Getting Heaven into us

Introduction
Richard Foster said "The real issue is not so much us getting into heaven as it is getting heaven into us." So I have decided that the title for this sermon is: “Getting heaven into us”.
Getting us into heaven has already been done. Remember the Ribbons clip from last week. How Christ breaks all the ties we have to the things that are not good for us and frees us to be with Him.

1Pe 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.
He has taken away our sins, so that we can live for righteousness.
Its still a choice that we must take up. There can be no excuses now, sin is overcome. Jesus did that for us. Now we can choose to look at God and imitate his approach to life, as it says in

Eph 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
If you thought last weeks message was hard with its call to purity, then I sorry to tell you that this weeks is harder. At least though the reading is not so full of prohibitions.
I've split these few verses into 3 headings, and I will try to concentrate on the positives.

• Be Careful how you live – making the most of every opportunity
• Understand the Lords will
• Be filled with the Spirit

Each of these commands has its opposite, something we are commanded not to do. Christianity is sometimes accused of being a religion of prohibitions, in reality though for each prohibition God provides us with alternative behaviours.
Luke 11:24-26
24 When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.'
25 When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order.
26 Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.
For each evil we let go of, for each evil that we take out of our lives there must be something put in to replace it Without these we would simply find ourselves back in the sin we were trying to escape from. I'll talk a bit more about this later.


Be Careful how you live – making the most of every opportunity
In the days before modern harbours, a ship had to wait for the flood tide before it could make it to port. The term for this situation in Latin was ob portu, that is, a ship standing over off a port, waiting for the moment when it could ride the turn of the tide to harbour. The English word 'opportunity' is derived from this original meaning.
To take the opportunity to get into port the officers of the ship must make sure that it is ready at just the right time. They must understand the tides and the signs that tell them the water is deep enough. If its too soon they might wreck the ship, if the tide is too strong they might wreck the ship.
If we are to make the most of opportunities we must make sure that it is a priority for us to seek them out and follow them up. Each of us should have our own understanding of our personal priorities. Here's a simple list that I made, and have seen other use, many years ago:

1. Public Worship & Private time with God
2. Family – Spouse & children (Other family)
3. Work - Paid Employment
4. Recreation / Voluntary Work (including @ Church)
It's useful when we have conflicts to resolve. Like everything else it shouldn't be used slavishly, or to beat yourself up with when you fail.
Mary and Martha had different priorities, Martha was concerned about being a good host and making sure that everything was ready for her guests, Mary had different ideas. Here's what Jesus said:

Lk 10:40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” 41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Having established our priorities we must be careful not to over plan our lives. Someone has said “Life is what happens to you while you're making plans to do something else.”

The phrase “Carpe Diem” was made famous (as far as I'm concerned anyway) by the film Dead Poets society. It is often translated Seize the Day. Life is about Today, not tomorrow, and not yesterday. The full quote is Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero – "Seize the Day, putting as little trust as possible in the future", It comes from Ode, by Horace.
In the film Robin Williams says "Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary." Take the opportunities that you can see and live them to the full. - Ring any bells?
The Rabbis have another way of saying it:
"And if not now, when?"

Ro 13:11 And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light.
Here's a story that illustrates the kind of opportunities that may come our way:
Author Terry Muck tells of a letter he received from a man who used to have absolutely no interest in spiritual things. He lived next door to a Christian, and they had a casual relation-ship like neighbours often do. Then the non-Christian’s wife was stricken with cancer, and died three months later. Here’s the letter:
“I was in total despair. I went through the funeral preparations and the service like I was in a trance. And after the service I went to the path along the river and walked all night. But I did not walk alone. My neighbour - afraid for me, I guess - stayed with me all night.
He did not speak; he did not even walk beside me. He just followed me. When the sun finally came up over the river he came over to me and said, "Let’s go get some breakfast."
I go to church now. My neighbour’s church. A religion that can produce the kind of caring and love my neighbour showed me is something I want to find out more about. I want to be like that. I want to love and be loved like that for the rest of my life.”
What made the difference in this man’s life? It was that one Christian dared to make the most of the opportunity he had to reveal Christ to his friend.
http://www.sermoncentral.com/print_friendly.asp?ContributorID=&SermonID=31330


Understand the Lords will
God is in the business of rescue and nurture. His aim is to offer rescue to as many as are ready to receive it. The form of the rescue itself is as varied as the person being rescued. Sometimes all it will take is following someone all night. Other times it will be much more difficult, and perhaps a lot more dangerous. Once rescued we are to start the process of rescuing others.
Does anyone know what this is:
#threewordstoliveby
It's a twitter hash tag. Here's what twitter looks like.
The currently popular hash tags are listed on the screen when you log in. Have you worked out what is says yet.
 Three words to live by
When I saw that I had an instant reaction. Three words were there in the front of my consciousness immediately. What would your response be? What are your “three words to live by”?
Mine was (and is) “Jesus is Lord”

To serve God we must put ourselves under his Lordship. Here are some of the things that the apostle Paul had to say about living under the Lordship of Christ.

Ro 8:18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
2Co 12:10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Phil 1:12 Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.
It's not all bad as the disciples found out on the day of pentecost as as Paul alludes to in the verses I've just read, it is mostly very good.


Be filled with the Spirit
The command “be filled” in verse 18 is in the passive voice. That means that in order to be filled with the Spirit we must always be going through the process that leads to it.
[Torch illustration]
[torch = us; batteries = power of spirit, if you can't get the batteries in because of the rubbish already there you can't get any power. The torch (we) is useless]
use Gal 5:19. on a scroll in the torch.
Gal 5:19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.
http://www.sermoncentral.com/print_friendly.asp?ContributorID=&SermonID=46599
When we are filled with the spirit there is EVIDENCE in the way we speak and behave.
Evidence - Speaking
Verse 19 “speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit”
This is evidence that we have the holy spirit.
What do you see?
This is what I see:
We have done well in the last decade removing the negative – back biting etc,
now its time to put in some positive...
Evidence - Thankfulness
The next piece of evidence is in verse 20 “always giving thanks to God for EVERYTHING, in the name of Christ.”
You'll notice that that too is something that we keep doing, just we keep being filled with the Holy Spirit. It's a bit of a theme with Paul, he says a similar thing in his letter to the Thessalonians:
1 Thes 5:16-18
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
It can be difficult. I never managed to say “Thank you Lord, that I've been made redundant, that I no longer have a job or an income...”, but that is not what it's about. It's about “Counting your blessings”, remembering and being thankful for all the good things you do have, not remembering (and moaning) about your current hardships.
Thanksgiving - Psychology
Psychologists today tell us that sincere gratitude, thanksgiving, is the healthiest of all human emotions. Hans Selye, who is considered the father of stress studies, has said that gratitude produces more positive emotional energy than any other attitude in life.
And a thankful heart will endear others to us and us to others.
Everyone likes to be thanked. What better way then to give Glory to God than to thank him for all that he has done for you?
For you see thanksgiving is not only good for the giver but also good for the receiver, and Paul notes that there is a downside to not being thankful.
Ro 1:21 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. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools
Conclusion
Be Careful how you live – making the most of every opportunity
Have your priorities sorted out and be ready to take any opportunity that presents itself.
Understand the Lords will
God is in the business of rescue and nurture. Once rescued we join Gods rescue efforts. This can be a dangerous business.
Be filled with the Spirit
Look for the evidence of the Holy Spirit within you:
speaking
Not just what we say, but the means we use to say it. Focus on God, speak to each other in Hymns, and spiritual songs and phrases.
Thankfulness
Count Your Blessing, be thankful to those around you and especially to God and the Lord Jesus.

Do you want to get well?

Introduction

Missing verse 4

Has anyone noticed anything unusual about this bible reading? When I first read it I thought there was something missing. Looking closer – its verse 4. Its there in the authorized version, and in some modern translations, for example in the New American Standard Bible it says “for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted”. It seems that this verse was added in the second century to explain what was going on around the pool. It's helpful, but its not in the earliest texts that are used as the basis for more modern translations – so its not in the NIV. They have left out the verse number to stay in line with those bibles that keep the verse – primarily the Authorised version (The King James Bible). There one thing that Melvin Bragg missed in his program on the influence of the KJV.

Pool at Bethesda

Before the 19^th century scholars suggested that the pool at Bethsaida described here could not exist. The gospel they said must have been written by someone who had never visited Jerusalem. In 1888 an archaeologist names Schick discovered a pool near St Anne's church just in the place described in John's gospel. In 1964 further digs confirmed that this was the pool John mentioned. This is a cautionary tale about our use of scripture. Just because it's not obvious to us now, in the modern era, doesn't mean that it wasn't obvious to the author, nor does it mean that parts of the Bible are the results of someone's over active imagination.

To Know

The next issue I need to bring to your attention will change the way we think about the passage a little. In verse 6 the NIV has “When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been ...” Most translations have 'knew' in place of 'learned' The root greek word (already a second language for the author remember) means to know, to come to know, or to understand and is the same word used in the phrase 'Then Adam knew Eve, and later Cain was born'. The text does not require that Jesus and the man had a conversation before the question “Do you want to get well?” was asked, neither does it prevent that as a possibility.

The interaction with Jesus

Jesus walks into the area around the pool. He sees many disabled and sick people there. They are begging and waiting. If they were successfully begging then we must assume that there are plenty of fit and well people there also – it's a busy place. Jesus looks around and then approaches one man. I wonder what he saw in this man? Perhaps he was the one in the most need. Perhaps he was the one who was most ready to be healed, why pick only him? Perhaps this is only one of many healings that happened that Sabbath day, and this one is reported because of the trouble that resulted later when the authorities found out. You can read about that in the next 10 verses.

Life of a beggar

Most of the disabled people there would have been begging. You could make quite a reasonable life as a beggar. You wouldn't get rich as some allege that beggars do today, but you could survive. There was no responsibility – you didn't have to do anything, just sit and wait. Then there's the sympathy from your friends and family – some people thrive on that sort of attention. So its possible that they weren't all there trying to get into the pool and be healed, some may have just found a good 'pitch'.

It reminds me of the beggar in the 'Life of Brian'. Michael Palin looking unusually fit and healthy as the beggar. He not sitting and waiting, he's bouncing around saying “Spare a talent for an old ex-leper, sir.”

B: Did you say – ex-leper?

X: That's right, sir. (he salutes) ... sixteen years behind the bell, and proud of it, thank you sir.

B: What happened?

X: I was cured, sir.

B: Cured?

X: Yes sir, a miracle, sir. Bless you.

B: Who cured you?

X: Jesus did. I was hopping along, when suddenly he comes and cures me. One minute I'm a leper with a trade, next moment me livelihood's gone. Not so much as a by your leave.  You're cured mate, sod you. 

Look, I'm not saying that being a leper was a bowl of cherries. But it was a living. I mean, you try waving muscular suntanned limbs in people's faces demanding compassion. It's a disaster.

Of course we know that Jesus would NEVER just cure someone without being sure they wanted to be cured.

That's one of the reasons Jesus asks the question “Do you want to get well?”

Checking the want

It may have seemed a silly question. Who wouldn't want to? but I hope by now your starting to see that it was really important and incisive question. Jesus is really saying “Are you prepared for this?” The man's life will change. When he is well he will have to get up and find a proper job. There can be no more excuses for his condition or his failure to alleviate it. No more blaming his friends and family “I don't have anyone to ...”. Once he is well there can be no ducking of responsibility for his own life and future well being.

Pr 10:4 Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.

That's what he'll have to live by.

Jesus wants to know of the man “Will you embrace this change in your life, leave your old begging, excuse based existence behind?” Do you want to take on these responsibilities?

“Are you up for it?”

In this case the man did not know who Jesus was (v13), which makes it all the more remarkable that he took any notice of him at all. When Jesus said “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk” he must have felt something happen in his body or he would have laughed at Jesus – because on the face of it “Get up!” is a ridiculous thing to say to someone who hasn't stood for 38 years. He will barely have enough muscles left to keep his bones together.

The first step.

If the man had said to himself “What a stupid thing to say” he would not have been healed. If he had thought “Great, I'm well”, but stayed on his mat, he would not have been healed. He had to take the first step. No, that's not right, before that he had to make the first move. He had to get up and stand. Jesus had done the work, the healing was complete, but to benefit from it the man had to be involved, had to be 'up for it', or had to 'get up from it'.

Our Healing

Its not always physical healing that we need, sometimes the physical condition is caused by sin, sometimes it is just sinfulness itself that needs healing. Later on from our reading today Jesus goes to find the man he healed and tells him to stop sinning or worse may happen to him. (v14)

Healing is not only physical

Tony Campolo tells a story about being in a church in Oregon where he was asked to pray for a man who had cancer. Campolo prayed boldly for the man’s healing. That next week he got a telephone call from the man’s wife. She said, "You prayed for my husband. He had cancer." Campolo thought when he heard her use the past tense verb that his cancer had been eradicated! But before he could think much about it she said, "He died." Campolo felt terrible.

But she continued, "Don’t feel bad. When he came into that church that Sunday he was filled with anger. He knew he was going to be dead in a short period of time, and he hated God. He was 58 years old, and he wanted to see his children and grandchildren grow up. He was angry that this all-powerful God didn’t take away his sickness and heal him. He would lie in bed and curse God. The more his anger grew towards God, the more miserable he was to everybody around him. It was an awful thing to be in his presence.

But the lady told Campolo, "After you prayed for him, a peace had come over him and a joy had come into him. Tony, the last three days have been the best days of our lives. We’ve sung. We’ve laughed. We’ve read Scripture. We prayed. Oh, they’ve been wonderful days. And I called to thank you for laying your hands on him and praying for healing."

The healing we need is not always physical, indeed the physical problem is sometimes irrelevant.

(http://www.sermoncentral.com/print_friendly.asp?ContributorID=&SermonID=51889)

Are you ready to accept healing?

The conditions are the same for us as for the man in the scripture today. If we are to be healed we have to want it. We have to be prepared to take the first step / to make the first move, to make the healing real.

Suppose you have an addiction – any sort of addiction. To a substance, to anger, to gambling, to shopping, to whatever it is that causes you to sin. You pray for healing. Healing is given. If you don't then stop taking the substance, if you don't remember your healing and continue to get angry and abusive, if go straight out and buy a lottery ticket or head for Blue Water and a shopping spree, the healing is worthless. You are back with your problem, back in your sin before you ever managed to leave it..

Are you prepared for the changes that your healing might bring?

Are you ready to give up your past life of blaming others for your condition, or your continued condition?

Are you ready to stand up in your new life and take responsibility for your future?

Are you ready to stand out from the crowd – the rest of our congregation. If you are healed you may become a minor celebrity – which brings its own challenges.

Recognising the source

A woodpecker was hammering away at a tree when suddenly a lightning bolt split the tree in two from top to bottom. Initially the woodpecker was thrown from the tree but once he had recovered he looked back and saw what had happened. Immediately he flew away and found the other woodpeckers he knew and brought them back to the tree. “look what I've done” he said.

Your healing, your salvation, are nothing that you have done. 

(http://www.sermoncentral.com/print_friendly.asp?ContributorID=&SermonID=32654)

 

When the man was questioned by the Jewish authorities about carrying his mat on the Sabbath he said “The man who made me well told me to”.(v11) That is at least some sort of witness that Jesus had healed him.

It sounds a bit begrudging. We should not be like that. Paul says in Galatians 6:14 “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ”. When we are healed we must be prepared to give all the credit to God.

If the man Jesus healed at the pool became a good runner he cannot say “I've trained hard and I can now beat most of you in the 100 yards dash”. Without Jesus and the healing he would still be on his mat. He can only say “Jesus healed me and I can now beat most of you in the 100 yards dash”.

Do you want to get well?

Ps 103:2 Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits - 3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Let's Pray

http://1stholistic.com/Spl_prayers/prayer_prayer_of_healing.htm

Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for you are my praise.

I praise you, mighty Father.

You forgive all my iniquities, and you heal all my diseases.

Thank you, Lord. When I am sick, you send your Word, and it heals me and delivers me from all destructions.

Your Word is life to me, and it brings healing to my flesh.

Thank you for the healing power of your Word, Father.

I will never let it depart from my eyes.

I will keep your Word deeply implanted within my heart.

Praise your name, holy Father.

I love you, and I thank you for healing me.

Facing the Cannon: Jackie Pullinger

J.John is doing a series for UCB (channel 586 on Sky) called Facing the Cannon.  Warner found this event and got the tickets so on St. Valentines day we travelled to St Andrews Chorleywood.  J.John is a very entertaining and Godly speaker.  We have recently run his 'Just 10' series at Christ Church and it was very well supported.  This series interviews a number of well known Christians.  Today it was Jackie Pullinger.   Wikipedia has an outline article.  To get a better idea of why she's famous read her book Chasing the Dragon.  It was one of the first books I read as a young Christian.  Jo and I have seen Jackie once before, and looked forward to hearing from her again.

She told some her story, mainly the beginning.   At the age of five she had already decided to be a missionary, not that she had any idea what a missionary did.  She was advised by a vicar to get on a boat and see where God told her to get off.  That was Hong Kong, which she'd seen in a dream.  She started work among the poor and eventually among the drug addicts in the Walled City.  She has seen many addicts freed of their addiction.  They pray and are prayed for and do not suffer withdrawal.  She tells of her early attempts at speaking in tongues saying she just felt silly and didn't feel any different afterwards.  It helps you to get more in tune with God and you don't really notice that happening. She speaks constantly about God's kindness.  After loosing her husband of seven years she speaks of Gods kindness to them both, and to her for allowing her to have seven years with him.  By God's kindness she has been shown that this is not a lost generation of Christians. There are young people out there quietly doing mission away from the spotlight and the Christian press.  That is the tone of her conversation.

I'm naturally a sceptic, I struggle to believe in the hype, the latest greatest invention or discovery, miracles that people say have happened.  I'm always looking for the alternative explanation.  It's hard to remain sceptical when there's a lady sitting talking about it in a matter-of-fact way.  There's no hype with Jackie, seemingly no agenda, although she does love telling people about Jesus by her own admission.  She just sits there and talks about her experiences like I talk about my bus journeys.  Except with Jackie God's kindness shows.   In Sunday's sermon I asked "if God is bigger than us and inside us does he show through?"  (see the previous blog entry).  I had no idea that I would be given such a clear demonstration of just how God shows through.

If, like me, you've ever thought there must be more to the Christian life than you're experiencing right now, here is a superb example of what that more may look like.  There is more - lots more, always lots more.  I know that because it's in scripture - the reading I've just preached on (Ephesians 3:14-21).  I have seen it too because I have seen Jackie and listened to her story.  Of course, I'm not five and I've never felt called to be a missionary.  In my life it will look different - but not that different.

After the show was recorded there was a word in tongues, and an interpretation.  Somewhere in that I heard the words "Its not too late".  It's never too late - that's the exiting news for me as I prepare to pass five for the eleventh time.

Ephesians 3:14-21

Introduction

The passage this week starts with 'For this reason …'. Just like last weeks reading, but this time Paul has nothing else to distract him. So we have to look back to two weeks ago when Warner spoke to us on chapter 2:11-22. In that section of the letter Paul is describing his amazement that He can see God bringing together the former enemies – Jews and Gentiles. The fact that it happening in Ephesus, the centre of the cult of Diana is even more amazing.

Paul knows that this is all part of Gods plan. The fact that he can see it happening he finds humbling, so rather than pray as he normally would, standing and looking up to God, he is on his knees.

We've heard a lot recently about the pressure on and persecution of the Coptic church. I wonder if we are seeing God's plan for strengthening them as we witness the amazing scenes in Egypt this week.

Living for Christ

Paul did not found the Ephesian church but he has spent a couple of years building it up, so he knows it well. He knows that it is not all goodness and light and is encouraging the Christians there to think about what it means to follow Christ. He wants them to think about what Christ has done for them, who Christ is and how they should live in response to that.

In our reading today he prays specifically for two things for them.

I'm going to look at the two parts of Paul's prayer separately, although there are significant overlaps.

1^st Prayer

.^{Eph 3:16} I pray that out of his glorious riches ^e he may strengthen you with power ^f through his Spirit in your inner being, ^g

^{Eph 3:17} so that Christ may dwell in your hearts ^h through faith.

Paul has already spoken of the riches of Christ in verses 8, 9. In Romans he explains a little more of what he means:

^{Ro 2:4} Do you show contempt for the riches ⁿ of his kindness, ^o tolerance ^p and patience, ^q not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance? ^r

So Paul is talking about God's grace and asking that the Ephesians may receive power through the holy spirit that is in them.

What is the power for? - “So that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith”.

After Jesus had cursed the fig tree and the disciples had seen it die, Jesus said in Mark 11:22-24

“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered.

“I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

If Christ is to dwell in our hearts then, it is something that we must be continually praying for – then we will get the power of God.

Connected to the Power?

Sometimes I get up in the morning and wander bleary eyed down stairs to get a cup of tea. The kettle is filled with water, the cups are taken from the cupboard and have tea bags put in them. I let the dog out and watch him stretch and smell the fresh morning air. I go back into the kitchen and all is quiet, the kettle is still cold. Then I realise – it's not plugged in. It's not connected to the power, so it will never heat up.

Continue to Pray

If we do not continue to pray we will not stay connected to God and the power to have Jesus dwell in our hearts will not be there. We must stay connected – not by a cord but by prayer.

My Heart Christ’s Home

What does Paul mean by Dwell?

In his book “My Heart Christ’s Home”, Robert Munger pictures the Christian life as a house.

(http://www.gtpres.org/My%20Heart%20Christ%27s%20home.pdf) Jesus comes into the house and goes from room to room. He goes into the library of the mind and begins to clean up the trash found there. He replaces it with His Word. He enters the dining room of the appetite and finds many sinful desires listed on a worldly menu. He replaces things like materialism, pride, envy and lust with humility, love and purity. When he finally comes to the closet, the owner of the house hesitates to open the door to all his dark and secret sins. He can’t bear to have Jesus look inside. But Jesus does come inside, but only after He’s invited, and cleans it up. Jesus then settles down and feels at home.

Do you have some rooms in your life that you haven’t allowed Jesus into? Let Him come into every area of your life and do some cleaning with his penetrating holiness and matchless grace.

Jesus dwells in our hearts through faith. Our faith in Him means that we invite Him to do some housecleaning. We put our faith in Him so that He can do the needed renovations in our life.

So Christ is in us, but Paul normally talks about us being 'in Christ'. There are about 90 references to 'in Christ' in Paul's letters.

Does God show through - Story

A little girl turned to her mother after church and said, “Mummy, the sermon was confusing today.”

The mother asked, “Why is that?”

The little girl answered, “Well, he said that God is bigger than we are. Is that true?”

“Yes, that’s true,” the mother replied.

“He also said that God lives within us. Is that true, too?”

Again the mother replied, “Yes, that’s true.”

“Well,” said the little girl, “If God is bigger than us and He lives in us, wouldn’t He show through?”

Does God show through your life?

It's a good question, one that I will leave you with as I move to looking at the second part of Paul's prayer for the Ephesians.

2^nd Prayer

Carrying on in verse 17: And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,

Eph 3:18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,

Eph 3:19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge —that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now the Ephesians are firmly rooted in the love of Christ, Paul goes on to pray that they may know just how big the love of Christ is. We sang 'God is so Big' at the start of the service this morning. God is big, strong and mighty, and so much so that we need his power within us just to be able to get a sense of how big, strong and mighty God is. I'm not talking about the size of the universe -awesome though it may be, it can be seen 'easily' with a few telescopes and a bit of technology. I'm talking about the love of Christ – you can't see it, you can only see its effects.

I loved those boys

In his book Chicken Soup for the Soul, Eric Butterworth tells of a college sociology class that was sent into the Baltimore slums to take case histories of 200 young boys. The students were required to write an evaluation of each boy's projected future, and in virtually every case, they wrote, "He hasn't got a chance."

Some twenty-five years later, another professor came across the earlier study and decided to do a follow-up study. With the exception of twenty boys who had died or moved, the study revealed that 176 of the remaining 180 boys had gone on to surprising success, with many becoming lawyers, doctors, and leading businessmen.

When the men were asked for the reasons that contributed to their successes, they all pointed to one particular teacher who had influenced them. The teacher was still alive, so the professor went to visit her to ask how she had influenced boys seemingly destined for poverty and crime to become such success stories.

"It's really very simple," she responded. "I loved those boys."

That's the effect of the love of a teacher.

Love is ...

Paul says

Love is patient, ^v love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ^w

^{1Co 13:5} It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, ^x it is not easily angered, ^y it keeps no record of wrongs. ^z

^{1Co 13:6} Love does not delight in evil ^a but rejoices with the truth. ^b

^{1Co 13:7} It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ^c

^{1Co 13:8} Love never fails.

This is the love that has a long term effect on people. You can know about this love, you can listen to my words and hear the stories. But you will never really know it until you experience it. That's what Paul means when he say that the love of Christ surpasses knowledge. Christ's love can be understood, but only by receiving it, by being rooted and established in it, not by reading case studies.

Full measure of God

Only then can we be filled to the full measure of God.

[Fullness demonstration fill a jarv with stones, get people to agree its full (it isn't).  Top up with water, and add a little too much]

In Psalm 23 we read: You prepare a table ^g before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; ^h my cup ⁱ overflows.

Jesus says in John 10:10 that we should have 'life to the full'. Life, of course that can only be had by following him.

Does the fullness of God in your life overflow?

Benediction

The prayer ends with a benediction

Eph 3:20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, Eph 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

What would you ask of God? What situation would you ask him to resolve?

In Acts 3 a lame man asked Peter & John for money as they went to pray in the temple. They didn't have money, so they said, “In the name of Christ – WALK” and he did.

What he got was beyond his dreams or his imagination.

The words translated in the NIV as Immeasurably more are more literally translated Super abundance. God's riches, His grace, His power, His willingness to love us are all given to us in super abundance, more than we could ever dream of or imagine.

Conclusion

I started this morning by saying Paul wanted the Ephesians to think about what Christ has done for them, who Christ is and how they should live in response to that. That is also something we should think about. So as I finish this morning I will remind you of the questions I have asked.

If God is bigger than ua and inside of us does he show through?

Does the fullness of God in your life overflow into the people around you?

With all of Christ's riches available to us, what are we going to imagine that He could do, so that He can surpass our dreams?

[repeat questions]

Let's finish by saying the words of verses 20 and 21 together.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

I'm assuming that you all know the story, so if you don't see the film (or better, read the book) then return.

My recent experiences of Cinema attendance meant that it was quite a long time since I was last at a Film Theatre.  We again attended the 'Empire' in Basildon.  It was not quite as bad, still popcorn on the floor. How about not filling the buckets to overflowing?  Being boxing day there were not that many people there.  No box office either, so if you went without credit/debit cards you would not have got in!  We had deliberately avoided the 3D option.  Screen 8 is an odd shaped theatre.  I must have been in it before but I don't remember the screen seeming to be set at an angle, so the right side is further away than the left side - a very strange experience, especially during the sailing scenes.

The film itself was better than the cinema experience.  A long time ago I read the book and my memories of the story are not that clear. Eustace I remember, and the general plot, but Eustace as a dragon I don't.  However, Will Poulter who plays Eustace is undoubtedly the star of the show.  I began to dis-like him almost immediately. Watching his transformation from a horrid little boy always relying on his doting parents to someone of more mature character, indeed even courageous was the best part of the film.  The cause of the change is 'the annoying glass is always half full person', as he is described by Eustace, of Reepicheep.  An animated mouse, voiced by Simon Pegg, whose tail was given to him by Aslan.  Which brings me to the special effects.  Always unobtrusive they, in many ways, bring the film to life, but that is what they are for - magic can only occur this way.  I'd like to know how real the Dawn Treader was.  If it was part of the special effects it was VERY good.  Some were a little tired though.  When the invisible mansion appears, it seems to build itself, like so many reconstructions of the Colosseum or similar ancient building you may watch a documentary on.

The story is better, on film, than Prince Caspian - much better.  It moves at a constant pace, sometimes forgetting to pause for thought as we move from island to island and closer to the source of all evil.  It does though slow for the final (well until the last book) goodbye to Narnia for the Pevensy Children, and also the parting of Reepicheep and Eustace.

The story has a clear Christian basis and this is not eroded by the film.  The morals are still there, some easier to see than others, but all still intact.

My verdict: Well worth a visit to the cinema to see it.

Joseph, an obedient servant

Joseph @ the school Nativity - illustration
At the school nativity play a boy desperately wanted to play the role of Joseph. He didn't get the part – he was to be the inn keeper. Instead the part of Joseph went to his greatest rival in the class. He was very upset. All through rehearsals he was planning what he would do. On the first night of the play when Joseph knocked on the door, the Inn keeper opened it. Joseph asked if they had any room. The Inn keeper said “Of course, there's plenty of room, come in.”. There was a bit of a silence and you could see the confusion on Joseph's face. Finally he moved forward, looked in the Inn and said to the Inn keeper “Never mind, no wife of mine is staying in a dump like this!” Turning to Mary he said “Let's see what's round the back”. The nativity was back on track.
Introduction to Joseph
It seems that there's something special about playing Joseph. Sure, Joseph's part is probably seen as the staring role for boys in the Nativity play. Although he is in many of the scenes, his only lines are with the Inn keeper – who has a similar number of lines.
Perhaps there is something deeper going on. Could it be that playing the role of the father is still seen as important. Perhaps it is something about being the father of God that makes the role attractive.
Last week Jo and I went to the Baptists Church to see Star Wise – the story of the Visit of the Magi set in a science fiction genre. There the star ship captain, who represented the modern sceptic, got to play hide and seek with the baby Jesus. Quite a lot was made of it, as it was the point in the play where the Captain began to change his mind. What was it like to play with Jesus as a toddler?
I'm sure Joseph enjoyed playing with the young Jesus as much as any father enjoys playing with his son. The reality though is that in the Bible Joseph has a bit part. The focus is on Jesus – exactly where it should be, of course. Joseph doesn't have a single word recorded. He is a silent witness but we do have a record of his actions. As my mother constantly reminded me “Actions speak louder than words”. Lets take a look through Joseph's story to see what he did, to see what we can learn about him and from him.
1st Century BC marriage
When we meet Joseph he is already being described as Mary's husband. In the first century BC the Jewish marriage process was nothing like ours. The system was based on arranged marriages. Joseph's parents and Mary's parents would have made an arrangement between them. When Joseph was old enough and established enough to support a wife the wedding would take place. This would probably have been the first time the couple met. After the wedding celebration the couple would return to their own homes. The period known as betrothal had started. During this time Joseph and Mary would get to know each other and begin the process of learning to live together. From the point of view of the Jewish law they were married. If anything happened – such as the death of one of them the other would be a widow, or widower. The divorce law also applied.
One of the most serious sins a woman could commit was to be involved with another man during the time of betrothal. The penalty was death by stoning.
Deuteronomy 22:23-24
If a man happens to meet in a town a virgin pledged to be married and he sleeps with her, you shall take both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death—the girl because she was in a town and did not scream for help, and the man because he violated another man’s wife. You must purge the evil from among you.
We have no idea what Joseph thought of Mary – we cannot tell whether he was in love, or whether he even liked her, but the reading tells us that he was a righteous man (v19). So when it became clear to him that his wife was pregnant and he knew that he couldn't be the father, he knew he must end the marriage.
Joseph righteous
Joseph was righteous – meaning that he kept the Law as best he could. So he could not complete the betrothal. He could not be married to someone who did not start out a virgin, and especially someone in a relationship with another man.
By Jesus time the practice of stoning was not so common, although it was still an option. He could have called for the full force of the law to be applied and made a public denouncement of Mary. Being righteous does not mean you lack compassion. Psalm 112:4 links the characteristics together:
Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.
Well Joseph was certainly in a time of darkness – perhaps as dark as it gets. His decision was a compassionate one. He will just get Mary out of his life by getting a certificate of divorce and then start again on finding a wife. After all there was plenty of evidence.
The plan is made, but before it can be put into action God intervenes.
V20 “... an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”
Is this one of the things we can learn from Joseph – always act on your dreams? Does God still guide through dreams?
There are some significant differences of opinion. One preacher says “If you remember your dreams then God is trying to speak to you” I can't agree with that. Most of the dreams I remember are nightmares that wake me up and make getting back to sleep difficult. They are disjointed and frightening and do not seems as though God is there in any way.
Others will tell you that the promise in Joel 2:28-29 that Peter quotes in Acts 2:17-18, is not for our time, but for the time of the apostles or the time after Jesus return.
Here's what Joel says:
“And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.”
Neither position really makes sense to me. It's true, of course that God will not and cannot act in ways that He has said He will not act in. It's also true that the prophesies are hard to understand, and can be looked at in several ways.
All I can say is that in the one or two cases where my dreams may have come from God the message has not contradicted my understanding of scripture and has reminded me to help people or pray for them.
Joseph clearly knew the difference between a dream sent by God and an ordinary nightmare. To him this message is clearly from God – it fits with prophecy:
Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Remember the words from the dream:
“Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Who is the father?
OK, the baby is God's and that's very important, but there is still an earthly cost to consider. Families with bastard children were considered to be evil. They had broken the law and would be shunned. It would affect Mary as she brought up the family, and it would affect Joseph and his business. People may have thought that they just couldn't wait. People may have asked who the real father was. Channel 4 made a whole program on a rumour that starts around 150 AD that a Roman soldier called Panthera was the real father. There was speculation even before Jesus was born, and there has been ever since.
If Joseph had heard and believed the rumours things would be very different. Mary would have been divorced and unmarryable. Jesus could not have been David's descendant and the prophesies would not have been fulfilled. If Joseph heard the gossip he certainly didn't give it any value.
Joseph is not only a believer, but he is also faithful and obedient. Once he knows that the message is from God, he obeys. I'm sure he considered the cost. Righteousness goes deeper than simply following instructions. For Joseph righteousness means being open to follow God's commands as they arrive, it means knowing God's voice and following what it says.
Jesus says in John 10:3-5
“The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”
I wonder if he got that idea from Joseph?
We see how obedient Joseph is after the visit of the Magi, where another dream tells him to take his family to Egypt. In Matthew 2:13-14 Joseph wakes from his dream and the family leave immediately.
If you are to know someone’s voice then you must spend time with them. Dogs are generally reckoned to be more intelligent than sheep. Some of you will know we got a dog in June. He was about 18 months old, and it took him a few weeks to get used to our voices. Even a couple of months ago he wasn't entirely sure and went chasing after someone else whistling for their dog. If it takes the dog months, how long will it take the sheep.
Conclusion
Joseph is an excellent example of the character God is trying to develop in each of us.
If we are to be obedient to God, in the way that Joseph was obedient we must get close to God and listen to the Holy Spirit speaking to us. We will then be prepared to understand not just the message, but the urgency of it too. That way we can respond accordingly. We also learn from Joseph that our response to situations in the world must be loving and compassionate, just as God is loving and compassionate with us.
Joseph has a lot to teach us, not bad for the Bibles Silent Witness, Joseph son of David, the man who taught God.

Star Wise @ Billericay Baptist Church

Billed as a modern musical for Christmas 'Star Wise' follows the story of the Magi (Wise Men, Astrologers) on their journey to find the baby born to be King.  As the title and especially the picture suggests it is set in the Star Wars / Star Trek science fiction genre.  The Magi must hire a star ship to get from their planet to the Judean system, through the occupying armies of the Augustinian Empire. The captain, known as 'Skip' Tickle, of the star ship provides the sceptical voice of the non-believer of the present day, to balance the story and fit it to modern times.  The Judean system is ruled by a megalomaniac Herod to whom the Magi take an instant dislike.  There they must find the right planet so that they can worship the King. On Beth 3M they find the Baby with his mother Mary, and Father Joseph, and we hear some of the prophecies from Daniel and from Simeon in the temple. They return by another route and witness the prelude to the slaughter that Herod initiates.
The whole performance is backed by video clips, showing the controls of the ship, recorded messages (captains log ..) from the chief of Magi - Melchior, and outer space.  The programme contains a list of the films and TV series that the ideas came from, and there are a few tributes to shows whose ideas have not been used - 'Blakes Seven' even gets a mention.  The songs are mostly very clever.  One I particularly likes was about faster than light travel and contains a line something like 'go out in the morning, come back the night before'.  Scientific rubbish, of course, but entirely true to the genre.
Remembering that the cast are complete amateurs and most (if not all) are not regularly involved in drama they did a very good job.  The few minor glitches and hesitations are easily forgiven.  The show is quite long at around 2 hours, but there is an intermission when refreshments are served.  The baptist church itself was really too small as a venue, but I doubt they had much option.
Star Wise was put on to raise money for "Door of Hope".
Jo and I had an enjoyable evening.  Our thanks go to Peter White, the author, the cast and crew and the Baptist Church down the road.

I hope that this was a very successful outreach activity.  It had all the main points of the story, and the script showed some attempt to explain who the Magi were and where their beliefs came from.  God is referred to as 'The Uncreated Creator' most of the time and our captain gets to play hide and seek with the son of God.  Even the captain has the dream warning of the danger of returning to Herod.  At least it should certainly produce lots of questions for any who saw it and were not believers.