Read: 2 Samuel 11:1-5, Job 31:1-7, Psalm 119:37
Have you ever seen anyone who has spent a lot of time staring at the sun? Chances are that you saw them but they couldn't see you! There are so many ways that we can be physically and emotionally damaged by things that we look at. Just think of the long-term trauma caused by seeing atrocities committed in times of war or disaster!
Job explains this link between our eyes and our hearts in vs 7 of today’s reading by saying that God should judge, “if my heart has been led by my eyes”. Job makes a clear link between the things that we look at and how our hearts are led into sin. Think back over the last couple of days. Jesus is teaching that God’s standard is not just about our external actions but about our hearts. If our hearts and our eyes are linked then we need to guard our eyes if we are aiming for “not even a hint of sexual immorality” (Ephesians 5:3).
What about the sordid story of David and Bathsheba which ends in adultery and murder? If you aren’t familiar with the story then I encourage you to read all of 2 Samuel 11. Verses 1 - 5 give us clues about how David caught himself up in such destructive sin. Firstly, David was at home when it was his job as King to lead the army in times of war. Verse 1 tells us that rather than being away doing his job he was at home. I like to imagine him sitting on the couch, eating chips and saying “I’ll be there later”. This was David’s first error. He was being lazy and not doing his job.
Now consider vs 2. How did David allow himself to get caught up in this particular sin? “From the roof he saw a woman bathing”. David is at home where he doesn’t belong and he does not guard his eyes. From this moment we see the slippery slope that leaves King David a murderer and an adulterer.
Let’s talk practically. How do you need to protect your eyes in this area in order to meet the standard of “not even a hint of sexual immorality”? What are the things that you need to guard your eyes from? Is it late night TV programs, movies, junk mail, low cut blouses, joggers of the opposite sex, images on the internet, or magazines? Whatever it is that leads your heart into sin you need to guard your eyes from. You might even need to cut some of these things off completely!
Starting today make sure you guard your eyes from every thing that might lead you into sexual immorality. Do as Job did in Job 31:1 and make a covenant with your eyes. Memorise and pray Psalm 119:37 every time that you are tempted with your eyes. Today is the day to start this habit in order to protect your very heart and grow to meet God’s standard!
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would stir up in your heart and the hearts of all in the congregation a desire for absolute holiness with regards to their eyes and sexual purity. Pray that there would not even be a hint of sexual immorality amongst God’s people. Pray that today that we would all be challenged to guard our eyes and maintain a pure heart before God.
Pray for the more than 30 million men, women and children around the world who are enslaved and forced into labour or prostitution. Pray that God would change the hearts of men who drive demand for this industry through the consumption of pornography or participating in sexual abuse. Pray that God would work to free those who are trapped in the
¥ industry and that God would raise up men and women of Christ to set captives free. Check out http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/ for more information.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What are some things that you have seen which have affected your heart or led you into sin?
2. Split into groups of men and women and discuss what things you need to guard your eyes against. How can you help and encourage each other to be on guard?
Thursday 28 February 2013
Wednesday 27 February 2013
Wednesday February 27
Read: Matthew 5:29-30, Mark 9:42-50
It often surprises me to think that there aren’t more pirates in the Christian church. It seems to me that if more Christian’s really took this passage seriously that there would be many eye patch wearing, hook-for-hand, peg-legged pirate Christians.
Of course Jesus isn’t advocating piracy or the literal chopping off of limbs. Instead Jesus is encouraging His followers to have a radical, serious and sacrificial attitude towards overcoming sin. This obviously isn’t the kind of blasé, who cares, dismissive attitude that our culture seems to have. We can’t just ignore or put up with sin in our own lives. We have to take radical, often costly, action to cut sin off!
This is a whatever-it-takes, do-whatever’s-necessary, all-out war on sin. We can’t take this easy! This isn’t the comfortable life of a spiritual civilian. We need to call in the heavy artillery, whatever the cost. If Jesus is suggesting that we should be willing to lose an arm, an eye or a foot to defeat sin how can we claim that anything is too much!
What might this radical action look like in your life? If you are looking at images of women on the internet maybe you need to get rid of your computer. If you are reading books which describe ridiculous romantic situations and cause you to lust maybe you need to stop reading those books. If television programs are leading you to lustful thoughts maybe you need to stop watching those programs, or stop watching television altogether! If you are putting yourself in compromising positions with a boyfriend of girlfriend maybe you need to only see each other when around other people. What would it take for you to reach that standard we read about yesterday in Ephesians?
This radical action is about more than sexual purity. This is how we are to approach all sin in our lives! How radical are you in your approach to sin?
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that the Holy Spirit would reveal to you the areas in your life where you need to be more radical in the fight against sin or even where you are holding onto sin.
¥ Pray that God would stir the hearts of everyone in the congregation to desire and seek after holiness and to take radical steps to overcome sin in their lives.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Look back over those obstacles to sexual purity you wrote down yesterday. What can you do to take radical, costly action against those things?
2. How can you encourage one another this week to take radical action against sin? Make a battle plan and put it into action!
It often surprises me to think that there aren’t more pirates in the Christian church. It seems to me that if more Christian’s really took this passage seriously that there would be many eye patch wearing, hook-for-hand, peg-legged pirate Christians.
Of course Jesus isn’t advocating piracy or the literal chopping off of limbs. Instead Jesus is encouraging His followers to have a radical, serious and sacrificial attitude towards overcoming sin. This obviously isn’t the kind of blasé, who cares, dismissive attitude that our culture seems to have. We can’t just ignore or put up with sin in our own lives. We have to take radical, often costly, action to cut sin off!
This is a whatever-it-takes, do-whatever’s-necessary, all-out war on sin. We can’t take this easy! This isn’t the comfortable life of a spiritual civilian. We need to call in the heavy artillery, whatever the cost. If Jesus is suggesting that we should be willing to lose an arm, an eye or a foot to defeat sin how can we claim that anything is too much!
What might this radical action look like in your life? If you are looking at images of women on the internet maybe you need to get rid of your computer. If you are reading books which describe ridiculous romantic situations and cause you to lust maybe you need to stop reading those books. If television programs are leading you to lustful thoughts maybe you need to stop watching those programs, or stop watching television altogether! If you are putting yourself in compromising positions with a boyfriend of girlfriend maybe you need to only see each other when around other people. What would it take for you to reach that standard we read about yesterday in Ephesians?
This radical action is about more than sexual purity. This is how we are to approach all sin in our lives! How radical are you in your approach to sin?
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that the Holy Spirit would reveal to you the areas in your life where you need to be more radical in the fight against sin or even where you are holding onto sin.
¥ Pray that God would stir the hearts of everyone in the congregation to desire and seek after holiness and to take radical steps to overcome sin in their lives.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Look back over those obstacles to sexual purity you wrote down yesterday. What can you do to take radical, costly action against those things?
2. How can you encourage one another this week to take radical action against sin? Make a battle plan and put it into action!
Tuesday February 26
Read: Matthew 5:27-28, Ephesians 5:1-5
Children love to push the boundaries and test their parents. I’m sure that every parent can think of times when their own children have done this and most people could even give an example from their own childhood. For example, imagine that you have told your child not to play on the road. Can you imagine the child going up to the road and flirting with the boundary? Maybe even putting a foot on the road, almost daring the parent to do something about it?
How much are we like this? God gives us a command in Scripture and we so
often will do everything but. We will seek to see how close we can come to the line of God’s word without crossing it and we will play there. God’s standard leaves no room for this kind of boundary pushing.
Consider Jesus’ words in Matthew. Whilst the Pharisees or scribes might draw the line at adultery and push the boundary as far as they can, Jesus’ is calling His people to a much greater standard. Rather than allowing the boundary to be pushed as far as adultery, Jesus reveals to us the full intent and implication of God’s command: that even looking on another person lustfully is breaking God’s law. Why? Because Jesus isn’t only interested in our external behaviour. Jesus is interested in our hearts.
Paul takes this heart standard even further in Ephesians 5. There must not even be a hint of sexual immorality amongst God’s people. If this is God’s standard there is no boundary pushing, there is no seeing how far we can go without breaking God’s command. We cannot allow even a hint of sexual immorality.
Think about this standard for a moment. Have you been pushing the boundaries? Are there areas in your life where there is even a hint of sexual immorality? Add them to your prayer this morning/evening and pray that the Holy Spirit would reveal to you where you fall short of this standard and pray that God would be working in your heart this week to help you to overcome these sins.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in the hearts of the whole congregation this week to stir up a desire for holiness in the area of sexual purity. Pray that God would give courageous honesty to all the members of the congregation as they discuss this issue this week.
¥ Pray for Shiloh Church Ministries and their work amongst orphans in India. Pray that God would continue to protect and to watch over the children and that the gospel would be preached through their work loud and clear to both adults and children. Pray that God would stir up a spirit of generosity amongst God’s people to support this work in India.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What does it look like for both men and women to have not even a hint of sexual purity amongst them? What things should and shouldn't be happening amongst God’s people.
2. What are some obstacles that may make it more difficult to strive for this standard? Write them down.
Children love to push the boundaries and test their parents. I’m sure that every parent can think of times when their own children have done this and most people could even give an example from their own childhood. For example, imagine that you have told your child not to play on the road. Can you imagine the child going up to the road and flirting with the boundary? Maybe even putting a foot on the road, almost daring the parent to do something about it?
How much are we like this? God gives us a command in Scripture and we so
often will do everything but. We will seek to see how close we can come to the line of God’s word without crossing it and we will play there. God’s standard leaves no room for this kind of boundary pushing.
Consider Jesus’ words in Matthew. Whilst the Pharisees or scribes might draw the line at adultery and push the boundary as far as they can, Jesus’ is calling His people to a much greater standard. Rather than allowing the boundary to be pushed as far as adultery, Jesus reveals to us the full intent and implication of God’s command: that even looking on another person lustfully is breaking God’s law. Why? Because Jesus isn’t only interested in our external behaviour. Jesus is interested in our hearts.
Paul takes this heart standard even further in Ephesians 5. There must not even be a hint of sexual immorality amongst God’s people. If this is God’s standard there is no boundary pushing, there is no seeing how far we can go without breaking God’s command. We cannot allow even a hint of sexual immorality.
Think about this standard for a moment. Have you been pushing the boundaries? Are there areas in your life where there is even a hint of sexual immorality? Add them to your prayer this morning/evening and pray that the Holy Spirit would reveal to you where you fall short of this standard and pray that God would be working in your heart this week to help you to overcome these sins.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in the hearts of the whole congregation this week to stir up a desire for holiness in the area of sexual purity. Pray that God would give courageous honesty to all the members of the congregation as they discuss this issue this week.
¥ Pray for Shiloh Church Ministries and their work amongst orphans in India. Pray that God would continue to protect and to watch over the children and that the gospel would be preached through their work loud and clear to both adults and children. Pray that God would stir up a spirit of generosity amongst God’s people to support this work in India.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What does it look like for both men and women to have not even a hint of sexual purity amongst them? What things should and shouldn't be happening amongst God’s people.
2. What are some obstacles that may make it more difficult to strive for this standard? Write them down.
Tuesday 26 February 2013
Monday February 25
Read: Exodus 20:1-17, Matthew 5:27-28
Consider how much our culture has changed. In 1949 Ingrid Bergman, star of the famous movie Casablanca, left her husband and daughter to have an affair with an Italian movie director. The public outcry against the affair was such that even the United States Congress got involved and declared Ingrid a ‘persona non grata’, forbidden to step foot in the country.
Today, as we go through the supermarket checkout and see in the magazines how so many celebrity marriages end in affairs it is very easy for us to pass the same, self righteous judgment without taking a moment to consider our own lives. But Jesus does not allow any room for this kind of thinking. Jesus takes the original commandment in the Law to its intended conclusion. God’s Law is not only a standard for outside behaviour, God’s standard looks inward, to our hearts.
Consider for a moment how this plays out in your own life. Do you harbour lustful thoughts? Do you allow your eyes to linger in places where they shouldn't? Do you seek out images of men or women on the Internet or in magazines? Do you read books which describe impossible romantic situations and lust after them?
Jesus’ words in this passage leave no room for doubt. If we can answer yes to any of the above questions (and only Jesus can’t) then we are guilty of being lawbreakers and, on the basis of the law, stand condemned before God. But the good news of the gospel is this: that despite all of us being lawbreakers and sinners before God we are made right with God through His grace and through the sacrifice Jesus has made on our behalf. (Romans 3.21-24)
Understanding the truth of this good news does not mean that we are excused from seeking to live holy lives or excused from seeking to apply these words of Jesus. Rather, as we discuss these words of Jesus this week let us always remember that we do not seek to live holy lives before God in order to make up for our sin or to make ourselves right with God. Jesus has done that on our behalf. Instead we seek to live holy lives out of great joy and thankfulness for the relationship we have been given with Him. It all starts with Jesus.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Praise God for the free gift of grace that you have been given through Jesus Christ and that you do not need to earn your salvation, rather that it is a gift of God. Pray for those in your life who do not know Jesus and have not received this great gift. Pray that God would give you opportunities and courage to share the good news.
¥ Pray for all the cell groups that are gathering throughout this week. Pray that that God would change lives through His word and that we would challenge and encourage each other to live out our faith.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
Weekly Challenge
What sin in your life do you need to bring in the heavy artillery on to stop? Put some of those radical, costly ideas into practice this week.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Spend some time together sharing your testimonies and about how God has changed your life.
2. Discuss how your approach to life is different because of what God has done for you.
Consider how much our culture has changed. In 1949 Ingrid Bergman, star of the famous movie Casablanca, left her husband and daughter to have an affair with an Italian movie director. The public outcry against the affair was such that even the United States Congress got involved and declared Ingrid a ‘persona non grata’, forbidden to step foot in the country.
Today, as we go through the supermarket checkout and see in the magazines how so many celebrity marriages end in affairs it is very easy for us to pass the same, self righteous judgment without taking a moment to consider our own lives. But Jesus does not allow any room for this kind of thinking. Jesus takes the original commandment in the Law to its intended conclusion. God’s Law is not only a standard for outside behaviour, God’s standard looks inward, to our hearts.
Consider for a moment how this plays out in your own life. Do you harbour lustful thoughts? Do you allow your eyes to linger in places where they shouldn't? Do you seek out images of men or women on the Internet or in magazines? Do you read books which describe impossible romantic situations and lust after them?
Jesus’ words in this passage leave no room for doubt. If we can answer yes to any of the above questions (and only Jesus can’t) then we are guilty of being lawbreakers and, on the basis of the law, stand condemned before God. But the good news of the gospel is this: that despite all of us being lawbreakers and sinners before God we are made right with God through His grace and through the sacrifice Jesus has made on our behalf. (Romans 3.21-24)
Understanding the truth of this good news does not mean that we are excused from seeking to live holy lives or excused from seeking to apply these words of Jesus. Rather, as we discuss these words of Jesus this week let us always remember that we do not seek to live holy lives before God in order to make up for our sin or to make ourselves right with God. Jesus has done that on our behalf. Instead we seek to live holy lives out of great joy and thankfulness for the relationship we have been given with Him. It all starts with Jesus.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Praise God for the free gift of grace that you have been given through Jesus Christ and that you do not need to earn your salvation, rather that it is a gift of God. Pray for those in your life who do not know Jesus and have not received this great gift. Pray that God would give you opportunities and courage to share the good news.
¥ Pray for all the cell groups that are gathering throughout this week. Pray that that God would change lives through His word and that we would challenge and encourage each other to live out our faith.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
Weekly Challenge
What sin in your life do you need to bring in the heavy artillery on to stop? Put some of those radical, costly ideas into practice this week.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Spend some time together sharing your testimonies and about how God has changed your life.
2. Discuss how your approach to life is different because of what God has done for you.
Saturday 23 February 2013
Saturday February 23, 2013
Read Ephesians 4:26-27. James 1:19-20. Hebrews 12:15
Doctors now realise that anger can cause many problems and issues. Hypertension, bowl problems, headaches, fatigue and psychological issues can all be caused by anger. As a result, many people are taking up relaxation, yoga, meditation and other techniques to curb their anger.
Anger is such a huge problem in our society that we are seeing increasing incidents of road rage. There are growing reports of school rage where students or ex-students take a gun to school and shoot their teachers and/or fellow students. The situation is often repeated in work places. It’s so bad that Psychologists are now talking of surf rage as surfers attack each other for taking the better wave. There’s even trolley rage where shoppers get irate and frustrated with each other.
God’s Word gives us good advice when it encourages us to deal with our anger before the sun goes down. Rather than letting our anger stew and boil it’s better to deal with it and to clear the air. No one benefits from pent up anger. Bitterness is the end of the anger trail. Bitterness roots run deep and cause defilement to the holder and to many others. Have an informal coffee with a bitter person one day and you’ll see just how caustic and contagious it can be!
Holding onto anger can give the devil a foothold in your life. The Greek word for ’foothold’ literally means “place.” By hanging onto anger we are giving the devil a place in our life and he will, I assure you, use that to destroy both you and those around you.
It’s clear that man’s anger does not lead to the righteous life that God requires. in our anger we make rash decisions, we blurt out things better left unsaid and we make unfair accusations. Clearly, man’s anger does not lead to the righteous life that God requires. It’s better to deal with anger than to let it build up and explode. It’s better to deal with it constructively than to let it destroy both yourself and those you love.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for the Session of your church. Pray that God would fill these men with His Spirit and grant them great wisdom and insight as they lead and guide your congregation. Pray that these men would have a deep and thorough knowledge of the Word and be willing to put that Word into practice in all areas.
¥ Pray for the work of Student Life in Australia and Uni Impact in New Zealand as they seek to bring students to Christ in repentance and faith. Pray that we would see a movement of God’s Spirit across campuses in Australia and New Zealand as more and more people turn to Christ.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What is a godly way to deal with anger?
2. If I can’t speak to the other person who has made me angry, what can I do?
3. What are some symptoms of pent up anger that you have witnessed?
Doctors now realise that anger can cause many problems and issues. Hypertension, bowl problems, headaches, fatigue and psychological issues can all be caused by anger. As a result, many people are taking up relaxation, yoga, meditation and other techniques to curb their anger.
Anger is such a huge problem in our society that we are seeing increasing incidents of road rage. There are growing reports of school rage where students or ex-students take a gun to school and shoot their teachers and/or fellow students. The situation is often repeated in work places. It’s so bad that Psychologists are now talking of surf rage as surfers attack each other for taking the better wave. There’s even trolley rage where shoppers get irate and frustrated with each other.
God’s Word gives us good advice when it encourages us to deal with our anger before the sun goes down. Rather than letting our anger stew and boil it’s better to deal with it and to clear the air. No one benefits from pent up anger. Bitterness is the end of the anger trail. Bitterness roots run deep and cause defilement to the holder and to many others. Have an informal coffee with a bitter person one day and you’ll see just how caustic and contagious it can be!
Holding onto anger can give the devil a foothold in your life. The Greek word for ’foothold’ literally means “place.” By hanging onto anger we are giving the devil a place in our life and he will, I assure you, use that to destroy both you and those around you.
It’s clear that man’s anger does not lead to the righteous life that God requires. in our anger we make rash decisions, we blurt out things better left unsaid and we make unfair accusations. Clearly, man’s anger does not lead to the righteous life that God requires. It’s better to deal with anger than to let it build up and explode. It’s better to deal with it constructively than to let it destroy both yourself and those you love.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for the Session of your church. Pray that God would fill these men with His Spirit and grant them great wisdom and insight as they lead and guide your congregation. Pray that these men would have a deep and thorough knowledge of the Word and be willing to put that Word into practice in all areas.
¥ Pray for the work of Student Life in Australia and Uni Impact in New Zealand as they seek to bring students to Christ in repentance and faith. Pray that we would see a movement of God’s Spirit across campuses in Australia and New Zealand as more and more people turn to Christ.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What is a godly way to deal with anger?
2. If I can’t speak to the other person who has made me angry, what can I do?
3. What are some symptoms of pent up anger that you have witnessed?
Friday 22 February 2013
Friday February 22, 2013
Read Matthew 18:15-35.
Yesterday we saw what conflict resolution looks like from the point of view from the aggressor. Today we look at conflict resolution from the point of view of the victim.
If you have been sinned against, the Bible is clear about what you have to do. First and foremost you must go to the person who has sinned against you to seek reconciliation. You must go alone and humbly with a spirit of reconciliation, seeking to win your brother over. If he repents and apologies you are to leave the matter at that. It must not go any further.
If your brother does not agree with you and is hesitant to take you seriously then you take two or three others along because the testimony is to be settled by two or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6, 19:15). If the brother listens to you and the small posse, then the matter is settled. Offer your forgiveness and then leave it and move on with your life.
If however, the matter is not settled you are to tell it to the church and if the brother is not willing to listen to the church then the church is to remove that person and treat them as a ’pagan or tax collector’. While some have argued that this means they are to be loved (often evangelistically) and cared for in such a way that they repent and come into the kingdom, that is hardly the point. The point is that they are rebuked for their sinfulness and the love and companionship and camaraderie that is missed, urges that person and pulls them to repent and to be reconciled to the person they had earlier wrong. You can see this entire process working to perfection in the background of 2 Corinthians 2:1-8. Read it carefully and you’ll Matthew 18:15-18 working as it should.
But the focus on the passage is not on the one who has wronged the other. It is on the other. The focus is on forgiveness, as opposed to holding onto anger. At every stage of the process the victim must be ready and willing to forgive as he himself has been forgiven by Christ. The one who has been forgiven the greater debt must be ready and willing to forgive the far smaller debt.
Are you ready to forgive those who have sinned against you? Are you ready to let go of the past hurts and to love with the love of Christ Jesus? While you hang onto the hurt and the pain and the unforgiveness, the only person you are destroying and hurting is YOU.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that your church would be oozing forgiveness and love. Pray that the world would see the forgiveness of Christ in your church and be drawn to the love of Christ.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What should you do if you are a victim to someone else’s sin in the church?
2. What issues can arise if you follow Matthew 18?
Yesterday we saw what conflict resolution looks like from the point of view from the aggressor. Today we look at conflict resolution from the point of view of the victim.
If you have been sinned against, the Bible is clear about what you have to do. First and foremost you must go to the person who has sinned against you to seek reconciliation. You must go alone and humbly with a spirit of reconciliation, seeking to win your brother over. If he repents and apologies you are to leave the matter at that. It must not go any further.
If your brother does not agree with you and is hesitant to take you seriously then you take two or three others along because the testimony is to be settled by two or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6, 19:15). If the brother listens to you and the small posse, then the matter is settled. Offer your forgiveness and then leave it and move on with your life.
If however, the matter is not settled you are to tell it to the church and if the brother is not willing to listen to the church then the church is to remove that person and treat them as a ’pagan or tax collector’. While some have argued that this means they are to be loved (often evangelistically) and cared for in such a way that they repent and come into the kingdom, that is hardly the point. The point is that they are rebuked for their sinfulness and the love and companionship and camaraderie that is missed, urges that person and pulls them to repent and to be reconciled to the person they had earlier wrong. You can see this entire process working to perfection in the background of 2 Corinthians 2:1-8. Read it carefully and you’ll Matthew 18:15-18 working as it should.
But the focus on the passage is not on the one who has wronged the other. It is on the other. The focus is on forgiveness, as opposed to holding onto anger. At every stage of the process the victim must be ready and willing to forgive as he himself has been forgiven by Christ. The one who has been forgiven the greater debt must be ready and willing to forgive the far smaller debt.
Are you ready to forgive those who have sinned against you? Are you ready to let go of the past hurts and to love with the love of Christ Jesus? While you hang onto the hurt and the pain and the unforgiveness, the only person you are destroying and hurting is YOU.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that your church would be oozing forgiveness and love. Pray that the world would see the forgiveness of Christ in your church and be drawn to the love of Christ.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What should you do if you are a victim to someone else’s sin in the church?
2. What issues can arise if you follow Matthew 18?
Thursday 21 February 2013
Thursday February 21, 2013
Read Matthew 5:23-26.
There are two types of conflict resolution talked about in the Bible. One is for the victim and the other is for the aggressor. We often think, by default because that’s often all that’s preached and taught in our churches, about conflict resolution from the victim’s perspective. If someone sins against you, go and show him his fault. You probably know the rest, don’t you? But what about conflict resolution from the aggressor’s point of view? What does the Bible teach? What should we do if we find ourselves in the aggressor’s shoes?
Often we think something like, ‘If so and so has a problem with me then he
needs to come and see me!!!’ or ‘If so and so won’t come and tell me about it, then I don’t have to do anything’. Rest assured! Both of these approaches are sinful and displeasing to God.
Jesus’ teaches us what to do if we should find ourselves in the aggressive position, having wronged someone or sinned against them. If we are offering our gift at the altar (which in church times could be the ‘offering’) and realise that our brother has something against us, then we are to take action. Hear clearly what Jesus is saying. If I know that my brother has something against me, if I know that I have wronged him, if I know that there is an issue then I am to take action. I am to approach my brother and seek reconciliation. This is not the Matthew 18 approach because if my brother has something against me then more than likely I am the aggressor, the one who has sinned or wronged another. I am to go to my brother and humbly seek his forgiveness and endeavour to make restitution.
In verse 24, Jesus intimates that an offering given when relationships are spoiled or strained is worthless. It’s far better to be reconciled than to pretend to joyously offer God a gift when our hearts are stained by strained relationships. But why does a relationship affect our offering? 1 John 4:20 sheds much light.
If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
This Sonday when you are giving your tithe to the Lord, think about anyone you may have sinned against. Before you give your tithe to the Lord, go and be reconciled and then come back and offer your tithe to God. What a great smile will grow on the Lord’s face as we walk in obedience.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would bring great blessing to the two other Presbyterian churches in Toowoomba as they are both currently without an active minister. Pray that God would bring wisdom and insight to the elders in each congregation and that individuals and groups would be raised up as needed to keep the various ministries and outreaches going.
¥ Pray that God would bless your own congregation with a depth of love and commitment that speaks volumes to a lost and dying world. Pray that many would come to Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour through this love and commitment.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Why is conflict resolution necessary in God’s Church?
2. Why is conflict resolution so difficult?
There are two types of conflict resolution talked about in the Bible. One is for the victim and the other is for the aggressor. We often think, by default because that’s often all that’s preached and taught in our churches, about conflict resolution from the victim’s perspective. If someone sins against you, go and show him his fault. You probably know the rest, don’t you? But what about conflict resolution from the aggressor’s point of view? What does the Bible teach? What should we do if we find ourselves in the aggressor’s shoes?
Often we think something like, ‘If so and so has a problem with me then he
needs to come and see me!!!’ or ‘If so and so won’t come and tell me about it, then I don’t have to do anything’. Rest assured! Both of these approaches are sinful and displeasing to God.
Jesus’ teaches us what to do if we should find ourselves in the aggressive position, having wronged someone or sinned against them. If we are offering our gift at the altar (which in church times could be the ‘offering’) and realise that our brother has something against us, then we are to take action. Hear clearly what Jesus is saying. If I know that my brother has something against me, if I know that I have wronged him, if I know that there is an issue then I am to take action. I am to approach my brother and seek reconciliation. This is not the Matthew 18 approach because if my brother has something against me then more than likely I am the aggressor, the one who has sinned or wronged another. I am to go to my brother and humbly seek his forgiveness and endeavour to make restitution.
In verse 24, Jesus intimates that an offering given when relationships are spoiled or strained is worthless. It’s far better to be reconciled than to pretend to joyously offer God a gift when our hearts are stained by strained relationships. But why does a relationship affect our offering? 1 John 4:20 sheds much light.
If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
This Sonday when you are giving your tithe to the Lord, think about anyone you may have sinned against. Before you give your tithe to the Lord, go and be reconciled and then come back and offer your tithe to God. What a great smile will grow on the Lord’s face as we walk in obedience.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would bring great blessing to the two other Presbyterian churches in Toowoomba as they are both currently without an active minister. Pray that God would bring wisdom and insight to the elders in each congregation and that individuals and groups would be raised up as needed to keep the various ministries and outreaches going.
¥ Pray that God would bless your own congregation with a depth of love and commitment that speaks volumes to a lost and dying world. Pray that many would come to Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour through this love and commitment.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Why is conflict resolution necessary in God’s Church?
2. Why is conflict resolution so difficult?
Wednesday 20 February 2013
Wednesday February 20, 2013
Read Matthew 5:22.
Imagine yourself in a battalion in Iraq on patrol in enemy quarters. Your battalion is on foot scouting through enemy territory seeking out enemy infiltrators. In front of you is the point man leading the way and behind you is the rear guard, keeping watch and literally watching your back.
Now consider the reality of this question. How safe would you feel if the rear guard solider had only minutes ago called you a fool. Surely questions would rise in your mind. Will he protect you? Will he stand up for you? Will he lay his life down for you if necessary? If he really hates me, will he shoot me in the back?
The church is much like that battalion. We are in enemy territory. To be effective we have to march forward in love and unity not hatred and disunity. This is effectively what Jesus commanded in verse 22 of Matthew 5.
Jesus made it clear that even hating our brother is unacceptable in the Kingdom of God. Hatred is the underlying cause of murder. Hatred leads us to entertaining thoughts of revenge, hurting the other person and possibly even killing them. Hatred in the kingdom life must be squashed and removed.
Jesus also used the term ‘raca’. This was an obscure Aramaic word that meant something like ‘empty headed’ or ‘foolish’. It was a term of contempt that paralleled the recipient with worthlessness. It could be translated or paraphrased with several English phrases like ’You twit’, ’You idiot’ or ‘You bozo’ or even ‘You fool’.
Put bluntly, kingdom life is equated with love. It’s the kind of love that emanates deep within from a person that has received unwarranted and undeserved love from Christ Himself. This love cannot be ‘put on’. It cannot be used as a cover for evil or ulterior motives. It cannot be used as a show. Real kingdom love comes from personally receiving and experiencing the love of Christ
So next time you are frustrated and want to call someone a ‘twit’ or an ‘idiot’ or a ‘fool’ remember that Christ has been gracious to you and calls you to be gracious to others.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for the work of Darwin Presbyterian Church as it seeks to make inroads into the community. Pray that God would use this small group to spread the love of Christ widely to many people. Pray that the church would grow dramatically through conversions.
¥ Pray for the brothers and sisters who worship in Warwick Presbyterian Church. Pray that God would bless their time together and that they would be growing in knowledge and wisdom and insight. Pray that God would grant them growth in numbers as well.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What would be a good biblical response towards a person that is frustrating or angering you?
Imagine yourself in a battalion in Iraq on patrol in enemy quarters. Your battalion is on foot scouting through enemy territory seeking out enemy infiltrators. In front of you is the point man leading the way and behind you is the rear guard, keeping watch and literally watching your back.
Now consider the reality of this question. How safe would you feel if the rear guard solider had only minutes ago called you a fool. Surely questions would rise in your mind. Will he protect you? Will he stand up for you? Will he lay his life down for you if necessary? If he really hates me, will he shoot me in the back?
The church is much like that battalion. We are in enemy territory. To be effective we have to march forward in love and unity not hatred and disunity. This is effectively what Jesus commanded in verse 22 of Matthew 5.
Jesus made it clear that even hating our brother is unacceptable in the Kingdom of God. Hatred is the underlying cause of murder. Hatred leads us to entertaining thoughts of revenge, hurting the other person and possibly even killing them. Hatred in the kingdom life must be squashed and removed.
Jesus also used the term ‘raca’. This was an obscure Aramaic word that meant something like ‘empty headed’ or ‘foolish’. It was a term of contempt that paralleled the recipient with worthlessness. It could be translated or paraphrased with several English phrases like ’You twit’, ’You idiot’ or ‘You bozo’ or even ‘You fool’.
Put bluntly, kingdom life is equated with love. It’s the kind of love that emanates deep within from a person that has received unwarranted and undeserved love from Christ Himself. This love cannot be ‘put on’. It cannot be used as a cover for evil or ulterior motives. It cannot be used as a show. Real kingdom love comes from personally receiving and experiencing the love of Christ
So next time you are frustrated and want to call someone a ‘twit’ or an ‘idiot’ or a ‘fool’ remember that Christ has been gracious to you and calls you to be gracious to others.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for the work of Darwin Presbyterian Church as it seeks to make inroads into the community. Pray that God would use this small group to spread the love of Christ widely to many people. Pray that the church would grow dramatically through conversions.
¥ Pray for the brothers and sisters who worship in Warwick Presbyterian Church. Pray that God would bless their time together and that they would be growing in knowledge and wisdom and insight. Pray that God would grant them growth in numbers as well.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What would be a good biblical response towards a person that is frustrating or angering you?
Tuesday 19 February 2013
Tuesday February 19, 2013
Read Matthew 5:21. Deuteronomy 5:17. Exodus 21:22-25.
The capital punishment debate has been raging unresolved for decades. Those on the positive side argue that killers have lost their right to life by taking the life of another and some even cite biblical passages that demand life for life. Those on the negative side argue that killing is immoral no matter how it is done. Others quote parts of the bible that decry human killing.
Jesus does not here in Matthew’s gospel negate the Old Testament command to judge the murderer. Nor does the Old Testament equate the wilful killing of a person with the judicial capital punishment of the offender. In the Old Testament the two are kept distinct. The Hebrew of the Ten Commandments where we read ‘Thou shalt not kill’ could be better translated as ‘Thou shalt not murder’ to capture the nuance of the Hebrew text. The New Testament no where condones murder but consistently speaks of the evil of wilful murder and even declares that the (unrepentant) murderer does not have eternal life. See 1 John 3:15.
So in conclusion, whether you are pro or anti capital punishment we must not use the Bible out of context or just quote one or two passages, thinking that somehow we have laid down a concrete case. We need to build up a biblical picture that covers both Old and New Testament and that takes all the relevant verses (in context) into consideration. We need to learn to debate or argue with the bible as our ultimate authority all-the-while using the bible honestly and openly. Our goal should never be to win an argument or to prove our case but to discover the truth, even if that means laying down our own long held opinions.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
Ask the Lord to bring great blessing to your congregation by allowing each and every individual to share their faith with non
¥ believers. Pray that the congregation would grow through conversions and that these new believers will be disciple and nurtured in their faith.
¥ Pray that our fellow followers of Jesus in China would remain faithful to the Lord in times of persecution and hardship. Pray that God would grant them all they need to continue in steadfastness and faithfulness. Pray that the church in China would continue to grow as well.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Are you pro or anti capital punishment? Why?
2. Would you change your view if a solid biblical counter argument was presented to you?
The capital punishment debate has been raging unresolved for decades. Those on the positive side argue that killers have lost their right to life by taking the life of another and some even cite biblical passages that demand life for life. Those on the negative side argue that killing is immoral no matter how it is done. Others quote parts of the bible that decry human killing.
Jesus does not here in Matthew’s gospel negate the Old Testament command to judge the murderer. Nor does the Old Testament equate the wilful killing of a person with the judicial capital punishment of the offender. In the Old Testament the two are kept distinct. The Hebrew of the Ten Commandments where we read ‘Thou shalt not kill’ could be better translated as ‘Thou shalt not murder’ to capture the nuance of the Hebrew text. The New Testament no where condones murder but consistently speaks of the evil of wilful murder and even declares that the (unrepentant) murderer does not have eternal life. See 1 John 3:15.
So in conclusion, whether you are pro or anti capital punishment we must not use the Bible out of context or just quote one or two passages, thinking that somehow we have laid down a concrete case. We need to build up a biblical picture that covers both Old and New Testament and that takes all the relevant verses (in context) into consideration. We need to learn to debate or argue with the bible as our ultimate authority all-the-while using the bible honestly and openly. Our goal should never be to win an argument or to prove our case but to discover the truth, even if that means laying down our own long held opinions.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
Ask the Lord to bring great blessing to your congregation by allowing each and every individual to share their faith with non
¥ believers. Pray that the congregation would grow through conversions and that these new believers will be disciple and nurtured in their faith.
¥ Pray that our fellow followers of Jesus in China would remain faithful to the Lord in times of persecution and hardship. Pray that God would grant them all they need to continue in steadfastness and faithfulness. Pray that the church in China would continue to grow as well.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Are you pro or anti capital punishment? Why?
2. Would you change your view if a solid biblical counter argument was presented to you?
Monday 18 February 2013
Monday February 18, 2013
Weekly Challenge
Every person in every church has fellow parishioners that they don’t like. This week, seek to identify those people and then seek to show each one of these at least one act of selfless love. Seek to share a meal or at least coffee and cake with one of these people that you previously didn’t like.
Read Matthew 5:21-26
Picture two siblings, young brothers or young sisters arguing, squabbling and pulling hair and perhaps even biting each other. As Dad comes to the rescue, he sternly tells them to be nice to each other. Can you picture those kids going through the motions and simply “pretending” to be nice to each other. As soon as dad turns his back, the siblings are back to the squabbling, arguing and back-biting.
This little illustration helps to illustrate the dramatic intention of Jesus’ words throughout the sermon on the mount. As Jesus speaks, he redefines (or fulfils) the law, calling for the law to be kept in its intended way, not in some legalistic, outward fashion. What Jesus calls for is an inner, not merely outer, conformity to the standard God had set.
When Jesus spoke the words, ‘You have heard it said…’ he was critiquing the oral tradition that had evolved over the centuries, not the written Torah or
immutable Word of God. The Pharisees wanted total obedience to God and developed the oral tradition to explain and apply the Torah to every facet of life. Several more oral laws developed to allow people to conform their entire life to the Law of God.
It’s this oral law that Jesus was speaking of. When he said, ‘You have heard it said…’ followed with ‘but I tell you’ he was raising the bar to new, mind-boggling heights. If you can imagine that dad telling his kids to love each other from the heart rather than just saying, ‘Be nice to each other’, then you are really beginning to understand the heights of what Jesus is saying.
When it comes to murder Jesus just doesn’t say, ‘Do not murder’ but He goes to the heart of the matter and calls us to remove anger completely. Conversely, Jesus calls us to love each from the heart and to forgive, to serve and to give with joy and complete other centeredness. This cannot be mimicked or achieved by a mere going through the motions. This can only be achieved by a heart change, a change that starts deep within and proceeds outwards.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that the people in your congregation that need to be reconciled because of incidents in the past be completely and honestly reconciled in Christ. Pray that the love of Christ would dispel any anger or bitterness in people in your congregation.
¥ Pray for the work of Straight Talk as they seek to bring the gospel and the choice of abstinence to school students. Pray that God would open doors and provide richly for this ministry to continue.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Is it ok for 1 Christian to hate another? Why? or Why Not?
2. If I don’t like someone in my church, what should I do?
3. Is avoiding people that you don't like in your church a godly option?
Every person in every church has fellow parishioners that they don’t like. This week, seek to identify those people and then seek to show each one of these at least one act of selfless love. Seek to share a meal or at least coffee and cake with one of these people that you previously didn’t like.
Read Matthew 5:21-26
Picture two siblings, young brothers or young sisters arguing, squabbling and pulling hair and perhaps even biting each other. As Dad comes to the rescue, he sternly tells them to be nice to each other. Can you picture those kids going through the motions and simply “pretending” to be nice to each other. As soon as dad turns his back, the siblings are back to the squabbling, arguing and back-biting.
This little illustration helps to illustrate the dramatic intention of Jesus’ words throughout the sermon on the mount. As Jesus speaks, he redefines (or fulfils) the law, calling for the law to be kept in its intended way, not in some legalistic, outward fashion. What Jesus calls for is an inner, not merely outer, conformity to the standard God had set.
When Jesus spoke the words, ‘You have heard it said…’ he was critiquing the oral tradition that had evolved over the centuries, not the written Torah or
immutable Word of God. The Pharisees wanted total obedience to God and developed the oral tradition to explain and apply the Torah to every facet of life. Several more oral laws developed to allow people to conform their entire life to the Law of God.
It’s this oral law that Jesus was speaking of. When he said, ‘You have heard it said…’ followed with ‘but I tell you’ he was raising the bar to new, mind-boggling heights. If you can imagine that dad telling his kids to love each other from the heart rather than just saying, ‘Be nice to each other’, then you are really beginning to understand the heights of what Jesus is saying.
When it comes to murder Jesus just doesn’t say, ‘Do not murder’ but He goes to the heart of the matter and calls us to remove anger completely. Conversely, Jesus calls us to love each from the heart and to forgive, to serve and to give with joy and complete other centeredness. This cannot be mimicked or achieved by a mere going through the motions. This can only be achieved by a heart change, a change that starts deep within and proceeds outwards.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that the people in your congregation that need to be reconciled because of incidents in the past be completely and honestly reconciled in Christ. Pray that the love of Christ would dispel any anger or bitterness in people in your congregation.
¥ Pray for the work of Straight Talk as they seek to bring the gospel and the choice of abstinence to school students. Pray that God would open doors and provide richly for this ministry to continue.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Is it ok for 1 Christian to hate another? Why? or Why Not?
2. If I don’t like someone in my church, what should I do?
3. Is avoiding people that you don't like in your church a godly option?
Saturday 16 February 2013
Saturday February 16, 2013
Read Deuteronomy 6:1-6. Leviticus 19:1-18
After Dunkirk, in the Second World War, there was a tendency to look for someone to blame for the disaster which had befallen the Allied forces, and there were many who wished to enter into bitter recriminations with those who had guided things in the past. At that time Winston Churchill said a very wise thing: “If we open a quarrel between the past and the present, we shall find that we have lost the future.”
There had to be the Law before the Gospel could come. Men had to learn the difference between right and wrong; men had to learn their own human inability to cope with the demands of the law, and to respond to the commands of God; men had to learn a sense of sin and unworthiness and inadequacy. Men blame the past for many things—and often rightly—but it is equally, and even more, necessary to acknowledge our debt to the past. As Jesus saw it, it is man’s duty neither to forget nor to attempt to destroy the past, but to build upon the foundation of the past. We have entered into other men’s labors, and we must so labor that other men will enter into ours.
In Matthew 5:17-20 Jesus definitely warns men not to think that Christianity is easy. Men might say, “Christ is the end or fulfillment of the law; now I can do what I like.” Men might think that all the duties, all the responsibilities, all the demands are gone. But it is Jesus’ warning that the righteousness of the Christian must exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees. But what
did he mean by that?
The motive under which the Scribes and Pharisees lived was the motive of law; their one aim and desire was to satisfy the demands of the Law. Now, at least theoretically, it is perfectly possible to satisfy the demands of the law; in once sense there can come a time when a man can say, “I have done all that the law demands; my duty is discharged; the law has no more claim on me.” Be game and read Philippians 3:3-6 if you’re having trouble digesting this. I dare you.
But the motive under which the Christian lives is the motive of love; the Christian’s one desire is to show his wondering gratitude for the love with which God had loved him in Jesus Christ. Now, it is not even theoretically possible to satisfy the claims of love. If we love someone with all our hearts, we are bound to feel that if we gave them a lifetime’s service and adoration, if we offered them the sun and the moon and the stars, we would still not have offered enough. For love, the whole realm of nature is an offering far too small.
The Jew aimed to satisfy the law of God; and to the demands of law there is always a limit. The Christian aims to show his gratitude for the love of God; and to the claims of love there is no limit in time or in eternity. Jesus set before men, not the law of God, but the love of God. Long ago Augustine said that the Christian life could be summed up in the one phrase: “Love God, and do what you like.” But when we realize how God has loved us, the one desire of life is to answer to that love, and that is the greatest task in all the world, for it presents a man with a task the like of which the man who thinks in terms of law never dreams of, and with an obligation more binding than the obligation to any law.
If you think it’s easy to love, try loving 3 people selflessly at church tomorrow and see how you go!
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that both you and your congregation would be ruled and guided and motivated by the love of God. Pray that there would be a growth in understanding, feeling and enjoying the love of God among the people in your church. Pray that those who are hard hearted and miserable will find the love of Christ and the joy that follows.
¥ Pray that this love of God in Christ would be shared with the wider community and that we would see the congregation grow dramatically as more and more people repent and trust in Christ for their salvation.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Can law and love live together? Discuss.
2. Does the presence of the law promote or destroy love?
3. How does your society/culture show love? How does this differ from Christian love?
4. How can you show love to 3 people at church tomorrow?
After Dunkirk, in the Second World War, there was a tendency to look for someone to blame for the disaster which had befallen the Allied forces, and there were many who wished to enter into bitter recriminations with those who had guided things in the past. At that time Winston Churchill said a very wise thing: “If we open a quarrel between the past and the present, we shall find that we have lost the future.”
There had to be the Law before the Gospel could come. Men had to learn the difference between right and wrong; men had to learn their own human inability to cope with the demands of the law, and to respond to the commands of God; men had to learn a sense of sin and unworthiness and inadequacy. Men blame the past for many things—and often rightly—but it is equally, and even more, necessary to acknowledge our debt to the past. As Jesus saw it, it is man’s duty neither to forget nor to attempt to destroy the past, but to build upon the foundation of the past. We have entered into other men’s labors, and we must so labor that other men will enter into ours.
In Matthew 5:17-20 Jesus definitely warns men not to think that Christianity is easy. Men might say, “Christ is the end or fulfillment of the law; now I can do what I like.” Men might think that all the duties, all the responsibilities, all the demands are gone. But it is Jesus’ warning that the righteousness of the Christian must exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees. But what
did he mean by that?
The motive under which the Scribes and Pharisees lived was the motive of law; their one aim and desire was to satisfy the demands of the Law. Now, at least theoretically, it is perfectly possible to satisfy the demands of the law; in once sense there can come a time when a man can say, “I have done all that the law demands; my duty is discharged; the law has no more claim on me.” Be game and read Philippians 3:3-6 if you’re having trouble digesting this. I dare you.
But the motive under which the Christian lives is the motive of love; the Christian’s one desire is to show his wondering gratitude for the love with which God had loved him in Jesus Christ. Now, it is not even theoretically possible to satisfy the claims of love. If we love someone with all our hearts, we are bound to feel that if we gave them a lifetime’s service and adoration, if we offered them the sun and the moon and the stars, we would still not have offered enough. For love, the whole realm of nature is an offering far too small.
The Jew aimed to satisfy the law of God; and to the demands of law there is always a limit. The Christian aims to show his gratitude for the love of God; and to the claims of love there is no limit in time or in eternity. Jesus set before men, not the law of God, but the love of God. Long ago Augustine said that the Christian life could be summed up in the one phrase: “Love God, and do what you like.” But when we realize how God has loved us, the one desire of life is to answer to that love, and that is the greatest task in all the world, for it presents a man with a task the like of which the man who thinks in terms of law never dreams of, and with an obligation more binding than the obligation to any law.
If you think it’s easy to love, try loving 3 people selflessly at church tomorrow and see how you go!
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that both you and your congregation would be ruled and guided and motivated by the love of God. Pray that there would be a growth in understanding, feeling and enjoying the love of God among the people in your church. Pray that those who are hard hearted and miserable will find the love of Christ and the joy that follows.
¥ Pray that this love of God in Christ would be shared with the wider community and that we would see the congregation grow dramatically as more and more people repent and trust in Christ for their salvation.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Can law and love live together? Discuss.
2. Does the presence of the law promote or destroy love?
3. How does your society/culture show love? How does this differ from Christian love?
4. How can you show love to 3 people at church tomorrow?
Friday 15 February 2013
Friday February 15, 2013
Read Matthew 5:17-20. Luke 14:25-33.
There are two things that are immediately striking about this part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. First of all, a person who takes the call seriously and attempts to live as a kingdom citizen takes a great risk because each of the counter-values of the world seems to have great survival value!
If you aren’t competitive and aggressive, how can you get ahead? If you can’t take the practical course and make the expedient choice, you’re asking for trouble! If you don’t look after self, who will? Jesus’ sermon calls men to abandon this whole approach to life and to walk out of step with society. We are called to abandon “wisdom” for responsiveness to God’s will whatever the apparent cost. And this involves risk.
The second thing we see in the sermon is the impossibility of the standards Jesus maintains. In shifting attention from behavior to values and motives, Jesus sets righteousness even farther from us than it was before! You and I may have been relatively successful in controlling our behavior. But what about our desires? What about our thought lives? How about our emotions and feelings toward others? If righteousness in the kingdom means purity in the inner man, each of us is helpless.
But this is just the point of Jesus’ announcement. The kingdom is “at hand”! In Jesus Christ, God has begun to take that action which culminates in our total freedom. In the ultimate expression of the kingdom, Jesus will reign over a renewed earth. But even before Jesus returns, believers of every age have been “brought” by God to the “kingdom of the Son He loves” (Col. 1:13). You and I are in a relationship with God in which He acts for us. When we grasp this, when we open up our lives to Jesus’ royal control, He will break into the pattern of our daily lives and into the very heart of our character. Owning Jesus as King, we turn our fears over to Him and seek to rebuild our lives on that which He finds valuable.
Jesus is risen King. We can take the risk.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for wisdom for yourself and everyone in your congregation to live lives that are counter culture and that are a powerful witness to the revolutionary love of Christ Jesus. Pray that many people will see the lives of the people in your church and be drawn to Christ for salvation.
¥ Pray that our Session will be filled with wisdom and insight into the Word as they lead us and guide us and seek to shepherd us. Pray that these men will be deeply committed to Christ first and willing to obey Him at all costs.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What risks do you see for yourself in choosing to live as Jesus calls you to live?
2. What things have stopped you in the past adhering to Jesus’ kingdom call?
There are two things that are immediately striking about this part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. First of all, a person who takes the call seriously and attempts to live as a kingdom citizen takes a great risk because each of the counter-values of the world seems to have great survival value!
If you aren’t competitive and aggressive, how can you get ahead? If you can’t take the practical course and make the expedient choice, you’re asking for trouble! If you don’t look after self, who will? Jesus’ sermon calls men to abandon this whole approach to life and to walk out of step with society. We are called to abandon “wisdom” for responsiveness to God’s will whatever the apparent cost. And this involves risk.
The second thing we see in the sermon is the impossibility of the standards Jesus maintains. In shifting attention from behavior to values and motives, Jesus sets righteousness even farther from us than it was before! You and I may have been relatively successful in controlling our behavior. But what about our desires? What about our thought lives? How about our emotions and feelings toward others? If righteousness in the kingdom means purity in the inner man, each of us is helpless.
But this is just the point of Jesus’ announcement. The kingdom is “at hand”! In Jesus Christ, God has begun to take that action which culminates in our total freedom. In the ultimate expression of the kingdom, Jesus will reign over a renewed earth. But even before Jesus returns, believers of every age have been “brought” by God to the “kingdom of the Son He loves” (Col. 1:13). You and I are in a relationship with God in which He acts for us. When we grasp this, when we open up our lives to Jesus’ royal control, He will break into the pattern of our daily lives and into the very heart of our character. Owning Jesus as King, we turn our fears over to Him and seek to rebuild our lives on that which He finds valuable.
Jesus is risen King. We can take the risk.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for wisdom for yourself and everyone in your congregation to live lives that are counter culture and that are a powerful witness to the revolutionary love of Christ Jesus. Pray that many people will see the lives of the people in your church and be drawn to Christ for salvation.
¥ Pray that our Session will be filled with wisdom and insight into the Word as they lead us and guide us and seek to shepherd us. Pray that these men will be deeply committed to Christ first and willing to obey Him at all costs.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What risks do you see for yourself in choosing to live as Jesus calls you to live?
2. What things have stopped you in the past adhering to Jesus’ kingdom call?
Thursday 14 February 2013
Thursday February 14, 2013
Read Matthew 5:19-20
Happy Valentines Day.
We give the Pharisees a bad rap don’t we? We automatically assume they are the bad guys. In some ways they are! But imagine yourself sitting over delightfully strong Turkish coffee with a first Century Rabbi. You would learn very quickly that they have a huge desire to keep all of the law of God. Their passion, their unending desire is to be holy and righteous before God. The legalism and oral tradition that they developed arose from a deep inner desire to please God by being holy.
It makes it all the more harder to grapple with and apply Jesus’ explication of the Law’s true meaning. The kingdom lifestyle that Jesus promoted fulfilled the Law’s requirements by producing a righteousness that “surpasses that of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law” (v. 20). When as a new Christian I first read this verse, I realized the dilemma immediately! How can I, a struggling sinner, be more righteous than the Pharisees?
Each of the following cases that follow demonstrates how the Law is to be “fulfilled” that is, truly and accurately explained and applied. In each case Jesus shifted the focus of attention from the behavior that the Law dealt with to intents and motives. Here the King works in the hearts of men, changing the values and the behaviors from which behavior springs. In Jesus’ kingdom any outward conformity without an inward commitment is unthinkable!
Think about it? What about murder? Jesus located the root of murder in anger and hatred (vv. 21–26). Rather than nurse anger, which may lead to murder, the kingdom citizen is to value peacemaking. He is to take the initiative to be reconciled to his brother. Later John would write, “Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer” (1 John 3:15).
How about adultery? In its true meaning the Law does not just speak against the act, for God is concerned with lust itself (Matt. 5:27–30). Jesus sarcastically suggested to men quick to excuse themselves by claims that “I saw her, and couldn’t help myself,” that they try to rid themselves of their problem by plucking out the offending eye! Impossible? Surely. And so again the issue is focused on the place where the problem lies: “in the heart.”
How about divorce? Moses permitted it, but Jesus called for lifetime commitment (vv. 31–32).
Now, what about promises or vows? Do you make your word binding by signing a contract and then feel free to break a promise sealed with a handshake? (vv. 33–37) No, be the kind of person whose yes always means yes, and whose no means no.
What about revenge and repaying those who harm you? (vv. 38–48) The Law says you can insist on your rights and on repayment. But in the kingdom, God’s blessing rests on the merciful. In relationships with people, the kingdom citizen is called on to be like the Father in heaven and to love even enemies. Does this deny justice? Not at all! It recognizes the fact that in the kingdom, God is the One who acts. Paul later put it in these words: “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is Mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Rom. 12:19).
Abandoning the values and the instincts which lie at the root of man’s society, the kingdom citizen is to build his life on those peculiar values Jesus taught- values that seem all too shabby or fundamentalist to most people. Poverty of spirit? Mourning, meekness, hunger for righteousness? Mercy, purity, peacemaking, willingness to be persecuted on God’s account? Yes. On these values Jesus invites His hearers to build new lives. These will be lives that impact the world and count for eternity.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for the lives of your fellow believers in your church. Ask God to empower each believer to live a powerful life of witness so that many see Christ and come to Him for salvation.
¥ Pray that you too would live this kind of life.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. How would you sum up the Sermon on the Mount?
2. What do you think of the standards that Jesus sets in the Sermon on the Mount?
Happy Valentines Day.
We give the Pharisees a bad rap don’t we? We automatically assume they are the bad guys. In some ways they are! But imagine yourself sitting over delightfully strong Turkish coffee with a first Century Rabbi. You would learn very quickly that they have a huge desire to keep all of the law of God. Their passion, their unending desire is to be holy and righteous before God. The legalism and oral tradition that they developed arose from a deep inner desire to please God by being holy.
It makes it all the more harder to grapple with and apply Jesus’ explication of the Law’s true meaning. The kingdom lifestyle that Jesus promoted fulfilled the Law’s requirements by producing a righteousness that “surpasses that of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law” (v. 20). When as a new Christian I first read this verse, I realized the dilemma immediately! How can I, a struggling sinner, be more righteous than the Pharisees?
Each of the following cases that follow demonstrates how the Law is to be “fulfilled” that is, truly and accurately explained and applied. In each case Jesus shifted the focus of attention from the behavior that the Law dealt with to intents and motives. Here the King works in the hearts of men, changing the values and the behaviors from which behavior springs. In Jesus’ kingdom any outward conformity without an inward commitment is unthinkable!
Think about it? What about murder? Jesus located the root of murder in anger and hatred (vv. 21–26). Rather than nurse anger, which may lead to murder, the kingdom citizen is to value peacemaking. He is to take the initiative to be reconciled to his brother. Later John would write, “Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer” (1 John 3:15).
How about adultery? In its true meaning the Law does not just speak against the act, for God is concerned with lust itself (Matt. 5:27–30). Jesus sarcastically suggested to men quick to excuse themselves by claims that “I saw her, and couldn’t help myself,” that they try to rid themselves of their problem by plucking out the offending eye! Impossible? Surely. And so again the issue is focused on the place where the problem lies: “in the heart.”
How about divorce? Moses permitted it, but Jesus called for lifetime commitment (vv. 31–32).
Now, what about promises or vows? Do you make your word binding by signing a contract and then feel free to break a promise sealed with a handshake? (vv. 33–37) No, be the kind of person whose yes always means yes, and whose no means no.
What about revenge and repaying those who harm you? (vv. 38–48) The Law says you can insist on your rights and on repayment. But in the kingdom, God’s blessing rests on the merciful. In relationships with people, the kingdom citizen is called on to be like the Father in heaven and to love even enemies. Does this deny justice? Not at all! It recognizes the fact that in the kingdom, God is the One who acts. Paul later put it in these words: “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is Mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Rom. 12:19).
Abandoning the values and the instincts which lie at the root of man’s society, the kingdom citizen is to build his life on those peculiar values Jesus taught- values that seem all too shabby or fundamentalist to most people. Poverty of spirit? Mourning, meekness, hunger for righteousness? Mercy, purity, peacemaking, willingness to be persecuted on God’s account? Yes. On these values Jesus invites His hearers to build new lives. These will be lives that impact the world and count for eternity.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for the lives of your fellow believers in your church. Ask God to empower each believer to live a powerful life of witness so that many see Christ and come to Him for salvation.
¥ Pray that you too would live this kind of life.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. How would you sum up the Sermon on the Mount?
2. What do you think of the standards that Jesus sets in the Sermon on the Mount?
Wednesday 13 February 2013
Wednesday February 13, 2013
Read Matthew 5:18. Luke 16:17
Do you know what the little dot above our English letter ‘i’ is called? Most people have no idea what it is. It’s called a tittle. The old translation (KJV) captures the sense of the word well - for verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, not one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Verse 18 reaffirms the absolute authority of all of the Scriptures down to the smallest components of individual words. They will endure for all time but with the important qualification “until everything is accomplished.” With the coming of Christ, many aspects of the law are brought to complete fruition (e.g., the need for sacrifices, on which see Hebrews). Take note they are not abolished but rather are fulfilled in Christ. The difference is enormous. In other instances certain requirements of the law endure until Christ’s coming again (e.g. love of neighbor and God). As such, Christian application of the Old Testament must always take into account both the continuities and the discontinuities with the New Testament. We can neither take on a wholesale adoption nor rejection of the Old Testament. We must use our brains and think through the issues before us.
Jesus also tells us that the smallest parts of the law will remain until heaven and earth disappear and when all things are fulfilled. Some of those things were fulfilled by the death and resurrection of Christ but others are fulfilled upon His return to gather the elect from the four corners of the earth and to condemn the wicked.
Put bluntly, the law will be around, continuing in the New Testament, though partly fulfilled until all is fulfilled at the second coming of Christ Jesus.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God will bring great blessing to our cell groups this week. Pray that we would see cells growing in maturity, in depth and knowledge of insight into the gospel and in relationship with God and each other. Pray that all our cells would grow in size as well.
Pray for our Committee of Management as they meet next Monday. Ask the Lord to grant this Committee great wisdom and insight into the way it manages and stewards the funds allocated to it by the congregation. Pray that they would be gospel minded men and women who seek to grow the Kingdom above all else.
¥ Pray that our finances would sky-rocket above the minimum break even point so that the Committee can be seeking to support the poor and needy in our area.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What is your general attitude towards the Old Testament?
2. Read Leviticus 19:28. What is a NT biblical opinion of tattoos.?
3. What can you do when you are not sure if you need to keep a particular OT command?
Do you know what the little dot above our English letter ‘i’ is called? Most people have no idea what it is. It’s called a tittle. The old translation (KJV) captures the sense of the word well - for verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, not one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Verse 18 reaffirms the absolute authority of all of the Scriptures down to the smallest components of individual words. They will endure for all time but with the important qualification “until everything is accomplished.” With the coming of Christ, many aspects of the law are brought to complete fruition (e.g., the need for sacrifices, on which see Hebrews). Take note they are not abolished but rather are fulfilled in Christ. The difference is enormous. In other instances certain requirements of the law endure until Christ’s coming again (e.g. love of neighbor and God). As such, Christian application of the Old Testament must always take into account both the continuities and the discontinuities with the New Testament. We can neither take on a wholesale adoption nor rejection of the Old Testament. We must use our brains and think through the issues before us.
Jesus also tells us that the smallest parts of the law will remain until heaven and earth disappear and when all things are fulfilled. Some of those things were fulfilled by the death and resurrection of Christ but others are fulfilled upon His return to gather the elect from the four corners of the earth and to condemn the wicked.
Put bluntly, the law will be around, continuing in the New Testament, though partly fulfilled until all is fulfilled at the second coming of Christ Jesus.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God will bring great blessing to our cell groups this week. Pray that we would see cells growing in maturity, in depth and knowledge of insight into the gospel and in relationship with God and each other. Pray that all our cells would grow in size as well.
Pray for our Committee of Management as they meet next Monday. Ask the Lord to grant this Committee great wisdom and insight into the way it manages and stewards the funds allocated to it by the congregation. Pray that they would be gospel minded men and women who seek to grow the Kingdom above all else.
¥ Pray that our finances would sky-rocket above the minimum break even point so that the Committee can be seeking to support the poor and needy in our area.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What is your general attitude towards the Old Testament?
2. Read Leviticus 19:28. What is a NT biblical opinion of tattoos.?
3. What can you do when you are not sure if you need to keep a particular OT command?
Tuesday 12 February 2013
Tuesday February 12, 2013
Read Matthew 5:18, Heb 10:15-18. Jeremiah 31:31-33. Ezekiel 36:25-27.
Put it in the ‘too hard basket’. That’s what her wholesale rejection of the Old Testament amounted to. I met a believer during a door knocking session and she said that she loves her church because they don’t waste time on the Old Testament. She continued to tell me about her inability to relate to and understand the God of the Old Testament as opposed to the God of love and grace in the New Testament.
But we simply cannot dismiss the Old Testament because it’s in that very same Testament that God declares that the New Covenant will consist of having the Law, the Torah of the Old Testament, written on believers’ hearts. In this New Covenant God will pour out his Spirit and give believers a new heart that yearns and strives for obedience to the Law of God. The law will no longer be external, written on tablets of stone. It is now internal, written on tablets of human hearts.
Now many people may well get their nose out of joint at that point but rest assured we are not advocating human based religion, salvation by works or any kind of legalism. Rather the coming of the Holy Spirit mandates a superior holiness to that of the Old Testament. As Jesus said in Matthew 5:48, ‘Therefore be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.’ You only need to read the sermon on the mount in one sitting to see the incredibly high standards that Jesus sets. The Holy Spirit leads, guides, teaches and equips believers in this endeavour.
The Lord has equipped you and I and all believers with the in-built ability and desire to strive for greater heights of holiness. He has given us all that we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3) through our knowledge of Him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for the work of Scripture Union throughout Australia. Pray that they would be adequately equipped to continue running camps, training and placing chaplains and helping at-risk children and teens. Pray that God would use SU powerfully to bring many into the kingdom and to disciple new believers.
¥ Pray that every person in your congregation would have a heart that yearns for holiness. Pray that God would be moulding and making each and every person more and more like Christ in all areas of life.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What should be a Christian’s attitude be to habitual sin in their lives?
2. How should we deal with sin in another believer’s life?
3. What should a person do if he/she thinks their church has become complacent about sin?
Put it in the ‘too hard basket’. That’s what her wholesale rejection of the Old Testament amounted to. I met a believer during a door knocking session and she said that she loves her church because they don’t waste time on the Old Testament. She continued to tell me about her inability to relate to and understand the God of the Old Testament as opposed to the God of love and grace in the New Testament.
But we simply cannot dismiss the Old Testament because it’s in that very same Testament that God declares that the New Covenant will consist of having the Law, the Torah of the Old Testament, written on believers’ hearts. In this New Covenant God will pour out his Spirit and give believers a new heart that yearns and strives for obedience to the Law of God. The law will no longer be external, written on tablets of stone. It is now internal, written on tablets of human hearts.
Now many people may well get their nose out of joint at that point but rest assured we are not advocating human based religion, salvation by works or any kind of legalism. Rather the coming of the Holy Spirit mandates a superior holiness to that of the Old Testament. As Jesus said in Matthew 5:48, ‘Therefore be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.’ You only need to read the sermon on the mount in one sitting to see the incredibly high standards that Jesus sets. The Holy Spirit leads, guides, teaches and equips believers in this endeavour.
The Lord has equipped you and I and all believers with the in-built ability and desire to strive for greater heights of holiness. He has given us all that we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3) through our knowledge of Him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for the work of Scripture Union throughout Australia. Pray that they would be adequately equipped to continue running camps, training and placing chaplains and helping at-risk children and teens. Pray that God would use SU powerfully to bring many into the kingdom and to disciple new believers.
¥ Pray that every person in your congregation would have a heart that yearns for holiness. Pray that God would be moulding and making each and every person more and more like Christ in all areas of life.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What should be a Christian’s attitude be to habitual sin in their lives?
2. How should we deal with sin in another believer’s life?
3. What should a person do if he/she thinks their church has become complacent about sin?
Monday 11 February 2013
Monday Feb 11, 2013
Weekly Challenge
Throughout this week seek to write down a detailed description of your attitude to the Law of God in the Old Testament.
Read Matthew 5:18. Leviticus 19.
What should my attitude be towards the law of the Old Testament? Should I keep it all? Should I be the judge and pick and choose the ones that I am to obey and the ones I can safely ignore? Should I take the easy option and just ask my pastor? Can I just ditch the entire Old Testament?
Practically this has incredible implications. Can I for example wear clothes made from two different fibres in contradiction to Leviticus 19:19? Should I honour/respect my father and mother in accord with Leviticus 19:3? Must I wait for the 5th years before I eat fruit from the trees that I plant in accord with Leviticus 19:23-24. Can I cut myself for the dead? Is the Lord opposed to tattoos and same sex marriages, all of which are spoken of in the Old Testament?
As a New Testament believer I need a system to work through and understand and practically apply as I study and seek to apply the commands and precepts to my own life, 2000 years this side of the cross. Ignorance is no friend. Neither is it an adequate excuse. Picking and choosing as real-life situations arise is fraught with danger.
One way forward is to think of the Old Testament as containing laws categorised as civil, ceremonial and moral. Civil laws are those laws that relate particularly to the nation of Israel. Ceremonial laws are those laws that relate
to the temple and the sacrifices offered there in. Moral laws are those laws that are applicable to all ages and cultures from a moral perspective.
As a guide it can be argued that Christ has fulfilled all the ceremonial laws and because of his once for all sacrifice we don’t need to offer sacrifices. The civil laws can, as a general guide, be said to be fulfilled when the nation of Israel was superseded by the church as God’s chosen people. The moral law, it can be argued, is applicable to all peoples across all times because of their moral nature.
By using this civil, ceremonial, moral distinction we can make some headway. But we need to be mindful that these aren’t hard and fast categories and many of the laws cross over the boundaries. Even though they may be inapplicable in one sense, they may be in another. The sexual laws, for example, are civil laws for the nation of Israel to separate her from the nations round about her. But we can clearly argue that these laws are applicable today.
To help move beyond this road block in the moral, ceremonial and civil distinction we can consider the teaching of the New Testament. If the New Testament shows that a particular law needs to be continued then we are bound to it. Consider the purity laws and sexual teaching of one man and one woman in the New Testament and you clearly see how the sexual laws of the Old Testament are still mandatory today. At the other end of the spectrum, in Mark 7, Jesus clearly taught that all foods are clean and thus New Testament believers don’t need to keep the dietary requirements of the Old Covenant.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for the work of Student Life throughout the universities of Australia. Pray that God would raise up the leadership required across the land to bring more and more people to Christ through students preaching to students. Pray that the leadership at all the various levels would be able to maintain godliness and direction in accord with the Scriptures.
¥ Pray that God would provide for all the needs of Straight Talk Ministries as they continue to serve and reach out with the gospel message of love and purity. Ask God to open doors in to more schools. Pray that God would strengthen Jim and Faye as they continue to serve the Lord in this vital ministry.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. In the past, how have you decided which laws in the OT to keep?
2. If you are unsure about a particular law in the OT, how would you decide whether or not it’s to be kept?
Throughout this week seek to write down a detailed description of your attitude to the Law of God in the Old Testament.
Read Matthew 5:18. Leviticus 19.
What should my attitude be towards the law of the Old Testament? Should I keep it all? Should I be the judge and pick and choose the ones that I am to obey and the ones I can safely ignore? Should I take the easy option and just ask my pastor? Can I just ditch the entire Old Testament?
Practically this has incredible implications. Can I for example wear clothes made from two different fibres in contradiction to Leviticus 19:19? Should I honour/respect my father and mother in accord with Leviticus 19:3? Must I wait for the 5th years before I eat fruit from the trees that I plant in accord with Leviticus 19:23-24. Can I cut myself for the dead? Is the Lord opposed to tattoos and same sex marriages, all of which are spoken of in the Old Testament?
As a New Testament believer I need a system to work through and understand and practically apply as I study and seek to apply the commands and precepts to my own life, 2000 years this side of the cross. Ignorance is no friend. Neither is it an adequate excuse. Picking and choosing as real-life situations arise is fraught with danger.
One way forward is to think of the Old Testament as containing laws categorised as civil, ceremonial and moral. Civil laws are those laws that relate particularly to the nation of Israel. Ceremonial laws are those laws that relate
to the temple and the sacrifices offered there in. Moral laws are those laws that are applicable to all ages and cultures from a moral perspective.
As a guide it can be argued that Christ has fulfilled all the ceremonial laws and because of his once for all sacrifice we don’t need to offer sacrifices. The civil laws can, as a general guide, be said to be fulfilled when the nation of Israel was superseded by the church as God’s chosen people. The moral law, it can be argued, is applicable to all peoples across all times because of their moral nature.
By using this civil, ceremonial, moral distinction we can make some headway. But we need to be mindful that these aren’t hard and fast categories and many of the laws cross over the boundaries. Even though they may be inapplicable in one sense, they may be in another. The sexual laws, for example, are civil laws for the nation of Israel to separate her from the nations round about her. But we can clearly argue that these laws are applicable today.
To help move beyond this road block in the moral, ceremonial and civil distinction we can consider the teaching of the New Testament. If the New Testament shows that a particular law needs to be continued then we are bound to it. Consider the purity laws and sexual teaching of one man and one woman in the New Testament and you clearly see how the sexual laws of the Old Testament are still mandatory today. At the other end of the spectrum, in Mark 7, Jesus clearly taught that all foods are clean and thus New Testament believers don’t need to keep the dietary requirements of the Old Covenant.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for the work of Student Life throughout the universities of Australia. Pray that God would raise up the leadership required across the land to bring more and more people to Christ through students preaching to students. Pray that the leadership at all the various levels would be able to maintain godliness and direction in accord with the Scriptures.
¥ Pray that God would provide for all the needs of Straight Talk Ministries as they continue to serve and reach out with the gospel message of love and purity. Ask God to open doors in to more schools. Pray that God would strengthen Jim and Faye as they continue to serve the Lord in this vital ministry.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. In the past, how have you decided which laws in the OT to keep?
2. If you are unsure about a particular law in the OT, how would you decide whether or not it’s to be kept?
Saturday 9 February 2013
Saturday February 9, 2013
Read Matthew 5:16. Ephesians 2:8-10. Titus 2:11-14.
Good works are the under rated star of evangelism and outreach. Yesterday we talked about reaching the world for Christ. How do we do that? Primarily by good works. For far too long we’ve been afraid of good works and have felt the need to justify everything so that we definitively aren’t preaching salvation by works. No one is preaching that! Rest assured!
But we simply cannot avoid good works. Good works are the way that we reach the world for Christ. Good works are the way we communicate love and compassion to a desperate and needy world. Good works are fiber, the reality of our faith. As James says, ‘Faith without deeds is dead.’ In fact, God has created us in Christ Jesus to be doing good works. They are the reality of our faith, not the cause of our salvation.
I’ve heard of many different acts of good works that changed lives. One young lady went to a nursing home and asked the receptionist about who didn’t receive visitors. She was given the name of an old lady that had sat alone in her apartment for decades. This young lady visited the older lady and took her out weekly to have her hair done. They built up a friendship and over 3 years the older lady saw the love of Jesus in real, tangible ways. At 98 this lady passed away but over the last 3 years she saw and accepted the love of Christ. She passed away and went home to be with the Lord.
Another believer was going to the shop and decided to call into the young neighbours next door who were soon expecting their first child. It was a simple act or good work. Yet as the heavily pregnant soon-to-be mother was asked if she needed anything from the shop, she broke down and wept because she had never been loved so selflessly. After shedding tears, she received Jesus as her personal Lord and Saviour right there on the door step.
I’ll say it again. Good works are an indispensible part of our faith. Good works communicate powerfully to a lost and needy world.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that each and every believer in your congregation would be filled with a Spirit given desire to be doing good works. Pray for opportunities to be doing good works for people that changes their lives.
¥ Ask God to bring many into his kingdom through good works. Pray for the non believing people in your life by name and ask that he would bring them to faith through your good works.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Who are the non believers in your world?
2. What good works can you be doing for or to them?
3. What should a believer do if a person does not respond to your good works?
Good works are the under rated star of evangelism and outreach. Yesterday we talked about reaching the world for Christ. How do we do that? Primarily by good works. For far too long we’ve been afraid of good works and have felt the need to justify everything so that we definitively aren’t preaching salvation by works. No one is preaching that! Rest assured!
But we simply cannot avoid good works. Good works are the way that we reach the world for Christ. Good works are the way we communicate love and compassion to a desperate and needy world. Good works are fiber, the reality of our faith. As James says, ‘Faith without deeds is dead.’ In fact, God has created us in Christ Jesus to be doing good works. They are the reality of our faith, not the cause of our salvation.
I’ve heard of many different acts of good works that changed lives. One young lady went to a nursing home and asked the receptionist about who didn’t receive visitors. She was given the name of an old lady that had sat alone in her apartment for decades. This young lady visited the older lady and took her out weekly to have her hair done. They built up a friendship and over 3 years the older lady saw the love of Jesus in real, tangible ways. At 98 this lady passed away but over the last 3 years she saw and accepted the love of Christ. She passed away and went home to be with the Lord.
Another believer was going to the shop and decided to call into the young neighbours next door who were soon expecting their first child. It was a simple act or good work. Yet as the heavily pregnant soon-to-be mother was asked if she needed anything from the shop, she broke down and wept because she had never been loved so selflessly. After shedding tears, she received Jesus as her personal Lord and Saviour right there on the door step.
I’ll say it again. Good works are an indispensible part of our faith. Good works communicate powerfully to a lost and needy world.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that each and every believer in your congregation would be filled with a Spirit given desire to be doing good works. Pray for opportunities to be doing good works for people that changes their lives.
¥ Ask God to bring many into his kingdom through good works. Pray for the non believing people in your life by name and ask that he would bring them to faith through your good works.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Who are the non believers in your world?
2. What good works can you be doing for or to them?
3. What should a believer do if a person does not respond to your good works?
Friday 8 February 2013
Friday February 8, 2013
Read Matthew 5:14. John 3:16. John 1:29
God created the entire universe by His powerful word. He keeps the world running by his sovereign power. He is ever present throughout the entire world. Without ay doubt, God is powerful. I can’t think of any believer who would disagree with that statement. Would you?
And yet, this powerful God has chosen to reach the world with His love and power through YOU. Think about the grandeur of that statement for a while. Jesus didn’t just say that you are the light. He didn’t say that you are the light for your world. He didn’t say you are a light among many. He said, ‘You are the light of the world.’
God has chosen you, the believer, to take His message of love and salvation to the entire world. He wants to reach the world through you. Jesus echoed this in His great commission. When the risen Jesus met the disciples he sent them out into the world (see Matthew 28:18-20) to make disciples for Jesus and to teach them all that he had taught.
God has chosen his children to take the message of love and salvation into the world. But think about it. Our powerful God could simply appear in the sky or he could send great/terrifying signs and wonders to compel people to believe. He could snap His fingers and make everyone believe. But he doesn’t! He chooses to send you and I into the world as lights for Jesus to show the world the power of God. God has given you and I an immense job of immense proportions. He has chosen to use us mere mortals for a God-sized job.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for the Committee of Management in your church. Pray that God would grant these men and women great wisdom and insight as they care for the financial areas of the church. Pray that God would also grow the giving in the church so that the Committee would be able to seek to support and care for the poor and needy.
¥ Pray too for the Session of your church. Pray that these men would be godly men who love the Lord with their heart and soul and mind and strength. Pray that they would apply the Word to themselves first and then to others under their care. Pray that the love of Christ would emanate from them.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Why should Christians have a world wide focus?
2. How can you be growing in your world wide focus?
3. Is there a particular country or people group that you are passionate about?
God created the entire universe by His powerful word. He keeps the world running by his sovereign power. He is ever present throughout the entire world. Without ay doubt, God is powerful. I can’t think of any believer who would disagree with that statement. Would you?
And yet, this powerful God has chosen to reach the world with His love and power through YOU. Think about the grandeur of that statement for a while. Jesus didn’t just say that you are the light. He didn’t say that you are the light for your world. He didn’t say you are a light among many. He said, ‘You are the light of the world.’
God has chosen you, the believer, to take His message of love and salvation to the entire world. He wants to reach the world through you. Jesus echoed this in His great commission. When the risen Jesus met the disciples he sent them out into the world (see Matthew 28:18-20) to make disciples for Jesus and to teach them all that he had taught.
God has chosen his children to take the message of love and salvation into the world. But think about it. Our powerful God could simply appear in the sky or he could send great/terrifying signs and wonders to compel people to believe. He could snap His fingers and make everyone believe. But he doesn’t! He chooses to send you and I into the world as lights for Jesus to show the world the power of God. God has given you and I an immense job of immense proportions. He has chosen to use us mere mortals for a God-sized job.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for the Committee of Management in your church. Pray that God would grant these men and women great wisdom and insight as they care for the financial areas of the church. Pray that God would also grow the giving in the church so that the Committee would be able to seek to support and care for the poor and needy.
¥ Pray too for the Session of your church. Pray that these men would be godly men who love the Lord with their heart and soul and mind and strength. Pray that they would apply the Word to themselves first and then to others under their care. Pray that the love of Christ would emanate from them.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Why should Christians have a world wide focus?
2. How can you be growing in your world wide focus?
3. Is there a particular country or people group that you are passionate about?
Thursday 7 February 2013
Thursday February 7, 2013
Read Matthew 5:14-15. 2 Corinthians 4:6-7.
Having talked about salt, Jesus changes metaphor and talks about being the light. But it’s not like a light that can be turned off and on at will. Jesus is talking about the light shining from a light source that simply cannot be turned off and on. While the light is on, the light will be shining.
Notice Jesus doesn’t say that you could be or that one day you might be the light of the world. He says, ‘You are the light of the world.’ It’s a part of your inherent being since you came to Christ by repentance and faith. At that point, God made the light of the knowledge of Christ shine in your heart and it’s that light that God wants to shine outwards. It’s that light of Jesus that God wants to radiate outwards.
You are a vessel of clay and have a powerful light within that nothing can extinguish. That light shines outwards through the toughest of situations and causes all in your world to see the light. As Jesus said, ‘Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.’ When Christ came into your life, the light was lit. God wants you to shine brightly for Him. He wants you to radiate Christ so that all see Jesus in you.
And here’s the wonderful thing. God wants YOU to shine as YOU. He doesn’t want you to imitate another Christian and he doesn’t want you to model your life on someone else. God created you uniquely as you and wants you to shine for Jesus. You alone are the only one who can shine as you. People in your world (your work, your school, your family and friends) need to see you shining for Jesus. There is no better advertisement for Christ than you shining for Jesus.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that the Lord would bring/provide all the needs of the Reformed Bible College in Myanmar. Pray that God would be the God of their provision whether through supporters in Australia or through other means.
¥ Pray for the pastors in Myanmar as they serve and minister in adverse conditions. Many have to work as well as pastor the church to earn enough income to feed family and to pay bills. Pray that God would provide for them, especially with clement weather for crops etc as many are farmers.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. How would it have been different if Jesus said, ‘You are to be the light’ instead of ‘You are the light’?
2. What does it mean to be the light of the world?
3. What things stop you from shining the light of Jesus?
Having talked about salt, Jesus changes metaphor and talks about being the light. But it’s not like a light that can be turned off and on at will. Jesus is talking about the light shining from a light source that simply cannot be turned off and on. While the light is on, the light will be shining.
Notice Jesus doesn’t say that you could be or that one day you might be the light of the world. He says, ‘You are the light of the world.’ It’s a part of your inherent being since you came to Christ by repentance and faith. At that point, God made the light of the knowledge of Christ shine in your heart and it’s that light that God wants to shine outwards. It’s that light of Jesus that God wants to radiate outwards.
You are a vessel of clay and have a powerful light within that nothing can extinguish. That light shines outwards through the toughest of situations and causes all in your world to see the light. As Jesus said, ‘Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.’ When Christ came into your life, the light was lit. God wants you to shine brightly for Him. He wants you to radiate Christ so that all see Jesus in you.
And here’s the wonderful thing. God wants YOU to shine as YOU. He doesn’t want you to imitate another Christian and he doesn’t want you to model your life on someone else. God created you uniquely as you and wants you to shine for Jesus. You alone are the only one who can shine as you. People in your world (your work, your school, your family and friends) need to see you shining for Jesus. There is no better advertisement for Christ than you shining for Jesus.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that the Lord would bring/provide all the needs of the Reformed Bible College in Myanmar. Pray that God would be the God of their provision whether through supporters in Australia or through other means.
¥ Pray for the pastors in Myanmar as they serve and minister in adverse conditions. Many have to work as well as pastor the church to earn enough income to feed family and to pay bills. Pray that God would provide for them, especially with clement weather for crops etc as many are farmers.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. How would it have been different if Jesus said, ‘You are to be the light’ instead of ‘You are the light’?
2. What does it mean to be the light of the world?
3. What things stop you from shining the light of Jesus?
Wednesday 6 February 2013
Wednesday February 6, 2013
Read Matthew 5:13.
Salt less salt. Flavourless salt! It stinks of an incredible contradiction. Salt is meant to be salty. Salt is meant to add flavour. Jesus makes the only pronouncement possible. If salt loses its flavour then it is good for nothing but to be thrown out and being trampled on.
So, how can a Christian lose his salt? Think about the typical week for Mr T.P Cal Christian. He goes church on Sonday and sits through the service somewhat uncomfortably and endures the singing, the praise and the service that stretches, again, for more than the allotted one hour. He takes nothing with him as he leaves and is quite angered by the incessant talk of sin and repentance during the sermon.
Throughout the week Mr T.W.C works hard and pours much energy and effort into his work. He makes lots of money and provides well for his family. But Christ is not with him at work. He likes to keep work at work and church at church. Everything in its proper place has always been his motto. He likes to go for a few drinks with the guys on Friday after work and often stays too long and has a few too many drinks. Usually it ends in an argument with his wife.
Mr T.P Cal doesn’t see any need to teach the kids about Christ. He feels the church is doing enough and a pretty good job at teaching them morals and values. He sees no point in teaching them the Scriptures nor in praying with them and moving them in a mission-hearted direction.
Mr T.W.C’s life is about work, money and keeping the family going. Christ has not been invited into all of his life. Throughout the week, he has lost his salt. He has no impact on the people around him, not even his family.
While this story is obviously exaggerated for effect, it’s not too far removed from reality for many believers. As the church building shrinks in the rear view mirror as they drive home, Christ also shrinks and slowly disappears until the car is headed towards church the following Sonday. But it really only needs a change of focus to change this entire scenario. It only needs a living encounter with Christ regularly to change the lack of impact. It only takes a small change to turn a pointless, salt less life into a living advertisement for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Think about your own life. What small changes can you make to turn your life into a powerful witness for the Lord Jesus Christ? What small things can you be doing to bring Christ into every area of your life? What small changes can you make to help people in your life see the reality of Christ?
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Ask the Lord to be working powerfully in you and your fellow members at church to make both you and them into powerful witnesses for Christ. Pray that this witness will bring many people into the Kingdom.
¥ Pray for the work of Shiloh Church ministries. Pray that God would provide for all their needs and that the children in the three orphanages would have adequate food, clothing, school supplies and so on each and every day.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. When Jesus said we are the salt of the earth, what was he saying about us?
2. What is the difference between a salty and salt less Christian?
Salt less salt. Flavourless salt! It stinks of an incredible contradiction. Salt is meant to be salty. Salt is meant to add flavour. Jesus makes the only pronouncement possible. If salt loses its flavour then it is good for nothing but to be thrown out and being trampled on.
So, how can a Christian lose his salt? Think about the typical week for Mr T.P Cal Christian. He goes church on Sonday and sits through the service somewhat uncomfortably and endures the singing, the praise and the service that stretches, again, for more than the allotted one hour. He takes nothing with him as he leaves and is quite angered by the incessant talk of sin and repentance during the sermon.
Throughout the week Mr T.W.C works hard and pours much energy and effort into his work. He makes lots of money and provides well for his family. But Christ is not with him at work. He likes to keep work at work and church at church. Everything in its proper place has always been his motto. He likes to go for a few drinks with the guys on Friday after work and often stays too long and has a few too many drinks. Usually it ends in an argument with his wife.
Mr T.P Cal doesn’t see any need to teach the kids about Christ. He feels the church is doing enough and a pretty good job at teaching them morals and values. He sees no point in teaching them the Scriptures nor in praying with them and moving them in a mission-hearted direction.
Mr T.W.C’s life is about work, money and keeping the family going. Christ has not been invited into all of his life. Throughout the week, he has lost his salt. He has no impact on the people around him, not even his family.
While this story is obviously exaggerated for effect, it’s not too far removed from reality for many believers. As the church building shrinks in the rear view mirror as they drive home, Christ also shrinks and slowly disappears until the car is headed towards church the following Sonday. But it really only needs a change of focus to change this entire scenario. It only needs a living encounter with Christ regularly to change the lack of impact. It only takes a small change to turn a pointless, salt less life into a living advertisement for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Think about your own life. What small changes can you make to turn your life into a powerful witness for the Lord Jesus Christ? What small things can you be doing to bring Christ into every area of your life? What small changes can you make to help people in your life see the reality of Christ?
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Ask the Lord to be working powerfully in you and your fellow members at church to make both you and them into powerful witnesses for Christ. Pray that this witness will bring many people into the Kingdom.
¥ Pray for the work of Shiloh Church ministries. Pray that God would provide for all their needs and that the children in the three orphanages would have adequate food, clothing, school supplies and so on each and every day.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. When Jesus said we are the salt of the earth, what was he saying about us?
2. What is the difference between a salty and salt less Christian?
Tuesday 5 February 2013
Tuesday February 5, 2013
Read 2 Corinthians 2:14-16
The Romans were rather barbaric in many ways. To show their superiority and to celebrate a decisive victory in battle, the conquering general would be marched into Rome or another important city with bands/musicians, dancers, fragrance throwers and finally, the last on display, the defeated soldiers. These soldiers were lead to the stadium to do ’mock’ battle (which often told the story of that present victory) only to die in the arena. It all added to the pleasure of the crowd and to the splendour of the conquering general.
Often the arena would be a blood bath. Dead corpses don’t take long to start rotting and smelling. The aroma spreaders covered the arena and crowds with aroma and perfume to cover the smell of flesh. To some, namely the vanquished, it was the smell of death because they knew that soon they would die in the arena. To the victorious it was the smell of life because the general had conquered the enemy and gained victory.
Christ Jesus is the conquering general who has defeated death. It’s interesting that Paul puts himself as the defeated soldier who is being lead to his death in his metaphor. But the metaphor fits well because when we come to Christ we have died to self and have taken up our cross (another metaphor of death) to follow Jesus. We die when we come to Christ because he has conquered our hearts, the sin in our life and the mastery of all old habits and tendencies and desires.
Paul describes us Christians as the fragrance of Christ. To some we are the smell of death. Some people will always look at Christians and see death. They see a dead Saviour. They see a dead lifestyle where all the ‘fun’ things have to be given up for a boring lifestyle. They see a dead future.
But others, when we reveal Christ to them, see life. As the Lord opens people’s eyes they see the risen Lord Jesus Christ. They sense a fullness of life. They understand that to live you have to die to self and take up your cross to follow Jesus. To these people you are the fragrance of Christ. You are the smell of life.
Your job is not to determine what people’s reaction will be. You can’t actually determine whether you will be the fragrance of life or the stench of death. Your job is to let Christ pour out of you and to let others see, smell, taste etc etc Christ in you. How they react is out of your hands.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that the Holy Spirit would work powerfully in you and all the members in your church. Pray that all of your church would be a powerful fragrance for Christ and that many would come to Christ because of that fragrance.
¥ Pray for the students and pastors in Myanmar as they continue to serve Christ Jesus. Pray that the students would learn well, retain much information and be equipped to pastor and reach out to thousands. Pray that the pastors would persevere, endure hardship and willingly face opposition for Christ Jesus. Pray that they would bear much fruit for the kingdom.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. List 3 people you would love to have see the fragrance of life in you. Pray for them by name and ask God to open doors for you to witness to them.
The Romans were rather barbaric in many ways. To show their superiority and to celebrate a decisive victory in battle, the conquering general would be marched into Rome or another important city with bands/musicians, dancers, fragrance throwers and finally, the last on display, the defeated soldiers. These soldiers were lead to the stadium to do ’mock’ battle (which often told the story of that present victory) only to die in the arena. It all added to the pleasure of the crowd and to the splendour of the conquering general.
Often the arena would be a blood bath. Dead corpses don’t take long to start rotting and smelling. The aroma spreaders covered the arena and crowds with aroma and perfume to cover the smell of flesh. To some, namely the vanquished, it was the smell of death because they knew that soon they would die in the arena. To the victorious it was the smell of life because the general had conquered the enemy and gained victory.
Christ Jesus is the conquering general who has defeated death. It’s interesting that Paul puts himself as the defeated soldier who is being lead to his death in his metaphor. But the metaphor fits well because when we come to Christ we have died to self and have taken up our cross (another metaphor of death) to follow Jesus. We die when we come to Christ because he has conquered our hearts, the sin in our life and the mastery of all old habits and tendencies and desires.
Paul describes us Christians as the fragrance of Christ. To some we are the smell of death. Some people will always look at Christians and see death. They see a dead Saviour. They see a dead lifestyle where all the ‘fun’ things have to be given up for a boring lifestyle. They see a dead future.
But others, when we reveal Christ to them, see life. As the Lord opens people’s eyes they see the risen Lord Jesus Christ. They sense a fullness of life. They understand that to live you have to die to self and take up your cross to follow Jesus. To these people you are the fragrance of Christ. You are the smell of life.
Your job is not to determine what people’s reaction will be. You can’t actually determine whether you will be the fragrance of life or the stench of death. Your job is to let Christ pour out of you and to let others see, smell, taste etc etc Christ in you. How they react is out of your hands.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that the Holy Spirit would work powerfully in you and all the members in your church. Pray that all of your church would be a powerful fragrance for Christ and that many would come to Christ because of that fragrance.
¥ Pray for the students and pastors in Myanmar as they continue to serve Christ Jesus. Pray that the students would learn well, retain much information and be equipped to pastor and reach out to thousands. Pray that the pastors would persevere, endure hardship and willingly face opposition for Christ Jesus. Pray that they would bear much fruit for the kingdom.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. List 3 people you would love to have see the fragrance of life in you. Pray for them by name and ask God to open doors for you to witness to them.
Monday 4 February 2013
Monday Feb 4, 2013
Weekly Challenge
Keep a diary this week and jot down the times when and how you have been the salt and the light.
Read Matthew 5:13
In one sense Jesus could have picked any spice or herb. He could have said, ‘You are the rosemary of the earth’ or ‘You are the cinnamon of the earth’ or you are the red-hot chilli powder of the earth’. But he very carefully and deliberately chose salt. We have to ask “Why?”.
Salt, in the ancient world, had very definitive and particular uses. Salt was used most commonly as a flavouring agent. As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, your presence adds a Christian flavour to everything you do and to everything you are involved in. You simply cannot add salt to a soup and have it do nothing. Similarly, your presence can NOT do nothing (sorry about the double negative) because you are the salt of the earth. You bring a Christian flavour to everything. Colossians 4:4-6 tells us specifically to flavour our conversations with salt so that others might receive the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ as well. As a Christian, you will add the flavour of Christ to everything you do and are involved in.
Salt was also used as a preservative. In a similar way, you are a preservative against sin. Your presence and your voice stops people from being as sinful as they possibly could be. I recall reading the comment of a communist military officer of the 1940s and 50s. When Christianity had been virtually wiped out of the country he actually praised God in whom he didn’t believe that he could be as evil as he wanted to be without the slightest tinge of conscience. You are a preservative against evil.
Salt was also used in the bible as a sign of judgement. Deuteronomy 29:23, Judges 9:45 picture this well. As a believer you a sign to non believers that they will be judged by the holy and righteous Lord. Unfortunately, when they are convicted (See John 16:8-11) they may turn and persecute you.
Numbers 18:19 shows that salt symbolised the eternal covenant between God and man. As a believer in Jesus Christ you carry the New Covenant with you every day. Through your witness, your conduct and your words, the non believer will see that covenant and, God willing, be drawn to it.
When Jesus said, ‘You are the salt of the earth’ he wasn’t encouraging you to spice up your life. He was saying that you, the believer in Jesus Christ, have a serious role to play in communicating God’s love to the world and in drawing people to Christ for salvation.
Prayer.
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for the work of Uni Impact through the Richards as they serve in New Zealand. Pray that God would use them powerfully to communicate the gospel to many students. Ask God to bring growth through more conversions.
¥ Pray for your own church to be growing through conversions. Pray that each believer will be serious about bearing much fruit, 20, 30,60 even 100 fold.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. How can you be more salty in your daily life?
2. What attitudes make for being salty and what attitudes make for a “saltless” life?
Keep a diary this week and jot down the times when and how you have been the salt and the light.
Read Matthew 5:13
In one sense Jesus could have picked any spice or herb. He could have said, ‘You are the rosemary of the earth’ or ‘You are the cinnamon of the earth’ or you are the red-hot chilli powder of the earth’. But he very carefully and deliberately chose salt. We have to ask “Why?”.
Salt, in the ancient world, had very definitive and particular uses. Salt was used most commonly as a flavouring agent. As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, your presence adds a Christian flavour to everything you do and to everything you are involved in. You simply cannot add salt to a soup and have it do nothing. Similarly, your presence can NOT do nothing (sorry about the double negative) because you are the salt of the earth. You bring a Christian flavour to everything. Colossians 4:4-6 tells us specifically to flavour our conversations with salt so that others might receive the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ as well. As a Christian, you will add the flavour of Christ to everything you do and are involved in.
Salt was also used as a preservative. In a similar way, you are a preservative against sin. Your presence and your voice stops people from being as sinful as they possibly could be. I recall reading the comment of a communist military officer of the 1940s and 50s. When Christianity had been virtually wiped out of the country he actually praised God in whom he didn’t believe that he could be as evil as he wanted to be without the slightest tinge of conscience. You are a preservative against evil.
Salt was also used in the bible as a sign of judgement. Deuteronomy 29:23, Judges 9:45 picture this well. As a believer you a sign to non believers that they will be judged by the holy and righteous Lord. Unfortunately, when they are convicted (See John 16:8-11) they may turn and persecute you.
Numbers 18:19 shows that salt symbolised the eternal covenant between God and man. As a believer in Jesus Christ you carry the New Covenant with you every day. Through your witness, your conduct and your words, the non believer will see that covenant and, God willing, be drawn to it.
When Jesus said, ‘You are the salt of the earth’ he wasn’t encouraging you to spice up your life. He was saying that you, the believer in Jesus Christ, have a serious role to play in communicating God’s love to the world and in drawing people to Christ for salvation.
Prayer.
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for the work of Uni Impact through the Richards as they serve in New Zealand. Pray that God would use them powerfully to communicate the gospel to many students. Ask God to bring growth through more conversions.
¥ Pray for your own church to be growing through conversions. Pray that each believer will be serious about bearing much fruit, 20, 30,60 even 100 fold.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. How can you be more salty in your daily life?
2. What attitudes make for being salty and what attitudes make for a “saltless” life?
Saturday 2 February 2013
Saturday February 2, 2013
Through the stress and strain of life my thread of faith may break, the cable of God’s faithfulness no storm can ever shake.
Read Revelation 2:8-11
The Walker Art Galley in Liverpool, England, has a painting of a Roman soldier faithfully standing guard in ancient Pompeii. The painting was inspired by an archaeological discovery in Pompeii of an ashen-encased Roman soldier in full military gear. The volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 covered that city in lava, capturing the people and their culture in a moment of time. The painting Faithful unto Death is a testimony to the sentinel’s continuing vigil even as his world was being engulfed in fiery death.
The church at Smyrna - a first-century congregation that suffered persecution for Christ - was challenged to be faithful unto death. Their spiritual commitment had not gone unnoticed by the Master (v 9). And for the suffering that was to come, Jesus offered this encouragement: “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested … Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (v 10).
The Lord understands what we are going through now and what we will face in the future. Though there’s suffering in this world. He promises eternal life to His children. In His strength we can be faithful unto death (Philippians 4:12-13).
Prayer:
¥ Pray that
¥ Pray that
Read Revelation 2:8-11
The Walker Art Galley in Liverpool, England, has a painting of a Roman soldier faithfully standing guard in ancient Pompeii. The painting was inspired by an archaeological discovery in Pompeii of an ashen-encased Roman soldier in full military gear. The volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 covered that city in lava, capturing the people and their culture in a moment of time. The painting Faithful unto Death is a testimony to the sentinel’s continuing vigil even as his world was being engulfed in fiery death.
The church at Smyrna - a first-century congregation that suffered persecution for Christ - was challenged to be faithful unto death. Their spiritual commitment had not gone unnoticed by the Master (v 9). And for the suffering that was to come, Jesus offered this encouragement: “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested … Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (v 10).
The Lord understands what we are going through now and what we will face in the future. Though there’s suffering in this world. He promises eternal life to His children. In His strength we can be faithful unto death (Philippians 4:12-13).
Prayer:
¥ Pray that
¥ Pray that
Friday 1 February 2013
Friday February 1, 2013
Lord, show us humility and sensitivity to listen to advice from loved ones who know You well. Show us the right things to do in our uncertain times.
Read Ruth 3:1-11
Widows in biblical times often faced a life of poverty. That’s the situation Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi, were in after each woman lost her husband. But God had a plan to provide security for them while involving Ruth as an integral part of a much bigger plan.
Boaz, a wealthy landowner, knew of and admired Ruth (Ruth 2:5-12), but he was surprised when he awoke one night to see her lying at his feet (v 8). She asked him to “spread the corner” of his garment over her to indicate that as a close relative he was willing to be her “kinsman-redeemer” (v 9). This was more than a request for protection; she was requesting marriage. Boaz agreed to marry her (Ruth 3:11-13; 4:13).
Not exactly your typical romance tale. But Ruth’s choice to follow Naomi’s instructions (vv 3-6) set up a series of events that place her in God’s plan of redemption! From Ruth’s marriage to Boaz came a son (Obed), the eventual grandfather of King David (Ruth 4:17). Generations later, Joseph was born to the family and became the “legal father” of Mary’s child (Matthew 1:16-17; Luke 2:4-5) - our Kinsman-Redeemer, Jesus.
Ruth trusted God and followed Naomi’s instructions even though the ending was uncertain. We too can count on God to provide for us when life is unsure.
Prayer:
¥ Pray that
¥ Pray that
Read Ruth 3:1-11
Widows in biblical times often faced a life of poverty. That’s the situation Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi, were in after each woman lost her husband. But God had a plan to provide security for them while involving Ruth as an integral part of a much bigger plan.
Boaz, a wealthy landowner, knew of and admired Ruth (Ruth 2:5-12), but he was surprised when he awoke one night to see her lying at his feet (v 8). She asked him to “spread the corner” of his garment over her to indicate that as a close relative he was willing to be her “kinsman-redeemer” (v 9). This was more than a request for protection; she was requesting marriage. Boaz agreed to marry her (Ruth 3:11-13; 4:13).
Not exactly your typical romance tale. But Ruth’s choice to follow Naomi’s instructions (vv 3-6) set up a series of events that place her in God’s plan of redemption! From Ruth’s marriage to Boaz came a son (Obed), the eventual grandfather of King David (Ruth 4:17). Generations later, Joseph was born to the family and became the “legal father” of Mary’s child (Matthew 1:16-17; Luke 2:4-5) - our Kinsman-Redeemer, Jesus.
Ruth trusted God and followed Naomi’s instructions even though the ending was uncertain. We too can count on God to provide for us when life is unsure.
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