ADD - Blessed

17. Partake – The Christian Disciple is blessed!

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Paul to the church in Rome, and in Chapter 4 he talks about Abraham’s journey into faith and of his faith. Now in Romans 4v22-25, Paul writes: “This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”

Today I want to take us briefly through Romans 5vv1-11 and show that as Christian disciples, we are blessed in seven ways because of Jesus Christ and the work He did on the cross.

1. (v1). “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”,

We have peace with God. God in His great mercy, has declared peace to all those who accept salvation through Jesus' death on the Cross. 'Mercy & truth are joined, righteousness and peace have kissed each other" Psalm 85:10

2. (v2a) “through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.”

We have access to God. When Jesus died, He tore the veil (Luke 23:45) and broke down the wall (Ephesians 2:14). As Christians, we have immediate access to God, through our faith in Jesus Christ. No other religion or faith can say that!

3. (v2b). “And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.”

We have a glorious hope. Peace with God takes care of the past - He no longer holds our sins against us. Access to God takes care of the present - we can come to Him whenever we desire. A glorious hope takes care of our future - all Christians will one day share in His glory.

4. (v3-4). “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

We develop Christian character. Being justified is no escape from the sufferings and trials in this world, but for the believer, suffering and trials are for our own good (Romans 8:28). We bring them on ourselves by our own foolishness and sin. We endure for the sake of the Gospel. Suffering develops our patience and perseverance; patience and perseverance grows our character, and through character we have a glorious hope.

5. (v5-8). “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

We have God's love within us. The love of God is poured into our hearts. We experience love, peace and joy. This inner experience of this love is through the Holy Spirit who sustains us as we go through sufferings. Faith, hope and love all combine to give those who love God, the patience to endure the trials of life.

6. (v9-10). “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!”

We have salvation from future wrath. He will keep on saving us, now that we love Him. We need strength to endure suffering and persecution, remembering that he who stands firm in faith, will in the end be saved.

7. (v11). We have reconciliation with God. We have fellowship with God, because we are reconciled with Him because of Jesus’ death on the cross. God in His mercy, sent Jesus as a peacemaker, that men may return to fellowship with Him. We are to rejoice in our present enjoyment of reconciliation with God (Romans 5:1b,10), and rejoice that all this comes through Jesus, our Lord and Saviour.

The only way to be with God is through Jesus – that is the Gospel message of good news. Fellowship with God is only because of the cross of Jesus. There is no other way to having life in God but through the cross of Jesus Christ! Jesus’ death on the cross signifies that God was willing to suffer so that we may have life in him, if we choose it. That is why it is so important we believe that Jesus was both fully human and fully God! 

I could never in a million lifetimes be a Buddhist worshipping in a temple with an impassive statue of the Buddha, which is aloof from all suffering. The God we serve as Christian disciples knows suffering intimately. The cross is where God suffered and died. As Christian disciples we are blessed through the cross of Jesus Christ. Through Jesus, we have these seven blessings: peace; access; hope; transformation; indwelling love; salvation and reconciliation!

What are we to do with these blessings? We are to tell others and a good way to do that is to live a life worthy of these blessings so that people who are not Christian, can ask the reason you have such hope! If you give them no reason to ask, they probably wont! These 7 blessings show how certain salvation is in and through Jesus Christ, for those who choose it. As Christian disciples we are blessed, and we are blessed to be a blessing to others!

For more to think about, please do read for yourself Romans 6:1-14 and ask yourself the following two questions. Why not share your answers with your spouse or a close friend or two, so that you can discuss and pray over any issues together.

Q1 – What areas of my life have been transformed since I became a Christian disciple?

Q2 – What has happened in my life that will get people to ask me for the reason I have hope?

Q3 – Who can I pray for, so that opportunity will arise?

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WISE - Holiness

Holiness

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I wonder what the biggest fence, wall or barrier is that you have either seen or that you know about! Perhaps one of the biggest walls in the world is the Great Wall of China. It is seen from space and is over 4000 miles long, about 25 feet high and up to 30 feet thick! It is huge and enormous!! It was built to keep out invaders – for that is what walls and barriers do: Keep out enemies!

Holy Barrier

However big the Great Wall of China is, there is one barrier that is even bigger! I wonder if you know what it is!! The biggest barrier to exist is the one, which separates God from all His creation. This barrier is holiness, for God is a holy God. Ezekiel 1v27-28 gives us a vivid picture of the holiness of God and is seen in the fire, light, radiance, full of glory and majesty.

What is holiness?

Holiness is what separates God from all His creation. For God alone is holy and full of glory. Exodus 15v2 “Who is like you, O God, glorious in holiness!” Or Isaiah 60v25 “To whom will you liken me, or shall I be equal?” says the Holy One. Holiness is also a moral attribute of God, of purity and freedom from the stain of ALL sin. Habakkuk 1v13 “of purer eyes than to behold evil and cannot look upon sin. Holiness is still more than that! It is in fact the sum of all His attributes! God is holiness and holiness is God!

Holy People:

Perfect holiness, while to us is inconceivable, has been revealed; revealed in the sinless man, Jesus Christ. As a Christian Disciple, you also are declared holy! That is because of what Jesus did on the cross… He has broken down the barrier between God and man. And if you are a Christian Disciple, you are declared holy, and therefore you are to live a holy life worthy of Jesus Chrsit.! As a Christian Disciple, the Holy Spirit is transforming you into the very image of the holy one, Jesus Christ. As a Christian Disciple, you are no longer an enemy of God but a friend of God and belong to God! So live out your faith and live your Christian Discipleship in holiness.

Two books I can recommend on Holiness are:

The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges and A Passion for Holiness by JI Packer

Thank you

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POD - Psalm 136

Psalm 136

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¹ Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.

His love endures forever.

² Give thanks to the God of gods.

His love endures forever.

³ Give thanks to the Lord of lords:

His love endures forever.

⁴ to him who alone does great wonders,

His love endures forever.

⁵ who by his understanding made the heavens,

His love endures forever.

⁶ who spread out the earth upon the waters,

His love endures forever.

⁷ who made the great lights-

His love endures forever.

⁸ the sun to govern the day,

His love endures forever.

⁹ the moon and stars to govern the night;

His love endures forever.

¹⁰ to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt

His love endures forever.

¹¹ and brought Israel out from among them

His love endures forever.

¹² with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;

His love endures forever.

¹³ to him who divided the Red Sea asunder

His love endures forever.

¹⁴ and brought Israel through the midst of it,

His love endures forever.

¹⁵ but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;

His love endures forever.

¹⁶ to him who led his people through the desert,

His love endures forever.

¹⁷ who struck down great kings,

His love endures forever.

¹⁸ and killed mighty kings-

His love endures forever.

¹⁹ Sihon king of the Amorites

His love endures forever.

²⁰ and Og king of Bashan-

His love endures forever.

²¹ and gave their land as an inheritance,

His love endures forever.

²² an inheritance to his servant Israel;

His love endures forever.

²³ to the One who remembered us in our low estate

His love endures forever.

²⁴ and freed us from our enemies,

His love endures forever.

²⁵ and who gives food to every creature.

His love endures forever.

²⁶ Give thanks to the God of heaven.

His love endures forever

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POD - Psalm 135

Psalm 135

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¹ Praise the Lord!

Praise the name of the Lord!

Praise him, you who serve the Lord,

² you who serve in the house of the Lord,

in the courts of the house of our God.

³ Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;

celebrate his lovely name with music.

⁴ For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself,

Israel for his own special treasure.

⁵ I know the greatness of the Lord-

that our Lord is greater than any other god.

⁶ The Lord does whatever pleases him

throughout all heaven and earth,

and on the seas and in their depths.

⁷ He causes the clouds to rise over the whole earth.

He sends the lightning with the rain

and releases the wind from his storehouses.

⁸ He destroyed the firstborn in each Egyptian home,

both people and animals.

⁹ He performed miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt

against Pharaoh and all his people.

¹⁰ He struck down great nations

and slaughtered mighty kings-

¹¹ Sihon king of the Amorites,

Og king of Bashan,

and all the kings of Canaan.

¹² He gave their land as an inheritance,

a special possession to his people Israel.

¹³ Your name, O Lord, endures forever;

your fame, O Lord, is known to every generation.

¹⁴ For the Lord will give justice to his people

and have compassion on his servants.

¹⁵ The idols of the nations are merely things of silver and gold,

shaped by human hands.

¹⁶ They have mouths but cannot speak,

and eyes but cannot see.

¹⁷ They have ears but cannot hear,

and noses but cannot smell.

¹⁸ And those who make idols are just like them,

as are all who trust in them.

¹⁹ O Israel, praise the Lord!

O priests-descendants of Aaron-praise the Lord!

²⁰ O Levites, praise the Lord!

All you who fear the Lord, praise the Lord!

²¹ The Lord be praised from Zion,

for he lives here in Jerusalem.

Praise the Lord!

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POD - Psalm 129

Psalm 129

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

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1 From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me.

Let all Israel repeat this:

2 From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me,

but they have never defeated me.

3 My back is covered with cuts,

as if a farmer had plowed long furrows.

4 But the Lord is good;

he has cut me free from the ropes of the ungodly.

5 May all who hate Jerusalem

be turned back in shameful defeat.

6 May they be as useless as grass on a rooftop,

turning yellow when only half grown,

7 ignored by the harvester, despised by the binder.

8 And may those who pass by refuse to give them this blessing:

"The Lord bless you; we bless you in the Lord's name."

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POD - Psalm 134

Psalm 134

A Pilgrim Song

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^1-3 Come, bless God,

all you servants of God!

You priests of God,

posted to the nightwatch

in God's shrine,

Lift your praising hands to the Holy Place,

and bless God.

In turn,

may God of Zion bless you-

the God who made heaven and earth!

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Sermon - Keys to a Life of Joy

Poulner Baptist Chapel

8^th August 2010

Psalm 66 - A Life of Joy

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Tonight, we are going to look at Psalm 66, which I consider to be a prayerful song of ecstatic joy - describing a life of overwhelming joy that exists between an Almighty God and one of His followers... So please do turn to that Psalm in your bibles.

Charles Spurgeon said of this Psalm "it is a marvellous psalm just to read; but set to suitable music, it must have been one of the noblest strains ever heard by the Jewish people."

The first impression I get from this Psalm is that there is a sense of a deep intimacy between God and the Psalmist. Part of that intimacy and that relationship was joy, true joy. Let us see together from Psalm 66, where joy fitted into the life of the Psalmist. The author was probably King David and we have no reason to doubt that. Then we will go on to discover what I think joy actually is, before discussing what is one of the greatest barriers to joy. Then finally, we will see where joy is to fit into our life.

1. The Psalmist and Joy!

a. Joy and the Earth (vs. 1-4)

1 Shout with joy to God, all the earth!

2 Sing the glory of his name;

make his praise glorious!

3 Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds!

So great is your power

that your enemies cringe before you.

4 All the earth bows down to you;

they sing praise to you,

they sing praise to your name."

Selah

Throughout the history of Israel, the majority of scribes and leaders of Israel usually gave praise to God in silence, in meditation and solemnity. This was of course acceptable to God and proper to do so.

But here, on this occasion, first of all for the Psalmist, among a great number of people, the whole earth is encouraged to shout with exuberant joy to God. It is quite natural for great crowds of people to shout in harmony. If praise is to be widespread, it must be vocal; joyful sounds stir the soul and cause great thanksgiving spread throughout the people. Of course everybody is different and each person praises differently! Some people are naturally loud and others naturally quiet! Whatever your own style of praise, God is to be praised in all styles and with both the voice and the heart. The whole earth, everything and everyone, is encouraged to sing of the glory and power of God!

The psalmist encourages worshippers to turn their praises of joy to God alone! Turning in joy and admiration to a God who one day will cause all the earth to fear and tremble before him. For those who are enemies of God, who have never believed in him, never followed Jesus Christ, they too will be forced into submitting worship to Him before departing His presence forever. They will be forced to worship Him, due to His joyful magnificence and through forced submission, not because they choose to.

But their worship will not be like those who decided to follow Jesus Christ during their earthly life. The worship of all those who truly believe in Him, following Him intimately - their worship will be of truth, love, service and pure unadulterated joy. Their reward will be to praise God eternally.



b. Joy and the nation of Israel (vs. 5-12).

5 Come and see what God has done,

how awesome his works in man's behalf!

6 He turned the sea into dry land,

they passed through the waters on foot-

come, let us rejoice in him.

7 He rules forever by his power,

his eyes watch the nations-

let not the rebellious rise up against him.

Selah

8 Praise our God, O peoples,

let the sound of his praise be heard;



9 he has preserved our lives

and kept our feet from slipping.

10 For you, O God, tested us;

you refined us like silver.

11 You brought us into prison

and laid burdens on our backs.

12 You let men ride over our heads;

we went through fire and water,

but you brought us to a place of abundance.

The psalmist now goes on to exhort great communal joy because of what God has done for Israel. He has done mighty works for his people. Did not God start the nation of Israel from Abraham in Genesis? Had not God led His people out of exile in Egypt by parting the Red Sea with His mighty hand so that his people could walk to freedom? Does not God rule forever by his mighty power and His outstretched hand? God watched over that nation of Israel, making covenants with Abraham and Moses, promising that He will be their God and they will be His people. The people of Israel were to be a people of joy, because they could look and see what God had done for them, and had a sure hope of what He would do for them in the future. They were His and He was theirs - a cause for great joy!

The psalmist continues to encourage the people to exhibit joyfully. God kept the feet of Israel from slipping. Even though Israel often turned their back on Him, God always kept a remnant of true believers for Himself. God sent Israel into exile under oppressive enemies, as punishment for their rebellious ways! Eventually He led them into the Promised Land, flowing with milk and honey. That is why Israel could have exultant joy because of the hope they had in their God and the testimony they could give as a nation under their God!.

Indeed, in the book of Leviticus, which is little read these days in Christian circles, in 9:24 we read, "Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown." How often have you heard joy linked with the book of Leviticus? WOW!! The Psalmist would certainly have been aware of that!



c. Joy and the psalmist (vs. 13 -20)

13 I will come to your temple with burnt offerings

and fulfill my vows to you-

14 vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke

when I was in trouble.

15 I will sacrifice fat animals to you

and an offering of rams;

I will offer bulls and goats.

Selah

16 Come and listen, all you who fear God;

let me tell you what he has done for me.



17 I cried out to him with my mouth;

his praise was on my tongue.

18 If I had cherished sin in my heart,

the Lord would not have listened;

19 but God has surely listened

and heard my voice in prayer.

20 Praise be to God,

who has not rejected my prayer

or withheld his love from me!

Thirdly, now after joy as a community, the Psalmist turns to himself and gets personal! His own joy starts with a sacrifice of vows and burnt offerings - a sacrifice, which costs him something. The psalmist has given promises to God and he wants to fulfil those promises before his God. Because of his great joy, the psalmist tells others of the source of his joy. He gives testimony to the love of God: how he confessed his sins to God, and how God had listened to him and heard his prayers. The Psalmist told the people to come and "Listen to what God has done for me." They had all seen God's work, but they also needed to hear that He was a gracious God! The psalmist has developed an intimate relationship with Almighty God, which is revealed in the joy of the psalmist through sacrifice, testimony and praise.

2. What is joy?

Testimony - Andy

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of this testimony of a journey

from darkness into glorious Christian joy!

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WISE - Forgiveness

Forgiveness

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What is forgiveness?

True forgiveness is not just saying sorry!! Forgiveness is to include penitence and also a desire never to do that same thing again. Forgiveness of course is a major part of Christianity, both in the way that God forgives when approached in penitence and repentance, but also in the way Christians forgive others and themselves! In both giving and receiving forgiveness, consider Jesus Christ and the enormity of His forgiveness. Paul writes in Colossians 3v12-14 that forgiveness is part of being in God’s family of Christians! If God forgave you for all that you have done wrong, then you also should forgive others, regardless of how difficult that might be to do. Nobody said it would always be easy though! Forgiveness enables you to have the same openness toward the person after they offend you, as you did before the event – if not more! When you truly forgive the person who has wronged you, any hurt you have will diminish.

Receiving and Giving Forgiveness

But why do we need to both receive and give forgiveness? Apart from being commanded to, a vast number of emotional and psychological problems are caused by failure to either give or to receive forgiveness.

• There is a failure to receive forgiveness. Many people try to pay for their sin by trying to punish themselves for they're past sins. These people should let go, because God has forgiven them, just as they asked!


• There is a failure to give forgiveness. When forgiveness is not offered to a person who has done you wrong, bitterness, resentment and anger may spring up in your life. There are parents who hurt; siblings who fail; and close friends who betray and reject. Yet forgive is the command, and it can only be done as the Holy Spirit and His power is relied upon.

By receiving and giving forgiveness, you will find an ability to love God more and love others more openly. Don’t let bitter unforgiveness destroy you and others, but rather let love & forgiveness build and strengthen.

God and Forgiveness

God’s ultimate concern is your holiness and not just your happiness, as you are transformed into the image of Jesus Christ! God is concerned not just about what is happening to you, but also what you are learning and how you are responding in His workshop of life, as you are being transformed. This involves both giving and receiving forgiveness.

Tests to see if there is someone I need to forgive

• Resentment test - Is there anyone you resent?


• Responsibility test - Do you find yourself thinking, "If only this other person or persons had done this, things would have been different!" and therefore blaming others?


• Reminder/reaction test - Do you find yourself reacting negatively against a person because they remind you of someone else?

Thank you!

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