Tag Archives: Jesus

The Christmas Season Pt 6: the 2012th Noel

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Every year we sing “The First Noel”. We are so far beyond that now.  We are tonight celebrating the 2012th Noel (give or take). It amazes me that being so far separated from the event we yet celebrate it. That fact alone speaks to the importance of the act, God coming to dwell among us! How blessed are we that the Creator chose to take on the form of man…to become one of us…to bear our sin and so liberate the entire creation from the bondage to decay!

Merry Christmas friends! Never forget what God did for us!

Pastor Wrinkles: Hey Jude Pt. 28

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To the only wise God our Saviour, [be] glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. Jude 1:25

When it comes to this life God is the only expert. We may not understand why He has dictated certain things. We may not even like some of the dictates, but we have to acknowledge that the biblical laws come from an expert who understands how the cosmos works. We have to acknowledge that no culture that defies his pathway long survives. We have to acknowledge that His way and only His way works!

Because He alone is the expert He is the one who deserves to be revered as the authority. He is the one who will walk in power throughout all time!

The Christmas Season Pt. 3: Heaven Pt. 86

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“Then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause,” I Kings 8:49

As I sit meditating on this verse today I am astounded by what God has done. The writer here is supplicating with God. He asks God for restoration when God’s people enter into judgment for their sins and are taken away into captivity…for forgiveness when they turn and repent. He asks that at the moment of the people’s cry of remorse for their sins God would hear their supplication from His dwelling place in heaven  or from His fixed and permanent abode in Heaven. The intercessor further asks God not only to hear the people’s cry but that he would maintain their cause…bring restoration…deliver them from the results of their sins.

Here is what I am astounded by. God did it! And in order to do it He left his permanent abode in Heaven and came to Earth. He took on the form of sinful man and “maintained our cause.”  We often forget that the cross was not the first sacrifice Jesus made to save us. What did He give up just to become one of us?

Let’s celebrate that sacrificial gift this season!

 

The Christmas Season Pt. 2

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His first coming was gentle to usher in the age of grace. He came as a helpless baby, as my pastor says “God in diapers”. But as we remember that first coming this year let’s remember He is coming again and next time it won’t be as a helpless child but as the One who will judge the quick and the dead. Ultimately Christmas like every other celebration in Christendom is meant to help us remember both what He did and what He has yet to do!

Missions Conference 2012 Pt. 3

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On Sunday Sept 29th Brockton Teen Challenge came to share victory with us as part of our missions conference 2012. We baptized four new converts in the service and then BTC shared worship and testimony with us. Richard Washer a graduate of Boston Teen Challenge who has made our church his home shared the word with us.

If you know someone who needs help with an addiction:

http://www.globaltc.org/html/uk_wales.htm

 

Heaven Pt. 81

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then hear from heaven and judge between your servants—the accuser and the accused. Punish the guilty as they deserve. Acquit the innocent because of their innocence. I Kings 8:32 NLT

Accusation is one of Satan’s greatest tools. He condemns us when we are guilty and accuses us when we are innocent. In either case we as the people of God need to bring our guilt and our innocence to the cross and rely on Christ to justify us or vindicate us. It has never been man’s job to clear his name (as if we were ever capable). Jesus alone can judge and right the wrongs done to us or by us.

Have you ever been falsely accused?

Pastor Wrinkles: Hey Jude Pt. 12

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“In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings.” Jude 1:8

We have spent the last several posts talking about the signals that indicate a “secret-slipper-inner” has taken up residence in a church. Those signals are reiterated here in verse 8. If you missed the discussion, it can be found here:

https://jelillie.wordpress.com/2012/09/01/pastor-wrinkles-hey-jude-pt-1/

https://jelillie.wordpress.com/2012/09/02/pastor-wrinkles-hey-jude-pt-2/

https://jelillie.wordpress.com/2012/09/06/pastor-wrinkles-hey-jude-pt-3/

https://jelillie.wordpress.com/2012/09/07/pastor-wrinkles-hey-jude-pt-4/

https://jelillie.wordpress.com/2012/09/08/pastor-wrinkles-hey-jude-pt-5/

https://jelillie.wordpress.com/2012/09/12/pastor-wrinkles-hey-jude-pt-6/

https://jelillie.wordpress.com/2012/09/13/pastor-wrinkles-hey-jude-pt-7/

https://jelillie.wordpress.com/2012/09/15/pastor-wrinkles-hey-jude-pt-8/

https://jelillie.wordpress.com/2012/09/16/pastor-wrinkles-hey-jude-pt-9/

https://jelillie.wordpress.com/2012/09/20/pastor-wrinkles-hey-jude-pt-10/

https://jelillie.wordpress.com/2012/09/21/pastor-wrinkles-hey-jude-pt-11/?preview=true

What I want to talk about today is not what behavior typifies the “secret-slipper-inner” but how they managed to become a danger to the church in the first place.

The Bible in Jude 1:8 calls the “secret-slipper-inner” a dreamer or according to the KJV a “filthy dreamer”. The Greek expression is “houtos  kai enypniazomai-”   roughly translated that is “the men who are beguiled by their sensual dreams.” 

Do you remember this song?

This is a perfect example of “houtos  kai enypniazomai-“.  

Sometimes when we think of “filthy dreams” we think of those dreams we wake up from saying “Wow I am glad that I really didn’t do that.” But Jude isn’t talking about some dream we have because we haven’t guarded our hearts properly or because we ate crazy before bed (how could he be our night time dreams are not generally under our control and these filthy dreamers are very clearly making conscious choices). When Jude speaks of filthy dreamers he is talking about  people who have chosen a mindset that leads to unbelief, rebellion and sexual promiscuity because it disregards God altogether. Paul identified it when he wrote: “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.” Romans 1:21-24 NIV

Our culture is rife with the idea that all religions are equal…all roads lead to Heaven…there are many paths one destination…that we should 

What we have to realize is that this is not a God dream. God is not for freedom of religion. Jesus did not create many paths to Heaven. God is not discovered in all gods. Heaven is only open to those who will repent of their sin and accept Jesus as the only son of God crucified and raised back to life on the third day!

Now, to some “tolerant” ears this message may sound harsh and rather unloving or un- good- newsish; But then it’s not our good news. It’s God’s good news.

The good news was never meant to be that “all roads lead to Heaven.”

It was always “Hey I’ve made A ROAD! TAKE IT!”

I suppose in the days ahead we are going to hear a lot more of the “all roads” jargon. I imagine we will even be pushed to accept it. All who press us in this direction are “houtos  kai enypniazomai-“. 

Pastor Wrinkles: Hey Jude Pt. 2

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Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by* Jesus Christ: Jude 1:1 NIV

I guess one of the things I like to know before I read a letter from the daily mail is, is it a letter for me. After all, tampering with someone else’s mail is against the law!

We know from yesterday’s post that this letter is from Jude, Jesus’ brother. We know he was a man who had given all his obedience to Christ as Lord and Savior. But before we go on with the study let’s ask the question “Is this letter for me?”

Jude says he is writing to everyone who is called. The Greek word used here means everyone who is invited. Who has been invited to follow Christ? EVERYONE!  So far that means you qualify!

He goes on to say he is writing to everyone who is loved by God the Father. Who is loved by God? AGAIN EVERYONE!

The final qualifier is the lynch pin in the whole address label. Jude says he is writing to all who are kept by Jesus Christ. the Greek means those who are sanctified. Who are the sanctified? The sanctified are those who have responded to the invitation of God’s love.  EVERYONE HAS BEEN LOVED! EVERYONE HAS BEEN INVITED! BUT NOT EVERYONE HAS RESPONDED AND SO NOT EVERYONE IS BEING KEPT!

You know, a person can only say that all God’s promises are “yes and amen.” if he has responded to the invitation to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. If you have responded to the invitation of Christ’s forgiveness then it’s not just the book of Jude that has been written to you. It is every single line on every single page of the Bible!

Let’s pray: God I thank you that today the promises commands and prophecies of Scripture all pertain to my life because today I fully respond to the invitation to accept Christ’s work of salvation. I thank you Father for sending Your son Jesus to die on the cross and to rise from the dead so that I might have eternal life. I believe Jesus died and rose again further I give my whole life to Jesus today that I may become your servant now and forevermore! Amen!

If you meant that prayer then the book of Jude was written especially for you!