Psalm 139 – Putting on the safety harness of 4 truths.

This message was preached by Colin D at Word of Grace Church on  May 19th, 2019. To listen/download the audio please click here. To listen to the Sunday's worship and prophetic contributions please click here  

Psalm 139 – Putting on the safety harness of 4 truths.

Sometimes we feel our lives are under so much pressure from all sides viz. finance, relationships, health, illnesses etc. you wonder whether you will survive. You can be praying for a long time and your prayers have not been answered.  You ask, where is God?

The sailors on the deck of a ship in a storm are not safe because they are strong but because they have a harness around them that secures them. Today we have a harness around us – the loving arms of Jesus.

Psalm 139This is David’s Psalm and we are familiar with it.

We will draw out four truths from this chapter.

VERSE 1-6 GOD KNOWS YOU

You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
² You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
⁵ You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.

We may think we know ourselves or that we know our husband, spouse, children but we discover new things every now and then.

God knows everything about you. He knows individuals by name- even the number of hairs on your head. In these verses, David shows 8 different wats God knows us: our sitting, rising, thought, our ways, our speech, our lying down,

Only God is omniscient. He alone is all knowing. Think about Joseph – God did not abandon him in prison. He knows our frustrations, dreams, fears, past, present and future. He knows us better than we know ourselves.

This is the harness we need to put on. We often do not fully know ourselves.

2.  VERSE 7- 12 HE PERSUES YOU

Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

God does not know us from a distance. Rather, He is with us. This is another harness to put on and believe in. God is with and in us.Verse8 Even if you go to the farthest star God will be with you. He is interested in you.

We are called, children of God, his beloved. Even if we turn our backs on Him he will peruse you eg) Jonah ran away but God pursued Him. He who began a good work will bring it to completion.

Jude 1:24-25 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— ²⁵ to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

This is another harness to put on esp. if you have faltered and fallen away. Turn back to Him. You cannot outrun Him.

3 VERSE 13-16 GOD HIMSELF MADE YOU

For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.

The picture here is of a weaver weaving a garment one thread at a time. We are, fearfully and wonderfully made. God made and fashioned us. God considers us precious. We are different and made differently. Think about the capacity the human brain has and the marvels of the human body.

We are created in the image of God, therefore we need to be careful how we treat people. We need to treat people with love and respect and honour. God made us the way we are and we are precious in His sight. Gideon was sacred and threshing wheat in the wine press. The angle called him a “Mighty Warrior”

4. VERSE 17 – 18  GOD HAS GREAT PLANS FOR YOU

How precious to me are your thoughts,^[a] God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with you.

V18 God is thinking about us. God is working everything for our good. Joseph was sold as a slave but God was orchestrating events for a great plan.

Seventy people went into Egypt – 430 years later they are 3 million.

God has plans for you and we need to link into God to fulfill those purposes.

Each one is special and unique. Only you can do what you need to do. He has unique things for you to do. Our job is to step into your plans. What is the next step in those plans? That next step may not be easy. We have to step out of our comfort zone. Bur God is with you. This is another harness to put on.

When we wear these truths, we will never falter and be able to weather any storms.

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 has 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.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

The Father's Heart | Colin D

This message was preached by Colin D at Word of Grace Church on  May 19th, 2019. To listen/download the audio please click here. To listen to the Sunday's worship and prophetic contributions please click here

THE FATHER’S HEART

What is God like? We need to be reminded of this. Sometimes we think of him as a police officer or a strict schoolteacher.

While Jesus was on earth demonstrated with his words and life, what God is really like.

Luke 15:11

This is a familiar passage but let us look at it from a different perspective.

V1. Whenever we look at something in the Bible, we should look at the context. The Pharisees muttered that Jesus was welcoming sinners. In this context, Jesus tells us three parables: the lost sheep. The lost coin and the lost son.

The stories are about someone losing something or someone and upon finding, it rejoices greatly.

In the same way, there is more rejoicing over one sinner who repents. The Father rejoices over our repentance. He is not a strict schoolmaster waiting to punish us.

V9.Rejoice with me, I have found my lost coin. Angles rejoice when one sinner repents.

The parable is more about the Father than the son. The son demands his inheritance.

The misery of the son

The son moves out and goes to a distant country. He declares his independence. This is often how people deal with God and run away from Him. When we break away from God we can attach ourselves to drugs alcohol, money sex etc. Some of the things may appear to be nice and may satisfy us for a short while.

He squandered his money in wild living. When you have money, you have many friends. When you have no money, they disappear.

V14. A famine broke out. He goes to feed the pigs

Have we gone away from God? We will have to face swine food. The good news is in verse 17.

He came to his senses. Somewhere reality set in. He realized, that his life was really messed up that he should be looking after pigs and eating pig’s food.

He thinks of his father’s house and how even the servants were well cared for.

V18. We see his brokenness and humility. He realized he sinned against heaven and his father. He knew he had blown it.

It’s important that we repent. No matter how much we have sinned, there is hope. There is hope and forgiveness.

V20. He goes to his father. Imagine you were the father – what would your response be?

How does God see Him? The Father was looking for him. He is always looking for us to turn back to Him. He was filled with compassion and grace. He is a good Father and he did the most unthinkable thing. He RAN.

The great love of the father toward sinners is amazing. Not only did he run but he threw his arms around him. He did not care about his dirty state. He took all our sins on the cross and upon himself and put his arms around us. He kissed his son. The Father asks for a Robe, ring, and sandals and kills the fattened calf.

The father is waiting and watching, looking for sinners to repent. When they come, He rejoices.

Where are you in the parable? Are you the son eating the food of the pigs? It does not matter. Will you turn to Jesus?

For those of us who are not the younger son in the story; we still sin and need to repent.

There is great rejoicing in heaven when a sinner is saved.

How can we put a smile on the Father’s face?

Let us reach out to the lost and introduce them to the wonderful Father. Our heart needs to beat like the Father’s heart. Whom can we reach out to? Whom can we share the goodness of God? We will be collaborating in seeing that great rejoicing in heaven.

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 has 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.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

Mothers in the Bible | Colin D

This message was preached by Colin D at Word of Grace Church on  May 12th, 2019. To listen/download the audio please click here. To listen to the Sunday's worship and prophetic contributions please click here

Today is Sunday and also Mother’s Day. Apart from Mother’s Day, there are many other days like Friendship Day, Father’s day, Children’s Day, Teachers Day and lots of other days.

How it started is in the 1900s in America, there was a person called Anna Jarvis and she wanted to honor her mother so she came up with Mother’s Day as a way of honoring sacrifices mothers made for their children. Anybody who has been in the delivery room knows the sacrifices involved – men have no clue!

The question is: is this just a fad or is it something worth celebrating? We need to check if this aligns with what the bible says. In Deutronomy 5:16 it says:

“Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

The Bible speaks about honoring our parents. The same command is repeated through scripture:

Matthew 15:4

 For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.

Ephesians 6:2-3

 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise—3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”

We’re going to look at three mothers in the Bible today:

1)     Jochebed

Jochebed was Moses’ mother & she was an amazing lady. What’s so amazing about her is that the Israelites were just 70 people. They went to Egypt and were there for over 400 years. They grew from 70 people to 2 and a1/2 million people, but they were slaves. Now a new King in Egypt had come up and he did not know anything about Joseph’s contribution to preserving the Egyptians and the Israelites. The King was threatened by the fact that the Israelites were rapidly growing and outnumbering the Egyptians, so he commanded the midwives to take every Israelite boy and kill them. The midwives wouldn’t do it so he commanded them to take every little boy and throw them into the river Nile. Then Jochebed (Jo for short) gave birth to a boy, and put him in a basket and covered him, then put baby Moses into the basket and put him in the river Nile. Pharoh’s daughter heard the baby’s cry and had him brought to her. Miriam (Moses’ sister) went up to Pharoh’s daughter and offered to care for the baby till he was grown So Miriam and Jo took care of Moses for a few months and then returns him to Pharoh’s daughter who took him to the palace to raise him. Jo was determined to save her son. She was not only saved from death, but the whole of the Israelites were delivered because of him. She knew that there was something special about him and he was the one who delivered God’s people from Egypt. In the same way mothers today may be changing nappies, feeding babies, making meals, doing homework and so much more. But who knows 20-30 years down the line what difference that child will make in the world. Jo didn’t know much but she raised up such an amazing.

So I want to encourage all the mothers today who may be thinking “oh no here we go again, they’ve dropped the milk, they’ve dropped food all over the place, they’ve not made the bed.” It’s the same thing over and over again and it may seem challenging, but remember you are shaping somebody who may make a huge difference to humanity.

2)     Hannah

Hannah was Samuel’s mother and was married to a man who loved her very much, but she was one of two wives. The other wife would taunt Hannah because Hannah didn’t have any children. It says in 1 Samuel that the LORD had closed Hannah’s womb.

1 Sam 1: 6

 Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her.

But then we see that Hannah prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly and she said Lord if you would give me a son, I will give him to you all the days of his life.

1 Sam 1:10-11

¹⁰ In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. ¹¹ And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”

She was praying so hard that Eli the priest saw her and saw her lips moving with no sound coming thought that she was drunk. The Lord then blessed her with a son. Imagine you have just one son, what would you do? Hannah was faithful, she gave him to the temple as she had said and then the LORD blessed her with many more children.

The one son she prayed for - Samuel became the one who anointed 2 of Israel’s greatest Kings and God gave Hannah 5 more children and great blessing in her life. She was another mother who was willing to give her son to the LORD.

What is it that we want from our children? Then most important thing is are they following the LORD? Are they serving – serving does not mean becoming a full time pastor or evangelist, but are their hearts after the LORD and are they growing. This is the most precious thing.

3)     Eunice and Lois

They were Timothy’s mother and grandmother. These two were commended for raising Timothy in the ways of God. In 2 Tim 1:5 Paul says:

I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

These two women: grandmother passed on to mother and mother passed on to Timothy the ways of God. This helps us understand that we can pass on lots of things to our children like wealth and education, but really one of the most important things to pass on is the life of Jesus that is in us and pass it on to the next generation.  Timothy’s mother and grandmother did that. Paul writes to Timothy and says:

2 Tim 3:14-15

 ¹⁴ But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, ¹⁵ and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Speak to your children about God and his ways right from the time they are born. Read them stories and teach the ways of God like Timothy’s mother and Grandmother were committed to doing.

So how can we honor our father and mother?

I’ve got 4 things.

1)      Appreciation: We can appreciate them with words or cards or SMS’s or WhatsApps and many different ways but we are verbally appreciating them and thanking them for what they have done for us. Today is a wonderful day to call up your mother and express gratitude and thanks for what she has done. Nobody can say my mother was perfect, all have flaws but the Bible says honor your father and mother and one of the ways is to appreciate them.

2)      Accept their authority when we are young:  Colossians 3:20 says

Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

As growing up children we need to accept their authority. Once we have grown up, we honor and respect our parents but we don’t come under their authority. The distinction is very important. When you are an adult you are responsible for your actions. An d honoring could mean that you may choose not to agree with your parents in certain situations. I remember a person who spoke to me and says that his parents told him to marry this girl, he didn’t want to marry her but because his father said marry her, he did. It didn’t work out and they got divorced. There are decisions that you take as an adult that you are responsible for.

3)      Treat them with respect:

Leviticus 3:19

Each of you must respect your mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God.

Hebrews 12:9

Each of you must respect your mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God

Respect is the way we speak to them and treat them. The way we treat them shows respect.

4)      Provide for them:

1 Tim 5:4

But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.

If a father or mother is in need, it is our responsibility to make sure that we are caring for them.

1 Tim 5:8

Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

We have to keep this in mind that if our Father or mother or relative is in need, we have a responsibility to care for them especially in their old age.

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 has 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.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

Now What? | Chris B

This message was preached by Chris B at Word of Grace Church on  April 28th, 2019. To listen/download the audio please click here. To listen to the Sunday's worship and prophetic contributions please click here

Last time we spoke about Palm Sunday and how Jesus was welcomed as a King. The next Sunday was Easter, and we celebrated Jesus’s resurrection. The Sunday after Easter – Now what? Recently I got a text message from my landlord that for some reason, he wanted to sell the flat. But we have so many memories in that house. I was thinking “Now what?” What am I anticipating? Acts 1:6-8 - 6 Then they gathered around him, and asked him, “Lord, Are you at this time going to restore the Kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his authority.8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth”.

When the disciples asked Jesus at what time the Kingdom will be restored, Jesus said that it is not for them to know. The disciples must have thought, “Now what?” To a person like me, the question asked by the disciples is confusing. But the disciples knew what they were asking. First it was Palm Sunday. Then it was Jesus’s death and then it was His Resurrection. Right after this, the disciples were anticipating that the Kingdom would be restored. But when Jesus said that it is not for them to know, they were left with the question, “Now what?” What kind of kingdom were they talking about? What kind of Kingdom were they anticipating? Even now, we celebrated Palm Sunday and then Easter. Now What? 

This morning, I’m going to give you the picture of the Kingdom the disciples were talking about. In the book of Zechariah, we’re going to look at eight visions. These visions are like a coin. There are two sides of a coin. Both the sides together make a coin. These 8 visions are paired as follows:

Both the visions feature the same people.
Vision 1 – Zechariah 1:7-17 - Some horsemen (various colors and riders) .
These riders are the people who go patrolling around. Those days there was peace outside on everyside.
Inside, it was strife. God said that we’re going to bring that peace inside.
Vision 8 – Zechariah 6:1-8 – Four chariots - Horsemen who were commissioned out. They go out on a
mission of Judgment. God’s people will experience God’s peace, the others will be judged.

Vision 2 & Vision 7:
Vision 2--Zechariah 2:1-13 – A man with a measuring line.
There are no physical walls in Jerusalem. God himself will be the Protector as a Wall of Fire. Many
people from outside will come inside and join them.
Vision 7 – Zechariah 5:1-4 – Giant Scroll (Law of the Lord)
The Law of The Lord (Scroll) has 2 sides -
1 – no false vows (sins against God)
2 – no stealing (sins against eachother)
The Lord will send the scroll into the world and it will burn down the houses where the law is broken.
The coming Kingdom is going to be a place of justice and prosperity.
Vision 3 & Vision 6:
Vision 3 – 4 horns and 4 craftsmen
4 horns – Oppressors of God’s people
4 craftsmen – Chase away horns.
The craftsmen will come to terrify and throw down the Oppressors of God’s people.
Vision 6 – Zechariah 5:5-11 – the woman in a basket. This represents all the iniquity of God’s people.
Two women with stork wings come and lift the basket and fly the iniquities away. Both the visions
represent freedom – Freedom from outside Opression and freedom from inside oppression.
We get all these pieces together and come to the center of it all.
Vision 4 & Vision 5:
Vision 4 – Zechariah 3:1-10 -- Clean garments for the High Priest
The great High priest stands with soiled clothes as an accuser. When Satan tries to accuse him, God does
not allow the Satan to say anything.
Zechariah 3:2-4 – the Lord said to Satan, “ the Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord, who has chosen
Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?”
Vision 5 – Zechariah 4:1-14 – The Gold lampstand and the two Olive trees.

The 2 Olive trees represent Governor and high priest (righteous). It is here that we start to understand why the disciples were asking about the Kingdom. This kingdom is a place of justice, prosperity, liberty, blameless and righteous. But how is God going to do this? There is a ninth vision. When God’s Governor and High priest obey God that is how the kingdom comes. Jesus is the King and also the High priest.


Hebrews 1: 1-3 – In the past, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed Heir of all things, and through whom also He made the Universe.3 the Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins he sat down at the right hand of the majesty in Heaven.

This building up of the kingdom has already started. God wants to and is using all of us for building his kingdom. We carry Easter – Death and Resurrection and share it with people who don’t know Jesus.

Final question – if the Kingdom had already started, and we are waiting for it to come, how are we better off when compared to people during the days of Zechariah and the disciples?

1 Peter 1:3-9
We know for sure about this kingdom and the salvation we have. We know the reason why we wake up being hopeful.

1 peter 1:11 – concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that could follow.

We are better off because we have Jesus , we experienced grace while they were waiting and pleading to experience that.

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 has 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.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.