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.
Author: Philip
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.
‘An earnest plea’ (Matthew 6:10)
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‘A lofty appeal’ (Matthew 6:9b)
Rev Philip Burns continues the series of sermons on ‘The Disciple’s Prayer’ by highlighting the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:9b, ‘Hallowed be Your name’. By these words Jesus taught that as we pray we must always remember to whom we are praying and that God’s name is great and worthy of praise and we need to remember that we have no right to come before Him apart from His grace. However if we pray this way, we will lay ourselves open to the charge of hypocrisy if we do not live in a way that honours God’s name. This comes first in Jesus’ prayer because it is a matter of the heart and reminds us that God’s concerns ought to come way ahead of our own.
‘An audacious claim’ (Matthew 6:9a)
Rev Philip Burns continues this series of sermons on ‘The Disciple’s Prayer’ by highlighting the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:9a, ‘Our Father in heaven’. By these words Jesus taught that praying to God this way is only possible by God’s grace. It is not by our efforts or works that anyone belongs to God’s family, but only by this free gift. These words also imply that no-one comes to God alone and that there are others who because of the same grace, also call Him ‘Father’. It also aligns us to being his sons and daughters who do His will and live as His people in the world.
From South Asia with the love of Christ…
Come and hear one of the leaders of the persecuted church of Myanmar, Rev Dr Thang Bwee, 7:30pm, Monday May 14th, 2012, St John’s Presbyterian Church Hall, Forest Street, Bendigo
Rev Dr Thang Bwee founded the Evangelical Reformed Church of Myanmar (Burma) in 1992. Now with about 35 congregations in Chin State, Rangon and the Irrawaddy delta, the ERC is a partner church of the Presbyterian Church of Australia and Thang Bwee is the Principal of the ERC’s Reformed Bible Institute (established in 2000). PCA missionary Martin Eagle (From NSW) serves in Yangon under Thang Bwee’s supervision. He is father of 3, Elisandy, Bowie Benjamin, and Vesta, and is married to Nelly.
This is Thang Bwee’s second visit to Australia (having previously visited Bendigo in 2006) to visit Presbyterian churches in many states. This visit is again under the auspices of Mission Partners and has been funded by personal gifts of supporters, however there will be an offering for Mission Partners to help defray the costs of Thang Bwee’s visit and also support the Bible Institute of the ERC.
Please bring some supper to share. All are welcome.
PCV Moderator to visit
The Moderator of the PCV, Rt Rev Robert Carner will visit us at St John’s on Sunday April 29th at our 10:30am service. Lunch will follow in the hall (please bring some to share). You can find out Robert’s details at www.pcvic.org.au