This morning at Christian Life Church…an excellent finish to a great 2008! Jeannie Benger spoke on ‘Hope’.
Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see
1 Corinthians 13:13 – And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love
So often people live without hope, going through the motions of life from day to day. As another Christmas finishes we can feel flat and without hope.
Our message today is that ‘you can have hope in your life’. Through Jesus Christ we can have a hope in him that will last forever – eternal hope!
God wants to bring us hope today and wants us to be the kind of people who bring hope into other people’s lives.
There may be a number of reasons why people lose hope…dashed dreams, let down by others, they put their hope in the wrong things, impatience.
Isaiah 40:31 - They that put their hope in the Lord will renew their strength
People can live self-centred lives…‘it’s all about me’. Let us not focus on what we can get but on what we can give. Acts 20:35 – 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'
For 2009 let us bring hope to the world we are a part of.
Our focus is on three areas when it comes to Hope…
YOU – You bring hope into the world
You effect your environment. Proverbs 12:25 – An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up
You have something great to offer. Take time to encourage others. Speak life into people’s lives not negativity. Your life is a lot bigger than you think it is. You effect more people than you realise. When people are in a crisis you can be word of God that they need to hear. We need to sow into people’s live seed that will reap a great harvest.
As we face challenges in our lives we need to surround ourselves with positive faith-filled words. We also need positive people around us so we need to choose wisely who we spend time with.
Be a problem solver and also have people around you who will focus on the solution and not the problem.
Be a ‘good report’ for the people in your world.
JESUS – He is the hope of the World
John 10:10 – The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full
In a world that appears to be losing hope, Jesus has come to bring us hope.
Proverbs 13:12 – Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life
Or hope unrealised. Hope it’s always been there, we just need to have a revelation of that. There is hope…his name is Jesus! No one is excluded they just don’t realise this yet.
We have good news to tell the world. John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life
God loved and He gave! He loved all those around, no one is excluded this is an inclusive Gospel.
THE CHURCH – Hope for our communities
1 Chronicles 22:5 – David said, "My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the LORD should be of great magnificence and fame and splendour in the sight of all the nations. Therefore I will make preparations for it." So David made extensive preparations before his death.
As the church we make a difference in our world. We have a mandate to build a magnificent church. A place of HOPE where needs are met, lives are lifted and healed. There are the little things that we do that make a difference in our community. Little things that mean big things to people! Let us continue to be a generous people to our community.
Remember, the best is yet to come…we are going to reach more people than ever before and to see their lives being touched and given ‘hope’.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Friday, December 26, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
And Peter
We had a great time in church today, it was our prize giving service. Paul Benger spoke an excellent message entitled ‘And Peter’.
What a great character Peter was! Someone who would swing from being brilliant to someone not so good. He left his nets, as a fisherman, and followed Jesus. He said that he would never forsake Jesus and then denied him three times.
Mark 16:1-7
Have you ever felt excluded? On the edge of things? (When the teams were being picked as a child you never got chosen)
Greatest feeling we can ever have has humans is the fear of being ignored or excluded.
How did Peter feel at this time?
Disappointed in himself – (we’re usually our own greatest critics) He must have felt at a really low point as he relived the events in his head, going off like bombs in his thoughts. I’m sure he would have said to himself, ‘I’ll just go back fishing’.
Disappointed in Jesus – He thought Jesus was going to be King and that his Kingdom would rule over the authorities of the day. Peter had not realised that Jesus would be King and his Kingdom would rule in the lives of people as they accepted him as their Lord and Saviour.
Peter must have felt like a loser and excluded because he’d denied Jesus.
But these verses say ‘Go and tell the disciples and Peter' - he was not excluded!
What did Peter need?
1) He needed to hear the words “And Peter”. He needed to know that his name was still known by God. We need to know today that we are still included, we’re not disqualified by our past, present circumstances.
God knows your name and you matter to God. Not excluded, the things we think disqualify us actually qualify us to received God’s amazing grace!
2 Corinthians 12:9 – But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
He needed to know the grace of God was there for him. That he mattered to God. You do too!
2) To be a disciple – that he was sill counted as a follower of Christ. He’d still been the one to leave his nets and follow Jesus. He was not disqualified from being a disciple.
3) He had to have something to live for. He was an all or nothing guy. ‘Your name is Peter and upon this rock…’. He still had something to live for.
Luke 24:12 – Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
Peter ran! He was still passionate for the cause of Christ. He wasn’t going to end his days as ‘just’ a fisherman. Don’t let us be ‘just’ whatever we’re called to do. Let us live for the glory of God!
How was Peter restored?
1) Over a fire! It was over a fire when Peter first blew it…when he denied Jesus three times.
John 21:9-12 – When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you have just caught." Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord
Jesus was cooking breakfast. Peter fell over a fire and was restored over a fire.
We can have disappointments in our lives but Jesus is cooking breakfast for us saying, ‘let’s get going again!’ You are the light of the world.
2) With a call – ‘Peter if you love me…feed my sheep’. Missional call is still on for Peter and it is still on for us!
Knowing Jesus and Making Him Known
What a great character Peter was! Someone who would swing from being brilliant to someone not so good. He left his nets, as a fisherman, and followed Jesus. He said that he would never forsake Jesus and then denied him three times.
Mark 16:1-7
Have you ever felt excluded? On the edge of things? (When the teams were being picked as a child you never got chosen)
Greatest feeling we can ever have has humans is the fear of being ignored or excluded.
How did Peter feel at this time?
Disappointed in himself – (we’re usually our own greatest critics) He must have felt at a really low point as he relived the events in his head, going off like bombs in his thoughts. I’m sure he would have said to himself, ‘I’ll just go back fishing’.
Disappointed in Jesus – He thought Jesus was going to be King and that his Kingdom would rule over the authorities of the day. Peter had not realised that Jesus would be King and his Kingdom would rule in the lives of people as they accepted him as their Lord and Saviour.
Peter must have felt like a loser and excluded because he’d denied Jesus.
But these verses say ‘Go and tell the disciples and Peter' - he was not excluded!
What did Peter need?
1) He needed to hear the words “And Peter”. He needed to know that his name was still known by God. We need to know today that we are still included, we’re not disqualified by our past, present circumstances.
God knows your name and you matter to God. Not excluded, the things we think disqualify us actually qualify us to received God’s amazing grace!
2 Corinthians 12:9 – But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
He needed to know the grace of God was there for him. That he mattered to God. You do too!
2) To be a disciple – that he was sill counted as a follower of Christ. He’d still been the one to leave his nets and follow Jesus. He was not disqualified from being a disciple.
3) He had to have something to live for. He was an all or nothing guy. ‘Your name is Peter and upon this rock…’. He still had something to live for.
Luke 24:12 – Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
Peter ran! He was still passionate for the cause of Christ. He wasn’t going to end his days as ‘just’ a fisherman. Don’t let us be ‘just’ whatever we’re called to do. Let us live for the glory of God!
How was Peter restored?
1) Over a fire! It was over a fire when Peter first blew it…when he denied Jesus three times.
John 21:9-12 – When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you have just caught." Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord
Jesus was cooking breakfast. Peter fell over a fire and was restored over a fire.
We can have disappointments in our lives but Jesus is cooking breakfast for us saying, ‘let’s get going again!’ You are the light of the world.
2) With a call – ‘Peter if you love me…feed my sheep’. Missional call is still on for Peter and it is still on for us!
Knowing Jesus and Making Him Known
Sunday, December 07, 2008
If – Big Change
Mark Wilkins finished off this excellent series this morning. His message was all about ‘Big Change’.
2 Chronicles 7:14 – Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land
Turn and seek God’s face, to bring about change in our lives. As we ‘turn’ to God and seek his face he will do!
Our first turning, big change, is when we first give our lives to God. We become a new creation.
2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
We’ve begun a completely new journey to the one we were on. We get on a different set of tracks. The biggest single change we can make in our lives is to turn and follow Jesus Christ.
But even when we become a new creation our changing doesn’t end there. On his journey we are continually growing and changing.
Romans 12:2-3 – Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgement, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you
Renewing your mind is dynamic…it means constant change and growth. The Apostle Paul is speaking to Christians here (church in Rome) to transform their thinking and renew their minds.
Our culture that we become part of can change us…we are called to change the culture around us in our world…our town, area, the lives of people.
God has done it in you and he wants to do it in the lives of other people around you. He does it through us.
We’re meant to grow, to move from milk to meat, from being children to adults.
As we grow we’re meant to mature (not meaning getting old) but becoming more like Christ.
How do we ensure that we are constantly growing and maturing?
Let us be humble, that what we have and who we are is from God. His grace at work in our lives. Everything that we do is for him and not for ourselves.
Romans 12:3 – For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgement, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you
Paul is talking about humility, just like our main verse from 2 Chronicles 7:14 – Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land
Humble =Turn
Pray = Seek my Face
It is all about His cause and not our cause. His will and not our will. Living for him and allowing him to change us, mould us.
2 things that stop us from changing things in our lives…
Competing Commitments - sinful old self against new created self. A good example of this is the rich young man in Mark 10:17-25. Why couldn’t this young man turn around and change his ways?…because of competing commitments.
We can have competing commitments competing against our desire to follow God and his ways.
Underlying False Assumptions – Holding on to something that we believe to be true that is not true. Some examples…
John 1:46 - "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked.
False assumptions that our location holds us back from believing that God will do something incredible in our lives.
John 4:9 - The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?"
False assumptions that our race holds us back.
John 5:7 – "Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me."
‘This is how it has always been’. False assumptions that our history (past) holds us back.
John 5:9 - and so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat."
False assumptions that religion holds us back.
Let us not hold false assumptions about ourselves and situations that make us believe that God won’t do it. When He will and when He wants to!
2 Chronicles 7:14 – Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land
Turn and seek God’s face, to bring about change in our lives. As we ‘turn’ to God and seek his face he will do!
Our first turning, big change, is when we first give our lives to God. We become a new creation.
2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
We’ve begun a completely new journey to the one we were on. We get on a different set of tracks. The biggest single change we can make in our lives is to turn and follow Jesus Christ.
But even when we become a new creation our changing doesn’t end there. On his journey we are continually growing and changing.
Romans 12:2-3 – Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgement, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you
Renewing your mind is dynamic…it means constant change and growth. The Apostle Paul is speaking to Christians here (church in Rome) to transform their thinking and renew their minds.
Our culture that we become part of can change us…we are called to change the culture around us in our world…our town, area, the lives of people.
God has done it in you and he wants to do it in the lives of other people around you. He does it through us.
We’re meant to grow, to move from milk to meat, from being children to adults.
As we grow we’re meant to mature (not meaning getting old) but becoming more like Christ.
How do we ensure that we are constantly growing and maturing?
Let us be humble, that what we have and who we are is from God. His grace at work in our lives. Everything that we do is for him and not for ourselves.
Romans 12:3 – For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgement, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you
Paul is talking about humility, just like our main verse from 2 Chronicles 7:14 – Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land
Humble =Turn
Pray = Seek my Face
It is all about His cause and not our cause. His will and not our will. Living for him and allowing him to change us, mould us.
2 things that stop us from changing things in our lives…
Competing Commitments - sinful old self against new created self. A good example of this is the rich young man in Mark 10:17-25. Why couldn’t this young man turn around and change his ways?…because of competing commitments.
We can have competing commitments competing against our desire to follow God and his ways.
Underlying False Assumptions – Holding on to something that we believe to be true that is not true. Some examples…
John 1:46 - "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked.
False assumptions that our location holds us back from believing that God will do something incredible in our lives.
John 4:9 - The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?"
False assumptions that our race holds us back.
John 5:7 – "Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me."
‘This is how it has always been’. False assumptions that our history (past) holds us back.
John 5:9 - and so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat."
False assumptions that religion holds us back.
Let us not hold false assumptions about ourselves and situations that make us believe that God won’t do it. When He will and when He wants to!
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