Tag: Life

Categories
Sermon

Why does God allow trials?: James 1:2-4

Good morning, dearest brothers and sisters. How are you all doing today? It’s been more than 4 months since we last met and we do not know how long we will be meeting like this but we pray that God would do a miracle in bringing the situation under control.

Brothers and sisters, I believe each one of us have been going through a very trying season – in one way or the other – and now, much more than ever, we long and yearn for one another’s prayers and support.

Let me assure you, my Beloved Brethren – He who cares for the birds of the air – how much more will He care for you and me – His children.

The Psalmist declares –

Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. Let not your faith bog down during this period of anxiety and uncertainty and pain and sickness and sorrow and fear –

He who fed the prophet Elijah during the famine – sending the ravens with food to eat and provided for the widow to feed him daily –

That same God cares for you too! Let not your anxiety draw you away from the plan and purpose that God has for your life – through this period of trial.

Brothers and sisters, as you all know – lately – we concluded a series on “Abiding faith” from 1 Thessalonians and began a series on “Faith in action” from the book of James. Let us look at our passage for today:

James 1:2-4 – Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Let us pray.

I read of an incident written by a man named Dr. Parnell Bailey – “I once visited an orange grove where an irrigation pump had broken down. The season was unusually dry and some of the trees were beginning to die for lack of water.

The man giving the tour then took me to his own orchard where irrigation was used sparingly. “These trees could go without rain for another 2 weeks,” he said.

“You see, when they were young, I frequently kept water from them. This hardship caused them to send their roots deeper into the soil in search of moisture.

Now, mine are the deepest-rooted trees in the area. While others are being scorched by the sun, these are finding moisture at a greater depth.”

Beloved, James begins his epistle with a rather strange command – “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds”.

He felt no need to start with an introduction – because probably the recipients of this letter – who were dispersed across different parts of the world – were all going through some tough times – not just for their faith in Jesus Christ – but also “trials of various kinds” as mentioned by James.

Is it not the same with many of us today – the children of God in this world are indeed going through “trials of various kinds”.

The Psalmist says in Psalm 34:19 –

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers Him out of them all.” Note that the trials of the righteous are not just one or two – but “many” – of “various” kinds.

And James doesn’t say “if you meet trials of various kinds” but he says – “when you meet trials of various kinds” – thus emphasising that each of us would go through trials of various kinds.

But he adds this small phrase – “Count it all joy” – when you go through trials of various trials. That’s where it gets tough.

You are going through a painful trial in your life and the Bible commands us – to count it all joy – not because it is a joyful experience – no

it is painful – it is excruciating – it is taking away all your energy – physically, emotionally and spiritually – yet even through that – the Bible commands us to count it all joy!

Why?

Why should I rejoice and be joyful when I am going through a painful experience?

That doesn’t make sense at all to the natural man. For the natural man – moments of joy are only when something nice happens like – getting high grades, getting a good job, having a great house, having a good spouse, getting a kid, buying a good car, getting lots of money, having a relaxed lifestyle.

Well, though these are nice happy things to have – the spiritual man’s joy is not dependent on any of these. That is why he is told to count it all joy when he meets trials of various kinds.

So, why should he count it as joy? –

Let us try understanding that through the passage and if you haven’t been able to count your trials as all joy –

I pray that God would open your spiritual eyes this morning to see His love in allowing us to go through various trials.

I would like to title my sermon as “Why does God allow trials?” And I want to show you through the text how God allows trials in our lives so as to accomplish 3 things:

  1. God allows trials in our lives so that He may test our faith
  2. God allows trials in our lives so that through the testing of faith – we may be steadfast
  3. God allows trials in our lives so that through steadfastness – we may be perfect

And these 3 come – one after the other.

This is the chronology –

Testing our faith -> steadfastness -> perfection

And when we understand the why – we will be able to count it all joy – when we meet trials of various kinds

1. God allows trials in our lives so that He may test our faith

James says – “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” When I meet trials of various kinds, God is testing my faith.

When I first read this – I started thinking – Doesn’t God really know me already – doesn’t he know my faith? Yes. Then why does He need to test my faith? And that thought came to me because I had a wrong understanding of spiritual “testing”.

We have a test or an interview (in the natural sense) – to evaluate the other person. But spiritual testing is not for God to evaluate you or to understand how much is your faith.

No.

God knows it already. But spiritual testing is for you to know yourself – your faith? Beloved, we as human beings – even after being children of God – we have a high view of ourselves and our faith.

We think we are strong in faith just like Peter when he told Jesus – “Even if everyone else falls away, I will not fall away.

I am ready to go with you even to prison and to death” – and what did Jesus reply – “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me thrice”.

Well, Jesus knew Peter very well and the depth of his faith but Peter didn’t know himself and God allowed Peter to go through the trial of temptation so that Peter could see his own frailty. Brothers and sisters – “God’s will for us is our sanctification”. 

And Sanctification can truly happen only when you understand how inadequate you are and how weak your faith is. Without knowing your own wretchedness, you will not be able to depend upon God – who is our source of sanctification and holiness.

And how does God make you understand your frailty – by testing your faith. And how does he test your faith – by allowing you to meet trials of various kinds.

When you go through persecution for Christ’s name sake – you see your own fear and anxiety and depend on God for boldness. When you get a sickness – you see your own need for depending on God for strength.

When you get a tough boss – you see how much your heart hates to submit to authority and how restless you become. When your work gets too pressurizing – you see how you lose all your rest and peace.

When you lose your job – you see how dependent you were on your job instead of God – who takes care of your future and your career. When you lose money – you see how much you loved money.

When you meet a difficult brother or sister – you see the lack of love for him/her in your own heart. When your partner does a mistake or your kids do something wrong – you see how easily you get angry.

When Jesus and his disciples went in a boat to cross over from one side to another – there was a storm and the boat seemed to be toppling. Jesus was fast asleep. But his disciples became black and blue.

They frantically called Jesus to wake up. He woke up and silenced the storm and then turned to the disciples and asked –

“Why were you so fearful? Where is your faith?”

That was a test – to show them their own hearts that even though they had the creator of the seas and the storms with them on the boat – yet their faiths were so shallow and fear ruled their hearts during trying times.

Beloved, God allows trials to show how weak and fragile and sinful you are in yourselves and how much you need to depend on God and His faithfulness.

Let me add one more thing here – testing of your faith is not just to show you how much your faith is lacking – but also to show you how much your God is faithful when you cling to Him.

Think about the same storm in which the disciples were so fearful – in the midst of their helplessness and hopelessness and fear – they saw that Jesus with one word silenced the storms and that the storms and seas were subject to Him.

There is a beautiful song which I love to sing time and time again – “Through every trial – each test and temptation – one thing is sure every time – Over and over – again and again – God is faithful!” God allows trials in your life so that through the testing of your faith – you would grow in your knowledge of the faithfulness of God! Now does it make sense why James says – Count it all joy when you meet trials of various kinds? But let me go on to my next point –

2. God allows trials in our lives so that through the testing of faith – we may be steadfast

James says in verse 3 – “for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness”.

Beloved, through the testing of our faith – a wonderful nature is developed in the heart of a Christian maturing through trials – steadfastness. When you google steadfastness – it gives you this meaning – resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering.

This again gives a wrong picture of Biblical steadfastness. This dictionary meaning of steadfastness makes us imagine a huge giant like man – who is firm and unwavering and ready to take every fight in the face.

Sadly – such giants fall off in this spiritual battle like Goliath who fell down on his face. The true picture of spiritual steadfastness is a weak man hidden behind a huge fort or a refuge.

His strength is not in Himself but in that which he takes refuge in. He is steadfast – firm and unwavering – because he has learnt through his tests and trials and temptations to rely not on the arm of flesh but on the arm of the Almighty God.

Hallelujah! God tests us time and time again – and when we think we won’t fall – He allows us to fall on our faces and then He picks us up and dusts us and cleanses us and then says – “Try again – but this time – trust in Me.”

Beloved, that is true steadfastness – learning through each trial, each test and temptation – to rely on God and draw strength from Him. Think about that little boy David when he came to fight against Goliath – David had no trust in sword and shield but his trust was in the name of the Lord.

He says in Psalm 91:2 – I will say to the Lord “You are my refuge and fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” And indeed, such a man or a woman – will be firm like a mountain – steadfast – even when trials rock and roll – even when storms beat all around – His heart abides in the Lord.

Brothers and sisters, we need more such steadfast men and women in our midst. Men and women – who trust God unconditionally! Those who don’t run away after a failure!

Those who don’t give up after a string of failures in their sanctification journey! Those whose roots keep growing deeper and deeper into God – until God is all that they have!

Their joy no longer stems from the things of this world – the temporal blessings of this life – but their joy is from Him – rooted and grounded in Him – madly in love with the person of Jesus Christ.

Ah! How will we get such steadfast men and women? Only through trials and tests!

Much before our marriage, I fell in love with Abiah – my wife – and I felt nobody in the whole world could love her as much as I could. And I felt there was no greater love than that which I experienced for her before my marriage.

We have now completed 3.5 years and I now feel that that love before marriage was very shallow. Today – that love seems like nothing. Because that love was untested! It hadn’t faced the day by day trials and failures that every relationship and marriage goes through.

But through every trial and failure, God helped us to love each other and trust each other more and more and even understand each other even in silence and storms.

The trials and struggles we went through led us into greater steadfastness and dependence on God. But the point that I wish to emphasize is that our love 3.5 years ago was an untested love – and that untested love is very shallow – even if it has a lot of words and show and pomp.

Similarly an untested Christian is an unstable Christian even if he sings the best songs and preaches the best sermons. That is why in the verses that follow – James talks about an unstable man – who doubts and wavers like the waves of the sea – such is the condition of an untested man – whose roots have not gone in deep and hence there is no steadfastness.

Therefore my dear brothers and sisters – count it all joy – when you go through trials of various kinds – for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness – a resolutely firm and unwavering steadfastness in God. Let me hurry on to my last point –

3. God allows trials in our lives so that through steadfastness – we may be perfect

James doesn’t stop with steadfastness – rather he says in verse 4 – “And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Through testing of our faith – we understand our frailty and God’s faithfulness. It then leads to steadfastness in trusting God and depending on Him. But steadfastness can have its full effect when we become perfect and complete – lacking nothing.

What is this perfection and completeness that James is talking about? It is that perfection which God brings about in our lives through the trials that He allows us to meet with.

And that perfection doesn’t mean absolute perfection but perfection in that which the trial was intended to test. When a student passes a test in the 3rd grade – he is perfected according to the standards of a 3rd grade child.

He then goes to 4th grade and will face a bigger test according to 4th Grade. Hence, let us not assume this as absolute perfection but a perfection in that which we were tested in.

And this perfection which James is talking about – I believe – refers to spiritual maturity. The maturity that comes when we meet with various trials. Beloved, God perfects his people in holiness and purity and spiritual maturity through the trials that we meet – day by day.

And it is so very amazing to see fellow brothers and sisters who have come out of a time of extreme trying. We think they will be frustrated and discouraged. No. Not at all. They would be the ones who through their trials have their roots gone deeper into God.

Those who – through their brokenness and constant struggles – have learned to trust in God. And they are the ones whom God can work through. Think about Moses in the Old Testament – you would think that the best time for God to work through Him for His people’s deliverance was when Moses was the Prince in Pharaoh’s house.

And Moses himself thought the same. He went out and killed an Egyptian who was trying to beat a fellow Israelite. But that led to more problem. He had to run away from Egypt. He finally landed up in the house of Jethro and fed sheep for 40 years until he became an old man – broken and bruised through His trials and struggles.

When God meets him at the burning bush – he is a man who is so aware of his weaknesses – “I am a man of stammering lips. Why will people believe me now? Can you not send someone else instead of me”.

And God looks at him and goes – “Ah, here is my perfect candidate – a broken man – who has no trust on himself – now I can show him My power.”

Isn’t that the same case with all the men and women of God whom we know throughout history – the apostle Paul said that he asked God 3 times to take away the thorn which was there in his flesh? But God said – “No, Paul – My Grace is sufficient for you.

My strength is perfected in your weakness.” Beloved, the world’s definition of strength and maturity is warped and unproductive. In God’s eyes, a perfect man or a perfect woman is one who has had his/her faith tested so much so that he/she is now steadfast in the Lord and through steadfastness is now being perfected in God.

And that is why dear brothers and sisters, even though our trials seem painful – James encourages us to count it all joy knowing that through the testing of our faith we may become steadfast and perfect.

Beloved, I am sure many of those who are hearing me are going through various trials and I know not what are you going through this morning – but I want to plead with you – to ask God to make you steadfast in Him and perfected in Him – through what you are going through.

When you suffer, remember this – you suffer trials in the presence of God – He knows exactly what you are going through – He is there in your boat – apparently sleeping while you struggle – but that’s not true.

He is the 4th man who enters the fire when 3 of God’s servants were being burnt. He allowed that trial in your life – because He loves you!

Oh – how I wish I could scream that out to you – He allowed that trial in your life – because He loves you – and whom He loves – He chastens – not to destroy you but to make you steadfast and to perfect you.

Beloved – count it all joy! Rejoice! You are suffering before the face of God orchestrated by the purpose of God for the purpose of your sanctification and perfection.

Amen!

Categories
James Sermon

Faith in Action: James 1:1

We just completed our sermon series on a topic called ‘Abiding Faith’, and what the series primarily taught us is to hold on to our Faith in times of sufferings and troubles.

The church of Thessalonica taught us how to remain steadfast in our Faith by continually searching our hearts against sinful patterns and believe in the saving grace of our saviour Jesus & depend on the Holy Spirit.

The next series we are preaching is called “Faith in Action”, I believe this will be a continuation of what we just taught. We will be looking at one of the most powerful letters written by James, the brother of Jesus, to the Christian Jews who left their hometown because of the persecution and are now scattered in unknown territories, among strange people.

The verse is James 1:1 is what we will look at today, where James writes “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in dispersion”

The word ‘dispersion’ means to be in exile, the state of being barred from one’s native country.

What I want to do as we begin with James is to give you a context into this people group and help us see similarities with our context in Mumbai, India, and also answer an important question, which is “Why should our Faith be seen in action?”.

As we read through this letter and look at the issues, James is addressing we learn a couple of things about this group.

The first thing we get to know from James 1:2-4 about these people is that they were going through all kinds of trials in this new land.

Maybe the new culture is not suiting them the way they lived back in their home town. Perhaps the people in this new land is not welcoming enough and therefore facing a lot of resistance and rejection affecting their family life, work-life and social life. Maybe the weather isn’t suitable for their skin and bodies and hence having physical discomforts, or perhaps they are always living under threat and danger to their lives.

When we read James 1:9-11; 2:1-7 & 5:1-6 we see a second problem facing them is wealth & poverty, because of the resistance, looks like some of them are not able to find good jobs, maybe they are restricted from pursuing any business ventures, the rich seem to be controlling the government and the economy, and therefore these brothers and sisters are lacking all the good things in life.

On the other hand some who were already rich among them have other heart issues, where instead of accepting, loving and caring for their fellows brothers & sisters they are now looking down on them because of their poverty-stricken life. In those days, people who were poor where considered as less favoured by God, therefore they were treated indignantly.

Thirdly, because of the above two reasons, they also seem to be struggling with their faith.

In 1:22-23 James writes “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.”

They are failing to live a godly life, not able to walk in obedience, not able to show love and care to the community in the way should show, in doing so James says they were deceiving themselves.

Some of them even seem to have lost their faith, trusting and depending on God for their everyday need looks like a difficult thing to achieve.

Fourthly, their prayer life seems to have gone for a toss, where they needed wisdom the most they were failing to go to God in prayer and ask for help.

James 1:5-8 he writes “5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Fifthly, we also see bitterness in their hearts against others. Even among their own brethren where now they have no control over their tongue and instead of using their speech to uplift one another and glorify God, they are using their words to destroy each other’s confidence and faith in Christ.

1:19 he writes “19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger”

Sixthly, after knowing & receiving the Lord and His saving grace, they are now slipping into worldliness and seeking the pleasure of the world.

4:4 “You adulterous people![c] Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Instead of seeking the face of Christ and drinking from the living water that only Christ offers, instead of resting in Christ they are now depending on their own self-efforts to make their lives better by indulging in worldly friendships.

And finally, we see how pride has taken over their hearts and humility crushed under the pressure of the circumstances, failures and rejection.

3:3-15 “13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.”

Brothers & sisters, could we take a moment here and think of our circumstances, failures, sufferings, abundance, rejections and loses, and evaluate it against our responses to them?

How do we respond when we face trials of all kinds, when our unbelieving family, friends & community constantly nag us, taunt us, persecute us, reject us, show partiality and stop us from growing in life?

How do we respond to circumstances when we lose our jobs, get salary cuts, when promotion are taken away, when there is not enough money to live in a good house, to buy new clothes, to buy good food?

And on the other hand, when God blesses us with riches what does that do to our heart, do we start looking at ourselves as highly favoured children of God and look down on others?

How do we respond to circumstances when we don’t feel good about our faith, the happy feelings we experienced during the time of our conversion seems diminished and gone forever, when our sinful patterns and habits are showing up again, and this time in a big way, where we are constantly filled with guilt and condemnation all the time stopping us from progressing in life?

How do we respond when our prayer life seems powerless, monotonous & ineffective? Do we go to God in prayer, ask for wisdom when we need it the most?

How do we respond when our heart is continuously bitter towards others because of what they do and said to you?

How do we respond when the world, the worldly pleasures, the worldly ways of doing things looks more promising and desirable?

Brothers & Sisters, let me tell you this, it is in these moments that our faith is tested. The testing of our faith is Gods way of purifying and sanctifying our lives, where he also separates the weeds from the wheat, the unfaithful from the faithful, the children of the kingdom from the children of the world.

But the good news, as written in 1 Peter 5:10 “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”

And my prayer for all you today, as you go through difficult times, listening to my words, is may God find each one of you faithful, may God be merciful to you and grant you His grace in abundant measure so that you all stand out victorious with you names written in the book of Life.

To those of my friends listening to these words for the first time, let me tell you that God, the creator of the universe who made us in his image and likeness, through the life, death and resurrection of His son Jesus has offered us an amazing privilege to turn back from our sinful ways and receive an eternal crown that will save us from our wretched heart.

If you feel your heart is responding and desiring to be closer to God, our loving, gracious & merciful Father, to receive this new and abundant life I’m talking about, a life that even through the darkest moments of our life on this earth will shine brightly and fill our hearts with hope. All you have to do is repent of your sinful lives you have lived thus far, openly confess it to Jesus in prayer and put your trust in Him & it will be sealed in heaven forever. And if you wish to talk to someone we are always available for you, to counsel you, comfort you and lead you to this salvation.

Now, coming to our question “Why should our faith be seen in action too?”

Firstly, remember, we don’t produce the action ourselves, it is our faith that produces the action. In James 2:2 James writes “You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected”

True Faith automatically produces action, that’s an inbuilt nature of faith. And when the action is unseen it is not because Faith is unable to produce the action but it is the hardness of our heart to believe the truth, to believe that God is able – it is our unbelief that suppresses the effects of faith from producing the action.

Faith is not just a feeling, but it is also this power that pushes us to act in obedience in a way that is seen and experienced by others in our life. If someone says yes, I am a Christian but can’t forgive and love my brother, then I would question that faith, because genuine faith in the saving grace of Christ will open your heart to love and forgive your brothers and sisters just as Christ loved and forgave us.

And so James through this letter is telling us that true faith should be seen in action in three major areas.

It has to be seen in our deeds

It has to be seen in our speech &

It has to be seen in our conduct

And that is what we will explore in our new series called “Faith in Action”.

But, here’s what I want you to take home today.

Let’s go back and evaluate our hearts in the light of the Gospel, where do we stand at this moment as we learned about the context of these Christian Jews? How hard or easy is your life and circumstances in comparison to these Christians? What is the greatest challenge you are facing in your life at this current moment and what has been your response so far? Do you believe that God is speaking to you today, what is He saying, what sinful responses of your heart is he exposing to you? How do you think your responses and actions to your circumstances is affecting the people around you? & Are your deeds, speech & conduct glorifying God and displaying his work in your life?

Brothers & sisters, no matter how good or bad you are at this point in life. If you are a child of God, you are already forgiven and already given an abundant measure of grace to lift yourself from your miserable state. All you have to do is repent, confess and put your faith back in God and He will deliver you.

Will you do that today?

Let’s pray!

Categories
Hebrews Sermon

To find Rest in God- Hebrews 4:1-11

The topic I have chosen to explore today is called “To find Rest in God”, and the passage we are looking at is Hebrews 4:1-11.

The reason I chose this topic is because I am personally experiencing the rest of God in my heart since last couple of months and thought it would be of great benefit to all of you, especially in a difficult time as this.

What I mean by “rest” in God is not the physical rest we experience in our body but the spiritual rest we experience when we are in the perfect will of God where we are experiencing His joy and peace regardless of the situation we are in.

To not be at rest would mean a lot of things, let me highlight some of it here…

  1. When we are constantly & regularly gripped with fear and anxiety in our hearts when we look at out present situation or when we think about our future, we could say that our hearts are not at rest.
  2. When we are constantly living a guilt driven life because of our sinful acts, which then causes us to become ineffective in our pursuit and purposes of God, we could say that our hearts are not at rest.
  3. When we are constantly having feelings of hopelessness, loneliness and depression, where we end up hiding from God and from others, we could say that our hearts are not at rest.

I believe the passage from Hebrews 4:1-11 give us the wonderful view of this rest, it warns us as well us brings to light the reasons why we fail to enter God’s rest.

Verse 1 begins with the affirmation that “the promise of entering His rest still stands”, which means that as children to enter the rest of God is not a far thing, it is not an impossible state to achieve.

Isn’t it encouraging to know that even after our human heart sinned against God in the garden of Eden, where we disobeyed his commandments and chose to be god over our own life displaying pride and rebellioness, our loving Father still pursued us and through the life, death and ressurection of His son Jesus Christ opens a way for us enter His rest.

In Matthew 11:28 Jesus said “Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest”.

The Rest of God therefore, is a state, or place, where God rules in our heart through his son Jesus, frees from the chaos and disorder brought about by sin and rebellion. Also giving us rest from our own self-efforts of bringing our own life in control, but instead allowing our hearts to totally trust and depend on God for everything.

The possiblity of entering God’s perfect rest, made possible through Jesus is the greatest expression His mercy, His grace and His Love for sinful people like us.

But sadly, even though the door is open for us we still fail to enter the rest of God. In verse 6 Paul speaks of people who have “formerly received the good news but still fail to enter into rest”. Could that be us?

How sad it is when even though knowing that entering God’s rest is a possibility we stay away from that rest because of our hardened hearts.

Hebrews 4:1 the second part Paul says “let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to enter the rest of God”

In verse 11 Pauls writes “let us strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall due to disobedience”

In Hebrews 3:8-11 tells us of how God reacted in the Old Testament when his people hardened theirs hearts.

Thank God that he does not react the way he reacted in the olden times, but because of Jesus His heart towards us is softened and merciful, accepting us with all our failures and mistakes. And therefore, the greatest stumbling block for us today is not that God is angry with us and have shut the door on our face, but rather it is our hardened hearts that is the reason why we fail to enter God’s rest.

Here’s are two reasons how our hardened hearts stop us from entering God’s rest …

1. Through disbelief

In verse 2 & 3 Paul writes “2 For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.

3 For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, “As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest,'” although his works were finished from the foundation of the world.”

Friends, the number one reason why we fail to enter God’s rest is disbelief.

Disbelief in God’s provison for all our needs through His son Jesus Christ

Disbelief that our future isn’t safe and secure in the hands of our loving Father who knows the end from the beginning, which is why we allow our hearts to be gripped with fear and anxiety when things dont go our way.

Disbelief that through the life, death and ressurection of Christ we are no more slaves to our sinful passions but rather are slaves to righteousness and that there is a place where we can expereince total freedom from such desires.

Disbelief that God is near us to always comfort, protect, consoul, emphatize when we experience feeling of hopelessness and loneliness on our hearts.

It was disbelief in the hearts of the Isaralite’s, when they spend their time and energy complaining, grumbling and seeking their own pleasures that kept them from entering the promised land, the place of rest in God.

To rest in God is not just a choice we have but it is a command, to be obeyed and perfected every single day of our lives. Sabbath rest is a command from God – to do nothing, no work, no pressure … but a total surrender to God.

How many of us would confidently take such a rest without worrying about tommorrow, without looking at the laptop, without looking at the screen for satisfaction… but only look to God with an unwavering faith in Him.

If you think its impossible for you to take out such a day in a week, then you need to ask a very important question. Are you resting in God or on your self.

2. Through disobedience

Verse 6 Paul writes “Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience”

The second way in which our hardened hearts stop us from entering God’s rest is through disobedience.

Here I’m not talking about the disobedience that happens unknowingly, but the disobedience of the heart where we knowlingly, with our full concience rebel and do exactly the opposite of what God commanded not to do in the scriptures.

The decisions we made with relationship choices.

The decisions we make with the kind of job we chose.

The decisione we make to keep company with the kind of friends.

The decisions we make to spend out time during the day.

The decisions we make in moving places.

The decisions we make to stay away from having Godly fellowsip.

The decisions we make in chosing what to listen.

Our disobedince in not paying attention to God when he is speaking to us through scrpitures, through sermons like these, through family & friends.

Our disobedeince in not repenting our sins when the Holy Spirt convicts out heart.

Our disobedeince in pursuing the world and its pleasure instead of pursuing God.

Our disobedeince of filling our minds with ungodly content when instead we should be filling our minds with godly things.

Brothers & sisters, disobedeince will always keep us from entering the rest of God. Therefore, let us watch our lives in light of the scriptures.

To rest in God should be our ultimate goal because it is in the resting place that we will experience the breakthrough’s in life we’ve always desired, it is in the resting place we will be fully satisfied will all good things from heaven, it is in the resting place we will experience complete freedom from all our past sinful tendencies and habits, it is in the resting place we will feel no more lonely or deprived of any good thing.

Therefore, let us strive to enter that rest and not allow out hardened hearts to disbelief or disobey God who is gracious, merciful and loving towards us.

Categories
1 Thessalonians Sermon

Rejoice Always!- 1 Thessalonians 5:16

The passage we will be looking at today is 1 Thessalonians 5:16 and the verse simply says

“Rejoice Always”

1 Thessalonians 5:16

Always Rejoice – meaning to feel or show great joy or delight…. Always

At this point you must be thinking, that’s absolutely impossible.

How can someone rejoice always?

I can rejoice sometimes, but definitely not always.

Why?

You might say…

“Because life is tough.”

“You don’t know what I’ve gone through in the past, I’m still dealing with it”

“You don’t know what I am going through right now, its unbearable sometimes”

“My job is the worst job in the world, during this lockdown they make me work like a donkey”

“My company is least caring, they asked me to sit at home without paying a penny.”

“My marriage is breaking apart, we are struggling”

“My education is at a standstill, I don’t know when I will finish my course and get a job, I don’t even know if I will get a job”

” In such a circumstance, if God is expecting me to Rejoice, that too not sometimes but always, how is that even possible? “

“It’s easy for Paul to write that, and it’s easy for Saju to say that, but they don’t know what I’m going through. My present circumstances are so tough that even thinking about Rejoicing in any manner is absolutely impossible.”

Brothers & sisters, if those are the thoughts running through your mind when you read today’s passage, or maybe I brought it out and reminded you of your hard life.

In this sermon, I want to leave you with a couple of thoughts to ponder upon which I believe will help you see the possibility of choosing to Rejoice Always.

I believe it is possible, I’ve met people in real life who I’ve seen rejoicing in the Lord at all times.

I’ve read stories of missionaries and martyrs who’ve endured suffering, sickness, pain and even death with everlasting joy in their heart. I’ve heard of men lying on their death beds and yet rejoicing in their heart.

This morning, instead of giving you long statements as pointers to remember, I want to give you three words to ponder upon.

1. The first word is PERSPECTIVE

Perspective means to have a point of view, to have a particular attitude towards or way of thinking regarding our present hard circumstances, since most of the time it is our present suffering and pain that is the greatest hurdle for us to rejoice always.

Here’s the perspective we need to cultivate regarding the context of the passage we just read. If we think our situation is the worst then I want us to look and ponder what’s going on with Paul and the Thessalonian church.

Paul is not writing to a church located in a city like us where the Christians have the freedom to practise their beliefs, where they are allowed to worship in open spaces and have the liberty to openly speak about Christ on an online public platform like Facebook or YouTube, where life is tough but not to the extent where believers are dragged out of their houses and killed and murdered for their faith in Jesus.

Instead, he is writing to a group of Christians who are being tortured, persecuted & killed by the worst punishment they could think of.

On the other hand, Paul is not writing this letter sitting on a beautiful balcony or a beachside hotel with a nice cool breeze hitting his face, but he is writing the letter from Corinth where he is labouring for the Gospel alongside Aquila and Pricilla, as was his ministry in other places.

I suppose he was making and repairing tents to protect the people from the hot Mediterranean sun and also preaching the Gospel, discipling the people and building the church, risking his life by putting himself in a dangerous position with Romans.

Even after Paul writing them to “Rejoice Always”, their circumstances are not going to get better, history tells us that some of them are going to be brutally killed and murdered for their faith in Jesus.

And yet he is writing to the church “Rejoice Always”.

Brothers & sisters, if we are waiting and hoping for our circumstances to look better so that we can rejoice always then that is not going to happen. The two reasons it won’t happen is firstly because as long as we are living on this earth we are living in a world that is broken and tarred by Sin.

When God created the world he did not mean to create it this way. The Bible tells us that he made it beautiful and meant it for good.

When he made the first man and woman, he wanted them to enjoy and be fruitful under the authority & dominion of His Majesty, primarily by walking in obedience to God’s instructions in humility and in complete surrender. But instead of walking in obedience, Adam & Eve disobeyed God and sinned in their hearts.

Romans 5:12 says

“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned”.

Romans 5:12

Because of our sins, the Bible says God’s righteous judgement is upon this earth. Here’s how Isaiah describes the effects of Sin on the earth in Isaiah 24:5

5 The earth is polluted by its inhabitants, because they have transgressed laws, violated statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live on it suffer the punishment of their guilt. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned [under the curse of God’s wrath]

Isaiah 24:5-6

Brothers & sisters, as long as we live on this earth we are living under the curse that is upon this earth, and even though our spirit and soul is liberated in Christ.

Our body here on earth will continue to experience the pain of this broken world. We will always be walking on broken glasses under our feet as long as we live on this earth.

Even Jesus, being the perfect man who ever lived on the earth had to suffer and experience the effect of this broken world in a much more brutal way than any of us will ever suffer.

The second perspective I want us to have about our present circumstances is that God uses our sufferings to perfect us and make us mature in Him.

Do you know that our saviour Jesus was made perfect through sufferings. In Hebrews 5:8-9 it says

“Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him”

Hebrews 5:8-9

Brothers & Sisters, I urge you to look at your present pain & sufferings as a means by which God is perfecting you in Christ.

And if you can develop a right perspective towards your present circumstances then ‘rejoicing always’ can definitely look like a possibility.

2. The second word is BELIEVE

As we just learnt that it is not our present circumstances that enables us to Rejoice always, but what should rather enable us to rejoice always is the prospects of the eternal life we have in heaven because of what Jesus did for us.

Even though we sinned and rebelled against God, instead of pouring His wrath on us and destroying our existence forever, our loving, gracious and merciful Father sent Jesus to bear our punishment and die for our sake and declare justice over us.

Isaiah 53:6 says,

“The Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him,”

Hebrews 9:26 says,

“He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”

Hebrews 2:17 says that Christ made “propitiation for the sins of the people” and 1 John 4:10 says “in this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

Brothers & sisters, we rejoice in the fact that Jesus died for our sins and has reunited our broken hearts with our Heavenly Father once and forever.

And we receive this gift and stand justified when we repent of our sins and put our faith in Christ our saviour.

Therefore friends, if we are failing today to rejoice always in the Lord, it is not because of our circumstances but because of UNBELIEF in our heart.

Unbelief is the root cause of all our habitual sins, troubles and lack of joy. We are failing to believe that God’s grace, mercy and love expressed through the sacrifice of his Son is enough.

In Isaiah 45:22 the Lord says,

“Look to me and be saved”

Isaiah 53:6

Instead of looking at the Son, Jesus, we are all the time looking at ourselves and our circumstances, we are trying to make our life look better on our strength and ability so that we can someday arrive at the destination we have planned where we will find fulfilment and our joy will be complete.

We work hard, put in extra hours in office, slog and break our bones.

Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying that its wrong to work hard. In fact, God’s word clearly says that we should and that work is a gift. But our attitude is what matters.

Thinking that our efforts is what will sustain us and looking for joy apart from Christ is what is harmful.

We do good works, sometimes beyond our capacities and hope & expect that God will return the favour someday in hundredfold and then we will be happy.

Instead, what we ought to be doing is looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our Faith, trust in him and not in our strength and ability to make this imperfect life on earth perfect.

In Christ, we are totally 100% perfect for heaven, and that is what should make us rejoice always.

Brothers & sisters, as long as we nurture UNBELIEF in our hearts with regards to struggles, trials & temptations we go through in life, we will never be able to truly Rejoice always.

As long as we live on this earth, we need to live believing that his grace is sufficient for us, sufficient to justify us, to sanctify us, and take us to heaven with him.

Allow your heart to be filled with that Joy.

3. The last and the final word I want to leave with you is REST.

Now, that we have the right PERSPECTIVE and BELIEF, I want us to think of the word REST.

Rest, not just as a state of mind, where we are resting in God’s sovereignty over our lives, his provision of abundant and sufficient grace for us to live joyfully in his presence. But I want to talk about REST which is also a command from the Lord – The Sabbath Rest.

Sabbath rest is not just a suggestion from God, its a Holy command from Him.

It is as important as “Love the Lord your God with all your heart mind and soul”, It is one of the 10 commandments God gave to Moses, Exodus 20:8-11 God said

8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work,

10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.

11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

To obey the Sabbath literally means to cease from all our human efforts and to look to God in prayer and devotion. As I understand the Sabbath, I’ve come to believe that Sabbath rest is the providence from God, not just for the sake of physical rest, but also to help us realign our perspectives and refocus our belief on Him.

When we take rest from our human efforts we are reaffirming the fact that in God we trust, as our ultimate source of provision, peace and joy.

If you are struggling to Rejoice at the moment, I want to ask when was the last time you rested in God from all your strivings and efforts and hard work.

I know it is difficult and there are many excuses we can think of, our work responsibilities, our family commitments, etc.

But if working on our perspectives and dealing with our unbelief is important for us so that we can Rejoice always, we will have to give importance to the Sabbath rest, for some of you, it might require you to take drastic steps to say NO to extra work, maybe close yourself up in a room, maybe disconnect the phone for the day, say to NO to entertainment, etc.

A Restful heart will always be a joy-full heart.

Even in our busy schedules if we can find ways to soak ourself in scripture, devote ourself in prayer, sing songs of hope and thanksgiving, remembering the Gospel, looking at Jesus, resting in Him, then, brothers and sisters, the joy of the Lord will surely fill our hearts and keep us going.

We can become just like a small child who runs along the riverside with a stick in his hand and laughter in his mouth.

Though there is so much more I want to say but time is limited, I hope I have stirred something in your heart this morning and given you enough reasons to Rejoice always.

Please do remember the three words .. PERSPECTIVE, BELIEVE & REST.

Let’s pray.

Categories
1 Thessalonians Sermon

Growing Together in the Lord – 1 Thessalonians 5:14-15

Hello church Good morning, I am delighted to connect you, and I am thankful for this opportunity to share the word of God this morning.

As the world is go through horrible pandemic, I pray that this pandemic will not hinder us to grow spiritually in the Lord rather let us fully seek God and fully depend on His divine protection upon ourselves and our family.

Today we shall continue our book study series from 1 Thessalonians 5:14-15.

14 We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.

15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always pursue after that which is good for one another and for all people.

Pray: Lord we thank you for this beautiful opportunity to mediate your word, we invite your Holy Spirit to come and teach us.

Help us to understand the truth. In Jesus precious name. Amen.

Let us remember the condition of Thessalonian believers:

They were Idol worshipper – but as soon as they heard the gospel,

They repent and they turn away from idol to serve the true Living God.

# They have great faith in the Lord. # They are greatly laboring in love.

# They have steadfastness of Hope.

On the Top of these, they became a great example for all people.

Their practical faith has gone viral to many parts of the world.

All people heard about this amazing Thessalonian church.

But when we read chapter 5:14-15, we see the need of the Thessalonian church, the area where they need to grow.

Remember there is no perfect church in this world, we always need to repent our sins and keep sanctifying before God,

we need God’s grace daily to grow in the Lord.

Someone says like this,

“A Church is a hospital for sinners not a club for saints.”

Its true the church is a hospital for sinners,

Church I will like to remind all of us, that God Love us so much that He sent His only son Jesus Christ, He came into this world, He took the punishment in place of us and He purchased us with His blood, As we believed Him as saviour and Lord, He cleansed us from all sins and unrighteousness.

Now as a new creation in Christ, He wants us to serve Him and keep growing in the Lord.

I would like to entitle my sermon as “Growing together in the Lord”

Let us come to the first point.

1. Admonish the unruly. (14a)

          “We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly.” (14a)

The word Urge (is a verb) which means begging, beseeching, pleading, requesting. (this is not forcing something rather a humble request) he urged the brethren to admonish the unruly.

Brethren – fellow Christian, member of the same church community.

Admonish: (Nou-thet-ei-te) is a verb and when we see Greek grammar, It is in present imperative. That means to admonish is a command.

Admonish means to warn, counsel, exhort. to put in mind,

To warn or to give notice beforehand especially of danger or evil.

Illustration

Recently, it was on May 8, 16 migrant worker were sleeping in a railway track, unfortunately, train ran over them and all of them died instantly. It is sad to hear that.

I know if you know well ahead that the train is coming toward them, you will warn them to get out of the railway track, to save those workers. Right.

Church We are to warn, counsel, exhort one another, to those friends who are going toward the wrong direction in life.

Unruly: At-ak-tos: when we see original meaning in Greek it means,

Out of order, who are out of line, the undisciplined, the disorderly people, Lazy, idle people.

Illustration: I know one brother, he is a married man, incredibly good in singing and he was highly active in a church. He has 6 children.

But he backslides from his faith, he became lazy, he ran away from his role and responsibility as a father, he was going from one place to another, did not return home for many years. His life was totally mess up and painful.

I remember everyone in a church started praying and admonishing him.

After many years he repent, he came back home and started attending church and started taking care of his children and wife.

There will be many people who are living a dangerous life, many will be living in a habitual sinful life, many will be living a lazy, squander life, many will be living undisciplined life, we need to gently and lovingly remind them the gospel.

As a church we are one family in Christ, and we are accountable to each other.

Galatian 6:1.

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.

Purpose of admonishing:

  1. To restore back fellow believers to fellowship with God.

2. To remind fellow believers of their role and responsibilities in church.

3. To help fellow believers to live fruitful and productive life.

4. To help fellow believers to grow spiritually in the Lord.

Remember Measuring standard for admonishment fellow believers should be the scripture, not our skill or experience but scripture should be the standard.

Remember the unruly (idle, lazy people) need to be warned to get back in among the believers and use their God-given gifts in service for the kingdom.

Application:

Dear church we should admonish one another, counsel one another, warning one another with gentleness and grow together in the Lord.

We should continually remind the gospel to one another and grow stronger and deeper in relationship with our Heavenly Father.

2. Encourage the fainthearted. (14b)

Encourage: (para-mu-theo-mai) it is verb and present imperative, so to encourage is a command.

Meaning: it means to comfort, console, exhort.

Fainthearted: small courage, little-spirited, feeble-minded, those who lack spiritual courage.

We need to stand shoulder to shoulder with fainthearted believers in solidarity and support them. The fainthearted, or “timid”, are fearful people who lack confidence perhaps in themselves or even in their faith

They may be discouraged or worried by the challenges of living a Christian life. These people need loving instruction from their fellow believers to calm their fears and to build their confidence in the Lord.

Illustration: It was 3 years ago, I got a call at 6:00 am morning, from a young woman, she said, I want to meet you right now, I said what happened, she said, I will explain when I met you. So we meet up in the park.

She said, I do not want to live anymore, because my boyfriend leaves me, when I listen to her story, she has attempted suicide once before but fortunately people around her save her and take her to hospital. She was depressed, going through excruciate pain.

We spent around two hours, I counsel her with the word of God, and we prayed together. I keep encouraging her daily. She became strong, started coming to church.

After many months she got a good job and she starts taking great responsibility in her family.

One thing we do as a church was, we keep holding on to that sister and we keep encouraging her and keep praying for her.

At last she overcome and received God’s Grace.

Application:

Church there are so many people within the church and outside the church who are really in need of our encouragement and our love and our care.

Let us make use of every opportunity and serve one another.

Let the beauty of Christ be seen in our daily life.

We should not wait for someone to come and tell us the problem but instead let have a shepherd heart, who knows the need of the sheep.

Hebrews 3:13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

3. Help the weak. (14c).

Help: Antexomai, Verb: present imperative, that means helping is a command.

It means Hold firmly to, cleave to, withstand.

Weak: literally it means – not strong, infirm, sick. Strengthless.

Illustration: Helping hand in the village river.

It was 2014, after we complete our bachelor degree, we form a team and went for preaching tour in our home town, after the tour was over we went to Village river for fishing, we were catching lots of fish and we were having much fun in the river. Suddenly, two girls were about to drown in the deep water, I was not far away from them, I was trying to be the hero that day, I tried to save them but even I was about to drown because I was not able to swim, but I manage to come out of the water, I don’t know-how. So, this helpless hero (me) shout for help, help, help. They came running and we join our hand together and pull them out.

Life lesson from this incident.

Firstly: Learn how to swim if you want to be a real-life hero.

Secondly, we are stronger and better together, together we can do greater things.

Thirdly and most importantly, together the church should stretch out hands to the people who are perishing, who are weak, who are falling from faith and save them. We should Hold them tight, we can’t lose them. Let us be a soul winner, be a life saver.

Proverb 11:31 says He who win soul is wise.

Acts 20:35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the LORD Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Helping can be financial help or material help too.

Galatians 6:2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

Application: Are we helping people who are desperately in need of our help.

At this crucial time, you and can be a blessing for many people out there.

I have a beautiful hymn here. I will sing for all of you.

The title of a hymn is call “Be a channel of blessing”

Out in the highways and byways of life,  

many are weary and sad;
Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife,

Making the sorrowing glad.
#   Make me a blessing, make me a blessing,  Out of my life, May Jesus shine;
  Make me a blessing, O saviour, I pray,  Make me a blessing to someone today.

To be a blessing for someone everyday should be our daily goal.

4. Be Patient with everyone. (14d)

Patient: Mak-ro-thy-mei-te – Verb, present imperative. That means be patience is a command.

Meaning: Long-suffering, forbearing, perseverance.

Everyone: all, the whole, every kind of.

1 Tim. 1:16

Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.

2 Peter 3:9 says,

“The Lord is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

You know, God patiently waits for all of us to come to repentance, so we need to have patience with one another.

Illustration: O.T there a story of King Saul, the Israelite were about to fight a battle but they have to do sacrifice first, that sacrifice has to be done by prophet Samuel, but King Saul was impatient to wait Samuel, so King Saul did the sacrifice. As a result, the Lord was not pleased with King Saul, God rejects king Saul and did not use him anymore.

If we are impatient it can destroy all our plan and destroy our relationships and it affects people around us.

Sometimes we are impatient in a crowded city like Mumbai, when we stuck in traffic when we stand in queue to buy a train ticket, to buy food, or even in a shopping mall to pay bills, sometimes we are impatient when the sermon is too long.

Sometimes we are impatient with our spouse, with children or friends.

Ephesian 4:1-2

 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Being patience will help us to avoid many life problems, being patience is a sign of spiritual maturity. Being patience will help us to understand each other and will help us to serve each other better and being patient will help us grow daily in the Lord.

Application: Beloved church we should have patience, everyone is not the same in church, some are slow learner, some fast learner, some take time to grow.

We have different gift and different personality, we must be patient like our Lord,

Even though we fall in sin and ran away from Him, and live all kind of sinful, wicked life.

He has   so much patience on us.

Psalm 103:8 says,

The LORD is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.

Church we must have patience toward one another and grow together in the Lord.

  • Always pursue good for each other. (15) (Not Retaliate)

“See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always pursue after that which is good for one another and for all people.”

Always: at all times, ever.

Pursue: verb, present imperative, so it is a command.

Literally means- by implication, to persecute, follow after, press forward.

Good: intrinsically good, good in nature.

Romans 12: 9-21

9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 
On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
     if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
 In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”[e]
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Conclusion:

Church we have seen 5 points under the topic “Growing together in the Lord”

(1) Admonish the unruly
(2) Encourage the fainthearted
(3) Helping the weak
(4) Patiently caring to everyone
(5) Always pursue good for each other.

Why we must do all these? it is because Christ has loved us and sacrifice His life for us, and we have received the forgiveness of sins and now we have eternal life in Him.

Church He has done so much for us, Now it is our time to love Him, and serve Him and obey His command.

Therefore we must Lovingly admonish one another, Let us Carefully encourage the fainthearted, let us graciously help the weak, let us patiently care for all people and let us always pursue good for each other and grow together in the Lord. As a church and as an ambassador of Christ we should join our hand together and build up the body of Christ, we should strive to become a stronger and healthier follower of Christ.

God bless all of you amen.

Categories
Matthew Palm Sunday Sermon

Palm Sunday – Matthew 21:1-13

https://www.facebook.com/thegatheringcommunity/videos/1021820548281268/

Good morning Church, It’s a beautiful Sunday and I am super excited to connect you through Facebook, I believe you all are spending quality time with your family and friends and I hope you all are doing great and I am sure you all are taking good care of yourself.

As we know, the world is going through excruciate pain and suffering because of Covid-19 Pandemic, people are living in fear, anxiety and uncertainty,

This pandemic disease is out of control, many people are dead and many people are fighting for life in a sickbed, many people are jobless, many people are living in hunger and thirst.

In these chaotic circumstances, the church can play a vital role by showing Christ love to the people around us, by showing Christ care and kindness to all the people and most importantly let us point the people around us to Christ, showing them that Christ is the saviour of the world and He is the answer for all our life problems.

Last week I came across an encouraging quote from the scripture,

I want to read out for all of us.

“If God could Close the lion’s mouth for Daniel,

Part the Red seas for Moses

Make the sun stand still for Joshua

Open the prison for Peter

Put a Baby in the arm of Sarah

And Raise Lazarus from the dead

Then, He can certainly take care of you

Nothing you are facing today is too hard for Him to Handle.”

Shall we look to God in prayer: pray….. Amen

As we enter passion week, we shall look to the passage related to each occasion, since today is Palm Sunday we shall meditate from Palm Sunday passage`

Our book study from Thessalonian will continue in the following week.

Would you open your bible with me to Matthew 21:1-13?

1. As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples,

2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me.

3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

4 This took place to fulfil what was spoken through the prophet:

5 “Say to Daughter Zion,
    ‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
    and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”[a]

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them.

7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on.

8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna  to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[c]

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money-changers and the benches of those selling doves.

13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.

Before we see the main 3 points let’s see

What is Palm Sunday?

Palm Sunday marked the start of what is called “passion week” the final days of Jesus earthly ministry, it is the day we remember and celebrate the triumph entry of Jesus Christ to Jerusalem as Saviour and king.

Palm leaves: Signifies victory / Triumph

Jesus riding on a donkey: When a king rides on a Donkey it symbolises peace. And we know from the scripture that Christ is the prince of peace.

Hosanna: Save us now/ Deliver/ Rescue us.

Crowd: The crowd shout hosanna because they saw Jesus performing lots of miracles, heal the lame and blind, turn the water into wine, feeding 5000 people with 2 fish and 5 loaves, raise Lazarus from the dead and because of this great

They expect that He can rescue them politically and free them from Roman rule.

But Jesus mission was to save mankind from the slavery of sin and gave mankind eternal life. When the crowd expectation was not met, it was the same crowd who shout crucify Him on Good Friday.

These are a few things I would like to remind before we enter our main points.

I would like to entitle my sermon as

       “Your King is coming”

I would like to bring 3 very important points from the above passage.

1. Jesus Enter Jerusalem as a king, who will save mankind from the bondage of sin.

Matthew 21:5. “Say to Daughter of Zion,

 ‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Matthew quote this verse from Old testament Zacharias 9:9.

Prophet Zacharias prophesy 500 years prior to the Jesus arrival in Jerusalem.

As Jesus enter Jerusalem the crowd threw their cloaks on the road, they took the palm leaves and began joyfully praising God in the Loud voices for all the miracles they have seen.

And they were shouting

“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the LORD,

Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.

Purpose of Christ coming to this world: before that let’s see the condition of mankind.

1. Christ our king came to this world as a Passover lamb. (Exodus 16).

(Moses told Israelites to pain their door with the blood of a lamb so that the spirit will Passover your house and your family,

In the same way if we wash our heart with the blood of Jesus, His blood will cleanse us from all sins.)  he came as a Passover lamb.

2. Christ our king came to this world to give us Eternal life. (John 3:16)

3. Christ our king came to reconcile our broken relationship with the Father. (Rom.5:1}

(Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.)

4. Christ our king came to show us the Way, the Truth and the Life. (John 14:6).

5. Christ our king came to this world to free us from condemnation of sins. (Rom.8:1).

(There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.)

5. Christ our king came to take us to heaven. (John 14:1-3.)

(1.Let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God,  believe in me also.

2. In my fathers house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you,  I will go and prepare a place for you.

3. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and recieve you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also.)

Application:

Beloved church

Christ has redempt us, His love has captured us,

Even though if we go through this corona virus pandemic, facing all kinds of life difficulties and challenges, He promised us He will never leave us nor forsake us,

His everlasting love is with us.

Roman’s 8: 35.

35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or perils,  or sword.

38. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life,  nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,

39. Nor height nor depth,  nor any other created things, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This is our bless hope and our Assurance in Christ Jesus.

He is our beautiful saviour our Lord and our King.

2. Jesus enter and cleanse the Jerusalem temple.

 Matthew 21: 12-13.

12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.

13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers

Jerusalem temple was like thieves’ market, all kinds of cheating and lying and betraying business was going on in the house of the LORD.

Jesus enter and chase them out and remind them that this house is the house of prayer.

Paul also Remind us in 1 Cor. 6:19-20.

19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

20 you were bought at a price. Therefore, honour God with your bodies.

The scripture clearly taught us that our Heart is a Temple of Holy Spirit.

But sadly, many people entertain their heart with sin like those people in Jerusalem temple.

From this passage we know that God and sin can’t dwell together.

God hate sin but He loves sinners, he like to clean all our sins as He clean up the Jerusalem temple.

Beloved church how are you all maintaining your heart?

Illustration: Garbage story

You know there are times I forgot to dispose kitchen garbage, when the garbage keeps for so long it smells horrible and the garbage smell the whole room.

In the same way, if we didn’t confess our sin and didn’t dispose them, this stinking sin will poison your whole life and even killed you.

The garbage we store in our heart can be.

(Laziness, cheating, lying, selfishness, bribing, sexual immorality, drunkenness, pornography,

Lust of the flesh, lust of the eye and the pride of life)

We should not let these things rule and control our heart.

Romans 6:23 says. For the wages of sin is Dead but the gift of God is eternal life.

Application:

How are you maintaining your heart and your life?

Is it God please with the lifestyle you are living today?

Beloved Let us examine ourselves right now and if there is any sin in our life and if there is anything hindering us to love Jesus. Let us confess our sin and make right with Him.

 1 John 1: 9. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

I strongly believe that the solution for this corona pandemic is in the hand of God,

The world need to turn to God and repent for the forgiveness of sins.

May God have mercy on us.

2 Chronicle 7:14.

“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

3. Jesus enter and wept for Jerusalem. Luke 19: 41-44.

41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it

42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.

43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side.

44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

Jesus foresee the heart of the people; he sees their miserable future;

He knows their hopelessness; He know that these people will never make it to His kingdom. Knowing all these Jesus cry for them.

In Noah days before the flood people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, they all miss the  opportunity to be to be in the ark. Everyone perish in their sin.

In the same way people of Jerusalem lose the golden opportunity.

Jesus was weeping over the tragedy of lost opportunity,

the Israelites that assembled in Jerusalem for Passover miss the opportunity to be saved from both earthly and eternal destruction.

They were visited by their saviour but they didn’t know it,

instead of receiving Him they killed Him.

Illustration:

I would like remind with the familiar story from the bible, the rich man and Lazarus

 (Luke 16:19-31).

Rich man.

God bless him with riches: He misuse his wealth in a wrong way. (partying)

God gave him beautiful life: He waste his beautiful life.

God gave him enough time to live on earth: He misuse his opportunity

He never remembers God in his entire life but he remembers God in hell fire

but it was too late for him.

Whereas

Poor Lazarus Know the true living God, he makes use of every opportunity and he ends up his life in eternal heaven.

 God gave time to all of us to come to him before iti is too late.

Application

How Jesus may be thinking of you right now?

Is he weeping of you? Like He weep for Jerusalem?

Or Is he celebrating because you are his child?

  • Our life on earth is short let us make use of every opportunity.
  • God is an omniscience God He know the pain and suffering we are going through right now.
  • He know our financial struggles, he knows our life challenges and life struggles.
  • The cool part is we are not facing all these complications alone. He promised he will take care of us. If He takes care of the birds in the air and Lily in the field, he will surely take care of us.

Matthew 11:28-30.

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Finally I wanna close with this beautiful song lyrics.

“In Christ alone”

Categories
Matthew Sermon The Church

Ministry of the Church : Matthew 28:18-20

We are on the last & final topic of the series called ‘The Church’.

The title of today’s sermon is ‘The Ministry of the Church’ and the passage we are looking at is Matthew 28:18-20

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Jesus, after spending 33 years on earth as a human being, walking through this broken world with us, through all the vulnerabilities we humans go through so He can identify with our struggles, tempted in every possible way just as we are tempted but still lived a perfect and holy life pleasing to God the Father.

And after spending the last 3 years in ministry, preaching the Kingdom of God, making disciples out of uneducated, sinful men, teaching and enlightening them about the Kingdom of God, offering Himself to die on the cross as a perfect sacrifice for the atonement of our sin and rebellion, he exchanged His righteousness with us & finally rose up from the dead and sealed this new covenant with us of restoring us back to Father. And now Jesus is at the end of His ministry and He is giving out his last commandment to his disciples.

These disciples after hearing these commands from Jesus, on His instruction they wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, just like Jesus waited when he started His ministry, and then scattered all around the world preaching the good news of the Gospel, making disciples and teaching them to obey.

Today we are the recipients of God grace because of these men who took Jesus’s command seriously against all the odds, challenges, threats, pain, suffering, even death and made Jesus and truth of the Gospel famous all around the world. A special thanks to Thomas who when led by the Holy Spirit travelled to our nation India in the year AD 52 and faithfully preached the Gospel, later was killed in AD 72 in Chennai for spreading the Gospel.

Brothers & sisters, we all are called & commanded to do the same. This is the ultimate purpose of our lives and the ultimate purpose of the Church as we saw a couple of Sundays back. It is to lift up Jesus to this dying world and communicate this message of hope.

And the funny thing is that this almighty, all-powerful God doesn’t need us to accomplish this task, he can do it on His own, but he invites us to have this amazing privilege to participate in His work as partners – For which He rewards us, on earth and in heaven.

Therefore, lets pay careful attention and understand this Great commission in depth and how it applies in our current context of life.

I want to share four things from this passage that are important for us to know and learn.

1. It’s a command and not an instruction, from the highest authority.

We all work in corporate companies, imagine the Founder & Managing Director of your company invites you to his cabin and personally assigns you a task to do and also promises to reward you for doing it. How would you respond?

Will you say ‘I’ll do it whenever I get free time?”, or “I’ll see whether I want to do it”.

No, we will never say that, instead we will be so excited that we will keep aside every other work to complete the task, in fact some of us will even work extra hours to get the job done, just to please your boss and get his compliments.

Brothers & sisters, the one who is speaking to us is Jesus, to whom all authority in heaven and earth has been given. If an assignment from an earthly boss can move us and shake us from our comfort zone. Consider, the one who is speaking to us is almighty God.

And when the most powerful person on heaven and earth speaks to us, it’s not just an instruction that we can chose whether we want to do it or not.

There is no other option then to take Him seriously and get on with the task.

2. Go & tell, not come and see

The instruction is quite clear. It is to ‘go & tell’ and not ‘come and see’. – “Go therefore …”

In the Old Testament, or in the old covenant the presence of God resided in the “Tabernacle of God”, in the temple, where people would come with their sacrifices to receive pardon from their sins. But if we study the structure and ordinances of the temple we will learn that they were mere symbols pointing us to Jesus and the ultimate display of His work on the cross.

Instead of we bringing the sacrifice for the atonement of our sins, he came and gave himself as a sacrifice once for all. The Bible tells us that now we are the temple where God resides.

Today the church is not a building or a structure, church is the people of God – temple of God where God resides (1 Cor 6:19).

When Jesus is asking us to ‘go therefore’, he is telling us to take His presence with us into this dying world. Which means, when we invite and have a coffee conversation with a friend or a college we are allowing them to have close proximity with the presence of God residing in us. When we are talking to them and expressing our hearts, inviting them into our lives we are expressing God’s heart to them and inviting them to God’s Kingdom.

Here’s some practical ways in which we invite them to give us a listening ear. Remember, these are only effective when we are thoroughly soaked in the Gospel and are experiencing the transforming work of Christ in us.

  • Through Our vocabulary – Speaking the Kingdom language:
    • When we speak Words of Hope that help people see life beyond their present pain and suffering
    • When we speak Words of Life that put King Jesus on the pedestal for others to see and admire
    • When we speak Words of acknowledgment & gratefulness to God for others to learn and follow.
  • Through Our responses – Our faithful responses to the brokeness of this world:
    • Our response when we go through financial crises in trusting His provision.
    • Our responses when we fall sick in relying on His Sovereignty.
    • Our response when we are tempted to sin in saying ‘No’ at all costs.
    • Our response when we see delay in Gods answering our prayers in knowing that He makes everything beautiful in His time.
    • Our response when our bosses sit on out head in trusting in the ultimate authority.

Our responses to such situations testify the fact that nothing in this world bothers us because we rest in Jesus and his finished work on the cross.

  • Through Our values – Walking the talk:
    • Doing the right thing at all times regardless of what the consequences are.
    • Walking according to principles and commandment prescribed in the scripture. – Not out of compulsion but with joy.
  • Through Our service – Having a Servantheart:
    • Going the extra mile to bring the hope of Christ to a person in need, physical or emotional.
    • Serving the poor, caring for the orphans, providing for the widows.
    • Sacrificing our time, energy and resources to comfort others in need.

Remember, these are means through which we can invite others to hear us out, but the ultimate goal is Gospel proclamation. Sharing the True Gospel in a clear, meaningful, & effective manner is most important, not the Gospel that promises health, wealth & prosperity but the Gospel that promises eternal life in heaven whether in riches or poverty; pain, suffering or good health, not a work-based Gospel that says to get this you have do this, but a Gospel of grace, that says its a free gift we receive without doing anything in return – All we do is believe in the Son of God & trust Him.

3. We are called to make disciples, not mere friends and colleagues

Don’t settle and be satisfied that you have made some unbelieving friends and that you hang out with them often. Our job is not complete unless we make a disciple out of them.

And it just doesn’t happen like that, there is an investment of time, money and resources we need to consider if we have to walk and disciple people. If time, money, comfort matters to us more than saving our loved ones from pain, sorrow & misery then we have to consider offering them as a sacrifice for the sake of the Kingdom.

Jesus left His glory and came for us, sacrificing everything, the disciples of Jesus left the comfort of their homes and sacrificed their lives so that we could find hope.

What is it that the Holy Spirit asking us to do? Are we making disciples or just friends with whom we like to hangout and chill, mostly so that we can feel good and relieved from the daily stress.

We ought to be making disciples, not just hang out with them as friends.

4. Teach them to obey, not just attend church and sing Christian songs

Let us not be like those parents who are happy that their children go to church, by-heart bible verses and sing Christian songs. Unless we’ve understood and experienced Gospel transformation and are walking in obedience to God word, no Christian activity will save our lives.

We are not inviting our friends to do Christian activities with us but we are inviting them to walk in obedience and to fulfil the God given purposes in their lives.

It is not the good feeling of being part of a church, or a good feeling of being part of an exuberant worship that brings life transformation. What brings life transformation is the truth of God revealed in our heart that leads us to walking in total surrender to Him.

Therefore, we need to consistently and faithfully encourage one other to walk in obedience to God’s word. Jesus said “If you love me you will obey me”. There is no loving without obedience. If you come to me and say you love Jesus, I will only be able to validate your love for Jesus if I also see unconditional obedience. – That’s how even Jesus will measure our love when we meet Him.

Teach them to obey, not just attend church and sing Christian songs.

In all of this, brothers & sisters, be encouraged – Jesus is with us and walking alongside us. He promised never to leave, never to forsake, his hand of protection, his comfort, his strength, his wisdom, his power is always with us.

This is the ministry of the church, the ministry of every single person sitting in this room. I hope I’ve given you compelling reasons to find your joy in serving in the Kingdom of God and tools to start acting on it. I believe you will be like the faithful servants who used their talents for God’s glory and when you meet your saviour and master in heaven you will hear him say “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your master”.

Let’s pray

Categories
Ephesians Sermon The Church

Purpose of the Church – Ephesians 3:8-10

We are currently doing a series on the topic called ‘The Church’.

Last Sunday, we learnt ‘WHAT is church’.

We learnt that church is not a building or a structure but a family of people redeemed by the blood of Christ –  Joined together in Him, Citizens of a heavenly Kingdom and a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.

This Sunday our goal is to discover the WHY and the passage we will be looking at is Ephesians 3:8-10.

For a Christian it is important to know the WHY of the Church because it unlocks the WHY of our own personal lives. In a fast-paced, ambition-driven, need-based society we are often distracted and blinded from discovering the God given purposes of our lives. We often define the purpose of our lives based on our upbringing, cultural influences and selfish desires of our hearts.

I believe as we discover the WHY of the Church it will allow us to see how our own lives are woven in this beautiful relationship with God and with one another. We will learn that for a Christian, outside of this relationship, life doesn’t exist.

Instead of realising this truth on our death bed when everything we strive for in life seem to fade away, its better to realise it now so we can live a happy and satisfied life in God, also leaving back a legacy for our next generation to follow and aspire.

If you are someone who really desires this life then follow with me… in Ephesians 3:8-10 where Apostle Paul writes…

To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

I’m going to focus on five ‘key-phrases’ from this passage and use them interchangeably to explain what it reveals about the Purpose of the church.

The five phrases are:

“The very least of us”

“Preach to the gentiles”

“Unsearchable riches of Christ”

“Mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things”

“Through the Church”

The first key phrase I want to begin with is ‘through the church’.

Brothers & sisters, since the time we fell into Sin and made a mess of our lives, God’s been doing such amazing things to restore us back to Him, through generations old and new. And in the new covenant of Christ the important thing we all need to learn is that everything God has done in history post Jesus, what God is doing in the present and what God is about to do in the future is through the church.

Not through any single man or even a party, standing isolated from the world, shouting and yelling at the top of their voice – whether political or religious. It’s only through the church – the redeemed people of God – including you and me sitting right now in this small little dance rehearsal hall.

And here’s what is He is doing?

His is revealing “His manifold wisdom” to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

The very forces that are against the coming Kingdom of God, making every effort to destroy precious lives through deception and manipulations, in the name of tradition, culture, political freedom, health, wealth and prosperity. Non of which is bad by itself, bad only when its used to distract us from the truth – the ‘manifold wisdom of God’

This manifold wisdom of God is the “mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things”

Let’s take a step back and consider who we are talking about here.

We are not talking about a new movement started by a political or a business leader who wants to change the world – and we chose whether we want to go with Him or not. We are talking about God who created all things for His pleasure and none of us have a choice not to follow Him. Our choice will determine whether we will live eternity in heaven or in hell.

The mystery that was hidden for ages is ‘Christ’. Colossians 1:27 “God chose to make known how great among the gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory”

When God made this world, he made us in his image, he wanted us to walk humbly and obediently in his presence, honouring him, glorifying him, worshipping him – but instead we chose to disobey and rebel because of which we had to be thrown out of this beautiful relationship and also away from his joy-giving, peace-filled promises – promise of a good life which we were meant to live when he created us – to live in a peaceful world.

The mystery is that now through Christ’s life, death and resurrection, as we repent and believe in him, we can be restored back into that relationship, which also unlocking the ‘the unsearchable riches of Christ’ in us – the privilege of been adopted in His family, to be co-heir with Christ in heaven. – bestowed with the power to do greater things than He who sent us, to be change makers, mountain movers, pace setters, leaders of this world.

He chooses “the very least of us” as Paul points out about his own election. Not the healthy, wealthy, prosperous and wise people of this world but the sick, the poor, the needy and foolish people like us – and then joining us together, calling us church and sending us out into the world …

To do what?

“To preach to the gentiles the good news of this mystery which is Christ”, the hope of glory to each and every person who believes in Him.

In all this God is seeking His glory and the purpose of the church is to Glorify Him as we preach the gospel and see hearts been transformed.

The purpose of the church is not just gathering people every Sunday morning, singing songs and having a great fellowship. The purpose of the church, of every individual sitting here is to take this good news that which we sing about and cherish every Sunday morning, go out into the world and preach it to the dying world – in our neighbourhood, in our workplace, in our society, in our city, in our nation and the ends of the world.

How?

Through our lifestyle, our attitude, our behaviour, our love for one another, our service – but most importantly through our WORDS.

The word ‘preach’ means public proclamation, advocating the truth of the Gospel in every way possible. A lot of people quote St Francis of Assisi who said “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words”… That’s not what the scripture tells us – It tells us to go out and preach it.

In the world where humans (the image bearers of the God) are fighting against war, global warming, corruption, injustice, slavery, rape, abuse of power, religious oppression, CAA & NRC on the basis of ethics, values & human rights. God wants his church, the redeemed people of God to rise up and become channels through which he revels his manifold wisdom, the mystery hidden in Christ, the hope for all the problems – through public proclamation.

This is the ultimate purpose of the Church. And this is the ultimate purpose of every believer.

Just as Moses lifted up the bronze serpent in the wilderness for the people to see and be saved. We, the church are called to lift up Son Jesus to this world and call them out to repent of their sins and put their faith in Him so that their souls may be saved and restored.

There is nothing to be ashamed of while preaching the Gospel because we are not selling an insurance policy, we are proclaiming the truth, the only truth that can save them. Ultimately, its their choice whether to take it or not.

And before I point finger at you and ask you whether you are doing so, I want to confess my own failure to do so, because of my fears and insecurities. I think I sometimes fool myself by thinking that I am preaching the Gospel every Sunday, to every like minded brother and sister who comes to me for counselling. But I believe there is a difference between preaching the Gospel in a safe environment like this and preaching to the gentiles as Paul writes where my life can be in danger, where I am susceptible to rejection, mockery, hatred etc.

Church, lets rise up – to our calling, to our purposes, to our destiny.

Jesus said “Go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

This is mandate given to the church, to every person sitting in this room.

This doesn’t mean that we throw off our jobs, abandon our responsibilities. But it means to recognise the context in which God has placed us, whether at work, in family, in society. And as we are participating in our daily earthly chores and fulfilling our God given responsibilities we are aware that our primary goal is to Glorify God by lifting up the name of His son Jesus, by preaching the good news to the gentiles, making disciples and teaching them to obey God.

In concluding my talk, I want to pray and plead with God for my heart this morning, to make bold and courageous, to become intentional in sharing the Gospel to my lost friends, neighbors, colleagues, and if that is what you feel convicted of this morning, I want to you to join me in praying and pleading with God.

Categories
Philippians Sermon

The Joy of Generous Giving – Philippians 4:14-23

Our passage for today is Philippians 4:14-23.

Today we are concluding our sermon series on the letter of Philippians. In these passage, Paul is ending his letter by thanking the church for sharing in his trouble and for their partnership in giving and receiving.

In times of Paul’s greatest need the church stood with him and sent him a gift offering to provide for all his need through brother Epaphraditus. And this was not the first time the church sent a gift, they did this at several occasions.

More than rejoicing in the fact that his needs were met, he rejoices for the increasing fruit the believers are going to receive because of their giving.

Here are a couple of observations we can gather from the passage.

We don’t know what exactly the gift was, it could be cash or maybe food, clothes etc. But in both cases we know for that money had to be collected.

For Epapraditus to take a huge risk with his life to deliver the gift and for Paul to say ‘I am well supplied’, the believe the gift must have costed a substantial amount.

For the church to contribute such a huge sum of money, every member of the church must have generously given.

Since we are now talking about money, let me also share some truths we need to know about money, especially in the church context.

– Whenever a donation or an offering is asked by a church leader, it is not because God needs our money, or that God’s church lacks anything. God is self sufficient and needs no man’s help to build His Kingdom, His Church.

– Everything we have belongs to God and we have no right to hold back even a paisa. We owe everything to Him and he has all the rights to take it away.

– When we are asked to give back a certain portion from what we receive from Him, God is protecting our heart from making money our idol.

In Matthew 6:24 Jesus said “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

Therefore, when we are asked to give, whether as an offering to meet church needs, or for missions, or to help a brother or sister in need. God is opening an opportunity for us to search our hearts and evaluate whether money has taken his place, whether we trust in money or in God, whether we see our security in money or in God.

A man or a women who gives generously to Gods work exhibits his/her trust in God. Secondly, it is also a way in which God brings about a balance in the manner in which money and the earthly resources are equally distributed among his children according to their needs and necessities.

God uses all kinds of people and all kinds of ministry to expand His glory and it is the responsibility of each child of God to generously participate in whatever measure they can contribute.

In the Old Testament, a large group of people called the Levite’s were called to do certain tasks in the temple which did not yield them any wages. And therefore others were asked to set apart one tenth of their wages as a contribution to meet the needs of the Levite’s.

We read that in Numbers 18:21 God says “To the Levites I have given every tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service that they do, their service in the tent of meeting” Giving to the need of the church and to Gods ministry is a mandate every child of God should carry in their heart.

As we are talking about the joy of giving, here are three reasons from this passage that should encourage us to be generous giver.

1. We give because God first gave

God is a generous giver.

In verse 19 “My God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” God is not holding back any good thing from us, and if there is delay from His end it is only for our good.

The greatest gift of all is even though we sinned against God and while we were still sinners, God gave his only son to die for us so that he can save us from eternal death. – He gave away His best to us.

Therefore when we are asked to give let us give from a grateful heart remembering His generosity towards us.

2. We give to receive increasing fruit

In verse 17 Paul writes, “Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit”, it affirms the fact that there is a reward that God gives to those who generously give.

In Luke 6:38 Jesus says “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

Now, when we talk about receiving return gifts from God for our giving, we should also be careful not to do it with wrong motivation and expectations.

A lot of people when they give they give it as though the Kingdom of God is a stock market, where you systematically invest in ministries that you think will give high returns.

We don’t treat God that way. We have to careful of prosperity preachers who ask us to sow seeds in their ministries expecting high returns.

Therefore, before we give, it is important that we get plugged into a healthy gospel-centered church that help us grow and mature in the things of God that matters to our soul, allowing God to sanctify our heart and mind, destroy the idols of selfishness, boastfulness and pride.

God is not interested in our sacrifices if our heart is not in the right place. In Hosea 6:6 God is saying “I don’t want your sacrifices—I want your love; I don’t want your offerings—I want you to know me.”

When we give, we give with a right attitude, an attitude that is renewed and repaired by the influence of the Gospel. And when God sees the real heart of the giver he gives it back in full measure because God is not a debtor of man.

And finally…

3. We give to increase our joy in Christ

As we read through verse 14 to 18 we see the joy in Paul’s heart. He was in trouble, he was in need, he needed encouragement, and he received all of that in full measure through the kind and generous gesture of the Church in Philippi.

There is a certain sense of joy that we experience, not only when we receive but also when we give.

In Acts 20:35 the author reminds the church about what Jesus said about giving, Jesus said “It is more blessed to give than to receive”

At Gathering, we don’t talk a lot about the topic of giving in the church, maybe because of the abuse of money in so called Christian ministries, but it doesn’t mean that giving is not important, in fact it is so very crucial.

A generous giving of time, money and resources to the church speaks a lot about our faith and attitude towards God.

As Elders of the church we speak out of our own lives, just like you all we too have full-time jobs, we do not take any salary from the church offertory, we provide for our own needs and equally participate in giving. What we are asking you to do is something we all do and and have experienced joy and blessings.

Therefore, I encourage each one of you to joyfully participate in the Joy of giving, it is not just a request but a mandate, a command from the Lord to give.

Categories
Philippians Sermon

Believers Journey in Christ: Philippians 4:10-13

10. I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:10-13

Topic: Believers Journey in Christ.
Previous Sunday we learnt about always rejoicing and being gentle in spirit, we learnt to not be anxious but live a prayer life, peace of God will guard you.

Last Sunday – We are to think and live on the things which are True, Honourable, Right, pure, lovely admirable.

Today we shall see 3 principles under the text we have just read.

1. Be a channel of blessing. (10)
                    10. I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. Illustration: Philippians believers.

My story at train station. William Pettegrew missionary to Manipur.

Julie: You may not meet the same person twice in your life, make use of every opportunity and be a blessing to all people you met.

“Be careful how you live; you may be the only some people ever read.” Williams J Toms.

Application:
Quotation of Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring love.
Where there is offence (wrong doing or crime), let me bring pardon.
 Where there is discord (Disunity), let me bring union.
Where there is error, let me bring truth.
Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.
Where there is despair (No hope), let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, let me bring your light.
Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.

Be a channel of blessing for someone everyday, let us be a channel of blessing this coming year our family, church, work place, wherever we are.

Matthew 10:42.
 And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.

2. Be content with God provision. (11,12)
11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

 Illustration: Paul life. (Gal. 2:20) Paul live his life for God.

George muller and his wife sell all they possess and live their life contented under God’s loving provision. (If He don’t supply Gods name will be dishonour).

David “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.” Psalm 37: 25. (He will supply all your need Phil. 4:19)

# Adam and Eve, Lucifer fall. (Discontentment bring destruction, pain & suffering)
# Israelite in wilderness (Complaint, Grumble to God) Result God was not happy.

1 Timothy 6:6-11.
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Some result of discontent life.

1)It destroy our present joy
2) It make us restless
3) it makes our life complex and confuse
4) leads to Complain and grumble in life (Israelite)
5) It leads to anxiety.
6) It lead to covetousness.

Lesson from King Agur Proverb 30:7-9.
“Two things I ask of you, Lord; do not refuse me before I die:
Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal,     
and so dishonor the name of my God.


Lesson from Asaph Psalm 73:25-26.
Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart     
and my portion forever.

Solution:
1) Never compare your life with others (the grass is always greener on the other side)
2) Count Gods blessing in your life.
3) Remember Gods sovereign will in your life. (you gave & you take away blessed be your name) Job.

Application: Are you content with your life?

Remember church If God is all we have we have all our need, Let us all be content with the provision of God in our daily life.

3. Be confident with God strength.
(13) “I can do all this through Christ who gives me strength.”

Remember the context.

Paul is in Jail and He is saying he can face and endure all the challenges in life by Christ strength.

We will face hardship, persecution and challenges in life but remember we can do all things through Christ who strengthen me.

John 15: 5 “ I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

Illustration: Israelite were defeated by Ai because God was not with them. If you try to fight any battle without Gods strength you will always be defeated. You will face all hardship and shame.

Illustration:
1. Author Life.
2. King David
3. Daniel Proverb 3:5-6.  Trust in the LORD with all your heart.

“The Lord is my Rock and my Fortress and my Deliverer. My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. ~ Psalms 18:2

The Lord is my Light and my Salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? ~ Psalms 27:1

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him. Psalms 28:7

Application:
 Would you trust yourself or would you put your confidence on God?

Let us learn from the life of Apostle Paul and Daniel, David. With God all things are possible