Morning Service – 22 Feb 2009

We Aussies love the weekend, and are constantly trying to find ways to make it longer. Two weekends ago began as many usually do apart from the heat, though perhaps with a greater sense of watchfulness. Real people were living real lives doing everyday events we take for granted. Then suddenly this typical weekend was anything but typical. Tragedy struck in the conflagration of the bush, farm and even towns resulting in not only great loss of property but of life as well. The morning of great promise turned violently into a day of morning.

“He was the God-man. Not God indwelling a man. Of such there have been many. Not a man deified. Of such there have been non save in the myths of pagan systems of thought; but God and man, combining in one personality the two natures, a perpetual enigma and mystery, baffling the possibility of explanation.”
G. Campbell Morgan

At the start we said that we don’t really know who wrote this letter (some think Paul, some Barnabas, etc… but only God really knows). But one thing we know from the end of the letter is that the first readers knew him. Here as he finishes he gets personal, he speaks of mutual friends of whom he has information (Timothy – the details of who’s imprisonment are unknown (cf. 2 Tim 4:11,21); and of Christians from Italy).
This personal touch is important to note, especially as we have seen that this sermon-letter is not an easy one to receive, and may not have been kindly received by the first readers. Our writer clearly is very aware of this, and is obviously concerned that they receive his letter well, applying it to their hearts and Christian lives. But he knows it is not an easy letter, so he concludes saying four [...]

This week has been a very dark week in the life of this State and our nation, and in the lives of thousands of people in particular as we face the reality of the greatest loss of life in a single event during our peacetime history.  I have been struck with the fact of how greatly people are having trouble to even express what is happening, let alone how to respond to it.
What about us as Christian people? How do we respond to this and any time of trouble or suffering? What makes the difference for us?
I draw your attention this morning to 2 Peter 1:3-4 in which Peter is introducing his letter which deals with the surge and impact of false teaching which was devastating the church. The trouble they were facing was a firestorm of false teaching, and Peter is answering the question of how we withstand [...]

One of the reasons God rarely gives micro reasons for his painful providences, but regularly gives magnificent macro reasons, is that there are too many micro reaons for us to manage,namely, millions and millions and millions and millions and millions.
God says things like:

The bad things happened to you because I intend to work it together for your good ( Romans 8 )
These happened so that you woould rely more on God who raises the dead ( 2 Corinthians 1 )
This happened so that the gold and silver of your faith would be refined ( 1 Peter 1 )
This thorn is so that the power of Christ would be magnified in your weakness ( 2 Corinthians 12 )

But we can always object that there are other easier ways for God to accomplish those things. We want to know more specifics: Why now? Why this much? Why this often? Why this way? Why these people?
 
The [...]