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?

Preach : Embers & Ashes : 17-Feb

We had a pastor visit us at CCK today - he was from Switzerland (but spoke incredible English, with only a slight German accent). He started off sharing about a senior catholic pastor in Switzerland who had recently written a book about embers and ashes - that as a church, they (and other churches) may have become to focused on the ashes produced by the fire, and lost focus on the embers, on the fire.

Leviticus 6:8-13 (NIV) - The Burnt Offering

8 The Lord said to Moses: 9 “Give Aaron and his sons this command: ‘These are the regulations for the burnt offering: The burnt offering is to remain on the altar hearth throughout the night, till morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar. 10 The priest shall then put on his linen clothes, with linen undergarments next to his body, and shall remove the ashes of the burnt offering that the fire has consumed on the altar and place them beside the altar. 11 Then he is to take off these clothes and put on others, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a place that is ceremonially clean. 12 The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood and arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat of the fellowship offerings on it. 13 The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out.

1) The fire needs to keep on burning. A critical point drilled in by the fact that it is stated multiple times in the text.
2) Fire falls on sacrifice - sacrifice is dead flesh. Are we willing to let our flesh die, to sacrifice that at God's altar? Ultimately God is a consuming fire, and whilst we recognise his grace and love falling on our lives, we also need to recognise that his fire will also burn all that which is not important - are we open to that happening?
3) You cannot have continuous fire like without producing ashes - ashes are not bad, and should be treated with the due respect (the priest needed to change clothes for this, and place the ashes in a special place). However need to recognise the ashes are not the focus - they are not holy, the fire/sacrifice is holy, so the ashes were holy, but no more.
4) Do we recognise where we have lost focus - where we have become to focused on the ashes, on the rituals or other human creations, which were born out of something good, but are no longer good themselves.
5) "A third of my theology is wrong, but I am not sure which part it is" - NT Wright. Scripture can create ashes through own misinterpretation - are we open to being told by God, area's where our interpretation is wrong?

Choice or Feeling

I was at the School of Generosity (at City Church) today, and during the Q&A session somebody asked this lady who had difficulties with her father, how she had dealt with it. The way she summarised was that too often we try to feel our way into a choice, but rather we should choose a way into a feeling. Her point was that she had to chose to forgive her father for his failings (as all earthly fathers will fail), which might not have come naturally, or maybe wasn't what she wanted, but it was the choice she had to make. I felt it was a powerful and simple point about choosing how we feel, and not being a victim in our circumstances.

So how do I choose to feel today? How do I chose to respond to my wife? How do I chose to engage with people at my business? It is my choice, no one is control of me...

For interest, this lady has a blog - http://www.heartdoctorblog.com/ - go check it out.

Preach : Judah Smith : Heaven - Keep it Clear : 3-Feb

I was thinking back to Judah Smith's preach a few Sundays ago.

The church has been going through a series on heaven. The main message was how do we keep a perspective in our lives as to who and what is important. This was brought out buy Judah referring to the book of Revelation, where it talks about how so much of the city is made of gold, yet the gold itself is clear - allowing the light & glory of Christ to come into any structure or thing.

The point is do we live lives where we maintain that focus & purity, allowing God's good and powerful light to shine in us and through us. Do we keep that focus on Jesus, not allowing ourselves to shift our focus onto other aspects of our lives or the world.
I just recognised that I face distractions everyday (as everyone does), but am I able to keep shifting my focus  away from that distraction and look to Jesus - for inspiration, for direction, for security, for affirmation... but even more so am I able to look at him and enjoy him?

That might take us onto a separate point, so I'll stop here for now.

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Key sermon points:- John 3:13
- Luke 11:1-4
- Revelation 21:1-2,9-11,18-23 and 22:1
- Gold is not wrong, but keep it clear... our possessions should not possess us.
- Matthew 6:19-23 ... Do not store wealth up on earth. Keep your eye good (single / clear), so your body will be full if light, not bad (chaotic / unfocused).
- If your eye is clear and singularly focused on Jesus, your whole being will radiate with His light.
- Matthew 6:33
- Romans 5:17
- Galatians 5:22-23. Fruit of the Spirit - not fruit of ours but His.