Sunday January 17, 2016

Some notes from Sunday's service. (Thanks, Jean)

(Don't forget that you can watch Something To Think About and Stacey Dlamini's sermon on the Master's Hand YouTube channel by clicking here:
 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrUaNS-N8LPEpsbWiJDYloQ

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Dr. Barclay

Something To Think About

Most people do not read the bible, and if people do read it, they do not read it enough.

Genesis chapter 11:1-9 tells the story of the tower of Babel.

And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.

2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.

3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.

4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

5 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.

6 And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.

8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

The people tried to build a passage way to reach God on their own. God did not ask them to build a high tower to reach heaven, they did this all own their own. As we read this story we learn how God had confused the people that they could not communicate as they were all speaking different languages. Many times in history man has gone off and done their own thing making a religion and inventing rituals to suit their own needs and wants. Diverting in a direction very far from God. The theme of the bible is about a relationship between God and man. God came down to man on a number of occasions, such as as visiting with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and giving the 10 Commandments to Moses on Mt. Sinai. As well as Jesus coming the first time and someday he will come again for the second time. Religion separates man from God. The pattern of the Bible shows God has always met with man, on God's terms. Never on man's terms, man can never invent his own religion and tell God what to do.

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Stacy Dlamini

Mark 12:28-34

28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?

29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:

33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

To know Jesus is to know God. He came to fix that, to which the establishment powers did not know was broken.

John 10:24-40

24 Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.

25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.

26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

30 I and my Father are one.

31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.

32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?

33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.

34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?

35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;

36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?

37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.

38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

39 Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand,

40 And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode.

To the established powers of the day Jesus was a crazy man, a fraud who needed to be proven wrong. Jesus came to disrupt the ritualistic following of the law. Following the law should not be burdensome, but done out of love for God. When we love God we will love people. As humans we will never truly understand the magnitude of God.

Isaiah 55:8-9

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Many times we say we love God, yet we sin and do not follow his commandments. Often we sin with the excuse everyone else is doing it. No one wants to stand out and be all alone, so we willfully sin even though we know it is wrong, simply to go along with the crowd. Jesus did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfil it. The law is not done away with, Christ holds us to a very high standard. Our lifestyles need to reflect our love and devotion to Christ. We have to love and be kind to all people, even those who are not like us. When we truly love Christ we will be filled with love for others too.