11
Mar
2012
Ever wondered what song it was that we sang on Sunday??? Well, wonder no more 
Starting this week we will be posting the songs from our Sunday service on a blog so you can check each week. Click the link to find the song on iTunes to use for personal worship throughout the week.
Bathurst:
- Hosanna (Paul Baloche) – iTunes
- Open the eyes of my heart Lord - iTunes
- Hosanna (Brooke Fraser) - iTunes
- Son of God - iTunes
- As it is in heaven (Michael W. Smith) - iTunes
Bayview:
- Your grace is enough - iTunes
- Forever - iTunes
- Glory to God forever - iTunes
- A mighty fortress - iTunes
- As it is in Heaven (Matt Maher) - iTunes
11
Mar
2012
1. It seems like there is a lot of “Look at me.”
Man looks on the outside; God looks on the heart.
Could one do all the “religious” things and still not be saved?
Yes. Absolutely. In fact, that was the issue that Jesus often raised that so angered the religious folk. He said that they did everything right outwardly but that their hearts were far from God. It is very possible that one can do all the “religious” things and have a heart that is far from God and therefore not be saved. The problem is perhaps more frequent than one would want to believe.
2(a). Do we forgive others if they do not ask for forgiveness?
Yes. You forgive for your sake. When you forgive, you are saying that you have been wounded. But that you refuse to carry the offender around on your back any longer. That is an emotional bond that becomes emotional bondage. The offender becomes too emotionally and mentally heavy. Forgiveness is a choice (not a feeling) to remove the person from the hook of your life and to place them on God’s hook of judgement. You choose to let God deal with the person and you are free to live your life with freedom from malice and any sense of revenge. In fact, you are free to love and to pray for your enemy (Matthew 5: 38-48).
2(b). Does God forgive us if we do not ask for forgiveness?
We have been taught that God forgives us “when” we confess our sins and ask for His forgiveness. This is correct, but at first seems inconsistent with what God tells us to do. We are told to forgive without being asked and God will forgive “if” we ask?? How do we address this seeming contradiction?
First of all, God is the divine law-giver, the Judge. A judge has the authority to judge and punish. We don’t. We need to forgive for our sakes, for the sake of our relationship with people and with God. God, as the Judge, however, is responsible to maintain justice in the universe and “must” deal with the issue of sin and the proper punishment for it. He must punish the sinner for his/her actions. This is where it gets incredible. God found a way to uphold justice while at the same time to provide forgiveness for guilty sinners. God sent His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins and to take our punishment. So, forgiveness has been provided full and free, because the price for our sin has been paid in full. All God asks is that the guilty sinner confess to his/her sin and guilt (confession means to say the same thing as God says about one’s sin) and repent to receive His forgiveness. God’s forgiveness is like an ocean of grace. All you must do is jump into the ocean of His grace. But He doesn’t force you to. So, the seeming contradiction between God’s forgiveness of us and our forgiveness of our fellowman, is that God is the Judge who must uphold divine justice on the earth. But let us never forget, that if He had not provided for forgiveness through the cross, there would be no such thing as forgiveness. The forgiveness that we are commanded to give to others flows out of God’s amazing grace in our lives.
Secondly, we must distinguish the difference between forgiveness and restoration. Forgiveness takes one person; restoration takes two people. Restoration can never occur unless there is peace made between both parties. God is always the initiator. He initiates love. He initiates grace. And God made the first move and provided forgiveness freely through the cross. Now it is your move. Restoration to relationship with God cannot occur without you, as the guilty party, the offender and sinner, asking forgiveness and repenting. When you receive God’s forgiveness through confession and repentance, restoration is accomplished.
3. James 1:15. What type of death?
Evil desires give birth to sinful actions, and when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. All types of death. When man sinned, the result was eternal, spiritual and physical death. Sinful desires and actions always lead to some kind of death. Physical death is separation of the soul from the body. Spiritual death is separation of the soul from God. Eternal death is the separation of the soul from God forever. Physical death while still spiritually dead equals eternal death. And sin is the root cause.
11
Mar
2012
Matthew 6:7-15…Jesus instructs us on how not to pray. He then gives a model of prayer for us to use as a pattern when talking with God. We will dissect the model to try and get to the heart of what Jesus was saying.
04
Mar
2012
Matthew 6:7-15…Jesus instructs us on how not to pray. He then gives a model of prayer for us to use as a pattern when talking with God. We will dissect the model to try and get to the heart of what Jesus was saying.
04
Mar
2012
1. It’s difficult to begin a prayer with “Father” since that term has a negative image for me. Is it wrong to feel that way?
It’s not wrong to feel that way. That’s how you feel. But that’s why it is so important to be a good theologian. You need to know what the Bible teaches about God. And the picture of God as your Father is one of the most beautiful images that the Bible gives of who God is in relationship to you. Once you have a clear idea of how God is the perfect Father who loves and cares for you more than anyone ever has, you can begin to relate to Him in a full and proper way. You must discipline yourself to develop a view of God that is not clouded by the imperfections of this life or the insufficiencies of people with whom you have a relationship. See Him, not through the lens of your experiences with imperfect people, but through the lens of scripture.
2. It says in Matthew 6:8 that God knows exactly what you need even before you ask Him. So why do you have to ask Him? Won’t He supply my needs just because He is loving and kind?
God knows your needs before you ask because He is God and knows everything. He is omniscient. But just because He is omniscient does not mean He is merely a servery or an open refrigerator. He desires relationship with you. And prayer is designed to cultivate relationship. A good father does provide for the needs of his child, but even more important is a healthy relationship with his child. God your Father wants His provision for you to flow out of a father/child relationship with you.
On the other hand, neither is prayer simply information that you pass along to God so that He has the data necessary to know how to respond to you. He is not a bank machine. He is your Father.
Bottom line, one has to remember that it is not all about you or me. It is all about relationship with the Almighty God as our Father. And prayer is our most significant discipline to cultivate this kind of mindset and relationship.
26
Feb
2012
Matthew 6:1-6,16-18…There is often a conflict between doing right things and having right motives. Jesus focuses on the motives of the heart.
