Thursday, August 29, 2019

Hebrews | Colin D

This message was preached by  Colin D at Word of Grace Church on August 25th, 2019. To listen/download the audio please click hereTo listen to the Sunday's worship and prophetic contributions please click here


There is a lot in this book about the Old Testament. So if you're not a Jew, you would not understand.
We don't know who wrote Hebrews and who it was written to. It’s a great riddle.

As we approach the book, we can find out where and why it was written. 

The language is different from other New Testament books. The Greek is more classical than the others. And this is not Paul's style of writing.

Chapter 13 gives us a clue of whom and when.

Heb 13:23 –
 I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released. If he arrives soon, I will come with him to see you

In this verse, the writer refers to Timothy as a brother. The writer was not Paul because Paul referred to Timothy as “Son” but not “Brother”
Heb 13:24 - Greet all your leaders and all the Lord’s people. Those from Italy send you their greetings.

It was written to Jewish Christians. It could have been from Jerusalem to Italy or vice versa.

By then there is persecution. There was no persecution during Paul's time.

Heb 10:33 - Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated.

This verse talks about persecution.

They were being persecuted but not yet being killed for their faith.
Heb 12:4 - In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

Theologians put the data at AD63
Just before AD70.

Throughout Hebrews, the writer refers to sacrifice still going on. In AD70, the temple was destroyed and Jerusalem was destroyed.

Nero ruled post AD70. He initially did a lot of good but then started doing evil. He burnt Rome down and blamed the Christians. That's when persecution broke out - they were killed, fed to the animals, lit as torches.

This book was written during moderate persecution. He was writing to them to hold on to their faith - don't go back

At that time, if you were being persecuted you are a Christian. 
Judaism was a recognized religion. So a Jewish Christian could go back to the synagogues and escape persecution. Gentiles couldn't.

This letter is telling them not to go back to Judaism because what we have in Christ is so great.

The temple, the sacrifices are but a shadow of what is in Christ.
Why settle for the shadow when you have reality in Christ.
Christ is so much superior to everything you have on the Old Testament.

Moses was only a servant in the house. Jesus is the son of God. Prophets were only a mouthpiece. Jesus is the word of God. We can't go back because Christ is far superior.
Take your stand, hold your ground and press on forward.

In what way is Christ superior that we should hold on in time of persecution?

Heb 1:1-4 -
 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 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. 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. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

This is the most wonderful passage in the Bible.
There is so much truth in this passage.


We see 6 things about Christ:

1. JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD AND THE HEIR OF ALL THINGS
He inherits everything. He is not a servant like Moses or an angel but the very Son of God
Not only is Jesus the heir but we are the co-heirs with him

Gal 4:7 -
So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

Your possessions may be confiscated, you may be beaten up but you will share in his glory

2. JESUS IS THE RADIANCE OF GOD'S GLORY

No one can see God. His glory is so much that we cannot see Him. But we can see Him through, Jesus. We see His attributes in Jesus - glory, power, miracles, Grace, etc

John 1:14 – The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Paul encountered God's glory on the road to Damascus.

2 The 2:8 - And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.

Jesus will destroy the evil one with the breath of his mouth.

3. HE CREATED THE UNIVERSE

Moses did many miracles but Jesus created the universe 

John 1:1-4 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

Through Him, all things were made. In Him was life and the life was the light of man.

Scientists talk about the big bang theory. Something came out of nothing! Great minds get foxed at this. People can decode the DNA but can't acknowledge the Creator.

In the first chapter of Genesis, we see that God created the heaven and the Earth. And God said by speaking the word. John tells us that Jesus is the Word of God.

4. JESUS IS THE EXACT REPRESENTATION OF GOD

John 14:8-9 - Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father

5. JESUS SUSTAINS ALL THINGS BY HIS POWERFUL WORD

If we don't look after things, they deteriorate into chaos. Imagine if there were no traffic signals. Jesus sustains all things by His powerful Word.
 
Col 1:17 – He is before all things and in him all things hold together.
He is before all things and in Him all things hold together

6. HE PROVIDED PURIFICATION FOR OUR SINS

This means Jesus came down to the Earth as a man lived a sinless life, did signs and wonders, then was crucified on a Roman cross.

His blood was shed to pay for my sons and yours too. If we believe this and that He's is the only way then salvation is found in Him.
So we don't need to sacrifice a lamb anymore. Jesus's sacrifice was sufficient for all time.

During the Old Testament time, there was no chair in the temple because the job of the priest is never done. 
But Jesus sat down at the right hand of the Father because His job was done.

So don't go back to Judaism. Go ahead because this is who Jesus is. 

Heb 10:35-38 -  So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37 For,
“In just a little while,
    
he who is coming will come
    
and will not delay.”[a]
38 And,
“But my righteous[b] one will live by faith.
    
And I take no pleasure
    
in the one who shrinks back.”[c]


Don't throw away your confidence - you will receive what he has promised.
We entrust ourselves to Jesus. Keep praying and keep going.



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. 


Thursday, August 15, 2019

Called and chosen - our DNA in Christ | Navaz D

This message was preached by Navaz at Word of Grace Church on August 4th, 2019. To listen/download the audio please click hereTo listen to the Sunday's worship and prophetic contributions please click here







Ephesians 1:3-5
 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he[b] predestined us for adoption to son ship[c]through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—
AMP VERSION
 just as [in His love] He chose us in Christ [actually selected us for Himself as His own] before the foundation of the world, so that we would be holy [that is, consecrated, set apart for Him, purpose-driven] and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined and lovingly planned for us to be adopted to Himself as [His own] children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the kind intention and good pleasure of His will—

This is not a complete exegesis of the text rather a pulling on the main thoughts on this passage and looking at how it applies to us.

We are going to look at How and why we have been called, and what implications does our new DNA in Christ have on how we live.

VERSE4a     For HE chose us
Our salvation story starts in Jesus. He selected us before we were even thought of by our parents. He decided we would be born and on the day we would become His. In His loving-kindness, He drew us to repentance Rom 2:4.

Yes, we responded. We have a responsibility to respond to the call. Predestination is a huge topic and a difficult one I do not want to get into. 

There are many passages in scripture to support this. No one comes to the Father except through Jesus. You did not choose me but I chose you. Those whom he called, He justified and so on. We do not understand it fully.

The point I am getting at is this. Rejoice in the truth that God chose YOU. Thank God for this great salvation given to us as a gift.

When we received Christ, God became our Father.

Our life as a Christ-follower starts and ends with God at the center of our very being. We are “in Christ”. Where is Jesus right now? At the right hand of the Father. So if we are in Christ, we too are seated in heavenly places in Christ.

We are blessed and have access to unlimited divine favour because we belong to Him
.
Some of us Christians live like this: Thank you God for this gift. Now let me prove to you that I deserve it. You get saved by grace and then you get into religious graceless faithless works trying to win God’s favour that you already have.

A true son does not work to win favor with his father, he works hard because he is loved and his hard work is a response to love not for love.   Do you see the difference?

Paul says in Col1:10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,

VERSE 4b- To be holy and blameless in His sight

The question of purpose is answered here. Why did God choose us?
In the amplified version it says – consecrated, set apart for Him, purpose-driven. Blameless is our standing. Jesus paid the debt for our guilt so that we can live shame-free, blame-free lives. This is huge.


VERSE 5- In love, he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ. NEW IDENTITY


This brings me to the realization that before Christ’s death on the cross I was not a child of God! God is not everyone’s Father. Not anyone can call him Father.

John 1:11-12He came to that, which was His own, but they did not receive Him, yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

Paul is laying a great foundation for us to understand our new identity in Christ. This is who we are. We are sons and daughters of God. We can call Him Father.

2 Cor 5:17 says: Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” we are new creations in Christ.
New= never before created. You are one of a kind image-bearer of God. No one gets to be you.

 We have a new DNA, that of Christ. DIVINE NATURE ACTIVATED

DO not make the mistake of calling yourself a Sinner. That is no longer your identity. You were a sinner before you knew Jesus. You are now a Saint. You were an orphan, you are now a child of God. When you sin, you sin as a saint. It does not alter your identity.

Something miraculously alters in our very being. We now have the mind of Christ but we just do not tap into it.

We renew this mind by washing it with the Word of God 

When we attempt to change without the heart and mind transformation, we only have behavior modification that cannot be sustained for a long period. That is why some of us fall back into old patterns of behavior and thinking.

Some of us try living the Christian life under the bondage of religious duty and not from a place of relationship and delight in the Father. WE fall back into law instead of living out of grace.

We focus too much on what we ought not to do instead of focusing what the great Hope and calling we have

Today I want us to look at our Sonship in God.

In order to know the truth, you study the truth first, and then you look can spot the lie.

So let’s look at some truths about us today that are a part of our DNA as children of God.



SO WHAT DOES THIS NEW IDENTITY AND DNA GIVE US?

1.    GOD is your Father.Do you know and believe that he is truly a good, good Father?
The starting point of knowing who we are is knowing whose we are.

2.   The Supernatural is our new nature. We need to know that we live from a place of victory, therefore, nothing is impossible for us with God. So I can take leaps of faith.

 Jesus conquered everything on the cross. Therefore, I can dream big because God’s assignment for us is huge and encompasses all of our lives.
2b - I can trust God because He is good and can do the impossible, and all His promises are “Yes and Amen”!.

My new identity gives me access to all the spiritual blessings.

Its all in my account but not yet in my possession. ( Bill Johnson)
 I have to cash the cheque so that I can use that favour of access to be a blessing to others and fulfill God’s mandate for me on this EARTH.

When we realize how much we have access to, it increases our responsibility because to whom much is given much is required.


3.   He chose me, therefore, I am significant not in an arrogant self-obsessed way. I am significant to God’s plans and purposes
He has chosen us in order that the earth is filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord even as the waters cover the sea.

How you may ask? you and I as we are being changed from one degree of glory to another. Glory – we are meant to share in His glory and bear His glory. Imagine that!!!
If we realized this, we would not indulge in some of the things we do.

4.   Your identity as a son and daughter is covered in Royalty. You are a Prince/princess.

One thing the devil really trembles at is when Sons of God come into their full identity, operate in that anointing, and power.

He wants to keep you from fulfilling your purpose and destiny in life. HE wants to set us free, from shackled thinking and a wrong identity.

1 Pet 2:9 – 10 We are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation.

 A good King and royalty live for the benefit of their subjects. Our King Jesus laid down his life for us so that we could enjoy unlimited favour. 

We are blessed to be a blessing. We have favour in order to use it to bring blessing to others.

Therefore, since we know that we have a good God who can do the impossible because of the finished work of the Cross-we can take leaps of faith and serve him whole-heartedly, faithfully and diligently as sons and not as orphans or hirelings.

An orphan or hirelings in last in and first out. They do not care about their Father’s business but only look out for themselves.

When you have understood your place and identity as a son in the house of God, you will take on responsibilities with joy just as Jesus did. He laid down his life for his friends for the JOY set before him.

When we live in the goodness of our identity in Christ, we become a light to the world around us.

When we live in the awareness of the significance of God’s choosing of us,  that he has invested into us when He put the holy spirit inside of us; we will carry ourselves differently and conduct ourselves differently. You will not get involved with potty stuff.

There will be a shift from living a life to please me to living a life of service. Just like our Servant King, Jesus; knowing the Father has placed everything beneath him, He could serve with a towel and basin.

First, do you see yourself as a son or do you behave as an orphan or a hireling?
Do you know who you are and what you are called to and that you are chosen by God? Are you living out of your new DNA?
We will look more into this the next time.





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. 

Tuesday, August 6, 2019

The Art Of Being A Good Friend | Navaz D


This message was preached by Navaz at Word of Grace Church on August 4th, 2019. To listen/download the audio please click hereTo listen to the Sunday's worship and prophetic contributions please click here


Lots of people claim to be loyal and loving, but where on earth can you find one? Proverbs 20:6 ( The Message translation of the Bible)

This book was written in 700 B.C , that is nearly 3000 years ago. The issues that mankind faces is the same. Why? Because the heart is the same.

Today’s topic is about Friendship, how do I be a good friend, and how do I find a good friend.

 We all live in a very mobile society. Where you were born is not necessarily, where you will live for the rest of your life. we have to learn how to navigate a very fluid society

The way we can navigate all this is:  We need to have some parameters or a grid /point of reference that is constant from which we can view things.

The starting point to having good friends isis to be a good friend.

To be a good friend you first need to understand yourself. Do you know who you are? How would you describe yourself? 

Self-awareness is key to becoming a good healthy friend. If what I do is who  I am then when that changes, my core will get shaken.

But, if what I do does not describe who I am, then circumstances can change around me by my core stays constant.

Do you know that you are created by design? When you know you have been created by design, you will know that you have a purpose. The Bible tells us that even before the world was created, the Creator of everything thought of you and me and had a plan for our life.

At the heart of good friendship whether it is being one or finding a good friend is
Authenticity, vulnerability, trust, respect and listening.

HOW DO YOU FIND A GOOD FRIEND?
We all have friends at different levels. We have acquaintances, close friends, and deep heart friends. We need to know the distinction between these and not mix them up.

AUTHENTICITY
People show up in different ways. We show up in different ways. Our aim is to be authentic in who we are, how we show up and how people experience us.

100% - What you see is what you get. There are no two faces to you. You are not one person in public and another in private.

75% - Is a person who can be 100% but sometimes will not show all of themselves to you if trust has not been established or they are not feeling safe in a situation.

50% -  Are people who walk in the shadows. You are not really sure where you stand in relation to them and you are unclear about who they are?  You are often confused by them because their talk and walk don’t match.

 25%- These people have huge masks and walls. They do not let anyone into their heart.  They can be fake or very frozen and robotic when it comes it interpersonal relationship.
There are many reasons why we show up this way – it could be past hurts, abuse, someone let you down really badly, family/cultural norms of distrust etc. If we have not experienced healthy love and affection as a child that can affect our bonding as adults. It affects our grid from which we build relationships.


TRUST
 Trust is earned, respect is always given. Healthy friendships take time to develop.  
Trust is built in the small moments – John Gotham.  There are opportunities to build trust and betray it at the same moment.

It all depends on how you respond. Is what I share with you safe with you? Can what others share with me be safe with me?

A person cannot move from acquaintance to deep heart in an instant. That is when most disasters take place because a false sense of intimacy/closeness is created where trust has not been fully established.

Good friendships say I want to give you strength in me to help you be successful, to pull out the gold that is in you.

Can we be trusted to keep confidences?
Trust is at the heart of every relationship. You take that away and you don’t have a relationship anymore. It violates the person just as physical violence does. This is assassinating a person’s character. Its murder undeveloped. Think about it.

Gossip is like bits of paper that are thrown in the wind. Who knows where it goes and can anyone gather all of it back?
“If you reveal your secrets to the wind,
you should not blame the wind for
revealing them to the trees.”

― Kahlil Gibran, The Wanderer

VULNERABILITY
The willingness to share something that needs to be safe with you. The willingness to show up 100% with no masks, no lies or pretense.

For this to happen I need to be non-judgmental for others to be vulnerable with me.
I can fall apart and will not be judged by you.

RESPECT
R esist patronizing
E xercise self-responsibility. Take care of yourself and let people take care of themselves
S uspend critical judgment. Don’t shame or jump to conclusions
P ractice – love, patience, kindness, goodness
E xtend yourself appropriately. Have good boundaries.
C onsider confidentiality
T take one another seriously- don’t be sarcastic or joke about a person’s problem. It can be hurtful

LISTEN

We often communicate to convince someone else about our point of view to win a discussion. The aim of listening is to understand. To have an accurate understanding of how the other person is feeling about a situation.

Sometimes all a friend wants you to do is to  listen with warmth and empathy.
Reflect back what the person is saying

SOME SIGNS OF AN UNHEALTHY FRIENDSHIP
  • You are being manipulated and controlled
  • Fear is used to get you to do something
  • Untrustworthy
  • Insecure about your other friendships
  • Unloving
  • Ego clashes
  • Mean
  • Verbal and /or physical abuse
  • Make you feel “less than”
  • Jealous
  • Agendas
  • Blows hot and cold leading you to feel confused
  • Fake
  • Secretive
  • Holds grudges and makes you pay by withdrawing affection.


LAST WORDS
Be careful of people who only take from you. We need a balance in our lives. Do you have friends that refresh you as well? Are you one that seeks to refresh others? Are you a giver to taker?

When your life is out of balance, you make wrong decisions. You trust the wrong people. You cross boundaries by overextending yourself in a friendship or allow someone to invade your boundaries.

 So make a list of people in whom you want to invest your time and energy.
Make a list of people of whom when you talk to you feel invigorated. You are important too.

CONCLUSION

If you start putting this into practice you will develop that constant strong core in you that will help you no matter where life takes you. You will be a better person and you will attract the right kind of people in your life.



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.