Sunday teaching from Bobbin Head Anglican Church: Recent Episodes
Bobbin Head Anglican Church
We were delighted to welcome Greg Anderson (Bishop of Northern Territory) as our guest preacher.
This is the seventh message in our teaching series from Paul's letter to the Ephesians.
Teaching passage is Ephesians 3:14-22
You can watch the full service on our youtube channel tiny.cc/bhactv
This is the sixth message in the the teaching series from Paul's letter to the Ephesians.
Teaching passage Ephesians 3:1-13
You can watch the full service on our youtube channel tiny.cc/bhactv
This is the fifth message in the the teaching series from Paul's letter to the Ephesians.
Apologies for some of the technical issues we had midway through this message.
Teaching passage Ephesians 2:11-22
You can watch the full service on our youtube channel tiny.cc/bhactv
This is the fourth message in the the teaching series from Paul's letter to the Ephesians.
Teaching passage Ephesians 2:1-10
You can watch the full service on our youtube channel tiny.cc/bhactv
This is the third message in the the teaching series from Paul's letter to the Ephesians.
Teaching passage Ephesians 1:15-23
You can watch the full service on our youtube channel tiny.cc/bhactv
This is the second message in the the teaching series from Paul's letter to the Ephesians.
Teaching passage Ephesians 1:3-10
You can watch the full service on our youtube channel tiny.cc/bhactv
This is the first message in the the teaching series from Paul's letter to the Ephesians.
Teaching passage Ephesians 1:1-2
You can watch the full service on our youtube channel tiny.cc/bhactv
-
First lesson it’s not about mere lip service to Jesus, but about doing the will of Jesus’ Father in heaven. Example: interested in heaven but not God who rules it
-
Second lesson it’s not about doing impressive religious things in the name of Jesus, it’s about whether Jesus knows you. Example: good deeds, in someones name, makes deeds evil. Example of falling away due to suffering
-
Third lesson, it’s about where we make ourselves at home; not just hearing the words of Jesus, but putting them into practice. Example of making home with Jesus teaching and dying
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you" verse 7.
What is God promising when we pray?
-
Access to our heavenly father (vs 7-18)
-
Assurance from our heavenly father (vs 9-11)
-
Attitude change to one another (vs 11-12)
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
Driven by ambition?
Two categories of worries:
1) Our life,
2) Our body.
Seek first (be ambitious for) God's kingdom and his righteousness.
“You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (verse 16)
"on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it" (verse 18)
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it."
Understanding God's Calling
Isaiah 6:1-10
The four stages of Isaiah's calling:
- Seeing the Lord as he is (in his holiness and wonder) v6,
- Seeing ourselves as we are v5,
- Receiving cleansing from the Lord v7,
- Accepting the Lord's commission v8.
Implications for us:
- What is my chief calling? (To accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour and to obey him)
- What are the opportunities to serve, sacrifice and obey Jesus in my context?
Jesus’ surprising mission to the poor
Isaiah 61:1-6 & Luke 4:14-22.
What is our Christian responsibility to the poor?
What Jesus doesn’t / does say - Why this emphasis on preaching / proclamation?
The poor are all around us:
- Our materialism is enslaving,
- Our prosperity is blinding.
We can offer real hope.
But what about our mission to the physically poor?
As we are rescued from our spiritual slavery we are free to authentically and selflessly care for the physical needs of others.
A wrestle with hope in the desert
Isaiah 40:1-11
The comfort we need:
- Comes from God v1,
- Deals with our biggest problem v2,
How do we prepare?
- A radical reorientation v3,
- An impossible project? v4-5
- Cry out! v6
What good are words at such a time?
- Since we are like withering grass v6-7,
- But the word of God stands forever v8.
Because of this we can proclaim the victory:
- Good tidings to Zion v9.
What kind of Victor is the Lord?
- Powerful v10,
- Tender v11.
Our wrestle with hope in the desert.
Do you know...
- The comfort of Jesus?
- That God has prepared the way in Jesus?
- That in Jesus the victory has been won?
- That in Jesus we are no longer like grass that withers?
- We have very ‘good tidings’ to bring?
- That in Jesus we have a powerful and effective Lord?
- That in Jesus we have a tender and gentle Shepherd?
v9-12 Praise
v13-16 Protection
v17 "For the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
A worshipping community:
- A new kind of sacrifice v15-16.
- A new kind of church leadership v17.
- A new way to pray v20-21.
How are God's people led?
Are you a person who is easily led or are you stubborn?
v7 Remember, consider, imitate your leaders.
v8 The Lordship of Jesus does not change with time.
v9-14 The differences between the Christ led community and any other:
- strengthened by ritual and ceremony or by grace?
- moving towards the fringe of society or the centre?
- security in the present or future city?
What does it look like for us to:
- not be dependant for strength on things detached from the grace of God towards me?
- go outside the camp?
- look for the city to come?
How to be a church
vs 1. Love as brothers and sisters in Christ
Love that transforms:
- Our homes (v2)
- Our prayers and thoughts (v3)
- Our attitude to marriage and sex (v4)
- Our attitude to money and contentment (v5).
Love that is empowered:
- by the presence of the Lord
- by the help of the Lord
Brings assurance and fearlessness.
Why go to Church?
We come to church:
- Because of what Jesus had done
- To respond to what Jesus had done
Jesus brought us to God's people to be an encouragement to one another.
Avoiding drift.
How to speak to each other.
-
Why should our speech be distinct and different?
-
How to speak to each other
-
How to change the way we speak
Gratitude.
There is a difference between experiencing the power of God’s grace and mercy, and knowing God’s grace and mercy.
Mental ill-health + the Christian life
- A Starting Point - The Character of God (6:1-2).
- The reality of how we feel (4:16).
- The hope of the future (4:17-18).
Empathy + the Christian community
Reconcilliation
v18 God reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation
v20 We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
v21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
What steers your life?
A Christ compelled life:
- fears the Lord + persuades others (v11-12),
- means we are out of our minds for God + in our right mind for others (v13),
- is compelled by the love of Christ (v14),
- is lived for Christ (v15),
- views everyone through the lens of eternity and Christ's invitation of a new life (v16),
- is a new creation and the old has gone (v17).
Implications
How does a Christ compelled life transform us?
How do we live in the present as a follower of Jesus?
- What we do now is based on what we know God has done in the past and what he will do in the future (4:13-15)
- Our present troubles are put into perspective when we live for not what we see now, but what we will see in the future (4:16-18)
- Our life now is not based on a fear of death, but on a groaning for our eternal home (5:1-5)
- We treat our time now as accountable to Jesus (5:6-10)
Implications (re-writing the recommendations from the Psychology Today article on Living in the Moment):
- To improve your performance think about what God has done already
- To avoid worrying about the present troubles focus on the future glory
- Learn to groan for your heavenly home not your earthly tent
- To make the most of time be accountable to the one who made it
Christian ministry that lasts
- Has integrity (vs 2-6)
- Looks and feels frail (vs 7-9)
- Gives life (vs 10-12)
Implications
- We don't need to be afraid of weakness
- Cleverness is not a prerequisite for effective Christian ministry
- We have a simple calling in life: to share with otters what God has given us
- We are called to be servants, not robots
- What we have in Jesus is a treasure more valuable than anything else
The Aroma of Christ
-
Used by God to spread the knowledge of Christ (2:12-2:16)
-
Sent by God to speak the words of God sincerely (2:16-3:3)
-
Equipped by God through the new covenant work of the spirit (3:4-6)