Posts tagged as “Sermon”

 Behold I make all things New

The new year came and gone, well the one day we call new year day, came and gone, Man was filled with hope and vision as indeed the world is at this time, where we express our optimism and share our hope of a better tomorrow. Of course it is but another day, Nature does not take another path, the sun does not stop shining, the morning follows the night, just as it always has. the moon and stars appear and disappear as they always have. I fear that in our routine we miss the remarkable. Nature all around us expresses the remarkable faithfulness of God. Nature in fact announces God’s faithfulness and its newness every day. To God every day is a new day. Lamentations 3 ‘his mercies never fail, they are new every morning, great is they faithfulness.’ just a look up and we will see the faithfulness of God in offering new opportunities on a daily basis to us mere man.

The ringing out of the new and the bringing in of the new is our own idea of course, well as I have said even nature itself expresses its desire to move out of what has been and into that which is about to be. It’s in our nature too. We long for the new, we shop for it and drop for it. we live for it too. every pay day we go on a mission to get that new thing, car, clothes, furniture, whatever it is that the flesh craves for and desires.

The temporality of things times and season’s. the changeable things of man if I were to ponder those things indeed would I not be dismayed. ‘Vanity of vanity saith the preacher,’  do we not play with life, little realizing that it is in vain, yes in vain to live for self. All is vanity, now that’s the conclusion of the wisest man who ever lived, so how must hope have I got of redefining life if the man who had it all and plenty of it could thus so define his day as one of vanity.  why did he see his life as one of vanity when he possessed choice gold silver land and things in abundance.

Vanity or ‘vapour,’ the word is expressed 37 times in his book and its used to express his striving for things as one would ‘strive after the wind’ he stated that life without God and an appreciation of him is a life lived in vain. for things, achievements, attainments, medals, rewards, possessions all leave man empty and un-bemused.  Nothing man made can satisfy the soul made by God. indeed God has made in all of us a part that no thing, can fulfil that is our being. man without God is lonely lost and unliberated. No matter what owns. I was reading yesterday of Jeff Brazos’s mega-yaught, yet to me friend the more a man has of this worlds goods is not a sign of contentment but loss, yes loss of soul.

What then is the answer? how then should we live. We should take hold of life and live it for God pursuing his purposes for our lives. finding contentment in serving others more than serving ourselves. we should find peace in being right with God. not trying to fill that void by bragging and getting but rather fill the void by being and believing that is being Christ followers and believing in his promises, yes chase his promises as if you were chasing gold, that is taking hold of life, for Christ himself is life.

Let the light outside remind you, Go speaks, he gives forth his light as instruction as how to live our day. Solomon concluded; let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter; fear God and keep his commandment, for this is mans all. For God will bring every work into judgement, including every secret thing, whether good or evil (Ecc 12;13,14).

God is making all things new. trust him to do it for you. he’s starting it off with the morning. every morning is a new morning yes that is what God is doing. and with it comes a new opportunity, a new faith to be grabbed a hold of, a new opportunity coming your way and all things are being made new for you.

Paul

I sat where they sat (Ezekiel 3;15).
EzekieL ‘Strength of GOD’ and strong he was, He went to Tel Abib and sat where the people sat  for seven days in silence. To learn and discover their ways. Before he could preach and warn he had to perfect the Word in him. It is easy for the preacher to say what’s on his mind instantaneously and in quick response, just take a look at Facebook many are quick to right what they see as wrong yet will not take the time to sit and wait in order to understand and connect to those to whom he is sent.
Ezekiel was sit where they sat in order to learn about them what he did not know. Oh how easy it is to be quick to preach too yet slow to consider and show respect or love.  Many shut their eyes yet open wide their lips. Its easier to hurt rather than connect and restore. its easier to defend ones faith than win a soul. they indulge in sever truth telling as if its a medal to display. forgetting that the master on the cross displayed love that won that a world not a sermon. Some never sweeten their medicine, but give out a heavy dose even if it kills their contact. the fact that they said it as it is, qualities them as apostolic or does it?
The Lord dealt kindly with others. He got the woman at the well to ask for the water of life, He did not focus on her adulterous affairs but rather sat where she say and met he need. He won Zachaeus by sitting at his home, His kindness won the lost, his graciousness attracted the hungry. Kindness is greater than cleverness or genius. LOVE bigger than knowledge of scriptures and possessing the title of preacher.
Lets not judge others based on their hair style, or lack of it. Lets not fashion our message or approach based on the fact that others are so unlike us and don’t believe  exactly what we believe. Believing in a truth does not make you more apostolic than me, its love and compassion that reveals your true status, not your collar or pin stripe suite. My bear does not make me less apostolic neither does it make me less holy. in fact the most critical often are the least approachable, because they pride themselves on a dress code but neglect the compassion code to their detriment.
Jesus reached individuals as souls not criminals. he did not preach at them, he preached as one of them, he did not open their wounds and make their wounds bigger rather he gave them compassion and revealed the love of God to them.
Before we condemn the man lets put ourselves in their place. better still condemn him not. rather give his Jesus
PAUL