Sunday 31st March 2024 : Jesus is Alive! Too Good to be True?!
I like Thomas, the Disciple of Jesus. He was a very loyal and steadfast follower of Jesus. He was a deep thinker, not blustery and gung-ho like Peter, perhaps bordering on melancholic? Thomas was the one who wanted to go with Jesus to see Lazarus when the other disciples feared for their lives. Thomas was the one who asked thoughtful questions when Jesus said He was going to prepare a room for them. But, despite his devotion and the deep desire to see Jesus again, the Resurrection was such a tremendous, impossible event that Thomas was sorrowfully skeptical about it. You see, Thomas was not there when Jesus first appeared to the other Disciples, and he rejected their testimony! When they joyfully declared, “Jesus is Alive! We have seen Him!”, not only does Thomas reject the testimony of his fellow Disciples, but he also declares that, “He will not believe that Jesus is Alive until he examines His wounds!” Thomas wants to establish for himself, beyond all doubt, that this was indeed his Master Who had been crucified! It was too painful to do it any other way!
But his grief, leads to doubt which leads to bitterness (deep disappointment) which leads to his unbelief.
During his first appearance to the Disciples, when Thomas was absent, Jesus had given the Disciples their Great Commission mandate, “As the Father has sent Me; … so, I am sending you… Receive the Holy Spirit…” But how could they ‘Preach the Good News’ of the Crucified and Risen Lord when one of their number did not believe this Good News?
Now we see Jesus tenderly leading Thomas to belief. For every demand Thomas had made, Jesus gave a command. In caring grace, Jesus meets Thomas at His need and brings him to belief, finishing with the command, “Stop Doubting and Believe!” In response, Thomas, who just moments before in his grief had tried to ‘lord’ it over Jesus in laying down the conditions by which he would believe, now confesses Jesus as “LORD!” In this declaration, Thomas not only declares that Jesus is Risen, but he also confesses something else that the Resurrection implied: That Jesus is both God and man, as he declares, “My Lord and my God!”
Notice how Jesus accepts this declaration of Thomas, witnessing to His divinity – being God. For it is a true and right confession: Jesus is Lord and God. Jesus goes on, “Because you have seen Me you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
This testimony of the eyewitness of the Apostles was to become foundational for the church in history; their eyewitness account is also foundational to our believing today. We have a faith based on historical and objective facts founded on the eyewitness that would stand up in a court of Law.
And that is the whole aim of John’s Gospel; these things have been written “So that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, and that in believing you may have life in His Name.” Do you live with the assurance of sins forgiven and life eternal? Does the Resurrection of Jesus give you hope and strength, joy and confidence to face each day and the future? Stop doubting and Believe! Pastor Alan
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Sunday 24th March 2024 : It is Finished!
What does it mean to you that “Jesus died on the Cross to pay for all my sins”? How does ‘Jesus dying on the Cross to pay for all my sins’ translate into everyday life? Because often we can live as though the “Finished” work of Jesus is not enough! We continue to live under the shame of actions in the past, or we continue to live under sin by watching and reading things that are not godly, or we fear a work review, or as married couples we continue in the blame game, with lack of forgiveness and fault finding. Instead of resting in the “Finished” work of Jesus, we often try to perform our best for God in our attempt to get right with Him.
Other times we can live in doubt. “How can God truly forgive me?” we think, as we wait for the axe to fall, or,” I am not good enough to be a Christian!”, or we say, “I cannot break my enslavement to this sin.” But in His cry from the Cross, “It is Finished!” Jesus has ‘finished’ all our shame and regret, our condemnation in sin, our future judgement under the wrath of God, our slavery to sin, and our alienation and enmity from God and other people. In His death on the Cross, Jesus has paid for all of our sins and removed our guilt, so that we stand Holy, Blameless and Pure before the Father in Him, now Adopted as His Beloved Children, so safe and secure that nothing can separate us from the Father.
Now, living by grace alone is not a licence to live how we like or to have a disregard for sin because all is forgiven anyhow. No, we are called to ‘reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under Law but under grace.’
So, what does that mean, to reckon yourself dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus? Firstly, it means that in faith you grasp hold of this truth, that your sins – every single one of them – is forgiven and forgotten! Do not continue to live in guilt; don’t insult Jesus by effectively saying that His death was not enough – It is Finished! Secondly, it means to live for God. He has given you the gift of the Bible to guide you and the power of His Holy Spirit to strengthen you, so live for Him in all you say and think and do, and yes, even feel! Let your life be transformed and renewed in Christ. Make Him the central focus of all your living; it is all about giving glory to Him. Thirdly, live by grace! Stop trying to do it in your own strength. On that first Good Friday, Jesus shouted out triumphantly, “It is Finished!” And He calls you to live in that finished work with joy and praise as you go about everyday life in Him. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 17th March 2024 : I Thirst!
Crucifixion is a horrible and excruciating way to die. The criminals are beaten with rods and whipped with a heavy Roman whip, tipped with metal and bone that tear chunks of skin out of the back with every lash. This is even before they are hung up on the cross.
Jesus probably hadn’t had anything to drink since the Last Supper in the Upper Room, because on the Thursday evening He was arrested and brought to ‘trial’. He had been hanging on the Cross for some 6 hours, three hours of this in the blazing sun, His wounds festering, His body dehydrated and weakening as He tried to push Himself up in order to breathe, and then there was the three hours in the darkness of God’s Judgement, suffering the sheer terror and agony of hell. You know, when you are frightened your mouth goes dry. Now add that to the dehydration of being on the Cross and there would be an overwhelming thirst.
We find Jesus speaking from the Cross (maybe croaking?), “I Thirst!” That would have been an understatement! This cry of Jesus shows the depths of His suffering. It was the end result of all His pain and suffering prophesied in Psalms 22 & 69. In His humanness, Jesus identified with us, completely bearing all the pain on Himself to be our substitute. When Jesus cried out, “Why have you forsaken me?!” He revealed the torment of His soul; When He said, “I Thirst!” He revealed the torture of His physical suffering. Jesus suffered in our place: Body and Soul that we would be saved. He is the Living Water that we should never thirst again.
Also, the cry of Jesus, “I Thirst!” was to prepare Himself for His death. Although Jesus had fulfilled the Scriptures in doing all that the Father called Him to do as our Saviour, now He prepares for His physical death. Jesus takes a refreshing drink, reclaims His strength, and strongly declares in a Victory cry, “It is Finished!” and “Father into your hands I commit my spirit.” Here Jesus gave Himself up to death as the final act of salvation on the Cross, bringing salvation to its end goal. His physical death on the Cross was the last act of Redemption as our High Priest. Willingly and voluntarily, as an act of His free will, He gave His life as the Once-for-all sacrifice.
We are called this morning to come and drink at the fountain of Living Water, to be refreshed to the New Life in Jesus our Lord and Saviour, so that we would never thirst again! Pastor Alan
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Sunday 10th March 2024 : A Son’s Farewell
What place does Church have in your life? Do you give Church a miss when family comes to visit? Are you investing in the relationships in the church as much as you are investing in your own family relationships? Where are these questions coming from?
It is an outworking of the Third Words of Jesus on the Cross. While hanging presumably naked in absolute humiliation on the Cross, Jesus speaks to His mother, Mary. In these words, Jesus distances Himself as the son of Mary, His mother, to rather be the Saviour of Mary as the Christ. Note that Jesus calls Mary, “Woman” in relation to Himself, but calls her “Mother” in relation to John. As the eldest son, Jesus was responsible for the care and welfare of His widowed mother. Jesus now passes that responsibility on to John. Mary no longer has any authority over Him as her son; that earthly relationship has been surpassed by the heavenly/spiritual one in salvation.
Jesus taught this earlier on in His ministry in Matthew 10, “Whoever loves his father or mother more than Me, is not worthy of Me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me…” Our spiritual relationship as Believers in Christ as the Church is superior to our family relationships on earth. Later, John the Disciple would become John the Apostle, and Mary would be his disciple/parishioner, under his spiritual care. This reflects the changing nature of relationships in Christ. In the Church, a son may be an Elder with spiritual responsibility over his father; the labourer over the executive; the student over his teacher.
The Church is a unique and special relationship, more significant than the family – God’s chosen and saved people, part of the family of God as His Beloved children. Yet how many people would see the Church that way? So, the questions asked in the beginning of this devotion. What investment of relationships are you and I making in the church?
Meeting together in worship is the highest expression of love and unity! In the light of this truth, next time your family visits, why not bring them to worship with us, rather than staying away?
May we grow in a Biblical understanding of what the Church is as the Body of Christ, as the Communion of the Saints, which Jesus gave to us from His suffering and dying on the Cross. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 3rd March 2024 : Father, Forgive them ….
This time of year is known on the church calendar as ‘Lent’, the time that the church usually focuses more intently on the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ. For us, in this time of Lent we will be considering some of the words of Jesus on the Cross, the first of which is, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”
Now at first sight this seems a little incredible! Just think, Jesus had been falsely tried by the Church Leaders, beaten by Herod’s guards and pronounced innocent by Pilate, yet was handed over to be crucified, mocked, slapped, spat upon, whipped, until finally Jesus is nailed to the Cross in an act of utter public humiliation, and the first thing He says is, “Father forgive them!” We would be ropable with anger and indignation! And then to top it off, there is no fire from heaven to defend Jesus from this terrible course of injustice. Heaven is silent in judgement. Why?
Because as they nailed Jesus to the Cross Jesus prayed an intercessory prayer seeking their forgiveness: “Father forgive them for they do not know what they do.” As He prayed this prayer the Judgement of God was stayed. Why did Jesus pray this? 1. Because His crucifixion was Intentional. As the Messiah He had come to die and give His life for the forgiveness of sins. He was born in Bethlehem with the express intent to die at Calvary. It was the Lord’s will to cause Him to suffer. 2. We see also that Jesus was crucified Voluntarily. Jesus had come to do the Father’s will, as seen in His Garden of Gethsemane prayer “Father, not My will but Yours be done!” 3. And lastly, we see that Jesus was crucified for our salvation, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
All that were involved in the crucifixion of Jesus did not realise the full significance of their actions because they were ignorant. The Sanhedrin did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah; the Roman Soldiers saw Jesus as just another Jewish nuisance; the people had no idea that they were crucifying the Lord of Glory. In Acts 3, the Apostle Peter declared that they acted in ignorance. That does not mean they were not responsible for crucifying the Christ – but rather that they did so in ignorance. And so, the prayer of Jesus gave them the opportunity to repent and have their sins wiped out in forgiveness. But you know, in our sin, we too were there at the Cross! We were there pounding the nails into his hands and feet. We were there sneering and jeering. The prayer of Jesus for forgiveness is for us too! That Prayer is calling us to repent and follow Jesus as Lord and Saviour. “Father forgive them…” Are you forgiven? Pastor Alan
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Sunday 11th February 2024 : The Day of the Lord
We all desire justice – from whatever perspective we hold. Pro-Palestinians believe justice is to drive out the Israelis from the land. Israeli justice is to destroy Hamas. President Putin’s justice is to reclaim Ukraine for the Empire. For some, Aboriginal justice is being recognised as traditional owners of the Land, being recompensed for past wrongs and self-determination.
We find in Revelation Chapter 6 that the ‘Martyred Saints’ under the Altar, who had been sacrificed for the sake of the Kingdom because they stuck faithfully to living and preaching the Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, also cried for justice, “How long before you will judge and avenge the blood on those who dwell on the earth?!” Note that their cry is not a prayer for revenge; it is not personal vendetta, nor a thirst for personal reprisal. Rather, it is a PRAYER for God’s Honour! It’s a prayer for the end of evil and the destruction of Satan and his kingdom, and that in this, God will bring Justice! And that is what we also are praying for when we pray “Maranatha, Lord Jesus come quickly”, as we desire that Jesus would Return and bring us into the full glory of heaven. That’s the ‘positive side’. The ‘negative side’ is that when Jesus Returns as Lord, it will also be as Judge. And that is the opening of the sixth seal, where the Lord will come in His Holy Wrath to judge the nations and bring His Justice to bear, punishing every evil act and putting right every wrong that’s been perpetrated. As Hebrews 10:31 says, “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the Living God!” The Gospel is a double-edged sword. It brings the message of salvation for all who repent and believe in Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, but it also condemns people to Hell if they do not follow Jesus! On the one hand, Believers are drawn into the love and fellowship of God through Jesus, but on the other hand, the Lord withdraws His love and fellowship from unbelievers, and so they are left under His wrath and judgement… forever.
The Lord answers the Martyred Saints: Be patient a little while longer until all those the Father has chosen would be called into repentance and faith. Justice is coming! It’s when the time of grace is fulfilled.
Of note is that while the ‘Day of the Lord’ strikes terror into the heart of the unbeliever in the face of the coming judgement of the wrath of God upon them, for the Believer the coming of the ‘Day of Christ’ brings an excited sense of anticipation, as we will be embraced fully into the love and fellowship of God in glory. That is why we sing, “Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus, come quickly!” Pastor Alan
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Sunday 19th November 2023 : The Four Horsemen
The Book of Revelation is about standing firm and overcoming because the Kingdom of God is coming in Christ the King. Revelation describes the coming of the Kingdom in history. Jesus holds the Scroll detailing God’s will and purposes in claiming back His Kingdom from the powers of Satan. In the beginning, when Adam sinned against the Lord, God declared War in Genesis 3: 15: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head and you shall strike His heel.” This promise of enmity is nothing less than drawing the battle line between Satan and Christ. And so, the world, our history, is played out on the backdrop of the battle of these Two Powers. There are two powers but only one world: The Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan are battling it out over this one world.
Now in Revelation, the Seven Seals, Bowls and Trumpets reveal to us HOW the battle is fought, HOW God is reclaiming the World from the powers of Satan. Sometimes we can feel overwhelmed by world events, and ask what is the world coming to? Things just seem to be galloping out of control! Consider RUSSIA invading Ukraine; the US pulling out of AFGHANISTAN and letting it back into the hands of extremists; HAMAS inflicting a horrifying terrorist attack in Israel and Israel retaliating in Gaza. And sometimes you wonder if we are on the verge of World War III?
Revelation 6:1-8 depicts the release of four horsemen in the world. 1. A White Horse depicting The Kingdom of Christ advancing in the world in victory. 2. A Red Horse symbolising slaughter and bloodshed as the rider removes peace from the world. 3. A Black Horse that represents famine, natural disasters and economic hardship. And finally, 4. A Pale Horse symbolising Death, swinging his awful sword in his powerful fist, followed behind by Hades to swallow up the victims that may fall in his path.
When we put all four horsemen together, we get a pretty overwhelming picture! But here is the KEY: The history of the world is about Jesus Christ and the coming of His Kingdom. Consequently, ‘these things must happen’ as Jesus advances the Kingdom, and Satan violently opposes it. However, we need not live in fear! Wars, famines, injustices and death are all part of the Coming of the Kingdom. And they will go no further than Christ the King allows to achieve His redemptive purposes, as God uses His restraining Judgement to keep evil from triumphing! Do not fear, the King is Coming! Pastor Alan
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Sunday 12th November 2023 : New Life; New Lifestyle: Genuine Love
The Beatles sang, “All you need is Love!” But is love all you need? What about the wife who loves her husband but does not respect him? Or the husband who loves his wife but loves being with his mates more? Elvis sang, “I can’t help falling in love with you”, as if love is this uncontrollable force that hits you when it wills and you just have to ride with it regardless of any boundaries of marriage or commitment or respect.
The Apostle Paul declares, “Let love be genuine!” He calls us to the ‘Real Deal’ about love, which is to love one another AS God has loved us; that is, a sacrificial love that has the other person’s best interests in mind. So, what does that look like in everyday practical terms? Paul goes on to explain that Genuine Love is to be shaped by having the Right Values, in a Right Relationship, with the Right Focus.
Genuine Love is expressed through the ‘Right Values’ – which is to abhor evil and hold fast to what is good. This means to discern and intentionally turn away and separate ourselves from what is evil, to hate that which God hates, and to cling (the same word as a husband cleaving to his wife in Genesis 2:24) to what is good; that is, according to God’s standards. That means Genuine Love cannot cross the boundaries of marriage or God’s design for creation. Sorry Elvis, your love is probably more lust than love! Also, sorry Beatles, love cannot be used to cross the Lord’s boundaries – you need more than “love”.
Genuine Love is also expressed through ‘Right Relationships’; that is to love one another with a “Brotherly Love”. This means as Brothers and Sisters in Christ, honouring one another by respecting the position and gifts that God has assigned to each one of us, no one being greater or lesser than the other, but all are one in Christ.
Genuine Love is further expressed in having the ‘Right Focus’ – through serving the Lord in all things, not being irked when things don’t go your way, but rather being passionate about doing things God’s way.
We can remain motivated to live this love by being sure of the Hope that is in Jesus, being patient in the trying times, because we know God has it all in hand and only seeks our best – and all this is held together by prayer. Our love grows as we draw near to the Lord in prayer. This is a practical outworking of being the Body of Christ! As we bask in the Love of the Father, may we also grow in Genuine Love – His love flowing through us to others. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 5th November 2023 : No Condemnation!
October 31st is celebrated in our society as Halloween. It is certainly a strongly pushed marketing item, though originally was an event tied to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed. Today, it has also become a celebration of horror, being associated with the macabre and supernatural.
In a sense this is not new. In the time of the Reformation, Tetzel, a Roman Catholic priest, went around towns and villages putting on stage a play about suffering in purgatory that scared the wits out of people so that they lined up to buy certificates of indulgence (for the forgiveness of a certain number of temporal sins). The church of the day also held mass for the dead to shorten the stay of a loved one in purgatory (with a fee involved). Martin Luther was so incensed by this ‘rip-off’ marketing strategy that played in people’s fear to raise funds to build St Peter’s Cathedral in Rome, that he nailed his 95 theses on the Castle Door in protest against this practice (among others)! The Reformation recaptured the Gospel in the Biblical teaching of ‘Saved by Grace Alone, through Faith Alone, in Christ Alone’.
The Apostle Paul writes about this so beautifully in Romans Chapters 7 & 8. Being aware of his sin and sinfulness before the Holy God as accused by the Law, and struggling to make things right by his own actions, in desperation he finally declares, “What a wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death!” He is wretched because he knows that he himself cannot do anything at all to find favour with God. All his thoughts and actions were tainted by sin and condemned him even further. What is the answer to his plea? Jesus! Jesus Crucified on the Cross and Resurrected from the Dead to pay the penalty for all the sins of those who believe in Him as their Lord and Saviour. “There is therefore, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”
The Apostle goes on here in Chapter 8, and confirms our unshakeable and secure standing in salvation before God: that there is also NO ALIENATION – for the Lord has committed Himself to us and our destiny by adoption so that we are co-heirs with Christ. Added to that, there is NO ACCUSATION (the Law cannot accuse us of sin) – as Jesus, Who died for our sins, is in heaven as mediator interceding for us. And there is NO SEPARATION – as the Father in His love has reached down to us in Jesus and made us His own. Our salvation is safe and secure for eternity as it is by Grace Alone – God’s gift to us through Christ. Therefore, as Christians our attention is not on the dead, but on the living; here on earth or the saints in heaven. That is why we do not celebrate Halloween, but the Reformation! Pastor Alan
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Sunday 29th October 2023 : Worthy is the Lamb!
Do you find the worship service boring? Or do you find it invigorating? What makes the difference?
Last Wednesday at the prayer meeting we considered Psalm 73. In light of the prosperity and carefreeness of the wicked, the psalmist was ready to throw out his faith in his envy and bitterness for what he felt he was not getting as a Believer. His lack of prosperity compared to the wicked didn’t align with God’s Covenant promises! However, it all changed when he entered into the Sanctuary of God and saw life from God’s perspective! The wicked will get what they deserve, and the righteous will be kept by the Lord. God’s promises are being fulfilled!
We see a similar thing with the Apostle John. He is exiled on the Isle of Patmos and is not in a good headspace. He is considering what will become of the Church of Christ? After the initial establishment years, it looks like it is all ‘turning to custard’! The Jews are scattered; the church is under severe persecution; all the other Apostles have been martyred. What hope is there for the future? King Jesus, in compassion and kindness, gives John a vision of revelation – a peep into the Throne Room of Heaven.
There John sees the Lamb that was slain and the confirmation that all that the church has ever been promised through the Scriptures and all that we have ever prayed for is now about to come to pass. He sees the Lamb of God receiving the singing of a New Song of Praise by the choir of Cherubim, Elders and angels, and all creatures on earth praising the Lamb as being worthy to open the scroll and bring to completion the work of Redemption, when all things will be made new and all evil dealt with once-for-all time. John is comforted and exhilarated. God has it in hand.
Worship is where we find the encouragement, refreshment and enlightenment of God’s plan of Redemption and His working it out in our history. Our worship on earth is an echo of the worship and praise in heaven. It is invigorating, inspiring and comforting as it lifts us up out of our bubble of wants, desires and troubles of this life, and focuses our eyes to heaven where God is sitting on the Throne, and Jesus the Lamb is breaking open the seals of the scroll. It calls us to heart-felt praise!
Now that is a wonderful perspective to worship – is it not? Pastor Alan
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Sunday 22nd October 2023 : Who is Worthy?
I don’t know about you, but I have always wondered about how the scroll and the seven seals in the Book of Revelation worked – not the meaning so much, but what this scroll might have looked like for the seven seals to be opened one at a time and how things start happening when they were opened. The Scroll is typical of Roman Title Deeds and official documents.
The seal indicated the importance of the documents and that only authorised people could open it. In Revelation Chapter 5, the Mighty Angel gave a very loud cry looking for who was worthy to open the scroll in God’s right hand. No-one in all creation could be found.
John wept deeply because if the scroll of God’s plan for Redemption could not be opened, then the Kingdom would not come. However, one of the Elders comforts John. Yes, there is One who is worthy; the Lion Who was first the Lamb – Jesus Christ the Lord’s anointed Messiah-King. It is Jesus Who brings God’s plan of redemption into action and to its completion. Heaven is real; the Kingdom will come in all its glory and fullness in Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 15th October 2023 : God is on His Throne!
In the Old Testament (2 Kings 6:8-23) there is the event involving the Prophet Elisha and the King of Aram. As the Lord’s Prophet, Elisha kept warning the King of Israel of the King of Aram’s plans. The King of Aram was furious and instructed his men to find Elisha, and upon finding Elisha at Dothan, he sent his army of horses and chariots to surround the city. When Elisha’s attendant got up in the morning, he saw the entire city surrounded by horses and chariots. In panic he cries out to Elisha, “My Lord what shall we do?” To which Elisha replies, “Do not fear; the Aramean army is not an army. Look to the hills; now this is an army!” The mountains were ablaze with horses and chariots of fire all around them.
The point is, as we see in Revelation Chapter 4, God is sitting on the Throne! He is ruling with power, might and splendour, with all glory and majesty. Therefore, we are called not to fear! Nothing will, or even can, happen outside the Lord’s will and purpose.
The Apostle John is exiled on the island of Patmos, and was utterly discouraged. Jerusalem had been destroyed in 70 A.D. with the Jews massacred and scattered. The new church was being severely persecuted and there was no king to defend them on earth or to redeem Israel. What did the future hold? Who is really in charge? The Lord Jesus gives John the vision of the Book of Revelation to reassure him that God is sitting on His Throne! He is in charge of the earth and of history, and will bring it to His appointed Redemptive end.
We have the same question today. “Who is really in charge here?” What will the future bring as Hamas instigates a concerted terrorist attack on Israel, as Russia has invaded Ukraine, as civil wars continue on around the world (Sudan, Africa, Myanmar and the list goes on), as there are earthquakes and floods and fires, and as our country goes to the Referendum and we wonder what the future will bring (whatever the result). The Lord Jesus comforts John and us; See, God is on the Throne! He’s got this under control! Just rest in Him – the Power of His might and the comfort of His promises.
Therefore, in a chaotic world and the struggles of life, there is this comfort, reassurance and hope for the future. God is on His Throne! Pastor Alan
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Sunday 1st October 2023 : The Exalted Christ Reigns as King!
In the Apostle’s Creed we confess that we believe that Jesus (in His Exaltation) Rose from the Dead, Ascended into Heaven, and now sits at the Right Hand of the Father, ruling over all history and creation with all power, authority and dominion. But where is that rule of Jesus here on earth? The climate is all wonky, many countries are at war or civil unrest, we are using earth’s resources as if they were limitless, crime and violence is rampart, there is a housing crisis as people try to find an affordable place to live. Christian Martyrdom was higher in the 20th century than all the previous 19 centuries before. Where is the kingly rule of Jesus of love and peace?
Well, firstly, there is a battle going on between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. Jesus conquered sin, death and Satan at the Cross when he died, rose again, and ascended into heaven. But He has not applied that victory in its fullness because there are many who have yet to be called into faith in Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. When all those the Father has given to Jesus have been called in, Jesus will then Return as Judge to deal with sin, death and Satan once-for-all by throwing them into the Lake of Fire.
And secondly, Christ is ruling over all things for the Church, to bring God’s plan of salvation to its fullness. His Kingdom on earth is through the Church, the Body of Believers who bring a godly influence on society by their Gospel witness and applying the teaching of the Bible to all of life. King Jesus, to Whom all power and authority and dominion has been given, has commanded His Church to make Disciples of all nations, baptising and teaching them all He has commanded. The Church, empowered and guided through His Word and Holy Spirit, is His light and salting influence in the world.
The Gospel is our comfort, strength and hope. We, as the church, are soldiers of the Cross bringing His rule and peace into a rebellious world, as the Gospel (through the work of the Holy Spirit) converts hearts and transforms minds to King Jesus. The Church in its worship and meetings with the Word, worship, and prayer, is the Battle Station where we are refreshed, strengthened and equipped for the battle. Each one of us has been given gifts to build up the Body of Christ. One of the enemies we are fighting is our own sinful nature, where we see the world through the perspective of “how we feel we are affected” rather than through the eyes of the Gospel! Let us focus our eyes on exalted King Jesus Who is sitting at the Right Hand of the Father, ruling over all things for the Church.
Let us draw strength, comfort and hope from that, as we live our everyday lives in the world. Jesus as King is doing something – He is bringing in His Kingdom! Pastor Alan
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Sunday 24th September 2023 : To Live is Christ, to Die is Gain
The Apostle Paul is in prison. He is awaiting trial, and the prospect of execution is very real. Looking into the face of death, he considers his life and purpose. Paul declares that his eager expectation and hope, with full courage, is that Christ will be honoured in his body, whether by life or by death. His purpose in life is to glorify Christ! He declares, “For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” If he lived and was set free, he would continue his work in bringing the Gospel and caring for the churches, building up the church of Christ. If he was executed and died, he would bring glory to Christ in his martyrdom, and go into the glory of heaven. Both would bring glory to Christ as they were different seasons of salvation, each in their own place and in their own turn. As Believers we live today in the anticipation of the glory of Tomorrow: the Return of Jesus. The hope of heaven gives meaning and purpose for today. One cannot be without the other. What a wonderful comfort that is!
The beauty of this is that the glory of heaven breaks through into our lives today! The moment we believed in Jesus, we received the gift of eternal life. With Christ dwelling in us through His Holy Spirit we are new creations, with the call and privilege to praise God with our whole lives. Everything we are and do, everything we speak, think and feel is to be an expression of praise to the Lord! That is why Paul declares, “For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain!” The glory of Christ gives us purpose, meaning and drive for living. It is like living with one foot in heaven already.
But sometimes we fall into the temptation of living for ourselves instead of for Christ. That is the constant tension of battling with the sinful nature. One of the ways to evaluate that is to ask yourself: “For me (use your name) to live is …….” And then write down what are the most important things in your life. What is your purpose for living? What are you investing your time and energy in? Do your priorities draw you closer to Christ or further away from Him? Just remember – anything else but Christ is but loss, because earthly things pass away when we die. Why invest in something that will be lost when you can invest in matters eternal? As the Apostle Paul declares, “For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Pastor Alan
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Sunday 17th September 2023 : To Whom can I be a Neighbour?
The Parable of the Good Samaritan is about ‘How are we saved?’ A lawyer came to Jesus and asked Him, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” The Teachers of the Law taught that you enter into heaven by keeping the Laws of Moses. But Jesus had been teaching that entry into the kingdom of God was by Repentance for the Forgiveness of sins (for the Law drives us to the Lord seeking forgiveness). Jesus, however, surprises the Lawyer by asking him what is written in the Law; which is to Love God and your neighbour as yourself. Jesus urges the Lawyer to keep the Law and he will have eternal life. But the Lawyer knows he cannot keep the Law perfectly; he hates the Gentiles and Samaritans, tax-collectors and the riff-raff of society; in fact he considers them enemies of God. To justify himself, the Lawyer asks Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?” (Thinking that if he can narrow the ‘neighbour’ down to relatives and God-fearing Jews, he might have a chance). Jesus then tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan, revealing that even the Samaritan obeys the Law better than the Lawyer by acting with compassion in loving his Jewish neighbour! The Law is about relationship! It is God loving His people and His people loving God, reflected in living by the Law as an expression of that loving relationship. There is no way the Lawyer can enter heaven by his own merit. Without having mercy, he has missed the very intent of the Law. The only way into heaven is by God’s love and mercy in forgiveness, which is pictured in this Parable.
Jesus then concludes, “You go and do likewise!” That is, in God’s saving grace in Christ Jesus, love your neighbour with mercy and compassion. Don’t use the ‘Law’ for excuses to bypass the hurt and injustices you see and come into contact with. The thing is that we are overwhelmed by injustices and hurt in the world: Abortion, domestic violence, sexual abuse, extortion, slavery and human trafficking, refugees, Aboriginal issues, Aged Care and loneliness, neglect, financial enslavement, and the list goes on.
The International Justice Mission seeks to protect people in poverty from violence by rescuing victims, bringing criminals to justice, restoring survivors to safety and strength, and helping local law enforcement build a safe future that lasts. This one way we could show mercy and compassion. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 10th September 2023 : Laodicea – A Nauseating Church!
Some of us had the privilege of attending a presentation by Rev. Victor Atallah (Director of MERF) last Thursday evening. One of the highlights was hearing how the Gospel is spreading in the Middle East and African countries. A question was asked about the decline of Christianity in the Western World, and it is a good question to consider, because Europe was where the fire of the REFORMATION swept through: France, Switzerland, Germany, Holland and England. It changed the face of Europe economically, in civil law, and in terms of how society lived. The Reformation brought Democracy and ‘broke the back’ of the Monarchs. That was quite a transformation! And now?
The church in Europe is small, weak and defeated. In the up-and-coming Liberal Theology (influenced by Darwinian Evolution) the authenticity of the Bible was questioned, Jesus as both God and Man was attacked and the Gospel was made irrelevant as the tenets of the Social Gospel were adopted. In many ways the churches have become merely a humanitarian organisation, bringing a social Gospel, priding itself for its work of social relief.
Many reasons could be considered for the decline of the church in the West, but the church in Laodicea gives us a good clue for one of those considerations: finding security in riches. As the era of reason grew and technology advanced and the information explosion hit, mankind simply didn’t need God anymore. In fact, there has been movement to push God right out the picture altogether! Evolution doesn’t need God to explain the world and how it came about. The Climate Change movement has put humans in charge of our environmental destiny. Religion is considered to be but a crutch for weak-minded people. You can be who you want to be, what you want to be and how you want to be – the world is your oyster; your destiny is in your hands!
The Church in Laodicea was so rich that they didn’t need God; they thought that they were independent and well off. But Jesus gives a scathing assessment – they were wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked. Their riches and independence had made them blind to the reality of sin and their need for the Gospel, that in their sin they stood as wretched sinners, naked in their sin and shame before the Holy God. And yet, Jesus knocks on the door of His own church, inviting them to return in fellowship with Him through repentance and faith.
Oh, the Glory of the Gospel, with its ongoing call to repent and return to the Lord! Let’s not lose sight of the fact that the riches of the Kingdom in eating at the Banquet Table of the King and sitting with Him in the Throne Room are a far greater glory of riches than anything earth can offer. Let him who has an ear, hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 3rd September 2023 : The Father’s Great Love
Identity is fundamentally important. Knowing who you are and where you belong, and feeling loved and accepted, gives you strength and courage to face the difficulties of life. One of the struggles people who are adopted have is the question, “Why did my biological parents reject me?” And yet, one of the beauties of adoption is that the adopting parents accept and make a life-time commitment to their adopted child as their very own – as if they had been born from their own bodies.
The Apostle John is writing to the churches who are being attacked by false teachers who denied sin and the need for Jesus as the Saviour. John comforts and encourages his readers by teaching that as Believers they have been adopted by God the Father as His Beloved Children. In Jesus Crucified and Risen, in victory over sin, death and hell, God the Father declares that we are His Children and that He has made a commitment to our eternal destiny! But more than that, by the Holy Spirit our hearts have been regenerated, so that we are ‘born of God’ and joined with Christ as His Body. The Holy Spirit now lives in us as new creations in Christ. Therefore we live with confidence and the anticipation of the Coming of Jesus at the end of time, like citizens anticipating the celebration of the visit of their Queen.
But there was still a problem. There was still the struggle with sin in their lives; they fell into temptation, failed to live perfect lives, even sometimes struggling with believing! The Apostle John encourages and comforts them further. Beloved, we are the Children of God now, but there is more to come when Jesus Returns, when we will be made completely like Jesus, receiving the glorification of Salvation. When Jesus Returns, sin will be dealt with in the Judgement, and He will make everything new! They were already Children of God, but not yet in all its glory and fullness which will come when Jesus Returns.
Knowing and experiencing God the Father’s commitment to us as Believers, by His adopting us as His Children and living in us by His Holy Spirit, provides us a sense of identity as the Beloved Children of God, and the courage to face the world in which we live. As earthly fathers we have the tremendous privilege and responsibility to show our children that love and commitment of our Heavenly Father, so that they too may possess the comfort and courage to live in their spiritual inheritance: being the Beloved Children of God. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 27th August 2023 : Anger: Are you a wise of foolish person?
It is so easy to simply “lose your rag” or “go off the deep end” in a fit of anger. The checkout lady places the cleaning agent with the fresh food in the bag and it pushes your buttons. ‘Excuse me! Don’t they train you to pack bags?! Everyone knows that cleaning agents smell will taint the fresh food! Are you lacking in intelligence or something?!’ And then we have social media, where many simply shoot off angry, emotional (and even abusive) responses without taking the time to check out the facts or think things through. The Teacher says in Proverbs 29:11, “A fool gives vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.” In other words, a quick-tempered person is a foolish person.
So, what is anger and how does it work? Anger is an instinctive response to a perceived threat. The perceived threat may be fear, OR, unfulfilled expectations, OR, not feeling in control. It is a survival response which often simply acts without too much thought. When you get angry, your heart rate increases substantially as your body pumps adrenaline through the system, your breathing becomes rapid and your brain effectively shuts down. Have you noticed that you cannot reason with an angry person? The Teacher says that ‘… a fool gives vent to his anger…’. He is simply venting because anger has turned off the ‘reason’ button.
But funnily enough, even though it is a fight or flight response, nevertheless it can be controlled. It is actually a choice you make, as the Teachers says: “But a wise man keeps himself under control.” People cannot make you be angry; it is a choice you choose to make in response to their actions or words. Anger under control is called “indignation”, and it is a positive force used wisely to bring about justice and protection – the way Jesus was angry. Anger out of control is called ‘venting’ and always brings harm and hurt.
There are various techniques to control anger, but the best is to trace the source of anger, what pushes your buttons or triggers an anger response, and then by God’s grace and the empowerment of the Word and Holy Spirit, to resolve the issue. One of the ways that a wise man keeps himself under control is by seeking and resolving the source of being angry.
What a comfort it is that God the Father is not a rash angry god, but is slow to anger and abounding in love. And more so, that He deals with His just anger at our rebellion by pouring it out on Jesus on the Cross, so that we (by repentance and faith) might be under His Fatherly love and care. When you consider the way you handle anger, are you a wise or foolish person? Pastor Alan
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Sunday 20th August 2023 : Philadelphia – Weak and yet Strong
Many of you may remember the illustration that if you light one match, it is easy to blow out. But if you light several matches together, they are a lot harder to blow out. The idea is that there is strength in numbers when Christians stick together. On the one hand there is merit to that idea, as Hebrews calls us to ‘Hold fast the confession of our Hope’, and ‘not to neglect meeting together but to stir one another to love and good works’ (Hebrews 10:23-25). This indeed encourages group effort; functioning together adds to the Body of Christ. However, on the other hand our strength is not in numbers but in the Lord. Churches with a big membership are not necessarily ‘stronger’ than little churches. We see this with the Church of Philadelphia in Revelation Chapter 3. It was a wee, little church and the Lord commends her for her faithfulness, obedience, loyalty and endurance, even though the Jews were persecuting them because they claimed to be the people of God (Children of Abraham – John 8:33), and how dare the Philadelphian church declare that in Christ Jesus, they are the people of God! Jesus encourages them to ‘Hold fast what you have’ for I (Jesus) hold the key of David! I am the One Who opens and shuts the door to the Kingdom of God. I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Yes, even the Jews with the lineage of Abraham, they too can only come to the Father through Me. The Jews may accuse you of blasphemy, but I accept you in love. In My death on the Cross and my Resurrection from the Dead and Ascension into heaven, I hold the keys even to Death and Hades. So don’t worry! Be strong! I give you My Word and Reward; your salvation is assured in Me, Jesus the Holy and True One.
The comfort is that even as small churches our strength is in Christ Jesus. I can think of at least two churches in our denomination who have seriously considered closing their doors because of ‘not being viable’, of ‘not being able to support a minister’. But they simply went on faithfully as the church of God and today are thriving churches who can fully support their minister. Our strength is not so much our numbers and what action we take, as in faithfully being about the business of the Gospel – nothing is hopeless with the Gospel.
As a small church, let us not look at what we don’t have. Rather let us look at what we do have in Christ Jesus, and rejoice in His goodness and grace, and simply live for Jesus! Pastor Alan
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Sunday 13th August 2023 : Sardis – Alive and yet … Dead
Sardis was a very successful church. In today’s terms it was a mega-church on steroids. Great programmes, phenomenal band and (recording) singing ministry, high powered worship services, employing heaps of people for various ministries, growing in numbers – just the place to be! Jesus said that Sardis had the reputation of being alive. And then comes the ‘clanger’ – But…you…are…DEAD. Alive but dead? How does that work? Well, basically the church had been hijacked to build personal empires using religious means. It was no longer about Jesus and the Gospel.
Consider the Pharisees. They were a group that came to prominence in the inter-testimonial period, where there was no prophecy for four hundred years and people were starting to go their own ways. They were a separatist group that stood on the commitment to the Scriptures as the Word of God, with a demanding, strict, legalistic lifestyle, so that only a few people chose to live according to its standard. It seems there were no more than about 6,000 Pharisees. Now, it started out as a noble cause by noble men: to hold to the Scriptures and live by them. But over time it degenerated into teaching that you were saved by adherence to the Law of Moses (surrounded by about 900 hundred extra rules); the better you kept the Law the closer you were to heaven. The Pharisees enslaved the Israelites by the letter of the Law, instead of the Law being the means of relationship with the Lord God through repentance and faith, to such an extent that the Pharisees denied Jesus as the Messiah and were instrumental in having Him crucified to preserve their authority and place in society. They had built an ‘empire’ for themselves using the Law of God.
This also happens with churches today using religion to further personal empires and causes. We start with the noblest of intentions but get swept up with success and power so that the Gospel is lost. But the Gospel always provides a way back! We are to repent and go back to Gospel basics and then hold on to the Gospel that has been entrusted to our care! And Jesus gives a promise. To him who overcomes, who remains faithful to the Gospel in his love for Jesus above all things, there is assurance of salvation. When you believe in Jesus and strive to live for Him, your salvation is guaranteed. You are clothed with His Righteousness, your name is written in the Book of Life by His Blood and Jesus as High Priest confesses your name (intercedes) before the Father. What joy and comfort are ours in Christ! He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 6th August 2023 : Moving Heavenward
In the Apostles’ Creed we recite that we believe that on the third day Jesus rose from the dead and ‘ascended into heaven’. Traditionally, Ascension Day has been celebrated on the Church Calendar since the 4th century (we used to have an Ascension Day Service on the Thursday evening forty days after Easter), but of recent times this has fallen by the wayside. It is a little sad really, because the Ascension of Jesus into heaven is one of the steps of His exaltation as Lord. The steps of the Exaltation of Jesus are: Jesus Rose from the dead, Ascended into heaven, is Seated (ruling as King) at the right hand of the Father, to Return to judge the living and the dead, ushering in the kingdom of God in all its fullness and glory. Therefore, like Christmas, Easter and Pentecost, the Ascension is an essential part of the Redemptive work of Christ.
The Ascension celebrates the literal and physical ascension of Jesus from this earth into heaven, as witnessed by the Apostles. The redemptive work of Jesus on earth was completed, and now in the Ascension God the Father exalted Jesus, bestowing upon Him the Name above all names so that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. (Philippians 2:9-11). Jesus ascending in His glorified body into heaven 1) assures us that we too will enter into heaven in our glorified bodies. 2) In His Ascension into heaven, Jesus could then send the promised Holy Spirit which came at Pentecost, so that Christ lives in us by His Holy Spirit. 3) In His Ascension, Jesus is present at the Lord’s Supper through His Holy Spirit so that it is more than merely a commemoration (remembrance) but also a holy communion. 4) (a) Jesus Ascending into heaven was the Father exalting Jesus as the Triumphant King, granting to Him all power, dominion and authority to rule over all things for the Church. (b) In Heaven Jesus serves as the Great High Priest, interceding for us before the Father, and (c) In heaven Jesus serves as the Chief Prophet, leading and guiding His church through His Word and Holy Spirit – the Holy Spirit Whom He has appointed and sent for this specific task.
Therefore, the Ascension is not an unimportant matter! It is an essential part of the redemptive work of Jesus, bringing comfort and an expectant hope of His Return, which we celebrate in the Lord’s Supper! Pastor Alan
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Sunday 30th July 2023 : Thyatira, a Corrupt Church
The church in Thyatira was a warm and growing church. There were volunteers to fill all the ministry positions, and nothing was too much to ask for. People felt welcome and accepted as the church embraced differing views in love. It would be a very popular church today!
But then Jesus severely rebukes the church in Thyatira! They had become so loving and embracing that they were accepting the teaching of a self-proclaimed prophetess called Jezebel, who had seduced the church to sexual immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols. How did she manage that?
Consider this. If two Christian businessmen met for lunch to make a business deal, they might pray grace before the meal, and when the business agreement was reached, again pray and ask God’s blessing on the deal – as Christians our faith is active in every area of our lives. Well, Thyatira was a city known for its trade guilds (unions), and you couldn’t really do business without belonging to a Guild. However, these Guilds were somewhat religious in nature (like the Free Masons today who have a network within businesses and a form of religion with rituals). Whilst the Christian businessmen would pray and acknowledge God in their work, the Guilds would participate in a form of religious rituals that included eating food offered to idols and sexual religious rites.
Now Jezebel was teaching that it was okay to participate in these religious rites to do business. It was ‘just business’ after all, and you had to make a living. God would understand and accept this was how it was in Thyatira. This would be akin to doing a business deal over dinner, then going on to a strip club, getting drunk and indulging with prostitutes in order to ‘seal the deal’, and then saying God would understand and accept that this was simply part of ‘just doing business’. The problem was that the church at Thyatira was accepting this as okay – it’s just business. How many sinful practices have Christians indulged in under the guise of ‘it’s just business?’
The contradiction is that Jesus died on the Cross to sanctify for Himself a Bride (the Church) who is Holy and Blameless, without stain or wrinkle (Ephesians 5:27). If our Lord laid down His life to make us Holy, then He will not accept His church having an easy-going and tolerant attitude to sin that cost Him His life through suffering in Hell! Consequently, Jesus severely rebukes the church of Thyatira. He calls her to repentance and declares judgement on her if she does not repent.
We are called to be Holy as the Bride of Christ. Let us be discerning about the lures and wiles of the world, and prayerfully and intentionally strive to be holy as our Heavenly Father is Holy. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 16th July 2023 : Pergamum, a Compromising Church
Pergamum was a ‘you beaut’ church, and the Lord Jesus commends them for standing firm in the faith in the face of persecution. The church of Pergamum was in a city full of idol worship and a stronghold of false religions. When confronted directly by persecution, they stood firm! But then Jesus rebukes the church because some had been influenced by these false religions and were in danger of denying their faith. After failing in a frontal attack of persecution, Satan now comes in from the side by distraction.
One of these influences was the teaching of Balaam, who advised King Balak to use the women of Moab to seduce the men of Israel and lead them into Baal worship. The women formed relations with the Israelite men, inviting them to meetings with them and making them feel very welcome (basically the Israelite men married unbelievers and were drawn into their religion). Soon the men became Baal worshippers – which resulted in the Lord sending a plague killing 24,000 Israelites.
Jesus also rebukes the church because others were following the teaching of the Nicolaitans. They taught that you are saved by grace so it didn’t matter what you did in the body, and so encouraged a life style of promiscuity, depravity and perversion.
Sound familiar? What would Jesus say to the churches today when 1. Christians encourage other Christians to get divorced, letting Satan spoil God’s wonderful gift rather than encouraging them to let Jesus redeem it (Matthew 19:4-6); or when 2. churches marry same-gender couples as an act of love and acceptance, rather than, in love, supporting them to follow God’s creation order of one man and one woman in a public love commitment for life called marriage (Genesis 2:24); or when 3. Sunday, God’s gift of rest and fellowship with Him, looks no different than the other six days of the week Exodus 20:9-11); or when 4. our thoughts, our feelings, our rights are promoted rather than intentionally imitating Jesus by being of one mind and serving the interests of others (Philippians 2:1-4)?
Do we love Jesus? Absolutely! Do we desire to follow in His blessed ways? You betcha! Then why do these corruptions enter into the church? It happens when we allow the world to influence our thinking and do not let the Word of God speak plainly anymore. And then, we re-interpret the Bible to suit our new values.
But there is always a way back. Jesus calls the church in Pergamum to repent and return to the teachings of the Bible as the Holy Spirit has given it. Otherwise, the Bible will condemn them! And it is serious – look at the Lord’s plague on Israel for worshipping Baal. However, if we repent and conquer, we will be vindicated and go into the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Let us not be seduced by the ways of the world but keep our eyes firmly fixed on Jesus and follow His Word, for in this is victory and glory. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 9th July 2023 : Smyrna, a Persecuted Church
Open Doors writes about a new online database in China where pastors and parishioners (of all religions) have to sign in on a government “Smart Religion App”, including their name, permanent residence, phone no., government ID no., occupation, and date of birth before they can make a reservation to attend church meetings. Some Christians have chosen to meet illegally.
Lately we have been hearing about the persecution in Manipur State, Northeast India, where over 350 churches have been set ablaze, vandalised, and destroyed. Thousands of houses and properties of Christians have been burned and demolished, more than 100 Christians have been killed in the violence, and more than 30,000 Christians from the mainly Christian Kuki people, as well as Christians from the mainly Hindu Meitei people have been displaced and are taking shelter in neighbouring states or in camps, schools, colleges and community centres in the tribal land.
Persecution of the church is real throughout the world today, and the rumbling of persecution is beginning in Australia, with the increasing antagonism against Christianity and the rising of God-rejecting ideology. The question confronting us as God’s people is, “Are we ready to endure it when it comes?” The Church in Smyrna was under severe persecution, and Jesus gives words of comfort and encouragement: Jesus is Lord and all things are under His rule; persecution is the work of the evil one; it may call us to death (but it is only a physical death); it will only be for a time determined by the Lord Jesus. Also, remember the promise of the glory of heaven to come: “Be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life.”
We need to remember that there is a spiritual battle going on! It is a battle for which the Apostle Paul urges us to put on the whole armour of God. In 1 Peter 3, we are called not to be surprised or troubled, nor fear persecutors, but be ready to give a defence of our faith so that our behaviour in Christ may put them to shame. While the world persecutes Christians, the church of Christ is growing! This is also what happened in the Book of Acts. Persecution scattered the church throughout the Roman Empire and spread the Gospel with it. Do not fear, do not despair – Jesus, the Lord of the Church and over all creation is ruling over all for His saving purposes, and is calling us to be part of it. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 2nd July 2023 : Resurrection Power!
The Apostle Paul was a man familiar with power. He knew the ‘power of political might’ as the Roman Empire controlled most of the known world. And he used that power himself as he claimed his rights as a Roman citizen when he was wrongly beaten and jailed by the Philippian magistrate.
Paul knew the ‘power of sin’ as he struggled with sin and cried out that he might be delivered from the body of death in Romans 7. Paul also knew the ‘power of death’, as he despaired to the point of death in 2 Corinthians 1. But most of all, Paul sought the ‘Power of the Resurrection’ – the Power of all Powers!
In Philippians 3, he declares that he considers all things but rubbish compared to knowing Christ and the power of His Resurrection – the power of the Resurrection that makes us able to live WITH God through the forgiveness of sins, a restored relationship with the Lord as we are given the righteousness of Christ in ‘Justification’. More than that Paul desired to know the power of the Resurrection whereby we are able to live FOR God in ‘Sanctification’, the Holy Spirit renewing our hearts and empowering us to live the new life in Christ. By the work of the Holy Spirit, we are being constantly renewed and transformed into the image of Christ as we have been set free from the dominion of sin.
In addition Paul desired to know the power of the Resurrection in ‘Glorification’, living each day with the anticipation of living IN God in the glory of heaven when Jesus returns on the clouds and brings us into the fulness of salvation in heaven and makes all things new. And that sense of anticipation drives and motivates us to stand firm and be busy with the work of God in our everyday lives (1 Corinthians 15:58).
What joy, what comfort, what strength is ours in the Power of the Resurrection! Paul puts it this way in Romans 8:18, “For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” In Christ Crucified and Risen our past is forgiven, the present is meaningful, and the future is certain. That is the hope and comfort that is ours in the Resurrection of Christ Jesus. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 25th June 2023 : First Love
The further you move from the flame the cooler you get – unless you re-kindle the flame. As a church, Ephesus started off with a huge ‘hiss and a bang’. Acts 19 shows that there was a great power encounter as the Gospel upended a whole city steeped in corruption and depravity. Even Paul’s handkerchiefs and aprons held healing power as they were carried away to the sick, healing them and exorcising evil spirits (Acts 19:11-12). What a sight that would have been to witness the bonfire burning thousands of dollars’ worth of magic arts books as a show of repentance! What power! What excitement!
Now Ephesus is forty years or so down the track – the buzz and excitement of the beginning has now passed, the next generation who was not privy to that time probably thinking that it’s merely Mum & Dad’s story. The church was very faithful in its ministries, but it had lost its spark and passion. Things had become routine, and maybe the reason for doing things the way they did in the beginning had become lost.
So, while they were a ‘you beaut’ functioning church organisationally, spiritually they had become stale. Jesus severely rebukes them for having lost their ‘first love’. It is so serious that He threatens to take away their lampstand, that is, to close them down as a church. That is a radical step to take! So why was it so serious? Because they had slipped into being religious instead of being righteous. They had lost the focus and foundation of the Gospel by investing in the programmes instead of relationships.
Sadly, it follows a typical decline of the church. 1. We become so busy with DOING the church that we forget to BE the Church. 2. Consequently we lose the focus of the Gospel and concentrate on programmes and success. 3. Which leads to compromise (if it works, we will do it). 4. Which leads further to corruption: egos (success) are now at the centre of things rather than Jesus (the Gospel). The Church is now a religious organisation of someone’s empire, with the Gospel compromised and lost.
But Jesus gives a way back! To re-kindle the flame of the Gospel through Remembering (the Gospel), Repenting (from sin) and Renewing (in faith). And Jesus promises to him who overcomes, who remains steadfast, they will eat from the tree of life, which is to enter into the Paradise of Heaven. Let us heed the call to stand firm in the Faith, for the King is Coming to bring us into the glory of heaven. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 18th June 2023 : The Glorified Christ with His Church
The Apostle John was the last surviving Apostle; all the other Apostles had been martyred. John had lived through the destruction of Jerusalem that saw the city turned to rubble, some 985 towns ransacked, with some million Jews slaughtered. With Emperor Domitian raging against the Christians, the church was under severe persecution, and here sat John upon the barren rock of Patmos.
The future of the church looked very bleak, and it raised the question: What had become of the Messiah and the Kingdom? It seems that all had been lost after all. But then heaven opens up as John is given a series of visions that make up the Book of Revelation. In the first of the visions, John sees that Jesus is the exalted Son of Man, the Supreme King Who rules over all the nations. Emperor Domitian may have exiled John to Patmos in persecution, but King Jesus purposed it for John to receive these visions about heaven and the Lord’s plan of salvation.
John sees that Jesus is King! He is the All-powerful, Almighty One, ruling over the earth. Jesus has the keys to Death and Hades, and so Jesus has the POWER to be the Supreme King! Jesus as the “Son of Man” is seen standing in the middle of the seven golden lampstands; that is, He is moving and actively ministering among His churches. Jesus is busy Building, Interceding, Purifying, Commanding, Controlling, Protecting and Evangelising through His Church – then and also today!
What a tremendous comfort this brings to the church and to each one of us as Followers of Jesus, when we read about the Christians being persecuted in Manipur, India, with some 80 believers killed and 10,000 homeless as a result of persecution in Manipur state. The Hindu violence directed against Christians continues to escalate, as many hundreds are injured and now 40,000 have fled and are living as refugees. There is massive property damage to churches and homes. In light of this, what a comfort it is to know that King Jesus is walking among the seven lampstands, actively ministering to His church.
Let us be prepared to face persecution in the times to come, resting in the knowledge that Jesus is working out His plan even through the schemes of the evil one. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 11th June 2023 : Parting the Curtain
The Apostle John was the last surviving apostle, an old man in exile on the small barren island of Patmos. The Roman authorities had banished him there because he wouldn’t stop preaching the Gospel. The Roman Empire has just been renamed “The Eternal Empire!”, and the Emperor “The Eternal King!” The emperor wanted to be worshipped as a god, and here was the Church bowing the knee to King Jesus! As a result, the Christian Church was going through a hard time of persecution. In the Book of Revelation we find John writing letters to the Seven Churches in Asia, the churches so dear to his heart.
John writes a message of HOPE and mighty comfort by relating the visions he has seen – that which God has passed on to him. Using symbolic language to protect the churches in persecution, John shows how God the Father is working out for His people His Plan of Salvation that will come to pass in Jesus, the Lamb of God, and that the persecution is part of the Battle of the Kingdoms: The Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. But do not fear! Jesus is the victorious King. The Battle is under His control; just stand firm in faith. “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.” (Revelation 1:3).
What a blessing and comfort for us as we live in an increasingly chaotic world! What is happening around us is all within the Lord’s plan, and is how He is dealing with the forces of Satan in the world and our history. All evil will be brought to account, judged and justice brought to bear. Knowing the Lord is in control, bringing salvation through Jesus the Lamb of God, we are encouraged to have ears to hear the Lord’s message and so to stand firm in the faith! Note the re-occurring theme: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches!” The Blessedness comes from hearing, and in hearing to be able to stand firm! One of the biggest issues today is that people are so wrapped up in themselves and their causes that they are not hearing! That is the clever tactic of the evil one – to distract us from the Word of God. Beloved, be comforted, stand firm in the faith even in this chaotic world. Jesus has won the battle of the Kingdoms at the Cross, and He is coming back at the end of time as determined by the Father to bring that victory in all its fullness! So, stand firm! Christ the King is Coming! Pastor Alan
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Sunday 4th June 2023 : Crucified with Christ – New Life & New Lifestyle
In Romans 6:1, Paul asks a fascinating question, “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” The question comes out of five chapters teaching that salvation is by grace alone, by faith alone, in Christ alone, as God’s free gift – not to be earned by good works, not by adding to the work of Christ, not by any conditions except to believe in Jesus as Lord and Saviour. And so, you can imagine the readers thinking, if we are saved by grace alone as God’s free gift, then it doesn’t matter how we live – we are saved by grace after all. In fact, the more we sin, the more gracious God can be! Paul emphatically responds, “By No Means!” Why? Because your old selves have been crucified with Christ and you have been set free from the slavery of sin, through receiving a new heart along with the Holy Spirit. Like the slaves in the American Civil War who were declared by law to be “free men” and lived in that freedom, so now are you to live in your freedom. As Paul says in verse 11, “So you must reckon yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
To ‘reckon’ is to weigh up the evidence and come to a conclusion: you have been set free from sin in Christ, so now live in that freedom. But this is more than an intellectual assent. To reckon ourselves dead to sin is putting to death the old self with its earthly passions and desires (Colossians 3:5). As Jesus gave Himself up to be crucified on the Cross for our sins, so we too are called to crucify our old sinful nature. That is a radical, intentional, committed and ongoing action! Think about the words of Jesus (in Mark 9) about cutting off your hand, plucking out your eye, amputating your foot, for it is better to enter the Kingdom of God maimed than to be thrown into Hell.
And that is a direct challenge to us, because so often we go easy on sins and let them keep going on. Instead of fleeing from sin we often come to terms with it and accept those sins as part of our everyday lives. It is so easy to take on the values of our culture where responsibility is written off as sickness. Over-drinking is a problem, same gender attraction is something you were born with, overeating is due to stress, violence is due to mental health issues. The idea is that you can’t help yourself; you aren’t responsible. But Paul calls us to crucify the old sinful nature, to radically, intentionally and committedly deal with sin in our lives, to call it what the Bible calls it, to turn away from sin and to turn to the Lord. And here is a key to sanctification; to let the Bible be your guide, live in the power of Christ through His Holy Spirit, and live in praise and thankfulness. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 28th May 2023 : Kindness
Glen Campbell had a hit song many years ago, “Try a Little Kindness.” It makes one think about how narrow minded our society has become. We think of the name calling that has gone on with the debate about the Voice, and that Stan Grant feels he needed to resign as host from the Q & A television programme because of the attacks he has received for sharing his thoughts on the ABC Coronation of King Charles programme.
In Proverbs 16:24, King Solomon wisely said, “Kind words are like honey – sweet to the soul and healthy to the body.” Or in Proverbs 15:1, it says, “A soft answers turns away wrath, but a harsh answer stirs up anger.” Kindness seeks the happiness and well-being of the other person. Kindness is that inner disposition created by the Holy Spirit that causes us to be sensitive to the needs of others. A kind word encourages, soothes a wounded heart, calms an angry soul, paves the way for friendships, and builds trust. It has a genuine interest and consideration for the needs of others.
Imagine what robust and positive debate we could have over issues if we spoke kindly to one another! Imagine how we could understand one another and move forward together if kindness was our attitude, if we stopped putting our expectations on others and instead sought their best interests.
In fact, that is what the Lord did to us. He treated us with infinite kindness as He reached down through time and history in Christ Jesus, loving us even when we were still His enemies! See the kindness of Jesus as He willingly gave up His life for our sins so that we might be “Children of God”. In Philippians Chapter 2, Paul urges us that our attitude is to be like that of Jesus, Who went all the way to death on the Cross for our wellbeing.
Kindness is a fruit of the Spirit. It is a characteristic of the Believer, of spiritual maturity. Because of our kind words that seek to understand and honour them, do people feel safe and respected even in differences? That’s what the Lord calls us to do! Pastor Alan
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Sunday 21st May 2023 : He walked with God
I wonder what stuff you’re carrying around that you’ve never owned up to. All us of have some things in our past that we’re not proud of… that we wish we could undo. Our problem is that owning up is tough. We already found that difficult as kids. Your Dad asked you why the paint was spilt in the garage and you convinced him the cat knocked it over – rather than accepting the blame yourself.
That kind of blame shifting already happened back in the Garden of Eden. Adam was asked what happened. He shifted the blame to Eve. God then asked Eve. She shifted the blame to the snake. Of course, the snake didn’t have a leg to stand on. But neither did Adam and Eve… they were just passing the buck. And we’ve been pretty good at doing that ever since. Owning up is hard.
Our society has made blame-shifting quite respectable, but it has also created some major problems. For example, many years ago a man in W.A. sued the government, some hotels and a company making poker machines. This chronic gambler had gone broke due to his gambling debts. His argument was that the government and the hotels should have warned him. And the poker machine company should have had signs up that gambling is addictive. This fellow was not prepared to accept the blame. Well, some good did come out of that: there are now warnings on poker machines. Our society encourages us to shift the blame. So, what do we do then with the stuff we carry around with us?
Israel’s King David also had some skeletons in his closet – stuff he wasn’t proud of, some of it very serious: murder and adultery. Outwardly it didn’t seem to bother him. He seemed a well-adjusted person. But David tells us in Psalm 32 that inwardly it was a different story. In the strongest terms he shows us how unconfessed guilt has a negative effect on our life.
David says: When I kept silent my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. David uses figurative language to tell us that his guilt affected him physically. His bones wasted away … there was groaning all day long. His vigour and vitality drained away like on a hot, sultry summer’s day when we have no energy. But guilt also affected David emotionally. There was depression… an absence of joy… a deep unhappiness. He says it felt like God’s hand pressing down on him. Guilt was a barrier between himself and God.
The Lord Jesus Christ wants to relieve you of your guilt. He died on the Cross so that we could be forgiven. And He encourages you to confess it and find the same relief David found in Psalm 32. Think about it. That could give you the kind of relief that would put a song on your lips. (Adapted from an article by Rev. John Westendorp) Pastor Alan
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Sunday 14th May 2023 : From Despondency to Joy
Today is celebrated as Mother’s Day. For many it is an opportunity to reflect and be thankful for our mums. For others it triggers painful memories – those who wished to be married and are not; those who desire children but are not blessed with any; those who had abusive mothers or a broken relationship with their mother – and it is tempting to look at life through the pain and distress of our hurts and be paralysed from living life in the blessings the Lord has for us.
Hannah was a woman suffering deep grief and distress as a first wife who was childless, being persecuted by a second wife who was very fruitful, and this went on for years. Her grief and distress were very real and justified. So, what did Hannah do? She prayed! She went to the Lord and poured out her soul before the Lord. But notice how in her prayer for a child she also promises to dedicate him to the full-time service of the Lord. She did not pray to be relieved from her pain of childlessness, or for the scorning of Peninnah, but she prayed for a child for the service of the Lord. She realised that children are God’s gift to us and not our right. Even through her great distress and despondency, provoked by years of abuse and disappointment, Hannah still puts God first in her desires.
Eli the priest, seeing her praying wordlessly, rebukes her for being drunk, but Hannah explains that she was praying. Eli then blesses her, and Hannah goes home with joy. She is no longer sad, because the Lord has heard her prayer. She had cast her cares upon the Lord and now rested in His providence. She had accepted that if the Lord did not grant her a child that it was His will for her life, and that is something we need to take note of. We can become so obsessed with our pain and distress that we become paralysed to seeing all of life through our pain. But when we accept the providence of God and start to look at Him instead of our pain, we find joy in our grief and are able to move on to be useful servants of the Lord.
The Lord remembered Hannah and opened her womb, so Samuel was born. Hannah kept Samuel at home until he was weaned, teaching him the things of God and so equipping him to stand firm in a corrupt temple (just like Jochebed teaching Moses his Hebrew and Covenantal Heritage so he could stand firm in the Palace). Hannah kept her promise and presented Samuel to the Temple, as painful as that may have been. She was a woman of Faith! May we too be people of faith, looking to the Lord in our pain and distress, and teaching our children the inheritance of faith – the greatest gift we can give them! Pastor Alan
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Sunday 7th May 2023 : Where O Death is Thy Sting?
Death is the ‘certain appointment’ that we will all have to face (unless Jesus Returns on the Clouds in our lifetime). It is ugly and grotesque as it wrenches the soul from the body. Death is ugly and grotesque because it is the ultimate curse of sin. The Lord God told Adam not to eat of the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge because the day you eat from it, you will surely die! Paul tells us in Romans that the wages of sin is death!
But did you realise that death is not only the end of life – the removal of a physical life from the earth? The Curse of the Fall into sin also means that each day we are in a living death – suffering and sickness, grief and sorrow, heartaches and disappointments, violence and abuse, brokenness and corruption, misunderstanding and tensions. These are all forms of death. Estrangement from God, from one another, and even from creation are all part of the Curse that God pronounced on Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden.
Yet, death for the Believer has been transformed from being God’s (restrained) punishment to a means of bringing His grace. Likewise the Cross, which was sinful man’s highest expression of hate and rebellion against God, the Lord transformed into the highest expression of His Love and Mercy. So also, with death; physical death has been transformed into a doorway to the glory of heaven, and death and suffering in all its forms has been transformed into the means by which the Lord brings His grace and mercy to bear. As Paul writes in Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good…” Through our hurts and pains, trials and temptations, the Lord brings His grace, encouraging His people, and growing them into strong Christian characters. As Paul writes in Romans 5, “Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand, and we rejoice in the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us.”
In Jesus, death has lost its Sting! In His victory over death and the grave, and paying the price for our sin, death is no longer a punishment of God but has been transformed as a means to bring His grace. What a comfort in a crazy, corrupted and depraved world! Let us not only rejoice in God’s grace but share the good news to a dark, lost and dying world! Pastor Alan
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Sunday 30th April 2023 : No Greater Love Than This ….
Last Tuesday, as a nation we commemorated ANZAC Day. We remembered the soldiers who died in the Gallipoli Campaign for their Sacrifice, Loyalty, Bravery and Tenacity as some 8,000 soldiers died, giving up their lives for King and Country. In total, some 80,000 Australian Soldiers died in the First World War. We also remember the medical teams who rescued and cared for the wounded, and the women who kept the wheels of the war turning by keeping home fires burning and providing the supply chain of food and encouragement.
But why do we celebrate war? Out of gratitude and deep thankfulness that we may enjoy this Blessed Country of Opportunity – Australia. This is a country that many migrants have come to to seek and find a better life in a country of freedom. Men and women laid down their lives so we might live in freedom.
Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” That has been used often in previous days as a catch-cry to enlist people into the armed forces. But it first of all refers to Jesus who has so loved us that He died on the cross for our sins – for us who were his enemies in our sin and rebellion. Jesus, through God, gave up the glory of heaven to take the form of a servant, being obedient to death, even death on a cross. (cf. Philippians 2:6-8)
But it is also an expression of love that each one of us, as followers of Jesus, is called to do! In John 15 Jesus commands that we are to love one another as He has loved us, that we are to die to ourselves that others may live. In love, we have relationships with them. The “proof” of being a disciple of Jesus is evidenced in our love for one another. AGAPE love is a self-sacrificial love that seeks to meet the needs the other person no matter the cost to ourselves. It is self-denying and other orientated. This means that the church will be a very safe and welcoming place, a place where everyone is honoured and respected as a Brother and Sister in Christ, where differences are solved by seeking to uphold the other person and making them feel safe and respected.
Jesus calls us to bear the fruit of love and to be like Christ. He equips us with His Love, Word and Holy Spirit. Our soldiers gave up their lives so that we might live in freedom. Are you giving up your life so others might live in the freedom of the love of Christ? Pastor Alan
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Sunday 23rd April 2023 : Body Life and the Use of Gifts
A number of years ago, there was a movement through the churches of “Knowing your Gifts”. This was a course you did to explore your gifts, with the encouragement to use them in the church. The good thing was that Jesus gave gifts to the church to build up His Body as each part (person) used their God-given gifts. The down side was that people tended to become a little haughty about what works of service they would or would not do, according to their interpretation of the gifts they possessed.
It is interesting that in Romans 12:3-8, the Apostle Paul introduces gifts with a warning: ‘Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought’. It is God Who gives gifts and ordains their use within the Body-life of the church through His ‘calling’ of people to works of service. Therefore, it is the church who recognises gifts and calls people to works of service, and not people deciding individually what gifts they have decided to have and use. How often haven’t we found that the things we thought we were good at we weren’t, and what we thought we were not good at we were. And how often haven’t we used the excuse that we are not good at something to avoid doing works of service in the church.
Paul teaches us, 1. That we need to start with a Right Attitude, a humble heart willing to serve the Lord wherever He calls; 2. To have a Right Relationship, knowing that we are part of the body of Christ and each part needs to do its bit in service to Christ Jesus for a healthy Body; and 3. To be active in the Right Service as the Lord calls us – to love Jesus is to live for Jesus; to live for Jesus is to use our gifts as part of His Body – the LOCAL Church – as each member with their own unique place by God’s calling use the gifts He has assigned.
You may say, ‘But I am old and frail and weary, what can I do?’ You can have a ministry of prayer, holding the needs of the people before the Lord and giving thanks for blessings received. You can be committed to attending the church services as your health allows – never underestimate the encouragement of your presence. And you can provide words of wisdom and encouragement from the many years of experience of faith the Lord has gifted you that we would love to hear and draw upon. Ultimately, it is to be open to what the Lord calls you to do – even if it is just to ‘be’ in Him. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 9th April 2023 : Why are you weeping?
Mary Magdalene was in turmoil. Jesus, her Rabbi, her Teacher, her Lord, was not a hardened criminal, and yet He had been crucified! She had put her hopes and dreams in Jesus; He had the answers to all their struggles. Jesus had given them hope and vision, and taught with such clarity and authority. But now… He is gone, dead and in the Tomb. All that is left are her memories and His body in the tomb. And so Mary’s mind now focuses on Jesus’ Body. At least she can attend to that as the Jewish custom of the day prescribed – her one last act of love and devotion.
There she was that Sunday morning hurrying to the tomb. As she arrived, she saw that the tomb had already been opened! Someone must have raided the tomb! Confused and angry she ran back to tell Peter & John. They ran to the tomb and also saw that it was empty. The strips of linen were still lying there because Jesus had just passed through the material. Mary was overcome with grief and further distress because Jesus’ body is gone! Then Mary saw two angels sitting there. Their presence does not penetrate Mary’s consciousness. ‘Woman, Why are you crying?’ they ask her. How can you be grieving this most glorious day? Don’t you understand, the Body of Jesus is not here because He has Risen! This is what earth and heaven have been waiting for! Sin and Death have been defeated! The curse of sin is broken. That’s why we are here.
But Mary cannot think past attending to Jesus’ Body. Why was she crying? Because they have taken away my Lord and I don’t know where they have laid Him! But you know, if Mary had received Jesus’ body at that moment as she so dearly desired, it would mean Jesus had not risen from the dead, and we would have lost all our hope. We would be still lost in our sin and shame. However, Jesus gently called to Mary. There is a living Jesus standing in front of her, yet she still asks for His dead body. She wants it so she can drag it back to the tomb. Jesus steps up to Mary and gently brings her back to her senses. Mary hugs Jesus so tightly that it seems like she would never let Him go again! Now Jesus rebukes her! Don’t go on clinging to Me! I am not just alive again like Lazarus; this is My Resurrected Body; I am alive for ever and ever. Sin has been paid for and hell has been overcome. And so, there is a new (redemptive) relationship – go and tell My ‘BROTHERS’ – whereas before they were only His friends. What Jesus had achieved by His Resurrection had an enormous impact for the entire universe. As He has Risen, so shall the myriads of those who believe. As Jesus has overcome death and the curse of sin so shall the entire creation when God restores all things when Jesus comes again. Despite our failures as human beings, God in His grace has brought forgiveness and eternal life. In Hs Resurrection, Jesus brings forgiveness and hope to a world that is devastated by the misery of sin, where hunger and disease kill the poor, and stress and obesity kill the rich, where relationships are torn at and broken daily, where the media record society’s hatred and stupidity every day, where death is the fear of us all. All this is answered with the Good News, “Jesus is Alive and with us today!” All you need to do is believe and see the Truth as Mary did. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 2nd April 2023 : Christ the King – from Exaltation to Humiliation
In many things the world runs on hate. Individuals, social groups and even nations openly express and show their hate for one another. People hate one another out of love for money, greed, and covetousness, with a lust for personal ambition, power, envy or revenge. The root of hatred is enmity against God, for hatred of one another is an expression of hatred against God. And it is this hatred that we see at the Cross of Christ where we see Jesus, Who is the Perfect Neighbour because no sin was found in Him, no guile came from His mouth, and Who always cared for others interest above His own. This hatred was expressed in condemning Jesus to death. After Pilate delivered Jesus over to be crucified, Jesus was whipped and beaten with rods, scorned and mocked, blindfolded and beaten about the head, spat upon and abused, and finally was hung upon the Cross to die that cruel death as a hardened criminal, reckoned among the transgressors.
Jesus was hated, scorned and rejected because He told the Truth – declaring that He is the Messiah-King, the Son of David. And it had to be this way! Isaiah (53:10) said, “Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush Him; He has put Him to grief.” Jesus had to be declared innocent and yet treated as guilty so He could stand in our place, to be the substitute and pay the penalty for our sins. In Jesus Crucified, the Father transforms man’s highest expression of hate and rebellion into His highest expression of Love and Grace. It is in the Cross that we have a new heart to live a new life, being set free from the hate and corruption that consumes and destroys sinful mankind. In Christ, we are able to love as God the Father has loved us, able to put the interests of others before our own, and able to bring reconciliation and renewed relationships.
As we celebrate the Passion of Christ in this period of Lent, as we eat of the bread and drink from the cup, let us remember what suffering and agony our sins brought upon Jesus. ‘It was our sins that crucified Thee!’ Let us contemplate, remember and appreciate that His humiliation was for our salvation, and then give Him all the praise and thanks ‘that Jesus would do this for me!’, me, as a wretched sinner, and go out with thankfulness and joy, living the new life that is ours in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 26th March 2023 : I am Barabbas
Life is made up of choices. You choose whether to remain a victim or be a survivor; whether to be positive or negative; to be content or to be bitter; to be a giver or a taker; to fight on or simply give up; to trust in God our Heavenly Father or to be self-absorbed. At the Passover in Jerusalem in Mark 15, Pilate, the Roman Governor, gave the Jews a choice: Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews OR Barabbas?” Barabbas was a notorious criminal; convicted as robber, murderer and insurrectionist. He was waiting to be crucified. Jesus of Nazareth had been travelling around the country preaching the Kingdom of Heaven, performing many miracles and declaring Himself to be the Son of God – the Messiah. Now before Pilate, who is offering the people the choice, both stand for the charge of insurrection (i.e. leading a rebellion against the Roman Empire) and both represented hope to the people. Barabbas was fighting for freedom now, in an earthly kingdom – throwing off the Roman yoke by taking up arms. Jesus was fighting for freedom in the spiritual realm of the heavenly Kingdom. In this, Jesus was a big disappointment to the Jewish people, whose expectation of the Messiah was the political return of the kingdom of David. Now feeding off this disappointment were the Religious Leaders. They were obsessively determined to have Jesus killed so they could continue to rule the people for their own cause (Pilate perceived that it was out of envy that the Chief Priests had delivered Jesus up). They whipped the crowd into a frenzy, “Give us Barabbas!” Consequently, Jesus, Who had been declared innocent of guilt three times, nevertheless was given over to death on the Cross.
But behind this gross miscarriage of justice, was the amazing grace of God! He had determined that it had to be this way, so that Jesus as the unblemished Lamb of God could be offered as the atoning sacrifice for our sins – Publicly and Judicially declared Innocent and yet found guilty, and crucified. Yet that was God’s way of bringing salvation to His people. As we celebrate this season of Lent, considering the suffering of Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, we do so with a sense of mortification that it was my sins that nailed Jesus to the Tree, my voice that cried out in the crowd that day – Yes Lord, I crucified Thee! And yet, also with a sense of amazement and joy that Jesus died, obediently, willingly and lovingly for me! This was God’s plan of salvation so He could reconcile sinners to Himself. Such Love, such sacrifice. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 19th March 2023 : The Two Rocks
Peter was a fiercely loving and loyal Disciple of Jesus. He was a great man! The first Disciple called by Jesus; One of the three inner-circle Disciples; leader of the Twelve Disciples; got out of the boat to Jesus in the storm; confessed Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God; was one of three Disciples with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration; stood up for Jesus in the Garden and cut off the ear of Malchus. His credentials are on par with the Apostle Paul! And to top it off, Jesus changed his name from Simon to Peter as the Rock upon which the church would be built.
But there was a fundamental problem: Peter’s ego and his vision of the Kingdom. In the Upper Room before the arrest of Jesus, the Disciples had been arguing who of them was the greatest. When Jesus warned Peter that Peter would deny Him, Peter boldly asserted that he definitely, without a doubt, would remain loyal even unto death itself! Also, his vision of the Kingdom was one of an earthly political kingdom – that is why he pulled the sword in the Garden when Jesus was arrested, eager to start the revolution!
How could this bold, brash Peter be the ‘rock’ on which to build the church? Well, he couldn’t. Therefore he had to be broken in order to become the Rock upon which the church is built. The Lord broke Peter through his denials, broke the boldness and brashness of his ego and wrong vision of the Kingdom, and restored him as the Rock – the one who would preach that first Pentecost sermon which gave birth to the New Testament Church.
So, what can we learn from Peter?
One thing is that sometimes God has to break us so He can use us in His Kingdom.
Another is that we need to be Kingdom expanding and not empire building, by being humble and getting our egos out of the way!
Another is that we need to live in the strength of the Lord and not in fear. When we deny Jesus, putting a break in the relationship, we cut off the strength of His Spirit.
Lastly, when we do fall, there is always forgiveness and restoration upon true repentance. Peter wept bitterly in repentance and we see him restored by Jesus at the Lake of Galilee and go to preach at Pentecost. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 12th March 2023 : Are You the Christ?
One of the most frustrating and humiliating experiences is being accused of a wrong you know you did not do, or to be called a liar when you are telling the truth, or when someone is out to get you and will use anything and any argument to make you look bad. Look at what our politicians do to one another, or how the media seems to make stories by innuendo. Don’t worry about the truth, just as long as you can score the point for your advantage.
Picture Jesus, arrested by stealth in the middle of the night, tried by a High Priest who is no longer in Office, faced by the whole council of the Sanhedrin while it is still in the night (thus an illegal session of court), bribed witnesses who could not get their story straight, having His words twisted to say what He never said, and then being asked to defend Himself. But Jesus remained silent. How can you make a defence when there is no charge? And then when the whole kangaroo court was on the verge of collapse, Caiaphas asks the ultimate question, “Are You the Christ?”, to which Jesus declared that He was indeed the Christ, the Son of God – which gave Caiaphas a charge he could use, the charge of Blasphemy. It is a bit of an irony that Jesus was charged and sentenced to the penalty of death for telling the Truth! However, it was part of God’s plan of salvation that, though innocent, Jesus should die on the Cross to pay the penalty for our sins.
In the rejection of Jesus through the ‘court’, the Religious Leaders had formally rejected Jesus as the Lord’s Messiah. As teachers of the Scriptures they should have recognised Him by the signs and fulfilment of prophecy. We see how hard hearts bring such utter blindness, along with rage and envy, as they defend their own religious empire, and this resulted in God’s Judgement on Israel with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 AD. They could not simply crucify the Christ and not be judged for it.
And that is a challenge to you and me, and all people. As sinners, we also crucified the Christ. Jesus declares that He is the Lord’s Messiah. Will you be like the religious leaders and deny Him as Lord and Saviour of your life, resulting in His crucifixion bringing the Lord’s Judgement on you also? Or do confess Jesus as the Christ, your Lord and Saviour, with His crucifixion bringing the Lord’s salvation? Pastor Alan
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Sunday 5th March 2023 : The Curse of the Cross
The cross is a very popular and accepted symbol today. You see them everywhere; in churches, on churches, on pamphlets and books, even as jewellery! In fact, we even sing, “In the Cross of Christ I glory”! The Cross is the symbol of the Christian faith.
But you know, in the times of the New Testament, people would have been absolutely horrified and offended! To the Jews, the Cross was the sign of someone being utterly cursed by God. And to the Gentiles, crucifixion was their harshest and most cruel way of putting someone to death, reserved for criminals and slaves. It was against the law for Roman citizens to be crucified. Perhaps their equivalent of the cross today would be if we hung a hangman’s noose around our neck. Can you imagine singing, “In the Hangman’s noose I glory”?
Yet to us, as Christians, the Cross is a sign of great joy! It is a sign that Jesus has won the victory over the curse of sin and death. God had said to Adam & Eve, “The day you eat of the forbidden fruit in rebellion against Me, that day you will surely die!” Adam & Eve’s rejection of God’s rule as Creator brought death into the world. Instead of being under God’s favour in fellowship, they were now under God’s judgement in broken fellowship. The curse of sin and death now held creation and mankind in its grip. How can this curse be lifted and removed? Well, immediately the Lord God promised a Saviour Who would remove the curse of sin. And Jesus did so by the way of the Cross.
Why the Cross? Because Deuteronomy 21:22-23 teaches that if a man is guilty of a Capital Offence, he is to be put to death and his body hung on a tree for everyone to see as being under the curse of God. Jesus had not just to die, but also to suffer death in its harshest, cruellest, most humiliating form, and publicly, so that He would win victory over it and pay the penalty for our sins. In this way He shouldered the curse that lay on me – a sinner. The Cross is at the heart of the Gospel as the power of God unto salvation as it removes the curse of sin and restores us through forgiveness to fellowship with the God the Father. That is worth glorying in! Pastor Alan
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Sunday 25th December 2022 : Peace on Earth!
At the birth of Jesus, the night sky was ablaze with a brilliant light with a ginormous choir of angels singing. What an amazing, magnificent sight that would have been – more impressive than the best performed Handel’s ‘Hallelujah Chorus’!
There they were, singing their hearts out, in perfect harmony in a spectacular display. What was it that they were so excited about? It must have been something very significant to have all those angels singing in the night sky. The angels, with great joy and praise, were proclaiming the birth of Jesus as they were singing, “Glory to God in the highest…” at what was the greatest event of all time – God visiting sinful mankind through the Saviour. There was never a happier announcement ever made: “I bring you good tidings of great joy for all the people. Today in the Town of David a Saviour has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord!” The angels have been waiting to hear this Good News! We see this in Luke 15:7, where Jesus tells us that there will be great rejoicing in heaven over the sinner who repents. The glory and grace of God at Christmas is that He, the Almighty Creator God, has reached down through time and history, through His Son, Jesus, to a rebellious, sinful human race to restore the relationship with Him. God’s glory is seen in the coming of Jesus where, on the one hand we see His anger, judgement and perfections in the judgement of those who reject Jesus as Saviour, and on the other hand, God’s abounding love, infinite mercy and amazing compassion to those who believe in Jesus as their Lord and Saviour – God Himself, dealing with our sin and shame in His Beloved Son, Amazing Grace, worthy of all praise and joy and adoration.
We see the angels again in Revelation 5, thousands upon thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand, a glorious celestial choir singing the “New Song” of salvation with all its verses at the end of time when, in the glory of heaven, Jesus receives all glory and honour and praise as the Lamb in the completed work of Salvation. What an absolutely wonderful sight that will be! May our celebration of Christmas be joined with the praise of the angels, singing our hearts out with joy and praise for God’s glory revealed in Christ, born in a stable in Bethlehem to die on the Cross at Golgotha – Jesus our Lord and Saviour. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 18th December 2022 : Who is the Father of Christmas?
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I muse about who is the father of Christmas? As Christians we would immediately respond, God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Who was born at Bethlehem; which is what Christmas celebrations are all about – the ‘reason for the season’, right?
So how come so many Christian Christmas celebrations have Santa in them? I remember serving at a combined churches Christmas community dinner and the MC giving a ‘Jesus – the reason for the season’ talk and right smack in the middle of it, “Santa” arrived decked in his red suit and a sack of gifts singing, “Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas everyone!” The MC made a huge fuss about Santa arriving – and the message of Jesus was pushed aside for Santa. We talk about doing “Secret Santa” gifts, but if Christmas gifts are about reflecting God’s greatest gift in Christ born at Bethlehem, why do we attribute our gift giving to Santa? Think about it: there is Santa, a white bearded benevolent grandfather figure, sitting in his throne, having children on his lap listening to their requests, working the magic of Christmas, with his workshop in the North Pole with little elves busy packing Christmas gifts, speeding around the world on his sleigh pulled by reindeers to dispense his goodwill and joy.
Surely it seems that Santa is in competition with Jesus for Christmas! In America even the language is changing from the greeting of ‘Merry Christmas’ to ‘Happy Holidays’! In fact (in America) the public display of nativity scenes has been legally challenged and are only allowed if they are not displayed as a religious symbol but as ceremonial deism – that is, as long as we all know it is just pretend. Here we have the battle of the kingdoms (the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan) being fought over the celebration of Christmas! In Australia, the nativity is still traditionally celebrated, but more as one of the many alternative ways of celebrating Christmas. Santa and the Christ-child are set alongside one another – just look at the light displays around the neighbourhood. But Jesus born at Bethlehem is not merely one alternative to celebrating Christmas – Jesus is Lord and King!
The question is, ‘who do you celebrate as the Father of Christmas?’ Pastor Alan
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Sunday 11th December 2022 : Yet I will rejoice!
Sometimes, in a moment of cynicism, I ponder about what is the point of celebrating Christmas? It’s all a bit of a romantic ‘virtual reality’ fix, isn’t it? We eat too much, drink too much, spend too much, revel in the fantasy of Santa Claus, spread season’s greetings of good cheer (which we don’t really mean, but it is the season).
But when I stop looking at Christmas through the world around me, and look at God, then a whole new way of thinking overwhelms me.
Christmas is about the Glory and Grace of God. Christmas, Jesus God Incarnate, born as a baby at Bethlehem is a real, live, historic event! Jesus was born at a particular time, in a particular place, in a particular way to fulfil the prophecies God had given all those hundreds of years ago. It shows us that God is the Controller of History! And that is the crunch.
Christmas is not a romantic virtual reality fix at all; it is God controlling history to bring His salvation. Christmas reveals the glory and grace of God!
Now those Christmas hymns are no longer merely tradition that makes me feel good in their familiarity, but a glorious expression of praise of the wondrous saving acts of God, worked out throughout the history of mankind; beginning at Genesis right through until the end of time when Jesus Returns.
Christmas reveals God’s faithfulness throughout all of History. The whole Old Testament is about the coming of Jesus, the Lord’s Messiah, our Lord and Saviour, born in a stable in order to die on the Cross. And this brings great comfort and joy. We can trust that this is the real McCoy and not just one of the many ways to celebrate Christmas (Santa Claus; Great Aussie BBQ, Parties, etc.) because God is the Controller over history, and through history brought about His salvation. I no longer have a cynical view of Christmas but take great joy in the God of my Salvation!
How will you celebrate Christmas this year? Pastor Alan
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Sunday 20th November 2022 : The Abomination of Desolation
Jesus had just told the Disciples something shocking! As His Disciples looked at the beautiful structure of the glorious Temple of Jerusalem that had been (and was still being built) by Herod the Great, Jesus told them that a time was coming that not one stone would be left on top of another; that is, it would be completely and totally destroyed. The Disciples were stunned; and they asked Jesus when this would happen, and what would be the signs.
In Verses 3-13, Jesus predicts what will happen before the Destruction of the Temple: False teaching, persecution and rejection. As the Gospel goes out to all nations there will be opposition. Therefore, do not be alarmed but be on your guard. Do not be anxious but rely on the Holy Spirit Who will empower you. Endure to the end!
In Verses 14-24, Jesus tells of how the destruction of the Temple will come about. It will be a further fulfilment of the Daniel prophecy of enemy forces coming in and destroying the Temple. At that time, you must flee to the mountains as the armies will not spare the people. False prophets and ‘christs’ will arise with their predictions and false teachings. They will be very convincing even to the point of leading believers astray. Therefore, be on your guard! I am telling you these things beforehand so that you can be prepared and endure.
Later in the New Testament, we have similar warnings from Jesus in the letters to the Churches in the Book of Revelation. The Churches are warned about false teachers, losing their first love, tolerating sin in the church, remaining unrepentant, being lukewarm in the faith, and are called to conquer and stand firm. Otherwise, Jesus will remove the lampstand from their church. As God withdrew His presence from the Temple, so also He will withdraw His presence from unfaithful churches. What are we to do? Jesus calls us to be on guard, not to be deceived by false teaching, and to conquer and endure by keeping our eyes on Jesus! Pastor Alan
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Sunday 13th November 2022 : Living faithfully in a Time of Waiting
The Disciples were in for a big shock! After the confrontation with the Religious Leaders in the Temple ending with Jesus pronouncing seven curses on the Leaders, Jesus broke into a lament over Jerusalem, how He often wanted to gather them together a hen gathers her chicks under her wings and declares that their house would be left desolate. The Disciples pondered over these words and as they came out of the Temple and saw the magnificence, majesty and splendour of it with its huge stones and gold overlay. They felt overwhelmed by this symbol of God’s presence and they being His Covenant people.
In response, Jesus declares that there will not be one stone standing on top of one another that will not be thrown down. See this Temple, it will be completely razed to the ground as if it never existed. Well, thought the Disciples, that would mean the end of God’s relationship with His people! That must also mean the end of the ages when the Son of Man returns to bring in His Kingdom (Daniel 7). So, they asked when this will happen and what signs to look for. Then Jesus starts to say strange things, “See that no one leads you astray…” Actually, He prepares them for the time that He will not be with them (after Pentecost) as they will continue His work on earth, for the Gospel must be proclaimed to all the nations. There will be false teachers who will claim to be the Messiah and lead many astray. There will be wars and rumours of wars, nation rising against nation, earthquakes and famines. These are not signs of the end times, but the beginning of the new Gospel era which will see you persecuted and beaten by your own people. Even families will turn on families as the Gospel goes out into the world. But do not be anxious and
fear, take courage, for the Holy Spirit will be with you and equip you what you to say and to stand firm.
Mark 13 is about Jesus preparing His Disciples for Gospel ministry when He has ascended to heaven to sit at the Right Hand of the Father. Much has been made about signs and predicting the end times but it firstly about preparing and encouraging His Disciples for their task of Gospel ministry without Jesus among them. The Book of Acts records the Gospel going out into the world of which we today are part of. As we see the `signs’ let not be anxious or afraid, but strong and courageous as the Church we continue the Gospel work of the Disciples. Pastor Alan
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Sunday 6th November 2022 : Suffered under Pontius Pilate
Have you ever wondered why Pontius Pilate is mentioned in the Apostles’ Creed? Pontius Pilate was not even a nice man. He came from Spain, found himself in Rome and managed to marry the daughter of Emperor Augustus. Pilate asked for the job of Governor over Judea, but he always got himself into trouble. He could not avoid political disaster, and here he was a frightened and egotistical man, worried about his political future, judging the trial of Jesus! So why was he mentioned in the Apostles’ Creed?
1). The mentioning of Pilate’s name was to date the event of Christ’s trial and crucifixion. Back in the days of Jesus, and earlier, events were dated by the rule of the King or Governor at the time (cf. Luke 3:1-2, introducing the beginning of the ministry of John the Baptist). Pilate was a real historical person and so the Crucifixion of Jesus was a real historical event. Christianity is based on real historical events; it is not a “made-up” religion. Jesus was a real live person. Therefore, God’s promises are also real and trustworthy.
2). Pilate’s name is also mentioned because the trial and crucifixion had to be a whole-world universal event. Pilate as a Roman Governor represented the human court of Justice. As such he represented the world. The Jews rejected Jesus and sought his crucifixion and Pilate, although declaring Jesus as innocent, still delivered Jesus over to death. Both the Jews and Gentiles rejected Jesus, considering Him worthy of death. Jesus had to die on the Cross as the universal symbol of God’s salvation. For God so loved the ‘world’ – His salvation is for all people.
3). Pilate’s name is mentioned because as the Roman Judge representing the human court of justice, he declared to all the world that Jesus was innocent of any charge, thereby confirming that Jesus died as our perfect substitute – the Innocent One paying for the guilty, so that we, the guilty, may be declared innocent before the Father. See what the marvellous grace of God can do, that through the weakness, sinfulness and selfishness of all involved He works out our Salvation! Pastor Alan
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