We know what we are doing here.
What the church is doing here.
It's something isn't it?
I mean we are not just going through the motions.
After a series of lessons like we just have had, we understand that a bit more about being a church and worshipping God.
When we have a bonfire it's a fellowship thing, it's not just in order to spend money and watch it go up in flames is it? Well it is, but it's more than that.
I mean we are not just getting out of bed early on a Sunday morning because we always have are we? It's all more than that.
I mean we are not just doing things without thought or reason ?
We are doing things because we are in agreement that somewhere we read, that this, kind of action was good, and God approves. We know He approves, right.
The bonfire was about fellowship, and the organising and the hot chocolate and the bringing of food and the letting off the fireworks and all those things, and the people who make those wheels turn, are the facilitators of fellowship. And our getting here together on a Sunday is about remembering The Christ. We have reasons to be doing things and all of these reasons are contained funnily enough in this handy size book, available from all good books stores and sometimes a church, you should get yourself one. This is the guide book for being one of God's chosen people, His word.
It's got the history of how it all began and the hard times,as well as what happened right up to when the Hero dies. Oh, I hope I haven't spoiled it for you, and visions of the future and some sort of afterlife. There are giants in it, talking donkeys and get this people coming back from the dead. And it never becomes out of date. Even the wisest of the wise read this book. These words are worth much ....
Psa 19:10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
Psa 19:11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
I came up here a few weeks back and I dipped into this book and I said, well I said a lot I don't expect you to remember what I said even thought I spent hours on it, in fact I stood up in the firm knowledge that you would forget most of what I would say, unless I could make a dent on your heart at the time of speaking and I didn't make a big enough dent I made a little glancing blow and left you with an illustration that I hoped would be a reminder of some of the important points. It was this.
There should be something that marks us out from the rest of the garden/crowd there should be something about us, the way we live, what we do, how we deal with things, there should be something about us, the hope we have, the way we deal with life and living, this daily sacrifice that marks us out as having something to offer people that it's worth a closer inspecting, worth leaning over the fence and taking a good look at. And that stemmed out of me looking at some of the godly factors that guide our lives. Firstly I said
Rom 11:36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Rom 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers (& sisters), by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
1Pe 2:1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.
1Pe 2:2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation
1Pe 2:3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
1Pe 2:4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious,
1Pe 2:5 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.
1Pe 2:9 you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
I remember saying it all atthe time,and thinking when you put it together like that it's quite a thing.
And all it is is a bit of Rom and a bit of 1st Peter. And all that happened was I added it to the things that people had said the previous weeks. All of it this powerful stuff came from the same source His word.
Well let me add a little more to all that has been said, yet again from the same source. While bearing in mind the things recently mentioned and of course how all this should be lived out in fellowship with one another and worship. Let me lift once again some encouragement imploring you from His word.
I beseech,the bible writer, say's I beseech you brothers and sisters lead holy lives,
by the mercies that God has visited on you, the magnitude of the forgiveness and the life you now have,a life not of being condemned but a live that opens up into a bright future.
We have been totally undeserving of such kindness such mercies, such compassion but we have them. Now live life as one of his. paraphrased
Colossians put's it this way
Col 3:12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,
Col 3:13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Col 3:14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Col 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Col 3:17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Brothers and sisters after thousands of years of evolution
it has been found that we are perfectly designed for capturing every word of God.
From the old testament we are told that these words are More to be desired than gold.
And from the new we are beseeched, beseeched by those in great holy authority to let the word dwell richly in us.
Does it dwell richly in you? Does it?
Two things I wish to achieve from this lesson
1.Remember what I said a few weeks ago in that lesson about being
like living stones that are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. A chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
Remember that stuff it's important.
2.The second thing is something from today, that is let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, and something else?
Their are 3 things I want you to remember ...
1. The living stones, holy priesthood, your spiritual sacrifice, holy nation and all that.
2. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly and
3. do everything in the name of our Lord Jesus the Christ.
And as a wee exercise try this, try this for a wee while, everything you do try saying silently under your breath and I do this in the name of Jesus the Christ.
And see if you would do it better, see if you would change any of it.
And top it off with richly dwelling in the word.