This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on October 20th 2024 by Colin. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here.

FAITHFUL TO SCRIPTURE

 All of us have a certain understanding of for world is and based on that we live our lives. 

Romans 12:1-2 - [1] Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. [2] Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

 There's a command in these verses. Don't act or believe what the world says. But be renewed and transformed. 

 The world is trying to change is to fit its mould. There are different types of philosophies, and we have the freedom to accept anything. Every time we watch a movie or series, we are affected by them. What God says is that do not be conformed to the pattern of this world. 

The different patterns in the world that we see are - big fat Indian wedding, grand celebration of 1st birthday, reading horoscope, wearing different symbols, signs and rings for luck and protection.

All these are from culture and philosophies, and they try to fit us into their moulds.

So not think as the world does but be transformed according to the Word. We must ask ourselves - is this how God wants me to be or do? We must know the scriptures, study the scriptures and change our way of thinking and doing things. 

Four attributes of scripture: 

1. Authority of the scripture

The truth is in the Bible. It helps us understand what the truth is. In this world, there is no central truth on which all the people can believe. But Bible has the truth. Bible is the final authority. That is what divides us from rest of the world. The scriptures are words of God. 

2 Timothy 3:16-17 - [16] All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, [17] so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

All the scripture is God-breathed. These are not thoughts of man but thoughts of God. 

2 Peter 1:20 - [20] Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 

The Holy Spirit worked in the life of Peter and used his character to pen down these words. 

2. Clarity of the scripture

Word of God is so simple that a child can understand but also difficult to understand. The great theologians still are confused about certain things in the Bible. 

Mark Twain said, "It ain't those parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand."

We need Holy Spirit to understand the scripture, for revelation and for illumination. As we approach Bible in humility, not just to understand but to obey and ask the Holy Spirit, He will help us understand the scripture.

3. Necessity of the scripture

To live in this life, we need to know the scriptures. To live right in any kind of relationship, we need the scripture. The Bible tells us how to have relationships like parents, children, spouse, marriage and many more. 

So, we need the scripture to have healthy relationships.

4. Sufficiency of the scripture

2 Peter 1:3 - His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 

2 Timothy 2:15 - [15] Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 

Without scripture, we will not know God completely. There are hundreds of varieties of insects and many other living things. God created all of them. By looking at them we will not be able understand God. We need the voice of God to help us understand Him. The end result is that we are transformed by renewing of our minds as we read the scripture. 

We read scripture to understand and renew our minds. All of us are familiar with the SPECK model of Bible studying. 

As many of you are going on holidays, I encourage you to spend time by reading scripture and doing SPECK (Sin to avoid, Promise to claim, Example to follow, Command to obey, Knowledge to rejoice in)

Do this faithfully and see how it transforms your thinking and also your lives.

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

Partnering with God's Vision

This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on October 6th 2024 by Colin. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here.

Partnering with God's Vision

We will be moving shortly. 

When David instructed Solomon to build a house of the Lord, David had it in his heart to do it himself but God prevented that from happening. The temple that was build was the dwelling place of God. Today God is in us. Wherever the church of God is present, he is there. “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” - 1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

This hall is not holy by itself, but God is here because we are worshipping him here. We are moving to a dying mall, and as we move in, we will be a blessing to that place. We need to prepare our hearts for this move. 

“David assembled at Jerusalem all the officials of Israel, the officials of the tribes, the officers of the divisions that served the king, the commanders of thousands, the commanders of hundreds, the stewards of all the property and livestock of the king and his sons, together with the palace officials, the mighty men and all the seasoned warriors. Then King David rose to his feet and said: "Hear me, my brothers and my people. I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord and for the footstool of our God, and I made preparations for building. But God said to me, 'You may not build a house for my name, for you are a man of war and have shed blood.'” - 1 Chronicles‬ ‭28‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

David had mighty victories and immense wealth. But in all this, he had a heart to build a house for the Lord. Where is your heart today? Is it wrapped up in just your home, job, family, and the cares of this world, or are you committed to building the house of God? 

While David had the heart posture to build God's house, but God wouldn’t allow him to do that because his hands were unclean.

“"And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever. Be careful now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong and do it."” - 1 Chronicles‬ ‭28‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

1. Acknowledge God

2. Serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind 

“Then David gave Solomon his son the plan of the vestibule of the temple, and of its houses, its treasuries, its upper rooms, and its inner chambers, and of the room for the mercy seat; and the plan of all that he had in mind for the courts of the house of the Lord, all the surrounding chambers, the treasuries of the house of God, and the treasuries for dedicated gifts; for the divisions of the priests and of the Levites, and all the work of the service in the house of the Lord; for all the vessels for the service in the house of the Lord,” - ‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭28‬:‭11‬-‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

God, through David, directed him about all the details of the house. We want the same as we make this move. We need God's direction in all the small and big matters. Pray that the Holy Spirit guides us in this. 

“Then David said to Solomon his son, "Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the Lord God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished.” - 1 Chronicles‬ ‭28‬:‭20‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The promise of God is to be with us so that we can be strong and courageous. He is our provider. We will need different departments or teams to make this happen. Each one of us has a part to play in this. Let’s work on this together.

David passes on this to his son Solomon, in chapter 29 we will look at 7 things in giving

Ch 29:1 The task is great - it’s a palatial structure for god to dwell in. We are building something for God's glory

2. Ch 29:2 David provides for the temple in large quantities! 

The vision David had was to give for something glorious even though he would never see it. He recognised that the temple was for God and he wanted to give… and he gave in faith.

V6 the officials and leaders also pooled in to give generously. No one had to be arm-twisted to give. The people gave willingly freely and wholeheartedly to the lord. There was great joy as they gave. V9

4. As we give you will be full of joy

5. Ch 29 V 11 David’s prayer - he acknowledges that everything we have comes from the lord. We are just giving back what belongs to the lord. There is a great privilege in giving 

7. 29v19 - praise God and bowed low to worship god. 

2 Ch 5:14 and the temple of the lord was filled with the presence 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 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 part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

Jesus, the Cornerstone - Part 2

 This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on September 15th 2024 by Lasya. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here.

JESUS, THE CORNERSTONE 

Part 2 

Last week we looked at Jesus, the cornerstone - what does it mean that Jesus is the cornerstone of the church? That our faith is built on the revelation of who he is. So we are doing a check of the foundation, making sure that we are building on the cornerstone. 

1. Believe that Jesus is who the Bible says he is - he is fully man, fully God - he has a dual nature and he is absolutely real. 

We believe the truth of the bible that Jesus is from God and is God, he became incarnate, he was born to a virgin who was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit having no imputed sin of Adam. Only one other man in the history of creation without a human father and that was Adam. The virgin birth of Jesus Christ is important because in Christ, God was creating a new humanity. Illustration of a glass of dirty water. 

2. Believe in Jesus’ death and resurrection

Salvation is simple. We simply receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We do not need to complicate that with 100s of doctrines. Imagine at the time you came to receive Jesus, if you have been preached about total depravity, perseverance of the saints, the doctrine of man and God… we are not saved by the cleverness of perfect theology, they are saved by the power of God. Peter’s speech at Pentecost v. the book of Romans. But the Bible is full of theology because it's meant for us to grow in our faith through it. If you’re here just looking in, not sure whether you really want to receive this Jesus or not, this is my message - God so loves YOU, that he sent his only son, that whoever believes in him will have eternal life. To the rest, we are here to remind ourselves of the life and work of Jesus - to study his word and build ourselves up in the most holy faith.  (Jude 1:20) 

1. The sufficiency of his sacrifice for our sin: Not just as a historical fact, but that he took our sin and shame on the cross. 1 Peter 2:24 “ He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.”  What makes Christianity different from other world religions is that we are not to pay for our sins. The fact is that we cannot. Romans 6:23 “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Illustration of receiving a message about 30k in my account.

Some things that the cross has done for us- Not just understand it with the mind but your heart, will, emotions, body. 

1. Expiation of our sins - removes sin- “as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭103‬:‭12‬ 

2. Propitiation for our sin - removes the wrath of God Romans 5:9 ““Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.”

3. Reconciliation with God - removes enmity with God Romans 5:10 “for if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now, that we are reconciled….” Illustration of Tamilians and Malayalis

4. Justification - removes the guilt of sin. When a person commits an offence, not only is the offence punished, but the person becomes a criminal. Romans 3:28 “for we hold that one is justified by faith, apart from the works of the law”

5. sanctification (positionally) - removes defilement from sin. This is the result of grace. Romans 3:22 “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe”

6. Transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light - Col 1:13 ”He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.” 

7. Redemption / release from our bondage to sin. ““We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. ‭‭Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭6‬ ‭

Now we see why the cross has become a symbol of the Christian faith. 1 Corinthians 1:23 - 24 - “or Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” 

Response - freely you have received, freely give. Illustration of an issue with a colleague. Forgiveness doesn't come naturally to us, but it’s that very nature we must put to death. It was not natural for Jesus to go to the cross - he was sorrowful to the point of sweating drops of blood, but we must, as Jesus did, yield our will to his way. 

2. The truth of his resurrection on the third day - 

Why is it important for us to believe that not only did Jesus die for us but that he rose on the 3rd day? 1 Corinthians 15:14 and 17 “14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain … 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” The victory over death and sin and darkness is evidenced by the resurrection of Jesus. There were many who opposed Jesus and his followers, but what no one could do was produce his body. Michael Eaton “ the stone was not rolled away to let Jesus out, it was to let the witnesses in” 

Not only do we believe that Christ is resurrected but that we are raised with him. When we believe in Jesus we have a new birth. Col 2:12 “ having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.” 

Q. What is our state in Christ today? Rev 20:6 “Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.”

Response - Believe and be baptised. Baptism is the immediate expression of faith. There is no magic in the water, but there is power in the proclamation of faith in Jesus. We are baptised into Jesus. It is a symbol that is given to us of believing yourself as dying and being raised with Christ.

3. Believe he is building his church and is coming back again 

1. On this rock, I will build MY church - Whose is the church? Eph 4:11-12 - HE GAVE the apostles…  for the building up the body of Christ. illustration of an architect and masons, etc. Each of us have been “given” by Jesus for building the church. We are compelled by the love of Christ.(2 Cor 5:14) Illustration of Karen travelling across the world to build up the church… Colin and Navaz… 

1. Jesus is not building parachurch organisations - the local church is the hope of the world. Church is the instrument through which he has decided to reveal His manifold wisdom (Eph 3:10). Illustration about the building move being from God. 

2. He is not building churches that are neatly segregated by race, gender, age… we will not have a white church and a brown church, youth church or elderly church, we are building Christ’s church and Christ is not divided - we are one man in Christ. Gal 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

3. There are no spare parts in the body of Christ. If you’re struggling to find your place, be honest and come talk to one of us. We believe in body ministry. That we are a priesthood and no one is exempt from having to get our hands dirty building up the church of Christ. 

Response - Get caught up in what Jesus is doing on the earth and in the church

2. Jesus’ return - Rev 22:12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.” What are we supposed to do in the waiting? the parable of the 10 virgins. Oil can only be bought by developing intimacy with Jesus. It’s our relational currency. The gifts of God are irrevocable, but the anointing flows from intimacy. let us not be found lacking oil when he returns. Let us strive to hear him say well done, good and faithful servant.

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

Jesus, the Cornerstone - Part 1

This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on September 8th 2024 by Lasya. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here.

JESUS, THE CORNERSTONE

Psalm 118:22; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17; Matthew 21:42; 1 Peter 2:7; Acts 4:11; Eph 2:20  all repeat the same verse from Psalm 118:22 - the stone the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. There is a progressive revelation - the psalmist said it prophetically about the messiah, Jesus declared it about himself, and the disciples recognised that Christ is indeed the cornerstone and proclaimed to the church. 

What is a cornerstone? In architecture, a cornerstone is the first stone that is set up that indicates the establishment of the building, the orientation (how the building is to be built), and the supporting stone for the whole building (if you took out the cornerstone, a mighty building would also collapse). Illustration of the leaning tower of Pisa ad1173

This verse refers to the centrality of Jesus -in creation (John 1 - in the beginning was the word), in history (BC and AD is marked by the birth and death of Jesus), in the word of God (Luke 24:27 - on the road to Emmaus, Jesus shows the disciples how all of the scripture speaks of Jesus). 

Jesus is central to the Christian faith and must be central in the church. When the focus of the church turns from Jesus to anything else, it’s no longer a church. Today, due to architectural advancements, the cornerstone is really not used in the same way. It is now more of a decorative block to write about the establishment of the building and is often even hollowed out to store some documents etc. And churches can become the same when the focus is on the music or the preacher, or the rich or the poor, programmes or picnics… no it needs to be about Jesus. So we do not worship saints or angels, we do not glorify leaders or political affiliations, we worship Christ - the cornerstone. 

Jesus’ questions are always deeply searching. On one occasion he asks his disciples in Matt 16:15-18 “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” 

It is on this revelation of Jesus that the church is built. So what must we do to build on this cornerstone? Firstly, we must believe. 

Why believe? John 20:31- “but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” 

1. Believe that Jesus is who the Bible says he is - believe the story of the gospels about Jesus 

1. Fully man - Jesus Is real: 

1. Gal 4:4 “when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his son, born of woman, born under the law…”. He is rooted in history, was born at a time and place and in flesh and blood, to a woman (a virgin as prophesied). He was hungry, thirsty, sad, troubled, tired, and tempted. He lived fully as a man on this earth. Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin”. The amazing life that Jesus lived on earth is a life that was lived fully as a man, obedient to the Father and empowered by the spirit. It is a life that is within reach for each of us who have been saved by Him. A Christian is one who believes in the reality of Jesus' actual existence on earth.

2. Jesus is real – Hebrews 11: 6 - whoever draws near to God must believe that he exists - Jesus is real! The difficulty is that we do not see him today, but we have witnesses - We have witness from the word of God (1 John 1:1 - That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life), witnesses from people, witness from God(1 John 5:9-10 - If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself). Illustration of harry potter and Narnia and the word of God. When did Jesus become real to you? Our history is in danger today. The story of the gospel in India. But today, we prefer fantasy to reality - scrolling and gaming addiction from a very young age. The more we give ourselves to fantasy, we lose touch with reality. john mark comer - the only place that God will encounter us is in our actual life 

Response - Witness - we need to witness to others about Jesus, introduce people to the witness of the word of God and make space and invite the witness of God concerning Jesus.

 

2. Fully God - Jesus is God: He is not a moral teacher, philosopher, guru, a miracle worker, a saint or even an angel - He is not a smaller earthly deity whose divinity is minimised by becoming human, and he is not merely a means to the ultimate - he IS the ultimate. Jesus is fully God! John 8:58 “Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” It is the name by which God revealed himself to Moses. In fact Jesus makes several I am statements throughout the gospels which can only be fulfilled in God. 

1. I am the Bread of Life (John 6:35)

2. I am the Light of the World (John 8:12)

3. I am the Door (John 10:9)

4. I am the Good Shepherd (John 10:11,14)

5. I am the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25)

6. I am the Way and the Truth and the Life (John 14:6)

After seeing the risen Christ, Apostle Thomas (doubting Thomas) was the first to fall down and worship him and called him “My Lord and My God!” The apostles, who saw him as fully man, testify of this in the epistles Col 1:19 “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things”

Jesus is not the same as any of the other Bible heroes, it is entirely different. For Centuries, there was a dispute in the church as to the exact nature of Jesus - was he fully man with God like traits, or was he fully God who put on a form of humanity. And the issue was resolved in the Chalcedonian Creed in AD 451, where the church stated their stand as to the nature of Jesus Christ as one person who is fully man and fully god - hypostatic union/ a dual nature. Yes it is a mystery, but it is not a fantasy.  But the real question today is, is he “your Lord and your God?” 

Response - Worship with reverence and awe - we need to worship him with reverence and awe because he is the king of kings and Lord of Lords - we teach our children to honour and worship him. We must have a high view of Jesus. 

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