“Put your hope in God” -THEME FOR SEPTEMBER'2008

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus blood and righteous;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand:
All other rock is sinking sand.

When darkness hides His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor hides within the vail
His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Supports me in the ‘whelming flood’;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is my hope and stay.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found,
Clothed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne

What is HOPE?

• Hope is faith reached out in darkness.
• Hope is God’s gift to believe.
• Hope is not wishful thinking .Wishing comes from emotions. Hope comes from the Word of God.
• Hope is a positive attitude of expectation and anticipation regarding one’s future. Although your next moment and all of its subsequent moments into the distance can not be clearly seen, you still expect the circumstances of your life in the future to be positive and to be beneficial to your well-being. You hope to be relatively comfortable, safe, and happy.
  Where do you look for your hope? To yourself, your wallet, your bank–book, your friends? Where do you look when the future look bleak and dark?
  The Sons of Korah said in Psalm 42: 5 “ Put your hope in God”
  Heb 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
  
• Substance- What God has done in the past! (Heb 11:1)
• Evidence: What is in the Word?-
  v Jer:29:11: For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
  v Titus 2:13
  
  What God has done in the past, he will do it today.
  Moses……………………………………. Parted the red sea
  Elisha prayed………………………………… did not rain for 3 ½ years
  Dan 3:1 – Fiery heat- God shows himself not sends someone.
  
  
  
  Heb:6:19: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
  What is this hope we are grasping? It is not money or things or a country. Hebrews 11 says we are looking forward to a heavenly city and a heavenly country. Our anchor of hope is Jesus himself, who died for our sins and was raised for our justification.
  Our hope in Christ is like an anchor for the soul.
  Epictetus wrote “One must not tie a ship to a single anchor, nor life to a single hope”. Christians have one anchor- Jesus Christ our hope (Col 1:5; I Tim 1:1)
  This spiritual anchor is different from material anchors on ships. For one thing, we are anchored upwards to heaven not downwards.
  We are anchored not to stand still but to move ahead. Our anchor is “sure” it cannot break and “steadfast”- it cannot slip. No earthly anchor can give that kind of security.
  The author says, “We have this hope”; it is in the present tense, meaning we have it now, continuously. When we face our university examinations, we have it; when we go to the doctor and hear our disease is terminal, we have it; at the hour of our death, we have it; when our spouse is sick or when our child dies, we have it.
  Sometimes our lives may seem like they are caught in a violent storm as wave after wave of crisis threatens to sink our ship and powerful pressures seem to drive us toward sharp jagged rocks. At such times, an anchor can sustain and brace a ship as the storm rages
  We have Jesus, our hope, as an anchor “for the soul” (Heb. 6:19). This does not mean He is the anchor only for the immaterial part of our being; it means Christ is the anchor of our entire life, both body and soul. Our life’s ship is not immune to severe winds, rain, and mighty storms. But we are securely fastened, or moored, to Jesus, who is moored to God, who dwells in the Holy of Holies of the heavenly sanctuary. We are in the storm but the storm is not in us. We are in the sea but the sea is not in us. Our blessed hope brings peace in the midst of storms. Hope feels the intangible.
  Sailors do not see the anchor that grips the bottom of the harbor. But they are certain of their safety because of it. Even so, by faith our anchor, Jesus, though invisible to us, but visible to faith and hope, is in us as the hope of glory. But he is also with God. We have two chains linked together: one is promise, the other is oath. In Jesus our hope is linked to us and linked to God. He is in us, the hope of glory (Col. 1:27). He is also with God, for he has entered the heavens and is seated on the right hand of God as our high priest forever to intercede for us.
  
  
  Effects of Hope:
  1. Patience- I John 3:3
  Hope will give you patience and endurance.
  2. Purity
  Rom 4:18 “where there is life there is hope, where there is life there is a living God
  Hope purifies you. Hope thou in God.
  RESULTS OF HOPE:
  Hope generates enthusiasm- Rom 5:2
  Hope brings joy- Rom 15:13-Joy is not happiness.
  Joy -> No matter what happens to you (It gives you a song---Paul & Silas)
  Happiness- From Environment.
  
  CONCLUSION: The anchor is tied to the ship. Are you tied to Him?
  

WALK THE TALK THROUGH REVERENCE OF GOD

Ecclesiastes 5:1-7
“WALK THE TALK”. The Bible reminds us that in whatever we do in word and in deeds we do it for the glory of God. ( I Cor 10:31)
How can we honor God as he deserves to be honored? What are the ingredients of a true reverence for God. The passage we’ll dig into today will reveal two ways in which we should demonstrate reverence for God. King Solomon discusses these two ways to truly reverence God in Ecclesiastes 5:1-7.
In the first three verses of Ecclesiastes 5 you’ll notice that reverence for God is demonstrated in proper worship. We show our reverence for God by sensitively approaching Him in adoration. I want to give you three observations about proper worship in these verses. First, notice that proper worship only occurs when we prepare ourselves to worship God. You’ll see this in the first phrase:
Ø “Guard your steps when you go to the house of God.”
The “ house of God” in Solomon’s day referred to the Jerusalem Temple, but since there is no temple today and the Spirit Himself dwells within our hearts this must be applied more broadly. I see it as meaning whenever and wherever we approach God in worship.
But what does it mean to “guard your steps?” The word for “guard” here means “to watch or to observe.” It has the idea of being careful, so in this case it means that we should make sure we are properly prepared to pay homage to a holy God.
How can you prepare to meet God?
ü One way is to arrive to chapel early for personal prayer.
ü Don’t always sit by your friends and
ü Don’t even bring your mail or study notes.
Proper worship not only requires preparation for worship, but it also happens only when we listen to God. Notice the end of verse one. We, re encouraged to:

Ø “Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, Who do not know they do wrong.”
The text says that fools unknowingly sin by offering up a meaningless “sacrifice.” Notice that this “sacrifice” is contrasted with “listening.” I think this indicates that the “sacrifice” probably refers to offering impulsive and meaningless words –words repeated so many times that they’ve lost their meaning.
The next verse continues this idea by encouraging us to weigh our words and thoughts carefully. It begins with a command:
“Do not be quick with your mouth,
Do not be hasty in your heart
To utter anything before God.”

Here’s a command not to be an obsessive talker or thinker. This normally has been applied to prayer like the kind of unthinking prayer Jesus referred to in Matthew 6:7 when he said, “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words,“ I won’t use vain repetition! The Pharisee pray to show off (hypocricy). They were diverting prayer from Glory of God to Glory of self.
It seems to me, though, that limiting this only to prayer is to narrow. Why can’t this also refer to singing? I remember once when my pastor’s wife asked me to pray for her concerning whether she should sing a particular song the next day at the Sunday morning service. Now I knew she sang beautifully, so I asked her she couldn’t sing it. “Look at the words,” she replied as she showed the song, “The lyrics say I’ m willing for God to take anything from my life in order to be like Jesus. That includes my husband and my children. I’m just so sure I can honestly say that.” I learned a tremendous lesson that day – that singing is higher from of speaking, so we should never sing anything which we would never speak. My pastor followed this concepts few weeks later while leading the song, “I Surrender All.” He encouraged everyone who couldn’t promise that to God not to sing. I was shocked how many refrained when they really considered the words.
The next phrase jabs us with the reason we should guard our tongue in worship:

Ø “God is in heaven And you are on earth.”
The reason for the command is because God is awesome and majestic while we’re puny in comparison. He dwells in heaven in unapproachable light, in impeccable holiness. We’re confined to but a tiny, rotating ball among the millions of planetary creations. How can we earthlings be so presumptuous as to barge our way mouth first into His awesome presence? In light of this Solomon advises:
“so let your words be few.”
We do well to have times when we listen by keeping our mouth shut. After all, who can listen while he’s babbling away? This is God’s intent in Psalm 46:10 where He says, “Be still and know that I m God.” I’ve found that’s a tough assignment, but one thing has helped.

The first two verses have shown us that true worship only occurs when we prepare ourselves and when we listen to God. In verse three we’ll see the third observation about proper worship – it happens only when we set aside our cares; otherwise we end up day dreaming:

Ø “As a dream come when there are many cares, So the speech of a fool when there many words.”
What we need is more care-less worship. Notice I said ‘care-less,” not “careless.” I confess to you that I really struggle with keeping my mind from wandering in prayer. I start off real well, but after ten or fifteen seconds I began thinking about an errand I need to do, an event which happened yesterday, or whatever. But last month I came across a suggestion to pray standing up! Hey, it works! By the way, did you know that there is not a single place in Scriptures where it mentions anyone sitting down while in prayer? Maybe you need to walk, stand or list your cares on a sheet of paper as they come to mind then forget about them to set aside your concerns in order to worship properly.

We’ve seen in these first three verses of Ecclesiastes 5 that our reverence for God is demonstrated in proper worship. This God – honoring worship occurs when we prepare ourselves. When we really listen to God, and when we set aside our cares. So reverence is shown in worship, but there’s a second key area in which our reverence should be obvious – our vows.

Verses 4-6 inform us that reverence for God is demonstrated in praying vows. If we truly respect God we must fulfill our promise. Notice verse4:
“When you make vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.”

By “vow” Solomon means an unconditional, solemn promise to do or not do something. I’ve made four vows in my lifetime. My first vows was never to touch alcoholic drink; on the baptism day; on the wedding day.
That’s what I mean by a “vow.” Notice that each affirmation is voluntary. No one ever has to vow. That’s why verse five states:
“It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.”

Imagine the Jew confidently offering to the priest the required sacrifice for a vow at the Temple, only to later be tempted to break it. He rushes back to the priest, “Hey, I really shouldn’t have done that! It was just a small goof-up. Can you pull some strings to undo the vow?”
God says, “Don’t do that! You’re not required to make a vow in the first place, but don’t make it worse by going back to the one to whom you made the vow and reneg on your commitment!” God takes the breaking of vows very seriously – so seriously that when we treat them lightly He may very well discipline us by taking away some of our hard – earned goods. Look at the end of verse 6:
“Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands?”

Remember Ananias and Sapphira? They sold some land and promised God He could have the money. But when that money land in their hot little hands they had second thoughts about giving it all. “Let’s only give a portion of it, “they agreed together. God didn’t think too highly of their broken vow. He didn’t just “destroy the works of their hands,” though. He took their lives.
May be you have an outstanding debt to God in a particular area. You owe Him the time you promise to give Him. You owe the tithe or percentage of income you promised. You made another specific commitment to him to help keep your priorities straight while here at seminary. God has ways of disciplining his children who neglect payment of their pledge.
Rather than approaching God frivolously in worship or in stupid, unfulfilled vows, Solomon winds down with his conclusion in verse7:
“Therefore, stand in awe of God.”
Solomon’s conclusion is, in effect, that reverence for God means “cut the dreaming in worship, button the lips that make rash vows, and fear God,”Here Solomon summarizes what he’s been saying with a reminder that flippant worship and excessive talking both are futile, meaningless. This word for “meaningless” literally refers to a vapor. That’s about how much substance there is to not seriously worshipping Him or being rash and negligent in fulfilling our vows.
He exhorts us instead to fear God –to show awe in His presence not “blah” in His presence, to exalt Him not to exhaust Him with weary worship or wayward vows.

Each one of us has a tremendous need to reverence God.

“Lord God, we recognize that You are totally worthy of our awe-inspired, reverential worship. You are One who also considers our vows seriously. Help us to fulfill 100% of our commitments and to give you the respect You so deserve. Amen. “

WALK THE TALK-II

If you are going to talk the talk…Then you gotta walk the walk.
· In other words, if you are going to open your mouth and start making promises…You better be prepared to back it up with your actions…If you are going to claim to be a Christian…You’ve got to live the life of a Christian…
· If you are going to profess to be a Christian with your mouth… You’re going to have to act like a Christian with your actions…
You’re going to have to “walk the talk”… You’re going to have to “live the life”.

Athletes are ridiculed who "talk" a good game, but who cannot deliver on the field of play. He can "talk the talk," but can he "walk the walk"? In other words, will he back up his words with action? Regardless of what one thought of him, Muhammad Ali could "talk the talk and walk the walk!"
ü God is looking for such people (Psa. 15:2; 51:6). He is looking for those who not only can tell the gospel story but also for those who will live it.
"My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth” (1 Jn. 3:18).
ü That is a problem for every Christian. Often it is easier to preach a sermon than it is to live it. Preachers are not immune! Even Paul recognized that after he had preached to others that he himself might become a "castaway" (1 Cor. 9:27).
My words may "talk the talk" of noble intentions and of a virtuous life. What, though, does my behavior reveal?
You may fool me. I may deceive you, but neither of us can mislead the Lord (Psa. 139)!
Yes, tell me wonderful things. Inspire me with words of godly wisdom. "Talk the talk." Tell others, but do not forget to "walk the walk," to live the truth.
Paul says. “Live a life worthy of the calling”… (Eph 4: 1-3). To be a Christian. Paul goes on to mention some of the characteristics of people who “live the life” and “walk the talk”:
Walking is a lost art. When we are born, walking was not an immediate skill we performed. It is something that had to be learned. The same is true in the spiritual realm. Walking with God is a practical skill that takes time to learn.
He tells them to be completely Humble.
Humility means putting Christ first, others second, and self last.
Phil 2:3
If you want to walk the talk, humility must be a reality in your life

He tells them that if they are going to live a life worthy of the calling…they have got to be gentle
…“ Meekness is not weakness but power under control.”
Moses- Num 12:3
Jesus Christ-Matt 11:29
In the Greek language, the word was used for a soothing medicine, a colt that has been broken, and a soft wind. In each case you have power, but the power is under control.

He says that Christians will be patient…. It literally means “ Long tempered” the ability to endure discomfort without fighting back


He says that people who walk the talk will bear with one another in love….
Forbearing love is the kind of love that throws a blanket over sin. It’s the love of I Pet 4:8. It’s the love of Proverb 10:12. This is the love that has room for failures.

People who live the life will “keep the unity” verse 3. - Another word of Unity of the Spirit is Endeavor. Literally it reads “being eager to maintain, or guard, the unity of the Spirit”
The verb used here is a present participle, which means, we must constantly be endeavoring to maintain this unity. In fact, when we think the situation is the best, Satan will move in it to wreck it. The spiritual unity of a home, a Sunday school class, or a church is the responsibility of each person involved, and the job never ends.
If we want to make a difference in our world—as individuals or as a church—we, too, must be committed to walking the talk. When what we say doesn’t measure up to what we do, people find it difficult to take us seriously.

Walk the Talk- 1

Text: 1 John 3:1-7

“If we want to make a difference in our world—as individuals or as a church—we, too, must be committed to walking the talk.” -Steve May
Introduction:
Illustration: There was a rowdy prison where there were lots of rowdy prisoner. One day there was a revival meeting in the prison cell and one of the rowdy prisoners who gave his life to Christ, but kept the respect of his peers because after his conversion he lived out his new beliefs—he “walked the talk.”
If we want to make a difference in our world—as individuals or as a church—we, too, must be committed to walking the talk. When what we say doesn’t measure up to what we do, people find it difficult to take us seriously. Unless we live holy lives, we cannot make a difference
Ø Get serious about living up to your potential: Our greatest limitation is our unwillingness to try to do more.
Illustration: a FARMER had a mule who was blind. He uses to make a sound of another mule when he was ploughing the field or carrying a load. The farmer fooled his blind mule into thinking it’s not alone because the mule won’t even try to work by itself.
Many people are afraid to believe in themselves. They find them inadequate and not living up to the potential
1 John 3:2 “ Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But when we know that when He appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see as He is”
We must say, “I will not settle for mediocrity—in my spiritual life or any other area of my existence. I am God’s child and I am going to live up to my potential.”


Ø Spend time alone with Jesus
1 John 3:5
When you spend time with Jesus, you literally lose your ability to sin.
Illustration: Jacob, a 6 year old boy migrated to USA with his parents as his parents got a scholarship to go into a prestigious college to pursue further studies. On the first day at school he could not speak English but after three months he took on a new accent when he moved to a new part of the country.
Likewise when we spend time with Jesus you take on a new accent & nature of Jesus.
Psalm 1:2,1…………………..
Ø Look for the chance to do good.
Illustration: John Wesley: “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”
1 John 3:7
Matt 5:16
Illustration: May tells of an Amish man that told an inquirer to ask others if he was a Christian, knowing that only by his deeds would he be known.
Good works aren’t going to get us into heaven, but they will help us make a lasting impact on our world, and that is why we were created.
If we really want to make a difference, it can only happen in the day-in, day-out reality of our lives that flows out of who we really are.
Ø Conclusion:
The early church changed the world because so many of its members were committed to round-the-clock radical holiness—they were always looking for the chance to do good.
Illustration: May illustrates the power of integrity in the face of adversity (“walking the talk”) through the story of a man who was so impressed by Christians under persecution that he willingly joined them.
That’s what happens when we walk the talk. The world can’t help but listen, and we truly make a difference.
Words! Words! Words! I am tired of words. Show me! i.e Walk the Talk!
Walk The Talk
I'd rather see a sermonThan hear one any day.I'd rather once you walk with meThan merely show the way.
The eye's a better pupilAnd more willing than the ear.Fine counsel is confusingBut the example's always clear.
I soon can learn to do itIf you let me see it done.
I can see your hands in actionBut your tongue too fast may run.
And the lectures you deliverMay be very fine and true.But I'd rather get my lessonBy observing what you do.
For a person must understand youAnd the high advice you give.But there's no misunderstandingHow you act and how your live.
-Edgar Guest

FATHER'S DAY-JUNE 15,2008

A TIME OF RETREAT WITH N.C.F. SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS AT SAGAR NANGLI LAKE- JUNE 11,2008

N.C.F. SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS' RETREAT- JUNE 11,2008

N.C.F.SUNDAY SCHOOL MISSION EXPOSURE TRIP TO RONGMEN, RI-BHOI DISTRICT