Partakers Christian Podcasts

Thursday with Tabitha - Zephaniah

Thursday with Tabitha

7. Zephaniah by Tabitha Smith

This week in our series on the minor prophets we are looking at the book of Zephaniah. Zephaniah was a contemporary of Jeremiah, Nahum and possibly Habakkuk and his prophecy was written during the reign of king Josiah of Judah. Josiah reigned between 640–609 BC. The prophecy includes reference to the future destruction of Nineveh, capital of Assyria, so it was likely written before the date of this event, which was 612 BC. The little territory of Judah was the only surviving part of the original people of Israel. The northern kingdom of Israel had been overthrown and Judah was under the control of the Assyrians.



King Josiah was a good king who undertook significant religious reform in Judah, trying to turn the people back from worshipping idols to worshipping their God. Josiah’s father, Amon, had been a wicked king, and his grandfather, Manasseh, was one of the worst kings in the history of Judah, doing evil in God’s sight and turning the people away from God. The king before Manasseh was called Hezekiah. We read his story in the book of Isaiah.



Zephaniah 1:1 provides us with Zephaniah’s family history. This is traced back as far as his great, great grandfather, Hezekiah. It is possible that this was the same king Hezekiah, meaning that Zephaniah came from a royal family.



One of the main themes of the book is the coming of the Day of the Lord. This is a phrase that appears many times in the Bible, referring to a day of judgment that would bring terror for God’s enemies and blessings for those who belong to God. Many prophetic oracles in the Bible have an element of immediate historical fulfilment in the day they were written, and another more distant application in a time yet to come. Zephaniah’s writings are no exception.



In Zephaniah 1, the prophecy launches straight into a devastating description of coming judgement. This is portrayed as an apocalyptic event, reversing the very order of creation and sweeping away both man and beast. But the focus zooms in very quickly to the people of Judah and Jerusalem, and in Zephaniah 1:4 we learn about some of the things the people of Judah were doing to incur such judgment: they were worshipping Baal, worshipping the heavenly bodies, pretending to worship God but trusting instead in the pagan god Milcom. They were turning away from God and ignoring him entirely.



God levels two main accusations against his people. The first is one of syncretism. This means mixing acts of service to God with pagan religious elements. In chapter 1 verse 8 the king’s sons and officials are described as wearing foreign clothes, probably associated with other religions, and in verse 9 the curious reference to people ‘leaping over the threshold’ probably refers to another pagan custom. You can read about the possible background to this practice in 1 Samuel 5:1-5.



The second accusation of God against his people is that they have become complacent in sin. The Judeans had started to think that God didn’t really involve himself in their daily lives, so it didn’t really matter how they lived. They had reduced God in their minds to a distant, impotent deity. The prophecy describes God going through Jerusalem personally, with search lamps, to find these complacent people and punish them.



The second half of Zephaniah 1 contains a fearsome description of the Day of the Lord as a day of great darkness, distress, wrath and ruin. Nothing will be able to protect human beings, not all the wealth they have collected. They will be reduced to nothing.



Thankfully, the book doesn’t end there! In Zephaniah 2 the people of Judah are told that repentance is still possible. This is surely good news after the terrible picture painted in chapter 1. The people are warned that the day of judgement will come quickly so they need to gather together and repent, to humble themselves and seek God.

Zephaniah 2:3 proclaims:

“Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land,
who do his just commands;
seek righteousness; seek humility;
perhaps you may be hidden
on the day of the anger of the Lord.”

The word ‘perhaps’ might initially suggest that Zephaniah has doubts about whether God can indeed forgive any of the people. But in fact, this statement shows that Zephaniah understands and respects God’s sovereignty. God is able to forgive, but whether he does or not is entirely up to him. Any mercy he shows to the repentant is still entirely undeserved grace.



The rest of Zephaniah 2 contains a series of oracles of judgment against the nations that surround Judah, the enemies of God’s people. The cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod and Ekron are Philistine cities to the west, along the Mediterranean coast. Moab and the Ammonite territory lie to the east. The Cushites originate from Ethopia and Egypt in the south, and Assyria lies to the north. The comprehensive description of judgment extending to the four corners of the known world includes the promise that God will return parts of these lands back to Judah and there is a hint of restoration to come.



However, before the people get too complacent again, Zephaniah 3 contains a hard-hitting denouncement of the city of Jerusalem, the capital of Judah. The people of God need to learn that they are not immune from God’s judgment of sin and they are just as accountable, if not more, than the pagan nations around them. The charges against the judges, officials, prophets and priests of Judah are pretty damning. They are corrupt, polluted, defiled.

Zephaniah 3:5 proclaims that:
“The Lord within her is righteous;
he does no injustice;
every morning he shows forth his justice;
each dawn he does not fail.”

So judgment is inevitable and unavoidable. God must be just and repay sin with punishment. But there is good news to come. Zephaniah 3:9 suddenly introduces a startling promise of hope. God says that there will be a day when he will change the speech of his people and make it pure again. The people will call out to God once more, they will serve him and he will restore them. A picture of unity, peace and holiness follows.



The last 6 verses of the book contain the most glorious and beautiful image of God delighting and rejoicing over his restored people. The judgement is finished, the shame is gone and restoration is possible. God does not delight in judgment, he delights in being in the midst of his people.

Zephaniah 3:17:

The LORD your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.

This final prophecy seems to refer to a future time of unity and peace for God’s people. In the short term, Judah was punished and judged when the Babylonians overthrew the Assyrians. Jerusalem was taken, and many of the people were carried off into captivity. After the exile, there was a degree of restoration and some of the exiles returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the city and its walls. But the picture of complete peace and restoration was not yet fulfilled. The gathering of all God’s people, the salvation of those who are lame and broken, and the rehoming of the outcast, is something we can still look forward to.



So what do we take away from the book of Zephaniah? We are reminded of the reality of the Day of the Lord that is still to come. Jesus warned that this day of final judgment would come suddenly, like a thief in the night, and many will be unprepared. We don’t want to be like the complacent Judeans, thinking that God wouldn’t involve himself in the reality of human affairs. Jesus is coming back!



The humble people amongst the remnant of Judah hoped that their repentance might not be too late. They threw themselves upon God’s mercy. For us, living in the light of Jesus’ cross, it is because of Jesus that we can know with assurance that we do not need to fear this coming Day of the Lord. If you have believed and trusted in Jesus, there is no “perhaps” about it. Jesus has taken upon himself the judgment that would have been yours and mine and we can be certain that there is no more condemnation.



The Day of the Lord will be a day of stark contrasts. This day will be terrible for those who have lived lives separated from God, in denial of him or in opposition to him. But for those who have humbled themselves and chosen to live under his authority, it will be a day of great joy, when God comes to dwell in the midst of his people. God will sing to us, his people! He will rejoice over us. What an amazing thought! The choices we make now have eternal consequences.



I’ll finish with the words that James writes in his New Testament letter: "You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, 'He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us?' But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, 'God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.' Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you!" (James 4:4-10 ESV)

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Think Spot - 12 May 2014

Monday Think Spot - 12 May 2014

 

Go!

We have a new week! Monday is here! Does Monday, the first day of the week, fill you with dread, banality, doom or gloom! So many people see it as such, hence the term Monday-it is! But it doesn’t have to be that way!

It’s a new week! A new opportunity to start afresh with work, home and yourself! Have you prayed today, dedicating your Monday to God? Let the Holy Spirit who is within you, lead you into this Monday and into this week and see what adventures you do together to the praise of God the Father and God the Son! What happened over the weekend? Was it good? Then tell others what happened! Was it a less than good weekend? Tell God about it, hand it over to Him, and then don’t let it spoil this new week!

 

Go into this week, determined to let your light shine to others – shining about your relationship with God the Father, through Jesus the Son of God in the power of God the Holy Spirit who lives within you! Go be a light for Jesus Christ into this new week. God loves you, so go tell and show others that God loves them too. Go show the God you serve to others – to those inside the Church as an encouragement and those outside the Church as evangelism.. Thank you and have a great week!

May God the Father bless you!

May Christ the Son take care of you!

May the Holy Ghost enlighten you!

Amen

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Sundays with Sammy 11 05 2014

11th May 2014

To walk in the light – 1 John 1:5-7

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:5-7

 

We continue our look at St John’s letters to the churches that he started in order to eradicate the false teachings that had begun in his absence.

 

Last time we heard that:

• John wrote this letter about Jesus, who is the Word of life
• Jesus came from God to show us real life
• When we believe God’s message, we join God’s family

 

The command to walk in the light seems on the surface more an act of sensibility than anything theological or biblical. Why would anyone WANT to walk around in darkness? Anywhere? Inside you are very likely to end up with bruised shins, and outside (especially here where there are no streetlamps – as we have no pavements/sidewalks) well, there are ditches, trees and huge cows to walk into, and trust me, they don’t move when a daft human stumbles into them!

 

I finished the last session saying, ‘In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.’ This is one of my favourite dismissals from the liturgy, and we hear it often, but firstly do we actually hear the words…by then most of us on a Sunday morning are already into ‘what shall I cook for lunch’ or ‘did I wash and dry the kids’ games kit or was that last week?’ mode. But even if we do manage to hang on to those last precious, uncomplicated moments in church before the chaos resumes, what do those words actually mean?? This time, John wants to explain that the light he talks of isn’t necessarily a physical light – although that is a characteristic of God – but the light that drives away fear; light that reveals truth, light that show us where to walk. Next time we will cover sin, but for now let us go back to John’s first letter.  He writes, ‘This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.  If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.  But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.’

 

1 John 1:5 - God is perfect and people who know God must not do evil deeds.

John did not invent the message. Remember that he says ‘we have seen’ more than once in his writings so what John writes, we can pretty much assume is as a witness and says that he received it from the Lord Jesus. Jesus, we know, taught those who were with him and He showed them how to know God. He then sent them to teach this to other people which is how the apostolic church was started, and in this way, everyone may know God as well. This is the message that John heard from the Lord and that God is light.

 

God is light by nature, as we learn from the creation story in Genesis.  God said ‘let there be light, and there was light, and God saw that the light was good and God divided the light from darkness’. As light shines, so God shows himself. All light comes from God as God created it. John uses the word light to mean all that is good, holy and right. This message shows something about God’s character. God is good. He is always right, and holy. God, who is light, sees all things. We can hide nothing from him. John uses the word darkness to mean evil acts, sin and error. There can be nothing bad in God. He is perfect and he can do nothing wrong.  The only Old Testament occurrence of this precise phrase is in Isaiah 2:5, ‘O house of Jacob, come and let us walk in the light of the Lord.’ The Psalms contain similar phrases (56:13; 89:15), as does Isaiah (9:2; 50:10-11; 59:9).

 

Some people may turn from the light. They love darkness more than the light. This is because their actions are evil (this refers to the gospel of John 3:19-21). There can be no darkness in God. Those people who do evil acts cannot share life with God. Those who believe God must live in the light.

1 John 1:6 - People who do evil things do not share God’s life

John now shows how this message should affect our lives. In the next five verses, there are three false things that some people say (verses 6, 8 and 10). After each of these false things, John shows us what the truth is (1:7, 9; 2:1). The effect of what they say is that sin does not affect them. So, it does not matter what we do. They say that they are united with God. But they continue to sin. The Lord Jesus gives a new life to those who believe. This life is from God and only God, through a living relationship with Jesus. This life is unity with God. But there can be no unity between light and darkness.

A person may say that they live with God. But if that person does evil acts, then their words are lies. Their actions are not right. Those actions are darkness not light. That person is like someone who walks in darkness. Darkness and light cannot be in unity. They do not share the life from God. The false teachers said that they walked in the light, but, what they did were works of darkness. They did not do what was right. They did not obey the truth. John believes that the test of truth is not just belief. Truth is not only in what we say. Our belief will affect what we do. We show our belief in God by good and right acts.

 

Verse 7: God has provided a remedy for our sins

There is a contrast here. The person who does the wrong thing lives in darkness, likewise the person who does the right things lives in light. This is how God wants us to live. He wants us to believe the gospel. And we should live to please him. God is holy. He always does what is right. God is in the light because he created the light and is the light. To live in the light is to be true to God. This is to live in the same manner as God lives.

 

Real Christians live in the light. They believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. They all share the same life. This unity among Christians shows that they belong to God, united with each other, brothers and sisters adopted by and united with God to be His children and live together. John desires that the readers will come into that same unity.

 

The word ‘blood’ here is referring to the death of Jesus. The Old Testament says that the life is in the blood. Jesus gave his life for us and by his death, Jesus has taken away our sins. He removes all sin from us. But we must believe in him. Remember that nobody can be perfect while here on earth, but we must all try and do what God asks us to do, and when we do stray or make mistakes, God forgives those who believe, and with Jesus we can get back on the right path. Through the forgiveness that we ask for, Jesus makes sinners clean again. Whenever we say the Lord’s Prayer we are asking for forgiveness for the things we have done wrong. Jesus forgives us NOT so we can go and do the same thing again, but to show us how we can move on without guilt and become closer to God.

 

God has made the remedy for our sin. By this, he can make us clean from all sins. So, we can keep our unity with him. This remedy is the blood of his Son Jesus Christ.

 

Some people taught that the human Jesus was not the Son of God. They taught that the human Jesus died. However, they said that God the Son did not die. John makes it plain that Jesus as God the Son did die for our sins.

 

To ‘walk’ is, in short, to live one’s life. One’s lifestyle or way of life can be considered a ‘walk.’ The word also indicates progress. Walking is related to growth; it is taking steps toward maturity. ‘Light’ in the Bible can be a metaphor for life, happiness, righteousness, or understanding. The Bible is clear that light comes from the Lord God, the ‘Father of the heavenly lights’ (James’ letter in 1:17 tells us this also). God is the opposite of evil. The darkness is the Devil, snuffing out your light and happiness and love – do not let him in…call upon God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit to fill you with light, whenever you feel the darkness creeping in.

 

So, putting it all together, ‘walking in the light’ means ‘growing in holiness and maturing in the faith as we follow Jesus.’ I leave you this week with my version of a hymn written first in 1558, which is also a wonderful prayer to start the day, or a journey, or even a task with.

God be in this day and in its responsibilities;

God be in my head, and in my understanding;

God be in my eyes, and in my looking;

God be in my ears, and in my listening;

God be in my mouth, and in my speaking;

God be in my heart, and in my loving;

God be in my mind, and in my thinking;

God be in my hands, and in my doing;

God be at mine end, and at my departing. Amen

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Thursday with Tabitha - Nahum

Thursday with Tabitha

6. Nahum by Tabitha Smith

Nahum prophesied about the destruction of the city of Nineveh, the capital of the nation of Assyria. If Nineveh sounds a bit familiar, it might be because you’ve listened to the first instalment in this series about the book of Jonah! In some ways, Nahum is like a sequel to Jonah.

 

The date of writing of Nahum can be narrowed down to somewhere between 660 BC and 630 BC. We can deduce this because of the historical events that Nahum refers to during his prophecy (unless of course you don’t believe in predictive prophesy!). Like Micah last week, we don’t know anything about Nahum apart from the fact that his home town was called Elkosh. It’s not certain where this was, but it was probably in Judah because at the time of his prophesy, the kingdom of Israel had ceased to exist.

 

The ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel had fallen to the Assyrians in about 722 BC. The Southern Kingdom of Judah had not suffered the same fate, despite an attempted siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib of Assyria shortly after the fall of Samaria. Instead, the Kingdom of Judah had become a sort of vassal state to Assyria. The Assyrian kingdom had been established by acts of terrible violence, torture and cruelty and forced deportations of thousands of people, under the leadership of Tiglath-pileser III. His campaigns were ruthless and highly successful, conquering most of the known world at the time.

 

Nineveh was a great city, the capital of Assyria. Jonah had been sent by God with a message of warning to Nineveh, telling of God’s imminent judgement on them for their evil behaviour.

 

At that time, much to Jonah’s surprise and disgust, the people of Nineveh did repent and God spared them. However, a century later, we see that the repentance did not last, and Nineveh has fallen back into evil, idolatry, violence and depravity.

 

Nahum’s key message is that God is going to judge and overthrow Nineveh. Nahum means ‘comfort’ and his message would have brought comfort to the people of Judah who were living under Assyrian oppression.

 

Nahum is written in the style of ancient war poetry. The first verse of the book tells us that Nahum received the prophecy in the form of a vision. The way he writes his book is like the eye-witness account of a war correspondent. God is pictured as a divine warrior, coming to judge the Assyrians for their evil deeds. God had used Assyria as a tool of judgement on his own people, but the Assyrians were held accountable for the wicked nature of their conquests and the ways they had lived their lives in alienation from God.

 

In chapter one, the book opens with a poetic description of God on the war-path. God is described as jealous (for his honour and his people), wrathful, righteously angry and all powerful. Even the rock-solid mountains melt before him and the seas dry up completely. Nothing and no-one can stand against him. At the same time, God is also described as slow to anger, good, knowing those who seek him, compassionate and seeking his people’s freedom from their oppressors. The message that Nahum proclaims is simultaneously terrible and wonderful, and it all depends on the reader’s perspective and relationship to God.

 

At the end of Nahum 1, Judah is urged to keep the feasts, i.e. the celebrations of their history that remind them of God’s salvation purposes and commemorate his saving works for them in the past. Judah will be restored once more.  We should not miss the significance of this - the Messiah would one day come from the remnant of Judah.

 

Nahum 2 launches into a prophetic account of the overthrow of Nineveh. The imagery is vivid and it’s almost as if Nahum is present in the city, watching the events unfold. The invading army arrives in the outskirts of Nineveh and the call goes out to ‘man the walls’ and take up arms. The invasion comes with speed and devastation, chariots thundering and swords and spears flashing and glinting in the sun. The invading soldiers are clothed in red with red shields, possibly indicating the original colour of the shields or their staining with blood. Siege towers are built and the river gates are opened to flood the city and destroy the royal palace.

 

It’s helpful here to consider what we know from historical accounts of the overthrow of Nineveh. Nineveh was attacked by a coalition of armies, principally of the Medes and Babylonians, in 612 BC. The city was sieged for a period of time which may have been as short as a few months. The invading armies closed the gates of the river Khoser, which flowed through the city, allowing the water to build up. The gates were then opened, unleashing a flood on the city which destroyed much of the important architecture and allowed the invaders to penetrate the city walls and finish the overthrow of the city.

 

Nahum 2 contains more vivid images of the invasion with graphic descriptions of the piles of dead bodies in the streets of the city. God asks Nineveh whether she has considered herself better than Thebes. Thebes was a great city in Egypt which was invaded by the Assyrians in about 664 BC. Thebes had appeared to be immune to attack with a natural sea defence and many allies. However, the Assyrians had conquered the city. They were now going to get a taste of their own medicine.

 

The book ends with Nahum surveying the aftermath of the siege and invasion. The final words are a taunting song declaring the finality of the destruction.

 

The ruins of Nineveh can be found today near the modern Iraqi city of Mosul. They were not discovered until the 19th century - prior to this all reference to Nineveh disappeared from the pages of history. When the ruins of the city were uncovered, many unburied skeletons were found. The city was razed to the ground. Nahum’s prophesies were fulfilled.

 

The book of Nahum reminds us that God is all powerful, omnipotent. He is not a tame god who is passive and powerless but he acts on behalf of his people. He is a God of justice who cannot pass over sin and evil but he must act justly to uphold his own honour and the welfare of his chosen people Israel. Moreover, God had promised to spare a remnant of his people, specifically from the tribe of Judah, in order that the Messiah, the deliverer, would come from his people. The future of the people of Israel often seemed under threat but God always faithfully preserved and restored a remnant to preserve the line of Abraham.

 

God is able to work even the most impossible of circumstances and most wicked of people into his sovereign plan. The seemingly ordinary list of names in the genealogy of Jesus described in Matthew chapter 1 encompasses accounts of infertility, prostitution, bereavement, displacement, adultery, murder and exile. God truly is able to make all things work for the good of those who love him, according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

 

God can even use wicked and pagan people in order to judge his own people and work for their ultimate good. In a few weeks’ time we will look at this issue in more detail as we look at the way Habakkuk wrestled with this.

 

Whatever opponents or battles you face in your lifetime, none of them are too big for God to handle. The military might of the Assyrians was legendary and they built one of the greatest empires the world has ever seen. Yet even they were relegated to the pages of history, the ruins of their prized capital city lying undiscovered for centuries. Our perspective is so limited. We struggle to comprehend the span of human history, and yet humans are such a brief vapour, like the dew that evaporates from the morning grass. Peter says in the first chapter of his first letter:

 

“All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” 1 Peter 1:24-25

 

All earthly things will pass and only God will endure. Yet, incredibly, he cares about each one of us and knows every detail about us.

 

The whole of history is centred around the life of Jesus, God in the flesh, who came to rescue us.

 

Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. He stands in authority above all human institutions and authorities, both the good and the evil ones. His kingdom is incomparably greater than the most mighty of human kingdoms and yet it is established in an upside-down order where the first are last and the last are first. We pray “your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven” because Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. One day his kingdom will be unified and complete. Then, as Paul says ‘at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father’ (Philippians 2:10-11).

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WOW Word 16

WOW Word - Resurrection

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Today Alfie talks about the WOW Word - Resurrection!

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Our WOW Word today is Resurrection! I wonder what you think the word “resurrection” means. Resurrection means more than just coming back to life! Jesus raised at least three people from the dead, but that was more a resuscitation than a resurrection! They came back to life with their normal bodies and they would go on to die a physical death again! So let’s start by looking at Jesus’ resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus Christ provides the central theme for the sermons and teaching in the early church (Acts 1:22; Acts 4:33, Acts 17:18). But what significance is there in Jesus’ resurrection?

1 Corinthians 15v12-19 “Now if Christ is preached, that he has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither has Christ been raised. If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith also is in vain. Yes, we are found false witnesses of God, because we testified about God that he raised up Christ, whom he didn’t raise up, if it is so that the dead are not raised. For if the dead aren’t raised, neither has Christ been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins. Then they also who are fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all people most pitiable.”

Alfie the WOWChurch Cat explains the significance of Jesus' resurrection! Play the video to discover what Alfie has to say and/or download the file to take away! Bless ya!

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Easter 2014 - Easter Monday

Easter 2014 – Easter Monday

Responding To The Easter Events

Our response to the events of Easter?

Today is Easter Monday! We have looked at the events of Easter! Jesus dead and buried! Jesus resurrected – raised to new life physically and with a new glorious body! WOW ! Alleluia!! - But so what? What is our response to this to be?

Our first response if we are followers of Jesus is that we are to love. Love not just in words but also in action.. Love God and love others. What kind of love? It is to be a practical, self-less, giving and sacrificial love. 1 John 3:16 states: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.” Jesus told all his followers to take up their cross if they were to follow Him as His Disciple (Luke 9:23). Are you as a Christian Disciple willing to take up your cross and do all you can do to love others?

There is a price to pay for true followers of Jesus Christ! Followers are surrender completely to Him in all aspects of life! Followers identify with Him in suffering and death and follow Him obediently, wherever He leads. Followers are to take up their own cross in order to show that they are followers of Jesus Christ – the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

The Cross is a choice

The cross is God’s solution to the suffering, evil, troubles and sin of the world. Only by Jesus Christ going to the cross have evil, sin, suffering and satan been dealt mortal blows. The cross provides the victorious solution. The cross is not a symbol to be merely placed around the neck on a chain, to be worn as a lapel pin, or as a item statement of fashion. The cross is not meant to portray Jesus as some form of sadomasochistic ‘tragi-hero’ as some people try to make it out to be. The cross is God’s solution to the problem of evil, sin, suffering and pain, as much as the wise of this world would love to think that it is not.

The cross is a choice. You can choose to deny the cross and say it doesn’t matter. You can say that it is an irrelevance and that is your right. God will not force you to accept the cross and love him. If He did, He would have created Adam so that Adam would automatically love him and not given him free will to rebel. That way the cross would not have been needed. But such is the enormity of the love of God, that each person, including you and I, have a choice to make – follow Jesus and take up your own cross and be an overcomer for Him. God will not force you to accept it, but he will keep on calling you back to the cross. Calling sometimes in quiet ways and at other times, much more loudly. You can deny the cross and its meaning and when Jesus Christ comes again in judgment, you will find that He denies you entrance into His glorious kingdom. When Jesus comes again, everyone will know who He is and bow down to Him. But only those whom He knows, will be granted access into everlasting life.

How you think of the cross, ultimately has relevance to you and affects your reality. You can accept the cross as your personal substitution, personal propitiation and personal redemption. That way you have peace with God. The cross of Jesus Christ thoroughly epitomises God’s glory, and if there were any other way that God the Father could restore people into relationship with Himself, then surely He would have done it that way. But there was no other way – Jesus Christ, as the Son of God who was simultaneously fully God and fully human, died on a Roman cross. He took on the sins of the world, paying the greatest price, so that you can be restored into a peaceful relationship with God the Father. That is for all people, of all nations, ages, generations, statuses and gender. The cross is amazing love in action and is ignored at great peril. Let us go forward in hope and faith, choosing deliberately not to boast in anything else, save only of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. The wisdom of God as exhibited on and in the Cross of Jesus Christ, is foolishness but only to those who don’t accept it.

But it is more than that for the Christian!

Luke 9:23-26 Jesus speaking “Then he said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

What is our response to this to be? As followers of Jesus Christ we are commanded to count the cost of following Him. That is how we carry our own cross for the sake of Jesus Christ. Jesus wants to be number one in the life of all those who choose to follow him! Jesus wants supremacy over everything in our lives, including family, friends, and possessions! Alas, that’s a cost too high for some! Here is one man who couldn’t give up something to follow Jesus!

Let’s call him Basil. Basil runs up to Jesus! Basil wants eternal life, and he wants it now! So Basil asks Jesus about how to get it. He has fully kept the commandments listed by Jesus. However! However when Jesus said to Basil that in order to follow Him, he would have to give up all his wealth and possessions in order to have treasure in heaven and eternal life, Basil leaves disconsolate and shattered. Basil couldn’t do it!

It was a step too far for Basil. He wanted his riches and also everlasting life, but Jesus said he couldn’t have both. He remains the only person that we know of, who left Jesus’ presence sorrowful. That was due to Basil putting his trust in himself, his riches and wealth alone. Now riches, in and of themselves, are not necessarily wrong! The life of Basil, this rich young ruler, reflected a life of absorption with his own self-interest and self-importance! Basil was not willing to make the sacrifice required to follow Jesus. He couldn’t count the cost of following Jesus– it was too high a price for him to pay!

What have you given up in and as a result of your decision to follow Jesus? Making sacrifices to follow Jesus is all part of the WOW factor of Jesus. Jesus demands that He is number one and supreme over everything else in your life - yourself, family, others and material goods including money and possessions.

How is this done? This is done by consistently ensuring that your works and words match your lifestyle and that no hypocrisy can be found, or indeed will be found. It means standing up for God in the face of adversity. It means loving others even though they hate you. In the UK, we aren’t systematically persecuted. We are marginalized, ridiculed and ignored but some of our Christian family around the world who daily face death simply because they chose to follow Jesus. They are carrying their cross for Jesus!

What about us in the UK? For example if we as Christians were known by our self-sacrificial love of all others, then Jesus whom we claim to love, follow, worship, and adore would be seen. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote "When Jesus Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die. ... Discipleship is not an offer that man makes to Jesus Christ, nor is it hero worship, but intimacy with Christ." (The Cost of Discipleship). Bonnhoeffer knew that as a Christian, a person has to take up their own cross in following Jesus and count the cost of being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

He goes onto say: "Earthly goods are given to be used, not to be collected. ... The Christian disciple must receive his portion from God every day. If he stores it up as a permanent possession, he spoils not only the gift, but himself as well, for he sets his heart on accumulated wealth, and makes it a barrier between himself and God. Where our treasure is, there is our trust, our security, our consolation and our God. Hoarding is idolatry." (The Cost of Discipleship)

Finally, let’s look at 1 John 3:16 “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for others.” Jesus told us to take up our own cross if we are to follow Him as His Disciple. How is that possible? If we try to do that in our own strength and wisdom, we will fail. If we do that using the power and strength of the Holy Spirit within you, then you will succeed at following Jesus’ command. Are you as a Disciple of Jesus Christ willing to take up your? What a difference that would make to the community where you live!

Jesus still meets people today

To those that have responded to Jesus and are following Him, Jesus still meets with them. How does He do this?

Jesus walks with us, wherever we go and in particular in the darkest periods of our life. Just as he did with the two people on the road to Emmaus, he walks with those who proclaim to follow Him (Mark 16:12-13, Luke 24:13-32). Jesus speaks whenever the Bible is faithfully preached and read from, just as He opened the eyes of those on the Emmaus road when He explained the Scriptures (Luke 24:27). Jesus meets us in the Communion or Lord’s Supper, with the bread and wine, which symbolise His flesh and blood as an act of remembrance of what He did for humanity.

Because of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, it show that we as Christians have also risen from the dead! Our old nature is dead and our new nature is alive! In the sacrament of baptism, Christ’s death is symbolised in our going under the water bodily, just as His resurrection is symbolised when we are raised up and out of the water! WOW! Jesus Christ – dead, buried and raised to new life! The Christian – dies to self, buries their old sinful nature and raised to new life in Jesus Christ with a new nature, ready to serve the risen Jesus! WOW!

More than that, His resurrection was not merely coming back to life. Jesus had raised people back to life during his ministry. But those people would go on to die again. Jesus was not like that, because he had new and glorious body! And we too will one day have new bodies! WOW!

If you are not yet a follower of this Jesus, then start following now! You may not have another opportunity to do so! If you don’t know what to do then contact us here at Partakers and we will help you!! Thank you.

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Easter 2014 - Easter Sunday

Easter 2014 – Easter Sunday

Risen and Firstborn from the Dead!

So far in the Easter story, we have seen that Jesus has been crucified and he is dead. He is buried within a sealed and guarded unused tomb. Or is he? Let’s look at what the historical Gospel accounts say!

Let us first look at the sequence of events over the period of time after Jesus death till He ascended. Now remember, the Gospels are documents which have recorded historical events. All four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, tell us that Jesus was crucified, died and was buried within a sealed and guarded tomb. What do these four Gospels say happened next?

The tomb is empty

• Two Marys watch the burial: (Matthew27:61, Mark 15:47, Luke23:54-55)
• Roman soldiers guard the tomb and place an official Roman seal upon it: (Matthew 27:62-66) 
• Women prepare burial spices then rest: (Luke 23:56)
• An angel rolls the stone away: (Matthew 28:2-4)
• Women arrive at dawn with spices: (Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:1-4, Luke 24:1-3, John 20:1)
• Angels appear to women: (Matthew 28:5-7, Mark 16:5-7, Luke 24:4-8)
• Women dart back to tell disciples: (Matthew 28:8, Mark 16:8, Luke 24:9-11, John 20:2)
• Peter and John investigate the empty tomb: (Luke 24:12, John 20:3-9)
• Peter and John go home: (Luke 24:12, John 20:10)
• Mary Magdalene weeps by the tomb: (John 20:11)
• Mary sees two angels: (John 20:12-13)

Jesus’ appearances

• Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene: (Mark 16:9, John 20:14-17) •
• Jesus appears to the other women: (Matthew 28:9-10) •
• Women report to the disciples: (Mark 16:10-11, John 20:18) •
• Guards testify to the priests: (Matthew 28:11-15) •
• Jesus meets two people on the Emmaus Road: (Mark 16:12-13, Luke 24:13-32) •
• Jesus appears to Simon Peter: (1 Corinthians 15:5, Luke 24:34) •
• 2 report to disciples in Jerusalem: (Luke 24:33-35) •
• Jesus appears to the Disciples less Thomas: (Luke 24:36-43, John 20:19-24) •
• Disciples report to Thomas: (John 20:25) •
• Jesus appears to the Disciples and Thomas: (Mark 16:14, John 20:26-29) •
• Jesus appears to seven people: (John 21:1-14) •
• Jesus questions Peter 3 times: (John 21:15-23) •
• Jesus appears to 500 people: (1 Corinthians 15:6) •
• Jesus appears to James: (1 Corinthians 15:7)

Evidences for the resurrection

OK so Jesus is resurrected! What evidence do we have for Jesus resurrection to new life? As you read the Gospels and the Book of Acts, notice the changed attitude of the disciples after seeing the risen Jesus. They changed from defeated, cowardly people to victorious, brave people. Nobody who could have produced the dead body of Jesus, did so. Their silence is as significant as the preaching of the Apostles. Or take the multiple appearances of Jesus to various numbers of individuals and groups of people at, various times of the day and in differing circumstances. This shows that Jesus’ resurrection was physical in nature! Some people say Jesus’ resurrection was spiritual in nature but not physical. But the amount of people that saw Him physically afterwards dispels that particular myth. What about the current tangible evidence - the survival and inordinate growth and impact of the early church and that the church is still growing 2000 years later. If there was no bodily resurrection of Jesus’ would people really have risked persecution and death for knowing a lie? One or two people maybe, but not hundreds and thousands!

Dealing with Doubters

Yet people still doubt. Let us say Jesus didn’t rise from the dead. Surely the authorities, both Jewish and Roman, would have produced his dead body in order to quench this new movement! But they didn’t, and the reason they didn’t is because there was no body to produce! Would the disciples have really risked death for telling and maintaining a lie about the risen Jesus? They were beaten, confused, defeated and dispersed men until they saw Jesus truly did rise from the dead. After seeing Him, they were transformed and victorious people.

I have had people say to me that somebody (even the disciples) stole the body. Hardly likely! If the body had been stolen, for what reason or purpose? How would they have got past the Roman Guard and moved the stone a great distance from the tomb? This very reason is what the Jewish authorities tried to perpetuate by way of a bribe, in Matthew 28:11-15 “Now while the disciples of Jesus were going, behold, some of the guards came into the city, and told the chief priests all the things that had happened. When they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave a large amount of silver to the soldiers, saying, “Say that his disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. If this comes to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him and make you free of worry.” So they took the money and did as they were told. This saying was spread abroad among the Jews, and continues until this day.”

Then we have the swoon theory. Jesus didn’t die but merely fainted and recovered consciousness in the tomb. Even the sceptics disagree with this theory, one of whom said “It is impossible that a being who had stolen half-dead out of the sepulchre, who crept about weak and ill, wanting medical treatment, who required bandaging, strengthening and indulgence, and who still at last yielded to His sufferings, could have given to the disciples the impression that He was a Conqueror over death and the grave, the Prince of Life”.

Or perhaps, they all went to the wrong tomb. That’s it – they went to the wrong tomb. Whilst one person may have gone to a wrong tomb, not everyone would have done. Besides, the gospel accounts tell us that people were waiting outside the tomb where Jesus was buried! Surely Joseph would know which tomb Jesus was buried in, seeing as Joseph owned it!

Lastly, Jesus didn’t die on the cross but somebody was substituted for him. This is certainly untenable, given the rigidity and strict record keeping of Roman rule and with the eyes of the Jewish hierarchy watching. This conjecture is a lie of satan, because he knows the significance of Jesus having risen physically from the dead.

Significance of the Resurrection

Now let us look briefly at the significance of the Jesus’ resurrection. We look in the writings of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8: Now I declare to you, brothers, the Good News which I preached to you, which also you received, in which you also stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold firmly the word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers at once, most of whom remain until now, but some have also fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all, as to the child born at the wrong time, he appeared to me also.

That was the Apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthian church about the Jesus having been raised from the dead – physically! The resurrection of Jesus Christ provided the central theme for the sermons and teaching in the early church (Acts 1:22; Acts 4:33, Acts 17:18). But what significance is there in Jesus’ resurrection?

The resurrection proved and vindicated all Jesus’ teaching and claims as the suffering Servant and attested to His being fully God and the last Judge of all mankind (Isaiah 53:10-12; Acts 2:36; Acts 3:13-15; Romans 1:4). The resurrection, declared God’s approval of Jesus obedient service and the fulfilment of all the Old Testament promises, resulting in forgiveness of sins and salvation being only found in and through Jesus Christ, which was the prime motive for evangelism in the early church (Acts 2:32, Romans 4:24-25). Jesus’ resurrection is a sign of the bodily resurrection for all believers in Him, giving a new attitude to death and transforming hopes (1 Corinthians 15:12-58, Romans 8:10, 2 Corinthians 4:14; 1 Peter 1:3 & 21). As the resurrected King, Jesus now intercedes for us and has perfected the redemption of all those who choose to follow Him (Romans 5:10; Hebrews 6:20; 1 Peter 1:21).

Finally the resurrection of Jesus’ physical body is a sure victory over satan, sin and death. All three are conquered and squashed. Satan is a defeated creature and will do anything to drag people into defeat with him. The power of sin is conquered, and sin’s grip is overcome if you are a believer in Jesus Christ. Finally, as I said earlier, death has been beaten, because those who believe and trust in Jesus Christ will live forever with him – death is not the end but a beginning. If Jesus Christ did not physically rise from the dead then as Paul states in 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 “Now if Christ is preached, that he has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither has Christ been raised. If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith also is in vain. Yes, we are found false witnesses of God, because we testified about God that he raised up Christ, whom he didn’t raise up, if it is so that the dead are not raised. For if the dead aren’t raised, neither has Christ been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins. Then they also who are fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all people most pitiable.”

Or let me put it in my own words - if Jesus Christ did not physically rise from the dead, we as Christians are the product of the greatest delusional lie and are the most foolish of all people.

Tomorrow, on Easter Monday, we will look at how we are to respond to the message of Easter.

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Easter 2014 - Silent Saturday

Easter 2014 - Silent Saturday

It is Saturday. Jesus Christ has been condemned, crucified, died and is buried in an unused tomb. What now? It is the day after. It is the Saturday, which means it is the Sabbath. The Bible is silent about this day. This is the day between the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. There isn't a story about the tears shed, the memories shared, the hugs and the hurting hearts. Where are His close followers, the disciples? What of the Jewish authorities? Were they gleeful at the demise of this man Jesus who claimed to be the Messiah? We don’t know.

This is a dark day, a day when Jesus did some of the most precious work ever. This is the day when after his physical death He walked through the Valley of the Shadow of Death and He carried all of us. Every sin, every tear, every wound - He carried them all and didn't drop a single one.

Harried and harassed, He fought death and washed us clean. From that last breath to the angelic tomb break He fought for us, He carried us.

We used to have to walk through that valley, until Jesus on that dark Sabbath walked it one last time for us. How wonderful! How amazing. How awesome!

Knowing what we know now, we can see this dark Sabbath for what it really is. But how was it for the sisters, Mary and Martha or for Mary, the mother of Jesus and the other Mary of Magdalene and the other women who were waiting to tend to him.

Their time was short on that terror filled Friday and they could offer no proper anointing, no proper farewell. A quick bit of tearful heart broken work before the sun went down. Then a day to wait. The longest, darkest day knowing that He was gone.

Even in the middle of our deepest grief we can find peace. I think these people of Jesus were seeking that peace, together. I wonder how much love they had for each other or how badly they were frightened? I believe that the Holy Spirit quietened their hearts.

I wonder on that dark Sabbath if the members of the Sanhedrin or Pilate and Claudia or Herod were frightened by what they had wrought? Or were they rejoicing that another problem was solved? When did someone find Judas? Did he lay at the bottom of the hill all day, alone and scavenged upon? Possibly. Did anyone mourn that lost soul, besides Jesus?

I wonder about the thief who accepted Jesus at the last moment of his life. Today you will be with me in paradise! That was the promise. What a promise!

Because of our sins, we all shared the same death sentence as those criminals who flanked our Lord. And yet it was because of those very sins that He choose to pay our price for freedom. Jesus did what no one else could do - He saved the world from itself. And, wonder of all wonders, He did it willingly and with love. The ultimate love. The perfect love.

That dark Sabbath was washed in tears, blood and yet it claimed no victory. The temple curtain was torn. The old was passed away. That dark Sabbath was the last of its kind. No more innocent lambs to bleed out, potion out and burn. The perfect Lamb took all of our places, forever!

It is fitting that the dark Sabbath had no words spoken about it. It is fitting because everyone needs to catch their breath from the cross to the empty tomb. It is a huge journey to take, but Jesus no only led the way but He cleared it, filled it with light and love.


Today, as you catch your breath between Good Friday and Easter Sunday think of the quiet darkness of that Sabbath day. Consider what the silence, the tears and the sense of waiting for something amazing must have been like. The world waited, the very creation beneath our feet, just as was beneath theirs, held its breath. Everything was waiting for that light to burst forth victorious!

Shanyn

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Easter 2014 - Good Friday

Easter 2014 - Good Friday

Centuries before Jesus Christ, these words were spoken about the coming Messiah.

Isaiah 52:13-14: See, my servant will act wisely he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. Just as there were many who were appalled at him his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness—

Isaiah 53:10-11: Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.

On this Good Friday, let us look briefly at the events before Jesus crucifixion – His trial and condemnation – going on to looking briefly at his crucifixion, death and burial before finishing with what the Cross of Jesus Christ was all about.

1. What of Jesus?

Jesus was Condemned


Jesus is before the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate. Pilate gave in and permitted the flogging and mockery of Jesus, in the hope of shaming & appeasing Jesus’ accusers (John 19:1-3). Pilate affirmed Jesus’ innocence after the scourging (John 19:4). Jesus’ refusal to answer stung Pilate into reminding Jesus of his Roman authority (John 19:10). Jesus, however, corrected Pilate’s idea of authority and told him that although Pilate may have power on earth, Jesus’ power reached beyond earth (John 19:11). Jesus knew that his work of bring people back to God in a loving relationship did not rest on the actions of a mere Roman governor. Pilate was more concerned with his own position than he was for justice. In all this, we see Jesus as the true Passover lamb.


Jesus was Crucified


Jesus bearing his own cross, was killed as a common criminal (John 19:17). We read, that Pilate was responsible for fixing the sign “The King of the Jews” (John 19:21-22). The clothes of condemned prisoners were given to soldiers on duty (John 19:23). Even when he himself was in agony, Jesus showed concern for his mother, committing her to the Apostle John (John 19:s.26-27).

In Jesus’ final moments he uttered “I am thirsty.” (John 19:28) and “It is finished.” (John 19:30). The desire of the Jews (John 19:32) to fulfil their rituals was important because the Sabbath fell within the Passover festival. The breaking of legs (John 19:s.32-33) sped up the process of death. The piercing of Jesus’ side, and the flow of blood and water proved Jesus was really dead (John 19:34).


Jesus was Buried


Joseph of Arimithea and Nicodemus buried Jesus. The significance of “in which no-one had ever been laid” (John 19:41) is to demonstrate that the body of Jesus at no point came into contact with the decay of a dead body. But before we leave today, lets investigate what Jesus’ death on a Roman cross two thousand years ago means for humanity today and why He had to die on a cross in the first place.

2. What Has Jesus’ Death Done For All Mankind?

All human beings, in their natural state, are born sinners and have rebelled against God (Romans 3:23). That is what sin is – rebellion and disobedience against God. However, because of Jesus’ death on the cross, God offers forgiveness (Ephesians 1:7), Peace (Romans 5:1) and reconciliation with God, so that we are no longer His enemies (2 Corinthians 5:19).

Through the cross, and only through the cross, we are made just before God (Romans 3:24-26), it cleanses us from sin (1 John 1:7) and makes us right before Almighty God (2 Corinthians 5:21). Because of the Cross, we have direct access to God (Ephesians 2:18) and Jesus Christ intercedes for us (Hebrews 2:17-18). Because of Jesus Christ’s death on a Roman cross, all those who follow Him have freedom from the power of slavery to sin (Galatians 5:1) and freedom from the power of the devil (Hebrews 2: 14). None of the above things are true if we do not follow Jesus.

3. Why did Jesus go to the cross?

The problem!


The problem is sin or disobedience (active or passive) of and towards God. Sin is what separates humans from God and as a consequence leads to both a spiritual and physical death (Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Isaiah 59:2). In the Old Testament, sins were dealt with by blood sacrifices of atonement as coverings for sin (Leviticus 17:11), for without the shedding of blood there can be no remission of sin (Hebrews 9:22). A blood sacrifice is God's way of dealing with sin.


These blood sacrifices of the Old Testament signified several things:

• They provided a covering for sin.
• They showed the great cost of sin.
• They were an exchange or substitution.
• They were only always going to be a temporary measure as they pointed forward to Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross.

The Solution!


The solution lies not in continual animal sacrifice of the Old Testament because Hebrews 10:4 reminds us that the blood of animals cannot take away sin but was only a veneer or covering. That was why it was necessary to repeat time and time again! It is only through the death of Jesus, that sin is taken away (Hebrews 9:11-15, 26-28), because Jesus is our permanent sacrificial substitute!


Substitution


Jesus died for our sin, the just for the unjust (1 Peter 3:18). That is how God is both just and the Justifier of sinners. That is why Jesus needed to be both fully God and fully human! If he lacked either, it would not be the full substitutionary sacrifice that was necessary to bear the permanent consequences of sin! When Jesus died on the cross, in our place, he bore the consequences of all sin – past, present and future. He therefore became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21) and it was His blood as a lamb without spot or blemish (1Peter 1:18-19) that fulfils God’s requirements permanently.


Propitiation


Towards sin and sinful behaviour, God has great fury, anger and wrath (Jeremiah 21:5). Yet as Micah 7:18 “He is slow to anger and quick to forgive”. Propitiation basically means the turning aside of God's anger by the offering of the sacrifice of Christ. God's anger and judgment of sin falls on Christ, instead of us. We need to approach God to appease His anger, in order to accept it (Romans 3:25; Isaiah 53:5; John 2:2, 5:6).

1 John 2:2: He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 4:10: This is real loved—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice (or propitiation) to take away our sins.


Redemption (Ransom) Mark 10:45


Not only was it propitiation, but also an act of redemption! In the time of the New Testament, this word was used to refer to the buying back of a slave - the price paid to buy the slave’s freedom. God paid redemption so that humans can be freed from the slavery to sin (John 8:35 Romans 7:14). The price was paid (1 Peter 1:18-19) and so we are redeemed with the precious blood of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). But it is our responsibility to choose that way! God does not coerce forcefully – He leaves it as a choice for humans to make as individuals.

4. Victory over Satan, death and sin.

As we look back through the Gospel accounts, we see Jesus being tempted and taunted by satan. We see the temptations in the wilderness, satan using the Apostle Peter to try and deflect Jesus away from the cross and satan using Judas to betray him. If Jesus had ever succumbed to temptation, and sinned in thought, word, action or inaction, then He Himself would have needed a Saviour. That is why Jesus is the perfect sacrifice – because he never sinned and always did what He saw God the Father wanting Him to do. Jesus’ death on the cross is the centrepiece of all human history and the focal point of eternity. At the cross, Jesus’ mission is accomplished. At the cross, this God-man, Jesus Christ paid the penalty for all sin of all time, so that people can have the opportunity to be restored into relationship with God.


Some people say that Jesus didn’t die on the cross, but rather somebody was made to be His substitute. But this is a lie of the devil. Nobody could have been a substitute or the Jewish leaders would have said so when the rumours of Jesus’ resurrection began to circulate. The Romans kept strict discipline and regimen and nobody would have been able to get in amongst the Roman soldiers and somehow substitute themselves for Jesus. Yes, somebody else carried the cross for Him, but nobody but Jesus was nailed to that cross. Jesus died on that cross and not some substitute.

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Think Spot

Monday Think Spot

14 April 2014

Filled With The Spirit

Ephesians 5:18-19 “Let the Holy Spirit fill and control you. Then you will sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, making music to the Lord in your hearts.”

Now we might think of being filled with Holy Spirit as a one time occurrence, I grew up Pentecostal so in doing so it was more than a one time occurrence, because you know one thing the Pentecostals have is the Spirit. Even more than that, in our every day walk Christ is in us, Holy Spirit is there. He’s our comforter. Christ said that He had to leave so that the comforter could come. And as I bring this message to you this morning, I just want to share with you that our comforter is with us, ever present and we just have to lean into Him.



This past week was a very hard week for me as the son of some friends of mine was murdered last weekend. So I spent a lot of time grieving this weekend and last week but in this grief, it was a time for me to withdraw. Normally I am very socially active on Facebook and other social media and everything. I have several prayer groups that I am a part of and a few other communities that I am a part of; but I retreated. I wasn’t online as much but in doing so, it did cause some people to worry about me and I apologize for that worry, but this was a time that I needed to cry out to Holy Spirit to comfort me, to bring a message to me and to bring peace to me. And in my retreat that is what I did.



I stayed in the Word, and I just cried out to God to send that comforter to me. I listened to praise and worship music, things that would soothe my soul. In doing so, I have come to the other side. I’m not completely through the grieving process because grief does come as a process, just like forgiveness. It is multifaceted and it is a journey.



But I did not become stuck in this journey. I’m not stuck in the mud. It’s very easy when we lose something whether it’s a job, a family member, or a pet to become stuck in that grief. But as we take action then we can continue to move through it.



That is what I want to talk with you about: The action that I took was going into prayer, staying in my prayer closet. I could not do things as ordinary. I had to be a little different; I had to take a different stance in order to bring comfort and healing to my soul. I had to welcome Holy Spirit to do His work there.



There may be many of you out there this morning that are facing loss; again, loss covers a multitude of things. Typically when we think of grief we only think of losing a loved one but you know grief...my father in law is experiencing grief because he had a stroke last October. Before his stroke he was very independent now he has to rely on others a lot more than he ever did. But he has come a long way. He can do some things for himself. But where he’s not a hundred percent independent any more, that is a loss that he has suffered and he is experiencing grief and I am trying to help him through that; to help him realize that each time he does therapy he is taking action to heal in that grief and to recover from that grief.



When we think of grief, a lot of times people will say, “Give it time, it will get better. Time heals.” I’m sorry you all, I’m going to be honest, time does not heal anything. It just doesn’t! Not sure about that? Walk outside, if your tire is flat, pull up a chair and sit down beside that flat tire and wait on time to put air back in that tire. Time is not going to do that. It’s not going to replace the air in your tire. That is an action YOU have to take in order to continue your journey and grief works in much the same way. We have to take action. For me it is going to prayer, going for a walk, making myself eat because I don’t find comfort in food. I tend to do the opposite of a lot of other people and where a lot of people turn to food, I turn away from it. So, just the little steps of preparing a salad, things like that are things that move us or progress us further into the journey so that we can come out victorious on the other side. And we don’t have to do it alone because Holy Spirit is right there doing it with us.



So let’s close in prayer this morning. Father I thank you that Jesus died on the cross for us. I thank you that He told the disciples, “It is expedient for Me to go so that the comforter can come.” And I thank you that Holy Spirit does come and pray for us when we are too bogged down to even have words to pray, that He brings us comfort and that He brings us peace in these trying times. I thank you for this, I thank you for your love for us because it is your love for us that prepared this for us.



And I thank you, Father, for the opportunity to be connected with Partakers, with each ministry that is taking place there, with their prayer team. I thank you for each listener that comes every Monday morning to hear Think Spot, and each day throughout the week for the other messages. I just thank you, Father, for the divine appointments that You have put together here, for the way that you are using the internet to reach others and I just ask you to bless each listener abundantly. Rain your peace upon them, send the comforter to them and guide them down the journeys that they face this week. I ask you to place a hedge of protection around each one.



Blessed are You, Adonai, God our provider, God of peace, God of comfort, God of love. In Jesus name I pray, amen. Thank you for joining me today. I pray that you will come back tomorrow and the next day and the next day and be blessed with each message that is brought to you this with. And with that being said, may God rain his blessings and favor on you this week. Good day mates!

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