Renewal

Another year has gone by. Its interesting to look back on the past year and all that has taken place... and a little amusing to think about the failed Mayan calendar prophecy.

Anyways.

One thing we all know that happens at the end of the year. People reflect. They think over the past year, the good times and the bad times. Often this can be very good in weaning out the bad things and learning from the mistakes.

But here is the problem: too often, people will focus on the failures, where they didn't meet their goals or ended up doing something else, and they'll likely make a New Year's resolution that will likely mean nothing in about a week's time.

This is not the kind of reflection God desires for His children. He desires something... different, and I've talked about this before but first I want address WHY He desires something different.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

Galatians 6:15 says, "Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation." 

Through Christ, we are new creations, a new body, a new Spirit. Though we stumble and we fall, we are still holy and blameless in His sight.

And it is what He makes of us that counts, not what other people make of us nor what we make of ourselves. It is this truth, the redemption that Christ brought that led Paul to proclaim in Romans 8:


Romans 8:1 says, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

Is this beginning to sound different to how some people end up treating how they've lived the past year? There is no more shame, nor guilt nor condemnation but joy in Christ.

So what does God tell us to do instead? 

I've mentioned this before and I'll say it again.

Remember.

Psalm 105:5 NIV says, "Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced"

God doesn't want us to reflect on our failures, but on His power in our lives. How He has worked, the 'coincidences' in our lives which I'm willing to agree to the definition being 'miracles where God chooses to remain anonymous'. 

A lot of Spirit-led preachers are not influential because what they teach is new or original, but because they teach the Scriptures at those times when God knows they are most applicable to our lives. 

An old year has passed, a new has already come for some. Take a few moments to reflect on what God has done this past year. 

Done reflecting? Okay, let's move on. 

Let's come back to this idea of New Year resolutions because I think this is a great opportunity to take a step closer to God, to make a commitment. Though we don't need to spend our reflection time trying to figure out where we stuffed up, but instead, we can simply ask Him,

"Lord, show me how I can draw closer to You this coming year"

and commit to His answer. 

But don't expect His response to be easy. Not only do we need to know what He wants us to do next but how to do it. We need that guidance or else we will end up trying to fulfill this task in our strength, not His. 

This is why it is essential to ask Him. I've read before that often people do not receive from God simply because they haven't asked. So ask Him. 

Philippians 1:6 NIV says, "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

Let God fulfill that good work in you this coming year. Take on something that requires you to trust in Him, though it may seem impossible to change at first glance and remember to ask Him for guidance as you continue to learn to trust in His own strength. 

Trust Him to guide you through this and make it a year of remembering what He has done to form you more into His likeness. 

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13 NIV)

Stand firm, not still

Today, I want to share something with you that, as it was introduced to me, is strongly linked to sexual purity but can be incorporated into other aspects of the Christian walk. This has to do with standing firm in the faith and what this means to us in our everyday lives.

Now, we know from the Scriptures that we, as Christians, are taught to stand firm in our faith.

Exodus 14:13 NIV says, "Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today."

Isaiah 7:9b NLT says, "Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm."

Mark 13:13 NIV says, "All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved."

1 Corinthians 16:13 NIV says, "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong."

And Scriptures goes on with many other verses on the topic of standing firm. So, it is clear that this is important to us in our Christian walk. 

But what does this mean? What does it mean to 'stand firm' and why are we called to do this? 

A lot of imagery in Scripture concerning the nature of God and our faith is that of things which are constant, which cannot be moved.

Take, for example, how our God is called our Rock (Psalm 18:2) and how He never changes.

Or the faith of the man in James 1 when James talks about asking and receiving in faith without wavering.

Or consider the parable of the two houses built in Matthew 7, one on sand and the other on rock.

This last example paints a good picture of the reason for us to stand firm.

Storms. Why? Because they are not only common in the Christian walk, but they can either break or strengthen our faith making them essential for spiritual growth.

I once heard someone say that some of the prayers that God cherishes the most from His children are ones cried out in times of suffering, turmoil and challenge because its in those moments when it becomes clear we are not worshiping God because He gave us a good life, but because we trust in His promises to sustain and provide for us in the midst of our circumstances.

And His promises are essential to standing firm because Scripture is marked with them. From Genesis to Revelation, God's promises are listed for those who love Him.

But here is the thing. Not only are His promises in Scripture, but again and again, throughout the Old Testament, God told the Israelites to remember.

To remember Him, His promises and all He has done. To recall again and again from the Scriptures the work of His hands because it is in the Scriptures we can find refuge during our troubles. It is truly amazing how worship and His Word can bring peace to the soul when there is nothing left to do but trust in God.

Now, sure, it can definitely be a challenge to pick up our Bibles in the first place with all the lies Satan will whisper in our ears but as soon as we begin to read, those lies quickly vanish to be replaced by the promises and goodness of God.

The picture that is painted before us in Scripture is of steadfastness. Of keeping our focus on God. And God, through Scripture, shows us how to to do that by commanding us to remember.

In the New Testament, Paul compares Christians to both race runners and soldiers, two professions which require a great deal of focus needed for the goal set before them.

But there is something in particular I want to raise about the analogy of the runners in a race that is one of the central themes of this week's message.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NIV says, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. ²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ²⁶ Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. ²⁷ No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."

Within context, Paul here is discussing the discipline that we, as Christians, must undergo in order receive 'a crown that will last forever'.

Now, this is quite an interesting passage because we know that Scripture teaches that we are saved by faith and grace alone, not by works so that no one can boast. However, some may wonder whether this passage in 1 Corinthians 9 hints towards that. This is not the case and, in light of other Scripture, this passage becomes very clear.

James 2:18 NIV says, "But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds."

There is an undeniable relationship between our faith and our deeds. Christ said you will know a Christian by their fruit (their actions) and the gist of it is this: if Christ is not known through one's actions, there is need for concern as to the validity of one's faith.

1 Corinthians 13 tells us that deeds and faith without love are dead. Since Scripture makes it clear that love from God is sacrificial meaning it would require action, is it not safe to say faith without works is dead?

Works do not save, but come as a result of our faith and are necessary for our faith after coming to Christ.

Now, I know that was off track from what I was trying to share with you from 1 Corinthians 9, but it is essential to the Christian understanding of salvation.

Hence, in light of this, what Paul is expressing in this passage is the vigorous discipline a Christian must go through in order to be transformed into the likeness of God. Though He gives us strength to undertake this, He will not do it for us. Romans 5:3-5 tells us that hope begins with suffering and it is through this that we can learn and be used for God's glory as He intends.

But there is another point that Paul makes in this passage that is worthy of teaching.

Verse 26 says"Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly"

Paul raises several points here; the first by indirectly acknowledging that a runner does not stand still.

Though we are called to stand firm, we are not to stand still. When I think about this, I think of it in context of temptation.

We remember that story of Joseph who was sold into slavery by his brothers and became the head servant of the household in which he worked and life was looking good until the master's wife began to try and seduce him.

And what was his response? Did he stand there and try to resist the temptation that was before him? No.

He ran.

After reading several books on purity, I have learnt that often, sexual purity is treated as the idea of setting boundaries in relationships. Unfortunately  that is soon followed by people getting as close to that boundary as they can without crossing it. This is not purity.

Ephesians 5:3 makes it clear that there must not be even a hint of sexual impurity among His children and how can this be done when we are sitting as close to the boundary as we can get?

Purity is not just about setting boundaries, but about turning the other way (repentance) and walking away from the boundary towards Christ.

So, we begin to see that though we are to stand firm in our faith, standing still is a whole other topic and something that could be considered as foolishness.

This issue of moving towards Christ rather than standing still is not only with regards to temptation but in being transformed into His likeness.

Returning back to verse 26, Paul says that not only does the runner run (obviously), but he does not run aimlessly. He is constantly fixed on the goal before him, the eternal prize. Does he stand still hoping to get it? No, of course not.

He is constantly moving towards Christ and the eternal prize while being transformed into His likeness.

And so should we. The Christian walk is called a walk for a reason. Though Paul talks about running, sometimes running isn't an option. Sometimes it feels like we're barely moving, but keep your eyes focused on God and He won't let you remain stagnant.

No one can be moved by the Almighty and remain the same. As a preacher named Paul Washer once pointed out, if he showed up at church late claiming he was hit by a bus but remained unchanged, people would be awfully skeptical of his claim and would pass him off as a liar for having shown up at church late.

God is much bigger than a bus.

Stand firm, brothers and sisters, not still.

May you all have a blessed Christmas wherever you are and with whomever you spend it with. Christmas is one of the best times of the year to preach Christ. Don't miss the opportunities God gives you.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13 NIV) 

Be known

A couple years back, I watched a sermon by a preacher named Paul Washer who talked about Matthew 7 on the topics of the narrow gate, the wide gate and the two houses built on the sand and the stone. And there was an interesting point he made part way through the message that I want to share and elaborate on with you tonight.

In the middle of this message where he was essentially rebuking the church for their lukewarm Christianity, he  pointed out: if you go to church to socialise and make friends, but you aren't friends with God, then you have reason for grave concern.

Essentially he was saying: be known by God.

But first, before we get to that, let's touch base with the importance of knowing God.

As Christians, we know the importance of knowing God. This is our purpose: to seek Him out, to know Him better, to know His grace, His mercies, His character, His glory.

And this knowledge is incredibly essential to us with establishing our faith and trusting Him. Let me illustrate this for you:

Imagine someone who is close to you, someone you know and love. A brother, a sister, a spouse, whomever. And imagine someone tells you something that that person did that was wrong but you knew that person whom you love would never do that. How often do we feel uncertain and have that nagging feeling to clarify this rumour rather than trusting the character of the person you love?

Its the exact same with God. How often when someone says something like 'Oh, you're suffering yet you obey God? He must have abandoned you" or they say something that is contrary to Scripture, something that seems totally out of line with who God claims to be. It sounds like the exact same scenario with that person that you love, except with one slight difference. People change, God doesn't.

Malachi 3:6 NIV says, "I the LORD do not change."

He is our Rock, He stands firm. His character is the same since eternity past till eternity beyond. And we know that whatever we may learn about Him, we can be certain of and can hold onto that truth for eternity.

And we need this in times of struggle, we need that assurance, that hope, knowing that when all else fails, He won't let go of us... and guess what? He knows that too.

Psalm 46:10 NIV says, "Be still and know that I am God."

Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.

He never changes.

Ephesians 1:17 NIV says, "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better."

Paul knew the importance of knowing God and expressed his desire for the people of Ephesus to know Him too, but he adds in an extra point here we need to remember.

The Spirit. We can know nothing of God without the Spirit revealing it to us. 1 Corinthians 2 points out that those who are not spiritually aware do not understand spiritual matters. In the same way, without the revelation of the Holy Spirit, we do now know Him.

And, with the Spirit, how do we know Him?

Exodus 33:13a NIV says, "If You are pleased with me, teach me Your ways so I may know You."

His ways and His promises are found all throughout Scripture, each one revealing a part of who He is. If you want to know God, read the Bible. God isn't hiding, some of us simply don't want to read the pages.

So far, we've established the importance of knowing God, but coming back to the original point of this message, what about Him knowing us?

Matthew 7 gives a blunt warning to anyone who thinks that knowing God without being known is enough to enter Heaven.

Let's take a look.

We recall the passage found in verses 21-23 where Judgement Day has come and the people cry out: Lord! Lord! Did we not prophesy in Your name and cast out demons in Your name?

And what is His reply?

I never knew you. Away from me.

If that isn't chilling enough, let's take a look at another one.

Matthew 10:33 NIV says,"But whoever disowns Me before men, I will disown him before My Father in Heaven."

Christ makes it clear. Unless you surrender your whole life and go the whole way, not halfway or lukewarm, with your faith, He will not acknowledge you before the Father as though He never knew you.

Wouldn't that be troubling? Living this life, thinking you'll go to Heaven, being the good Christian and you stand on Judgement Day to hear Him say the words: I never knew you. 

And slowly, we begin to see the importance of not only knowing Him, but Him knowing us. That, truly, the opinions of others don't matter in our lives, apart from His because, if anyone holds our fate in their hands, no matter how powerful some people are, its still God.

He is still the one in control and it can either be a fearful or amazing thing to be held in the palm of His hand.

The real question is: does He know you?

Jeremiahs 17:10 NIV says, "I the LORD searches the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according what his deeds deserve."

This is how He knows us. God is not fooled by outward appearances, He searches the heart.

Know Him to the full and He will know you.

Purify your heart according to the Word, surrender and abide in Him so that He will know you, and will watch over you as His own.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13 NIV) 

The Measure of Our Lives

We all have morals in life. Some differ vastly from one another, others are strongly in unity such as those found within the body of Christ, and I find, the more I talk with unbelievers, the more I realise that 99% of debates come down to differing morals and bases of truth.

I'm talking about where our values, our rules, our guidelines come from in life. Some choose to base it on experience, others on the teachings of other people and so on.

But, as Christians? There is one undeniable authoritative voice by which we must stand. Scripture. I'm not going to attempt to try to defend the infallibility of Scripture, that's a whole different topic, but I do want to share one beautiful verse found in Psalm 119.

Psalm 119:105 NIV says, "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."

Now, this light, it may not always seem to show five steps ahead in life, or three, or even two. But it always shows one, always directing us precisely where and what we need to do next. This is His Word, His spoken Word by which we live according to His will.

And, I like to think of daily Scripture reading like the manna God gave to the people of Israel while they were in the desert. We know how it goes: God rained down manna which was always sufficient for the people's needs.

But there was a catch: any manna leftover the next day would be old and gross. Try to have a romantic breakfast in bed with your wife from yesterday's manna? Sorry bro. The only exception was the Sabbath because of the restrictions placed on what was allowed during the Sabbath.

My point is this: we need to read Scripture daily because the verses we read yesterday aren't as fresh as they are today and we need that renewal of the Word in order to stay focused on Him.

The values on which Scripture is based are starkly contrasted with the world and the ways in which Satan hopes to control us. This brings the message to the central passage I want to focus on found in Colossians 2.

Colossians 2:20-23 NIV says, " Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: ²¹ “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”?²² These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. ²³ Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

Firstly, Paul authored a lot of the New Testament letters so its no surprise that he's one of the biggest preachers on the difference between living by the Law of the Old Testament and human regulations contrasted with life in Christ. One need only read through Romans to see how the Law brings death but Christ brings life.

And here we find Paul rebuking the Colossians for acting a though they still had to follow human regulations and restrictions given by others in order to live in a holy life.

But don't these commands sound all too familiar to us? "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!" This sounds not only like the Law, but mostly every other religion which places these values and limitations on their adherents in the hope of fulfillment, enlightenment or pleasing some idol.

But, before I get to the good part, I want to broaden this a bit and take this further than the Law. What about the rules that society places on us in order to be cool, or to fit in or to please others? Aren't these restrictions just as burdensome and aren't these restrictions far too common among Christians who try to fit in?

We are called to be separate from this world (John 15:19) and to be sanctified in the truth for His Word is true (John 17:17).

And yet, too often, we do fall into this trap of trying to please others by looking cool, fitting in and following orders. And the sad part is... people no longer see Christ in us, but we look like everyone else. It frustrates me when I fall into this and the Holy Spirit says "Hey, look I know you think this is cool but, now, they no longer see Me, they just see you... and the flesh."

Then God shows us in Colossians 2:22-23 that these very rules lack purpose and meaning. They're merely human restrictions, appearing to be wise but truly having no real value.  And that's how a lot of rules appear to be: wise. Particularly in religions, and we look and we may admire them for their perseverance and self-sacrifice but to what avail? To what means?

In the end, what value does it have? None.

Without the Spirit of Christ compelling the person, what good will it do and what other way of life will the Spirit compel but that which directs us towards Christ, His Words and His cross?

If anything, these restrictions are burdensome and they weigh us down bearing no godly fruit and reaping now eternal rewards. And Christ's answer, as simply as it is, is beautiful.

Matthew 11:28-30 NIV says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Christ is calling. He is calling us to put away this old way of life based on human regulations and values and trust in Him and give our burden to Him and experience the awesome freedom found in Him that compels our spirits to dance for Him. 

Are there still commands? Yes. Christ shows us the two greatest commandments of loving the Lord with everything we have and loving our neighbour as ourselves. But these commands are not intended to be burdensome. 

They're meant to bring joy because nothing can bring more peace than walking hand in hand with God each and every step of the way by obeying Him and His eternal decrees that bring eternal freedom, not wordly bondage. 

I want to leave you with this. In Chris Tomlin's song, All to Us, I think one of his lyrics nails how we should value our lives: 

"Let the saving love of Christ, be the measure of our lives." 

Keep that thought in mind this week., His love defines you, and His love alone. God bless you all. 

" May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13 NIV)

Sufficiency

As mentioned, this will be the third and final part of my messages on humility. For those of you who have not read the previous two, they are titled:

• Pride, Abundance and Direction
• Humble Listening 

Thus, here, I conclude with one final lesson that I learnt while in Portland, Oregon, and I think this particular encounter left me thinking the most because of how it put into question what people consider as "content". 

We've talked about this before and we remember Paul's words in Philippians 4:11 NIV, " for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." And we know how amazing it would be to achieve what Paul had found. 

How often do we wish we had something more? Maybe a little more money in our wallets or a few more presents under the Christmas tree, or a few more songs on our iTunes, and unless we are content with what God has given us, there will always be something more Satan tries to tempt us with that will appeal to us. 

Though we think we need it, we know we don't. We know we're fully capable of paying for what we need with the money we have or that Christmas is not about the presents and that we can worship God with our own songs. 

But what about when we really do need the extra money to pay the bills and its no longer a matter of comfort and leisure... but of sufficiency. 

Hence, my encounter that I want to share... and I will do my best to make it brief. 

I was heading back from this shopping mall and saw a man at a corner with a large pile of goods that looked over-used and unwanted. In light of the encounters God has placed in my life in the recent weeks, I felt compelled to give. Thus, I got out some money and walked over to this man. 

Now, I have to paint this picture for you. Here is this man, lying down on the side of the road, he had this tattered blanket of some sort he was on, lying down on his side with his elbow propped with tins and a basket laid out in front. So, I went up to him and our conversation went like this: 

"Hey, I thought you might need this." And hand him the money.

He looks at it. "That's too much, you keep it, I have enough here."

And I walk away dumbfounded. That was likely the last thing I had expected. 

With being a Geography student, I started thinking through all these different concepts on development and living conditions but what really struck out to me was this: I had assumed that what he had wasn't sufficient for him. 

Maybe it was the giant pile of used items, or the blanket, his clothes or where he was lying down. 

But what about the early Christians like Paul, who were jailed, and traveled a lot with barely anything on them? Or John the Baptist, who was, based on biblical descriptions, an outcast and homeless in his time and age?

Yet, each of these three men expressed a mindset of sufficiency and two of them I am certain based it on Christ and Him alone. Why? Because they knew Christ. They knew His words, that His Word is enough. That He provides just enough and comforts us in our time of need. 

 And you know what? Though we weren't there, He still remains alive through His Word and Spirit allowing us to know Him too through His spoken Word. Scripture. 

Psalm 3:5 NIV, "I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me."

Psalm 23:3a NIV, "he restores my soul" 

Matthew 10:31 NIV, "So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

And it goes on. Scripture is filled with His restoration, sufficiency, comfort, provision, abundance and limitless love. 

And I'm not saying we need to be homeless or in prison to experience this provision and sufficiency. 

That's a major flaw in today's thinking. We think that "Oh, if I went that far into sin, maybe I would have a big experience with God like that too" or "If I sold all of my possessions tday, I could realise His sustaining hand." 

Are you alive? 

Then He sustains you. 

This realisaton of His sustaining hand is not a matter of the past or the future, it is in the present. He is concerned with the present. Want to hear a cliche? Its called the present, because every second is a gift from Him. 

There we go. Boom! I ruined the message with a cliche. Just kidding. 

But its true. He continually sustains us, truly, whether we are asking for it or not. He does. Why? Because of His (not our) unconditional love. 

Colossians 1:17 NIV, "He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."

And He is holding you together right now.

And His creation proclaims this. Try clicking on this link for starters to see just how concerned He is with sustaining us. 

So, whatever you are in need of, He provides in abundance. Always on time, always enough to bring us to our knees in thankfulness. That's how awesome He is. 

Remain in the sufficient love of Christ, let His love be the measure of your life and it is then, we will find our souls to be content regardless of our circumstances. 

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13 NIV)