Wednesday, June 21, 2017

The heart of the Father| Colin D

This message was preached  by Colin D'cruz at Word of Grace Church on June 18th, 2017. To listen/download the audio please click hereTo listen to the Sunday's worship and prophetic contributions please click here.

We know we have a heavenly Father when we are in Christ. We want to pattern our lives according to the Godly Father.
Q. What is a heavenly Father like? Luke 15 contains 3 parables which speaks about what the Father is like.
1.      Parable of the lost sheep:   ““What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’”

Q. Have you ever lost something and then find it?
Jesus was saying, in verse 7- “Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance”
Here we see the Father’s heart. God is rejoicing even when one person turn to him.
It is important when we read the Bible that we understand the context. Why is Jesus sharing these parables. In verse 1- “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.” these sinners were outcasts in those times. The Pharisees and Scribes kept the law scrupulously. They memorised the first 5 books of the Bible. They did everything according to the law. They could only walk so much on the Sabbath, if you walk further, it is work. In Israel there is a Shabath lift where you don’t even press a button.
Tax collectors were not like our Income Tax officers. Rome governed most of the known world. They built roads because they sent soldiers to any part of the empire on these roads. They paid for these soldiers by taxing the people. They appointed Tax Collectors for this purpose who taxed the people more than they were supposed to, and pocketed the next. The Pharisees saw that Jesus was eating with these kind of people. Sinners, were maimed and with physical deformities because they were physically deformed. Other type of sinners were prostitutes and people who did jobs no one else wants to do.
Jesus was eating with people like this. In India we have this situation with caste system. Jesus broke down all barriers. He preached to them, ate with them and went to their homes. He explains the Father’s heart to the people who were questioning this behaviour of his. He repeats in verse 10- “Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” God is looking for people who will repent.
2.      Parable of the lost coin:Or what woman, having ten silver coins,[a] if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ 10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.””

3.      Parable of the prodigal son:There was a man who had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’” What is he asking for? His inheritance before the Father dies. It is insulting, saying you don’t matter, just give me what I will get when you die. The son got the inheritance- which was land, cattle, etc. Then, this son sold everything and leaves his father’s house. He squanders it on  wild living.
a.      The son was doing a wrong thing- sometimes, God can let us continue in our wrongdoing for our season till we come to the end of ourselves. The Israelites kept worshipping idols. The heart was sinful. God let them continue in their sin till they were taken captive by the Assyrians and Babylonians where they were surrounded with idolatry. So if you notice in the New Testament the 4 gospels have no mention of idolatry. They had come to an end of themselves and threw idolatry out. 

b.      The Trajectory of sin: In verse 14, after he spent everything, there was a severe famine. He spent everything irresponsibly. “And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.” He had great privileges in his Father’s house. To the Jews, pigs are unclean and to say they have to feed pigs is disgusting. He is willing not just to feed the pigs, but to eat what they were eating.

This is a picture of the trajectory of sin. Any sin we indulge will lead us to the rock bottom. But the good news is coming. There is a point in time when we come to our senses. We ask ourselves, what am I doing?

c.      Repentance:I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants. And he arose and came to his father.” This is the act of repentance. That we turn from our sin and turn to our Father.

d.      Father’s response- if your son behaved this way, how long would you lecture him? The heart of the Father is this- “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him” Even though the son turned away, the Father’s eyes looked out for him. He doesn’t say, “Let him come here and I’ll talk to him”. It is not respectable to run for the patriarch. But he was overcome with joy. He can’t wait. At this point, the Pharisees would have freaked out.

e.      Restoration: Verse 22-23 “Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrateThey were restoring his position and celebrating his return.

This is the heart of the father. We could be like the Pharisees wanting to judge them and deal with them. But the Father heart of God doesn’t only accept the son as a servant, but restores him as a son. Forgiveness is free but it cost the Father a great deal. Let us receive the heart of the Father- that is, forgiveness to the worst sinner. We are here to seek and save the lost. It is going to be messy, but restoration is the heart of the Father. The Pharisees did not understand the behaviour of Jesus, but he was simply displaying the Father heart of God.

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that have people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service. To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.  


Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Power with Purpose| Colin D

This message was preached  by Colin D'cruz at Word of Grace Church on June 4th, 2017. To listen/download the audio please click hereTo listen to the Sunday's worship and prophetic contributions please click here.

We celebrate Pentecost Sunday today, 2 thousand years ago.

4 times in the gospel, Jesus is introduced by John the Baptist. Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16 and John1:33- All introduce Jesus as the one who will baptise us with the Holy Spirit and Fire.

In verse 35, he looks at Jesus and says behold the Lamb of God. We all know Jesus as the Lamb of God. He takes away our sin. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. Jesus shed his blood for us. We are so aware of that and thankful. But 4 times John the Baptist said he is the baptiser  who baptises us in the Holy Spirit.
Jesus appeared to his disciples after rising from the dead. He came alive and went to his disciples- he spent 40 days with them. Then he asked them to wait for the promise of Father. 

Acts 1:4- 11And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.””

Q. What is the purpose of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?

In Acts 1:8- The reason is that we will receive power. It is not for ourselves, but to go into the rest of the world and tell them about Jesus. As we go out and preach the word, there is power for wonders and miracles.

In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit was poured out on specific individuals from time to time. Judges 6:34- the spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon. It was only on this one person. 
 In Judges 14:19- The Spirit of the Lord rushed upon Samson. Over and over, God’s spirit 
came upon individuals.

But there was a promise that the same power, would be on us. Joel 2:28-32 ““And it shall come to pass afterward ,that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.”

Baptise is another word that means immerse. There is no significance in the word. It is like dying a piece of cloth. You baptise the cloth, and when it came out, the cloth was transformed. When we are immersed in the Holy Spirit, there is a transformation that takes place.

Romans 15:18-19-For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ

Paul is saying that by the power of the Spirit of God, I have preached the Gospel. They are able to tell people to repent and accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

On the day of Pentecost, in Acts 2, two things took place
1.      They were all together in one place
2.      They were all praying.

Q. what were they praying for?

Jesus said they will receive the Holy Spirit. So maybe they were praying for the Holy Spirit
The Father is not reluctant to give us the Holy Spirit.

John 14:16- Jesus too is praying for us to be Baptised in the Holy Spirit. So, it is not just us, but also Jesus who is praying for us.

John 16:7- Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.
Acts 2: The jews had 3 pilgrimages they celebrated. All the jews from around the world come to Jerusalem. Pentecost was one of those days. It is 50 days after the Passover. It is also the feast of the harvest.

In verse 2-4 “And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested[a] on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

This was a supernatural manifestation of the Presence of God. This was the result of being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”

When people are baptised in the Holy Spirit, everyone was amazed. They thought they were all drunk. Then Peter stood up and said this.

Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.[b] 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel

Later, through a vision to Peter, he received revelation that the Spirit was poured out for Gentiles as well. One of the signs of being baptised in the Holy Spirit is that they were speaking in tongues and declare God’s praises. That is what they saw the Gentiles doing.  

Paul on the road to Ephesus- he meets some people who were not even believers. So Paul preached the gospel. Then he laid his hands on them and they were baptised in the Holy Spirit. Although Paul is laying his hands, who is one baptising? Jesus. He is the baptiser

Acts 9:17- this is how Paul got filled with the Holy Spirit. Ananias laid his hands on him to be filled in the Holy Spirit.

John 7: 37-On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as[f] the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’””

Jesus is saying that a thirsty person will become the source of that water. In all these things, we need to believe.

Gal 3: 2- “Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?”

Verse 5- “Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith

We need to believe Jesus. Take him at his word that we will be filled and streams of living water will flow out of us.

We need boldness. Peter, on the day when Jesus was crucified, he was so afraid. He denied Jesus to a servant girl. But after being baptised in the Holy Spirit, he stood up boldly and proclaimed the gospel.

We can’t do what we are called to do, without the Holy Spirit. We need Him for the wonders and Miracles that point to Jesus.

D L Moody was a great evangelist who preached and 2 old ladies would pray for him to be baptised in the Holy Spirit. On the road one day, he got Baptised in the Holy Spirit. When he came back and preached the same things, multitudes were converted. This is a supernatural power.

Our motto is enjoying God, making friends, changing lives. We want to see transformation of lives. This weekend, there was another terrorist attack in London. I was thinking about the power of the Bible and the work of the Holy Spirit. The terrorists, who come from an Islamic background, were filled with another Spirit and they killed many people. On the other hand, there is Abdullah from an Islamic background, filled with the Holy Spirit. What is he doing? He is preaching the Gospel. Look at the difference!

When the Holy Spirit fills us, it is an amazing thing. He manifests in different ways, as He wills. Expect to receive him.

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that have people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service. To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.  
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