The beginning of knowledge, wisdom and foolishness

As we as Christians pursue growth in knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, it should also mean a growth in wisdom, where wisdom means the ability to apply our knowledge in order to accomplish our God-given purposes and callings. We hope it is the case, but we find that knowledge and wisdom often do not live together in the same person.

In Proverbs 1: 7 we read:  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

What is the fear of the LORD?

The LORD is the God about whom Isaiah said:

(Is 40:14 and18) Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding?  To whom, then, will you compare God? What image will you compare him to?

Our God is awesome, almighty, holy, glorious, infinite, invisible, and completely wise.

What does it mean to "fear" this LORD? This fear means having a right relationship, based on respect, a worshipping attitude of praise and thanksgiving and the acknowledgement that he alone has all authority in our lives.  Fear of the Lord means to serve with discipline – to obediently and faithfully walk in God's ways, because you have some understanding of who God revealed that he is.

What is the beginning of knowledge?

It means taking what the Bible says and apply it in my relationship with the LORD, because I can know all about the LORD without knowing the LORD himself. I can memorize the whole Bible, know a lot of church tradition and even some theology, and still not know the LORD personally.  Without the fear of the LORD,  all that you will have is facts, but no knowledge, figures but no wisdom, details but no understanding, rules and laws but no morality.

We need to spend enough time with the Bible. We need to be fed spiritually. We need family and personal devotions and we need faithful attendance of worship services until we own the knowledge that will make us wise, because we fear the awesome LORD that we love!

Humans look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.

1 Samuel 16:7:  The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

The central Bible truth from this verse is

that we humans look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.

a) On one level, there is a theological lesson: God loves you for your whole being and not as you outwardly appear.  Humans judge others on what is visible and sometimes imagined characteristics based on your status, wealth, class, race, gender, culture, education and many others things.  But when our hearts are right with God we have a relationship with him and all these worldly tags and stereotypes make no difference to the Lord and his love for us.  God looks on the heart.

b)  On a second level, it has an ethical lesson: We ought to view other people as God views them. We should honour them for what they, by the grace of God, became through their relationship with Christ

or for what they became in turning away from God.

People are either our brothers and sisters in the Lord, or

people in need of Christ and his redemption and we should reach out to them with the gospel.

Liturgical Prayers for Sunday 20 October 2013

Greeting.

Good morning.

Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father, and Jesus Christ, our Lord, through the gracious work of the Holy Spirit.

The Call to Worship comes from Psalms 96: 7 – 10

Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.  Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts. Worship the Lord in the splendour of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth. Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!”

Glory to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.

Prayer of Praise .

Holy God, worshiped by all the company in heaven and by all the believers on earth through all ages, and also today across the globe: we worship you as our almighty, our omnipotent God, Saviour and Redeemer! Father, grant us a sense of your majesty and your grace, of your holiness and your mercy!  Fuel the flame of our adoration by the work of the Holy Spirit.

Help us to glorify your Name and reveal to us the power of the resurrected Christ and make us victorious through him.

In Jesus Name, Amen.

Prayer for the forgiveness of sins.

Heavenly Father, protect us against the snares of temptation and evil thoughts, desires, words and deeds.

Grant us through the work of your Spirit holy love for you our Lord, to love you with all our heart, all our soul and all our strength and all our mind and help us to love our neighbour as ourselves.

Assure us once more of your grace and forgiveness, your cleansing, on the grounds of the sacrifice our Saviour Jesus made once and for all for all our sins on the cross. And give us victory though his resurrection power.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Intercession

Gracious heavenly Father, our Lord and our salvation.

Great is the majesty of your name, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, ever-living and ever-merciful God.

As we meet together as your Body, as the community of believers called by your Name, grant to us that we may hear what you say to us, that we will not live according to the foolishness of the world, but according to your holy will and divine wisdom.

Open our eyes Lord, we want to see Jesus.  Open our ears Lord, and help us to listen to you.

Almighty God, for the unity of the Church of Christ, the salvation of all people and the peace of the whole world, we pray.

We beg for peace in the Middle-East, and your gracious mercy for all who reside in this troubled part of the world!

Lord, look upon us and this church with compassion. Show us your love in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

For our city, and for the faithful who live here and strive to serve you with reverence and humility, we pray.

For the beloved country and all who here proclaim the good news in Christ Jesus and who set the captives free through your Word, we pray.

For those in authority and for those who have power to influence our society, and as such impact on your church, we humbly pray that you will grant them good health, wisdom and a clear understanding of what is right and what is good.

Help us now to commit ourselves, our brothers and sisters in Christ and all our sorrows, heartaches and challenges as well as our calling and opportunities, to your care, o Lord, whose power is beyond compare and whose divine mercy and love are never-ending.

We pray for the sick, for your healing touch and comfort,

for the suffering, for your strength and help,

for those in prison, and for their salvation,

for travelling mercies for all who travel to work every day, and for those who travel long distances this week.

For good weather and enough rain and for all the farmers who provide food security in our country, our continent and the world, that you bless their labour and in your mercy grant them good harvests. Heal our economy and deliver as from wastefulness and teach us the simple life of the followers of Jesus.

Hear, Father God, our prayers today for..... (specific people in the congregation)

Almighty God, remember us and listen to our prayers.

Father, have mercy on us!

Christ, have mercy on us!

Lord, have mercy on us!

Through Jesus Christ, our Lord!

Amen.

Why not invite a tax collector to Church this week?

Out of all the people Jesus could have chosen to call to be part of his faith community, he chose Levi, also known as Matthew, a tax collector. They were the most hated men in all Israel. They were men who had a license to steal from their own people, because they could keep any money that was raised over the amount the Roman government required as taxes.

Mark 2: 14 – 17 “As Jesus walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Here was a man who was hurting inside, who knew loneliness and who needed Jesus. And Jesus called him to follow him. He chose him to be his disciple.

Then Jesus went home with him to a supper where many of Levi’s tax-collector friends had been invited, and ate with them. Jesus was meeting a real human need the only way it could be met. He was the Doctor of sinners and they needed him because they were lost.

The Pharisees who thought they needed no physician did not follow Jesus. They did not consider themselves sick and in need of the Healer of People, Jesus, the Great Physician.

It is true that we are called to be separated from the ways of the sin-sick world, in order to offer an alternative – a life for Jesus.

Christians cannot look away when they know someone who needs salvation.

Jesus saves everyone who calls on his name because they know they are soul-sick, lost and separated from God!

When last did you invite a “tax collector” to come to Church with you, or enjoy a ladies or men’s get-together, or share a Pamoja social?

Christ’s mission has a Church to be his voice. A voice that says to “tax-collectors”, “follow me” (Jesus) and a voice that calls them to share a meal with our Saviour, and be healed.

Are you willing to be the voice of Christ that thirsty sinners can be saved?

Is despondency a sin?

Psalm 73: 26: “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

“My flesh and my heart may fail" defines despondency, meaning unhappiness, sadness, hopelessness and misery. There are three parts to this little phrase.

"My flesh" – there is a physical component to despondency. The body weakens, there are aches, pains, fatigue and eventually the risk of serious illness as a result of constant misery – ulcers, strokes, heart decease – and there always is exhaustion.

Secondly, "and my heart" - there is an emotional-spiritual dimension to despondency. We feel discouraged, depressed, gloomy and burned out.

Thirdly, there is this word, "fail."  It means to come to your wits end and be depleted of resources.

Is it a sin to experience despondency?

Under sad and hopeless circumstances it is no sin to feel despondent.  Many of the exemplary believers in the Scriptures experienced deep and dark sadness and even hopelessness. Jesus was overwhelmed with sorrow in Gethsemane.

But, what is a sin is to yield to despondency. To make it your partner for life, to refuse to fight it and to think that God cannot reach you in that dark space – or that God cannot change your broken heart into a source of gladness and joy! 

The most important 2 words in this verse are:  "But God..."

Psalm 73:26 contains this truth:  "My flesh and my heart may fail":

And then comes the spiritual counter attack: “but God.”

So here we are. Often feeling that the plug is pulled out at the bottom of our lives and we are left empty and without plan or joy.

“But God”. God is the strength of my life.

And God is my portion forever!

Despondency comes from many places. 

Faith comes from one place only.  It comes from the willingness to say:  “but God.” But God can fill me with gladness again.

In Gethsemane Jesus was overwhelmed with sorrow.

But he found peace in the wisdom of God’s sovereign will.

He was content to surrender to God:  “Father, your will be done” he prayed.

Thus our Saviour found peace – inner tranquility, because he yielded to his Father’s will and purpose for his life! 

He still went to the cross - and there he committed his spirit into his Father’s hands, fulfilled his purpose and went to Paradise. 

God’s plan for me is that he will always be first in my life. (6)

God’s plan is that he will be first in my life.

The results of living a self-seeking life are before us all the time: unbearable stress about our jobs, neglected marriages and families, few if any real friendships, and the nagging sense that none of what we do is really making a difference. There are times when we sense it, but for the most part we live life virtually oblivious to the fruitlessness of a life where we, and not Christ, are in the centre of our concerns.

What is keeping us from being able to put God's priorities first today? Jesus also encountered people who had the "I'll get around to God’s stuff when I have the time" attitude.

Jesus teaches us in Matthew 6:25, 27 and 33:

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ... Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Jesus is telling us that when self-seeking concerns take precedence over following him and doing his work, we need to re-evaluate. We should not let our worries about material security be the reason for saying "I'll get around to God’s stuff when I have the time”.

The amazing thing is that God is not asking us to do anything that he himself did not do first. In Jesus Christ, before we ever thought of doing anything for God, he gave up everything for us. He gave us his best. He gave us his only Son.

When I do my best for God, then he promises to do his best, for me too!

May you be blessed when you put God’s priorities for your life first – and he adds everything you need unto you.

Spiritual pride comes to a fall!

Let’s not put our trust on anything else, but on God. Let’s never think that we are exempt from falling. Let’s rather cultivate God-confidence.

No circumstance or test or temptation that comes your way is harder than what others have to face sometimes in their lives. What we need to remember is that God will never let us down. He will never allow us to be pushed beyond our limits and will always be there to help us when we are at risk to fall.

Paul says (1 Cor 10:12) "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!"

Paul is not thinking of a man falling on a slippery surface. Paul is thinking of a man slipping and falling on temptation. He thinks of a Christian who is spiritually over-confident and self-assured. He is thinking of a Christian who believes he or she is so strong in the faith in Christ that temptation can come knocking, but the door will not be opened.

The church in Corinth struggled with spiritual pride. They boasted about all the gifts of the Spirit in their church. They were proud of all the prophecy, speaking in tongues and miraculous healings that took place amongst them. They were sure that they would not fall. They believed that “spiritual people” cannot fall. Yet they did fall into sin. Some of them committed the most terrible immoralities and abominations. And most of them fell for the temptation to become spiritually boastful and proud!

Let’s remember what God does not promise to do. God does not promise to remove temptation. That's simply not the way things are. God's desire for us is that we should be able to endure, to bear, to say no to temptation.

God's desire is that we remain standing in spite of temptation. And that we can remain standing, because ( 1Cor 10: 13) “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

The Lord’s plan is to save us. (5)

I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. (5)

The Lord’s plan is to save us.  We are saved from the perils that are the results of our sin, imperfection and disobedience and of the values of the society in which we live. 

"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners."  This statement from 1 Tim 1:15 sums up the entire ministry and life of Jesus: to save sinners. Paul’s statement lies at the heart of the gospel.  It is the most glorious proof of God's love for us. It is the foundation of the Church's message and the key to understanding everything written in the Bible.

It also is a key truth in understanding and believing that God has a plan for our lives and that his plan is that we will prosper and not be harmed, because Christ Jesus came to the world to save sinners.

Whenever we find our faith wavering, our hope growing dim and our concerns about all facets of life we have to deal with discouraging, we should spend some time reflecting on the truth that Christ came to save sinners. Our failure to love, to believe or to hope and our inability to live for God show that we are sinners. We know that all of us need saving and that none of us can save ourselves.

But what does it mean to be saved?

It means forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, being granted the righteousness of Christ and redemption, in other words, to be bought by the sacrifice of Jesus to belong to God. It means acceptance by God for the sake of Christ Jesus and that the darkness of evil is replaced by the light of Christ's presence in our lives.

To be saved also means to receive everlasting life.

And because we are saved by grace, we live through faith and in hope.

We are not alone. We are saved from the perils that are the result of our sin, imperfection and disobedience and of the values of the society in which we live. Therefore our faith gives us the courage to look forward to being victorious followers of Jesus, in spite of our uncertainties and our concerns!

Take heart – Christ Jesus became one of us to save us from our sins and from the consequences of our foolishness and from the lack of good sense in the world. Be courageous and live with peace in your heart!

Because we have been saved from ourselves.

Jesus gives us life and heaven

Christ brought the light of heaven,

to guide us on our way.

For love of lowly sinners,

He came to serve, to pay.

God so much loved the world, that

He gave his only Son -

our Lord, our hope, Redeemer:

Eternal life was won!

Our living hope and salvation,

is Jesus Christ our Lord.

He gives us life and heaven

and shields us through his Word.

As we are waiting faithful

for God’s new glorious reign,

may we be found elated,

when Jesus comes again!!  

I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. (4)

The Lord’s plan is to lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

Psalms 61: 1 – 3    Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.  From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint;  lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.

We know the Lord’s plans for us are to prosper and that no harm will overcome us.  What we do not know, is what the journey to victory entails.

Psalm 61 encourages prayer as a source of help, of strength and of winning the battles on the way.  Although we in faith mostly know that we will win the “war” - we often are concerned about the battles.

Even as our hearts grow faint, we will call, we will cry and beg our God to listen to our plea and provide for us in the battle of every day. Notice the need for a place to hide under some circumstances: a strong tower for defense and a tent for resting and refuge.  God is our tower of refuge and strength.

But more importantly, we need a high rock, a firm place, from where we will launch our attack and secure victory!   Fighting with sword and shield requires a high place, a steadfast rock and the advantage of height and a good view of the enemy. We need a place to dig in, to recover, turn the fight around and catch up even while it feels as if we are losing.  

God is much more than a place to hide from adversary.  He also provides the higher rock from where we will launch the victory.  Jesus is our Rock! In Christ only do we make our stand!

Our experience shows that although we know the Lord Jesus to be our sure salvation in all our needs, we often struggle to come to him, as a result of our many doubts, fears and hesitation. A Saviour would have been of no use to us if the Holy Spirit had not gently led us to him, and enabled us to rest on him. We often feel that we not only need a rock, but a dire need to be led to him, even Jesus our Redeemer.

May our Lord today lead you to the higher Rock by his Spirit and give you the courage to win the battles, as our God, in Jesus, already won the war.

God’s grace is sufficient.

2 Corinthians 12: 7 – 10. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.  Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.   But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.    That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

The Lord told Paul that in spite of his “thorn in the flesh”, God’s grace is sufficient for him.

How did God’s grace make the difference?  How did it meet Paul’s needs?

1. Grace could meet Paul’s needs because it expresses God’s acceptance and pleasure in us.  When we receive his grace, we enjoy the status of favour and approval in God’s eyes.  Grace means that God loves us, that he is favourably inclined towards us; we have his acceptance and his promise of care.

2.  Grace could meet Paul’s need because it was available to him all the time.  When we sin or fail, or fall short, it does not put us outside of the reach of God’s grace.  Since grace is given freely to us in Jesus, it can’t be taken away because we stumbled.  When we come to God by faith, through the blood of Jesus his grace is ever ready to meet and minister to our insufficiencies.

3.  Grace could meet Paul’s need because it was the very strength of God.  So much of the power of this world is expressed in things and in ways that bring harm and destruction to ourselves, to the world we live in and to God’s work.  It happens when we take a worldly perspective about authority, spiritual power and strength, and deny God’s truth about the strength of grace and love.  God’s grace is not weakness or the tolerance of impurity.

Instead, it is the power of God to fulfil what we lack.

Being spiritually pretentious and conceited kills the working of God’s power through our attempted witness and our lives!

But to trust in God and believe in his grace, enables us to be true vessels of his love, and as such, of his power!

A new hymn: My grace is sufficient for you / My genade is vir jou genoeg!

A new hymn:   My grace is sufficient for you!

Lyrics in English and in Afrikaans.

2 Corinthians 12: 9 & 10:   “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.   That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

“My genade is vir jou genoeg. My krag kom juis tot volle werking wanneer jy swak is.” Daarom sal ek baie liewer oor my swakhede roem, sodat die krag van Christus my beskutting kan wees.       Daarom is ek bly oor swakhede, beledigings, ontberings, vervolging en moeilikhede ter wille van Christus, want as ek swak is, is ek sterk.

Music:  ST PETER – Alexander Reinagle 1830,

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds- SOF 194 

Sufficient is your grace, my Lord,

you help your timid child,

and make me strong although I’m weak:

God’s might with love conferred.

Today your grace, almighty God,

shall grant me strength and power,

I will with joy your love proclaim,

although acutely flawed.

My Father, listen to my plea -

a thorn torments my flesh –

to see that my Redeemer lives,

Christ’s power rests on me.

By grace God called me to belong

to Jesus, Saviour, Lord!

For when I’m weak, through faith I know,

in Christ, my King, I’m strong!

Copy right reserved

Afrikaanse lirieke: Musiek van Liedboek 440.

My genade is vir jou genoeg!

Oor God’s genade sal ek roem,

dit is genoeg vir my!

Al is ek swak, God maak my sterk,

Hom sal ek HERE noem.

Vandag sal u genade Heer,

my krag en toevlug wees.

Met blydskap sal ek nou bely:

U help my elke keer.

My Vader luister as ek vra –

met doring in my vlees –

wys my dat my Verlosser leef,

en dat sy krag my dra.

Wil uit genade in my werk,

maak my ’n Koningskind.

Al is ek swak, ek weet, ek glo,

in Christus is ek sterk!

Kopié reg voorbehou

I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. (3)

The Lord will shepherd me because his plans for me are to be safe and to prosper.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;
For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Psalm 23 always has been a comfort in the face of uncertainty, fear and danger.  In times when we experience neediness, we certainly want to hear the Word of God saying:  “I shall not want”, meaning, I will not lack what I must have to survive - even to prosper. In looking for an understanding of his plans for me and when his plans are still unclear, the Lord will lead me on his path until I find rest in his green pasture!

Our survival in this challenging time depends on our faith that God is our shepherd, our keeper, our guide, our defender, our strength and our provider.   In his presence my soul, meaning the control centre of my mind, my will, my desires, my emotions and my faith, will be replenished through the peace I find in trusting our Lord’s plan for me.

The Lord refills my cup by leading me on his righteous path.  For the sake of his glory he brings us from the back roads of our foolishness and redirects us to follow the high ways of his wisdom.  Then only can peace and can rest be found – as we journey towards his gracious purpose for us, instead of seeking self-destruction through foolish choices, bitterness and doubt.

On the Lord’s path I will not fear, even when evil impacts on my life’s journey.  The presence of the Lord is like eating from a rich buffet where he prepared a banquet of love, peace, security, contentment and rest for me.

I will remain a faithful, enduring resident in the Lord’s house. It is my safe haven, my source of courage and of the directions of the Lord’s plans, the Lord’s journey, with me. 

Where else can I find a place to feast when I face an enemy and when I face my fears, than in the house of my God?

Seek the peace and prosperity of our country!

When God’s people were in exile, suffering under the imperialistic oppression of Babylon, false prophets told them that it will soon come to an end.  They preyed on the anger and disillusionment of the Israelites in order to become popular preachers and so they told them what they wanted to hear:  God will smite the evil Babylon soon and then everything will be fine again.

So the Lord instructed Jeremiah to write them a letter to tell them that the destruction of the evil and corrupt powers of Babylon will only take place on God’s terms and at his time.  Anger, revenge and vengeance belong to the Lord and do not bring peace of mind, joy and a future for God’s people.

What they have to do, as they live in a city alien to God, his Word and his people, is to build and construct a life for themselves and their children and grandchildren, and to pray for the prosperity of the city in which they live

We are citizens of God’s Kingdom because we seek to follow Jesus in everything we do.  All the wrongs and all the evil and all the bad governance we experience on earth can cause so much fear and anger that it robs us of the vision and passion to receive what God’s plans are for us: to prosper and not to be harmed.  (Jer29:11)

We can become so bitter that we cannot make a difference in the world anymore.

We can become so negative that our children and grandchildren may lose hope and stop expecting God’s blessings and keeping and help.

Our disillusions may bring an end to us being the salt of the earth and the light of the world

No! Let’s make a difference in the city where we live, says the Lord!

For the almighty Christ is our true King and our Leader.  He returned from the hell of Golgotha a victorious Warrior for our sake. He will, on the day of the Lord’s pleasure bring an end to all evil power and authority in this world.  That is his work to do, at his time!

What we have to do is:  (Jeremiah 29: 5 – 7):  "Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.  Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease.  Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile.

Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper."

When the country in which we live prosper, God’s children and his work will prosper too.

Seek the peace and prosperity of the land where we live.

Let’s work smarter, with clear vision, hope and courage, and pray for authorities that disappointed us, that they will become efficient and successful in their task to rule and govern for the good of all.

God is on the side of his people. And God’s purpose for us is to be well. He seeks our well being and our peace! 

Through following Jesus every day, we shall overcome bitterness and then again be able to bring God’s hope and peace where we live and work and will be able to make a difference to the future of our children.

God's promise of gracious salvation is both for me and my children!

Sometimes we call ourselves children of Abraham. Jesus was a descendant of Abraham and in Christ we too received all the grace promises God made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Galatians 3: 16 and 29

¹⁶ The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.

²⁹ If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Galatians 3 is but one passage that confirms God’s firm grace promises to be our God, our Saviour, our Protector, and our Lord. It is the promise that through the death and resurrection of Christ, we are saved and received the Holy Spirit. 

In Acts 2 it is emphasized that the promise to receive the Holy Spirit who grants us faith in Christ as Lord and Saviour is not only for a first generation of believers, but also for their children, and even for far off generations still to come: 

Acts 2: 38 and 39:   ³⁸Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

This is a precious birthright that our parents and grandparents, our church, and our Lord have entrusted to our keep. To head a Christian family is both a breathtaking privilege and an enormous responsibility to hand the gospel to the next generation.

We own this precious faith of the martyrs who during the first centuries died for the Lord and still do today. It is the faith of the fathers and mothers of the Reformation during the 16th century till now and it is the faith of our church fathers that kept it, preserved it and carried it faithfully up to our generation. 

It is, by God’s grace, our birthright and our inheritance to know that although I am a sinner in need of salvation, I am redeemed in and through Jesus, my Lord. It is the faith that says Jesus alone, by grace alone, can redeem me and help me. It is through this faith alone that I know the proper response to God's grace in Christ: to lead a life of sanctification, commitment to God and of gratefulness.

We have a duty to defend this faith, to keep this faith and to guard this faith that has been entrusted to us. We have a holy responsibility to carry the Good News far and wide and to hand it, safe and sound, to the next generation.

It is our duty, our privilege and our calling to keep the true faith for our children’s and grand children’s sake. And most importantly, for the sake of God and his Kingdom. We need to keep and nurture this faith for the sake of the true church of today and of the future and for those who will carry the light of God as the next generation of the followers of Jesus. 

May we put God first in our lives and serve our Saviour Jesus Christ with humble and devoted hearts. Let’s keep and defend our birthright with everything we do and everything we are!

I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. (2)

Take courage, God is looking for you.

Jeremiah 29: 14   I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

1.  We heard last Wednesday that God has a plan for our circumstances and our lives. We know his purpose:  “My plans are to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future”. (verse 11)

2. How will these plans start to happen? What must take place before we see the Lord’s plans for our new future begin. 

It starts with a faith that accepts God’s promise that we will be able to find him again. He will make sure of that! It starts with a firm trust that even though we experience a sense of being lost within the challenges we have and the feeling we have of being stuck at a dangerous and scary place, our Lord will make it possible for us to find him, and his purpose for us, again. (verse 14)

3. Two key words explain to us what it means to be enabled to find God again:  To be “gathered” and to be “brought back”. 

4. We will be gathered by the Lord.  It means to be brought together to form a group, a family of believers, again. To joyfully and with excitement join the followers of God, once again. To see the gradual growth, the increasing mass, of God’s children gaining the influence and power to change their world and that I may be part of it, again!

5. For this purpose we are “brought back”.  Back from the captivity of fear, of uncertainty and of being without a vision and excitement for the future. Not to be in spiritual exile anymore and to “come home” to Jesus and his other followers to find rest in him.   

6. Our Lord remains the Good Shepherd.  Even when 99 others are safely in the fold, he goes to gather and to bring back the one who is out in the cold. 

Are you the one the Lord wants to bring back in order to accomplish his plan for your life? When Jesus makes it possible for you to find him – run back to him and his church family today!

We own a powerful treasure, even though it is stored in jars of clay!

We are called to display God’s glory and show his light that shines out of darkness. (2 Cor 4: 6).  But how can we do this, how can we worship and proclaim Christ in a world that is alienated from God and his people?  Especially when we understand how weak we are in the face of life’s many challenges.

2 Corinthians 7 – 9 “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;   persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”

Paul calls us jars of clay. Weak, unpretentious and easily destroyed, jars of clay!

The apostle is thinking of our many imperfections.  He refers to our weakness and helplessness in the presence of sin and temptation. (Rom 7:15,19)

He also looks to the weakness of our appearance, that we often are not impressive, battle to proclaim the light of God boldly and struggle with our insecurities. (2 Cor 10:1 & 10)

We also are jars of clay because of the decay of our bodies, of getting older, weaker and that we are slowly wasting away. (2 Cor 4:16).

We are only jars of clay, acknowledging our weakness and insignificance!

And yet, we have a treasure, even though it is stored in jars of clay!

We have the treasure of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, the one and only and almighty Saviour of us and of the whole world.

It is this treasure, and not being weak jars of clay, that shows the all surpassing power of God in a world alienated from God and his people!  Our weakness and insignificance shows off the all surpassing power of our God in the face of the many dangers and challenges before us.

Therefore,

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed, since we show the power of God to all;

perplexed, but not in despair, since we show the power of God to all;  

persecuted, but not abandoned, since we show the power of God to all;

struck down, but not destroyed, since we show the power of God to all.

I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord.

Have courage - God has a plan for our lives!

Jeremiah 29:10-13.   This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.   Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

1. Babylon makes us think of a place without hope, a place of exile, oppression, fear, hopelessness, financial deprivation and spiritual despair. Yet the time being in this dark space comes to an end.  God’s promise is that places of exile are never a permanent place for his people and his children. (verse 10)

2.  God has a plan for our circumstances and our lives. It is not always clear and it is often a lot different from what we desire or expect.  We may not know the details of what God has in mind for us, but we know his purpose:  “My plans are to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future”. (verse 11)

3. Faith to a large extent means to trust God so much that we are willing to trade our plans for his purpose, and to trade our hopelessness for the future he has in stall for us.  (verse 11)

4. With such faith we know where to seek for the answers for our lives, where to go for divine council and who will listen to us when our many questions escape our dark and saddened hearts:  It is the Lord. We will call on the Lord! We will pray to the Lord. We will accept in faith that he listens to our prayers, that he remembers us and that his plans are the best plans for us even when we are surrounded by our dilemmas and our confusion. (verse 12)

5. We too need to listen.  We need to submit. We need to trust and we need to follow. When Jesus forgives both our foolishness and our impurity, he always continues to say:  Follow me!

We can do all of this, because we saw at the cross that the plans of the Lord are to prosper, and not harm us, and that his plans intend to give us hope and a future! (verse 13)

Over all other virtues, put on love

Paul is listing all the virtues that characterizes grateful, Christian living in Colossians 3. 

Colossians 3 : 12 - 14 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

It is important to note that we must “over all” put on love, which binds all the Christian virtues together. This is our response to being God’s chosen people, sanctified by the Lord and dearly loved by him.  For these, and all our privileges received by the grace of God, we ought to live lives filled with thankfulness. In verse 17 Paul says:  “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

We express our gratitude over all, by putting on love!

What is love?   According to 1 Cor 13, love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (Verses 4 – 7)

God is love and his relationship with us shows his daily passionate love for his chosen people, his holy and dearly loved children. We are to echo to a world that needs to put to death its selfishness, greed and anger, the love of God.  We need to put on love to become the grateful followers of our God who gave his best to us, even Jesus Christ, his Son.

When we make God known through living in daily thankfulness to the Lord for all our blessings and privileges, we will clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

We will bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances we may have against one another.

We will forgive as the Lord forgave us.

A prayer for our children and teens!

How many congregations will unite with us in a prayer for our children and teens?

O heavenly Father of us all, eternal God who made your covenant of grace with us and with our children!

We thank you for the promise in your Word that your Holy Spirit will come to fill and guide not only those who received Jesus Christ as Redeemer, but also is promised to their children and to all the generations of believers and their children still to come.

Hear our prayer, almighty God, for our children and teens.  That they will be lead, guided and taught by your Spirit who reveals to our hearts the truth, the way and the life who is Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Deliver them from temptation and all evil.

Protect them against godless peer pressure and help them to find friendship by living in your Body since they are small and young.

Teach them the dangers of abuse and addiction.

Keep them pure as they discover their sexuality and urges.

Call them to receive the treasure of your Kingdom and the gifts of your Spirit.

Show them the true excitement and adventure to live for their Lord.

Make them hungry for your Word and for the thrill of your Gospel.

Enable them to serve you even though they still are young and not experienced.

Help those children and teens who are neglected, abused or hurt in many ways and deliver them from evil adults, even some parents and teachers and youth leaders, who seek to use them and do not care for their well being!

Provide for the children who are sad, in distress, sick, undergoing treatment, are hungry, living on the streets or are prematurely given the responsibility to head a household.

Father, enable your Church to reach the children in our care with the love of the Lord.

Lord, make all Christian parents aware of their God-given responsibilities and bless them with wisdom, godly discipline, patience, love and compassion.

Jesus Christ our Redeemer, deliver our children from the urge to sin and from foolish choices, wash them in your blood of redemption and keep them pure for the day of your return!

Heavenly Father and Eternal God, bless all schools, centres for further education and training, and universities, that they may be energetic centres of upright learning, originality and creativity, and the search for knowledge and wisdom.

And give to those who teach and to those who learn to find you, our Lord and Saviour, to be the only Way, and the source of all truth and abundant life,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.