Water is for refreshment, but wine is for celebration and joy...

In Isaiah 55: 1 we are offered water, wine, and milk. "Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price."

These three drinks match our deepest needs. We all are needy and must be taken care of by a loving yet almighty God.

Water relates to our need for refreshment. When you are most thirsty and most desperate and totally dehydrated, water is what you want and nothing else.  God invites us to receive refreshment, restoration, reviving and a new beginning which he only can give.

Milk relates to our need for ongoing nourishment and growth.  When you want a little baby to grow day after day, you give it milk again and again. God is not just for thirsty emergencies, but even more for sustainable health.  He invites us not only to come alive with water, but also to be stable and strong with milk.

Wine relates to our need for excitement, joy and celebration. We want to be truly alive. Yes, we need to be strong and stable. But that is not all we need to be alive. No matter how unemotional,  laid-back and poker-faced we may look like to others, there is an excited child inside every one of us that God wants to bring to life for joy and delight:  for shouting and singing and dancing and playing and skipping and running and jumping and laughing.

When we come to God, we will find that in our relationship with him we receive more than resuscitation or even growth – we will find that a relationship with God, in Christ, brings excitement and joy!

We need the Gospel of Jesus Christ .... Part 3 The outcome of the Gospel for every believer.

The outcome of the Gospel for every believer.

Paul describes it in these words:

I proclaim the Gospel about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, ²⁶ but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith.  Rom 16: 25 – 26.

This Gospel of Jesus Christ brings about powerful transformation in the life of every believer. 

It makes us aware that, as the Gospel has now been “revealed and made known to us” through the writings by the Bible writers, as inspired by the Lord, we will have an urge, no a passion, that all people and all nations may believe and get to know Jesus Christ in order to receive the gracious personal relationship with God through Christ that the Gospel is all about.

The outcome of the Gospel is that we begin to understand that to only hear the Gospel is not the end result God has in mind, but that we “will come to obedience that comes from faith”. We need to obey the Gospel, which means to commit ourselves to him and to the spreading of the Good News meant for everyone.

What glorious Good News we did not receive to share with the world!  That the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ is sufficient to satisfy the justice of a holy and righteous God.  Nothing stands between us and living in his presence anymore. We can live and serve as he expected us to do from the beginning.  Obedience that comes from faith leads us to serve his Kingdom and sets us free to become the men and women God has created us to be.

Where you find the Gospel being faithfully preached and you find the preaching followed by God’s children, it makes a critical difference in the lives of people. 

The most exciting thing about hearing the Gospel preached,  is that we hear more about God.

We also learn to understand that salvation comes from God. He gives it, sustains it and will one day in heaven perfectly complete it.

When we come to Christ, we suddenly realise that God in his mercy shaped the circumstances of our lives to bring us to the point of faith and surrender. Our greatest surprise and our greatest joy as believers is that we find that our salvation through faith, is of the Lord. By his grace alone.

Is this not the sweetest comfort of the Gospel?  I cannot fail the salvation test, for all who believe and trust in Christ alone, see that their salvation is from the Lord who never fails us and forever remains our loving Saviour.  Till the end, and at the end.

Praise God today for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Praise Jesus that he is your salvation!

(Next Wednesday more about “the God of the Gospel”)

The strength of a waiting believer

"...Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint"  Isaiah 40: 31.

The strength of a waiting believer.

God’s promise to us is that if we wait upon the Lord, he will renew our strength. A literal translation would be that we "exchange" our strength.

As we wait upon God – in other words draw near to him with hope and in faith, trusting expectantly in him as our resource, he will impart his strength to us. We know that we often run out of strength and the promise is that God will exchange our tiredness with the strength he gives.  What an exchange it is!

There are times when the Lord calls upon us to run and then we "will run and not get tired." There are other times when we must simply march and then we "will walk and not become faint (tired)."

What a promise!

And the secret is in waiting upon the Lord.

Let’s draw near to him today!

Green Poetry 2: Prayer.

Prayer

Join me with the soil forever,

let me in Your shadow be.

And make fear and gladness –

every night -

immaterial to me.

Days pass like a thought, so quickly.

Every space belongs to You.

Every daily dream of wealth

and fame,

phony silhouettes of gloom.

I’m acquainted with the side ways –

and misplaced within the haze.

Lord, You every time found me

when I was lost:

one last time find me in this maze.

What I am, is only mercy,

all I have is just on loan,

only praying for Your waters of rest - 

lead me Lord, to their shalom.

“Gebed “ –  is an Afrikaans poem by Koos Du Plessis.

English translation:  Andries Combrink - Copy right reserved

We really need the Gospel of Jesus Christ .... Part 2

The heart of the Gospel is a relationship with God.

Paul describes it in these words:

Rom 16: 25:...to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past...  be glory forever through Jesus Christ.

The Gospel has the power to establish us, because it centres on proclaiming a Person and a relationship with him. The Gospel is not in the first place a set of rules for living or even a set of moral principles. It certainly never is just another religious system.

The Gospel introduces us to a relationship with a real Person, Jesus Christ. The Gospel is a proclamation about Jesus Christ.  He is the focus and the heart of the Gospel. 

It has often been said that "the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing."  The main thing in the Church of Christ is the Person of Jesus Christ.  We keep the main thing the main thing, in other words we keep a Biblical focus, when we focus on our relationship with Jesus.

The reason why we are so often tempted to rather focus on laws, rites and life’s principles than on a relationship with God, is because it is the easy way. It is like following a recipe or travelling according to a map. Following recipes, rules and maps may be easy, but it cannot change us.

Relationships, on the other hand, are dynamic. It is alive. It is challenged by changed circumstances and asks for creative effort, commitment and sacrifice born of the love on which the relationship is founded.

Paul calls the Gospel the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past.  The Gospel is a mystery that was revealed to us.  Before Jesus revealed that God’s Good News to us is our renewed relationship with him, personally, people always tried to appease God by rites, rituals and rules.   

Yet, in the Gospel preached by the Apostles – and here referred to as the Gospel Paul preached in particular, God chose to deal with a disobedient and impure humanity in a way that nobody considered possible before. God sent his Son to die in our place and carry our punishment and overcome our enemy: our evil human weaknesses. Jesus Christ came to live in every person who receives him and puts their faith in him. God has opened the way for all people to receive his forgiveness and restore their relationship with him. 

Paul calls it a mystery. How it works we don’t know, but that it works is beyond doubt.

As Christ takes control of our lives, he shares with us the power of his life.  The power of Christian living and the mystery of the Gospel is that we live by the power of Jesus Christ living in us. This is an exciting mystery and it is the heart of the Gospel and of Christian life. 

Sermon outline on Isaiah 40: 1-11. "Comfort, comfort my people, says your God"

Sermon outline on Isaiah 40: 1-11

God’s people need comfort, today!

"Comfort, comfort my people, says your God" (Is 40:1).


published on our congregation's website at
www.centurionwest.co.za  and then go to resources, and then to "Sermon Outlines" on the menu.

or click here:
http://www.centurionwest.co.za/sermons.htm

Song: Lyrics based on Psalm 122.

Song based on Psalm 122.

(Music: - Be still, for the presence of the Lord)

I’m glad that the people of the Lord, God’s people said to me:

Let’s go to the House of the Lord, let’s stay God’s might to see.

Your House is strong, o God, we give you thanks, our Lord!

I’m glad that the people of the Lord invited even me!

Give thanks to the awesome Name of God, his throne will ever reign:

the throne of the glorious Son of God, who rules for peace to gain.

They prosper Lord, our God, who love your House, my Lord!

And now may the peace of God our Lord, with all of us remain.

Because of the House of God our Lord, I’ll do what’s best for you!

The peace found within its walls, I pray will bless you too.

Your peace, o Church of God, will prosper all who come!

I’m glad that the people of the Lord invited me, and you!

Lyrics by Andries Combrink. (Copy right reserved)

You are welcome to use this in worship, but not for financial gain!

We really need the Gospel of Jesus Christ .... Part 1

What does it mean to be established?

Lets hear what the apostle Paul says about this.   Romans 16: 25/26.   Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past.

What does it mean to be established? As parents, we all want our children to become established.  This generally means that we want them to one day be strong and enabled adults, well educated, respected, honoured and recognised and productive members of society, with a good job, success, financial independence and stability.  These are some of the things we think about when we say we want our children – and ourselves – to be established.   

Established is the opposite of being stuck. It does not mean that progress has ceased. But it does mean that you have been founded on solid ground from where you are safely propelled to success. It means that you are enabled to wisely do the right things. It does mean that stability comes from wise choices and the ability to stand firm on those choices.

In a world as shaky and unpredictable as ours, where society sometimes change critical values with the fashion of the day and where economic down turns impact on billions of people and where wobbly morals kill just as many, we and our children need a word of wisdom, need a message, a gifting and an ability that will bring us stability and give us a solid foundation for life’s challenges.

In a world full of bad news, because of shaky fashions, wobbly morals, deceitful economics and shady politics, there is certainly a need for good news. And in a world where people are searching for purpose, meaning and a firm base for life, there is a need for the good news that will establish us on a solid foundation.

And this is what God does through teaching the Gospel through his Church. Paul says, “to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel” - our need is to be established and this is exactly what God does through the Gospel. God establishes us and our children and grand children on a solid foundation, in accordance with his Gospel.

And Paul calls it “my gospel”.  The gospel preached and taught by him.  God used his servant to establish people through Paul’s ministry.

Even today our Lord works through people – through Sunday School teachers, Youth Workers, elders and preachers.  They personally are not really that important – but what is important is that God chooses to work through them to bring stability and strength to our lives and for our children!

Who shuns the true teaching and preaching of God’s Gospel, rejects God’s very own choice of interventions to keep us, and our kids, safe and stable, in him.

Let’s be faithful, and by being faithful be safe and become established!

"Comfort, comfort my people, says your God " (Is 40:1).

"Comfort, comfort my people, says your God  " (Is 40:1).

"Comfort, comfort my people, says your God" (Is 40:1). These words need to be heard by all those who come face-to-face with death, their own death and the death of a loved one.

"Comfort, comfort my people, says your God" (Is 40:1). These words must be heard today by the many across our country who suffer because of their broken marriage relationships. Young men and women who get married with so many dreams and excitement and so much joy and then have to leave with pain, anger and disappointment. And it needs to be heard by the children from these broken marriages. The men, women, and children from broken marriages need to hear God’s word of comfort.

"Comfort, comfort my people, says your God" (Is 40:1). Those who suffer as a result of life threatening decease - HIV and Aids, cancer, heart-attacks, strokes, TB and many more -  they have to hear these words.

"Comfort, comfort my people, says your God" (Is 40:1). These words must be heard by those who live with unemployment, poverty, homelessness, and those who experience financial loss and bankrupted businesses. Those who lost everything as a result of dictatorship, and the greed of politicians and officials, of failed government and a failed state. It needs to be heard by those who are persecuted and bullied and robbed and financially abused.

"Comfort, comfort my people, says your God" (Is 40:1). Teenagers who are intimidated, rejected by their peers, who have no friends, who feel abandoned by family and unaccepted by their fellow learners and educators, need to hear these words. All youngsters who are bullied, simply must hear these words.

"Comfort, comfort my people, says your God" (Is 40:1). The victims of abuse badly need to hear these words. Women and children who suffer behind closed doors, because of physical, sexual and emotional abuse! Orphans and widows, and child headed families, aunts and grannies looking after too many orphaned children and are crying for help and support, who are robbed and used by the establishment – need God’s comfort.

"Comfort, comfort my people, says your God" (Is 40:1). You need to hear these words from the Bible if you carry the heavy burden of self-blame, guilt, the shame of sin and the burden of evil. If you are pressed down by stress, hopelessness, sadness, loneliness and heartache and if you feel it is all your fault!

God is coming to you

and his coming means that he will grant you comfort.

You are not alone, anymore....

Because God is coming.

Green Poetry - Fable for a metro child...

Fable for a metro child

When the dust and soot already left us,

the smog has stopped to flow,

we will find a starless open heaven

with a neon-bow.

And should you see it, although it’s mild,

I’ll surely tell you, a fable my child,

of treasures bound with chains all spent,

at the neon-bow's far end.

Follow the soft light through grimy waters,

climb the concrete cliffs -

if you wander on ten thousand hours

find it in the glyphs.

Do not stay, till no time to spend,

the fable says: go on my friend!

In that place is gladness for rent,

at the neon -bow's far end.

Follow the soft light through grimy waters -

you never will be done,

till you find the bright blue chest with treasures -

and maybe beams  - of sun.

A Koos Du Plessis Afrikaans poem –

"Sprokie vir ’n Stadskind", 
Translation by Andries Combrink.

Copy Right reserved!

Are you a new Christian?

Accepting Jesus as the Leader of your life is the most important and powerful decision you have ever made! You accepted Jesus as the one who sets you right with God and as the Saviour you want to live for with passion and with a grateful heart. You now are a child of God – because of what Jesus has done for you personally.

Now, it is also important to share your decision with others, including your peers, who follow Jesus.

You may not know someone because you never had a Christian friend before – then you are welcome to call a church that makes everyone feels at home – and invites the community to Church, close to where you live.  You may call us if it is convenient for you to contact someone in the Pretoria area, at (012) 656 7750 or simply leave a comment, with your email address, on this page. We are looking forward to hear about your experience and can advise you on a good church in your neighbourhood.

It is important that you take the next step as soon as possible. Your friends you had till now may not be supportive of your decision to follow Jesus and may even mock you for it.  You now need a supportive “family” that is excited about your decision to be a Christian – and can help you to “take the next step” - to serve God under all circumstances.  

Find a church where the Bible is respected as God’s Word and where God, the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is served and loved. Or join a Bible Study or small group where you can share your excitement about Jesus and about serving God!

And start reading the Bible in a good and easy to understand English version such as the “New International Version”.   We suggest that you start by reading the Gospel according to John, the 4^th book in the New Testament. 

  You can read it online here.

Check out the “Favourite Links” on this blog too.