Rev Philip Burns concludes this series on prayer with this message on the prayer of Jesus in John 17. In what is called His ‘High Priestly prayer’, Jesus sought to glorify God by praying for the protection, the sanctification and the unity of his disciples and those who would believe their testimony in later years. Jesus not only prayed these things then, but also continues to intercede on behalf of His people now, so that we might be in the world and living effectively as witnesses to His truth.
Month: June 2012
Closed (for now!)…our Church Hall
Internal renovations are due to begin in our Church Hall on July 9th, but some initial demolition works have already begun. Because of this, the Hall is a ‘no go zone’ for everyone. Morning tea will now be held each week in the church foyer area until our renovation works are completed. Men’s Fellowship will not meet. 4th Sunday lunches are on hold until a later date and ‘Sundays@Six’ will be held in the Church. Stay tuned for progress reports!
‘A living reality’ (Matthew 6:13)
Rev Philip Burns concludes this series on ‘The Disciple’s Prayer’ by highlighting the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:13, ‘And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil’. By these words Jesus did not imply that God ever tempts us to do evil, but He did teach that we ought to pray for God’s protection from temptation and from the the spiritual powers of evil in this world. Having begun with the ‘Father in heaven’, the prayer does not end with reference to evil, but to God to whom belongs the ‘kingdom, power and glory forever’. On the last Day, the fullness of this truth will be seen and known by all.
‘A difficult practice’ (Matthew 6:12)
Rev Philip Burns continues this series of sermons on ‘The Disciple’s Prayer’ by highlighting the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:12, ‘Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us’. By these words Jesus taught that asking for forgiveness is a sign that we belong to God’s Kingdom and extending forgiveness to others is a responsibility we have as members of God’s Kingdom. The two go hand in hand and cannot be separated. If we are unwilling to forgive the sins of others, then God is not willing to forgive our sins. He expects that His people will live in and also pass on His grace which is sufficient for each day.
‘A humble request’ (Matthew 6:11)
Rev Philip Burns continues this series of sermons on ‘The Disciple’s Prayer’ highlighting the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:11, ‘Give us today our daily bread’. By these words Jesus taught that while we need to pray for things that are God’s chief concern we are also encouraged to pray for our own daily needs and in doing so look beyond ourselves to the needs of others, remembering that all we enjoy is a gift of God’s grace.