Sermon - Who is Jesus? (part 2)

Who is Jesus pt 2

21/12/08

John 1:1-18

Last week: 1^st 3 verses - Jesus is the Word, He is God, He is the Creator

Read: John 1:1-5

Next 2 things that John wants us to know about Jesus – He is light and life. What does it really mean to us that…

Jesus is THE Light and THE Life

John 14:6 – “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”

These are exclusive claims. Jesus is not one light among many, or one source of life among many. He is the one true light, and He is the only source of true life.

John here summarises Jesus’ claim to be the way and the truth by describing Jesus as “the light”. Without the light you cannot see the way to go, without the light you cannot tell truth from error.

• Isaiah 50 – Isaiah prophesies that Israel would reject God’s Servant the Messiah. Instead of walking in the light of Jesus they would light blazing torches to light their own way, and the result would be catastrophic for them. We can do the same thing.
  
  One of the great tragedies for many Christians is that Jesus has been reduced to one voice among many. We listen to too many experts who tell us the sorts of things we like to hear (we reject the experts who tell us things we don’t like!) We mimic our parents, whether we want to or not. We follow our friends, whether we realise it or not. We indulge the desires that rage within us, and fall for temptations that work on us from the outside. Among all this noise the still, small voice of the Spirit which says “Look to Jesus. Follow Him.” sometimes gets drowned out. We walk by the light of these other blazing torches instead of walking by the light of Jesus and allowing Him to be “THE Way” for us.
• What has light to do with truth? Why are people often afraid of the dark? Because in the dark we cannot tell what is really going on. Our fears and imaginings can become real because there is not enough light to expose them as being false.
  
  It’s the same for us. It is easy for us to believe all sorts of things that make sense and seem very real to us. But it is only when they are exposed to the truth of Jesus that they are shown to be true or not. Our own common sense or the wisdom of others is not the benchmark, it is Jesus Christ Himself who is the Light.

Jesus’ Life is our Light

v.4 - In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

How are we to receive the life of Jesus?

This verse tells us that the life was the light of men. We have learnt already that light shows us how to walk and what to believe – it shows us the way and the truth. Let’s start by examining the truth:

vv. 10 – 13
 ^10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ^11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ^12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— ^13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

Believing in Jesus as our Saviour and Lord is how we receive life. All of us were born of natural descent. Some of us were born as a result of a conscious decision on our parents’ part, some may not have been! But the only way to be born again – to receive eternal life – is to be born of God. That is a gift that God gives all those who believe in Jesus.

However once we receive life we must then get on and live it. How do we do that? By living by the light of Jesus as “THE Way”. We have to follow Him!

This light that shows us how to live is in fact Jesus’ life! Life - the real, abundant life that God intends for all His children - was perfectly demonstrated for us in Jesus. The Christian life is more than just a list of things to believe in. It’s not a list of requirements to fulfil – do’s and don’ts. It is modelling ourselves after Jesus. That’s why the earliest Christians were called Disciples, and Christianity was simply known as “The Way”. Christianity is all about following Jesus, not just believing in Him. Believing in Jesus is how the journey begins, but if you really believe, you must follow. If you follow, you will taste life. Not the fake, unsatisfying life that this world offers, but the abundant life that is only found in Jesus.

1 John 1:5 – 2:6

^5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. ^6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. ^7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all ^a sin.

^8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ^9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ^10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

2 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ^2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for ^b the sins of the whole world.

^3 We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. ^4 The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ^5 But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love ^c is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: ^6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

Even when Jesus physically walked the Earth, He was rejected by the religious, and we must recognise that you and I can make exactly that mistake.

We can’t claim to believe in Jesus as The Truth, but not follow Him as The Way. They must go together if we are to receive Him as The Life.

Will we reject the Light or Live by it?

v.5 - The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it^[1]

• “understood” – comprehended, grasped, mastered, overcome – grabbing hold of. In other words, the darkness couldn’t handle the light!
• What happens when you see a bright light after being in darkness? It hurts! We naturally turn away. That’s exactly what happens in a spiritual sense. Sometimes looking at Jesus is painful, it’s uncomfortable. Our spiritual eyes need to adjust. However once we get used to living in the light of Jesus, darkness becomes very unappealing and even frightening.
• Example 1: I remember the light of Jesus showing up after I had criticised a Christian group whose methods I found questionable. The realization came to me that I had prepared to condemn this group on the basis of my impressions and very little real information. I had certainly never done the biblical thing and gone to them directly with my concerns and listened to their response, so how dare sit in judgement on them? I was being arrogant and self-righteous. That’s not a warm and fuzzy thing for the light of Jesus to expose! The truth is often not easy to take hold of. It is easier to remain in darkness when it comes to who we really are and how we live. Yet that realisation was incredibly helpful to me. As I have become less critical of others, I have had more freedom to glean good things from them and worry less about the things I don’t like. That has been a huge blessing to me. I also can reasonably expect others to treat me in the way that I treat them, and so unity and trust can be built up in the Body of Christ.
• Example 2: Thinking about buying / renting a house. The values of our culture: separate bedrooms for each child, plenty of space – different activity areas for TV, games, dining etc. The cost of this dream is way too high! Is this really what Jesus wants for us – living separately from even our own family and especially from our neighbours. Carolyn being forced to work outside the home simply to help pay off the house. Is this the ministry God has called her to, or is it a “necessity” brought about because we have made a decision based on the values of darkness instead of the truth of Jesus? Does Jesus want us to be mastered by a mortgage? What are the alternatives? Smaller house? Sharing a house? Building in room for hospitality? There are many possible answers. What matters is that we ask the questions! Let’s bring the light of Jesus to bear on the real issues of our lives. To often we ask God to provide the thing that we think we need (based on the values of darkness) instead of asking God to show us what He is providing!
• Example 3: The more Jesus shows me of the suffering in this world, the more I am convinced that I am not allowed to seek my own comfort, but must seek to be a part of His body which is reaching out to serve and to love. I’m not sure yet exactly what I must do, but there are some ideas that are forming and there are things that I’m trying. It starts with the small things, like only buying coffee that comes from fair trade sources (some of the coffee we buy in shops and café’s comes from farmers who were paid less for it than what it cost them to grow it, or grown on plantations where children are held in slavery. People get away with this abuse be we as the consumers don’t care enough to ask where our products come from). Things like taking the time to stop and talk to someone when I don’t feel comfortable or have other things to do. It’s very often in the little things of life that we make a real difference, like when Jesus spoke kindly to a woman while sitting by a well, instead of just having a nap while waiting for His disciples to get back with lunch!

---

^a Or every

^b Or He is the one who turns aside God~s wrath, taking away our sins, and not only ours but also

^c Or word, love for God

^[1]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Jn 1:5). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Sermon - Who is Jesus?

Who is Jesus?
John 1:1-18
14/12/08

Introduction

As we approach Christmas we are continuing to look at Jesus’ entry into this world. Last week we focussed on the way that the King of Glory arrived as a humble peasant babe! So when we think of Jesus we must remember both His glory and His humility, and realise that both are true of us also. Even as He entered the world Jesus was setting for us an example of how we should enter our world – as people who possess an eternal glory but who desire to serve others for their salvation.

Today we are going to spend a bit of time thinking more carefully about the nature of Jesus – what it means for God to become a Man. As we go through we will discover some of the reasons why being clear about exactly who Jesus is is so important for us.

Read: John 1:1-18

Prayer

We are going to look at how the Apostle John introduces the person of Jesus in his Gospel. But before we begin we need to understand why John is writing his gospel. In chapter 20:31 he writes: these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John is writing because he wants people to be very clear about who Jesus is, so that they may believe in Him and receive eternal life.

Read: John 1:1-3

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ^2 He was with God in the beginning.
^3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.^[1]

What is the first thing that John wants us to know about Jesus?

1. Jesus is the Word (v.1)

As he writes an account of Jesus in order to demonstrate that Jesus is the Saviour-King, the Son of God; why does he start by calling Him “the Word”?

The answer is found in verse 18: No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.

Jesus is the revelation of God. He is God come down to us. That’s why the story of the Virgin Birth is so important to Christianity. Some people claim that the stories surrounding Jesus’ birth were actually written to give support to His claims to be the Messiah. Things like the visits by angels, the immaculate conception, the journey to Bethlehem, the visit of the Shepherds and Magi were all made up stories intended to show that Jesus was someone special and that He was the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecies.

It can also be pointed out that stories of virgin births were very common in the pagan religions of the ancient world. They occur in the religions of ancient Egypt, Greece, Persia and elsewhere – all places that have had an influence on the thought of early Christians. Many people have suggested that these stories were incorporated into Christianity as people from those religions converted and carried some of their old beliefs into their new faith, or even that Christians invented the virgin birth story to appeal to those from a pagan background.

According to John, it is essential that we understand that Jesus is God, and has come into our world in order to reveal God to us. He is the message, the Word. That is why in verse 14 he writes: ^14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

What should we say about these other theories?

1) The Bible clearly teaches the Virgin Birth
If you are already convinced of the Inspiration, Authority and Reliability of the Scriptures this carries great weight. The Bible unquestionably teaches the existence of Jesus before His incarnation, and that Mary was impregnated according to God’s power not through natural means.

2) Christianity was not afraid of being different to Paganism
Christianity was so completely different from paganism in so many ways, and it’s adherents were so committed to steadfastly clinging to the gospel, that the idea of “borrowing” from other religions or “marketing” itself to people from other worldviews is not feasible. The lie would have to have been present from the beginning – taught by Jesus Himself. His life, death and resurrection proved that He was not a liar, but God with us.

3) The best lies contain some truth
There is a Deceiver who’s intent is to prevent people from believing in the One True God, as argued by Justin Martyr in the 2^nd century. The best lies contain enough truth to be easily confused with truth (or to make the truth easily confused with the lie). The other favoured technique of liars is to get in first, so that when the truth is revealed it appears to be a distortion of the lie, instead of being the truth.

4) The Virgin Birth is essential to the whole package of who Jesus is
His life, message, death and resurrection do not make sense apart from the virgin birth. If we discard it we must discard all that it means for Him to be the Saviour of the World and the Lord over all creation.

Jesus must be God, and He must be from God in order to be the Word. He came not bearing a message, but being the message. He was not a prophet who received revelation, He is the revelation.

As we’ve been talking about, the fact that Jesus is the Word goes hand in hand with the fact that…

2. Jesus is God (v.1)

John becomes more specific though, and says that…

3. Jesus is the Creator, not Created (vv.2-3)

There are some that would argue that matter gave birth to life, that our universe contained all of the raw materials that eventually combined in the right way in the right environment for life to begin and continue and evolve to higher and higher orders, eventually leading to humans who would be able to make sense of it all!

The Bible says that it was life that gave birth to matter! Before the universe existed there was life, and that life was in God.

You need to know that you are not an accident, but that you have a Creator. This Creator has entered our world to let us know who He is and how we can be part of His eternal family.

However there are some who are confused on whether Jesus Himself was created. Hearing of Jesus as the Son of God makes people think that there was a time before He existed, but that at some point He was born or made. There is also a key passage that is often poorly understood and which has been used by many cults to lead people astray.

We looked at the passage last week: Colossians 1:15-16:
^15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ^16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.

What does it mean that Jesus is the firstborn over all creation? Surely it means that He was made first, then everything else was made afterward?

This doesn’t make sense, however, because in the very next verse it says that “by him all things were created…”

The grammar here makes it impossible to conclude that Jesus was made first and then made everything else. If that was the intended meaning, different or additional greek words would have been used. Of course this echoes the teaching of John 1:3 - Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

What Colossians is actually saying is that Jesus has the position of pre-eminence over all creation. Being the firstborn in ancient cultures was an issue of status, and it wasn’t always conferred on the child born first. Remember Jacob and Esau? Jacob was not the firstborn, but he became so when Esau sold him the birthright and he obtained Isaac’s blessing through deception. Jacob did not rewrite history and become the first born, but he did obtain the status of being the firstborn. He achieved pre-eminence over Esau.

In the same way Jesus is pre-eminent over everything that has been created, whether visible or invisible. He is pre-eminent because He is the Creator. He is pre-eminent because He is God Incarnate. He is pre-eminent because He is the Redeemer of Humanity and the Head of the Church.

Do not be confused. John says that the Word was God and was with God in the Beginning, and He made everything that has been made. That’s who Jesus is.

Don’t swallow the lie that Jesus was just a good man, a revolutionary, a prophet or miracle worker. He cannot be dismissed so easily. He is God or He is nothing, the Bible allows no middle ground.

---

^[1]All Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Jn 1:1). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Don’t Be So Condescending!

When we think of the word condescending we usually think of it in very negative terms. We think of people who consider themselves better than us and are therefore very patronizing toward us, like the way adults talk childishly to infants.

It shows how full of pride we are that a word that signifies a gift of loving service has become a term of resentment.

Philippians 2:5-7
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7 but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!

Jesus is the true example of condescension. He gave up his rightful position in order to serve those below Him – far below Him – in status. He even gave His life for us!

This is the life to which He calls us, a life of loving condescension. Whether people are below us or above us on whatever standard you want to rank them by is not the point. We are to become nothing in order to serve everyone. Becoming nothing has no bearing on our worth or our nature, but rather our form and function. Jesus was incredibly special – the very Son of God! Yet to all appearances He was an absolute commoner. He had the right to exert power and authority, yet He functioned as a servant. This is what we are called to. With Christ living in us through His Spirit we are incredibly honoured, yet we are to live humbly, seeking to give ourselves for the sake of others. We are to be condescending!

Sermon - The Pathway to Fulfilment

Fulfilment, satisfaction, meaning, contentment... we all want this stuff, and God has promised it to us, but how do we actually receive it? The life of Jesus contains the answers, and they are surprising! As we take a broad look at the life of Jesus we discover the less-travelled pathway to fulfilment

Scripture passages:

• John 1:1-2
• Colossians 1:16-7
  
• Luke 2:1-7
• Matthew 27:32-44
• Revelation 5:1-14
• Philippians 2:1-13
• Matthew 4:1-11

A Christian Approach to Charity

Anyone who has read the Bible should know that God is very serious about our responsibility to care for people around us. This sermon takes a brief look at the way God has instructed His people to care for the poor, lonely, sick and oppressed in the Old and New Testaments. We also take a brief look at how the Church has carried out these commands through history, and what our opportunities and obligations are today. If you really want to honour God and experience intimacy with Him you must get to know His heart for the hurting and downtrodden.

Good source for ethical coffee

I just got onto an Aussie company called Jasper Coffee which supplies ethically sourced coffees from around the world. I found them through World Vision, as they partner in one of their projects with them.

http://www.jaspercoffee.com/

Look for the symbols which indicate products come from fair trade sources, and there are also icons which display other info, such as organic produce. If you would like to support the project with World Vision, buy the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe (World Vision) brand of coffee.

For me it's a great reassurance to be sure that the people who are growing the coffee I enjoy are being fairly payed and their communities are benefitting from their labour.

Thinking Critically about Culture

I love watching the kids play in the backyard together. They can use whatever is available and have all sorts of fun with it. We receive catalogues stuffed full of great toys and products for kids, and all of that stuff is fine, but they don’t need any of it to have a childhood full of fun, learning and growth.
However as soon as they are old enough to visit friends and observe what they have, they begin to form expectations of what they should have as well. I remember hearing one of my kids say “We don’t have as much toys as ______”, but the truth is that we have heaps of toys! (Why, in MY day we….!)

It reminds me as a parent of the importance of teaching our children about values, priorities and the importance of thinking critically about our culture. What our culture says is important and normal does not mean that it is right for us as people who live God’s way.

Our culture says that Christmas is a time for splurging on ourselves and those close to us. Lots of presents, lots of food and drink, lots of fun. The message of Christmas though is rooted in the love of God for those who were far away. It is the celebration of the One who gave up everything in order to give us everything. How should those simple facts change the way Christians celebrate Christmas?

Mike's Really Useful Gift Catalogue

Every year our family includes giving gifts to people in need around the world as part of our celebration of a God who has given us everything, even Himself. As well as choosing a particular project to support with our extended family, we use the Smiles catalogue from World Vision, the [Arguably] The World's Most Useful Gifts Catalogue from TEAR fund as well as the Great Gifts Catalogue from Churches of Christ Overseas Aid.

This year I've set up an online store with TEAR and sent links out to our contacts to see if I can recruit a few others to the cause!

If you'd like to check it out as a way of celebrating the real meaning of Christmas please do so!

Mike's Online TEAR store

What is Ethical Consumerism?

Here's a great vid from the donttradelives website called "What's behind the label?". There's a bunch more available from the website for viewing and download.

Aussie action against exploitation

Here's a simple way to make a difference if you are an Aussie who is concerned about justice and the plight of the exploited.

The "Don't Trade Lives" website by World Vision has great info and suggestions - including participating in a petition to ask the Australian chocolate industry to insure that the cocoa they use in producing chocolate has come from sources which do not exploit farmers or workers. Read the info available on the site to find out why this is such an important issue.

The 40 Martyrs of Sebaste

After celebrating a baptism together, it is appropriate that we challenge ourselves about the priority and the cost of following Jesus. The story of the 40 Martyrs of Sebaste is an account of 40 Roman soldiers who defied their emperor in allegiance to their true Lord, paying for it with their lives. They remind us that we live for a Heavenly King, and the honours and rewards we strive for are eternal, not temporary.

A Christian Response to Suicide

A Christian Response to Suicide

9/11/08

What causes people to commit suicide?

There are of course many reasons that people take the drastic step of choosing to end their own lives. People choose suicide when they are in the midst of extreme mental and emotional anguish. Very commonly a half-hearted attempt at suicide is made as a cry for help, where someone cannot see a way out of the pain they are feeling and so signal their need for help and the extent of their anguish with a sign that they despair of their life. A determined suicide attempt is made when the person considers themselves beyond help of any kind. They consider that the pain and the cost of living far outweighs the pain and cost of dying.

What causes such anguish of heart and mind? Some of the common causes include:

• Mental illness affecting the physical operation of the brain
• The effect of certain drugs including alcohol
• Stress and anxiety – feeling unable to resolve a significant problem
• Shame – fear of being discovered or exposed, or shame at having been exposed
• Lack of self worth – believing that you are worthless and a burden to others
• Loneliness or alienation – no-one would miss me, no-one likes me
• Hopelessness – being trapped in a situation with no apparent way out
• Guilt – being unable to forgive yourself for what you have done to others.

When the pain of carrying these things becomes more than a person can bear, and when they believe that there is no relief, the awful decision to end their own life can be the result.

How do people respond to suicide?

Some common responses include:

• A struggle to make sense of the suicide
• Anger
• Guilt over failed responsibilities, real or imagined
• Isolation caused by a sense of self-imposed shame
• Aloneness when others keep their distance
• Blame towards those perceived to have contributed to the suicide
• Awkwardness when others don't know how to respond
• Having to face the traumatic & sometimes unexpected nature of the death
• Difficulty accepting that the death was by suicide
• Fear that powerful grief reactions may not be normal
• Remorse over lost opportunity [1]

Physical reactions after a suicide

Along with the intense emotions can come a variety of physical or behavioural reactions to news of a loved one's suicide. These perfectly normal reactions may include:

• Crying
• Screaming
• Angry outbursts
• Physical collapse
• Emotions in the weeks after a suicide

More severe reactions may include:

• Nightmares
• Flashbacks
• Social withdrawal
• Avoidance of people who remind you of your loved one
• Repeated visual images of your loved one
• Sleep problems
• Concentration difficulties
• Lack of motivation
• Loss of interest in daily activities or hobbies
• Family conflicts
• Denial of emotional pain

What does the Bible say about suicide?

The Bible contains stories which feature people taking their own lives, but in each of these stories it does not comment on whether the actions were right or wrong, or what the consequences were in terms of their eternal destiny.

However the Bible speaks very strongly about the issues which surround suicide. Here is a very quick summary of what the Bible teaches:

Suicide is a Sin Against God

To take your own life is to reject the Lordship of Jesus over your life. God alone is the Author of life, and we are not to take it away from others or ourselves. God has a purpose for every life, and to end your life is to reject the purpose that God has for you.

We read in Romans 14:23 that everything that does not come from faith is sin. This means that in whatever we do, that if we know or suspect that God is not pleased with it but do it anyway, we are sinning against Him.

Of course, when people contemplate suicide they generally know that it is wrong, it’s just that it seems to be the only way out of their predicament – the only way to relieve their pain.

We are Saved by Faith not Works

Many people are troubled over the question of how suicide affects a person’s eternal destiny. We must remember that suicide is sin, and that the penalty for sin is eternal separation from God in Hell. We must also remember that the only way to avoid this punishment is to receive the forgiveness that God freely offers to anyone who believes in Jesus. Jesus said in John 5:24:

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” ^[2]

He also said in John 10:27-28:

^{27 “}My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ^28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.”^[3]

Genuine Christians still struggle with sin (Rom 7&8). We struggle to trust God at times, and we struggle to submit to Him. Of course, suicide is a very extreme failure to trust God and submit to Him, and it is something for which people will give an account for (Heb 4:13), but the Bible never says that it is something which takes away the free gift of grace that God has given us in Jesus.

We don’t know how many times someone has chosen to trust God despite their anguish, before finally falling prey to their struggle. We don’t know how many ways they have served and honoured God in their lives, but God does. He will reward every believer according to what we have done not just in our final moments, but in our whole lives. In the same way we should not define someone by how they died, but by how they lived.

Jesus is Our Only Hope

The only way to overcome the issues that drive people to such despair is by placing our trust in Jesus as our Saviour and Lord. Romans 8:37-39 says:

^35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ^36 As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;

we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” ^c

^37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ^38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, ^d neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ^39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord^[4]

Also in 1 Timothy 4:9-10 we read:

^9 This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance ^10 (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe^[5]

No matter what the cause of someone’s mental and emotional anguish is, Jesus is the answer. He is the answer to guilt, shame, low self-worth, loneliness, drug addiction and even physical factors influencing suicide. There is no-one that He doesn’t love and can’t help. If you want to know more about how Jesus is the answer for your particular problem I will be happy to work that through with you.

When I say Jesus is our only hope I’m not saying that no-one else is involved. God has created community for support. He has gifted humanity with the ability to study and discover causes and cures for all sorts of ailments. He gifts some individuals with empathy and insight, others with skill in medicine, others with ability to encourage and so on. What I am saying though is that a relationship with Jesus is essential to real healing. Only Jesus can make us new on the inside. Only Jesus will one day give us new bodies as well so that we will be finally whole.

How can we help people who are suicidal?

As we have already established, Jesus is our only hope. How can we help people who are suicidal? We can point people to Jesus, and we can be Jesus for people. Of course, we can’t save people like Jesus can, but we can love them like He does. We can accept them like He does. We can encourage, and support and include and pray, because these are all things that Jesus does for people. As we do these things, Jesus is able to achieve His work through us, and just maybe others might come to put their faith in Him as we have.

But how do we know who is suicidal? We could talk about things to look for, although it is often only clear in hindsight. The Bible never tells us to wait until people are at that point though before we start showing love and concern. The Bible tells us to look out for those who are struggling, whether they are in prison or sick or poor or abandoned or alone (see Matt 25:31-46). Jesus showed us how to come alongside those who were guilty, ashamed or feeling worthless. Are there people around you who are experiencing mental and emotional anguish? What can you do to show the love of Jesus to them?

As well as loving all those around us we need to be a shining beacon of hope to the whole community. We need to be broadcasting the message that things are never hopeless: Jesus is the answer. Our reactions to hard times, the things that we talk about, the lives we lead must all point to Jesus. We must make it clear that He is our joy, our source of hope and life.

How can we help people impacted by suicide?

3 years ago I shared these practical steps to helping those struggling with grief, and they apply to grief over suicide as well:

1. Discern your own emotional and spiritual condition. Take your own time to grieve if you need to, without being selfish and ignoring the needs of others. You may need to talk to someone close to you before you are ready to minister to others, especially if you are struggling with your own feelings of guilt, anger etc.. Be prayerful, asking the Holy Spirit to make you sensitive to His leading.
2. Listen. Remember that people generally don’t need distracting or diverting. Don’t try get them thinking about, talking about or doing other things. Don’t fob them off with platitudes. Don’t try insulate them from the pain. Let them talk! Let them share their feelings, memories, fears and so on. Let them tell you what they need from you.
3. Mourn with those who mourn (Romans 12:15). Crying or just being with someone in sadness is actually very comforting. It builds strength into relationships and lays a foundation for future ministry. It gives people permission to be sad, and not to rush through their grief. Survivors of suicide often feel shame, remorse, anger, fear and so on. Having someone around can not only be comforting but also reassuring.
4. Help in practical ways. To people who are grieving, normal tasks can be very unappealing or too difficult. They can be overwhelmed by things that would normally pose no problem. Help out by cooking, cleaning, transporting, organising and so on. Ask what needs doing, and volunteer to do it. Don’t take on things that aren’t needed or wanted, just be sensitive as to what the needs are.
5. Share the hope that you have. This can only be done with great sensitivity to the needs of the person. This is not usually an opportunity for you to make someone feel better, but rather an opportunity for them to wrestle with what they believe by asking questions of someone whose faith seems to hold fast in the trials of life. Sometimes all that can be offered is the reality of a God who cares and wants to comfort. Sometimes it may be reassurance that suicide cannot take away salvation.

---

[1] Excerpted from: Healing After a Suicide: the Legacy of Suicide: Caring for the Bereaved, by B.

Turley, Lifeline Australia, 1999

^[2]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Jn 5:24). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

^[3]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Jn 10:27). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

^c Psalm 44:22

^d Or nor heavenly rulers

^[4]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Ro 8:35). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

^[5]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (1 Ti 4:9). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Harvest Thanksgiving

We cancelled our service in Narembeen last Sunday so we could go to Hyden and join in a Harvest Thanksgiving Service held at Wave Rock. The service was lead by Fr Ian Maybe from the Anglican Church. We don't come from a liturgical tradition, so it's always a bit different to participate in a liturgical service. The depth of meaning in the liturgy was fantastic, and unless your brain just cruises on autopilot, I think you can't help but be inspired in worship as you read, hear and speak such wonderful truths.

After the service we enjoyed a BBQ lunch together and some even ventured out for a game of cricket. Altogether it was a great time for Christians from different traditions and towns to come together to thank God for the many different ways that He showers His blessings on us.

Some of our church members travelled together in our Community Bus, which was a great time of fun and fellowship. A big thankyou to Vera who shouted us all to an icecream each on the way home!

Me, Garry (main organiser of the day) and Fr Ian
(Wave rock is behind the trees!)

Knowing Gods Will pt 4 - Being Led by the Spirit

In the final part of our study on knowing God’s will, we look at what it means to be led by the Spirit. What does the Bible say about it, and how can we learn to do it? To conclude, we list 5 simple steps to knowing the Will of God, based on our understanding of the biblical concepts covered over the 4 sessions.

Being Led by the Spirit

Key Scriptures:

• Acts 11:1-18
• Acts 13:1-3
• Acts 16:6-10
• Acts 20:22-24
• 1 Corinthians 2:1-16
• Romans 8:5-8
• Galatians 5:16-26

Principles:

• The Spirit reveals Jesus to us – who He is, what He has done, what He commands.
• These truths can only be understood by the Spirit and can only be expressed by the Spirit
• Therefore to be led by the Spirit is to understand and express the truth of Jesus
• These mysteries have been revealed already, they are not waiting to be revealed

• To be led by the Spirit is to have our minds fixed on what the Spirit desires
• To be led by the Spirit is to reject the desires, thoughts and actions of our sinful nature
• To be led by the Spirit will produce the fruit of righteousness

Summary:

Being led by the Spirit is not an occasional, ecstatic, earth-shattering type of event. It is the very normal condition of believing in Jesus, sharing Jesus with others and obeying Jesus. We could not do any of these things without the quiet inner work of the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes people look for a particular experience of the Spirit, and think that without it their Christian life is lacking. Those experiences are great, but they are not what the Bible describes as the normal ministry of the Spirit. They are not what the Bible tells us to pursue when it tells us to be led by the Spirit. The Holy Spirit always works to put our attention on Jesus and to cause us to live with Jesus as our Saviour and Lord.

Putting the Pieces Together

1) God has a Will of Decree and a Will of Command

a) All things happen by God’s Will of Decree, and we cannot understand the complexities of that. All we can do is pray and trust.

b) God has revealed to us His Will of Command – how He wants us to live. This is the Will of God for our lives.

2) God’s Will is Presented in Jesus

3) God’s Will is Preserved in the Bible

4) God’s Will is Practiced in the Church

5) God’s Will is Discerned and Delivered by the Holy Spirit

What about prophecy, dreams & visions, casting lots or that sense of confirming peace that people talk about?

All of these things happen at times and it’s great when they do, but they are not the way God has told us to seek His will. I find it a bit frustrating when people chase after the things that God sometimes uses and neglect the things that He always uses, the things that He has told us to do.’’

So, practically speaking, how can we Know God’s Will?

1) Check the attitude of our hearts – is Jesus Lord?

• Have I obeyed the things I have already been told?
• Am I willing to obey whatever God tells me next?
• Do I really want to glorify Christ in my life, or do I just want Him to bless me?

2) Regularly Read, Study and Meditate upon Scripture

• Giving God the opportunity to transform you by renewing your mind

3) Be committed to the Church

• Relationships which offer mutual support, teaching and accountability
• Serving according to your calling

4) Pay attention to Circumstances

• God is always at work. What can we discern about what He has been doing around us as part of His unfolding plan?

5) Pray Constantly

• Keep the conversation going