Drive out sin radically - Deut 7:1-6

Drive out sin radically
March 10, 2013
Deut 7:1-6

INTRO
- Paul tells us to leave behind the sin that so easily besets us
- Heb 12:1 - Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us
- Let us lay aside the sin that so easily besets us
- What does it take for us to actually do this?
- How would you lay that sin aside?
- It takes forgiveness and the blood of Jesus to lay it aside
- Otherwise it clings to us like some sticky goo
- But to lay it aside
- That means I totally no longer want that thing that so easily beset me
- I no longer want it to have even a little bit of me
- I have laid it aside
- I radically no longer want it
- This evening we will look at radically putting sin out of our lives

READING
- Deut 7:1-6

BACKGROUND
- Israelites had been in Egypt for 430 years
- Egypt in the Bible represents sin
- Inhabitants of the land were wicked
- Child sacrifice
- Israel had been freed from slavery, just as we have been freed from sin
- We have not been freed to once again become slaves to sin
- The Israelites had been freed from sin, were not to tolerate coexisting with it once again

TOTALLY DESTROY SIN
- Just as God told the Israelites to exterminate the squatters in Abraham's land, he wants us to absolutely destry the sin in our lives
- God says not to look at our sin with pity, or give ourselves over to serving it, it will ensnare us v16

NO COMPROMISE
- When the Israelites took the land, they did not obey the instruction to wipe oput the inhabitants
- As a result they were ensnared
- Baal worship
- Later the whole nation went into captivity, and eventually scattered
- No fellowship with darkness - Eph 5:11

WE ARE HOLY
- Because I am holy to th Lord - v.6
- Wherever God is, is holy
- Moses at burning bush - the ground where you stand is holy
- Jesus and the Father and the Holy Spirit come to dwell in our spirit
- Our spirit became alive and is holy
- All kinds of blessing is for those who obey him with their whole heart - Eph 1:3
- God will not do this because of our greatness, but because he loves us and is faithful to the covenant he made with us
- We made that covenant with him when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior

DO NOT FEAR
- We may fear the sin it seems stronger than us but God says dont be afraid
- God will take care of it with his outstreched arm, signs and wonders
- Do not be terrified because the Lord your God who is among you, is a great and awesome god

SONG
- Our God is an Awesome God

What is a Stronghold? - 2 Cor 10:4

What is a Stronghold?

March 3, 2013

2 Cor 10:4

Introduction

- Once I drove out to Wales, and saw a castle on the river Wye

- This castle was now in ruins, after many hundreds of years of disuse

- It was nothing like Buckingham Castle or other castles you may have seen

- It was a fortification, designed to be able to keep out intruders

- The walls were thick, the windows were narrow, it was surrounded by a moat which was now dry

- But the drawbridge was down

- This is the kind of fortification Paul is referring to when he speaks to the Corinthians about spiritual warfare

- Today we are going to take a look at the subject of strong holds

Our soul - a castle

- During recent weeks we have been talking about our soul

- 1 Thes 5:23 talks about us being made up of spirit, soul and body

- When we accept Jesus sacrifice on our behalf, the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit come to dwell in our human spirit - John 14:16-17, 23

- This spirit part of us is now secure and safe from the enemy - Eph 1:13

- We do still however need to protect our soul from the enemy's attacks.

- We can liken our soul to a castle, which has a protective moat, thick walls, and a drawbridge

- When the drawbridge has been raised, and the windows have been shut, the enemy has no entry points

- He can fire arrows at us as much as he wants but he cannot get through to capture the castle

- The question is, what happens when we let our guard down?

Who is our enemy?

- Jesus describes the enemy

- John 8:44 - Satan a liar and a murderer

- Easton's Bible Dictionary says:

- "Satan means adversary; accuser. When used as a proper name, the Hebrew word so rendered has the article "the adversary" (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7). In the New Testament it is used as interchangeable with Diabolos, or the devil, and is so used more than thirty times.

- "He is also called "the dragon," "the old serpent" (Rev. 12:9; 20:2); "the prince of this world" (John 12:31; 14:30); "the prince of the power of the air" (Eph. 2:2); "the god of this world" (2 Cor. 4:4); "the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Eph. 2:2).

- "The distinct personality of Satan and his activity among men are thus obviously recognized. He tempted our Lord in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-11). He is "Beelzebub, the prince of the devils" (12:24).

- "He is "the constant enemy of God, of Christ, of the divine kingdom, of the followers of Christ, and of all truth; full of falsehood and all malice, and exciting and seducing to evil in every possible way." His power is very great in the world. He is a "roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Pet. 5:8). Men are said to be "taken captive by him" (2 Tim. 2:26). Christians are warned against his "devices" (2 Cor. 2:11), and called on to "resist" him (James 4:7).

- "Christ redeems his people from "him that had the power of death, that is, the devil" (Heb. 2:14).

- This excellent summary shows he is a force to be reckoned with

- Ways in which he operates are:

- Rev 12:9 - deceives whole world

- John 10:10 - thief - kills steals and destroys

- 1 Pet 5:8 - roaring lion - seeking opportunity to devour

- James 4:7 - he can be resisted

The enemy's tactics

- Satan is a liar, and one of the main ways he attacks us is through lies

- When we let our guard down, not being alert and vigilant, we can fall prey to Satan's lies - this affects our thinking

- He is a thief - he robs us of joy, fulfillment, our future

- When we listen to him, we lose out on what God has purposed for us, just like Adam and Eve - the battle is being played out inside our head

- He is angry at us and seeks our destruction - he will use circumstances, attitudes and people to try to cause us to give up - discouragement is a negative emotion - once again, in our soul

- He tries to break down our defenses, and then get to us

- Satan is a control freak

- He desires to control our lives through his deceptions and hatred

But don't give up!

- Mark 9:23 - All things are possible to him who believes

- 1 Jn 4:4 - Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world

- Eph 6:11-18 - defensive armor

The Christian's armor

- Eph 6:11-18 - description of Roman armor

- Most of the armor is defensive

- Belt of truth verse 14 - truth defeats lies

- Breastplate of righteousness - need to be living a clean lifestyle

- Footwear - preparation of the gospel of peace

- Shield of faith - With God all things are possible - He quenches the fiery darts from the enemy

- Helmet of salvation - God gives a sound mind, when we are saved he cleans up our mind little by little - this is the soul about which we are speaking

- Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God - truth is in God's Word

- Praying in the Spirit

Conclusion

- Satan would like to get a foothold in our mind

- He wants to use that foothold to progressively take over more real estate in our minds

- But God is greater than him, and is well able to protect us from him

-Next week we will continue looking at strongholds

What am I thankful for? - Psa 77:11

What Am I Thankful For?

March 3, 2013

Psa 77:11

Introduction

- How many here have a praise report this morning?

- Each one has something to be thankful for

- Often we only look at today's circumstances, and forget the things God has done for us

- Sometimes we become depressed and discouraged

- David had this happen to him too

- He had been anointed to be king, and yet Saul was still on the throne

- He grew tired of waiting, tired of running for his life

- He wrote a psalm which shows the way out of discouragement

- Today we are going to look at what God says to us about thankfulness

Reading

- Psalm 77

Be positive

- Paul too experienced a lot of adverse things in his life

- He learned that it was better to look at the positive things than to dwell on the negative

- Phil 4:8 - whatever is true, noble, right

- It is better to look at the positive things, because it causes a release of chemicals in your brain which are beneficial for you and make you feel better

- What are the positive things in your life?

- During this service, list as many as you can remember, on the slip in your bulletin

- Each of us has a lot of positive things to remember

- You may say no, pastor you dont understand me

- But each of us is blessed to be alive, to be saved, to have a gl;orious future ahead of us

- Go ahead and fill out the list, during the service.

- I will ask for some testimonies at the end of the service

Be content

- Paul experienced a lot of bad stuff

- 2 Cor 11:23-30 - Paul defends his credentials for ministry to the Corinthians

- Paul experienced a lot of hardship, things we have not even come close to

- And yet Paul was a man of peace

- He repeatedly prays for peace for individuals and for churches, in the many letters he wrote to his sheep

- Paul learned to be ok with whatever situation he was placed in

- Phil 4:10-13 - I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances

- This of course means we are content to be where God has placed us

- It means we trust that he is taking care of things

- Paul mentions this in verse 19

- God has all the resources, all he asks of us is that we put him first

- Then he will supply all our need

- Mat 6:33 - seek first the kingdom of God

Remember

- God does intervene in our lives in so many ways

- Psalm 77:11

- Remember those times

- that time we were inattentive on the road and narrowly missed an accident

- that time he intervened and gave us the perfect job for that moment in our life

- the time he answered our prayers when our baby was burning up with a fever

- that time we were sitting in the exam room and could not remember what we had studied

- Add these things to your list too

- The people who made us welcome when we moved into a new city

- The home that God allows us to live in

- The children he has given us for a time

- They will grow up and leave home, and perhaps move far away

- But we have been blessed to enjoy and rear them for a time, before they spread their wings

Testimonies

- What things have you written on your list, to be thankful for?

Song

- We Will Remember - Tommy Walker   

The Storehouse - Mal 3:10

The Storehouse
February 17, 2013
Mal 3:10

Introduction
- During the Middle Ages people used to bring their tithes to a tithe barn
- They would bring chickens, eggs, cattle, hay, all kinds of produce
- But why is it that we tithe?
- Doesn't God own everything?  So why give money to him?
- Today we are going to take a look at what the Bible teaches about tithing

Reading- Mal 3:6-18

God owns everything, so why should we tithe?- Psa 50:10 - God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, what can we bring to the table?
- Isa 66:1 - Heaven is God's throne, the earth his footstool - why does God need our tithes?
- God is so much greater than anything we can imagine, he does not need us
- And yet we tithe.

Tithing pre-dated the Mosaic covenant- Gen 14:18-20 - Abraham pays tithes to Melchisedec
- Melchisedec was the priest of the Most High God
- It seems that this was a theophany - an appearance of Jesus on this planet, before his first coming
- The tithes were a tenth portion of Abraham's increase as a result of spoiling the kings
- Another instance of tithing was when Jacob was fleeing from Esau, and on his way to Haran
- Gen 28:18-22 - Jacob promises to tithe to the Lord
- Notice that tithing happened here, in both of these instances, before the covenant with ancient Israel
- Tithing is part of God's way of financing ministry, testing our givingness quotient, and teaching us to trust Him!

Moses and the Old Covenenant
- Moses received the law at Sinai
- The people made a covenant with God to be obedient
- A part of that covenant was a restating of the tithing principle
- Lev 27:30-33 - an outline of how to determine the tithe - every tenth animal was the Lord's
- The purpose was the support of the ministry in the Tabernacle
- That covenant passed away when Jesus became the fulfillment for the sacrifices, and the Temple was destroyed in 69 ad
- But the eternal principles of provision for ministry, generosity and faith remained

Jesus and the Kingdom message- What did Jesus teach?
- He taught the Christian walk, the way we should conduct our lives as God's children
- The sermon on the mount, in Matthew 5 through 7, shows that he was not doing away with the Old Testament law
- Instead he was asking us to live in its full intention, not just the letter of the law
- Mat 5:17 - Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
- He describes what he means as he tells about the law Thou shalt not kill
- His intention is that we not hate our brother, but be reconciled with him, reconciliation is more important than offering up prayers or sacrifices
- Similarly he tackes the commands about adultery, divorce
- He also tackles other things not in the 10 Commandments, such as keeping our promises to God, the question of eye for eye, tooth for tooth, and loving our neighbor
- Each of these is taken back to God's intention, not just the letter of the law
- Mat 23:23 Jesus reprimands the Pharisees, not for tithing, but for neglecting justice, mercy and faithfulness - he says, You should have practiced the latter (justice, mercy and faithfulness) without neglecting the former (tithing)
- In other words, tithing was still to be practiced

New Testament application
- So under the new covenant a greater depth of meaning has been given to obedience
- The letter of the law was inadequate - God's intention behind the law is now our standard
- God's intention has always been to provide for his ministry, whether that be the ministry of Melchisedec (Gen 14:20), Jesus ministry - Judas had charge of the purse, which implies income as well as expenses (Jn 12:6), the disciples were sent out expecting those to whom they ministered to care for their physical needs (Luke 9:3-5), the ministry pastors who serve the church well should be counted worthy of double honor, especially preachers and teachers (1 Tim 5:17-18), Paul defends his right to be supported by the church (1 Cor 9:3-12)
- God's intention for us is that we learn to be generous and giving, not just abiding by the letter of the law - the generosity we show will be given back to us and more (Luke 6:38), if we sow sparingly we will reap sparingly but if we sow generously we will reap generously (1 Cor 9:6) - this a priciple drawn from God's own nature, he gives everything to us including his own Son
- Finaly God's intention for us is that we live in faith (Rom 1:17, Heb 10:38), he promises to supply our needs (Mat 6:33, Phil 4:19), he gives us peace (Jn 14:27) and an abundant life (John 10:10)

Conclusion- The principle of tithing has been in existence ever since God started working with his people
- Tithing is for the purpose of supporting the ministry God is doing among us
- Tithing is intended to be done out of a generous heart, not out of obligation (2 Cor 9:6-11)
- Tithing is a test of our trust that God will take care of our needs and ensure that our generosity continued
- God promises blessings when we obey him
- Blessings will be given to enable us to be generous on every occasion (verse 11)
- Let us be an obedient church, experiencing the joys of tithing and seeing God's hand as he provides for our needs

Getting to know ourselves - 1 Thes 5:23

Getting to know ourselves!
February 10, 2013
1Th 5:23

Introduction

• Sometimes we read in the news about someone who went hiking in the mountains, but without adequate clothing
• Often they become a statistic, dying from hypothermia
• Having the right clothing for the weather can be a life or death matter
• Can you imagine going out in a rainstorm without your umbrella?
• Imagine walking out in the freezing cold, teeth chattering, wishing you had made sure you were protected from the weather
• There is nothing you can do about the weather, it is beyond your control
• But you can make sure you are protected from its effects
• Having adequate protection is totally important
• But just as I had to learn how to prepare myself for storms in the mountains, we also need to learn how to live under God's protective covering.
• This requires knowing who we are, what we are made of
• So today we will continue finding out about our basic make-up
• And next week we will start to discuss this protection
  

Spirit soul and body

• A few weeks ago we discussed the way that we have been made by God
• We saw that we have been made in God's image
• This means that we are like God in some respects
• We think, so does God
• We have emotions, so does God
• We have a form or shape, and so does God
• But God is spirit, and there is a part of us that is spirit
• 1Th 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• So we have a part of us that is spirit
• Spirit by its very nature is invisible to our five senses
• And yet we have it
• This human spirit is what enables us to connect to spiritual things
• I can relate to a person who is like I am
• I cannot relate to something which is not like me
• For example this wall
• So because we have this spiritual component, we are able to relate to God, who is spirit

Before we were saved

• Eph 2:1-3
• We used to be like everyone else
• We did not know about God nor did we care to know him
• Our human spirit was there, but it was dead
• It took Jesus to bring life to our spirit
• That life comes through the Holy Spirit
• 2Corinthians 3:6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
• So now we are alive through the dwelling of the Holy Spirit

But what about the other parts to us

• 1Th 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• What about our body?
• We know what that is, it is our physical substance of which we consist
• It is what gets up every morning, and goes to sleep every evening
• So it is a part of living things
• But when our human spirit goes back to God who gave it, our body remains
• Our body is the temporary shell in which our spiritual life is played out
• 2 Cor 5:1-2 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
• This body is temporary

So what have we not yet spoken of?

• We are spirit soul and body
• What is left is our soul
• The soul must relate to those parts of our physical experience we have not yet discussed
• What would they be?
• Our mind, our ability to think
• Our emotions and our personality
• And our ability to evaluate and make choices
• This soul is the area in which we have our struggles
• Our spirit has been surrendered to Jesus, no problem there
• Our body may not be healthy as we would like, but this does not affect our eternity - it is temporary
• But it is in our thought life that the battle rages
• Paul speaks of this in Romans 7
• Rom 7:15-25 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.

So where do we go from here?

• How do we win this battle?
• How can we be conquerors as Paul calls us in Rom 8:37
• Romans 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
• Come along next week when we will discuss how we can walk in the spirit, rather than being subject to our human nature
• It is when we put all these pieces together, that we will see the way to live under God's protective umbrella
  

God saves the best till last - John 2:10

God saves the best till last
February 10, 2013
John 2:10

Introduction

• Today we will be having a membership meeting, where we discuss the business of the church
• Last couple of years have not been easy
• Yet God has been working in thge background
• We tend to look at numbers
• But God looks at quality
• It is not about those who start the race, but those who finish well
   

Reading

• John 2:1-11

How does God work?

• A new Christian
• God does not expect a new Christian to immediately have it all together
• He starts small, then grows us
• Mark 4:28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
• He works in us, sometimes he doesn't change the things we think are important, first
• But change is happening
• Like a caterpillar going into a cocoon, and then coming out as a butterfly!
• Over a period of time we see the results
• God is not into instant coffee
• God is into quality
• And he prepares us for our task

How about the church?

• God starts small
• A church plant
• People are fired up
• God moves in big ways
• The church grows
• But growth that is based on excitement will soon wither away
• Like the seed sown on the rocky ground
• The tough stuff comes, and people give up
• The kingdom is not made up of quitters
• It is those who persevere to the end who will be saved
• It is the overcomers who will have a place in God's presence

Growth is not always consistent

• Sometimes there will be down times as well as up
• In Jesus ministry this happened too
• There were times when huge multitudes flocked to Jesus
• Feeding of the 5000
• Mark 6:44
• Yet when all was said and done, people fled away when things got rough
• Mark 14:27-31
• During recent years this church has gone through some of the rocky patches
• Most have stood firm during the trial of fire
• Some have quit for various reasons
• We do not judge them, they have to follow where the Lord takes them too
• But there was a prophecy in 2010 that God would be shaking the tree
• And he did
• He gave a year of peace for people to consolidate
• But 2012 was a year of change
• This last year has been both traumatic and exciting
• Some left our fellowship
• But God replaced them with people of his choosing, to prepare this part of the body for the move he wants to do now
• We will now take a look at the encouraging way God has worked in our church during 2012

Church business meeting

Baptism - an expression of faith! - Matt 28:19-20

Baptism - an expression of faith!

February 3, 2013

Matt 28:19-20

Introduction

• This evening we will be baptizing a number of people
• But why do we baptize?
• Why is it important to take this step?
• Today I want to talk about different aspects of baptism, and then we will witness 7 people taking this step of obedience

A commandment

• The new testament church recognizes two ordinances given by Jesus
• These ordinances are each a commanded ceremony, which pictures the saving work of Jesus
• These ordinances were instituted by Jesus, taught by the apostles and practiced by the early church
• They are:
• The ordinance of communion
  • Commanded - Mat 26:26-29
  • Taught - 1 Cor 11:23-26
  • Practiced - Acts 2:42 (breaking of bread), 1 Cor 11:17-33

The ordinance of baptism

• Commanded - Matt 28:19-20
• Taught - Rom 6:3-4, Acts 19:1-5
• Practiced - Acts 2:41, 8:36-39

What is the meaning of baptism?

• Romans 6:3-4
• Just as Jesus died and was buried, carrying the sins of the world, when we go into the water it symbolizes us burying our old way of life, with all its sins, in a watery grave
• Just as Jesus was resurrected from the dead, our coming up out of the water represents our being raised to new life!
• The ceremony of baptism represents the salvation that happened inside us when we accepted Jesus

How should we be baptized?

• The new testament example of baptism is always by immersion, in other words by being dipped or submerged in water
• The greek word baptizo is used for this, around 80 times in the new testament. It means to immerse or submerge. No other greek word is ever used for baptism
• The greek word rantizo is used 4 times in the new testament (Heb 9:13, 19, 21, 10:22). It means to sprinkle and is never used for baptism
• Examples are:
  • Jesus baptism - Mat 3:13-17
  • Ethiopian eunuch - Acts 8:36-39

Why be baptized?

• To be obedient to Jesus commandment
• As a public testimony that we have repented of our sins, and are now followers of Jesus
• Sometimes we may feel the need to be rebaptized
  • if our original baptism was not understood at the time
  • if we were not baptized in the new testament manner
  • if we have walked away from the Lord and want to rededicate our lives to him

Prerequisite for membership in a local church

• Just as receiving the Holy Spirit adds believers in our Lord Jesus Christ to the Church which is His body (1 Cor 12:13), so water baptism is the means by which believers are publicly inducted into discipleship (Matthew 28:19-20) and added to the local church.
• The New Testament teaches the following order of events: people heard the message regarding Christ, responded in saving faith, were baptized and united with the local body of believers - Acts 2:41-41

Conclusion

• Baptism is is an outward expression of the change that happened in our heart when we repented of our sins, and asked Jesus to be our personal Lord and Savior
• It is a ceremony Jesus commanded
• It is a public testimony that we are followers of Jesus

Prayer