Spiritcode

Aligned prayer

Answered prayer comes from praying in the will and purpose of God (aligned prayer). God is in command of his purpose. Jesus modelled this relational partnership.
God is love and love is his relationship with us, desiring his ultimate good for us. Will his love stop acting if we ask him for something that is not his best for us? No, he will help us to know how to hear.

The Holy Spirit aligned the will of Jesus with the Father’s will
1John 5:6 And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three agree as one.

Father heard a prayer from Jesus concerning the resurrection of Lazarus; Jesus aligned with the Father.
John 11:45 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me (heard what? See below). And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!”
What did the Father hear? He heard the prayer of Jesus regarding Lazarus and Holy Spirit bore witness to that

1John 5:14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will (thelema-purpose), He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. How did Jesus do this? How do we do it?
We should always pray and ask (Philippians 4:6) and give thanks and receive the peace (oneness)of God, having placed the burden upon him and trusting him in his good will to operate in the situation. That is relational faith.

Anything we get from Jesus and God the Father we get through the Holy Spirit, not from an assessment of how legitimate or worthy the need is.
John 3:27 “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. (Ephesians 3:20)
I believe it is always appropriate to pray for healing if requested and yield to God’s will.

Jesus depended on ‘hearing God’ every time (with a 100% result).
Matthew 26:39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”
John 12:49 For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak.
John 5:19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do
John 5:30 I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge (krino-decide), and my judgment (decision) is righteous (aligned), because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.

Asking in the name of Jesus
John 14:12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

Matthew 7:22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, we have prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you, depart from me’
Asking in His name is more than just speaking his name. It is knowing him and being known in his name.
Acts 19:13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” 14 Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”

The pure and simple Grace of God
Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us…

Romans 8:25 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God (vs.34 It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.). And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Those who are invited [RSVP] to partner him in his purpose)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blood sacrifice

1John 3:20 If your heart condemns you God is greater than your hearts and knows all things

Problem – Our heart condemns us.
We have a sin consciousness that makes us miss the mark about our life and its meaning.
That makes us judge ourselves on how good or bad we are, and condemnation emphasizes the negative. Thanksgiving disappears and makes us block God out in our minds.
That kills our relationship with God but not God’s relationship with us. (Depart from me…Luke 5:8)
God lives for that relationship and is greater than our reckoning of things and he has the solution for this self-disqualification of ours.

Directive in Old Covenant
For about 1500 years (Abraham 2000) God said kill an animal every day to remind yourselves that your sin has separated you from me and killed the relationship for You! (Isaiah 59).

The sign in Old Covenant
When you sacrifice that animal I will resurrect the relationship you have killed, because you will experience forgiveness for your sin and the relationship will come alive. JESUS IS THE RELATIONSHIP
That shows you my ongoing plan to live in relationship with you despite your problem of sin and separation. Then there’s an upgrade signified by the Day of Atonement once a year (seven times sprinkling of blood)

Ultimate plan for New Covenant
To relate to you all with the same closeness that I have with my son Jesus.
So the slaying of these animals was a temporary arrangement until Jesus came because the slaying of animals could not achieve this closeness (Hebrews 9:14 seven times…).
When Jesus dies I will resurrect his life and the bond of relationship of love and trust I have with him will be placed within you by The Holy Spirit. blessing you in a new dimension for all time.

Requirement
This New Covenant will require you to believe in and live in this life together with us for all time and in all circumstances.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prayer in crisis

PRAYER IN CRISIS
The bushfire situation is a time of crisis for our Nation.
My prayer is for us to see God at work in this crisis.
We experience crises of one degree or another constantly in our lives and God uses these crises to bring us to a point of decision concerning our response to that crisis - do we come closer to God is the main point in the searching out of what is in our hearts.
(2020 Crisis in USA/Iran/)
Chinese Wéij? – Danger and opportunity
AND
The word for judgment in the NT is krisis. It does not have the same meaning
As the word for judgment in the OT.
OT (SEPET) was for here and now punishment for past sins.

SEPET
Heb 2:2… the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just punishment…

NT Judgment (KRISIS) is redemptive – bringing us into a place of the searching of our hearts that we might draw closer to God and live out of the life, his life, that he has placed within us. Mercy triumphs over judgment. James 2:13

John 3:17… Come not to condemn the world but to save the world
Jesus rescues us from the coming wrath. The LAST KRISIS.

1 Thess. 5:9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Every Krisis will bring things into the light that need to be changed.
There is the natural and the spiritual.

On the ground literally the PM has mentioned some things like fuel loads and hazard reduction plans that need to be reinstated and not neglected as in the past because of ideological political pressures concerning overprotection of National parks etc.

So every Krisis is a wake up call for change to happen.

2Corinthians 4:18 For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
God is at work in the hearts of people in this nation for deeper changes to be made

Standing where Abraham stood

Standing where Abraham stood

‘Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place (ha makom) afar off’ (Gen. 22:4)
Humans make primary connections to things (or people) from which they believe (or have been persuaded) they will draw life, identity and purpose.
As children we find these in parents, lineage and country. These are important things which constitute our human pedigree and give us a sense of legitimacy.
Until we have an encounter with God through Jesus Christ we are looking for Life. When we are ‘re-born’ (‘born from above’) we receive a new pedigree as adopted sons and heirs—joint heirs with Jesus Christ in an inheritance, as Peter says, ‘that can never perish, spoil or fade...kept in heaven for you’ (1 Peter 1:4).
A different kind of Life now flows to us and within us—we’ve been joined to Life…of the eternal kind that heightens and adds vibrancy and colour to everything in this realm as well (an old hymn truly says, ‘heaven above is softer blue, earth around is sweeter green; something lives in every hue, Christless eyes have never seen’).
Then, His intentions and desires for us supersede the demands of the natural world because we have become new creations in Jesus Christ—adopted by the Father—and given True Life. Heavenly Father has now become the Primary Connection from which we receive life, and our identity is in the Son, Jesus Christ and purpose has become to bring praise to Him. We have been re-connected and re-positioned.
Some Christians don’t get this with clarity—or stray from it, and , as a result, may keep trying to draw life from dead things but when God gets hold of our life, He asks for (demands actually) this dis-connection and re-connection; to find in Him what we had thought we could organise elsewhere!
This is the grand message of Abraham. The Old Testament is full of ‘types’ (physical events or things which ‘typify’ a spiritual principle or truth and often point from the Old to the New). And here is one of them typified and exemplified in Abraham 4000 years ago. He became the father and exemplar of a new way where earthly and familial connections are not the most important—and they are not Life-giving.
To exemplify this and establish it as the principle by which life was to work, God called Abraham. And it was a big call; ‘if you’re prepared to let all that go as the means from which you think you can draw life and identity—and find it instead, from your connection with me, then I will make you...’ (Jesus said the same thing to Simon and Andrew, ‘follow me and I will make you…’
It’s this ‘being made’ that we all seek, but many look for it in the wrong places. Abraham found that disconnecting was just the beginning—the first step—in the process of being ‘made.’ He had to stay in connection; He found himself on a journey into a series of examinations. Each examination passed made this new primary connection the more firm and sure. Yes, he stumbled here and there but it was a journey of disconnection from ‘that’ and into connection with a ‘THIS’ that a loving God was holding out to him! (What grace is here!). It turned out to be disconnection from self-imposed (self-chosen) limitations—and connection to enlargements.
His willingness to begin the journey was the first test; He faced a further lessons and tests—at least three…
Three major tests for Abraham:
1.Primary connection—God; 2. Primary Source—God; 3. Primary Dependence—on God: this is the test he now is facing as he stands, looking ahead to The Place in the distance.
So here stands Abraham: where would he place his absolute dependence? Would his reliance now be on the apparently fulfilled promise of God—now standing beside him—or on the God of the promise?
This is the difficulty we all face once we receive some long-awaited blessing from Him. Now that it’s here we treat it as a destination. But a blessing is never a destination. God Himself and The Place of His next appointment must always be the destination—and our absolute trust and dependence must continue regardless of what he has already given. (This is problem with all His gifts).
Abraham was facing the test of total abdication of his own agendas or ideas to learn to utterly depend on the God who ‘sees ahead’—Yahweh Yireh! This was the special significance of this place—The Place, HaMakom, which was now in view. Would he be willing, even now, to let go the means by which he thought God was going to effect the greater promise he’d been given? Let go—and depend entirely on the God of the promise instead of the promise of God. Hebrews tells us that figuratively Abraham received him back from the dead.
Can you now see the significance in the phrase, ‘Abraham lifted up his eyes...and saw The Place?’ He was standing where it was still possible to change his mind and return to Beer Sheva!
I stood there a few weeks ago and one picture shows what it looks like today. The other, an artist’s impression of what it looked like in Abraham’s day—but with even less buildings. There was just a walled enclosure around a spring known as Gihon and joined to that enclosure, another compound with dwellings in the hillside and above it. It was where Melchizedek (himself being a ‘type’ of Jesus Christ) lived, whom Abraham had encountered some years earlier.
This has significance as we stand on the edge of the new year, 2020. Can I suggest that Abraham too, had 20/20 vision as he stood here? Will we have 2020 vision as we face the year 2020?
Abraham was being brought again to The Place: where he’d encountered with Melchizedek—as we are brought again and again to the place of encounter with Jesus—the place where we first raised our hand in allegiance to Him and said we were ready to follow.
* As we lift up our eyes to 2020, and see the place that God is taking us, we may be tempted to retreat. Will we go on?
* It could be that we are being called to willingness to surrender the very things we thought God was using to bring about His purpose. If so will we go on with everything on the altar?
* At this point Abraham believed that God could effect what He had promised in whatever way He chose. And so he yielded. Will we too, yield again to that all-knowing, all-seeing and wonderful sovereignty—and allow God to do it His way in 2020—whatever that be?
Ian Heard, Dec.29, 2012

 

The contradiction of Christmas

THE CONTRADICTION OF CHRISTMAS

Luke 2:25 God, you can now release your servant; release me in peace as you promised. With my own eyes I've seen your salvation; it's now out in the open for everyone to see: A God-revealing light to the nations. Jesus' father and mother were speechless with surprise at these words. Simeon went on to bless them, and said to Mary his mother, This child marks both the failure and the recovery of many people, A figure misunderstood and contradicted—But the rejection will force honesty, as God reveals to people who they really are. (Thoughts (dialogismos) of many hearts will be revealed)

God has given us a life that looks like a contradiction but it’s a life that can show us the truth of the best person we could hope to be…
Who are we who are you. We know through reflection of others. That tug of war determines how a person positions themselves relationally and socially for the rest of their lives (Reading faces) – until they get the right perspective – and there is one. We make an IMAGE – The real one is GODS IMAGE

Num 6:25 The Lord bless you and keep you;the Lord make his face to shine upon you (smile) and be gracious (kindly bend down to you); the Lord lift up his countenance upon you (encourage)and give you peace.

 

Peace on earth goodwill toward men

Luke 2:8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you glad tidings (Gospel - Luke 4:18) of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly angels praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

What was the sign?
A newborn baby safely wrapped and cradled, ready for life and growth (verse 52) - God in Heaven could now be seen on earth in human form.
Jesus would live a life of struggle and challenge against evil and adversity conquering on behalf of us who were to follow him, because He would die and rise again and send his Holy Spirit for his life to indwell us.

What would this mean for our lives?
We would know that God was with us and for us living his life through our lives of struggle and challenge against evil and adversity. That is being saved. (the ‘saved from what’ question). We are not saved from facing the struggles and the adversity but we are saved from having our souls being defeated and made hopeless..

What would this bring upon Earth?
Peace (oneness with God) on earth in the hearts of we who live in this reality, a peace that would flow from us into our world that surrounds us. And God would be glorified (be upon display).
The peace and oneness with God that we receive through his Spirit strengthens our hearts with hope and faith in a God that goes before us devising a way, his plan for us through all these things.

That plan is God’s strategy on our behalf, to carry and administer that peace and good will to others, to be the good news, the Gospel of peace in the world.

Isaiah 26:12 – Lord, You will establish peace for us, For You have also done all our works in us (done = ordained, contrived – devised a plan).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prince of Peace

Isaiah 8:11 The Lord has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does. He said, don’t live in dread of what frightens them and call everything a conspiracy, like they do. Dedicate your life to The Lord of hosts He is the one you should fear, the one who should make you tremble.
14. He will keep you safe. He will be a stone that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall. And also for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. 15. Many will stumble and fall, never to rise again. Preserve the teaching of God; entrust his instructions to those who follow me.
17. I will wait for the Lord, I will put my hope in him. Shouldn’t people ask God for guidance? Should the living seek guidance from the dead? Look to God’s instructions and teachings! People who contradict his word are completely in the dark. They will go from one place to another, weary and hungry. And because they are hungry, they will rage and curse their king and their God.
22. They will look up to heaven and down at the earth, but wherever they look, there will be trouble and anguish and dark despair. They will be thrown out into the darkness.

Chapter 9:1 Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. There will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory.
Those who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. For unto us a child is born.
Unto us a son is given. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, and His government and its peace will never end.

The background to this prophecy was something happening in real time, but the future fulfillment would be a King that battles for our souls. This prophetic Christmas story has first to become a reality in our hearts and minds and it overcomes all fear and anxiety and governs our hearts with peace.
The Christmas story is a message of God’s intervention in the lives of his people who are in times of earth-shattering distress. The events of great darkness that happen round about us become the signs, the warning signs that a caring God who wants only the best for his people is waiting to act on behalf of his people. And his people are also his signs, signs of hope, so that all people might cry out to him and be assured that he hears them and is at work on their behalf.

He is the Prince of Peace.
Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Anxiety is uncertainty of the future, and the present.
The challenge is what options are there for being not anxious?
Humanly speaking, there is denial or control of your circumstances, but seeking and keeping as much order and predictability within the narrow limits of our lives is moving in the right direction.
The only real option is trusting the One who is in command of all things and traveling with him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Greatest Commandment greatest value

THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT FOR THE GREATEST VALUE
Luke 10:25… One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”
The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”
The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.
“By chance a Levite came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple Priest walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins (denarii), telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’
“Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.
The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

That man is us as humanity and The Samaritan is Jesus as God and the bandits are the devil and the Levite and the priest are all the people hearing the story – the world of indifference (that includes us).

The world is indifferent to the plight of a stranger. It is full of its own needs and greeds, and very choosy as to what it gives its time and attention to outside of that, and it justifies that indifference.
If the man were dressed in royal robes there might have been a different response – but stripped of his robes and naked? Move along, there’s nothing for you to see here.

The Samaritan was heading somewhere with purpose just like the others but for the Samaritan this inner gracious impulse came first. What got into him? Heaven was in him (Jerusalem down to Jericho). Look what he does; He stops on his journey. Has compassion on his naked beaten up state. Binds up his wounds. Supplies oil and wine. Puts him on his own donkey and walks beside him. Takes him to a safe and caring place. Pays two day’s wages for his care. Says he will pay for any extras when he returns.

What would have been the man’s thoughts and his response when he was greeted by the man after he had finished his journey and came back to see him? – Only gratitude.
When I said that the Samaritan (Jesus as God) was heading somewhere with a purpose for two days I believe that the purpose of the journey was to be continually repeating that salvation and restoration act. That is what the Samaritan (as Jesus), lives for. That gives his journey its meaning. It was his highest value because we are of greater value to him than anything, the same value that the Father has for his Son is that which he has for us.
John 17:23… You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

 

 

 

Preparing the next generation

It is a real joy to have Tim Watson, the new headmaster at Northern Beaches Christian School, to be sharing with us in the Word this morning. We pray God’s blessing upon Tim and his family and upon his ministry of leadership at the school.
PSALM 78
1 My people, hear my teaching;
listen to the words of my mouth. 
2 I will open my mouth with a parable;
I will utter hidden things, things from of old— 
3 things we have heard and known, 
things our ancestors have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their descendants;
we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, 
his power, and the wonders he has done. 
5 He decreed statutes for Jacob
and established the law in Israel, 
which he commanded our ancestors 
to teach their children, 
6 so the next generation would know them, 
even the children yet to be born,
and they in turn would tell their children. 
7 Then they would put their trust in God 
and would not forget his deeds 
but would keep his commands.

A FESTIVAL OF CAROLS
This year NBCS will be celebrating Christmas through “A Festival of Carols”. This event, being held on the evening of Monday 25 November, will feature a mixture of Bible readings and popular carols accompanied by our combined bands and choirs.

 

God with us

What was the point of the Ten Commandments?
So that we could live in loving relationships – first to God and also with one another.

Luke 10:26 And he answered and said, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself. (Luke 10 + Mark 12 + Matthew 22). (1John 4:20)
This response to God is commanded in the Old Testament as many times as in the New Testament.
This response is of the greatest importance to God.

It was the desire of God’s love to create mankind and to seek fellowship with us (Ephesians 1:4-11) so he made a covenant in which he promised to man in spite of his sin, to be His God, and vowed to bind us to himself as his children and as partners in his life and love. (Hebrews 8).

Then God joined himself to humanity by sending Jesus to die and be raised again for us. ‘God being humanity’ is the only possible solution – God with us. So God with us is a done deal – but what about ‘us with God’?
That concerns our obedient response of faith to God and it deals with Mercy and Grace.

GRACE – The empowering presence of Holy Spirit within us in our choosing to love and obey God.
MERCY – The loving heart of the Father who forgives sin and has mercy on our unrighteousness through Jesus
Both of these are accessed though FAITH. (Romans 5:1-2 Ephesians 2:4-8)
His dying on the cross was our forgiveness and mercy. His life within us is our grace - 1Peter 1:9 saving of soul

Jesus told the parable about laborers working in his vineyard and all getting the same wages despite their working different hours – totally against Trade Union rules - and the trouble (based on covetousness) started from there.
Matthew 20:13 But he answered one of them and said, ‘ Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for your wage? Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’

God took a risk in throwing us all together and letting us sort out our attitudes and try to get to where he ultimately wants us with his gospel of GRACE
BUT humanity (flesh) resists grace and chooses law, which is evidenced by our preoccupation with our self-righteous performance as compared to other people and what we deserve compared to other people, and our judgement against God for his unfairness and our judgement upon others for their unjustified behavior.
Ultimately he wants us to be free to love HIM and one another and to be ONE together in him forever.