In this talk from Manly Life Church, Pastor Tim looks at Roman 1 and the problem of idolatry. What we worship matters. If we worship created things rather the Creator of this life, then we ultimately worship a lie that will not satisfy. But if we worship the Living God, who we meet in Jesus, we will find a joy and satisfaction that lasts. What idols do you need to turn away from that are diminishing your life?
(to listen to audio, click play and wait until recording starts)
In this sermon from Manly Life, Pastor Tim speaks on the way bad habits and addictions diminish our lives. Then looking at some great passages of scripture he explores the freedom we can experience in following Jesus and keeping in step with His Spirit. (click play and then wait for the audio to start).
Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”
OK, here we go… 10 of my favourite verses about the Holy Spirit…
1. Ezekiel 36:26 (in which God promises the gift of the Holy Spirit)
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
2. Luke 4:18-19 (in which Jesus reads from Isaiah declaring himself to be the Spirit filled Messiah)
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
3. Luke 11:13 (in which Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to those who ask)
If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!
4. Acts 2:17-18 (in which at Pentecost Peter explains what is going on with everyone receiving the Holy Spirit)
“‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.”
5. Acts 2:38-39 (in which Peter talks about Christians receiving the Holy Spirit for all of time)
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
6. Acts 10:44-46 (in which the Holy Spirit comes to Gentiles and they speak in tongues)
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.
7. 1 Corinthians 12:7… (in which Paul then explains how the Holy Spirit gives miraculous gifts to the church for it’s common good)
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
8. Ephesians 5:18-19 (in which Paul encourages believers to experience the ongoing filling of the Holy Spirit)
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord.
9. Galatians 5:22-25 (in which Paul explains the changed life of the Spirit filled believer and exhorts us to keep in step with the Spirit)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
10. 2 Timothy 1:7 (in which Paul tells us of the Spirit given to believers)
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self discipline.
… so this is just a few of my favourite verse on the Holy Spirit. What are your favourites?
Last Sunday, Victoria gave a wonderful sermon on facing curveballs in life. She drew from Paul’s shipwrecked journey to Rome and her own personal pain of losing her Father in a house fire at age 13.
Have a listen (press play and wait about 30 seconds for audio to start). As CS Lewis said, “Hardship often prepares an ordinary person for an extraordinary destiny.”
We are starting a new series at Manly Life on the major curveballs that get thrown at us in life. If you are going through or have gone through a relationship bust up, or addictions, or depression or bereavement, or serious illness I hope you will find strength, wisdom and comfort in this series. I also hope it might help you navigate life well and that you will be equipped with tools for dealing with these major curveballs.
Or if you have never really faced a big curveball in life… then this series is also important for you! My hope is that you might grow in empathy, that is the ability to understand and share in another’s situation or feelings. Empathy is important as it helps you to enter into anothers pain and show compassion! I also hope you will be equipped as the reality is that you may well face these curveballs in the future.
CS Lewis said; “Hardship often prepares an ordinary person for an extraordinary destiny…” I wonder in your life what is the hardest thing you have ever gone through? I remember flying back into Sydney after 6 years overseas with my Pastor from London. He asked me what the hardest thing I had gone through in life was. At the time it was difficult to answer because to be honest I hadn’t faced any of life’s major curveballs. He said that was fair enough as you don’t go looking for hard times, but on reflection I wonder if he was asking at the time about my readiness to be a Pastor at 26 years if I hadn’t faced many problems… And certainly in Pastoral ministry I have now come up against many of life’s most awful things… sickness, death, relationship break downs…
It’s a strange idea but the bible seems to suggest that it is only really through life’s curveballs being thrown at us that we can develop and grow. In other words, while we may not wish hard things upon our or anyone’s life, there seems to be no other real path to growth. Would you agree?
So what is the hardest thing you have gone through and how did that shape you? We were discussing this at my men’s life group. I think it is fair to say that as group most of us have faced some pretty decent curveballs. There has been relationship break downs, mental health issues, financial stresses, and yet the resounding feeling was that you only grow through hardship.
Well quickly, what are the big stressors in life? According to the Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory the top 10 stresses in life are;
What else would you put in there? Mental health issues? Financial pressures, and mortgage stress? Loneliness? We will look at some of these in the coming weeks…
Well firstly, why suffering? If God is good and loving, why would he allow awful curveballs in life? It seems random right… good things can happen to bad people and bad things to seemingly good people. A traditional Christian understanding has framed it this way; the cause of suffering is sin, the world and spiritual evil…
So firstly, evil: In John 10 – Jesus described the devil as a ‘thief who comes to steal and kill and destroy…’ Do you believe we live in a spiritual world? The devil is described in the scriptures as a lion who is on the prowl looking to devour! CS Lewis said there are two equal and opposite things to be aware of. One is thinking that the cause of everything is a spiritual attack (there is a demon behind every bush). The other is that we live in a neutral or non spiritual world where spiritual warfare is not real. I think the recent killing spree in South Carolina in a historic black church is an example of this kind of spiritual evil.
Secondly the world: Bad stuff like earthquakes happen and circumstantial things get thrown at us. This can sometimes be described as being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Because this world is fallen and broken, bad things happen. This can be on a large scale like the tsunami that struck over a decade ago killing hundreds of thousands. Or on a small scale, you might travel somewhere and pick up an illness that then diminishes your life… Bad things happen!
Thirdly, Sin: the third cause of suffering is our own actions. I think sin can be like shooting ourselves in the foot or a bit like eating a Crispy Cream donut. The first bite is delicious, but it then kind of makes you feel sick… and so you then have some more, thinking I need the sweet taste again… and eventually the result is a stomach ache! Our sin causes us suffering like that. It might start out making you feel good, but even when you realise it is hurting you, you then struggle to stop. It has a hold on your life and it causes all kinds of pain!
So when something goes wrong… say a relationship is seemingly irreparably damaged… it may be one of these things, it may be all three… It may be you come under spiritual attack… It may be that circumstances like loss of job or illness puts incredible strain on things. It may be that one or both of you are just selfish or prone to stray!
But can I say, in any curveball it is not as God intended it… we know that because God is in the business of restoring life, responding to our cries and bringing peace! But, and I do find this difficult to understand too… it is allowed to happen. The result though, and this can be hard at the times to understand, can amazingly still be good things. The revivalist Smith Wigglesworth said: “Great faith is the product of great fights. Great testimonies are the outcome of great tests. Great triumphs can only come out of great trial.”
The Apostle Paul in Romans 5 says about suffering (in other words going through awful things) that it leads to perseverance, the development of character and ultimately hope! Paul was a guy who in his letter to the Corinthians says he has been hard pressed, perplexed, persecuted, so he knows this, he knows imprisonment and slander. And yet he wrote these inspired scriptures about the Christian life.
It starts with what would seem a strange statement… particularly if you didn’t know the rest of the verse. It says we glory in our sufferings. James in his letter will says something similar. He says consider it joy when you face many trials. Somehow they are suggesting, trials and suffering is used by God to produce something better within us! It will bring us closer to Jesus and help us to become more like Jesus.
So from these sufferings comes perseverance. Well of course it doesn’t have to… it can lead to giving up and despair. But as a Christian we are given strength to keep going. This is about courage and patience in the face of curveballs. So in that developing of perseverance, character is then formed in us. Can I just say that character is so important! The word used here means ‘character that has been proved.’
I came across this during the week on a Facebook page called Humans of New York…
The text says, “I’ve been having nerve issues, and this past year it’s gotten so bad that it hurts too much for me to walk. It was completely unexpected. I’ve always been such an optimistic person, but now I’m fighting with depression. He’s doing everything he can to take my mind off of it. We’re not sure if I’m going to get better, but he’s planning a backpacking tour through Europe for when I do. And I told him that I didn’t think I could handle a visit to New York right now, but he told me that he’d push me around the whole city. And he has. And whenever I feel particularly down, he tells me that he’s not going anywhere, and how happy he is that he married me. Not long ago I had a particularly rough period, and when I was at one of my lowest moments, he asked if we could renew our vows.”
I guess that is what I am talking about with this verse. In the face of this couples undeniable hardship and suffering they have persevered… they haven’t given up… they have kept going! And the result is amazing character! So would this man and woman be the people they are today without the suffering they have gone through? Again, you wouldn’t wish this upon anyone… but it is a part of this life we live and it can lead to incredible perseverance and character.
The final thing then is that it leads to hope. You see as we wait patiently we develop hope for the future and we get in those hardest of times to experience the love of God. It is poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit…
So if you want to grow, if you want to experience God… it most likely will come from enduring great trials and tests in life!
7 years on from being asked that question, I would still say that compared to a lot of people, I have been able to enjoy relative peace and blessing! But the two hardest episodes in my life have also led to the most personal growth and development of my faith! One was a very difficult time at the end of my last church role and the other was my wife’s stroke last year. Thankfully she recovered fully, but in those moments when it looked like she would have permanent brain damage, it was the scariest moments of my life. Would we wish for Victoria to have another stroke or something similar to happen? No! But, I tell you what, faith became real, verses that I had read came alive, depending on God and praying fervently became natural. My love for her and our family grew stronger and I am sure it built a capacity and perseverance in me that otherwise wouldn’t be there. And finally, it did lead to hope, hope of that time to come when every sickness will be healed by God and every painful experience taken away!
So what about you? What is the hardest thing or things that you have ever gone through? And what has it led to in your life?
Let me finish with Philippians 3:10-11 – one of my favourite verses – sums up the Christian life…
Paul says; “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.”
He says he wants to know Christ. My guess is because Jesus is his Lord, his saviour, his good shepherd, his rock and salvation. So he wants to know Christ! And part of that is the power of his resurrection. And who wouldn’t, that is the explosion of new life and power to overcome evil and sickness and death! But it only comes if you have participated in his sufferings. You see there is no resurrection without the cross, there is not testimony without the struggle, there is no victory without the battle. I know many of us are in deep battles right now! May you know Christ… his sufferings, his resurrection… his death and his life!
What story do you live in? Is it one controlled by self, consumerism, fear and greed? God invites us to live in a different story of radical mercy, hospitality, equality, reconciliation and generosity!
In this sermon from the combined Manly Life Church and Small Boat Big Sea service, Mike Frost challenges us to live in a better story! As you listen, be commissioned to tell and live out this story in your life.
(click play and then wait 30 or so seconds for audio to start)
Have you ever wondered about death, suffering and where is God in the midst of our pain?
I hope this talk from John 11 about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead will help. It suggests that God is not distant, uninterested and impotent in the face of pain. Jesus is moved by the death of his friend and responds with pathos and power.
How do you respond to all of this? Jesus says in John 11:25 “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies.” Do you believe?
What does it mean when Jesus says he is the Good Shepherd? In this talk, Tim explores John 10 and Jesus’ claim that he is the Good Shepherd, and that he has come to bring life and life to the full. We find Jesus at the Feast of Dedication and once again his claims come alive as we understand the context of the festival. Have a listen, and respond to the voice of the one who says he will save us!
Here is Tim’s sermon on John 7 & 8 and Jesus at the Feast of Tabernacles. The explosive claims of Jesus will come alive as we discover the context of this festival.
Have a listen below or read through the sermon manuscript. Take yourself back to the Feast of Tabernacles and respond to who Jesus is claiming to be.
This evening is going to be more oriented towards teaching than preaching…
My hope is that as we see who Jesus claimed to be, his life and teaching will explode upon us…
So we are told in John chapter 7 that the time of the feast of Tabernacles is near…
There were 3 feasts that the people of God had to attend: Passover, Weeks and Tabernacles
So there were 3 main parts to the Feast of Tabernacles
In these ceremonies they would recall wandering in the dessert
So all through the Old Testament we find texts that celebrate this.
They would read things like Psalm 78:15-16; He split the rocks in the desert and gave them water as abundant as the seas; he brought streams out of a rocky crag and made water flow down like rivers.
Isaiah 44:3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.
Zechariah 13:1, 14:8 “On the Big Day, a fountain will be opened for the family of David and all the leaders of Jerusalem for washing away their sins, for scrubbing their stained and soiled lives clean… On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem!
Isaiah 12:2-3 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.” With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
In the water ceremony during the feast of tabernacles the people of God would bring…
A priest would fill a jug and take it into the alter. He would then pour the water on the alter and cry out Isaiah 12:3… “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.”
Do you get a sense of what is going on, what it was like to be at Tabernacles in the water ceremony?
We are told in John 7:37 (SLOW)
On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.”
He is claiming here that he is the well. That the promises of God and the hopes of the people are fulfilled in him! He is the dispenser of water that will quench your thirsty soul
John 7:38 “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”
He is saying that if we open our lives to him, he will baptise us!
Are you with me?
The second aspect of Tabernacles was the illumination of the temple – the light ceremony
There would be four big bowls of water during tabernacles
So God guided the people with his presence in a cloud by day and in a cloud of fire by night…
Psalm 78:13-14 says; He divided the sea and led them through; he made the water stand firm like a wall. He guided them with the cloud by day and with light from the fire all night.
And they would light the wicks… (flame sound)
Psalm 27:1 says; The LORD is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?
My favourite – Isaiah 60:1-3
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.”
And most importantly Isaiah 60:19; The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.
On the final day of the feast Jesus is teaching in the temple courts
Jesus stands up and proclaims… “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
What timing… he is claiming cosmic significance…
Are you with me?
OK, one ceremony to go… are you ready?
We have seen Jesus claim that “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.”
But now he is going to claim something and they are going to want to kill him right on the spot!
So these ceremonies all relate to how God had acted in their history – particularly in rescuing them from slavery in Egypt…
Exodus 25:8 – God says to them
Exodus 29:45-46 says; Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. They will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.
So there was an amazing sense of God’s presence around this tabernacle, this tent of meeting… the priests would go in and be overwhelmed with God’s presence…
At the heart of this festival is the fundamental creeds of Israel…
Exodus 3:13-14 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?‘ Then what shall I tell them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”
So this is constantly how God refers to himself and is what the people of God call him…
Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Isaiah 43:10-11 says; “You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior.
So this is how they know God… I am he, I am he… I am he
And so these creeds would reverberate around the temple and Jerusalem
Of course in John 8:12 Jesus has said I am the light of the world
In verse 52 they accuse Jesus of being possessed by a demon…
Vs 58 “I tell you the truth”, Jesus answered, “Gino-mai abraam egO eimi” – “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”
Immediately, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
Why would they do this…
But they had to – this was the feast celebrating the presence of God… and Jesus has just stood and said… “I am he.”
John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
Friends as we come to understand Jesus may we behold his glory, may we believe and may we have life!
In this talk, Pastor Tim speaks about the incredible story in John 5 (from the Message Version) of Jesus healing a man who could not walk. Jesus will then explain his actions saying that just as God brings life and raises the dead, so too does the Son. And so the question becomes will you align yourself with Jesus and life?
Apologies for the audio during the interview with Bono from U2 (it goes for about 2 minutes).
Also, why not invite the presence of God to come and minister healing to you during the ministry time at the end of the service. The same power that raised Jesus from the grave now lives in us!
