My Father's Eyes

On father's day, our pastor spoke about the prodigal Father. The word prodigal means lavish, extravagant, abundant and excessive. In Luke 15 we see a Father who is lavishes his love on his son. The power to become all God intends comes from looking into Fathers eyes - all can know the lavish love that comes from knowing the eyes of our heavenly Father. When we see Fathers eyes, we are enabled and empowered to  love unconditionally, trust undoubtedly, serve untiringly and proceed unhesitatingly.

I felt such a strong connection with what he spoke of, as I remember so often when I looked into my father's eyes I saw that genuine love and compassion. I saw his joy and delight in me - and in that I found security and stability that cannot be matched by earthly things. From a young age, I felt enabled to do things - to love those around me, to give and to serve, to trust... all because he first had chosen to love me.


During the sermon he played Eric Clapton - My Father's Eyes.

Sailing down behind the sun, 
Waiting for my prince to come. 
Praying for the healing rain 
To restore my soul again. 

Just a toe rag on the run. 
How did I get here? 
What have I done? 
When will all my hopes arise? 
How will I know him? 
When I look in my father's eyes. 
My father's eyes. 
When I look in my father's eyes. 
My father's eyes. 

Then the light begins to shine 
And I hear those ancient lullabies. 
And as I watch this seedling grow, 
Feel my heart start to overflow. 

Where do I find the words to say? 
How do I teach him? 
What do we play? 
Bit by bit, I've realized 
That's when I need them, 
That's when I need my father's eyes. 
My father's eyes. 
That's when I need my father's eyes. 
My father's eyes. 

Then the jagged edge appears 
Through the distant clouds of tears. 
I'm like a bridge that was washed away; 
My foundations were made of clay. 

As my soul slides down to die. 
How could I lose him? 
What did I try? 
Bit by bit, I've realized 
That he was here with me; 
I looked into my father's eyes. 
My father's eyes. 
I looked into my father's eyes. 
My father's eyes. 

My father's eyes. 
My father's eyes. 
I looked into my father's eyes. 
My father's eyes.

Fix our thoughts on Jesus

Hebrews 3:1-2
 ¹ Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. ² He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house.

Fix your eyes/thoughts on Jesus. Those who fix their thoughts on Jesus see through Jesus eyes, those which fix their eyes on Jesus get the mind of Christ - we become what we behold. Fixing our thoughts, brings healing, and restoration of our sight. To fix our thoughts on Jesus is to order our lives by the obedient submission to Gods word.

The enemy attacks us subtly - sin easily begins with a sympathetic thought toward evil. The challenge is that we have an 'express yourself' culture, in a 'deny yourself' kingdom. We need to be active in our thoughts, to turn toward Jesus. We need to be humble with our feelings, until they are filtered and validate through the word of God.

Norm Willis, 14 April 2013

Faith & Doubt

Marcy Willis - 28 Apr

> Faith works by love - love for God and for people. God wants to take away doubt and unbelief.
> Root of doubt is dubious - distrust, fluctuation of mind. Doubts are built into our misunderstanding.
> Did we miss the point on fearing the Lord, sacrificing? Did we take only what God says as fact, and the contrary experience as false?
> Peter sunk because he took my eyes off me, because he doubted me and my call. Not because it was his time to sink, or it was part of his perfect plan.
> Matthew 21:22-23... do not doubt. James :
   1. Faith in his willingness, restoring, bringing out of bondage, making us into his likeness
   2. Doubting will prevent receiving.
   3. Doubting person is double minded and unstable... Being willing to identify and resolve doubts overshadowing and destabilizing and making us double minded.

Doubts caused by:
    Pain of the heart. If we do not process a wounding or tear biblically, it allows a daemonic entry, it justifies our right to hold onto the pain... Subconsciously hold against the Lord. Calcification of soul through hardness of heart. Antidote. proverbs 16:6 - mercy and true love, fidelity to God and man.
    Judgement. Be merciful and forgive. We do not understand context, our reactions are based on judgement not reality, and that is what causes us pain. Discernment comes out of love - Phillips 1:9 humility and mercy, Matthew 18:32 forgive from you heart.
    Unclear conscience. Keep his commandments, believe in him and love one another. If we do not have clear conscience, we won't be able to believe him. 1 Timothy 3:9 , 1:19

Trial of Identity, and Guarantee in Resurrection

These two sermons spoke powerfully to me, both the context of Jesus's trial, judgement (and how that is even applicable in today's culture), but also the power and hope released by the cross and resurrection


Truth and Deception in the Trial of Identity

• Everybody had a faulty notion of power (i.e. Hierarchial rule), versus Jesus view (Sacrifical, 'The last shall be first' etc)
• Jesus's claim to be a King challenged the power of the day : (1) political power of Rome, (2) religious power of Pharisees and (3) self centred power of the people. Jesus's admittance of who he was, was the evidence required to call him guilty, as only Rome had the legal ability to establish a King. There was a system of deception to maintain the status quo of power.
• Crucifixion was for terrorist, to distort their identity and to dishonour them.
• Ignorance was a conscious decision of the people. Ignorance avert's the heart from accessing the truth. 'Envy is the opposite of a coin called Vanity' - it comes from pride, in ourselves and our traditions. What of the world system do we allow to enter our heart? That which eliminates Jesus's authority and jurisdiction in our lives? Ignorance is turning away consciously - so the antithesus is turn fully towards Jesus.
• We all stand guilty participants in sending him to death - the cross was done by us. However our joining in his death, means that we can join with him in new life. It was not only our sin that sent him, but it was a Father's love.

The Authority of the Cross and the Guarantee of Resurrection

Acts 2:22-28 [NIV]   

 ²² “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. ²³ This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. ²⁴ But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. ²⁵ David said about him: “‘I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. ²⁶ Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope, ²⁷ because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay. ²⁸ You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.

• The cross without the resurrection is authority without accomplishment. The resurrection without the cross is accomplishment without guarantee.
• The immediate relevancy of the resurrection turns obstacles into opportunities, devastation into restoration and certain death into resurrection life. When we are the prison of impossibility, there is hope in light of the resurrection. The resurrection did not erase the word 'hopeless', it just erased it's application.
• Though hope abides, if it is not applied it is of no affect. Hope gets us access into the account, and prayer enables to draw out of that account.

1 Peter 1:3 [NIV]    Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

• Resurrection is our hope - death is no longer something we fear.
• Resurrection is hope that God will balance the scales of justice

Forgiveness

Having recently finished watching the latest season on "The Biggest Loser", I was struck by the fact that one of the trainers (Jillian Michaels) talked one of the contestants through forgiveness, purely because she knew it has holding her back, that it had trapped her in her situation (which had then also resulted in her bad eating habits)... she pointed out that she (the contestant) needed to forgive the person because it was good for herself, it was what was needed to release her from the emotional baggage, which was resulting in her unhealthy lifestyle.

How come the world knows how good and healthy forgiveness is? Yet we struggle so much with it... If you google forgiveness, you will be surprised that the most of the initial articles are medical related... how forgiveness is physically good for you...

So am I going to consciously look to forgive thus that upset, offend, or even maliciously hurt me? Knowing ultimately that forgiveness is good medicine for my soul and body?



Below are a few points from a great preach earlier this month at our church.

1. What is forgiveness?
   To excuse for a fault or offence. To grant relief for payment of. A conscious or deliberate effort to release feelings of resentment.
   
2. Why forgive?
   Things happen in life which cause offence. We can chose to forgive or withhold forgiveness. However someone once said "Unforgiveness is us taking poison and expecting somebody else to die."
   
3. What does forgiveness do?
   (1) frees both parties, (2) restores relationships with others, (3) releases grace to be active, (4) restores relationship with the Lord, (5) better physical health.
   
4. What did Jesus say about forgiveness?
   Jesus on the cross: "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do." Matthew 6:14-15 : For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
   
5. How to forgive
   (1) choose to release - act of the will, can function regardless of the temperature of your heart (Corrie Tenboom). (2) forgive immediately and without anger. (3) with a heart towards restoration. (4) completely as our Father forgives us - psalm 103:12.

Restaurant Stakeout

So I was watching Restaurant Stakeout the other night. What was so interesting about the show is not just how the people acted when they did not know they were on camera, but beyond that how they responded when they were confronted about it. Many did initially deny what had been shown on the camera, but most did agree that their behaviour - which they were being challenged about - was wrong.

God spoke to me and asked me if I ever thought about the fact that he was there in the room with me. Of course if I consciously saw him before me, I would act differently.

This did take me back to a testimony I heard from Jack Hayford, where somebody asked why it seemed like he lived a life so cognisant of the Lord, but also with absolute humility. He responded saying that when he was growing up and his mother had to discipline him, she would ask him to respond to her as if Jesus was sitting there in the room with them. Therefore he grew up with a consciousness and a reverence of the Lord's presence where ever he was.

Do I have that consciousness and reverence?

Preach: Significant Measure, Norm Willis, 3-Mar

Following a great and inspiring conversation with a friend this morning, I was just reflecting on a preach I heard from Norm Willis about success vs. significance, essentially boiling down to the heart of giving or receiving. Below are the key sermon points, but what stood out to me was the point on that "giving is man's limited measure overcome by God's unlimited promise" which I took to mean that when we give something which is finite and limited, God can partner with that intention, that action, and increase it beyond which we could. This is both because God is unlimited and very generous, but also because he desires to have a relationship with us, to partner with us. Do I always approach my giving (not even just financial, but any sacrifice), as a partnership with the Lord, and recognise the power of giving... not sure.

- Luke 6:38
- Let God focus on the goal, and we are to invest in the needs
- The pathway to significance is found in the capacity to care for others.
- Mark 4:24. By your standard of measure, it will be measured. By the measure you sow, same measure it will be reaped.
- Love is a measured attribute, determined by investment in God and others
- What is our orientation, towards success vs. significance ... Are we focused on our own goals vs. somebody else's? If we sacrifice and help others reach their goals, God will provide and help you reach yours.
- Giving is man's limited measure overcome by God's unlimited promise.
- Martin Luther King "life's most persistent and urgent question is what are you doing for others."
- The quickest way to become rich is to give your life to enrich others.
- Are we living to give?