Church notes - August, September 2019

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4th August
Hebrews 12:1 - 6

Isaiah 9:1 - 7

Prayer - New South Wales. An Abortion Bill is before the Parliament (Voting on it Tuesday 6th August, 2019)

Isaiah 9:1 - 7
Isaiah offers hope to those who are depressed by the power of the Assyrians
A Messianic passage
vs 1,2 The region of Zebulun and Nathali had been conquered by the Assyrians, but there is a light.
Matthew 4:12 - 16
A bright light - Jesus.

In this world, there is not one relationship that doesn't have some disappointment.
A world of darkness - selfishness, envy, cheating (on taxes, exams and each other), lies.

This prophecy promises that this gloom of darkness will be erased.

The deepest gloom can't stop the light of God shining.
vs 6
A Wonderful Counsellor
Mighty God
Everlasting Father - If you want to belong to someone. He wants you to be His child.
Prince of Peace - Broken people and broken relationships are brought back together again.
The light has stepped down into the darkness of this world and redeemed us.

700 years later
Luke 2:8 - 18

He also calls on us to spread the Word.

John 3:16, 17

Communion
2 Chronicles 7:14
Australia
Lack of intimacy with God
Idolatry

Sexual Immorality
Injustice
Innocent Blood (30,000 - 50,000 abortions in New South Wales in 2007)
Broken Covenants

Not just rain to break the drought. (Physically and Spiritually)
Humility
Confession
Repentance

If they are real, forgiveness is assured.


11th August AM
'Amazing Grace': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDdvReNKKuk
Christ Alone, Cornerstone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvLxZEU02uI

Doug MacFarlane - Evangelist singer songwriter
John 14:6
Acts 4:12
No matter what you've heard, you need the truth; that Jesus is the way.
James 1:22 - 25
Hebrews 4:12
God knows your desires, plans, secrets, weaknesses, etc
Romans 1:6
1 Corinthians 1:18
1 Peter 2:24
Anywhere in the world, the symbol of the Cross is there. God wants to remind us that salvation is found nowhere else.
Romans 5:12
All of us are sinners

Most Aussies believe
1. Sin doesn't exist.

Sin does exist
Because it does... John 3:16

2. As long as you do enough good in your lifetime, God has to forget all the bad.

Grace is unearnt. The only way is via the Cross.

What sin does in our lives...
1. Sin puts up a wall between us and God.
2. Sin brings death

Today is the day.

1 John 1:8 - 9
We need to confess our sins and live for Him
Romans 10:9, 10

'Lead Me to the Cross': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StW6ZKHRCFo


11th August PM
Isaiah 59:10, 11
2 Corinthians 4:3
Spiritual Blindness (talked about 29 times in the Bible)
Without God, our lives are wretched, poor, blind and naked.

Matthew 6:19, 20
Billy Graham: "The wrong comes when riches possess men."
St. Augustine: "Christ is not valued at all if He is not valued above all."
Proverbs 16:18
Deuteronomy 6:18
James 4:10
Matthew 6:33

Ephesians 2:9

1 John 1:9
No matter what we've done, God's grace covers it.
Romans 10:9, 19


18th August - All Age Service
Psalm 100

'What the Lord Has Done in Me': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7--kGfRVlg
'Great Are You Lord': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jCnAAeEJSQ

Psalm 96

'With Trembling Rejoice': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7Qy1iXZU2g

Communion
Psalm 19:1
God's glory is most expressed in Jesus.
Hebrews 1:2 - 4

'Only A Holy God': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPi5kArL04E

Psalm 96
We can't stay quiet. God takes centre stage in our lives in a loud way

Have you gone stale?
How could we not sing our salvation afresh each day?
A whole life can't stay quiet

Worship must lead to witness

Why then do we struggle with witnessing?
What holds us back?
What struggles do you have?

Are you trembling at the wrong thing?
vs 4, vs 9
Are we trembling before the World instead?
Let us not lack the courage to share the Word.
vs 8
We should revere the Lord, not hide from Him.

Are you trying to avoid speaking of judgement?
It is something people must know about.
It brings about a call to repentance.

Do you think that your witness doesn't need words?
The Psalm isn't a picture of someone preaching the Gospel only by their actions.
We can't stay quiet!

Prayer: What struggles do you have?

'O Praise The Name': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqBpifDpNKc


1st September
Psalm 150

Proverbs 11:25
Generosity - giving freely, copiously
Generosity finds a way to say yes when you so easily can say no.

Galatians 2:20

Isaiah 53

Acts 8:32 - 35

The greatest Gospel picture in the Old Testament
vs 4 - 9
The man of sorrows. Symbols of Jesus' suffering and death.

The sufferings He experienced were to deal with our sins, not His sins.
It is clear in the Old Testament that the Messiah would suffer.

vs 4, 5, 10, 11
Our iniquities He bore for us.

He is our substitute for us. He takes our punishment.
The Servant acted willingly.
vs 7
Someone unwilling would have cried out.

The Servant is Exalted by God.
vs 12
He is all giving. He gave Himself to spend Himself for us.

Ephesians 4:1 - 13


8th September
Generosity
2 Corinthians 9:6 - 15
Rich towards God

Proverbs 11:25

Isaiah 55
Pictures of our lives can show opposite aspects. (Terrible sinner, or compassionate person who helps many) How to balance them?

Background
When people were comfortable - Isaiah brings a message of punishment.
When people were suffering he would bring a message of hope.

Deconstruct the attitude that says God does not value you and would not be interested in you.
The Lord is giving us an invitation to come to Him. Jesus has taken the barrier away. His death at the Cross achieved this.

God values you irrespective of what you have done.

vs 1
Deconstruct the attitude that says God does not want to bless you and give you abundance. We can't live without the implication of the Fall, but God wants to bless us.

vs 2
Deconstruct the value system of this culture.
We need to deconstruct the cultural values of materialism.

Galatians 5:22-25

vs 6
Call on God
Salvation is freely offered, but it needs to be recieved.


15th September
1 Peter 2:9, 10

Natural Church Development - Survey of people in the Church.
Lowerest score
Needs based Evangelism

Empowering
Gift-oriented

Matthew 28:19, 20
Acts 1:8
He wants us to be His witnesses near your home, then move out, then the whole world.
A witness - Someone telling what they know. What they have seen. What God has done in their life.

Most Christians are so, because someone had shared the Gospel with them.

Start with family, friends, co-workers

I must share with those in my world.

They may not be interested in an 'old fashioned' package of Christianity.

2 Peter 3:9

I must dare to reach beyond my world (Samaria).
We have to give enough to share

I must care about the whole world.
Mark 16:15 - 18
Go everywhere, because everyone needs to know.

2017 - over 168000 Australians died
2019 so far - 49 million have died - most won't have known Jesus...

Second lowest
Loving Relationships

Romans 14:19 - 15:7

vs 14:19
The Church is committed to building each other up. We need to affirm each other (Especially husbands and wives)

vs 14:15
The Church recognising the value of each person.
vs 14:20, 21
The stronger church members limit their liberty. Don't allow your freedom to impact someone else negatively.
The Church does not insist everyone agreee.

The Church accepts one another
Romans 12:18
vs 15:7

Communion
1 Corinthians 11:23 - 26

Remembering what He did.


22nd September
1 Peter 2:9, 10
Generosity - God is generous
Luke 15:11 - 32
The Father was generous to the younger son.
John 3:16
God is generous to us!

Isaiah 61:1 - 9
Luke 4:16 - 22
Jesus declared He is the Messiah
Acts 10:38
Matthew 11:28 - 30

Jesus binds us spiritual wounds
Psalm 147: 2

Proclaiming the Year of Jubilee
Our Spiritual debt is cancelled

Jesus paused at that point

First Coming - Grace
Second Coming - Justice

vs 3
The task of the Messiah - comfort, to provide

Anticipating going to a funeral - but,

But we can live with joy!
A big part of what we do is selfish - seeking pleasure, or avoiding pain. But God gives us joy.

Jesus saw people who were ruins, but He built them into good things.
Sin leads to destruction
1 Peter 2:9
We are called to find people who are ruins and restore them.

vs 10
A picture - garments of salvation, robes of righteousness

Our righteousness is as filfthy rags, but we are transformed

Psalm 20


29th September
Colossians 3:1, 2

Prayer - The Dubbo Baptist congregation to remember mission and the gospel as they consider their building program.

Isaiah 65:17 - 25
Failure
Disappointment
Death
Everyone will experince the former two at some point.
Larry Crab: 'An aching sould is evidence not of neurosis nor spiritual immaturity, but realism'

vs 17
New Heavens and New Earth

2 Peter 3:10

Poetic and symbolic language (like the rest of the book).

The New World - New and Better
vs 19
No tears or weaping

Revelation 21:4

Death has been swallowed up by victory

vs 21
Property will be owned and used.

vs 23
Labour will be productive.
A reversal of the Fall
Genesis 3:17 - 19

Families will be joyfull
vs 23
192 divorces a week in Australia...
vs
A picture of hope - that there will be no more family conflict

God's presence will ensure two-way communication.
Peace will prevail
vs 25
The promise that something better is awaiting us,

Colossians 3:1 - 17
All about how we live our lives. How our knowledge of heaven should affect that, Because what Christ has done for us, and how we should follow Him.

Why don't we live in constant contemplation of heaven?