences do matter. We must play a role in the church. We must be joined one to another. The more we play a role, the more effective the church will be. The one who trusts in him will never be put to shame. He will never prove faulty. If we hide in him he will never expose us. We cannot lose.
a) He gives us stability and security. He is our stability, our firm foundation, the solid rock of our strength.
b) He sets the standard for us. The cornerstone became the basis for determining every measurement and alignment. We live in a world of gadgetry, then they had the cornerstone to set the standard. We should ask what standard has Jesus set for us?
c) He is precious to us, our relationship to God must be at the centre of all we do, both individually and corporately – verse 7. Our wedding rings are precious to us. Can we say Jesus is precious to us? He gives us a love that cannot fail. Paul lost so much when he became a believer – status, income and family. He did not regret it because he found so much, the love of the Lord Jesus Christ also was so precious to him.
Last week the analogy was of babies drinking pure milk. This week it is a different analogy, the building of a spiritual body, a temple. Many of those he wrote to were Jews by birth, they knew of the temple, that it was the centre of the nation, built by them where they met to worship God. It is now no more, no more visible place, the people were the building, it would last through all generations. It was built on Christ of living stones. Peter shows that our salvation must be lived out by being built upon Christ and in Christian community. We must focus on important things, the most important is that we are built on Christ as a community. We must build together in Christ.
JESUS CHRIST - THE CHOSEN CORNERSTONE – verse 4
A rock is a common picture of God, it is solid, dependable, lasting – Isaiah 26:4, Psalm 3l:2, 6l:2 and 78:5. God is their rock, their redeemer. We call some people a rock, they are dependable and reliable. People want and need a rock to build upon. The Old Testament recognised God could be turned to, to protect them as a permanent source of help and strength. Our lives change, we sometimes go through deep disappointment, who can we turn to, a rock. The New Testament takes thought further, it identifies the second person of the Trinity as that rock who is dependable. That Christ is a solid foundation on which to build our lives. When we build a house it needs a solid foundation, we often have it checked. It is important to make sure it is deep and solid. It must not let us down. We need the power of Jesus for us to build on.
a) Peter refers to Jesus Christ as a stone people come to – verse 4. We live in a restless world where people are confused and anxious, where guilt burdens us. Jesus is the answer to a messed up world. We can go to Jesus for sustenance and nourishment. We keep coming for personal fellowship, help and forgiveness. The Christian life is a continual coming. He has the answers. He is the only foundation.
b) Peter also identifies the Lord Jesus Christ as chosen. He is chosen by God but rejected by men. The Old Testament tells us much about God’s plans and how Jesus was sent to a world prepared – the Roman Empire.
c) Peter also says that Jesus is the chief cornerstone. Not A cornerstone, but THE cornerstone – Isaiah 28:l6 and Ephesians 2:20. It is the actual starting point in the building, it sets the horizontal and vertical lines for the rest of the building – Ephesians 2:2l – 22. It establishes the precise symmetry of the building. Today they are usually ceremonial, ancient buildings had it as their most important stone, it was of critical importance. It was irreplaceable. Jesus is irreplaceable, he sets the angles of God’s house and its purpose and place.
JESUS CHRIST – THE REJECTED STUMBLING STONE – verse 4
For some it means they reject him. People stumble because they disobey the message, they were destined for this. For believers Jesus is their cornerstone. Unbelievers reject him and stumble over him. Psalm ll8: 22 describes Israel as the cornerstone of God’s purposes, they were special in God’s plans. But they were despised by other nations, God defended Israel again and again so it was preserved. Attackers stumbled and fell. Israel’s leaders rejected him. He preached the parable of the tenants. This rejection is nothing new. Why rejected He showed them up as people who needed to change their ways, he told them truths about God they did not like, he warned them of things to come they did not want to think about, he made them feel guilty, he exposed the inadequacy of their beliefs, he was so convincing that they had either to accept Him and submit to Him, or else stumble on headlong to destruction – Acts 4:ll. The people had no excuse, his perfect life, his miracles, all attested to his divine nature yet they rejected him. Pride prevented them building on him. The Jews threw the cornerstone away. Their temple was destroyed and their nation scattered. Their nation has been persecuted and murdered. This is all parts of God’s judgement. God’s church has been persecuted, it has had internal heresies and suffered decline but it remains and causes people to stumble if they do not believe in Jesus. These people were destined to stumble.
JESUS CHRIST – THE PRECIOUS LIVING STONE – verse 4
There is nothing more dead than a stone, it seems incongruous to liken Jesus to a stone. Jesus called Peter a rock. It says that the church is an ever growing collection of stones. Far more important than the world and the buildings they worship. A church and its pastor and officers can seem very weak, but if they are united as one they can be very solid and lasting. When we come into contact with Jesus Christ, we are made alive with him. That tells us that the church is more than a human organization. The true church is an ever growing collection of living stones. We don’t go to church, we are the church. God never intended that we live as Lone Rangers. We are made to fit together, one with another. Peter wants us to see that not only must believers trust Jesus fore square on what his word says but we must fit together in the face of the individualism of the world. There is a need for community in the church. We need other believers. We are a body together. If we take a tile off or a brick out of a wall it weakens the building. We all have a part to play in the wall of God’s church. Absences do matter. We must play a role in the church. We must be joined one to another. The more we play a role, the more effective the church will be. The one who trusts in him will never be put to shame. He will never prove faulty. If we hide in him he will never expose us. We cannot lose.
a) He gives us stability and security. He is our stability, our firm foundation, the solid rock of our strength.
b) He sets the standard for us. The cornerstone became the basis for determining every measurement and alignment. We live in a world of gadgetry, then they had the cornerstone to set the standard. We should ask what standard has Jesus set for us?
c) He is precious to us, our relationship to God must be at the centre of all we do, both individually and corporately – verse 7. Our wedding rings are precious to us. Can we say Jesus is precious to us? He gives us a love that cannot fail. Paul lost so much when he became a believer – status, income and family. He did not regret it because he found so much, the love of the Lord Jesus Christ also was so precious to him.
The Hope of the World
Genesis 3 and Revelation 22
The bright hope of the future, we have looked at the effects of sin – it was quite horrendous. Here we have hope for mankind to gain access for God. Chapter 3 reminds us God allows us to suffer the consequences of sin but also provides hope for the future and from the full consequences of sin. We must understand the balance of mercy and grace, judgement and hope.
HOPE FOR MANKIND BY JUDGEMENT ON SATAN – verse l4
Adam and Eve’s sin had cosmic consequences. Sundered relationships with God and creation. This is a divine prescription for restoration.
a) God will reverse the disastrous attitude of the woman – verse l5. She will learn who her enemy is. God will reverse this friendship. God puts enmity between Satan and her. She will become the friend of God and the enemy of Satan.
b) He extends this antagonism to both their respective seeds – John 8:44. Satan will have his offspring and so will the woman. There will be a kingdom of Satan and a kingdom of God. They will be at war with war with each other. The children of the woman will fight the evil. There is a conflict, Satan will not get his own way as he did with Adam and Eve.
c) He says there will be perpetual humiliation for the serpent. Dust in the mouth is a figure of defeat and humiliation. Satan will always eat dust – Isaiah 53. Satan is synonymous with the snake. Satan is called that dragon in Revelation. That the snake crawls in the dust indicates Satan has bitten the dust, it is a figure we often use today. Satan had been thrown out of Heaven, his second humiliation was in Eden, he was also humiliated at Calvary. Isaiah paints a picture of harmony and love – Isaiah 65:25 – except the serpents food will be dust, it is his doom.
d) He says there will be a decisive blow that destroys the serpent – verse l5. Satan succeeded in giving him a temporary bruise but He inflicted a death blow, literally crushing Satan’s head. From the children of the woman will come one who crushes Satan’s head. This is the first prophecy of the coming Jesus. This is the fulfilment of this verse – Jesus’ ankle was bruised temporarily but Satan will be caused to be crushed for the final time. Jesus suffered to save his people, in dying he conquered death, he crushed Satan’s head. Romans l6: 20 – we shall finally crush Satan. God says from that woman who offended God will come one who will be bruised but will ultimately crush Satan. We may go through difficult times but we shall crush he who is in the world. God has willed his truth to triumph, his will endures. Christ is the last Adam, he will succeed where Adam failed , he defeated Satan though his foot was bruised. God is still restraining Satan – one day he will be destroyed.
HOPE FOR MANKIND BY FAITH – verse 20
Adam named her life giver – Eve. All was not lost. Adam showed he believed God’s promise. Naming her Eve he showed he believed she would have children and one would be the deliverer. Salvation is now and always has been by faith in God’s promise. We believe in his word and God imputes righteousness to us. Adam believed God – he had one faint promise and he held to it, were Adam and Eve saved? This is evidence they had faith.
HOPE FOR MANKIND BY PROVISION OF COVERING – verse 22
The garments are beyond what was needed for mere clothes. The first clothes were fig leaves, a temporary solution, a desperate attempt to cover up. It is like our attempts to cover up sin, desperate and frail. We all know we have sinned. People try to be charitable or to compare themselves to others. We can never cover up our past. God takes the initiative. Mankind’s attempt to cover sin is like fig leaf clothes. In order to produce leather an animal dies. They learned that without the shedding of blood, there is no adequate covering for sin, but that God would accept the death of an acceptable substitute. An animal died in what had been a paradise where there had been no death. Death is never very pleasant. The death of the animal would have hit them hard, they saw that without the shedding of blood they could not stand in the presence of God. They saw that without the shedding of blood they could not stand in the presence of God. They saw a substitute was needed. If we have sinned we cannot approach God just as we are, we need the death of a substitute for us. We need the death of Jesus to cover our sins.
HOPE FOR MANKIND BY THE TREE OF LIFE – verse q
Adam and Eve were evicted from Eden. Now man knew evil like a cancer patient knows cancer. They entered into a new realm of experience of sin. They would not enter eternal life like that, it would have been hell when you live forever separated from God. They were cast our for their own good. Think of a world where sinners never died, where gangsters, dictators etc never died. God would not let this happen. Adam is barred from Eden by cherubim who are a special class of angels assigned to guard the throne of God. In the temple the curtain leading to the Holy of Holies had cherubim embroidered on to it. Only one man could enter it and only once a year and then with blood. Mankind can enter it ay will. Our inability to access the tree of life is our greatest problem. Nothing more is heard of the Tree of Life until Revelation 22:l. There are no cherubim with flaming swords. Anyone who is needy can come and eat and live forever. How has this happened? When Jesus died on the cross the curtain in the temple with the cherubim on it was torn in two. The message is clear, through Jesus Christ the way to God is now open to all, everywhere, any time. That’s why the Tree of Life appears at the end of the Bible. Christ has opened the door to Heaven, and through him and by him anyone who wants to, can come in. Paradise Lost has now become Paradise Regained. Why will you die when you could live forever.Whatever we have done we now have access to the throne of Heaven. We can return to God through the Lord Jesus. There is a wonderful hope. Satan has been defeated and we can stand before God by faith. When this passing world is done we can go to Heaven. The Tree of Life is Jesus. The Hope of the World.q
The bright hope of the future, we have looked at the effects of sin – it was quite horrendous. Here we have hope for mankind to gain access for God. Chapter 3 reminds us God allows us to suffer the consequences of sin but also provides hope for the future and from the full consequences of sin. We must understand the balance of mercy and grace, judgement and hope.
HOPE FOR MANKIND BY JUDGEMENT ON SATAN – verse l4
Adam and Eve’s sin had cosmic consequences. Sundered relationships with God and creation. This is a divine prescription for restoration.
a) God will reverse the disastrous attitude of the woman – verse l5. She will learn who her enemy is. God will reverse this friendship. God puts enmity between Satan and her. She will become the friend of God and the enemy of Satan.
b) He extends this antagonism to both their respective seeds – John 8:44. Satan will have his offspring and so will the woman. There will be a kingdom of Satan and a kingdom of God. They will be at war with war with each other. The children of the woman will fight the evil. There is a conflict, Satan will not get his own way as he did with Adam and Eve.
c) He says there will be perpetual humiliation for the serpent. Dust in the mouth is a figure of defeat and humiliation. Satan will always eat dust – Isaiah 53. Satan is synonymous with the snake. Satan is called that dragon in Revelation. That the snake crawls in the dust indicates Satan has bitten the dust, it is a figure we often use today. Satan had been thrown out of Heaven, his second humiliation was in Eden, he was also humiliated at Calvary. Isaiah paints a picture of harmony and love – Isaiah 65:25 – except the serpents food will be dust, it is his doom.
d) He says there will be a decisive blow that destroys the serpent – verse l5. Satan succeeded in giving him a temporary bruise but He inflicted a death blow, literally crushing Satan’s head. From the children of the woman will come one who crushes Satan’s head. This is the first prophecy of the coming Jesus. This is the fulfilment of this verse – Jesus’ ankle was bruised temporarily but Satan will be caused to be crushed for the final time. Jesus suffered to save his people, in dying he conquered death, he crushed Satan’s head. Romans l6: 20 – we shall finally crush Satan. God says from that woman who offended God will come one who will be bruised but will ultimately crush Satan. We may go through difficult times but we shall crush he who is in the world. God has willed his truth to triumph, his will endures. Christ is the last Adam, he will succeed where Adam failed , he defeated Satan though his foot was bruised. God is still restraining Satan – one day he will be destroyed.
HOPE FOR MANKIND BY FAITH – verse 20
Adam named her life giver – Eve. All was not lost. Adam showed he believed God’s promise. Naming her Eve he showed he believed she would have children and one would be the deliverer. Salvation is now and always has been by faith in God’s promise. We believe in his word and God imputes righteousness to us. Adam believed God – he had one faint promise and he held to it, were Adam and Eve saved? This is evidence they had faith.
HOPE FOR MANKIND BY PROVISION OF COVERING – verse 22
The garments are beyond what was needed for mere clothes. The first clothes were fig leaves, a temporary solution, a desperate attempt to cover up. It is like our attempts to cover up sin, desperate and frail. We all know we have sinned. People try to be charitable or to compare themselves to others. We can never cover up our past. God takes the initiative. Mankind’s attempt to cover sin is like fig leaf clothes. In order to produce leather an animal dies. They learned that without the shedding of blood, there is no adequate covering for sin, but that God would accept the death of an acceptable substitute. An animal died in what had been a paradise where there had been no death. Death is never very pleasant. The death of the animal would have hit them hard, they saw that without the shedding of blood they could not stand in the presence of God. They saw that without the shedding of blood they could not stand in the presence of God. They saw a substitute was needed. If we have sinned we cannot approach God just as we are, we need the death of a substitute for us. We need the death of Jesus to cover our sins.
HOPE FOR MANKIND BY THE TREE OF LIFE – verse q
Adam and Eve were evicted from Eden. Now man knew evil like a cancer patient knows cancer. They entered into a new realm of experience of sin. They would not enter eternal life like that, it would have been hell when you live forever separated from God. They were cast our for their own good. Think of a world where sinners never died, where gangsters, dictators etc never died. God would not let this happen. Adam is barred from Eden by cherubim who are a special class of angels assigned to guard the throne of God. In the temple the curtain leading to the Holy of Holies had cherubim embroidered on to it. Only one man could enter it and only once a year and then with blood. Mankind can enter it ay will. Our inability to access the tree of life is our greatest problem. Nothing more is heard of the Tree of Life until Revelation 22:l. There are no cherubim with flaming swords. Anyone who is needy can come and eat and live forever. How has this happened? When Jesus died on the cross the curtain in the temple with the cherubim on it was torn in two. The message is clear, through Jesus Christ the way to God is now open to all, everywhere, any time. That’s why the Tree of Life appears at the end of the Bible. Christ has opened the door to Heaven, and through him and by him anyone who wants to, can come in. Paradise Lost has now become Paradise Regained. Why will you die when you could live forever.Whatever we have done we now have access to the throne of Heaven. We can return to God through the Lord Jesus. There is a wonderful hope. Satan has been defeated and we can stand before God by faith. When this passing world is done we can go to Heaven. The Tree of Life is Jesus. The Hope of the World.q
Thursday, 1 November 2007
A healthy apetite helps you grow up.
1 Peter 1 and 2 Peter I
All of us grow up. There are stages of life which mean learning. We progress from childhood to adulthood. It is the same in the Christian life which begins with the New Birth. It has babyhood, and a growing phase where we are pulled all ways. It also has a mature phase where we are more stable. As adults we can behave childishly but we cannot become babies again, we must aim to live as an adult. The normal course for Christians is to grow to maturity in Christ. If we continue in Christ's word we shall be his disciples. We can see two aspects.
1. NEGATIVELY - refuse what retards healthy growth.
There are foul things that destroy friendships, families and churches. As new believers their families ridiculed them, they were no longer pagans going to the temple, immoral living, they must rid themselves of these things, it means putting them off like old clothes and putting on the new life. There are styles that go out of fashion - we must put them off. These things must be thrown away.
a) Malice is wickedness but especially having it in for someone. This is being mean, touchy and abrasive.
b) Deceit involves having ulterior motives in your communications like baiting a hook in fishing.
c) Hypocrisy describes one who pretends to be something he is not. We behave in a different way for different people.
d) Envy means being jealous of another person or their things. Jealousy of other's status and things killed Jesus.
e) Slander means to speak unkindly against someone, we do other people down. The way we treat one another impacts on our relationship with God. This is not for you now. The sins of the tongue are serious. As long as we have wrong attitudes to those around us we will not grow spiritually. When we have wrong attitudes we impede our spiritual health. It does not matter how many meetings we go to, if we fill our minds with this spiritual junk food we shall never grow. We must rid ourselves of these 5 things. We do not need therapy, we need obedience. If we go through life with a scowl we are not obeying God. How can we go round full of self pity if we have tasted how good God is. Never forget how good God was.
2. POSITIVELY - crave God's word the way a baby craves milk.
Babies crave their mother's breast, we should crave spiritual food in the same way. We get hunger pains when we are hungry. Babies cry when they are hungry, you must feed them whatever time of the day it is. As believers we must be hungry for spiritual food.
a) We are hungry for spiritual food - that's natural - Psalm 42:l. We should be naturally drawn to God's word. We need God's word. Our souls should pant for God's word, it brings blessings, comfort and hope.
b) We are to be hungry for pure milk. Milk is good for us and tastes good - we want it. God has designed milk to be desired. We can tell if milk is impure, if it has been watered down. We need rich nutritious healthy milk. We want our Bible to be explained to us, we do not want some weak, diluted word, we want the whole word with nothing missing. Often the word is diluted in many churches to make us feel good, it does make us feel bad sometimes. The word is pure, spiritually pure. Romans 2:l. We cannot know God without having our minds instructed by the Word of God. Religious feelings without truth in the head will do us no good. Something must be known and felt to do us good. The word is nourishing - babies need mother's milk which is nourishing for us. God's word is the staple diet for us today. Mother's milk immunises to a certain extent. God's word immunises us in the same way. We have to be spiritually nourished by God's word in the same way. We should look forward to hearing God's word and applying it so we can resist temptation.
c) We are only going to grow up as we feed well. We cannot grow without God's word. We love to be fed. We will keep feeding because we have tasted how good it is. Psalm 34:8 and ll9:l03. It is a joy when people come eager, expectant, wanting to hear the voice of the Lord. We come and hear God's word feeling low and depressed and go out feeling much refreshed and renewed. We will keep feeding because growth takes time. Preachers love to see that people are interested. They feel disturbed when people appear to be disinterested. We should listen to God's word and expect it to speak to us. No child can grow can grow without food. Romans l0:l7. We can use a study Bible with a commentary to to help us understand. We need to work and make an effort to feed. We have to eat or we won't grow. Sometimes we don't have the appetite to feed, but what requires effort to do most pleases God. We do not know which sermon will bless us most, which words will leap out at us and speak to us. We often seek to feed and be with God and we will grow.
3. DEFINITIVELY - it is God's will for us to grow in Christ.
All of us behave childishly at times. All of us can have retarded development. We often believe we are stuck the way we are. We say genetic forces make us the way we are. We should never have a fatalism.
How is it discerned? Growing in Christ turns knowledge into wisdom, learning from the word humbles. Spiritual maturity has nothing to do with intelligence, age or time, its all to do with spiritual wisdom and grace.
Children have a narrow focus. Spiritual growth makes us mature and have a wider view. Believers similarly as they get older should become more balanced and wise, more sensitive and gracious and more self-controlled. The growth Peter has in mind is in respect of salvation. What he's talking about is increase in the power of the gospel in the heart and life, increasing delight in the author of our salvation. What he's talking about is increase in the joy of our salvation, increase in gratitude for our salvation, and increase in the assurance of our salvation. It is growth begun and sustained by the gospel. We should not be spiritual fatalists, we should not be stuck in a rut. We should feed on pure spiritual milk so we will feel better. Now that we have tasted the word of the Lord, are there those who have not fed on it and digested and obeyed it - known Jesus in a personal way and been saved? Seek the Lord while he may be found.
All of us grow up. There are stages of life which mean learning. We progress from childhood to adulthood. It is the same in the Christian life which begins with the New Birth. It has babyhood, and a growing phase where we are pulled all ways. It also has a mature phase where we are more stable. As adults we can behave childishly but we cannot become babies again, we must aim to live as an adult. The normal course for Christians is to grow to maturity in Christ. If we continue in Christ's word we shall be his disciples. We can see two aspects.
1. NEGATIVELY - refuse what retards healthy growth.
There are foul things that destroy friendships, families and churches. As new believers their families ridiculed them, they were no longer pagans going to the temple, immoral living, they must rid themselves of these things, it means putting them off like old clothes and putting on the new life. There are styles that go out of fashion - we must put them off. These things must be thrown away.
a) Malice is wickedness but especially having it in for someone. This is being mean, touchy and abrasive.
b) Deceit involves having ulterior motives in your communications like baiting a hook in fishing.
c) Hypocrisy describes one who pretends to be something he is not. We behave in a different way for different people.
d) Envy means being jealous of another person or their things. Jealousy of other's status and things killed Jesus.
e) Slander means to speak unkindly against someone, we do other people down. The way we treat one another impacts on our relationship with God. This is not for you now. The sins of the tongue are serious. As long as we have wrong attitudes to those around us we will not grow spiritually. When we have wrong attitudes we impede our spiritual health. It does not matter how many meetings we go to, if we fill our minds with this spiritual junk food we shall never grow. We must rid ourselves of these 5 things. We do not need therapy, we need obedience. If we go through life with a scowl we are not obeying God. How can we go round full of self pity if we have tasted how good God is. Never forget how good God was.
2. POSITIVELY - crave God's word the way a baby craves milk.
Babies crave their mother's breast, we should crave spiritual food in the same way. We get hunger pains when we are hungry. Babies cry when they are hungry, you must feed them whatever time of the day it is. As believers we must be hungry for spiritual food.
a) We are hungry for spiritual food - that's natural - Psalm 42:l. We should be naturally drawn to God's word. We need God's word. Our souls should pant for God's word, it brings blessings, comfort and hope.
b) We are to be hungry for pure milk. Milk is good for us and tastes good - we want it. God has designed milk to be desired. We can tell if milk is impure, if it has been watered down. We need rich nutritious healthy milk. We want our Bible to be explained to us, we do not want some weak, diluted word, we want the whole word with nothing missing. Often the word is diluted in many churches to make us feel good, it does make us feel bad sometimes. The word is pure, spiritually pure. Romans 2:l. We cannot know God without having our minds instructed by the Word of God. Religious feelings without truth in the head will do us no good. Something must be known and felt to do us good. The word is nourishing - babies need mother's milk which is nourishing for us. God's word is the staple diet for us today. Mother's milk immunises to a certain extent. God's word immunises us in the same way. We have to be spiritually nourished by God's word in the same way. We should look forward to hearing God's word and applying it so we can resist temptation.
c) We are only going to grow up as we feed well. We cannot grow without God's word. We love to be fed. We will keep feeding because we have tasted how good it is. Psalm 34:8 and ll9:l03. It is a joy when people come eager, expectant, wanting to hear the voice of the Lord. We come and hear God's word feeling low and depressed and go out feeling much refreshed and renewed. We will keep feeding because growth takes time. Preachers love to see that people are interested. They feel disturbed when people appear to be disinterested. We should listen to God's word and expect it to speak to us. No child can grow can grow without food. Romans l0:l7. We can use a study Bible with a commentary to to help us understand. We need to work and make an effort to feed. We have to eat or we won't grow. Sometimes we don't have the appetite to feed, but what requires effort to do most pleases God. We do not know which sermon will bless us most, which words will leap out at us and speak to us. We often seek to feed and be with God and we will grow.
3. DEFINITIVELY - it is God's will for us to grow in Christ.
All of us behave childishly at times. All of us can have retarded development. We often believe we are stuck the way we are. We say genetic forces make us the way we are. We should never have a fatalism.
How is it discerned? Growing in Christ turns knowledge into wisdom, learning from the word humbles. Spiritual maturity has nothing to do with intelligence, age or time, its all to do with spiritual wisdom and grace.
Children have a narrow focus. Spiritual growth makes us mature and have a wider view. Believers similarly as they get older should become more balanced and wise, more sensitive and gracious and more self-controlled. The growth Peter has in mind is in respect of salvation. What he's talking about is increase in the power of the gospel in the heart and life, increasing delight in the author of our salvation. What he's talking about is increase in the joy of our salvation, increase in gratitude for our salvation, and increase in the assurance of our salvation. It is growth begun and sustained by the gospel. We should not be spiritual fatalists, we should not be stuck in a rut. We should feed on pure spiritual milk so we will feel better. Now that we have tasted the word of the Lord, are there those who have not fed on it and digested and obeyed it - known Jesus in a personal way and been saved? Seek the Lord while he may be found.
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