Post by Gaz on Aug 18, 2020 15:11:16 GMT 10
Gaz’s, Sunday sermon on Wednesday. 26/02/20
I was just sitting watching the news after mowing the grass. Corona virus, flooding, violence in India and it goes on and on.
One of the people in Italy was in lock down for 14 days but only has enough food for a few days and is nearly out of heart medication.
Whether or not the Virus has more out breaks in Australia or not, we will still fell the economic backlash from the rest of the world. The stock markets will continue to fall, goods from infected countries will not get to Australia and food will become expensive and sparse. And I have not mention fuel.
If you have not at least 3 months worth of food put up…I am not going to pick on you. We love you and care enough to say something. This may not be the end of the world, but it is a wake up call.
Working hard to have a life in this world is not living it’s just existing. Better to have less with joy, than trying to keep up with this world.
Believers in Jesus Christ are simply in the world—physically present—but not of it, not part of its values (John 17:14-15). As believers, we should be set apart from the world. This is the meaning of being holy and living a holy, righteous life—to be set apart. We are not to engage in the sinful activities the world promotes, nor are we to retain the insipid, corrupt mind that the world creates. Rather, we are to conform ourselves, and our minds, to that of Jesus Christ (Romans 12:1-2). This is a daily activity and commitment.
We must also understand that being in the world, but not of it, is necessary if we are to be a light to those who are in spiritual darkness. We are to live in such a way that those outside the faith see our good deeds and our manner and know that there is something “different” about us. Christian’s who make every effort to live, think and act like those who do not know Christ do Him a great disservice. Even the heathen knows that “by their fruits you shall know them,” and as Christians, we should exhibit the fruit of the Spirit within us.
Being “in” the world also means we can enjoy the things of the world, such as the beautiful creation God has given us, but we are not to immerse ourselves in what the world values, nor are we to chase after worldly pleasures. Pleasure is no longer our calling in life, as it once was, but rather the worship of God.
What I believe for this time is to even take ourselves away from the worldly system, being apart from them may be a frightening concept but it is how God wanted us to live, together in fellowship with Him and each other.
Some people will be called to live among them. Some will be called to give up their lives as a witness. Some of us have been called to provide a sanctuary for others who will not take the mark or bow the knee to the antichrist.
When we live day to day with no happiness just getting up, going to work and living for the weekend, then maybe you need a sea change with Jesus.
Life IS hard. It is harder for some than for others, but we all must cope with being imperfect people in an imperfect world. Accidents, disasters, illness, heartache, and loss—the ways that the human heart can suffer are myriad. Even Jesus agreed that life is hard, but He didn’t stop there. He said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Life was never supposed to be hard. When God created the world and placed the first man and woman in it, life was perfect (Genesis 1–2). Bodies were perfect. The temperature was perfect. The first couple’s relationship was perfect, and they had everything they needed or wanted. They even had the presence of God with them. They lived in paradise.
Enter sin (Genesis 3). When Adam and Eve chose their own way over God’s, everything changed. Perfection was marred, and life became hard. As a result of humanity’s disobedience, God cursed the perfect world He had made so that it turned on the man and woman. Thistles sprouted where flowerbeds had been. Food was no longer available everywhere they looked. They must now forage, plant, struggle, and reap in order to survive. Sin ruined everything. Now “the whole creation groans” (Romans 8:22, NAS), and we groan with it.
Sin still affects our world, and life is still hard. Sin has a ripple effect that carries its destruction to others. Consider this example: a man gets drunk. That’s one sin (Proverbs 20:1). He comes home and beats his wife and children: more sin. His wife suffers a broken nose that will cause her difficulties for the rest of her life. The children are so traumatized that they run away, eventually getting involved in drugs and prostitution. More sin. One son gets in his car and, under the influence of drugs, ignores a stop sign and slams into a bus, killing six people. Their families will now grieve the loss for the rest of their lives, and their pain in various ways will affect others. The fallout from one sin continues to spread, impacting countless other people who then impact other people, and the legacy goes on. That’s only one sin. Multiply that by tens of millions, and we start to understand why the world is so messed up and life is so hard.
Another reason life is so hard is that this is not our final home. Those who belong to Jesus are here on visitor’s passes. We became citizens of another kingdom the moment God adopted us into His family (John 1:12). We are ambassadors, here on assignment for our Father, the King of kings (2 Corinthians 5:20). We’re not supposed to feel at home in this world. We don’t belong here, so it’s only natural that we often feel like aliens and strangers (Hebrews 11:13). Life is hard many times because those who’ve been redeemed and transformed by Jesus Christ live with a deep yearning to go home (2 Corinthians 5:17). But as obedient children we remain faithful to our assignments until our Father calls for us.
When life is hard, it is a reminder that this world is not our final destination. As difficult as circumstances may be, Paul called them “light and momentary troubles” (2 Corinthians 4:17). Paul and many of the first-century Christians knew how hard life was in ways that most of us never will (2 Corinthians 11:23–29). Some of their struggles are showcased in Hebrews 11, a chapter that reminds us that, as hard as our lives are, many have it worse.
As we grow through troubles, we develop the character of Christ—who also struggled much during His time on earth (Isaiah 53:3). His example of selflessness, endurance, and trust in God is an example to us: “Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:3).
Life is hard, but Christ is our advocate (1 John 2:1), our intercessor who pleads our case to the Father. He knows what it feels like to struggle through difficulty, depression, fear, heartache, and the host of human situations that make life so hard (Hebrews 4:15). Life is hard, but the Holy Spirit is our comforter who helps us and stays with us forever (John 14:16).
Life is hard, but it is brief. Compared to eternity, our earthly lives are like a mist that vanishes with the morning sun (James 4:14). What we do during this time on earth affects the rest of eternity. We can grow bitter, hard, and waste our struggles. Or we can endure (James 1:2–4), grow, learn faith, develop compassion for others who are struggling, and wait for our final reward. At that time, we will hear our Saviour say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord!” (Matthew 25:21)
The Bible makes it abundantly clear that God created man and that He created him for His glory (Isaiah 43:7). Therefore, the ultimate purpose of man, according to the Bible, is simply to glorify God.
A harder question to answer, perhaps, is what does it look like to glorify God? In Psalm 100:2–3, we’re told to worship God with gladness and “know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” Part of what it looks like to glorify God is to acknowledge who God is (our Creator, for starters) and to praise and worship Him as such.
We fulfil our purpose of glorifying God also by living our lives in relationship and faithful service to Him (1 Samuel 12:24; John 17:4). Since God created man in His image (Genesis 1:26–27), man’s purpose cannot be fulfilled apart from Him. King Solomon tried living for his own pleasure, yet at the end of his life he concluded that the only worthwhile life is one of honour and obedience to God (Ecclesiastes 12:13–14).
In our fallen state, sin separates us from God and makes it impossible to glorify Him on our own. But through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, our relationship with God is reconciled—our sin is forgiven and no longer creates a barrier between God and us (Romans 3:23–24).
Interestingly, we are able to glorify God because He gave us glory first. David writes in Psalm 8:4–6, “What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honour. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet.” (This is also repeated in Hebrews 2:6–8.) This verse reveals another purpose that God has given man: dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:28–29). Again, though, this can only be properly fulfilled through a right relationship with God.
The more we get to know our Creator and the more we love Him (Matthew 22:37–38), the better we understand who we are and what our purpose is. We were created to bring Him glory. God has unique plans and purposes for each person (Psalm 139:13–16), but we can know that, whatever those plans look like, they will ultimately result in His glory (Proverbs 3:6; 1 Corinthians 10:31).
In John 15:16 Jesus says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.” Ephesians 1:4 says, “He chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.” First Peter 2:9 says, “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” It is undeniable that God has chosen those who are believers in Jesus. But why? Is there something special about me that led God to choose me? The short answer is, no, God did not choose us because of anything inherent in ourselves. He chose us out of His love and mercy, and for His glory.
Ephesians 1 goes on to say, “In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves” (verses 5–6). We see that God’s choosing of us is linked to His love. God’s choice is something that gives Him pleasure and brings Him praise. God’s choosing of us highlights His gracious character, not our merit. As we know from Ephesians 2:8–9, we are not saved because of our good works but solely because of God’s grace. We are all sinners who fail to measure up to God’s glory (Romans 3:23). Apart from Jesus all deserve death (Romans 6:23). But in Jesus we can have life. It is not because of who we are that God chooses us but because of whom He is. As 1 Peter 2:9 indicates, the proper response to being chosen by God is to declare God’s praise and give Him worship.
God also chose us so that we could join in His work in the world. Ephesians 2:10 says God has prepared good works in advance for us to do. Jesus spoke of His followers’ bearing fruit that would last. Ephesians 1:4 links election to being holy and blameless in God’s sight. God chose us because He has a purpose in mind for our lives.
The Old Testament focuses on Israel as God’s chosen people (Deuteronomy 7:6). In Deuteronomy 7:7–9 Moses tells the children of Israel why God chose them: “The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.” Once again, we see that God’s choice is not based on the merit of a particular person or nation, but solely on His love and faithfulness.
Just as God chose Israel out of love and not because of something impressive about the nation, God chooses us out of love. As 1 John 3:1 says, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” Why did God choose me? Because of His great love, His lavish love.
The doctrine of predestination is difficult to grasp. We naturally tend to think that those who are predestined are chosen because of some merit of their own. After all, that is how we tend to choose. We remember picking teams for P.E.—everyone chooses the tallest, fastest, most athletic, most popular, etc., to be on their team. But God is not like that. His criterion for choosing is not based on us. “Consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world . . . God chose what is weak in the world . . . God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not . . . so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus” (1 Corinthians 1:26–30, ESV).
Why did God choose me? He chose you to demonstrate His character. He chose you that you may know Him and love Him. He chose you because He is love (1 John 4:8), He is gracious, He is merciful, and He has a glorious plan for you.
Why have I written this?
God is, was and will always be, prepared for everything in advance, from before creation to the New heaven and new earth, where we will all be together with the Lord, forever and ever Amen.
So the least thing we can do to honour God is be prepared for all things, the best we can. And our Lord God will be with us always.
Amen and Amen.