Conversing the Kingdom: The Weariness of Holiness

2 Thessalonians 3:13

So often it seems that doing the right thing is ten times harder than not.

Buying music from the shop instead of copying it from a friend is a lot harder because the alternative costs. You have to go out and get a job, earn the money in order to buy that album.

At work skipping over that paperwork, disregarding a safety proceedure being economical with the truth always seems the easiest option. We even try to justify it by saying well at least the work is done or quicker than it would have taken, particularly when the pressure is on because the alternative costs.

In relationships only ever talking about the weather, trying to shirk responsibility, just slipping out before that person comes to talk to you again, again! Can seem a lot easier, because we are busy, because there are more important things to do because the alternative costs.

These costs are all a surrender of the "I wants" and "I needs" in our lives. They are all about realising that as Christians there is a new Lord in our life, there is a new person in the driving seat a new person sitting on the throne and that person is Jesus Christ. Why should we bare these costs, why should we surrender the rule of our lives? Because of the cost Jesus bore for us in order that we can enjoy a restored relationship. As Paul says in ch 2 vs 13 "we ought always to give thank to God... because he chose us as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth."

Therefore ch 3 vs 13 let us "not grow weary of doing good" despite the cost...

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Conversing the Kingdom: Lacking in Faith

1 Thessalonians 3:10

The writer to the Hebrews in the famous first verse of chapter 11 describes faith as the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. This definition of faith shows us that faith is not a vague hope grounded in wishful thinking but a settled confidence of a promised future.

Our faith is secure not because of the level of our conviction but because of the focus of our faith. As an example let us imagine your house was on fire you were trapped on the top floor with your only route of escape a nearby tree. If you were to leap for that tree whether you lept confidently or timidly it would make no difference if the branch you caught snapped under your weight. Our faith is the same. If we have faith the size of a mustard seed we can move mountians not because of the measure of our faith but because of the power of the object of our faith, our Lord Jesus Christ. Our measure of faith on the other hand, that is the confidence we have to leap in situations, comes from our knowledge of the object of our faith. Paul greatly desired to see the Thessalonians to know of their measure of faith as, due to there quick exit from thessalonica, he was not able to pass on the full knowledge of the gospel to them. He mentions here in verse ten that he wishes to see them that he might impart to them what is lacking in their faith. Not that they were no converted but that did not have the time to impart a full knowledge of the gospel for holy living. We see particularly in this letter his concern for their knowledge of Christs second coming.
This can truly be a healthy warning for all of us, though our faith is secure as Christians because of the object of our faith, what is the measure of our faith to live boldly and holy for Christ day to day!? What do we need in order to fill up what is lacking in our faith? How can we re-arrange our life in order to gain more knowledge of the object of our faith Jesus! What should we set aside to spend more time on God's word, more time in the presence of Christians talking about Jesus, more time under the preaching of God's word, more time in commuion with our Savior that our measure of faith might reach its fulness...

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Conversing the Kingdom: Sinned Up

1 Thessalonians 14-16

God's patience is endless but it is not purposeless. His patience for salvation will never fail but God's patience towards sin has limits.

We see in this passage that paul believes the thessalonians to have truely recieved salvation because of the resistance and suffering they have recieved at the hands of their own countrymen, the gentiles. Paul likens this suffering to the suffering that jewish christians recieved from the religious jews those who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets and drove Paul and Silas out of Thessalonica. This Paul says displeases God and opposes mankind, why? Because salvation is from Jesus and those who hinder the gospel message hinder salvation for mankind.

To hinder the gospel is a grevious sin and let us not be fooled that this sin is restricted to the religious Jews or the Gentile countrymen. This sin we can also find within ourselves as Christians. We can hinder the gospel by our actions. Let us beware as God's patience towards hinderence of the gospel has a limit. As we persistantly hinder the gospel, our measure of sin in this regard fills up. What happens when that measure reaches its full? Well we have seen it time and time again in the Bible God removes that person. Either physically from the situation like what happened when Paul ans Silas were driven out from the influence of the religious jews. Or physically from this world through death like Ananias and Sapphira in the book of Acts.

Let us be constantly aware of how our action are working to advance or to hinder the gospel...

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Conversing the Kingdom: The True Vine

John 15:1-8

Isreal in the old testamant is often depicted as a vine In Psalm 80:8-18 we see a picture of a vine that would spread out and fill the whole of the promised land with its branches to bring shade to even the mountains and the mighty ceadars. This is a picture of God's plan for his chosen people Israel that they might bring a blessing to the world and that rooted in God they would produce fruit. But this is a task Israel continually failed to do. Here in this passage we see that Jesus calls himself the true vine. He is the fulfilment of this imagery of what the church (God's chosen people) should be. In the old covenant Israel were to be God's chosen people, the church, planted firmly in the promised land that they might produce fruit. In the new convenant Jesus achieves what Israel failed to achieve by becoming the embodiment of God's chosen people. The church can achieve where Isreal failed because we are in Christ. Whereas before when God planted Israel they produce a fruit in accordance with their nature. Isaiah 4:6
"he looked for justice,
but behold, bloodshed;
for righteousness,
but behold, an outcry!"
But now when God plants his church in this world the fruit is different because the church he plants is the body of Christ. This body of Christ has a new nature that produces fruits of the spirit. Not in its own strength but because as a church we continue to abide in Jesus, the true vine... he is the source of our fruitfulness.
Let us remember that the next time we get out of bed determined to live the day doing good in our own strength. It will never work unless each moment we draw our fruitfulness, our actions, from the source of all fruitfulness...

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Conversing the Kingdom: Beloved

John 21:15-22
Simon Ponsonby Sermon - Worship

Most would feel that after Peter had denied Jesus three times after Jesus' arrest that would mark the end of his ministry. Surely Jesus would no longer consider him for a position of leadership, and particularly not as the leader of the disciples. Thankfully Jesus is into a work of redemption. He is looking to redeem his creation not scrap it and start again. At the end of time all of creation will be redeemed, made as if new. Restored to how it was always meant to be. So Jesus in this passage is looking to renew Peter's calling as leader of the disciples. Two things we can learn about this passage with regard to worship.
Firstly for genuine worship we have to love Jesus. Do we love Jesus, do you love Jesus? Perhaps as test at the end of today we can take time out to review and say. "In what I did today can I be confident I proved my love for Jesus." or instead did I prove my love for myself or for the idols in my life. If we truely Love Jesus our focus will be for the health of his Church, his flock.
Secondly for genuine worship we have the assurance of how much we are loved. In the gospel of John, he as the author continues to refer to himself as the beloved Aposle. The one whom Jesus loved. If we don't think properly about this we can take this to be an arrogance or favouritism. The truth of the matter is that John was so assured of the love of Jesus toward himself he lived it out. He knew his was beloved and he lived it out. At the last supper so assured was he of Jesus's love he was right up there, first in line, leaning back on Jesus' breast. This level of assurance meant also that at the cross he was the last one standing the only disciple that did not run away and over to him did Jesus place responsibility for his mother Mary. This is the assurance that we also need and to live out! John did not just believe himself beloved but in his letters to the curch, what title does he use for the church? Beloved!
So do we love Jesus enough that it shows through in our lives? Do we know how much we are loved that we can confidently call ourselves beloved? How do you worship...

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