my ramblings for this week

Walking in freedom everyday, Hebrew 5 v 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant us have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Talking about maturity, so here is a couple of terribly immature jokes!
The Lone Ranger and Tonto walked into a bar and sat down to drink a beer. After a few minutes, a big tall cowboy walked in and said "Who owns the big white horse outside?" The Lone Ranger stood up, hitched his gun belt, and said, "I do...Why?" The cowboy looked at the Lone Ranger and said, "I just thought you'd like to know that your horse is about dead outside!" The Lone Ranger and Tonto rushed outside and sure enough Silver was ready to die from heat exhaustion. The Lone Ranger got the horse water and soon Silver was starting to feel a little better. The Lone Ranger turned to Tonto and said, "Tonto, I want you to run around Silver and see if you can create enough of a breeze to make him start to feel better." Tonto said, "Sure, Kemosabe" and took off running circles around Silver.Not able to do anything else but wait, the Lone Ranger returned to the bar to finish his drink.A few minutes later, another cowboy struts into the bar and asks, "Who owns that big white horse outside?"The Lone Ranger stands again, and claims, "I do, what's wrong with him this time?" The cowboy looks him in the eye and says, "Nothing, but you left your Injun runnin'."
A mechanic who worked out of his home had a dog named Mace. Mace had a bad habit of eating all the grass on the mechanic's lawn, so the mechanic had to keep Mace inside. The grass eventually became overgrown. One day the mechanic was working on a car in the backyard and dropped his wrench, losing it in the tall grass. He couldn't find it for the life of him, so he decided to call it a day.That night, Mace escaped from the house and ate all the grass in the backyard. The next morning the mechanic went outside and saw his wrench glinting in the sunlight. Realizing what had happened he looked toward the heavens and proclaimed, "A grazing Mace, how sweet the hound, that saved a wrench for me

Growing to maturity Growth should be our natural state, should never stop growing! we are not expected to be instantly mature, many do not progress beyond the baby state, a church of mature Christians is an asset to any town, but a church full of old Christians without maturing has trouble on his hands! 1 cor 3 :1-3 Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not worldly? Still had a pattern of sin in their lives, jealousy and quarrelling, they still had a long way to go. New Christians are not expected to be instantly mature, just not able, the flesh is still at work in them, conflicts are still at work in them. These boys are not new Christians though, after a good length of time, still not ready for solid food, Paul is saying this is abnormal, at least it is supposed to be, in our churches today in the west it has become the norm.
Any Christian can become an old Christian it just takes time! Any Christian can become a mature Christian, but many do not! Babies are cute, but if they continue to act like babies as they grow up they become a lot less attractive! Wanting maturity is not enough, even if a wee one wants solid food, if the stomach is not ready, the swallowed food will come right back up! Today’s sermon is to help us understand what makes us unable to digest solid spiritual food so we can remove these barriers and actively grow with God in maturity.
Barriers to maturity not taking hold of our spiritual freedom, need to accept Christ! His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 2 Peter 1:3, you have all you need! When you confess, repent, walk with God, you are taking hold of the life and the Godliness God has give to you! As you grow you give those things in your life that hold you back to God, you give them to God and you are released from the slavery/bondage you find yourself in as you give your life to God! Freedom in Christ is not maturity, freedom can occur in a very short time, maturity takes a lifetime!
Maturity a process of growth that continues throughout our lives as we apply ourselves to knowing God and his word. However freedom is a position we take in response to Christ’s victory over sin and satan. We are either free or bound in any area of our lives; we grow in freedom when we take the authority we have in Christ and we realise where we have been deceived and bound.
Yet freedom and maturity are linked, if we don’t accept freedom we cannot mature, this is the Corinthian Church’s problem, they had not dealt with their jealousy and fighting, so they are unable to move on. No amount of wanting to mature or trying to mature could help with the footholds that the enemy had in their lives.
Not taking personal responsibility if you had to help a friend with a problem like the Corinthian church, you may say “I’ll pray for you in your problems” Paul didn’t, in fact he didn’t do anything directly, Why not? Because he couldn’t! What was required was confession, repentance, submission to Christ and resisting the devil, they had to do it themselves, all he could do was help them see the truth and it was up to them whether they chose to act or not. It would be lovely if all we had to do was ask for someone to pray for us and all our problems would be fixed. But faith and repentance are needed and no one else can repent and believe for you, no one can forgive for you, no one else can submit to God for you. Other people are great, they can encourage, love support us, but we are responsible for our relationship with God, no one else. Throughout NT, it is the individual who has to take action when there is a problem in their walk with God we have to choose for ourselves to take God at his word and stand firm It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Gal 5v 1 you have to decide to stand firm, no one else can do it for you, then you can grow in maturity. You have all you need to grow with God, half the battle is understanding that, we have everything we need in Christ. the only thing that can prevent you from growing in your faith is you! Ultimate question is, will you believe what God tells us is true or will you trust your own feelings? We won’t grow until we take God at his word, even when our feelings scream at us that it’s not true, it takes effort and commitment.
Not knowing the basic truths you are righteous! Writer to the Hebrews, another block in growing In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil., the result is the same, immaturity, they are not stuck in sin, they don’t seem to get the truth, that they are righteous, they are still going in the circles over old issues and never making progress. They needed to hear what we need to hear and believe, that in Christ we are completely righteous, we are saints, there is nothing more to do. “on what basis can you stand before God?” maybe give a good head answer…..but do you believe in your heart or do you think you need to do a good job before god accepts you, do you still feel dirty, useless? Do your own thoughts condemn you even though the truth is that God never condemns the believer? Romans 8:1 believe the truth!
Faulty thinking Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. How do we leave elementary teaching behind? By realising what makes us pleasing to God, you know what that is? Not what you do, not what you say, but what Jesus has done on the cross, that is it, God sees you as acceptable, more as a saint, because of what Jesus did for you on the cross. Nevertheless there are still barriers in us, strongholds we need to break down! We have weapons though
2 Cor 10:4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We have to fight, we are to wield the weapons God gives us, which takes application and effort, our main weapon is the truth, which is the bible, you are significant, accepted and restored, Your father God loves you, and in him we are saints.
Breaking faulty thinking takes time and effort, replace lies with the truth, let the word of God seep into you, the only way you do that is by regular watering with the word, think of that plant that you need to water everyday, when you don’t it shrivels and dies………………..
Not training ourselves to distinguish good and evil Heb 5:14 we grow in spiritual discernment by becoming intimately acquainted with the truth, we have to train ourselves to discern good from evil, so we sense when something is not right, identifying forged notes, the are not shown forgeries, they get to know the genuine ones so much better, they know the true notes so well they can spot a fake in a heartbeat, same for us, we become so familiar with the truth of God, we recognise the lies of the world and the enemy straight away.
How do we grow then? Uncovering lies this series of sermons or the house groups have shown the lies you have held to, when you forgive you find not defeat as the devil would try to tell you, but release, we fear that if the things we have held onto for so long are let go of, we will crumble, we need to banish those fears, we will be free to grow and mature as Christians. When you uncover the lies you have to deal with them
Stronghold busting determine the lie, seek out bible verses, write the truth down, write a prayer declaration “ I renounce the lie that……………, I announce the truth that…………………..” read the verses, say the prayer/declaration everyday for 40 days, coffee pot, next to water jug, word of God
Wrecking ball- 37, 38, 39, 40, but all the rest made a difference too!
A long term view Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Phil 3 v 13-14, take baby steps, then before you know it you will be walking your walk with God, you will be running with God! Have a long term plan! Deal with one area at a time, think about where you could be in a years time!
Practical steps read devotional, be accountable to someone.
Boy lifting stones, couldn’t manage the big one, Dad comes over did you use all your strength? Yes, no you didn’t you didn’t ask me! You are a product of Christ on the cross, use your father’s strength, find freedom, grow and mature in Jesus

and some more

Sermon notes
The need to forgive, why? Hurt ourselves, give the devil a foothold, if you forgive you will not give the enemy a chance to outwits us, for we are not unaware of his schemes,2cor2
-mental torment
-nothing keeps you in chains more than unwillingness to forgive
Nothing stops a church growing more, than bitterness, unforgiveness, pride


Think of the worst thing anybody ever did to you, why should you forgive that? Required by God (Matt 6 v 9-15) This,then, is how you should pray:Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts,as we forgive our debtors. Your relationship with God is bound to others
If you can’t forgive, you can’t have true freedom in Christ. relate to others as God relates to us. For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. God is judge and Father destiny secure, your daily victory is at stake


Essential for freedom (Matt 18 v 21-35) Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Pocket calculator, 78, blow brains out. Rather continue to forgive for your own sake, God doesn’t want you in bondage and bitterness because of your past
The extent of our own debt (Luke 7:47)
Pharisee Simon, woman washes feet with tears, £500, £50, who would love more? Those who have been forgiven much love much, those forgiven little love little. Our best is like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) forgiven much affects our capacity to love others.repayment is impossible Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.
As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
Ten thousand talents, millions, Jesus saying repayment is not an option, another way has to be found. Your debt to God was far to large 2 repay
-Mercy is required The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.'
Understanding concepts
Justice- giving people what they deserve
Mercy- not giving people what they deserve, we are to be merciful, as God is merciful, in other words we are not to give others what they deserve
Grace- Giving people what they don’t deserve, we have to go further, begins with us and God
Freely you have received free you must give, we relate to others in the same way God relates to us.
So lets see what the servant does v 28 "But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded. 3 months wages, not trivial debt, but much less than his!
The need to forgive
His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
"Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I cancelled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?‘ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. TORTURE, spiritual torment
"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."
So that no advantage be taken of us
(2 Cor 2 v 10-11) I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, 11in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes. Do not let him get a foothold
What does it mean to forgive from the heart? Not being British, not quick and forgotten
I choose to forgive……………
For (what they specifically did to me) which made me feel……………
The crisis of forgiveness
-Forgiveness must be extended to others, Jesus said if we come to church, and remember, we need to leave our offering and be reconciled, by confessing we are in the wrong, asking forgiveness and making it right
If we have offended we go to make amends, but if someone offends us we go to God.
-the crisis of forgiveness is actually between God and us
-Why forgive? To stop the pain. You may say “you don’t know how much hurt has been caused” they are still hurting you!
_woman who has been left by her husband for another woman “I will never forgive” who does it hurt? Not him. Fisherman. Hook, leave it in?
When we forgive we may think we are letting them off the hook, but by not forgiving we are the ones on the hook in pain, never getting free!
What is forgiveness?
-Not forgetting, God forgets? No he says I will remember no more, I will put it far away, I will not dredge up the past against you! Husband/wife argument, I am not forgiving you, you can’t forgive simply by forgiving
-Not tolerating sin, wife/children suffering abuse, be submissive? Nope! Woman and abusive mother
Not seeking revenge, I want to have the satisfaction of hating that so and so, you lose, on the same level as the abuser. You say “I want revenge” what does God say Rom 12:19, “leave it to me”, let them off your hook, but they are not off God’s hook -Where is the justice? The cross, for all sins, either Christ will pay, or they will
God will settle all accounts, when you forgive you give it all to God to take it
What is forgiveness -Resolving to live with the consequences of another’s sin.
If you are to forgive like Christ how did he forgive? He took our sins upon himself, in a sense we have to do the same, forgiveness is to live with someone else’s sin “not fair” nope but we are to do it anyway, (Adam), our choice is to do it with bondage of bitterness or freedom of forgiveness
Forgiveness is to set a captive free, and then you realise that you are the captive!
-forgiveness is between you and God, he commands you to love because he has forgiven you! He knows bitterness ruins you and others, and miss out on the 10:10 life. Not about right and wrong, rather clearing the rubbish and walking away, for your sake, not the person who hurt you.
We can only do it with the power of God by the holy Spirit, can we just ask him to show us who we need to forgive and let him work through us to do so?
“Lord will you please show us if there is someone we need to forgive in order to walk in the freedom you have won for us, Lord in your power help us forgive and go before us in our walk with you, thank you Lord, Amen.

been a wee while!

Sermon notes
One of my favourite programmes is grand designs, Kevin, started going back to houses they have visited, reminded me of ground force they started going back to the gardens after a year, to see how well the gardens which they transformed have fared after a year. This garden was in Milton Keynes, personally I thought the woman didn't deserve to have her garden done up in the first place, she was so ungrateful. Anyway Charlie Dimmock goes back after a year with the cameras and they look to see how everything is growing. They knock on the door and the woman comes
'O it's a bad time, she say's, you've caught me out, I haven't been doing the gardening.' 'We have come to see how you have been looking after that beautiful garden which we entrusted to you'
Inside the lovely gazebo that the Groundforce Team had built is a pile of sand dumped in a corner. The borders haven't been cultivated since the previous autumn and everywhere is a mess. Unlike the feigned surprise on the faces of people when they come home to discover their new garden, these return visits really are a surprise. We know this because if she had known that they were coming, she would surely have done her hair, let alone cut the grass in the garden which looked equally a mess. Caught out she was, surprised!
The resurrection of Jesus, we are told, was equally a surprise for his disciples. They were not expecting him to return. They were caught off their guard and instead of being prepared and ready for Jesus they had let everything go. Even worse when Thomas got the tip off to say that Jesus had risen and was alive, he still refused to believe. The reaction of Thomas when he was told about Jesus was not one of, 'Hang on, I had better get ready to meet him' Rather he is sceptical and unbelieving, an attitude characteristic of many people today. We could say that in many ways Thomas was born 2000 ahead of his time.
Doubting Thomas reflects a pervasive 21st century hesitation when it comes to matters of faith. Sometimes there is not a flat denial of truth but a mentality that is sceptical, suspicious, and demanding of hard evidence. This is not a closed mind really, but one open to the truth only after it has been fully proved and makes human sense. We might sympathise with Thomas and his demand for physical proof before he accepted anything of what had been said to him. Human report was not enough, he had to see it for himself. However for those who are sceptical, no amount of proof will ever be enough.
But Jesus had faith in his disciples, he didn’t have any other plan, but he left them with the Holy Spirit, not to be part of a holier than thou club, or enjoy lots of spiritual experiences, but rather that they can do in and for the world what Jesus did in Israel, show them who the messiah is, he has faith in us too.
Faith is undoubtedly a risk, a gamble. Yet in refusing to believe what was said about Jesus by those who had met him, to refuse to believe without the possibility of placing his fingers in the holes in Christ's body, Thomas was of course taking a risk. To believe or not to believe, both are risks and require faith.
· 1. To believe in Jesus as God incarnate, dead and then risen requires faith.
· 2. But equally, to say that Christ is dead, to dispute the personal testimony of history and the church and millions of believers, also requires faith.
As an example—Stephen Hawking, the Cambridge scientist, claims there is no God, but make no mistake, this is not an objective scientific assessment. He has so many unanswered questions himself, the most important questions he fails to even try to answer. He is not able to suggest where the carbons and gases and basic building blocks of life came from. Rather it is his statement of his personal belief when he says that there is no God. He is saying
'I believe that the creative processes of the world were accidental, that the world was made through cosmic accident, but whereas I don't know where the basic components came from I am sure it was not from a power bigger than I can understand. '
Important ! In actual fact this position runs contrary to the weight of evidence. The precise nature of the universe, the witness and testimony of Christians throughout the ages and across the world.
Our message is simple, it is this, Jesus is the messiah, the Son of God, everyone who believes in him will have eternal life, that was Jesus’ message, believe in him and have life, we need to accept that, we need to tell others too. It is not rocket science
Stephen Hawkings eminent scientist, did an advert for SpecSavers, Hawking takes a ride around the planets. He sees the wonder of the universe the colours of the galaxy and the size and beauty of it all and he expresses his delight at creation. And yet this is a man who claims that there is no God. Confronted by the most wonderful aspects of nature, Hawking speaks about how nice his new glasses are from SpecSavers—and yet he has no spiritual vision whatsoever. Sadly, you cannot go down to the local opticians and buy a pair of specs, which will open the spiritual blindness of those without faith. This is one of the mysteries of the universe. How can people look at the wonder of the world and attribute it all to accident? Even the chaotic parts of the world, the sickness, the times when nature goes out of control, even these bits seem to confirm the concept of a benevolent creator, because they seem to run contrary to the natural and expected pattern which is so full of the order designed and intrinsic to all that we see.
Faith cannot be bought. In one sense it is a great leveller even before death. If you haven't got it then nobody can give it to you. Your parents can't leave it in a will, you can't inherit or bequeath it. You can't buy it or give it away. Its not for the rich or the poor, you may have all the wealth in the world and yet still be unable to have the vision granted by faith. How sad, for it is this one thing—faith—and faith alone which transforms the created order in which we live from a giant cosmic meaningless accident, and makes sense of it all. Like Thomas we may be unprepared for the knock on the door. We may be unprepared to consider the existence of that which we cannot see or touch. Yet we know in our hearts that there is so much more to life than can be seen with the eye or proven with mathematical equations. Love for example cannot be weighed or measured, but it is the most powerful force in the universe and likely the most important need in our lives. Without faith we are restricted in what we can see, it is only with the vision of faith that all things are revealed.
Jesus praises those who see with faith and called them blessed.
So is faith something over which we have no control? Are we damned at birth never to be able to believe? No, the requirement for faith is a willingness to trust, Jesus said that we must become like children, children will trust. And if we are prepared to take that risk and open ourselves to the possibility of being surprised by God, then that faith will expand our vision. I remember wearing glasses for the first time, they weren't SpecSavers, but I walked out of the opticians and could see individual leaves on trees and the lines of mortar in brick walls. Faith is like putting on spectacles and seeing things clearly for the first time. Faith can open our live and allow Gods miracles to come true.
Conclusion
Thomas is the only one to declare that Jesus is God, he is the one, he is the messiah, there is no one after him he is it, so we have to make a choice, to trust no matter what, and enjoy what God has in store, or coast along, with our doubts gnawing our faith away to nothing, we shrivel and die and the hundreds and thousands that we could influence with the gospel go to hell happily not knowing what they have missed.
So today ask yourself if your vision is limited by the 'show me' culture of Thomas. We may have doubts, even Calvin allowed that Christians will have questions and doubts as a normal part of their belief, there is lots which we do not know or understand. But are we prepared to be surprised by God? And those of us who have accepted the presence of the risen Christ, then have we still the capacity to believe in miracles for others and ourselves. Are we prepared to trust in him who loves us? To trust and love no matter what?
There is the very real possibility that the risen Christ might turn up unexpectedly like a member of the Groundforce Team, even this day, asks to see how well we are tending to that which has been entrusted to us.

does god heal today?

Does God Heal Today?

Bill Thomson, Lynne Neville, Linden Webster, Donna mack, all healed
I don’t know why I was so surprised, but I was. At university I studied the whole thing about miracles, why does God heal some and not others? Never got the answer, but you know what God does heal today, but I was still very sceptical until I met the woman who became my wife who had her broken back healed, all the theology, all the smart intellectual ideas, dissolved when I met it with my own eyes, I continue to meet that nearly everyday in my Christian life
My attitude during university reflects the fear and scepticism many of us in the twenty-first century bring to the subject of healing. I decided to reread the Bible to try to understand what it said about healing. Of course, God heals with the co-operation of doctors, nurses and the whole medical profession. But the more I have looked, the more convinced I am that we should also expect God to heal miraculously today.
Healing in the Bible
In the Old Testament we find God’s promises to bring healing and health to his people if they obey him (eg, Exodus 23:25-26; Deuteronomy 28; Psalm 41). Indeed, it is in his character to heal, for he says, ‘I am the Lord who heals you’ (Exodus 15:26). We also find several examples of miraculous healing (eg, 1 Kings 13:6; 2 Kings 4:8-37; Isaiah 38).
One of the most striking examples is the healing of Naaman, the commander of the army of the King of Aram, who had leprosy. God healed him after he had reluctantly dipped himself seven times in the River Jordan. ‘His flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy’ (2 Kings 5:14), and he recognised the God of Israel to be the only true God. Elisha, who had instructed him, refused the payment that Naaman offered (although his servant Gehazi made the fatal mistake of trying, deceitfully, to get money for himself as a result of the healing). We see, first, from this story that healing can have a remarkable effect on a person’s life – not just physically, but also in their relationship with God. Healing and faith can go hand in hand. Secondly, if God acted in this way in the Old Testament, when there were only glimpses of the kingdom of God and the outpouring of the Spirit, we can confidently expect that he will do so, even more, now that Jesus has inaugurated the kingdom of God and the age of the Spirit
The first recorded words of Jesus in Mark’s Gospel are, ‘the time has come . . . The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!’ (Mark 1:15). The theme of the kingdom of God is central to the ministry of Jesus.
The Greek word for ‘kingdom’, basileia, is a translation of the Aramaic malkuth, which was in all probability the expression that Jesus used. It means not only ‘kingdom’ in the sense of a political or geographical realm, but also carries the notion of activity – the activity of ruling or reigning. Thus ‘the kingdom of God’ means ‘the rule and reign of God’.
In the teaching of Jesus, the kingdom of God has a future aspect, which will only be fulfilled with a decisive event at ‘the end of the age’ (Matthew 13:49). For example, in one of the parables of the kingdom, he speaks of a coming harvest at the end of the age when ‘the Son of Man . . . will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil . . . Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father’ (Matthew 13:24-43). The end of the age will come when Jesus returns. When he came the first time, he came in weakness; when he returns, he will come ‘with power and great glory’ (Matthew 24:30).
History is moving towards this climax with the glorious coming of Jesus Christ (Matthew 25:31). In all, there are over 300 references in the New Testament to the second coming of Christ. When he returns it will be obvious to all. History, as we know it, will end. There will be a universal resurrection and a Day of Judgement. For some (those who reject Christ), it will be a day of destruction (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9); for others, it will be a day of receiving their inheritance in the kingdom of God (Matthew 25:34). There will be a new heaven and a new earth (2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1). Jesus himself will be there (Revelation 21:22-23) and so will all who love and obey him. It will be a place of intense happiness, which goes on for ever (1 Corinthians 2:9). We shall have new bodies, which are imperishable and glorious (1Corinthians 15:42-43). There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain (Revelation 21:4). All who believe will be totally healed on that day.
On the other hand, there is a present aspect to the kingdom of God in the teaching and activity of Jesus. We see the signs, the dawning, the budding of the approaching kingdom. Jesus told the Pharisees, ‘The kingdom of God is among you’ (Luke 17:20-21). In his parable of the hidden treasure and the pearl (Matthew 13:44-46), Jesus suggests that the kingdom is something that can be discovered and experienced in this age. Throughout the Gospels it is clear that Jesus saw his ministry as the fulfilment of the Old Testament promises in history. In the synagogue at Nazareth, Jesus read the prophecy from Isaiah 61:1-2 and asserted, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing’ (Luke 4:21). He went on to demonstrate this present reality of the kingdom by all that he did during his ministry, in the forgiveness of sins, the suppression of evil and the healing of the sick.
The kingdom is both ‘now’ and ‘not yet’. The Jewish expectation was that the Messiah would immediately inaugurate a completed kingdom Jesus’ teaching was a modification of this.
We live between the times, when the age to come has broken into history. The old age goes on, but the powers of the new age have erupted into this age. The future kingdom has broken into history. Jesus preached the kingdom of God. He also demonstrated its breaking into history by healing the sick, raising the dead and driving out demons.

A quarter of the Gospels is concerned with healing. Although Jesus did not heal all in Judea who were sick, we often read of him healing either individuals or groups of people (eg, Matthew 4:23; 9:35; Mark 6:56; Luke 4:40; 6:19; 9:11). It was part of the normal activity of the kingdom.
Not only did he do this himself, but he commissioned his disciples to do the same. First, he commissioned the twelve. This is clearly set out in Matthew’s Gospel. Matthew tells us that ‘Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people’ (Matthew 4:23). He then gives some of the teaching and preaching of Jesus in Matthew 5–7 (the Sermon on the Mount), then nine miracles (mainly of healing) and he concludes with an almost exact repetition of Matthew 4:23: ‘Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every kind of disease and sickness’ (Matthew 9:35). Matthew is using a literary device of repetition known as an inclusio, which was used instead of punctuation and the breaking up of the text with paragraphs to indicate the beginning and end of a section. Having shown what Jesus himself did, Matthew tells us that Jesus then sent the twelve out to do the same. He told them to go out and preach the same message: ‘“The kingdom of heaven is near.’’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons . . .’ (Matthew 10:8).
Nor was it only the twelve to whom he gave this commission. There was also a further group of seventy-two whom he appointed. He told them to go out and ‘heal the sick . . . and tell them, “The kingdom of God is near you”’ (Luke 10:9). They returned with joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name’ (v. 17).
Nor were his commissions confined to the twelve and the seventy-two. Jesus expected all his disciples to do the same. He told his disciples to ‘go and make disciples of all nations . . . teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you’ (Matthew 28:18-20, italics mine). He did not say, ‘Everything except, of course, the healing bit.’
We find the same in the longer ending of Mark’s Gospel (which is, at least, very good evidence of what the early church understood Jesus’ commission to be). Jesus said, ‘“Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation . . . and these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons . . . they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well” . . . Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it’ (Mark 16:15-20, italics mine). Jesus says, ‘These signs will accompany those who believe’ – that is to say those ‘who believe’ in Jesus Christ, which means all Christians.

We find the same in John’s Gospel. Jesus said, in the context of miracles, ‘Anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father’ (John 14:12). Clearly no one has performed miracles of greater quality than Jesus, but there has been a greater quantity since Jesus returned to the Father. He has not ceased to perform miracles, but he now uses weak and imperfect human beings. Again it is ‘anyone who has faith in me’. That is you and me. These commands and promises are not restricted anywhere to a special category of Christians.
Jesus healed; he told his disciples to do the same and they did so. In the Book of Acts we see the working out of this commission. The disciples continued to preach and teach, but also to heal the sick, raise the dead and cast out demons (Acts 3:1-10; 4:12; 5:12-16; 8:5-13; 9:32-43; 14:3, 8-10; 19:11-12; 20:9-12; 28:8-9). It is clear from 1 Corinthians 12–14 that Paul did not believe that such abilities were confined to the apostles. Likewise, the writer to the Hebrews says that God testified to his message by ‘signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit’ (Hebrews 2:4).
Nowhere in the Bible does it say that healing was confined to any particular period of history. On the contrary, healing is one of the signs of the kingdom that was inaugurated by Jesus Christ and continues to this day. We should expect God to continue to heal miraculously today as part of his kingdom activity.

Healing in church history

In her book Christian Healing Evelyn Frost examined in detail passages of early church writers, such as Quadratus, Justin Martyr, Theophilus of Antioch, Irenaeus, Tertullian and Origen, and concluded that healing formed a normal part of the activity of the early church.
Irenaeus (c. 130-c. 200) who was Bishop of Lyons and one of the theologians of the early church wrote:

Those who are in truth his disciples, receiving grace from him, do in his name perform [miracles], so as to promote the welfare of other men, according to the gift which each one has received from him. For some do certainly and truly drive out devils, so that those who have thus been cleansed from evil spirits frequently both believe [in Christ], and join themselves to the church. Others have foreknowledge of things to come: they see visions, and utter prophetic expressions. Others still, heal the sick by laying their hands upon them and they are made whole. Yea, moreover, as I have said, the dead have been raised up, and remain among us for many years.59

Origen (c. 185-c. 254), another theologian, biblical scholar and writer of the early church, said of Christians: ‘They expel evil spirits, and perform many cures, and foresee certain events . . . the name of Jesus . . . can take away diseases.’
Two hundred years later there was still an expectation that God would heal people directly. Augustine of Hippo (AD 354-430), whom many regard as the greatest theologian of the first four centuries, says in his book The City of God that ‘even now miracles are wrought in the name of Christ’. He cites the example of a blind man’s sight restored in Milan, when he was there. He then describes the cure of a man he was staying with, called Innocentius. He was being treated by the doctors for fistulae, of which he had ‘a large number intricately seated in the rectum’! He had undergone one very painful operation. It was not thought that he would survive another operation. While they were praying for him he was cast down to the ground as if someone had hurled him violently to the earth, groaning and sobbing, his whole body shaking so that he could not speak. The dreaded day for the next operation came. ‘The surgeons arrived . . . the frightful instruments are produced . . . the part is bared; the surgeon . . . with knife in hand, eagerly looks for the sinus that is to be cut. He searches for it with his eyes; he feels for it with his finger; he applies every kind of scrutiny.’ He found a perfectly healed wound. ‘No words of mine can describe the joy, and praise, and thanksgiving to the merciful and almighty God which was poured from the lips of all, with tears and gladness. Let the scene be imagined rather than described!’
Next he described the healing of Innocentia – a devout woman of the highest rank in the state – who was healed of what the doctors described as incurable breast cancer. The doctor was curious to find out how she had been healed. When she told him that Jesus had healed her, he was furious and said, ‘I thought you would make some great discovery to me.’ She, shuddering at the indifference, quickly replied, ‘What great thing was it for Christ to heal a cancer, who raised one who had been four days dead?’
He goes on to tell of a doctor with gout who was healed in the ‘very act of baptism’ and an old comedian who was also cured at baptism, not only of paralysis, but also of a hernia. Augustine says he knows of so many miraculous healings that he says at one point, ‘What am I to do? I am so pressed by the promise of finishing this work, that I cannot record all the miracles I know . . . even now, therefore many miracles are wrought, the same God, who wrought those we read of, still performing them, by whom he will and as he will.’
All the way through church history God has continued to heal people directly. There has never been a time when healing has died out – right up to the present day.
Edward Gibbon, the English rationalist, historian and scholar, best known as the author of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1776-1788), lists five causes for the remarkable and rapid growth of Christianity. One of these is ‘the miraculous powers of the primitive Church’. He says, ‘The Christian Church, from the time of the apostles and their first disciples has claimed an uninterrupted succession of miraculous powers, the gift of tongues, of vision and of prophecy, the power of expelling demons, of healing the sick and of raising the dead.’ Gibbon goes on to point out the inconsistency of his own day when ‘a latent, and even involuntary, scepticism adheres to the most pious dispositions’. By contrast to the early church, he writes that in the church of his day ‘admission of supernatural truths is much less an active consent than a cold and placid acquiescence. Accustomed long since to observe and to respect the invariable order of Nature, our reason, or at least our imagination, is not sufficiently prepared to sustain the visible action of the Deity.’ The same could be said even more so of our own day.
Healing today
God is still healing people today. There are so many wonderful stories of God healing that it is difficult to know which to give as an example, all clears, Bill, Donna, Lynne, Val’s testimonies
God is a God who heals. The Greek word which means ‘I save’ also means ‘I heal’. God is concerned not just about our spiritual salvation, but also about our whole being. One day we shall have a new perfect body but in this life we will never reach perfection. When God heals someone miraculously today we get a glimpse of the future when the final redemption of our bodies will take place (Romans 8:23). Of course not everyone we pray for will necessarily be healed and no human being can ultimately avoid death. Our bodies are decaying. At some point it may even be right to prepare a person for death rather than praying for their healing. Indeed, the love and concern shown to people who are dying, for example, by the hospice movement, gives dignity to the terminally ill and is another outworking of Jesus’ commission to care for the sick. So we need to be sensitive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
This should not discourage us from praying for people to be healed. The more people we pray for, the more we shall see healed. Those who are not healed usually speak of the blessing of being prayed for – provided they are prayed for with love and sensitivity. I remember a group of us at theological college praying for a man with a bad back. I don’t think he was healed, but he said to me afterwards, ‘This is the first time since I have been at theological college that I felt anyone cared.’ Another man said to me recently that although he had not been healed when he was prayed for, he had had his greatest experience ever of the Spirit of God, and his life has been transformed.
Some are given special gifts of healing (1 Corinthians 12:9). Today, around the world, we find examples of those with an extraordinary gift of healing. This does not mean that we can leave it all to them. The commission to heal is for all of us. Just as we do not all have the gift of evangelism, but we are all called to tell others about Jesus, so we do not all have the gift of healing, but we are all called to pray for the sick.

How in practice do we go about praying for the sick? It is vital to remember that it is God who heals, not us. There is no technique involved. We pray with love and simplicity. The motivation of Jesus was his compassion for people (Mark 1:41; Matthew 9:36). If we love people we will always treat them with respect and dignity. If we believe it is Jesus who heals we will pray with simplicity, because it is not our prayer but the power of God that brings healing.
After praying for healing it is important to reassure people of God’s love for them regardless of whether they are healed or not, and to give them the liberty to come back and be prayed for again. We must avoid putting burdens on people, such as suggesting that it is their lack of faith that has prevented healing from taking place. We always encourage people to go on praying and to ensure that their lives are rooted in the healing community of the church – which is the place where long-term healing so often occurs.
Finally, it is important to persist in praying for people to be healed. It is easy to get discouraged, especially if we do not see immediate dramatic results. We continue because of our obedience to the calling and commission from Jesus Christ to preach the kingdom and to demonstrate it’s coming by, among other things, healing the sick. If we persist over the years we will see God healing people.
People will come to faith, lives will change, this has happened in the past, in the present and in the future, people’s lives have been changed through healing, because they knew they had seen God’s power in healing.

the sermon this week

Sharing your life mission everyday
Probably everyone in the room here has had their lives and faith influenced in some way by the writer CS Lewis, throughout his teens and twenties he was a committed atheist, what led him to change his ways?
No single person persuaded Lewis to trust Jesus, rather it was the combined influence of many people through books, music, personal encounters that made a difference.
In surprised by joy he describes the effect of meeting sane responsible adults who believed in a world, behind or around the material world. He enjoyed GK Chesterton’s intelligence and humour, despite his faith. he was alarmed and fascinated when he met men who were much like himself but were actually “attempting strict veracity, chastity or devotion to duty. Lewis was neither honest nor pure, but he found himself respecting those who were committed to these traits. For CS Lewis the character of ordinary people proved more effective than hearing countless sermons.
What Jesus is saying in this passage is that our conduct in daily life should be different from everyone else, we as Christians, believers in Jesus should show who we belong to through our kindness, servanthood, courage and integrity, people are watching to see if what we believe really does make a difference in our lives
The light of the world - The light of the world often denotes the sun, Joh_11:9. The sun renders objects visible, shows their form, their nature, their beauties, their deformities. It is normally applied to Jesus because he is, in the spiritual, moral world, what the sun is in the natural world. The apostles and all Christians, are lights of the world, because they, by their instructions and example, show what God requires, what is the way of duty, peace, and happiness the way that leads to heaven.
You are the light of the world, Mat_5:14.we are to be useful, and beautiful. All Christians are light in the Lord (Eph_5:8), and must shine as lights (Phi_2:15), Jesus call himself the Light of the world (Joh_8:12), and we are workers together with him, the light is sweet, it is welcome; the light of the first day of the world was so, when it shone out of darkness; so is the morning light of every day; so is the gospel, and those that spread it, to all people. The world is in darkness, Jesus raised us his disciples to shine in it; and , from him we borrow and derive our light. Without him we can do nothing
Francis of Assisi “preach the gospel at all times, when necessary use words” Not minimizing the need to speak about Jesus, What he was saying is all talk and no action is unconvincing. We need to be living demonstrations of the gospel; this is why Jesus compares each one of us to light in a dark world.
1. As the lights of the world, we are well known and noticeable, we have many eyes upon us. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. We the Disciples of Jesus, who are forward and zealous in his service, become remarkable, and are taken notice of as beacons. We are the signs (Isa_7:18), men wondered at (Zec_3:8); all our neighbours have any eye upon us. Some admire us, commend us, rejoice in us, and study to imitate us; others envy us, hate us, censure us, and study to drag us down. We are concerned therefore to walk vigilantly, because of our observers; we are a display to the world, and must take heed of every thing that looks wrong, because we are so much looked at. The disciples of Jesus were obscure men before he called them, but the Spirit he put upon them distinguished them, and as preachers of the gospel they made a difference; and though they were rebuked and abused for it by some, they were respected for it by others, advanced the kingdom of God and spoke the words of Jesus to many and they honoured him and Jesus will honour those that honour him.
2. As the lights of the world, we are intended to illuminate and give light to others (Mat_5:15),(1.) we are set up as lights. Jesus has lighted these candles, they shall not be put under a bowl, The churches are the candlesticks in which these lights are placed, that their light may be shine even further; and the gospel is so strong a light, and carries with it so much of its own evidence, that, like a city on a hill, it cannot be hid, it cannot but be from God, to all except those who do not willfully shut their eyes against it. It will give light to all that are in the house, to all that will draw near to it, and come where it is. Those, to whom it does not give light, they turn away and they lose out! 2.) we must shine as lights, [1.] By our words The knowledge we have, we must communicate for the good of others; not put it under a bowl, but spread it. The talent must not be buried, but traded with. The disciples of Jesus must not hide themselves up in privacy and obscurity, under pretence of contemplation, modesty, or self-preservation, but, as they have received the gift, share that gift with others, [2.] By our good living. We must be burning and shining lights (Joh_5:35); must give evidence, in our whole lives, that we are indeed followers of Jesus, Jam_3:13. we must be people to whom others turn for instruction, direction, quickening, and comfort, Job_29:11.
First, How our light must shine - by doing such good works as men may see, and may approve of; such works of good report among them that do not know Jesus, and as will therefore give them cause to think well of Christianity. We must do good works that may be seen to the benefit of others, but not that they may be seen to build up our own pride; we are to pray in secret, and what lies between God and ourselves, must be kept to ourselves; but that which is of itself open and obvious to the sight of all, we must work to enhance our faith, and be praiseworthy, Phi_4:8. Those around us must not only hear our good words, but see our good works; that they may be convinced that Jesus is more than a name, or a swear word and that we do not only talk the talk but we walk the walk as well.
Secondly, For what reason our light must shine - “That those who see your good works may be brought, not to glorify you (which was what the Pharisees aimed at, and it spoiled all their performances), but to glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Note, The glory of God is the great thing we must aim at in every thing we do in faith, 1Pe_4:11.In this centre the lines of all our actions must meet. We must not only endeavor to glorify God ourselves, but we must do all we can to bring others to glorify him. The sight of our good works will do this, by giving them, 1. With things for praise. “Let them see your good works, that they may see the power of God's grace in you, and may thank him for it, and give him the glory of it, who has given such power.” 2. With motives for change. “Let them see your good works, that they may be convinced of the truth and goodness of the Christian faith, so they may be provoked to imitate your good works, and so may glorify God.” Note, The holy, regular, and exemplary conversation of the saints, may do much towards the conversion of sinners; those who are unacquainted with Christianity, may be brought to know what it is. Examples teach. And those who are against it, may be brought in love with it, and thus there is a winning value in a godly conversation and a godly life
Practicals So how do we let our light shine in the world? We are the presence of God in the world, others should be looking at us and seeing what God is like, they should see the reality of his goodness, wisdom love, graciousness, generosity, justice and more beside! Our acts of righteousness are not the things we expect to show off, our prayer, our fasting our giving to the poor, these practices are meant for us (Matthew 6) they don’t impress those outside of the church, the good deeds of faith that draw unbelievers in are demonstrations of character, acts that show courage, kindness, generosity, love. Remaining tenderhearted and brave when we face a challenge, treating a mean and rude person with kindness, honesty at work shows our light to the world, esp where cutting corners is common.
Light bearing behaviour emerges from those who take time to reflect on their own sins, to forgive others, who have hurt them, to notice people’s needs and to fill their minds with the goodness of God, that is the point of reading the bible to fill your mind with God’s goodness, read about how Jesus acted. Pay attention to how you behave and confess your sin when necessary, allow your heart to be moved by others, have someone who you can share these things with.
Our light dims when we are to busy or stressed to fill our minds with God, to notice others or to see how we are acting, it is very hard to be gracious when we are rushed, for many of us the decision to cut back on those things without an eternal purpose is the best thing we can do, that includes church activities!
Non Christians will take notice when they see that you relate to people in a different way to the ways most people relate, you and your family can be light by inviting others into your life and living life before them, take time to see where the needs are and go out and serve, find a project and run with it. Throw a party, your house group, your guild, your Yorkie, your Sunday club, invite those not yet Christians to come along to join you, don’t worry that the kids are not perfect, or the kitchen is a mess let them see what it is to deal with all that in a gracious way.
Pray for people, it is a great way to begin to care for them! As you pray for them you begin to see the needs they have and how the gospel can meet those needs, prayer changes things spiritually God begins to soften hearts through prayer, yours and theirs, you know at least one person who needs to know Jesus, write them down on the sheet in front of you commit to praying for them once a day.
All these things are practical ways to showing God’s light to the world.



Conclusion- seat belt! Explain background then say lets be first to make things normality, CS Lewis was changed by the people and the power of God, imagine what will happen with those who see your godly life and praise God for it?

sorry it has been a while!

Developing your shape to serve others
We have here the parable of the talents committed to three servants; this implies that we are in a state of work and business, we are in a state of expectancy. the necessity of habitual preparation, of actual diligence in our present work and service. We are stirred up to do well for our own spiritual life; to work for the glory of God and the good of others.
1. The Master is Jesus, who is the Owner and Proprietor of all persons and things, and his church;
2. The servants are Christians his own servants, born in his house, bought with his money, devoted to his praise, and employed in his work.
I. The trust given to these servants; their master delivered to them his goods: having called them to work (for Jesus keeps no servants to be idle), he left them with something to work with
We receive from Jesus in order to work for him. Our privileges are so we do our job! The gift of the Spirit is given to each one of us to bring God glory. 2. Whatever we receive is made use of for Jesus, it is all his anyway! we are but tenants upon his land, stewards of his grace,
On what occasion this trust given to these servants: The master was travelling into a far country. This is explained, Eph_4:8. When he ascended on high, he gave gifts to men.
he sent his Spirit to enable his servants to teach and profess truth, to live and apply his promises, and to exercise and employ powers, ordinary or extraordinary he gives us. Thus Jesus, at his ascension, left his goods to his church.
to what proportion was this trust given. [1.] He gave talents He gave to some more, to others less; to one five talents, to another two, to another one; to every one according to his ability. God shapes us in different ways, throughout our lives we have been shaped to serve God in our own particular way, each one of us is unique, also Every one had some one talent at least, All alike, they had not the same abilities and opportunities. God is a free Agent, giving, as he will; some are cut out for service in one kind, others in another, the church body like the human body
Two of the servants did well.
(1.) They were diligent and faithful; They went, and traded; A Christian is a spiritual tradesman. it is a manufacturing trade; there is something to be done for our own hearts, and for the good of others; things of value to us are parted with for things of greater value.
2) A tradesman is one who, having made his trade his choice, and taken pains to learn it, makes a business of it, he does all he can to grow his business, he lives for it, to give him and his family life. So too a Christian in the work of faith; we have no stock of our own to trade with, but trade with our saviour’s stock. The way we are shaped through life our minds - reason, wit, learning, must be used for Jesus and his Church; the enjoyments of the world - house, money, jobs, power, must be improved for the honour of Jesus. The gifts of the gospel, and our opportunities to use them, bibles, prayer, Sundays the sacraments, must be improved for the end for which they were given, and our walk with God kept up by them, the gifts and graces of the Spirit must be used; and this is trading with our talents.
(3.) They were successful;
2. The third did ill (Mat_25:18); He that received one talent, went, and hid his lord's money.(1.) notice if he who only had one talent, was treated this way for burying one, what of those that have more than one talent and bury them. (2.) Also those who have the littlest to do for God, frequently do least of what they have to do. Some make it an excuse for their laziness, that they have not the opportunities of serving God that others have they will not do what we are sure they can, and so sit down and do nothing; it is really a sad situation that when they have but one talent to take care about, they neglect that one.
He dug in the earth, and hid the talent, for fear it should be stolen; he did not misspend or misemploy it, did not embezzle it or squander it away, but he hid it. Money is like manure good for nothing in the heap, but it must be spread; yet it is an evil which we have often seen treasure heaped together does good to nobody; and so it is in spiritual gifts; many have them, and make no use of them Those that have but do not stir up the gift that is in them, are those lazy servants that seek their own things more than Jesus’.
We must all be reckoned with - what good we have done for our own growth, and what good we have done to others by the advantages we have enjoyed
If we be careful in our spiritual trade, we, and others will soon see it. Not that the saints will in the great day make mention of their own good deeds; no, Jesus will do that for them (Mat_25:35); but it intimates that they who faithfully improve their talents First, He commended them; Well done, good and faithful servant. Those that own and honour God now, he will own and honour in time. 1. Their persons will be accepted 2. Their performances will be accepted; Well done. Some bosses are so miserable, that they will not commend their workers, though they do their work ever so well: but Jesus will commend his servants that do well; He rewards them.
The bad account of the lazy servant.
[1.] His apology for himself I have not made more, as the others have done, yet this I can say, I have not made less.” This servant thought that his account would pass well enough, because he could say“ Lord, I didn’t waste any of my estate, no wasting of my time, I was always here, I did not oppose good ministers and good preaching; Lord, I never ridiculed my bible, nor set my wits to work to against my faith, nor abused my power to persecute any good man; I never wasted my time and others in drinking, nor ever to my knowledge did I ever bring injury to anybody.” Many that are called Christians, build great hopes for heaven upon their being able to make such an account; yet all this amounts to no more than there thou hast that is thine; as if no more were required, or could be expected.
Secondly, What he confesses. He owns the burying of his talent; I hid thy talent in the earth. He speaks as if that were no great fault; nay, as if he deserved praise for his prudence in putting it in a safe place, and running no hazards with it. Thirdly, What he makes his excuse; I knew that thou were a hard man, and I was afraid. Good thought of God would beget love, and that love would make us diligent and faithful; but hard thoughts of God beget fear, and that fear makes us slothful and unfaithful. His excuse speaks volumes

1. The sentiments of an enemy; 2. The spirit of a slave; I was afraid, [2.] His Lord's answer to this apology. First, His conviction, Mat_25:26, Mat_25:27. Two things he is convicted of.
1. Laziness; 2. Self-contradiction The hard thoughts which sinners have of God, though false and unjust, will be so far from justifying their wickedness and slothfulness, that they will rather aggravate and add to their guilt the master’s reply(1.) “Suppose I had been so hard a master, shouldest not thou therefore have been the more diligent and careful to please me, (2.) “If thou didst think me to be a hard master, and therefore durst not trade with the money thyself, for fear of losing by it, and being made to stand to the loss, yet thou mightest have put it into the hands of the exchangers, or goldsmith, mightest have brought it into the bank, (3.) “Suppose I did reap where I sowed not, yet that is nothing to thee, for I had sowed upon thee, and the talent was my money which thou wast entrusted with, not only to keep, but to improve.” Secondly, His condemnation. The slothful servant is sentenced,
1. To be deprived of his talent (1.) To the blessings of this life - worldly wealth and possessions. These we are entrusted with, to be used for the glory of God, and the good of those about us.(2.) We may apply it to the means of grace. They who are diligent in improving the opportunities they have,(3.) We may apply it to the common gifts of the Spirit. He that hath these, and doeth good with them, shall have abundance; these gifts improve by exercise, and brighten by being used; 2. He is sentenced to be cast into outer darkness, Mat_25:30. Here,

How do you use what you have?
Recognize the platform you have been given, where you are and what opportunities only have been given and the you are the only one who has been put in that situation. Even the worst has a talent, a gift a God given ability, so you have so much more how will you use it? The last servant was thinking of himself, he hoped to play it safe and protect himself, but he was judged for his self centeredness, we must not make excuses to avoid doing what God has made us and called us to do, if God is our master we must obey willingly, joyfully! We are caretakers, our time, talents money are all God’s anyway, when we ignore, squander or abuse what we are given, we are out of God’s will and to be fare when we are this rebellious we need to accept the consequences of our decisions.

Becoming like Jesus
Homeless guy, never let me in, Jesus says don’t worry I am never allowed in either
I 1. That Jesus Jesus is the vine, the true vine.
(a.) He is the vine, planted in the vineyard, for a purpose and not a spontaneous product; planted in the earth, for he is the Word made flesh. (b.) He is the true vine, opposed to those who deceive and mislead; he is really a fruitful plant, a plant of renown. He is the one from whom we grow, through 2 things forgiveness and The Holy Spirit
2. That believers are branches of this vine, grafted in; Jesus is the root of the vine. The branches of the vine are many, some on one side of the house or wall, others on the other side; yet, meeting in the root, all from the one vine; so all Jesusians, though in place and opinion distant from each other, yet meet in Jesus, the centre of their unity. Believers, like the branches of the vine, are insufficient to stand or survive on their own, but Jesus lifts us, feeds us, lets us blossom and bloom!
3. And my Father is the gardener- The word “vine-dresser” more properly expresses the sense of the original word than gardener. It means one who has the care of a vineyard; whose job it is to nurture, trim, and defend the vine, and who of course feels a deep interest in its growth and welfare. This means that God gave, or appointed his Son to be, the source of blessings to us all; that all grace descends through him; and that God takes care of all the branches of this vine - that is, of all who are by faith united to the Lord Jesus Jesus. In Jesus and all his church he feels the deepest interest, and it is an object of great solicitude that his church should receive these blessings and bear much fruit.
II. we are called to bear fruit, and, in order to this, to remain (abide) in Jesus.
(1.) The fate of the unfruitful: They are taken away.
[a.] It is here intimated that there are many who pass for branches in Jesus who don’t bear fruit. Were they really in Jesus by faith, they would bear fruit; but being only tied to him by the thread of an outward profession, though they seem to be branches, they will soon be seen to be dry ones. Unfruitful people are unfaithful people.
[b.] It is here threatened that they shall be taken away, in justice to them and in kindness to the rest of the branches. Difference of cutting back and separating, cut out that which can infect the whole plant
(2.) The promise made to the fruitful: He prunes them, that they may bear more fruit. Note, [a.] Further fruitfulness is the reward of first fruits. [b.] Even fruitful branches, in order to their further fruitfulness, have need of pruning; he takes away that which is surplus to requirements, which hinders its growth and fruitfulness. [c.] The pruning of fruitful branches, in order to their greater fruitfulness, is the care and work of the Father, for his own glory. [d] as we accept his forgiveness and let the Gift of the Spirit work through us we grow the way the Father wants us to grow, like Jesus
(3.) The Spirit of grace refines them from the dross of the world our old nature, and purged out of them it cleanses as fire cleanses the gold from its dross,
(4.) The glory that will be given to God by our fruitfulness, that should be our chief desire to glorify God, when so many give God a bad name, our desire should be to give him a good name.
2. In order to bear fruit, we must remain (abide) in Jesus, means believing he is the Son of God, receiving him as our saviour and Lord, doing what God says, continuing to believe the gospel, love the body of Jesus. Requires work on our part also.
Hallelujah, that’ll do ya!
Been saved, being saved will be saved. Much of the Jesusian life is coming to grips with what is already true about us, even when we do not “feel it”
(1.) (Joh_15:4): Abide in me, and I in you. Note, It is the great concern of all Jesus's disciples constantly to keep up a dependence upon Jesus The knot of the branch abides in the vine, and the sap of the vine abides in the branch, and so there is a constant communication to abide, to remain means being open to what he has got for us, as he is open to all of our needs
(2.) The necessity of our remaining in Jesus, so we bear fruit (Joh_15:4, Joh_15:5): “You cannot bear fruit, unless you abide in me; but, if you do, you bear much fruit; for, in other words, without me, or separate from me, you can do nothing.” Many try their best on their own, but
[a] Abiding in Jesus is necessary in order to our doing much good. A life of faith in the Son of God is incomparably the most excellent life a man can live in this world; it is regular and even, pure and heavenly; it is useful and comfortable, and answers the meaning of life. Without Jesus we can do nothing, nothing pleasing to God or profitable to ourselves,
(3.) The great privilege, which those have, that abide in Jesus (Joh_15:7): If my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will of my Father in my name, and it shall be done. When you are growing in faith, bearing fruit, when you are in God’s will, He will work for you, he will give you your heart’s desire, how good is that?
So how do we become like Jesus? Faith, which produces fruit, we abide in Jesus, we experience his grace, we obey, we love, we try not to grieve the Holy Spirit, we put to death our earthly nature, we dignify the trial (no complaining, no taking easy way out, we regard it as part of God’s plan as he works for the good of those who love him), we walk in love, we walk in the light, we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Basically we become more like Jesus in our attitude and in accepting others. The ultimate proof is if people see Jesus in us, the question is will we let him be seen?


Sermon notes
A woman accompanied her husband to the doctor's office. After the check-up, the doctor took the wife aside and said, "If you don't do the following, your husband will surely die." 1. "Each morning, fix him a healthy breakfast and send him off to work in a good mood."2. "At lunch time, make him a warm, nutritious meal and put him in a good frame of mind before he goes back to work."3. "For dinner, fix an especially nice meal and don't burden him with household chores.”4. "Satisfy his every whim." On the way home, the husband asked his wife what the doctor had said. "You're going to die," she informed him.

· "During World War II, England needed to increase its production of coal. Winston Churchill called together labour leaders to enlist their support. At the end of his presentation he asked them to picture in their minds a parade, which he knew would be held in Piccadilly Circus after the war. First, he said, would come the sailors who had kept the vital sea-lanes open. Then would come the soldiers who had come home from Dunkirk and then gone on to defeat Rommel in Africa. Then would come the pilots who had driven the Luftwaffe from the sky."Last of all, he said, would come a long line of sweat-stained, soot-streaked men in miner's caps. Someone would cry from the crowd, "And where were you during the critical days of our struggle?" And from ten thousand throats would come the answer, 'We were deep in the earth with our faces to the coal.'" Not all the jobs in a church are prominent and glamorous. But it is often the people with their "faces to the coal" who help the church accomplish its mission.
· James and John make a request for glory, a glory that is misplaced they do not understand that the kingdom of God, is not that of conquering soldiers, but of salvation for all humanity throughout time.
· They ask to be the 1st and 2nd in the kingdom, an earthly kingdom with palaces and thrones, but the kingdom of God is in the hearts and lives of Jesus’s followers
· James and John say freely that they are willing to suffer with Jesus, they say it pretty quickly without thinking, James is martyred in Acts ch 12, John suffered all his days, and spent time in exile on the island of Patmos for his faith in Jesus.
The sons of Zebedee make a request that from one point of view seems natural and acceptable. That point of view, however, reflects the distorted perspective of human falleness, wherein the greatest good appears to be that which serves the self,  e.g. honor, position, glory, and prestige. It is the perspective that dominates the world and its powerful rulers.
The kingdom brought by Jesus defines greatness in an entirely opposite way in terms of servanthood, in terms of service
This way is foreign to the world and to human nature.
Yet it is the way of Jesus, and it is thus to be the way of his disciples. There will be rewards for the disciples, of course, but these are not for the present, nor are the disciples to have them uppermost in their minds.
Instead the disciples are to be marked by the humility, servanthood, and obedience to death that characterized Jesus, in the knowledge that to suffer with him may mean to drink the cup that he drank before ultimately reigning with him
To serve is to reign is the essence of Jesusian life
Jesus gave his life as a ransom, he paid the price to buy us back from the slavery of sin, he calls us to serve him and to serve everyone else we meet, and why shouldn’t we? Especially after the death he endured, so we could be named in God’s book and in his family
So what shall we do in this God’s fellowship here in St John’s? Will we strive for what the world asks for, prestige, honour, position, glory will we go for ourselves, look out for number one or will we follow what Jesus calls us to? To suffer and to serve without any expectation of getting anything in return?
Not very attractive is it? But the truth is this, the world with all the comfort, the success, wealth and glory is ultimately for nothing
Story of the fisherman and the rich businessman
During the bombing of London, it was found that people suffering from nervous disorders found unexpected health by forgetting their own troubles and ministering to the terrible needs of victims of the air raids. The reason many of us have no energy, no vitality, no joy, is that we are living only for ourselves. Service doesn’t simply mean service to those we trust and love, not simply service to the people and the building of this church, but serving the wretched, the unloved, the lonely the hurting, the bereaved and the ones who think they have it all
It is in service that we find true honour, but it is only when we are one with Jesus that we can understand this, we need a servant heart, to minister to the needs of others we need to grasp that Jesus forgives all, everyone, no matter how they have wronged you, Jesus loves all, even those you hate, he forgave the ones who hung him on the cross, that is how we should live, that is how our Church must grow together, not looking out for ourselves and our own needs, but looking to see how we can serve each other and our community of Dalkeith, the world tells us that value comes from being important and feeling good
Jesus calls us to travel another path, a hard path, perhaps that is why many cannot follow, a path of endurance and obedience, or suffering and service, but the rewards are so much more than what the world can offer, in this world we have purpose, forgiveness, hope, joy and peace, and when we leave this world we will receive so much more!
Pastor tells of a conversation with an active member, who mentioned, "You preachers talk a lot about serving, but when you get right down to it, it all comes down to basin theology.” Pastor asked, "Basin theology? What's that?" The member replied, "Remember what Pilate did when he had the chance to acquit Jesus? He called for a basin and washed his hands of the whole thing. But Jesus, the night before his death, called for a basin and proceeded to wash the feet of the disciples. It all comes down to basin theology: Which one will you use?"
James and John wanted the highest positions in Jesus’ kingdom, but Jesus told them true greatness comes in serving others; most businesses, institutions, and organisations measure greatness through high personal achievement. In Jesus’s kingdom, the way to get ahead is service, the desire to be on top only hinders, it doesn’t help, rather than seeking out your own needs, look for ways, pray for ways in which you can minister to others.

sermon 6th jan 2008

Paul tells us in Phil 4 :19, that God will meet all our needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus, I want you today to remember this, it is a new year, but it is possibly the same old you, same routine same patterns, or it may be a new you where you have discovered again or for the first time the love of God that is real in your life.
I guess the sermon this morning is one where we take on board what Paul says in ch 2 of Philippians “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” – Not that we are saved by works, but God who has saved us by his loved and his grace, requires something of us, we are to work with God so that we journey towards how God already sees us. In other words we are to become what we already are. Does that make sense? It is like Paul who says that the old me still tries to convince me that he is in control and so I do the things I do not wish to do, and don’t do the things I want to do, but God knows that the old you is gone and you are a new creation through a relationship with Jesus Christ, and we have to grow into that new creation, it is a process, but if we don’t grow we simply revert to the old self who will never truly die until we meet with Christ. Who is always willing to drag you back to the way you once were.
So how do we work with God to become this new creation that we already are? This is the challenge for 2008, God has been nudging me, prompting me, speaking to me that this year for this Church will be even more exciting than what has gone before, that he will break open the gates of the Kingdom upon us if we are open to what he wants to do is us, are we ready for that?
Lets look at Elijah, trust, faith he was not forgotten, God called “I have commanded” God was in control, that is all we need Elijah listened and he was equipped for his ministry.
Same for us, trust, faith, won’t be forgotten, God speaks and if we listen we will be equipped for our ministry, which each one of us has been given, will we rely on him completely to see the amazing things he has in store for us?
So what for us then? What will be our plan for God’s work in 2008?
Personally, daily dozen
Church, how can you serve this Church? Sunday club, youth work, women’s ministry, men’s ministry, cleaning the church, visiting the house bound, switching the heating on, when you have an idea, pray about it, and go for it, you will never be criticised by the leadership of this Church, even if you make a mistake, it shows you are trying, listen to what God is saying, or volunteer an hour a week to this Church and see what God does in your life, in the lives of other and the life of this Church, you get a purpose, others are blessed, the Church grows
Community, conspiracy of kindness, each group in the church to take on a task, lets change the town of Dalkeith lets capture it for God.
Elijah was in the barren land, yet God provided, wherever we find ourselves God will provide!

who was John the baptist?

Sermon notes
Can you imagine complete silence? It’s hard to in our culture today inwhich televisions, radios, etc. are constantly blaring. But in thismorning’s text a silence of 400 years is broken. Don’t misunderstand me,not everyone was silent during this period. Women and men were talking..Boys and girls were talking. But there was no prophet speaking the Word ofthe LORD. No one was truthfully saying, “Thus says the LORD…”In reality two silences are broken in this morning’s text. For one, the400 year period without a Word from God and for another, a gap ofapproximately 30 years in the life of Jesus. John skips directly fromhis birth and infancy narrative to an event that occurs approximately 30years later: the ministry of John the Baptist. Both of these silences arebroken by the sound of a voice.The voice that breaks the silence is the voice of John the Baptist, whomay rightly be called the last of the Old Testament Prophets. He isfunctioning as a Herald by announcing the coming of the King. In theancient world, a herald was one who went ahead of a king’s chariot toprepare the road. He would command a crew which would smooth out theusually rough roads of that day by filling potholes and removing boulders.The herald would also go before the king shouting, “Make way, the King iscoming!” “efforts to make a road level and smooth were restricted to times when royalty was on its way” The king was on his way!

A number of years ago a couple travelled to the offices of an AdoptionSociety in England to receive a baby. They had been on the waiting list along time. They had been interviewed and carefully scrutinized. Now atlast their dreams were to be fulfilled. But their day of happiness wasanother's pain.Arriving at the offices of the Society they were led up a flight of stairsto a waiting room. After a few minutes they heard someone else climbingthe stairs. It was the young student mother whose baby was to be adopted.She was met by the lady responsible for the adoption arrangements andtaken into another room. Our friends heard a muffled conversation and afew minutes later footsteps on the stairs as the young mother left. Theyheard her convulsive sobbing until the front door of the office wasclosed. Then, there was silence.The lady in charge then conducted them next door. In a little crib was asix week old baby boy. On a chair beside it was a brown paper bagcontaining a change of clothes and two letters. One of these, addressed tothe new parents, thanked them for providing a home for her baby andacknowledged that under the terms of the adoption each would never knowthe other's identity. Then the young mother added one request. Would theyallow her little son to read the other letter on his eighteenth birthday?She assured them that she had not included any information about heridentity. The couple entrusted that letter to a lawyer and one day theyoung man will read the message which his mother wrote on the day, whenwith breaking heart, she parted with him.I wonder what she wrote? If I had to condense all I feel about life andlove into a few precious words what would I say? I would have no time fortrivia. I would not be concerned about economics, politics, the weather,the size of house or the type of car.
At such a time I would want to dwell on the deep things of life, on what life was all about and what things were absolutely essential.John in the desert was in the great tradition of the Hebrew prophets. Hewas aware that time was running out. In his burning message he had no timefor everyday matters. He was not playing Trivial Pursuit nor was heprepared to splash about in the shallows. Soon the sword of Herod's guardwould flash and his tongue would lie silent in the grave. Superficialpeople came out from Jerusalem to see him. They were intrigued by thisstrange phenomenon of a wild man preaching repentance. They werefascinated by frivolous things such as his dress, his diet, and his fire and brimstone sermons. They wanted to interview him and then tell all theirfriends about their remarkable experience. "Who are you?" they asked. Hisanswer was curt: "I am not the Christ." "Are you Elijah?" "No!" "Then whoare you?" they persisted. They had their doubts about who he was but hismessage to their ears was clear: Repent.There comes a moment when the preacher longs for his hearers to lose sightof everything except his message. "Don't listen to my accent. Don't lookat my clothes. Don't comment on my style. Don't search my biographicaldetails for my University pedigree. Just listen to what I am saying.Repent!”
Christmas season. A time of preparation. Most Scots prepare for theholidays with lights and gifts, cards and good cheer. But the Churchreminds us to prepare spiritually. What does that mean? John the Baptist gave us a direction.
We prepare for Christmas by repenting. Repenting in the Biblical sense ismore than having a change of heart or a feeling of regret. It is more thana New Year’s Eve resolution. Repentance is a turning away and a turningback. A turning away from sin and a turning back to God.
We need to have the conviction of sin! RepentanceThe Romans sometimes compelled a captive to be joined face-to-face with adead body, and to bear it about until the horrible emanating smelldestroyed the life of the living victim. Virgil describes this cruelpunishment:'The living and the dead at his commandWere coupled face to face, and hand to hand;Till choked with stench, in loathed embraces tied,The lingering wretches pined away and died.Without Christ, we are shackled to a dead corpse -- our sinfulness. Onlyrepentance frees us from certain death, for life and death cannot coexistindefinitely.

Bishop Joe Pennel of the United Methodist Church, once attended a Christmas worship service in Bethlehem at a placecalled Shepherd’s Field. As he heard the songs of the season, he thoughtto himself and later wrote: “I did not look to God and say: See howvirtuous I am. I did not utter: God, pat me on the back for all of thegood things I have done. I did not pretend by saying: God, look at all ofmy accomplishments, aren’t you proud of me? Indeed, I found myself askingGod to forgive me of my sins. That is how it works. The more we turn awayfrom Christ the more enslaved we become to the power of sin. The more weturn to Christ, the more free we become from the bondage of sin. Turningtoward Christ enables us to repent.”

We need John

John had three angles in his message 1. John's Message Called People to Repentance2. John Told People to Share.3. John's Message Was to Serve.

Carl Michalson, a brilliant young theologian who died in a plane crashsome years ago, once told about playing with his young son one afternoon.They were tussling playfully on their front lawn when Michalsonaccidentally hit the young boy in the face with his elbow. It was a sharpblow full to his son's face. The little boy was stunned by the impact ofthe elbow. It hurt, and he was just about to burst into tears. But then helooked into his father's eyes. Instead of anger and hostility, he sawthere his father's sympathy and concern; he saw there his father's loveand compassion. Instead of exploding into tears, the little boy suddenlyburst into laughter. What he saw in his father's eyes made all thedifference!The sharp blow of God's message to us is: Repentance. But, look into yourfather's eyes. What he offers you is forgiveness and that makes all thedifference. Repent and you will be forgiven.

sermon this week!

Sermon notes
2 Samuel 23 :20, gut reaction? Run away! Lion chasers are different! You know what? God puts us in positions to fulfil our destiny, sometimes we need to chase our lions, in a pit, snowy day with a lion? Not a bad day, a horrendous day, but look what happens to Benaiah, how we react to our lions, how we take risks to fulfil God’s destiny for us, will give us the greatest opportunities in this life.
When did we become careful, when did we begin to worry about what people thought? When did we worry about the money in the bank, when did we begin to play it safe in case something happens?
I look at the birth of Christ, I don’t see God being careful, I see radicalful, I see riskful, so excitingful! I see a Father who loves his children, so much so he sent his first born to change the world, I see a son who came to challenge the status quo from the get go, birth in a stable, teaching the elders in the temple as a child, leaving his parents to be in his Father’s house, who met the sinners, made friends with them, spent most of his time with them, I see a man who challenged those who always sat in the churches, I see God who got so frustrated with those who had the talents, had the gifts and did nothing. I see God who loved each one of us so much that he laid his life down so that we could have life, I see a man who was and is God after he rose from the grave imploring his friends to go and tell the good news to all they met, and to go all over the world to take risks and live life to the full!
When did we live a careful life where we stayed with what we know, where we played it safe.
For all our good works, in what ways are we accepting the grace of Jesus Christ and letting others know of this great news?
Wiser Christians than me have said on occasion to me, shouldn’t go to the cinema, what would Jesus say if he came back and you were watching some film, I always laugh it off, but you know there is something deeper in that, what in fact are we doing as individuals and corporately as Christ’s church to be prepared for when he will return?
Irish joke about pushing the car, ghosts, rainy night, link of return of Christ is the natural end, not something frightening (well it shouldn’t be!)
History is going somewhere, not random, not eternal, there will be an end, there we will meet Jesus
Triumph, evil will be defeated
Restoration, the Jewish expectation was earthquakes, famines, wars, but with Jesus all will be made new, there will be a new heaven and a new earth, Jesus doesn’t come to destroy but to restore the perfect creation that God has always wanted.
The return of Jesus speaks of judgement., some will be taken, some will be left, now this isn’t about good works we have done, this is not if we have lived a good life, our true colours will be seen on this day, if we delight in Jesus when he returns we will run with arms outstretched, or shrink away in fear in hatred, I guess it is how we choose to live today, if we think we don’t need him, if we think we can do it alone, he will leave us alone when his day comes. Think about it, the repentant murderer, the repentant rapist those who accept their sin and seek forgiveness from Christ will be in his kingdom, we who have not really done that much wrong we who live lovely nice, respectable lives could be out in the cold, or the not so cold, because we have not sought the face of Jesus, that is not where I want to be!
The return of Christ will be decisive, there will be no second chances, the shops will be shut there is no chance of reprieve, so we must go and seek him now while he still may be found.
Sudden and unexpected, quick and not looked for so we must be prepared.
Jesus will return but the time is only known by the Father, the disciples did not know, we do not know, preachers, Jehovah witnesses, millennialists, post- millennialists do not know, Jesus doesn’t even know, the one thing we know is that the end will come, and we must be prepared.
So priorities for us then, a willingness to endure hardships for our faith, a wisdom in reading the signs of the times, a watchfulness so that his return will not find us idle or abusing the privileges we have been given as God’s children.
What does this mean for us then? Well firstly we need to accept Jesus as our saviour if we have not already done so, to do this we need to accept that we are sinners, which is something we never want to do in our nice safe comfortable existence. Who here is a sinner? Each one of us, every one of us, need the grace of God, we may have never done anything really bad, but we have all fallen short of the grace of God, so we need to accept our need of a saviour and that means inviting Jesus in to be our guide, our helper, our friend, our Lord.
So is that it? Nope Jesus calls us all to follow him, and to go and make disciples of all the nations, that means praying to God for opportunities to share your faith, that means sharing your faith with others, that means growing in your faith through study of the bible, through reading Christian books, through attending house groups, that means serving those in need, not the people like you, but those in need in the town of Dalkeith, getting your hands dirty, not because you are nice, but because you are a sinner who is redeemed and you want others to find redemption.
If we take this on board, our faith is no longer about maintaining a respectable image, it is about chasing our lions, there are two types of regret, regrets of action, regrets of inaction, “wishing you hadn’t done something, and wishing you had done something” in the church we are very good at getting at the regrets of action, the sins committed, we have a long list of don’ts which we think will be enough to make us holy, but you know you can do nothing wrong and still do nothing right, our calling is much more than doing nothing wrong, we are called to chase lions, when we don’t have the guts to step out in faith, God is robbed of the glory he is due.
We have become to passive, too defensive, we want to play it safe, but you know what taking no risks is the greatest risk of all
Let’s not be frightened to make mistakes, lets not fear failure, we will learn, at least if we make a mess of things we are trying, Jesus is coming back someday, it may be someday soon, how are we going to meet him? How is he going to meet me, how is he going to meet you? Take courage, chase the dreams you know God has given to you!