All of us fit somewhere into a family tree. None of us would be alive were in not for those who have gone before us. Just as many family trees make for interesting studies, so too the family tree of Jesus whioch is recorded in Matthew 1:1-17, one that even has one or two ‘black sheep’ who might be something of an embarrassment to the family. Old Testament characters such as Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba all feature. These women were either from the wrong side of the tracks or who had some shortcomings that the Bible notes. King David is included too and even though he was a great King, even then his own sin and failure are not hidden from the pages of the Bible. God graciously included such people to show that he receives sinners, something that Jesus did through all His life. And what of His descendants? Well there are no physical descendants of Jesus, but He has plenty of children whom He adopts as His own. They are those who come to Him in repentance and faith and trust Him to save them.
Sermons
‘New in Christ: the real you’ (Colossians 3:1-4:1)
Getting dressed in the morning seems like something we do without thinking (though for some it takes longer than others to think and plan for this activity!). We often give a lot of thought to clothes and our external appearance, but not much thought to who we are in Christ and how we must ‘clothe ourselves’ in and with Him. In this message Rory Weightman digs deeper into Colossians 3:1-4:1 and explores who we are in Christ and urges us to consider who we are on the inside, not so much what we look like on the outside.
‘The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus’ (Luke 16:19-31)
Rev Dr Jared Hood preached this message from Luke 19:16-31, reminding us that we live in a world where materialism and ‘worldliness’ seems to be everything that people strive after. But Jesus unmasked the whole idea of worldliness through this parable. The Rich Man had everything. He was clothed with purple and fine linen, but treated Lazarus, a beggar at his gate, with contempt. The real nature of worldliness is callous, selfish and idolatrous and it leads to death not life. Sadly the core of a worldly lifestyle is rebellion. Those who do not want to believe will be not be convinced even if there was the best evidence available – such as someone rising from the dead! The cure for worldliness is to humble yourself and submit to God in repeantance and faith.
‘Blind and deaf to the glory and voice of God’ (Psalm 19:1-14)
There are three vioices in Psalm 19:1-14. The first voice is the voice of creation. Like other parts of the Bible, Psalm 19 teaches that all that we see in the created order testifies to the truth that God exists and that by all that He has made, He has spoken to all mankind about His existence. This is true for people all over the world. No-one can say they did not know that God existed. The second voice in the Psalm is the voice of God’s Word. While God’s voice through creation can be ignored or misinterpreted, He has also spoken to us through His Word, which, for the writer of the Psalm, were the books of God’s law which he treasured above everything. The third voice in the Psalm is the voice of God’s servant, who asked God to cleanse his heart from hidden sins and faults. The one who loves God over all things will want to be pure in order to serve Him and be ready to obey Him from the heart.
‘The sin of the unequally yoked’ (part 2) (Ezra 10:1-44)
After Ezra had wept and prayed about the sin of the people of God in taking themselves foreign wives, a deep sense of conviction followed and the leaders of the people urged Ezra to take action. In Ezra 10:1-44, we not only learn the names of the men who took foreign wives, but also the way in which this matter was to be dealt with as the wives, and in some cases their children, were sent away. While this sounds harsh to modern ears, Ezra’s goal had been to establish a sense of the need for personal and national holiness. The Messiah who was still to come, would not be born from a ‘mixed- marriage’. At the end of the book the reader will realise that the promised kingdom had still not arrived. And when the King in that kingdom did come (Jesus), he did not send people away because they were law-breakers but gathered them in because of grace.
‘The sin of the unequally yoked (part 1)’ (Ezra 9:1-15)
When Ezra finally returned to Jerusalem with the ‘second wave’ of returning exiles with him, he soon found that all was not well in the beloved capital. Ezra 9:1-15 tells us that news came to him from the mouths of the officials of the people that many of the returned exiles had married people of the surrounding nations. This was no small thing to have happened, but was serious. God had forbidden His people from the outset of being ‘unequally yoked’ with those who were not His people, and this act of the returned exiles was a breach of that directive. The news shocked Ezra and drove him to express great grief, but it also led him to pray and confess the sin of His people to God, pleading with God for forgiveness. The prayer recorded in Ezra 9 is one of the great prayers of the Bible and clearly reminds us that while the world ‘winks’ at sin, God sees things far differently! We are all guilty before Him on many counts and need His mercy and forgiveness, which He gives to those who ask because of His Son, Jesus.
‘Reformation Celebration 2016’ message by Rev Dr Jared Hood
In this message on James 2:14-26, preached at our Reformation Celebration held at Eaglehawk PC on October 30th, 2016, Rev Dr Jared Hood explores the topic of the believer’s justification and whether it is by faith (as taught by Paul) or by works (as taught by James). Is there a conflict or do the two fit together? Or is something else the basis of our justification? And if so, where do works fit in?
‘Ezra’s journey to Jerusalem…and yours’ (Ezra 8:21-36)
When Ezra set out for Jerusalem with the ‘second wave’ of 5,000 or more returning exiles with him in Ezra 8:21-36, the journey itself was a test of faith. Before they left, Ezra had advised the Persian King that he would not need the king’s soldiers to accompany them (even though they had with them much gold and silver), because ‘God’s hand would be upon them’. This was a statement that Ezra could well have lived to regret, but he had no need to. Setting out with trust in God, and having that trust in God renewed by prayer and fasting, Ezra and the Jews arrived safely at their destination. All of God’s people are on a journey to the heavenly Jerusalem and this too is a test of faith. The destination is certain and so is the God who calls us home, but the journey itself is a trial that requires faith in the promises of a faithful God.
‘The surprise of the centurion’s faith’ (Luke 7:1-10) Rev Miles Fagan
Life has many surprises. So do the Scriptures. One of the great surprises in the New Testament is found in the unfolding conversation between the Roman centurion and the Lord Jesus. Although it appears that they never actually met in person, there was a great interaction between them, especially concerning the centurion’s servant’s ill-health. But while the approach the centurion made to Jesus was surprising, so also and even more was the surprising result of the faith the centurion exercised in Jesus that day. The same holds true for any and all who come to Jesus with the kind of faith the centurion knew.
Also, below are some ‘snapshots’ of our Naval Service 2016!
John O’Shea, Secretary of the Ex-Navalmen’s Club, with Chief Petty Officer, Shaun Logan.
Chief Petty Officer, Shaun Logan with some of the Cadets of the TS Bendigo and Naval Chaplain, Rev Miles Fagan
Naval Chaplain, Rev Miles Fagan with Rev Philip Burns and Chief Petty Officer, Shaun Logan
Cadets of the TS Bendigo waiting for the service to begin
‘Missing and found! How God’s supply met His people’s need’ (Ezra 8:15-20)
When Ezra left Babylon at the request of King Artaxerxes, to return to Jerusalem from Babylon with those that accompanied him as a ‘second wave’ of returning exiles, the text of Ezra 8:15-20 tells us that he noted that there were no Levites among the people returning with him. The Levites worked in the Temple as servants to the priests, often completing many of the menial and lowly tasks enabling the priests to do their work. Knowing that this would be vital for the proper functioning of God’s people, Ezra sent word to Iddo with his need. Iddo responded by sending 38 Levites and an additional 220 temple servants, while Ezra acknowledged God’s ‘good hand’ upon him. The call for gospel workers remains. The work is hard and often without reward. Jesus told us to pray to God (the Lord of the harvest) to thrust workers out into His harvest field, but are there those who will answer the call?