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Inspection time
Go, inspect the city of Jerusalem. Walk around and count the many towers. Take note of the fortified walls, and tour all the citadels that you may describe them to future generations. For that is what God is like. He is our God forever and ever, and he will guide us until we die. Psalm 48:12-14
We live in a world of inspections, inspections of schools, medical examinations, food hygiene, hair lice and tidy bedrooms to name a few. How often do we inspect the other areas of our lives. How about our own lives, when was the last inspection that you made, or someone else made on you. Would we pass the inspection or would there be areas that need extra work. Here Korah is exciting us through this psalm to rejoice in the city of Jerusalem, to marvel at all the things that God has done and is doing.
Take a look at the walls and towers, that make up Crestwood and marvel at what God is doing, as we inspect them more closely we see the mighty hand of God in it all. No wonder the Psalm starts,
“How great is the Lord and how deserving of praise.”
When we look at the children and the youth, when we look at the musicians and the people who have immersed themselves in the work of the church. When we see so much individual growth in new believers, all this shows the hand of God. One of the biggest encouragements is to see so many from Crestwood out on the Lakeside and Withymoor estate telling people about their faith and about the hope they can find in Jesus. God is doing a real work of grace among us, don’t let it pass you by. Keep inspecting and looking for Go d in all that goes on in and through the church. Look at the defences, the towers, the gates, strengthen that which need strengthening , build that which needs building and continue to establish the work of the God through the power of the Holy Spirit in our own lives. The greatest inspector is the God, he knows all about us, our weaknesses and our strengths and our concerns and hopes. Keep your eyes on the work in hand , but don’t loose sight of your own life, that we may all walk worthy of our awesome God.
Labels: individual, Inspection, towers, walls
Its all gone dark
For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. 2 Cor 4:6-7
After a few glorious weeks of sunshine, our local micro area of the world seems to have all gone dark and cloudy. Our shorts and short sleeved T-shirts are put on one side once more and give way to sweat shirts or another layer of something.
That maybe physically what its like, but what about spiritually. Over the past few weeks we have been looking at the person and work of the Holy Spirit. How he brings about fellowship with the Father and power to do ministry on his behalf.
Through the Holy Spirit we also have another great possibility. The very presence of God who illuminated this world at creation is still illuminating it today. The same one who shone out brightly from the face of Moses as he received the Law on top of Mount Sinai, the same one who shone out to the disciples at his transfiguration, the same one who shone out after his resurrection, is the same Lord Jesus who wants to shine out of us.
Its not they we are special in ourselves, it’s he that is in us, who makes us shine. A sweet wrapper is useless without the sweet, as is a torch without batteries and a bulb.
God through his Spirit wants to bring the best out of each of our lives, he wants to bring out this great treasure hidden within our lives. Without it, our lives can go dark, just as creation would have stayed dark if God had not intervened.
If Jesus were to appear today on earth, his face would shine so brightly that we would be blinded, his “glory” his physical greatness, would be too much for our sinful bodies. But because we are born again of his Spirit he is the treasure in our lives, he is the best in our lives and he wants to shine out of you, so that you through his power may reach others and radiate the light of God to others. Without his light, his glory we are like dull pots of clay, but with him energising us and shining brightly through us, we can impact our community.
Some people say when they have been with Christians who are close to God that they look like they have been with Jesus, but its more than just a glow or a sparkle, its how we conduct ourselves and how we treat others around us. Shining out Jesus, means we act like Jesus, our minds are like Jesus and our conversation is true. Lets get out of the dark and let the light shine from you.
Labels: Brightly, Conversation, Light, Shine
Forgetting what we already have
I need someone to mediate between God and me, as a person mediates between friends. Job 16:21
How many times have we said to our children or looked at society and said, “I just wish they would appreciate what they already have” The question should be returned to us and we should ask ourselves the very same question.
Job was a man who loved God, was afflicted with the most severe human experiences and situations and battled with the judgements he faced, because he believed them to be from God. He would through his limited understanding long and dream for a better tomorrow, desiring an audience with God, so that he could ask God to send someone to communicate with Job at his level, but he recognised that God was so awesome and powerful that how on earth could he even consider questioning God’s judgment. He later went onto say
“You must defend my innocence, O God, since no one else will stand up for me.” Job 17:3.God was on his side and God was not punishing him either, Satan was trying to drag him away from loving God, but Job had no concept of the spiritual battles waging in another world. All he could see was...Job...and a God who was unreachable.
We have a mediator, we have a friend, someone who understands our human side, one who daily is interceding and standing up for us, before a holy God. Every day, he presents our case in heaven, and his testimony is true.
For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time. 1 Tim 2:5-6.Today because Jesus has conquered sin through the cross, conquered death through the resurrection and conquered our separation through his ascension into heaven, we can have a man who can speak with God and as God in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have no greater ally , no greater friend, no greater barrister than Jesus. The question is, do we appreciate him, do we understand what he is doing for us. When we ask “God, you must defend my innocence, or no one else will stand for me,” He would simple say, its in safe hands, its sorted, you have nothing to fear. Your request has been heard and answered. We have a lot to be appreciative of, don’t forget it.
Labels: Barrister, Mediator. Understands
Who is in charge?
We have been preaching these past weeks from 1 John about the difference between the way the world thinks and the way a Christian thinks. Here is a perfect example about the way that man has stormed off on his own agenda without asking is it right morally and spiritually.
There is a new bill proposed in Parliament which will reach its second reading on the 12th May 08. The Bill is called the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill.
The main parts of the bill (if accepted) will allow the following:
· More and easier abortions
· More embryos to be destroyed
· Human and Animal mixed embryos to be created
· Saviour siblings (Babies created to order, for their blood, tissues and part
Organs.
· And a serious downgrading of the value of Fatherhood.
More information can be found on www.passionforlife.org.uk
I don’t even feel it is important to say why as believers this is fundamentally wrong, so all I will say is, who is God and who is creator. The second we start messing with the order and sanctity of life, we are on extremely dangerous ground as a nation and as individuals.
What can we do?
1. We can pray? And please do. For the supporters of the pro-life campaign in Parliament. And that this bill will be rejected and thrown out.
2. We can write to our local Member of Parliament.
3. We could join the national lobby of parliament on the 14th May 2008 at 12:30PM onwards.
There are many all party parliamentary groups who are united in this, including, Pro-life group, Right to life, Care, Life, Passion for Life, Lawyers Christian Fellowship, Christian Medical Fellowship and many others.
We are not called to fight against governments or political powers, but we are called to fight for justice and the needs of our fellow man. Pray for wisdom for our nation.
Andy Hodson
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Hope in What?
We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone’ Psalm 33:21-23
This year the church of the UK celebrate a year entitled Hope, a year where churches join to tell the communities about the love of God.
Crestwood has a big vision for its community and the Lakeside community and we will be sharing the message of hope to its streets in the near future. But what is hope. Many of us hope to go on holiday, others hope to have a rise in salary, others hope that the sun will shine this summer, is this what is meant by hope.
Hope is a awesome word, it takes us out of the difficult world we live in and transports us forward into a better life. Hope is not a longing for better, it is based on facts and understanding in that which we are putting our hope in.
There is little today that we can put our hope in, there is no guarantees, in this life. House prices could go anywhere over the next few years and political change is almost certain but in what direction.
God asks us to look upon him as the one who we should depend and trust. One in whom we trust. Hope in God is not empty or blind or on a whim, it is based on his character and his promises.
The word hope in its original sense was not about could be’s and might happens, it was a firm, sure, God powered fact.
The bible says,
they that hope in the Lord SHALL renew their strength,it’s a guarantee, it’s as certain as the sun rising in the morning and as certain as the grass is green.
So why is it we are not so good at trusting God, and having hope in him? Sometimes it can be out of ignorance, many believers around the world have no access to a bible or any form of it, in some ways they have a great excuse.
In this verse alone God inspires us to have hope in him, why because of who he is. I may agree to make a cake for the nurture group, but there are no guarantees that I will remember to make it. If after several weeks of remembering and bringing one, the groups hope of a cake is greatly increased. With God we start far beyond this point right from the beginning, he is faithful, we can trust in him, he is full of unfailing love, his name is holy (perfect and true).
As we learn to know God for ourselves and as a church our hope in him becomes stronger and absolute, because we become accustomed to the fact that he does not and will not fail us, the birds look to him, the cosmos looks to him, the whole universe, has hope in him do you?
Andy Hodson
The cross every day
Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin ’ Romans 6:5-7
It is nearly a month on from the Easter celebrations, what impact has it had on us, if any? Christ was crucified to take away our sin, ( a serious understatement of the full impact of the cross) but what has been our response? Christ has done his part, he has rescued us from the power of sin and put us in a position where we can now call him Lord and Saviour as well as “Abba”. (The implications of this are vast and unimaginable and are not our subject for today) What about our part.
There are two aspects to the Christian life. Justification and Sanctification, big words, but in their simplest understanding, justification is what we are in Christ, we have already been made right in the eyes of God, because of the cross of Christ, he chooses to see us as we will be in the future. Sanctification, is the practical outworking of that. How we are down here on earth, how we wrestle with sin in our human bodies.
The part of God (Justification, being made right) has been done, Christ has already been crucified, the other part (Sanctification, being made holy now) is a matter of the will, the mind and an acceptance to let Christ take over our lives. In other words, to let our sinful selves be crucified today.
We are more than happy to accept the work of God and the glories that this amazing act of love and grace brings us, but we are not so good at living up to the condition that we could be in, if we really loved God.
Why is this?
1– because it is hard– we are human
2- because we would rather please ourselves
3- because we don’t always trust God as much as we should
These are some of the honest answers we could give, but lets be positive and look at the way our lives could be if we allow our sinful lives to be crucified, and live in the mind and will of God and follow the Spirit's leading.
We will be-
1– Free from sin 2– Know the power of God more freely 3– Be honouring God
To name but a few things. This may sound hard for us to put aside the sinful nature and live wholly for God, but how hard was it for Jesus, to go to a cross and suffer for you and for me. Don’t let the impact of the cross, just be with you for a few weeks of the year, let the victory of the cross permeate your thoughts daily.
Andy Hodson
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