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Holy people for a holy God
What do we mean when we say that God is holy? In His very being he is pure, perfect and unique – separate from anything and anyone tainted by sin. As God’s people we are called to be holy. At Mt Sinai, as the Israelites were about to commence their journey to the Promised Land, God gave them practical instructions regarding how they were to live their holiness. While the details may sound rather harsh and legalistic to modern ears, the principles behind them are still very relevant to us today. Holiness is not a vague other-worldliness that belongs to a different time in history. The holiness of Jesus Christ is ours! It is God’s gift to every believer, to be lived out each day in every part of life with the help of the Holy Spirit. It should be the distinctive mark of every Christian!
Grumbling and grace
What’s the point of the tough times in life? Tonight we see Israel encounter three tough times on their journey. Each time, they grumble about their circumstances and each time their grumbling is met with God’s grace. In these stories we see that God uses the tough times we face to strengthen our faith in him.
Order in the camp
The two million Israelites were out of Egypt, camped at Mt Sinai, and now ready to head off to conquer the promised land of Canaan. But before beginning the journey God gave them a set of instructions… a census to determine the size of their army, how to set up the camp around the tabernacle, a census of the Levites, and the roles of the different Levite families. Why were these details so important? Certainly there was a practical dimension, but even more so, God was teaching them about Himself – His faithfulness, His presence with them, His holiness and His desire for their obedience, especially in view of the battles ahead of them. Jesus has come to save sinners from slavery to sin and lead us to our heavenly destination. How well do we know our God as we make our journey through life?
Our story, our song
Israel’s song tells the story of what God has done, who God is, and what God will do. Everyone who has a story of salvation has a song to sing, including us.
Hear, O Israel…
Deuteronomy 6 speaks to a generation who need to hear and remember the story of God’s salvation if they are going to love God and live for him wholeheartedly. Like them, we need to pass on the story of God’s salvation, through Jesus Christ, from generation to generation.
Deliver us from evil
Israel’s great deliverance through the Red Sea reminds us that we desperately need deliverance, that we experience deliverance by trusting God and that when we are delivered, God is the one who gets the glory.
Challenge to a young pastor
Today we welcome a new pastor to our team at City North. What does God’s Word say to a young pastor about his life and ministry? Actually, quite a lot… especially in the pastoral epistles (1 & 2 Timothy and Titus). In what appears to be the last letter he wrote from his prison cell before being martyred, Paul wrote to Timothy to urge him on. Stir up the gift God has given you! Be strong in the face of opposition! Be clear about the gospel message! Don’t deviate one millimetre from it, even when it’s unpopular to be a gospel man! See yourself as a guardian of this gospel to your generation! Be willing to suffer for it, if necessary! It’s getting harder to be a preacher and pastor in Australia today. May God continue to raise up more Pauls and Timothys today.
Following the Leader
As we celebrate baptisms, let us consider what we really mean when we say “I want to follow Jesus.”
Greg Beaumont: The Passover
The Exodus story is one of many big “movie moments”. But perhaps there is no moment bigger in the Exodus story than that of the final plague and Passover. There are many things that we can learn about God from this massive moment: His power, his judgment, the freedom he secures for his people from suffering. But there is a bigger lesson to be learned in this passage. As we look at the plague and the Passover meal we discover that Israel has a much larger problem than Pharaoh and that this problem isn’t isolated to them alone – it is the fundamental problem that all humanity faces, including us today. Thankfully the Passover Lamb offers the solution.
Ready to face the Judge?
What happens when we die? The atheist says: “We rot!”. But most people have at least vague notions of an after-life. And generally these notions are positive and often expressed at funerals, such as: “At least Dad’s no longer in pain and he’ll be up there now having a good time with his mates!”. But is this true? According to Jesus a day is coming when we will all face Him as our judge and there will be a division into two groups. More sobering, He will take into account not just what we have believed but how we have lived out those beliefs in practical deeds of love and compassion. And even more sobering, many will be surprised on that day to find themselves rejected by Jesus and consigned to eternal punishment. Never joke about hell! Jesus says it’s real.
The danger of resisting God
Is God relevant in the 21st century? Does He have any power? Should we fear Him? Should we take any notice of what He says in the Bible? These questions are extremely relevant today because if the answer is “NO” then Christianity is a waste of time. On the other hand, if the answer is “YES”, that has huge implications. Pharaoh tried to brush God off …. over and over again as God sent one plague after another. Every encounter ended badly for Pharaoh and his people. Yet his pride and stubbornness refused to admit defeat, and his heart became increasingly hardened. This was not so much a battle with Moses but a battle with the one true God, Yahweh. Still today this God is real and very powerful, and he will one day judge us all. Beware the sinful, unbelieving heart.
Kids holiday service: It matters who you’re with
Kids holiday service: Jesus has given us a big job to do, making disciples. We must remember that it’s Jesus’ big promise which makes the big job possible. He promises to be with us always, to the end of the age.