We all strive after wealth......but in the end what good is it?
Proverbs 11:4
"Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death."
TFTD: What more is there to say?
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Understanding Is A Gift Of God!
Luke Chapter 24 Verse 45 "Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures...."
True understanding of the Scriptures - so that we understand how it all fits together, is a GIFT FROM GOD.
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
True understanding of the Scriptures - so that we understand how it all fits together, is a GIFT FROM GOD.
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
It Is Harder For Us!
The Scriptures tell us that it is harder for us to believe than it was for those who were with Jesus.
They had the advantage of having Him in front of them - being able to see the nail holes in His hands, feet and the spear mark in His side.
When Jesus appears to them, as they are locked away in an upper room we read this......
They were startled ad frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your minds? Look at my hands and feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." (Luke 24:37-39)
Even after Jesus showed them His hands and feet, we read in verse 41 "And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement...."
Doubts were not easily overcome for the disciples........it is even more difficult for us to overcome our doubts.
TFTD: We must pray for God to help us overcome any doubts that we might have.
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
They had the advantage of having Him in front of them - being able to see the nail holes in His hands, feet and the spear mark in His side.
When Jesus appears to them, as they are locked away in an upper room we read this......
They were startled ad frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your minds? Look at my hands and feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." (Luke 24:37-39)
Even after Jesus showed them His hands and feet, we read in verse 41 "And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement...."
Doubts were not easily overcome for the disciples........it is even more difficult for us to overcome our doubts.
TFTD: We must pray for God to help us overcome any doubts that we might have.
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
My Prayer For St Mary's.
My reading today included the account of the disciples who were travelling to Emmaus after the Easter events in Jerusalem.
It occurred to me that there were four things in this passage that I pray might happen to the people of St Mary's, Waverley.
First, as in verse 32, that our hearts might "burn within us" as we hear the Scriptures opened.
Secondly, as in verse 31, "our eyes might be opened (by God) and that we will recognise Jesus".
Thirdly, that we will return to the assembled believers with our testimony (v.33)
Fourthly, that we might witness more widely to the events of the Gospel (v.35)
LORD, may you bring this about.
Peter Clark.
It occurred to me that there were four things in this passage that I pray might happen to the people of St Mary's, Waverley.
First, as in verse 32, that our hearts might "burn within us" as we hear the Scriptures opened.
Secondly, as in verse 31, "our eyes might be opened (by God) and that we will recognise Jesus".
Thirdly, that we will return to the assembled believers with our testimony (v.33)
Fourthly, that we might witness more widely to the events of the Gospel (v.35)
LORD, may you bring this about.
Peter Clark.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
A Hope Realised.
On the Emmaus Road, there are two disciples heading for home..... disappointed by the Easter events.
Verse 21 of Luke 24 says "....but we had hoped that he (Jesus) was the one who was going to redeem Israel"
Their hope was true....He did in fact come to redeem Israel....or those at least who accepted Him as the Son of God....the Messiah.
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
Verse 21 of Luke 24 says "....but we had hoped that he (Jesus) was the one who was going to redeem Israel"
Their hope was true....He did in fact come to redeem Israel....or those at least who accepted Him as the Son of God....the Messiah.
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Psalm 51:10-12 is a good reminder for me as I start a new week serving the LORD.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
I need a clean heart....a new start.....a right spirit....and the reminder of the joy of Christ.
Have a good day,
Peter Clark.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
I need a clean heart....a new start.....a right spirit....and the reminder of the joy of Christ.
Have a good day,
Peter Clark.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Easter Sunday Sermon
EASTER SUNDAY 24TH APRIL 2011 JOHN 20:1-18
"Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark,
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb
and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb" (v. 1).
Mary Magdalene went to visit Jesus' tomb "while it was still dark."
Most of us have forgotten what it is like to go for a walk in the dark.
We are never very far from light – or a lightswitch.
I remember once when we were ministering at Mungindi,
we staying on a farm – it was scarey because it was the farm next to farm where the “Morse” murder happened.
And we were there only a short while after that.
They had an outside toilet - a long way outside.
They had a very faint light in the toilet,
You could just see where you were headed,
Across the paths of snakes – past murderers and wild animals.
They were all there – or you imagined them to be anyway.
It was really dark and very scarey.
It must have been like that for Mary Magdalene.
She might have had some sort of lamp or candle – not a very bright one.
Even so, it wouldn’t have been undependable
likely to be extinguished by any gust of wind.
For Mary to start her journey to Jesus' tomb in the darkness showed great resolve.
She couldn’t visit Jesus' tomb the day before, because it was the Sabbath.
She should have waited for sunrise – for the light,
but I guess her heart wouldn't let her,
You know what it is like,
She had probably been awake most of the night waiting for morning.
Somehow she felt compelled to begin her journey "while it was still dark."
The Gospel of Luke tells us that Jesus had cast out seven demons from Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:2).
Some people have painted Mary Magdalene in scarlet colors,
as if she had been a terrible sinner.
However, that doesn't necessarily follow.
Being demon-possessed and being a terrible sinner can be quite different things.
What we do know is that Mary Magdalene had lived a dark, demon-possessed life.
Jesus drove out the demons and kept them at bay.
Mary knew what it was like to live in darkness, and she knew what it was like to see the light once again.
She had reason to be grateful to Jesus –– really grateful.
Jesus had saved her from that darkness.
Seeing him on the cross (Matthew 27:61) must have been the worst day of Mary's life.
She couldn’t wait for the light of dawn.
She set out "while it was still dark" to visit Jesus' tomb.
The darkness of the night matched the darkness of Mary's soul.
It must have been terrible for her,
But the worst was yet to come.
When Mary arrived at the tomb, she saw that the stone had been rolled away.
Her first thought was that someone had desecrated the tomb and had stolen Jesus' body.
Why would anyone do that?
But she knew that people do bad things.
After all, she had seen them kill Jesus.
That was beyond imagining too.
Mary rushed to get help.
She found Peter and "the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved" (v. 2).
Most people believe this to be John.
Mary had run to get the disciples, and the two disciples ran to see the tomb ––
to see if Mary was right ––
to see if the tomb was empty ––
to try to decide what to do.
The disciples looked in through the low opening of the tomb.
They saw the linen wrappings lying there ––
the linen wrappings in which Jesus' body had been buried.
The cloth that had been on Jesus' head was lying off to the side,
carefully rolled up.
Jesus' body was missing,
but this was not the way robbers would have left the tomb.
They would have taken any valuables and left Jesus' body.
Nor was it the way that Jesus' enemies would have left the tomb.
They would have taken Jesus' body in its wrappings.
Peter ––
who was quick to make decisions ––
who always had an answer ––
He didn't know what to think ––
The beloved disciple though……
"he saw and believed" (v. 8)
Then the story turns once again to Mary.
It is clear that she did not understand.
She was weeping.
By this time the sun must have begun to dawn,
but the truth had not yet dawned on Mary.
She still thought that someone had stolen Jesus' body.
But then she saw two angels inside the tomb –– sitting where Jesus' body had lain.
They asked, "Mary, why are you weeping?"
She said, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him."
Then she turned around and saw Jesus –– but she didn't recognize him. Jesus said, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Thinking him to be the gardener, she said,
"Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away."
Then Jesus called her by name –– "Mary" ––
and the light suddenly dawned for her.
Hearing Jesus say her name caused Mary to recognize him,
and suddenly her darkness was dispelled.
Suddenly the cares fell from her shoulders and she knew that Jesus was alive once again.
She could not imagine how that had happened, but it was obviously true. Jesus was alive, and the world was once again awash in light.
Jesus still does that, you know.
Jesus still comes to us in our darkness ––
None of us are ever here by accident,
God guides us, brings us along,
So that He might reach out to us,
calling us by name ––
dispelling our fears ––
calling us into the light.
We need to remember that, because we all experience dark times
periods of loneliness and desolation and despair.
None of us is exempt.
God might be calling you out on this Easter Sunday.
Calling you into a new relationship with Himself.
He calls….we need to hear!
The Easter story is God's assurance that he is with us in the midst of our darkest night.
The Easter story is God's assurance that darkness is not the end.
It is his promise that he will bring us through the darkness into the light.
The Easter story is God's assurance that:
"neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor rulers,
nor things present, nor things to come,
nor powers,
nor height, nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God
in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38).
When we are caught up in our dark nights, we need to remember that.
“Nothing can separate us from the love of God”
We need to remember Mary Magdalene,
with her broken heart and clouded eyes,
making her way to Jesus' tomb through the darkness of night.
We need to remember Jesus calling her by name and dispelling her darkness.
We need to remember how Jesus, with one word, turned Mary's life around.
Jesus still does that for those who believe in him ––
for those who love him.
On this Easter Day, let me encourage you to live with Easter faith –– faith in the one who brings light to dispel every darkness.
And let me call you to:
Trust him when dark doubts assail you.
Trust him when your faith is small,
Trust him when simply to trust him
Is the hardest thing of all.
Amen.
"Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark,
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb
and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb" (v. 1).
Mary Magdalene went to visit Jesus' tomb "while it was still dark."
Most of us have forgotten what it is like to go for a walk in the dark.
We are never very far from light – or a lightswitch.
I remember once when we were ministering at Mungindi,
we staying on a farm – it was scarey because it was the farm next to farm where the “Morse” murder happened.
And we were there only a short while after that.
They had an outside toilet - a long way outside.
They had a very faint light in the toilet,
You could just see where you were headed,
Across the paths of snakes – past murderers and wild animals.
They were all there – or you imagined them to be anyway.
It was really dark and very scarey.
It must have been like that for Mary Magdalene.
She might have had some sort of lamp or candle – not a very bright one.
Even so, it wouldn’t have been undependable
likely to be extinguished by any gust of wind.
For Mary to start her journey to Jesus' tomb in the darkness showed great resolve.
She couldn’t visit Jesus' tomb the day before, because it was the Sabbath.
She should have waited for sunrise – for the light,
but I guess her heart wouldn't let her,
You know what it is like,
She had probably been awake most of the night waiting for morning.
Somehow she felt compelled to begin her journey "while it was still dark."
The Gospel of Luke tells us that Jesus had cast out seven demons from Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:2).
Some people have painted Mary Magdalene in scarlet colors,
as if she had been a terrible sinner.
However, that doesn't necessarily follow.
Being demon-possessed and being a terrible sinner can be quite different things.
What we do know is that Mary Magdalene had lived a dark, demon-possessed life.
Jesus drove out the demons and kept them at bay.
Mary knew what it was like to live in darkness, and she knew what it was like to see the light once again.
She had reason to be grateful to Jesus –– really grateful.
Jesus had saved her from that darkness.
Seeing him on the cross (Matthew 27:61) must have been the worst day of Mary's life.
She couldn’t wait for the light of dawn.
She set out "while it was still dark" to visit Jesus' tomb.
The darkness of the night matched the darkness of Mary's soul.
It must have been terrible for her,
But the worst was yet to come.
When Mary arrived at the tomb, she saw that the stone had been rolled away.
Her first thought was that someone had desecrated the tomb and had stolen Jesus' body.
Why would anyone do that?
But she knew that people do bad things.
After all, she had seen them kill Jesus.
That was beyond imagining too.
Mary rushed to get help.
She found Peter and "the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved" (v. 2).
Most people believe this to be John.
Mary had run to get the disciples, and the two disciples ran to see the tomb ––
to see if Mary was right ––
to see if the tomb was empty ––
to try to decide what to do.
The disciples looked in through the low opening of the tomb.
They saw the linen wrappings lying there ––
the linen wrappings in which Jesus' body had been buried.
The cloth that had been on Jesus' head was lying off to the side,
carefully rolled up.
Jesus' body was missing,
but this was not the way robbers would have left the tomb.
They would have taken any valuables and left Jesus' body.
Nor was it the way that Jesus' enemies would have left the tomb.
They would have taken Jesus' body in its wrappings.
Peter ––
who was quick to make decisions ––
who always had an answer ––
He didn't know what to think ––
The beloved disciple though……
"he saw and believed" (v. 8)
Then the story turns once again to Mary.
It is clear that she did not understand.
She was weeping.
By this time the sun must have begun to dawn,
but the truth had not yet dawned on Mary.
She still thought that someone had stolen Jesus' body.
But then she saw two angels inside the tomb –– sitting where Jesus' body had lain.
They asked, "Mary, why are you weeping?"
She said, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him."
Then she turned around and saw Jesus –– but she didn't recognize him. Jesus said, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Thinking him to be the gardener, she said,
"Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away."
Then Jesus called her by name –– "Mary" ––
and the light suddenly dawned for her.
Hearing Jesus say her name caused Mary to recognize him,
and suddenly her darkness was dispelled.
Suddenly the cares fell from her shoulders and she knew that Jesus was alive once again.
She could not imagine how that had happened, but it was obviously true. Jesus was alive, and the world was once again awash in light.
Jesus still does that, you know.
Jesus still comes to us in our darkness ––
None of us are ever here by accident,
God guides us, brings us along,
So that He might reach out to us,
calling us by name ––
dispelling our fears ––
calling us into the light.
We need to remember that, because we all experience dark times
periods of loneliness and desolation and despair.
None of us is exempt.
God might be calling you out on this Easter Sunday.
Calling you into a new relationship with Himself.
He calls….we need to hear!
The Easter story is God's assurance that he is with us in the midst of our darkest night.
The Easter story is God's assurance that darkness is not the end.
It is his promise that he will bring us through the darkness into the light.
The Easter story is God's assurance that:
"neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor rulers,
nor things present, nor things to come,
nor powers,
nor height, nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God
in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38).
When we are caught up in our dark nights, we need to remember that.
“Nothing can separate us from the love of God”
We need to remember Mary Magdalene,
with her broken heart and clouded eyes,
making her way to Jesus' tomb through the darkness of night.
We need to remember Jesus calling her by name and dispelling her darkness.
We need to remember how Jesus, with one word, turned Mary's life around.
Jesus still does that for those who believe in him ––
for those who love him.
On this Easter Day, let me encourage you to live with Easter faith –– faith in the one who brings light to dispel every darkness.
And let me call you to:
Trust him when dark doubts assail you.
Trust him when your faith is small,
Trust him when simply to trust him
Is the hardest thing of all.
Amen.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
An Easter Thanksgiving.
Thanks be to you, O Christ, because you have broken for us the bonds of sin and brought us into fellowship with the Father.
Thanks be to you, O Christ, because you have triumphed over death, and opened to us the gates of eternal life.
Thanks be to you, O Christ, because where two or three are gathered together in your name, you are there among them.
Thanks be to you, O Christ, because you are alive forever to intercede for us.
For these and all the benefits of your mighty resurrection, thanks be to you, O Christ.
Thanks be to you, O Christ, because you have triumphed over death, and opened to us the gates of eternal life.
Thanks be to you, O Christ, because where two or three are gathered together in your name, you are there among them.
Thanks be to you, O Christ, because you are alive forever to intercede for us.
For these and all the benefits of your mighty resurrection, thanks be to you, O Christ.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Sermon For Good Friday.
GOOD FRIDAY 2011
They reckon that we should eat as little processed food as possible.
Heather and I have a friend who is a Doctor
and he thinks we should only eat things
that look as much like they originally were as possible.
In other words “not processed”.
I think cheese is a good example
– that processed sliced cheese in plastic.
Awful – I wonder if you are better off eating the plastic wrapper.
Sometimes the picture we have of Jesus is like that,
the Jesus we are presented with – so processed,
the things we don’t like about Jesus have been sifted out,
so that all we are left with is a very insipid and unsatisfying,
un-challenging Jesus,
worse than the worst of our processed foods.
I hate the thought that I might be adding to the “processing” of Jesus,
that my preaching might be watering down the Jesus of the Gospels,
making him “predictable”, palatable, easy to swallow,
The picture we get of Jesus from the gospels is far from that.
The picture that we get of Jesus in the Gospels is far from conventional and “safe”.
He is in fact, so unconventional
– that no one would invent such a person.
We might now – but we would not have then,
and they didn’t – that is the beauty of having an historical document – one that hasn’t substantially changed in 2000 years.
Jesus is too different – too threatening for our comfort zones.
He challenges the way we live in the world.
Why do you think church attendance has dropped off over the years?
Over the years we have become more prosperous,
we want to be prosperous – and not be challenged.
I did a funeral the other week – One of the grandchildren (a man about 40) said of his grandma,
“We would be sitting down a to a lovely meal….and gran would say
“ I wonder what the poor people are eating now”
That would make people feel uneasy because we DO WONDER WHAT THE POOR PEOPLE ARE EATING!
Jesus challenges our lifestyle.
I can understand why the establishment of those days wanted to get rid of Him.
He showed up pride, pomposity, pretence, injustice, extravagance etc. for what they are.
When Jesus is not around we can tart them up – and we can feel good about them,
but not when Jesus turns up.
Jesus didn’t show the slightest tolerance for these characteristics.
People say Jesus was tolerant!
In what area?
Certainly not with sin, injustice and hyprocisy!
He could be moved with compassion,
and be very gentle,
not in a “gentle Jesus meek and mild” sort of a way,
not in a sloppy, sentimental way – but in a real way.
He could reach out – touch the untouchable and love the unlovable.
Even today,
when Jesus loves you – you know that you are loved.
Jesus was a person who could love,
but He was also a person who was terrifying tough,
not in a Sean Connery/James Bond sort of a way,
but by the sheer strength of His personality,
think about how He walked through the murderous crowd that wanted to throw Him off a cliff outside Nazareth!
Do you know anyone like that?
Someone who can walk through a crowd of louts outside the George Street Cinemas?
Think about how He spent hours agonising over His future in the Garden of Gethsemane,
how rung out He must have been,
and yet, when the guards came to arrest him
– with Judas and the soldiers,
the Scriptures tell us “they fell back to the ground”,
the sheer force of who He was sent them toppling to the ground.
Jesus was truly an amazing man.
He could be up early in the morning and helping and healing people all day,
day after day,
yet He could be fast asleep at the stern of the fishing boat,
while others were panicking in the storm.
He could be awake, up and out praying by Himself for hours on end,
while His disciples were sleeping.
He would touch a diseased, untouchable leper.
He made friends with those who had lost their reputation and self-respect.
He had no worries of denouncing the leaders of His Jewish religion,
He called them “white-washed tombs”
– looking good on the outside but inside
- all dead and decaying.
He spoke fearlessly to the violently insane.
He wept in the presence of human sorrow – it saddened Him.
He wept for Jerusalem when He entered,
because the city had failed to recognise the prophets of old,
and failed to recognise God’s Messiah as He taught, healed and preached among them.
How He must be weeping now?
Not only over the Jews (who He loves)
but also over humanity that has by and large given Jesus the flick,
Often without so much as a second thought.
We read things in the Gospels about Jesus like this….
“He spoke with authority”
“the common people heard Him gladly”.
Even the soldiers sent to arrest Him, said of Him,
“No one has ever spoken like this man”
This is the one whose death we have come here to remember today.
He was so amazing, so remarkable,
He was such an odd fit for the Jewish religious establishment,
That he had to gotten rid of…
And so He hangs on that Roman cross and cries out those terrible words,
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
At that point this truly remarkable Son of God was suffering separation from His Heavenly Father,
He was suffering hell,
Because that’s what “hell” is,
Forget all the weird pictures,
“hell” is separation from God – hell is not being with God – not having God in your life.
We only get a glimpse of “hell” now (just like we only glimpse heaven),
But where there is no God – there is no goodness , no merit, nothing nice,
If people knew – nobody would choose that.
The Scriptures tell us that on the cross – Christ was taking on Himself other people’s sin,
The sin of all those – in the past – in the present and in the future,
Who have said, or will say,
“I repent – please forgive me for leaving you out of my life – give me a new start”
It is for them (us) that Jesus cried out “It is finished”,
“I’ve done the job”
“It is completed”
the terrifying task of doing God’s will to the bitter end had been fully and finally accomplished.
Has Jesus “death” had its effect on you?
There are two ways to respond to what Jesus has done on Good Friday.
Positively and negatively,
Responding positively means turning your life around,
The word is repenting – heading in God’s direction –choosing to be with God in eternity.
The negative response to God doesn’t even bear mentioning,
Not choosing to be with God for eternity,
Who would actually choose that?
People might slip into it,
You may even slip into it
….but surely not choose it.
That is why I pray that I might be clear when I preach,
So that at least people here….will not slip into a Godless eternity.
Let’s just take a minute to think about all this – and to respond privately to God in prayer. I believe that there are people here in great spiritual need to turn back to God.
AMEN.
They reckon that we should eat as little processed food as possible.
Heather and I have a friend who is a Doctor
and he thinks we should only eat things
that look as much like they originally were as possible.
In other words “not processed”.
I think cheese is a good example
– that processed sliced cheese in plastic.
Awful – I wonder if you are better off eating the plastic wrapper.
Sometimes the picture we have of Jesus is like that,
the Jesus we are presented with – so processed,
the things we don’t like about Jesus have been sifted out,
so that all we are left with is a very insipid and unsatisfying,
un-challenging Jesus,
worse than the worst of our processed foods.
I hate the thought that I might be adding to the “processing” of Jesus,
that my preaching might be watering down the Jesus of the Gospels,
making him “predictable”, palatable, easy to swallow,
The picture we get of Jesus from the gospels is far from that.
The picture that we get of Jesus in the Gospels is far from conventional and “safe”.
He is in fact, so unconventional
– that no one would invent such a person.
We might now – but we would not have then,
and they didn’t – that is the beauty of having an historical document – one that hasn’t substantially changed in 2000 years.
Jesus is too different – too threatening for our comfort zones.
He challenges the way we live in the world.
Why do you think church attendance has dropped off over the years?
Over the years we have become more prosperous,
we want to be prosperous – and not be challenged.
I did a funeral the other week – One of the grandchildren (a man about 40) said of his grandma,
“We would be sitting down a to a lovely meal….and gran would say
“ I wonder what the poor people are eating now”
That would make people feel uneasy because we DO WONDER WHAT THE POOR PEOPLE ARE EATING!
Jesus challenges our lifestyle.
I can understand why the establishment of those days wanted to get rid of Him.
He showed up pride, pomposity, pretence, injustice, extravagance etc. for what they are.
When Jesus is not around we can tart them up – and we can feel good about them,
but not when Jesus turns up.
Jesus didn’t show the slightest tolerance for these characteristics.
People say Jesus was tolerant!
In what area?
Certainly not with sin, injustice and hyprocisy!
He could be moved with compassion,
and be very gentle,
not in a “gentle Jesus meek and mild” sort of a way,
not in a sloppy, sentimental way – but in a real way.
He could reach out – touch the untouchable and love the unlovable.
Even today,
when Jesus loves you – you know that you are loved.
Jesus was a person who could love,
but He was also a person who was terrifying tough,
not in a Sean Connery/James Bond sort of a way,
but by the sheer strength of His personality,
think about how He walked through the murderous crowd that wanted to throw Him off a cliff outside Nazareth!
Do you know anyone like that?
Someone who can walk through a crowd of louts outside the George Street Cinemas?
Think about how He spent hours agonising over His future in the Garden of Gethsemane,
how rung out He must have been,
and yet, when the guards came to arrest him
– with Judas and the soldiers,
the Scriptures tell us “they fell back to the ground”,
the sheer force of who He was sent them toppling to the ground.
Jesus was truly an amazing man.
He could be up early in the morning and helping and healing people all day,
day after day,
yet He could be fast asleep at the stern of the fishing boat,
while others were panicking in the storm.
He could be awake, up and out praying by Himself for hours on end,
while His disciples were sleeping.
He would touch a diseased, untouchable leper.
He made friends with those who had lost their reputation and self-respect.
He had no worries of denouncing the leaders of His Jewish religion,
He called them “white-washed tombs”
– looking good on the outside but inside
- all dead and decaying.
He spoke fearlessly to the violently insane.
He wept in the presence of human sorrow – it saddened Him.
He wept for Jerusalem when He entered,
because the city had failed to recognise the prophets of old,
and failed to recognise God’s Messiah as He taught, healed and preached among them.
How He must be weeping now?
Not only over the Jews (who He loves)
but also over humanity that has by and large given Jesus the flick,
Often without so much as a second thought.
We read things in the Gospels about Jesus like this….
“He spoke with authority”
“the common people heard Him gladly”.
Even the soldiers sent to arrest Him, said of Him,
“No one has ever spoken like this man”
This is the one whose death we have come here to remember today.
He was so amazing, so remarkable,
He was such an odd fit for the Jewish religious establishment,
That he had to gotten rid of…
And so He hangs on that Roman cross and cries out those terrible words,
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
At that point this truly remarkable Son of God was suffering separation from His Heavenly Father,
He was suffering hell,
Because that’s what “hell” is,
Forget all the weird pictures,
“hell” is separation from God – hell is not being with God – not having God in your life.
We only get a glimpse of “hell” now (just like we only glimpse heaven),
But where there is no God – there is no goodness , no merit, nothing nice,
If people knew – nobody would choose that.
The Scriptures tell us that on the cross – Christ was taking on Himself other people’s sin,
The sin of all those – in the past – in the present and in the future,
Who have said, or will say,
“I repent – please forgive me for leaving you out of my life – give me a new start”
It is for them (us) that Jesus cried out “It is finished”,
“I’ve done the job”
“It is completed”
the terrifying task of doing God’s will to the bitter end had been fully and finally accomplished.
Has Jesus “death” had its effect on you?
There are two ways to respond to what Jesus has done on Good Friday.
Positively and negatively,
Responding positively means turning your life around,
The word is repenting – heading in God’s direction –choosing to be with God in eternity.
The negative response to God doesn’t even bear mentioning,
Not choosing to be with God for eternity,
Who would actually choose that?
People might slip into it,
You may even slip into it
….but surely not choose it.
That is why I pray that I might be clear when I preach,
So that at least people here….will not slip into a Godless eternity.
Let’s just take a minute to think about all this – and to respond privately to God in prayer. I believe that there are people here in great spiritual need to turn back to God.
AMEN.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Sermon for Maundy Thursday
Maundy Thursday 2011.
This day called Maundy Thursday is characterized by several distinctive features:
the washing of feet, the new commandment, the institution of the Lord’s Supper, the proximity to Good Friday and Easter Day.
There is at this time of year a full moon.
It is a very significant for Jews and Christians because it helps to determine the date of Passover and the date of Easter Day this coming Sunday.
These two celebrations––Passover and Easter––are closely related in their significance.
Here on Maundy Thursday this relatedness becomes clear, particularly when we consider the passage read to us from the Book of Exodus.
It is in the Book of Exodus that the Lord instructs Israel how they are to observe the Passover.
Israel is still in Egypt, still held in slavery by Pharaoh.
But the Lord is working to set them free.
Again and again, the Lord sends plagues against Egypt.
But Pharaoh's heart becomes hard: he will not let Israel go.
Finally the tenth and most drastic plague is let loose against the land of Egypt.
All the firstborn of humans and animals are struck down.
But what keeps the houses of the Israelites from suffering this devastation?
What distinguishes their homes from those of their Egyptian neighbors?
Here's where the Passover celebration comes in.
God instructs the Israelites to slaughter an unblemished lamb and make a meal of it.
They are to eat this meal dressed for travel, ready to get up and go, because the Lord is about to call them to move out of Egypt.
Furthermore, they are to take some of the blood from the slaughtered lamb and mark the doorposts and lintels of their houses with the blood.
This bloody mark at the entrance will spare the Israelites from the tenth plague because the Lord will see the mark and pass over their houses.
Hence Passover is the name of the festival that celebrates this deliverance and the entire Exodus.
This deliverance from Egypt is what turns a bunch of dispirited slaves into a people, God's own people, intended to serve as a light to all nations.
Some three thousand years later, the Exodus experience and the Passover celebration remain at the heart of what it means to be Jewish.
The Jewish people recognize that their God acts in history, liberates his people from bondage, leads them into freedom.
The Exodus is the outstanding salvation event that God brings about in the Old Testament.
The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus comprise the outstanding salvation event that God accomplishes in the New Testament.
In the New Testament, we repeatedly see the great realities of the Old Testament reborn in startling, unexpected ways.
This process of rebirth is especially apparent this night, the night before Jesus dies.
For it is tonight, gathered with his disciples in the Upper Room, that Jesus brings his people's heritage to a startling and unexpected rebirth.
The Passover provisions in the Book of Exodus require the slaughter of an unblemished lamb.
In the New Testament, the lamb that goes to slaughter is Jesus. He is not an ignorant or unwilling victim as an animal is.
Jesus knows about the death that awaits him;
he announces it to his disciples.
He could escape from it, but chooses instead to be the suffering servant, the lamb that is slaughtered.
The Exodus is a tremendous liberating action on the part of God. With a mighty hand and an outstretched arm the Lord leads his people forth from Pharaoh's bondage into the land of promise.
But the second Exodus, the one led by Jesus, is an event still more wonderful.
This new Exodus is not intended for one people only, but for all people who dwell on the face of the earth.
Jesus delivers all people, regardless of their ethnicity.
People of every race and nation find places in the Exodus that Jesus leads.
Jesus delivers us not from Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt,
but from sin, Satan, and death,
from false allegiances and idols, from the corrupting and destructive powers of this world,
from the evil desires that draw us away from God's love.
Jesus takes us on this new Exodus as a new and greater Moses. He leads us to the kingdom of God which we experience in part in this life,
and where we find our home in the age still to come.
Moses delivers to Israel the commandments of God which he receives when he goes up to the top of the mountain.
Jesus takes a bold step further.
He delivers a new commandment:
Love one another, as I have loved you.
Love one another following my example.
He does not convey to us simply a form of words, no matter how good and holy.
He delivers a commandment he has already demonstrated in his life and will demonstrate again in his death.
He does not go up a mountain to receive this truth.
Rather, he has it already in his heart, and he goes down on his knees in front of his disciples to make his point still more apparent by washing their dirty, dusty feet,
an act of humble service.
Moses delivers to Israel the means by which they are to keep the Passover.
Jesus establishes a new liberation meal through what he says over bread and wine.
Moses speaks about the Passover lamb connected with exodus from Egypt.
Jesus is the Passover lamb for the new and universal exodus out of death into life.
Moses points us to a feast.
Jesus is the banquet and the host of the banquet.
Because we belong to him, we gather around the table,
and feed on this sacrament to remind us of His death and resurrection.
Maundy Thursday is not only when we receive the new commandment
when Jesus washes his disciples' feet.
This night is also the eve of Good Friday,
the day of his death,
the time when this new Passover lamb voluntarily goes off to be slaughtered for the love of you and me.
As the hours go by, and the time for his crucifixion draws near, Jesus focuses his attention on the legacy he leaves us.
A new freedom meal.
A new commandment of radical love.
A new relationship between God and the world.
A new start for the human race.
This season of the Christian Passover
––from this night of Maundy Thursday through the triumph of Sunday morning
––God bears witness that He still delivers us, that the forces of destruction have no future.
There is great assurance and hope for us in this.
We can go on knowing that God is powerful in our lives – not impotent.
I think that there is another very powerful challenge for us:
Jesus knew that he would be betrayed by one of the disciples,
Disowned by another,
Deserted by them all for a time.
In spite of this, Jesus showed them “the full extent of His love”.
Like the disciples,
We have sinned, and we will sin again,
God knows that and He knows us,
And yet He continues to love us.
Isn’t that amazing!
It is so easy for us to write people off
– turn our backs on them when they offend us,
but God doesn’t do that – instead He loves us,
This Maundy Thursday, this Easter,
We have the opportunity to decide how we are going to respond to that kind of love,
The love of God is such an amazing thing….
….God calls in return us to “love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength”
And to love our neighbour as we love ourselves.
Is this out of our reach to do this? Yes and No.
Heather will tell you of a 5 year old’s idea of where his power for living comes from.
(Heather’s story about Oscar at the football being taunted by another boy about eating lollies and getting power from them – “Jesus gives me my power”)
Let us pray.
"Almighty God, by the Passover of your Son you have brought us out of sin into righteousness and out of death into life; Grant to those who are sealed by your Holy Spirit the will and the power to live for you and to proclaim you to all the world; to love and to serve through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
This day called Maundy Thursday is characterized by several distinctive features:
the washing of feet, the new commandment, the institution of the Lord’s Supper, the proximity to Good Friday and Easter Day.
There is at this time of year a full moon.
It is a very significant for Jews and Christians because it helps to determine the date of Passover and the date of Easter Day this coming Sunday.
These two celebrations––Passover and Easter––are closely related in their significance.
Here on Maundy Thursday this relatedness becomes clear, particularly when we consider the passage read to us from the Book of Exodus.
It is in the Book of Exodus that the Lord instructs Israel how they are to observe the Passover.
Israel is still in Egypt, still held in slavery by Pharaoh.
But the Lord is working to set them free.
Again and again, the Lord sends plagues against Egypt.
But Pharaoh's heart becomes hard: he will not let Israel go.
Finally the tenth and most drastic plague is let loose against the land of Egypt.
All the firstborn of humans and animals are struck down.
But what keeps the houses of the Israelites from suffering this devastation?
What distinguishes their homes from those of their Egyptian neighbors?
Here's where the Passover celebration comes in.
God instructs the Israelites to slaughter an unblemished lamb and make a meal of it.
They are to eat this meal dressed for travel, ready to get up and go, because the Lord is about to call them to move out of Egypt.
Furthermore, they are to take some of the blood from the slaughtered lamb and mark the doorposts and lintels of their houses with the blood.
This bloody mark at the entrance will spare the Israelites from the tenth plague because the Lord will see the mark and pass over their houses.
Hence Passover is the name of the festival that celebrates this deliverance and the entire Exodus.
This deliverance from Egypt is what turns a bunch of dispirited slaves into a people, God's own people, intended to serve as a light to all nations.
Some three thousand years later, the Exodus experience and the Passover celebration remain at the heart of what it means to be Jewish.
The Jewish people recognize that their God acts in history, liberates his people from bondage, leads them into freedom.
The Exodus is the outstanding salvation event that God brings about in the Old Testament.
The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus comprise the outstanding salvation event that God accomplishes in the New Testament.
In the New Testament, we repeatedly see the great realities of the Old Testament reborn in startling, unexpected ways.
This process of rebirth is especially apparent this night, the night before Jesus dies.
For it is tonight, gathered with his disciples in the Upper Room, that Jesus brings his people's heritage to a startling and unexpected rebirth.
The Passover provisions in the Book of Exodus require the slaughter of an unblemished lamb.
In the New Testament, the lamb that goes to slaughter is Jesus. He is not an ignorant or unwilling victim as an animal is.
Jesus knows about the death that awaits him;
he announces it to his disciples.
He could escape from it, but chooses instead to be the suffering servant, the lamb that is slaughtered.
The Exodus is a tremendous liberating action on the part of God. With a mighty hand and an outstretched arm the Lord leads his people forth from Pharaoh's bondage into the land of promise.
But the second Exodus, the one led by Jesus, is an event still more wonderful.
This new Exodus is not intended for one people only, but for all people who dwell on the face of the earth.
Jesus delivers all people, regardless of their ethnicity.
People of every race and nation find places in the Exodus that Jesus leads.
Jesus delivers us not from Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt,
but from sin, Satan, and death,
from false allegiances and idols, from the corrupting and destructive powers of this world,
from the evil desires that draw us away from God's love.
Jesus takes us on this new Exodus as a new and greater Moses. He leads us to the kingdom of God which we experience in part in this life,
and where we find our home in the age still to come.
Moses delivers to Israel the commandments of God which he receives when he goes up to the top of the mountain.
Jesus takes a bold step further.
He delivers a new commandment:
Love one another, as I have loved you.
Love one another following my example.
He does not convey to us simply a form of words, no matter how good and holy.
He delivers a commandment he has already demonstrated in his life and will demonstrate again in his death.
He does not go up a mountain to receive this truth.
Rather, he has it already in his heart, and he goes down on his knees in front of his disciples to make his point still more apparent by washing their dirty, dusty feet,
an act of humble service.
Moses delivers to Israel the means by which they are to keep the Passover.
Jesus establishes a new liberation meal through what he says over bread and wine.
Moses speaks about the Passover lamb connected with exodus from Egypt.
Jesus is the Passover lamb for the new and universal exodus out of death into life.
Moses points us to a feast.
Jesus is the banquet and the host of the banquet.
Because we belong to him, we gather around the table,
and feed on this sacrament to remind us of His death and resurrection.
Maundy Thursday is not only when we receive the new commandment
when Jesus washes his disciples' feet.
This night is also the eve of Good Friday,
the day of his death,
the time when this new Passover lamb voluntarily goes off to be slaughtered for the love of you and me.
As the hours go by, and the time for his crucifixion draws near, Jesus focuses his attention on the legacy he leaves us.
A new freedom meal.
A new commandment of radical love.
A new relationship between God and the world.
A new start for the human race.
This season of the Christian Passover
––from this night of Maundy Thursday through the triumph of Sunday morning
––God bears witness that He still delivers us, that the forces of destruction have no future.
There is great assurance and hope for us in this.
We can go on knowing that God is powerful in our lives – not impotent.
I think that there is another very powerful challenge for us:
Jesus knew that he would be betrayed by one of the disciples,
Disowned by another,
Deserted by them all for a time.
In spite of this, Jesus showed them “the full extent of His love”.
Like the disciples,
We have sinned, and we will sin again,
God knows that and He knows us,
And yet He continues to love us.
Isn’t that amazing!
It is so easy for us to write people off
– turn our backs on them when they offend us,
but God doesn’t do that – instead He loves us,
This Maundy Thursday, this Easter,
We have the opportunity to decide how we are going to respond to that kind of love,
The love of God is such an amazing thing….
….God calls in return us to “love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength”
And to love our neighbour as we love ourselves.
Is this out of our reach to do this? Yes and No.
Heather will tell you of a 5 year old’s idea of where his power for living comes from.
(Heather’s story about Oscar at the football being taunted by another boy about eating lollies and getting power from them – “Jesus gives me my power”)
Let us pray.
"Almighty God, by the Passover of your Son you have brought us out of sin into righteousness and out of death into life; Grant to those who are sealed by your Holy Spirit the will and the power to live for you and to proclaim you to all the world; to love and to serve through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
No Rebuke!
Jesus writes to the church in Philadelphia in Revelation 3:7-13 - and He offers no rebuke.
The are commendations though. The people of Philadelphia are patiently enduring in their faith, keeping God's Word and not denying His Name.
Great things for us to be doing also.
7 “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.
11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. 13 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
The are commendations though. The people of Philadelphia are patiently enduring in their faith, keeping God's Word and not denying His Name.
Great things for us to be doing also.
7 “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.
11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. 13 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
You Are Dead!
This is a terrible accusation to have levelled at you...
...but this WAS the accusation levelled by Jesus to the church in Sardis
having the reputation of being alive, but really being DEAD.
Revelation 3:1-6
To the Church in Sardis
1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. 6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
What are the people of Sardis to do to remedy the situation?
"Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent." (v.3)
TFTD: It is quite obvious what we are to do to move from death to life. Our message is clear.
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
...but this WAS the accusation levelled by Jesus to the church in Sardis
having the reputation of being alive, but really being DEAD.
Revelation 3:1-6
To the Church in Sardis
1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. 6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
What are the people of Sardis to do to remedy the situation?
"Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent." (v.3)
TFTD: It is quite obvious what we are to do to move from death to life. Our message is clear.
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Sermon for PALM SUNDAY 17th April, 2011
PALM SUNDAY 17th April, 2011 Matthew 27:11-54
Who killed Jesus?
• Some would say that JUDAS.
After all, he was the betrayer who set the crucifixion into motion.
• Some would say that THE JEWS killed Jesus.
That was certainly Matthew's take on it.
He says, "all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about his death" (27:1).
Then he has the crowd shouting, "His blood be on us and on our children" (27:25).
Christians have done terrible things with this.
We will not extend that error and compound that evil this morning.
The Jews are part of the picture,
But not the whole picture.
• Some would say that PILATE killed Jesus.
He was, after all, the legal authority who made the crucifixion possible.
Pilate didn’t think that Jesus was guilty,
and didn’t want him killed.
He tried to set Jesus free by giving the crowd a choice
between Barabbas and Jesus,
but the crowd surprised Pilate.
When offered a choice, they chose Barabbas.
When asked what he should do with Jesus, they shouted, "Crucify him!"
When Pilate asked, "Why, what evil has he done?"
the crowd shouted all the more, "Let him be crucified."
• So, perhaps, THE CROWD killed Jesus.
But it is unlikely that the whole crowd wanted Jesus dead.
It is more likely that a few rabble-rousers,
planted by the chief priests and elders,
stirred up the crowd against Jesus.
This same crowd welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem when He rode in on the donkey.
• Some would blame THE DISCIPLES.
After all, they abandoned Jesus at the first sign of trouble.
Once Jesus was arrested, the disciples were nowhere to be found.
Even Peter, always a man of action, was nowhere to be seen.
• Some would blame THE SOLDIERS.
You can't execute a man without an executioner.
They could not have crucified Jesus without someone to drive the nails and to guard the cross.
But you can't really blame the soldiers.
They were under orders.
In one sense, they were the least guilty.
Other people wanted Jesus dead.
The soldiers didn't really care one way or the other.
• So who killed Jesus?
I don't think that it is all that easy to pin it on any one person.
It seems that everybody was involved but that nobody was really responsible.
I seem to remember one of the Rugby League players when he got caught having sex with some under age girl,
explaining his actions by saying, "Everybody makes mistakes."
"Everybody makes mistakes."
And so he discounted his foul behaviour by saying 'everybody,' does wrong things,
The inference being - that “nobody" is responsible……because,
"Everybody makes mistakes."
In a sense of course – he was right.
The Apostle Paul put it this way:
"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
Paul is saying that, in fact, we ARE all doing it…..doing sin,
We are ALL guilty of sin.
It was OUR sin that put Jesus on the cross.
So WE share in the responsibility for the crucifixion.
Judas was responsible.
The Jewish leaders were responsible.
Pilate was responsible.
The crowd was responsible.
The disciples and the soldiers were responsible.
But we are responsible too.
Someone once wrote to G.K. Chesterton asking,
"What is wrong with the world?"
Chesterton answered that letter.
His letter said:
Gentlemen:
In response to your question, "What is wrong with the world?"
I AM!
Sincerely,
G.K. Chesterton
That sums it up!
I am what is wrong with the world.
You are what is wrong with the world.
We are what is wrong with the world.
But we have trouble admitting that we are the problem.
We will not admit our sin and guilt.
Everything we do is justifiable.
But sin is real and we have reason to feel guilty.
All of us have transgressed,
We have all gone over the line,
That line in the sand that God has drawn,
over the line,
beyond which, God is not happy
beyond which, it is not good for me (and you) OR society.
Our sin affects ourselves a AND others.
That isn't the end of the story.
The end of the story has to do with forgiveness,
but the beginning of the story is that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
There is a cartoon doing the rounds which paints the scene of a young man and woman who are church shopping.
They are stunned to hear an otherwise attractive preacher use the word "sin."
As they leave the church they say:
"We're looking for a church that's supportive,
a place where we can feel good about ourselves."
They thought that they could not feel good about themselves in a church where they talk about sin and guilt.
Perhaps it is possible to feel good in a church that takes sin and guilt seriously,
because that might also be a church that takes forgiveness seriously.
Perhaps the first step in receiving forgiveness is admitting that we need to be forgiven––
Admitting that we have sinned.
In the village of Sartene, Corsica, they re-enact the crucifixion every year on Good Friday.
They have done that since the Middle Ages.
People come from all over the world to see it.
They have a volunteer to play the part of Christ,
Carrying the heavy wooden cross through the cobblestone streets.
The volunteers choose to come to atone for their sins,
They do that by enacting the role of Christ making His way to Calvary.
Do you know that the part is so popular
that it is booked solid for the next 40 years
booked by people seeking peace of mind.
The irony of this
is that Christ has already borne the cross,
so we don't need to do so.
We can have peace of mind.
The cross of Christ has trumped our sins,
The cross of Christ is a “lay down mazere”
Nothing can beat it.
We have only to trust to be forgiven.
Trust that Jesus Christ is the Son of God,
Trust that His death on that cruel Roman cross,
Was the price “PAID IN FULL” for our sin and rebellion.
The forgiveness which Christ offers is not the cheap grace that denies accountability.
It is not the cheap grace of "Everyone makes mistakes."
It is the costly grace of the one who came down from heaven to assume our debt
and to bring us back into a proper relationship with God.
As we view the cross this week, let us not look down with a superior attitude upon Judas –– or the Jewish leaders––or the crowd––or the soldiers––or the disciples.
Let us remember that we share their guilt. But let us also remember the one on the cross.
Ask him to forgive you ––
and then let his forgiveness wash over you and make you clean.
Rejoice that he has made you whole.
Live, not as a sinner, but as one whose slate has been wiped clean.
Live, not in the cursed land of the condemned,
but in the blessed land of the forgiven.
On this Palm Sunday,
Our procession behind Matthew the donkey reminds us
Of our journey into the place of God’s forgiveness and love.
Amen.
Who killed Jesus?
• Some would say that JUDAS.
After all, he was the betrayer who set the crucifixion into motion.
• Some would say that THE JEWS killed Jesus.
That was certainly Matthew's take on it.
He says, "all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about his death" (27:1).
Then he has the crowd shouting, "His blood be on us and on our children" (27:25).
Christians have done terrible things with this.
We will not extend that error and compound that evil this morning.
The Jews are part of the picture,
But not the whole picture.
• Some would say that PILATE killed Jesus.
He was, after all, the legal authority who made the crucifixion possible.
Pilate didn’t think that Jesus was guilty,
and didn’t want him killed.
He tried to set Jesus free by giving the crowd a choice
between Barabbas and Jesus,
but the crowd surprised Pilate.
When offered a choice, they chose Barabbas.
When asked what he should do with Jesus, they shouted, "Crucify him!"
When Pilate asked, "Why, what evil has he done?"
the crowd shouted all the more, "Let him be crucified."
• So, perhaps, THE CROWD killed Jesus.
But it is unlikely that the whole crowd wanted Jesus dead.
It is more likely that a few rabble-rousers,
planted by the chief priests and elders,
stirred up the crowd against Jesus.
This same crowd welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem when He rode in on the donkey.
• Some would blame THE DISCIPLES.
After all, they abandoned Jesus at the first sign of trouble.
Once Jesus was arrested, the disciples were nowhere to be found.
Even Peter, always a man of action, was nowhere to be seen.
• Some would blame THE SOLDIERS.
You can't execute a man without an executioner.
They could not have crucified Jesus without someone to drive the nails and to guard the cross.
But you can't really blame the soldiers.
They were under orders.
In one sense, they were the least guilty.
Other people wanted Jesus dead.
The soldiers didn't really care one way or the other.
• So who killed Jesus?
I don't think that it is all that easy to pin it on any one person.
It seems that everybody was involved but that nobody was really responsible.
I seem to remember one of the Rugby League players when he got caught having sex with some under age girl,
explaining his actions by saying, "Everybody makes mistakes."
"Everybody makes mistakes."
And so he discounted his foul behaviour by saying 'everybody,' does wrong things,
The inference being - that “nobody" is responsible……because,
"Everybody makes mistakes."
In a sense of course – he was right.
The Apostle Paul put it this way:
"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
Paul is saying that, in fact, we ARE all doing it…..doing sin,
We are ALL guilty of sin.
It was OUR sin that put Jesus on the cross.
So WE share in the responsibility for the crucifixion.
Judas was responsible.
The Jewish leaders were responsible.
Pilate was responsible.
The crowd was responsible.
The disciples and the soldiers were responsible.
But we are responsible too.
Someone once wrote to G.K. Chesterton asking,
"What is wrong with the world?"
Chesterton answered that letter.
His letter said:
Gentlemen:
In response to your question, "What is wrong with the world?"
I AM!
Sincerely,
G.K. Chesterton
That sums it up!
I am what is wrong with the world.
You are what is wrong with the world.
We are what is wrong with the world.
But we have trouble admitting that we are the problem.
We will not admit our sin and guilt.
Everything we do is justifiable.
But sin is real and we have reason to feel guilty.
All of us have transgressed,
We have all gone over the line,
That line in the sand that God has drawn,
over the line,
beyond which, God is not happy
beyond which, it is not good for me (and you) OR society.
Our sin affects ourselves a AND others.
That isn't the end of the story.
The end of the story has to do with forgiveness,
but the beginning of the story is that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
There is a cartoon doing the rounds which paints the scene of a young man and woman who are church shopping.
They are stunned to hear an otherwise attractive preacher use the word "sin."
As they leave the church they say:
"We're looking for a church that's supportive,
a place where we can feel good about ourselves."
They thought that they could not feel good about themselves in a church where they talk about sin and guilt.
Perhaps it is possible to feel good in a church that takes sin and guilt seriously,
because that might also be a church that takes forgiveness seriously.
Perhaps the first step in receiving forgiveness is admitting that we need to be forgiven––
Admitting that we have sinned.
In the village of Sartene, Corsica, they re-enact the crucifixion every year on Good Friday.
They have done that since the Middle Ages.
People come from all over the world to see it.
They have a volunteer to play the part of Christ,
Carrying the heavy wooden cross through the cobblestone streets.
The volunteers choose to come to atone for their sins,
They do that by enacting the role of Christ making His way to Calvary.
Do you know that the part is so popular
that it is booked solid for the next 40 years
booked by people seeking peace of mind.
The irony of this
is that Christ has already borne the cross,
so we don't need to do so.
We can have peace of mind.
The cross of Christ has trumped our sins,
The cross of Christ is a “lay down mazere”
Nothing can beat it.
We have only to trust to be forgiven.
Trust that Jesus Christ is the Son of God,
Trust that His death on that cruel Roman cross,
Was the price “PAID IN FULL” for our sin and rebellion.
The forgiveness which Christ offers is not the cheap grace that denies accountability.
It is not the cheap grace of "Everyone makes mistakes."
It is the costly grace of the one who came down from heaven to assume our debt
and to bring us back into a proper relationship with God.
As we view the cross this week, let us not look down with a superior attitude upon Judas –– or the Jewish leaders––or the crowd––or the soldiers––or the disciples.
Let us remember that we share their guilt. But let us also remember the one on the cross.
Ask him to forgive you ––
and then let his forgiveness wash over you and make you clean.
Rejoice that he has made you whole.
Live, not as a sinner, but as one whose slate has been wiped clean.
Live, not in the cursed land of the condemned,
but in the blessed land of the forgiven.
On this Palm Sunday,
Our procession behind Matthew the donkey reminds us
Of our journey into the place of God’s forgiveness and love.
Amen.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Think Smart...Act Smart!
In Revelation 2:18-29 Christ addresses the church in Thyatira.
They are lacking discernment and tolerating heresy...not good.
18 “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you, 25 except to hold on to what you have until I come.’
26 To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’—just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star. 29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
What are they to do?
Verse 25 "hold on to what you have until I come.’
Sometimes that is all we can do in situations......hold on.
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
They are lacking discernment and tolerating heresy...not good.
18 “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you, 25 except to hold on to what you have until I come.’
26 To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’—just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star. 29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
What are they to do?
Verse 25 "hold on to what you have until I come.’
Sometimes that is all we can do in situations......hold on.
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
False Teaching.
In Revelation 2:12-17 Jesus spoke to the church in Pergamum about the false teaching that was held by their church.
12 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 13 I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.
14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
17 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.
What were they to do?
16 Repent therefore!
I have seen very few people ever repent of false teaching. Any approach usually hardens them in their error. Probably because there is a lot of pride tied up in it.
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
12 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 13 I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.
14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
17 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.
What were they to do?
16 Repent therefore!
I have seen very few people ever repent of false teaching. Any approach usually hardens them in their error. Probably because there is a lot of pride tied up in it.
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Be There At The End.
In Revelation 2:8-11 Jesus has some words for the Church at Smyrna.
8 “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.
11 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.
Jesus does not rebuke this congregation BUT He does give them a solution in verse 10 "Be faithful, even to the point of death"
It seems to me that here, perhaps, we have a generic solution to whatever we are doing, or who we are etc. etc.....we need to be faithful even up to the point of our death.
It is hard to argue with that, isn't it?
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
8 “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.
11 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.
Jesus does not rebuke this congregation BUT He does give them a solution in verse 10 "Be faithful, even to the point of death"
It seems to me that here, perhaps, we have a generic solution to whatever we are doing, or who we are etc. etc.....we need to be faithful even up to the point of our death.
It is hard to argue with that, isn't it?
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Have You Got What You Had?
Revelation 2
1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
The accusation of Christ to the Church at Ephesus is that they have "abandoned the love which they had at first".
They had lost their first love!
That has to be a challenge to us.....have you "cooled off" in your relationship with Jesus?
If so, (and for most of us, me included, I would not be surprised) the situation can be repaired - see verse 5.
"Repent and do the things you did at first..."
It is as easy as that! Or is it? All we have to get over is our apathy and our pride! Two very big hurdles.
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
The accusation of Christ to the Church at Ephesus is that they have "abandoned the love which they had at first".
They had lost their first love!
That has to be a challenge to us.....have you "cooled off" in your relationship with Jesus?
If so, (and for most of us, me included, I would not be surprised) the situation can be repaired - see verse 5.
"Repent and do the things you did at first..."
It is as easy as that! Or is it? All we have to get over is our apathy and our pride! Two very big hurdles.
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Alive And Powerful.
In Revelation 1:18 Jesus declares, "I died, and behold I am alive forevermore"
In a strange twist, this One who was to live "forevermore", died to redeem believers.
He now lives as "the firstborn from the dead" (v.5). In other words....we are all to follow.
It was because Jesus died and rose from the dead, that He said that John should not "fear" (v.17)
The churches should not fear death either, because Jesus had conquered death forever.
This was all happening at a time when death for their faith was a reality.
TFTD: Are you confident enough to die for your faith? Are you living for your faith?
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
In a strange twist, this One who was to live "forevermore", died to redeem believers.
He now lives as "the firstborn from the dead" (v.5). In other words....we are all to follow.
It was because Jesus died and rose from the dead, that He said that John should not "fear" (v.17)
The churches should not fear death either, because Jesus had conquered death forever.
This was all happening at a time when death for their faith was a reality.
TFTD: Are you confident enough to die for your faith? Are you living for your faith?
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
The Beginning And The End
Jesus describes Himself in Revelation 1:8 as the "Alpha and the Omega" - the beginning and the end.
These are the first and last letters of the greek alphabet.
What He is saying is that He is the beginning of all history - everything. He is the Creator, and.......
....."who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty"
He is the goal of all, creation and history.
All history is moving towards Him and the glorifying of Him.
TFTD: It doesn't always appear like that, but that is in fact what is happening.
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
These are the first and last letters of the greek alphabet.
What He is saying is that He is the beginning of all history - everything. He is the Creator, and.......
....."who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty"
He is the goal of all, creation and history.
All history is moving towards Him and the glorifying of Him.
TFTD: It doesn't always appear like that, but that is in fact what is happening.
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Sermon on John 11:1-45
10th April 2011. John 11:1-45
The Gospel of John includes seven miracles,
They are called “signs”.
Most of the “signs” are involved with healing someone.
They all show us who Jesus really is,
And they challenge us.
I hope that you ARE being challenged by God’s Word.
If you are not – if you are not being challenged and transformed by God’sWord,
Then be afraid ……….be very afraid….
You might have a hard, calloused heart.
Does that describe your heart?…then you need to be praying (urgently) that God might soften your heart.
The account that we read today,
the resurrection of Lazarus from the dead,
is the last of the seven signs
–– the last and the greatest sign.
Just like Jesus’ resurrection is the last great “sign”.
There is another “Lazarus” in the gospels,
Apart from this one we heard about today,
It is in the parable of the rich man,
and a beggar called Lazarus,
Both the rich man and Lazarus die,
– the rich man goes to hell – separated from God
Lazarus, the poor man goes to heaven.
The rich man begs Abraham to free him from that place,
When that request is not acceded to,
The rich man pleads with Abraham to send Lazarus and warn his brothers,
so that his brothers don’t end up where he is.
Abraham says that his brothers have had the prophets,
the Word of God,
The rich says that if someone goes to his brothers from the dead (Lazarus)
Then his brothers would repent
But Abraham says
that the brothers would not believe
EVEN IF SOMEONE WERE TO RISE FROM THE DEAD.
We know that to be true.
Jesus has risen from death to life,
And still people will not believe.
And that is the key to this passage
And the key to life – is that someone has risen from the dead,
but most of humanity doesn’t care less!
This passage today - the raising of Lazarus
takes place in Bethany, near Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is where Jesus will die,
and the resurrection of Lazarus triggers the plot that will result in Jesus' death.
The resurrection of Lazarus is the straw that breaks the camels back!
Jesus shows through this “sign” that he has power over death,
That He (Jesus) can raise the dead,
And that - just like He raised Lazarus,
He can raise you and me from death to life.
There is absolutely no reason why anyone here needs to experience eternal death,
And not be raised from death to life.
We will all have to face physical death,
We are in a perishable body,
Jesus came so that the imperishable (eternal life),
Would be available to us.
Jesus came to offer each one of us, eternal life.
These miracles are called signs, because they point to something.
That is what “signs” do.
These signs point to Jesus.
They confirm that Jesus is working with God's power.
When people saw Jesus' miracles, they believed that He was from God.
They knew that he must have been using God's power.
Ironically, that's why the chief priests and Pharisees decided to kill Jesus.
In their eyes, Jesus was a young upstart ––
a dangerous young man ––
one who failed to show proper respect for them and their traditions.
When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, they said,
"This man is performing many signs.
If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him" (11:48).
So they decided to kill him.
But that's getting ahead of the story.
The whole thing begins when Lazarus, a friend of Jesus, falls ill.
His sisters, Mary and Martha, send for Jesus ––
obviously hoping that Jesus will come quickly and heal their brother.
But Jesus surprises us.
He doesn't immediately set out for Bethany,
he delays his departure for two days, saying:
"This illness does not lead to death;
rather it is for God's glory,
so that the Son of God may be glorified through it" (v. 4).
There are two things in that for us to note.
Jesus said that Lazarus' illness was "for God's glory."
He also said that there was a purpose ––
a Godly purpose ––
behind Lazarus' illness.
The purpose was "that the Son of God may be glorified through it."
"GLORY" and "GLORIFIED."
Not words that we use often.
If we see a beautiful sunset, we might say, "Glorious!" ––
but not very often.
However, the word "glory" appears frequently in the Bible,
and our calling a beautiful sunset "glorious" gives us a clue as to what it means.
Just think for a moment.
If you were to say that a sunset was glorious, what would you mean?
You would mean that the sunset was beautiful –– and more than beautiful,
magnificent –– spectacular –– awe-inspiring - stunning!
A "glorious," sunset would make an amazing impression on you.
The Bible uses the word "GLORY" to speak of God.
When applied to God, the word "glory" means all those things ––
magnificent, spectacular, awe-inspiring –– and more.
Jesus said that Lazarus' illness was "for God's glory, so that the Son of God might be glorified through it."
Jesus meant that, through Lazarus,
God was going to let the people of Bethany see something of God's glory,
and that glory would be reflected onto Jesus, the Son of God.
That happens, you know.
God's glory can be revealed even through the suffering of a Godly person.
I have known people like that ––
people who, in their illness reflect the glory of God.
Their lives shine with Godly love and Godly glory.
When Jesus finally arrived in Bethany, he was too late.
Lazarus was dead.
Lazarus had been dead four days and had been buried
–– buried in a tomb much like the tomb that would soon hold Jesus' body.
The fact that Lazarus had been dead four days was significant.
"four days" is shorthand for hopeless.
The situation was hopeless.
Jesus had come too late.
Lazarus was dead and gone.
There was nothing to be done.
“If you had been here, our brother would have lived” – Mary said.
But Jesus went to Lazarus' tomb and said, "Take away the stone."
Martha protested, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days" (v. 39).
What she was really saying was, "Lord, don't do this to us!
We have been through enough!
Don't open our brother's tomb and expose us to the smell of his decaying body.
Don't make this situation worse than it already is."
But Jesus replied, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" (v. 40).
There's that word again –– that word "glory."
Then Jesus began to pray.
He didn't pray for Lazarus' life to be restored.
Instead, he thanked God for hearing his prayer,
And He prayed that the people might believe that God had sent him.
We need to be sure to hear that.
The purpose behind Lazarus' illness was that the people might believe that God had sent Jesus
–– that Jesus truly came from God.
So they rolled back the stone, and Jesus said, "Lazarus, come out!"
Then Lazarus, who had been dead four days, came stumbling out of the tomb
his body still wrapped with strips of cloth that the women had used to prepare his body for burial.
It must have looked like one of those bad 1950s horror movies.
But this wasn't a horror, this was a wonder!
Lazarus was not some sort of hideous apparition,
but was instead an undeniable sign of the grace of God.
Lazarus was a SIGN pointing to Jesus
showing the people who Jesus really was
that Jesus had truly come from God and was working by the power of God.
This story concludes with these words:
"Many of the Jews therefore,
who had come with Mary
and had seen what Jesus did,
believed in him" (v. 45).
That was the idea ––
that people might see this miracle ––
this sign ––
and believe in Jesus ––
believe that he had come from God ––
believe that he was working by the power of God.
We would love to see a sign like that, wouldn't we ––
a miracle ––
a dead man emerging from his grave ––
something to buttress our belief!
But we have all that we need for belief,
We have the Scriptures –
And these Scriptures point us to Jesus the Messiah of God,
We have the historical account of Him rising from death to life.
And as Abraham said in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus,
“If they don’t believe the prophets and the Scriptures,
neither will they believe if someone should rise from the dead”
The challenge for us today, right now,
Is the challenge to believe God
And submit to Jesus as LORD and SAVIOUR.
That will change your life
As radically as any resurrection. AMEN.
The Gospel of John includes seven miracles,
They are called “signs”.
Most of the “signs” are involved with healing someone.
They all show us who Jesus really is,
And they challenge us.
I hope that you ARE being challenged by God’s Word.
If you are not – if you are not being challenged and transformed by God’sWord,
Then be afraid ……….be very afraid….
You might have a hard, calloused heart.
Does that describe your heart?…then you need to be praying (urgently) that God might soften your heart.
The account that we read today,
the resurrection of Lazarus from the dead,
is the last of the seven signs
–– the last and the greatest sign.
Just like Jesus’ resurrection is the last great “sign”.
There is another “Lazarus” in the gospels,
Apart from this one we heard about today,
It is in the parable of the rich man,
and a beggar called Lazarus,
Both the rich man and Lazarus die,
– the rich man goes to hell – separated from God
Lazarus, the poor man goes to heaven.
The rich man begs Abraham to free him from that place,
When that request is not acceded to,
The rich man pleads with Abraham to send Lazarus and warn his brothers,
so that his brothers don’t end up where he is.
Abraham says that his brothers have had the prophets,
the Word of God,
The rich says that if someone goes to his brothers from the dead (Lazarus)
Then his brothers would repent
But Abraham says
that the brothers would not believe
EVEN IF SOMEONE WERE TO RISE FROM THE DEAD.
We know that to be true.
Jesus has risen from death to life,
And still people will not believe.
And that is the key to this passage
And the key to life – is that someone has risen from the dead,
but most of humanity doesn’t care less!
This passage today - the raising of Lazarus
takes place in Bethany, near Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is where Jesus will die,
and the resurrection of Lazarus triggers the plot that will result in Jesus' death.
The resurrection of Lazarus is the straw that breaks the camels back!
Jesus shows through this “sign” that he has power over death,
That He (Jesus) can raise the dead,
And that - just like He raised Lazarus,
He can raise you and me from death to life.
There is absolutely no reason why anyone here needs to experience eternal death,
And not be raised from death to life.
We will all have to face physical death,
We are in a perishable body,
Jesus came so that the imperishable (eternal life),
Would be available to us.
Jesus came to offer each one of us, eternal life.
These miracles are called signs, because they point to something.
That is what “signs” do.
These signs point to Jesus.
They confirm that Jesus is working with God's power.
When people saw Jesus' miracles, they believed that He was from God.
They knew that he must have been using God's power.
Ironically, that's why the chief priests and Pharisees decided to kill Jesus.
In their eyes, Jesus was a young upstart ––
a dangerous young man ––
one who failed to show proper respect for them and their traditions.
When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, they said,
"This man is performing many signs.
If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him" (11:48).
So they decided to kill him.
But that's getting ahead of the story.
The whole thing begins when Lazarus, a friend of Jesus, falls ill.
His sisters, Mary and Martha, send for Jesus ––
obviously hoping that Jesus will come quickly and heal their brother.
But Jesus surprises us.
He doesn't immediately set out for Bethany,
he delays his departure for two days, saying:
"This illness does not lead to death;
rather it is for God's glory,
so that the Son of God may be glorified through it" (v. 4).
There are two things in that for us to note.
Jesus said that Lazarus' illness was "for God's glory."
He also said that there was a purpose ––
a Godly purpose ––
behind Lazarus' illness.
The purpose was "that the Son of God may be glorified through it."
"GLORY" and "GLORIFIED."
Not words that we use often.
If we see a beautiful sunset, we might say, "Glorious!" ––
but not very often.
However, the word "glory" appears frequently in the Bible,
and our calling a beautiful sunset "glorious" gives us a clue as to what it means.
Just think for a moment.
If you were to say that a sunset was glorious, what would you mean?
You would mean that the sunset was beautiful –– and more than beautiful,
magnificent –– spectacular –– awe-inspiring - stunning!
A "glorious," sunset would make an amazing impression on you.
The Bible uses the word "GLORY" to speak of God.
When applied to God, the word "glory" means all those things ––
magnificent, spectacular, awe-inspiring –– and more.
Jesus said that Lazarus' illness was "for God's glory, so that the Son of God might be glorified through it."
Jesus meant that, through Lazarus,
God was going to let the people of Bethany see something of God's glory,
and that glory would be reflected onto Jesus, the Son of God.
That happens, you know.
God's glory can be revealed even through the suffering of a Godly person.
I have known people like that ––
people who, in their illness reflect the glory of God.
Their lives shine with Godly love and Godly glory.
When Jesus finally arrived in Bethany, he was too late.
Lazarus was dead.
Lazarus had been dead four days and had been buried
–– buried in a tomb much like the tomb that would soon hold Jesus' body.
The fact that Lazarus had been dead four days was significant.
"four days" is shorthand for hopeless.
The situation was hopeless.
Jesus had come too late.
Lazarus was dead and gone.
There was nothing to be done.
“If you had been here, our brother would have lived” – Mary said.
But Jesus went to Lazarus' tomb and said, "Take away the stone."
Martha protested, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days" (v. 39).
What she was really saying was, "Lord, don't do this to us!
We have been through enough!
Don't open our brother's tomb and expose us to the smell of his decaying body.
Don't make this situation worse than it already is."
But Jesus replied, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" (v. 40).
There's that word again –– that word "glory."
Then Jesus began to pray.
He didn't pray for Lazarus' life to be restored.
Instead, he thanked God for hearing his prayer,
And He prayed that the people might believe that God had sent him.
We need to be sure to hear that.
The purpose behind Lazarus' illness was that the people might believe that God had sent Jesus
–– that Jesus truly came from God.
So they rolled back the stone, and Jesus said, "Lazarus, come out!"
Then Lazarus, who had been dead four days, came stumbling out of the tomb
his body still wrapped with strips of cloth that the women had used to prepare his body for burial.
It must have looked like one of those bad 1950s horror movies.
But this wasn't a horror, this was a wonder!
Lazarus was not some sort of hideous apparition,
but was instead an undeniable sign of the grace of God.
Lazarus was a SIGN pointing to Jesus
showing the people who Jesus really was
that Jesus had truly come from God and was working by the power of God.
This story concludes with these words:
"Many of the Jews therefore,
who had come with Mary
and had seen what Jesus did,
believed in him" (v. 45).
That was the idea ––
that people might see this miracle ––
this sign ––
and believe in Jesus ––
believe that he had come from God ––
believe that he was working by the power of God.
We would love to see a sign like that, wouldn't we ––
a miracle ––
a dead man emerging from his grave ––
something to buttress our belief!
But we have all that we need for belief,
We have the Scriptures –
And these Scriptures point us to Jesus the Messiah of God,
We have the historical account of Him rising from death to life.
And as Abraham said in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus,
“If they don’t believe the prophets and the Scriptures,
neither will they believe if someone should rise from the dead”
The challenge for us today, right now,
Is the challenge to believe God
And submit to Jesus as LORD and SAVIOUR.
That will change your life
As radically as any resurrection. AMEN.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
The Importance Of Repentance.
Luke 13:3
3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.
These words of Jesus are repeated by Him two verses later.
I think that we can conclude, that it is very important to repent.
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.
These words of Jesus are repeated by Him two verses later.
I think that we can conclude, that it is very important to repent.
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Beware!
In my reading today I was reminded how careful we have to be of being drawn away from God.
The evil one is just waiting for the right opportunity....
Deuteronomy 11:16
16 Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and aserve other gods and worship them;
"Other gods" can take many forms.
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
The evil one is just waiting for the right opportunity....
Deuteronomy 11:16
16 Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and aserve other gods and worship them;
"Other gods" can take many forms.
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
Friday, April 8, 2011
What To Be Afraid Of!
Jesus warned us what to be afraid of......
Luke 12:4-5 (New International Version, ©2011)
4 “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.
Those who have ears to hear.....
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
Luke 12:4-5 (New International Version, ©2011)
4 “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.
Those who have ears to hear.....
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Forgetting God When Things Are Good!
It is human nature....and it goes back to the time when the Hebrews were entering the land promised to them by God.
"When you have eaten and are satisified, praise the Lord your God......be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe His commands, His laws and His decrees.....otherwise when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down....and when your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God...." (Deuteronomy 8:10-14)
This is a very real warning for each of us.
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
"When you have eaten and are satisified, praise the Lord your God......be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe His commands, His laws and His decrees.....otherwise when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down....and when your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God...." (Deuteronomy 8:10-14)
This is a very real warning for each of us.
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
God - Accessible To All!
There was a great encouragement in today's Bible reading from Deuteronomy Chapter 4.
The work of ministry often overwhelmes me....how can I reach these people....how can I be more effective in communicating the truth of the Gospel....how....how?
I need to remember, again and again.....it is not all up to me.
Every person is responsible for themselves.
"But if .......you seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul." (Deuteronomy 4:29)
The key words there are YOU WILL FIND HIM.
Have a great day.
Peter Clark.
The work of ministry often overwhelmes me....how can I reach these people....how can I be more effective in communicating the truth of the Gospel....how....how?
I need to remember, again and again.....it is not all up to me.
Every person is responsible for themselves.
"But if .......you seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul." (Deuteronomy 4:29)
The key words there are YOU WILL FIND HIM.
Have a great day.
Peter Clark.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Needed: A Gym For The Soul!
You can go out on any day of the week....at any time of the day.... and you will find people running, walking, exercising etc.
It almost looks like an obsession.
But there is no such obsession for taking care of our spiritual life - that side of many (most) people falls into disuse.
There is a blindness....a spiritual blindness inflicted on us by the evil one...."the prince of this world".
And so Moses warns in Deuteronomy 4:9
“Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children's children—
TFTD: Could I encourage YOU to take care.....to keep your soul diligently....so that you do not forget we see around us.
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
It almost looks like an obsession.
But there is no such obsession for taking care of our spiritual life - that side of many (most) people falls into disuse.
There is a blindness....a spiritual blindness inflicted on us by the evil one...."the prince of this world".
And so Moses warns in Deuteronomy 4:9
“Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children's children—
TFTD: Could I encourage YOU to take care.....to keep your soul diligently....so that you do not forget we see around us.
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Sermon from 3rd April, 2011
3rd April, 2011 John 9:1-41
Leonardo da Vinci saw things that other people could not see.
We are most familiar with his paintings,
such as the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper,
but he did many other things.
He was an architect.
He was a sculptor.
He designed weaponry.
He drew sketches of a flying machine that, 500 years later,
we recognize as a helicopter.
He practically invented the science of anatomy.
At one point Leonardo talked about vision.
He said that there are three classes of people:
• Those who see.
• Those who see when they are shown.
• Those who do not see.
Those who see.
Those who see when they are shown.
Those who do not see.
That is what our Gospel text is about today.
Jesus was walking with his disciples when they saw a blind man.
The disciples asked, "Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
They assumed that it had to be one or the other.
If a person was blind or lame or a leper, they must have done something wrong. Their infirmity was a punishment for their sins.
Or it might be punishment for the sins of their parents.
But Jesus said, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in him."
He went on to say, "I am the light of the world."
Then he healed the blind man.
That was amazing!
A man who had never seen anything could now see!
No eye surgeon was involved.
Jesus made mud by mixing his spit with a handful of dust.
He put the mud on the man's eyes, and told him to go wash in the Pool of Siloam.
When the man did so, he could see.
It must have been very confusing for his neighbours and friends.
There was no cure for blindness,
so his neighbours and friends thought
this man (who could see) could not be the blind man (who could not see).
He must have looked different now that he could see.
Now his eyes were open and full of light.
He was astonished and excited.
He no longer crouched along the road.
He no longer moved hesitantly through the crowd.
He was a different person to the one they knew.
It is no wonder that they failed to recognize him.
There was a contradiction or paradox operating here.
The blind man could see, but the sighted neighbors could not see!
The Jewish authorities couldn’t see either!
First of all they tried to deny that it was a miracle.
Then they tried to prove that this was not the blind man, but someone else.
When it became apparent that he really was the blind man,
the authorities tried to prove that,
because Jesus had healed the man on the sabbath,
Then he must be a lawbreaker.
And then they said that,
if Jesus was a lawbreaker,
he could not be from God.
But the blind man said,
"If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."
The blind man could see, but the sighted authorities could not see!
Sometimes it is like that!
Sometimes our eyes are closed but our hearts are open,
• All too often we have eyes but do not see.
We have ears, but do not hear.
God is in our midst, but all too often we try to face life by ourselves –– never availing ourselves of God's presence –– God's power.
You know what I find so powerful in all this?
We have this very earthy account of an incident
Written years ago – but a very earthy, obviously real, honest account,
An account that has “the ring of truth” about it,
An account of this man who was born blind,
We hear of his circumstances,
We meet his parents.
He has this encounter with a man people claimed had come from God (Jesus)
And we can be as blind about this as were some of the people there (not all of them)
Because we don’t trust something written down so many years ago,
At least we have trouble believing it.
Why? We don’t express any doubt about Julius Caesar or the events of his life,
But we have trouble believing God in His Scriptures,
He gave us his written word so that we would all be on a level playing field,
We all have the same opportunity – to read and believe.
Christ has come into our world to open our eyes – to shed light,
More especially, Christ has come into our world to open our hearts,
To shed light into our hearts.
Only with open eyes and open hearts will we become aware of God in our lives,
Will we feel God's presence in our lives.
Christ healed the man born blind,
but he could not bring sight to those who would not see.
It requires some co-operation from us,
That is called FAITH.
Christ can heal our hearts and help them to see,
But He cannot/will not heal the hearts of those who stubbornly refuse to believe the truth that is in front of them.
Let us pray this week for the grace to receive Christ's healing touch
that he might open our eyes and our hearts to see and to receive God's blessings.
AMEN.
Leonardo da Vinci saw things that other people could not see.
We are most familiar with his paintings,
such as the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper,
but he did many other things.
He was an architect.
He was a sculptor.
He designed weaponry.
He drew sketches of a flying machine that, 500 years later,
we recognize as a helicopter.
He practically invented the science of anatomy.
At one point Leonardo talked about vision.
He said that there are three classes of people:
• Those who see.
• Those who see when they are shown.
• Those who do not see.
Those who see.
Those who see when they are shown.
Those who do not see.
That is what our Gospel text is about today.
Jesus was walking with his disciples when they saw a blind man.
The disciples asked, "Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
They assumed that it had to be one or the other.
If a person was blind or lame or a leper, they must have done something wrong. Their infirmity was a punishment for their sins.
Or it might be punishment for the sins of their parents.
But Jesus said, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in him."
He went on to say, "I am the light of the world."
Then he healed the blind man.
That was amazing!
A man who had never seen anything could now see!
No eye surgeon was involved.
Jesus made mud by mixing his spit with a handful of dust.
He put the mud on the man's eyes, and told him to go wash in the Pool of Siloam.
When the man did so, he could see.
It must have been very confusing for his neighbours and friends.
There was no cure for blindness,
so his neighbours and friends thought
this man (who could see) could not be the blind man (who could not see).
He must have looked different now that he could see.
Now his eyes were open and full of light.
He was astonished and excited.
He no longer crouched along the road.
He no longer moved hesitantly through the crowd.
He was a different person to the one they knew.
It is no wonder that they failed to recognize him.
There was a contradiction or paradox operating here.
The blind man could see, but the sighted neighbors could not see!
The Jewish authorities couldn’t see either!
First of all they tried to deny that it was a miracle.
Then they tried to prove that this was not the blind man, but someone else.
When it became apparent that he really was the blind man,
the authorities tried to prove that,
because Jesus had healed the man on the sabbath,
Then he must be a lawbreaker.
And then they said that,
if Jesus was a lawbreaker,
he could not be from God.
But the blind man said,
"If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."
The blind man could see, but the sighted authorities could not see!
Sometimes it is like that!
Sometimes our eyes are closed but our hearts are open,
• All too often we have eyes but do not see.
We have ears, but do not hear.
God is in our midst, but all too often we try to face life by ourselves –– never availing ourselves of God's presence –– God's power.
You know what I find so powerful in all this?
We have this very earthy account of an incident
Written years ago – but a very earthy, obviously real, honest account,
An account that has “the ring of truth” about it,
An account of this man who was born blind,
We hear of his circumstances,
We meet his parents.
He has this encounter with a man people claimed had come from God (Jesus)
And we can be as blind about this as were some of the people there (not all of them)
Because we don’t trust something written down so many years ago,
At least we have trouble believing it.
Why? We don’t express any doubt about Julius Caesar or the events of his life,
But we have trouble believing God in His Scriptures,
He gave us his written word so that we would all be on a level playing field,
We all have the same opportunity – to read and believe.
Christ has come into our world to open our eyes – to shed light,
More especially, Christ has come into our world to open our hearts,
To shed light into our hearts.
Only with open eyes and open hearts will we become aware of God in our lives,
Will we feel God's presence in our lives.
Christ healed the man born blind,
but he could not bring sight to those who would not see.
It requires some co-operation from us,
That is called FAITH.
Christ can heal our hearts and help them to see,
But He cannot/will not heal the hearts of those who stubbornly refuse to believe the truth that is in front of them.
Let us pray this week for the grace to receive Christ's healing touch
that he might open our eyes and our hearts to see and to receive God's blessings.
AMEN.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Honour Where Honour Is Due!
In Luke 9:37 - 43 we see the healing of the boy with an evil spirit.
37 The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 38 A man in the crowd called out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. 40 I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.”
41 “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.”
42 Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. 43 And they were all amazed at the greatness of God.
Jesus did the healing, but the crowd recognised the source of the healing.
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
37 The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 38 A man in the crowd called out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. 40 I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.”
41 “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.”
42 Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. 43 And they were all amazed at the greatness of God.
Jesus did the healing, but the crowd recognised the source of the healing.
Have a great day,
Peter Clark.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
The Divine "Piggy Back"!
I started reading Deuteronomy this morning. In the first chapter Moses is describing to the Israelites their description of how they as a people came out of Egypt....
Chapter 1 verse 31 "There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way yo went until you reached this place."
This describes so well the loving care that God showers on us.....a lot of the time we do not even recognise and acknowledge this love and care.
It is a terrific picture though isn't it....being carried by our Heavenly Father.
Sadly, I can remember no time that I was carried by my earthly Father (although no doubt I was), just as there must be times even now when I am carried by my Heavenly Father.
Have a good day,
Peter Clark.
Chapter 1 verse 31 "There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way yo went until you reached this place."
This describes so well the loving care that God showers on us.....a lot of the time we do not even recognise and acknowledge this love and care.
It is a terrific picture though isn't it....being carried by our Heavenly Father.
Sadly, I can remember no time that I was carried by my earthly Father (although no doubt I was), just as there must be times even now when I am carried by my Heavenly Father.
Have a good day,
Peter Clark.
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