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Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire? As we begin a new mini-series our topic will be 'Lord, teach us to pray. Have you ever prayed a crazy prayer? What was it? I once foolishly prayed asking him to give me a bit more difficulty in life, I will let you know when the difficulties stop! Luke 11:1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread.4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’’ "Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?" - Corrie ten Boom. What is prayer? At a simple level it is communicating with God. Many of us believe that God answers prayer and that indeed situations can even be changed through prayer. Prayer changes things, there are many examples in the bible of prayers that appeared to be answered e.g. in Acts 27:10 And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives. Paul was told at first the ship was going to be wrecked and with loss of life, later in 22 And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. Prayer changes things. Amen Luke 11:5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Do not bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. This teaches us to be persistent in prayer. Pete Greig gives various examples of this … the domino effect… Queen Bertha of Kent prayed 17 years for her husband… Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing is like a hacking cough or a military assault on a castle wall [1]. Luke11:9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” When we pray things that are in the will of God, he hears and answers our prayers. Closing Prayer. Lord teach us to pray, teach us to know that believing prayer changes things, teach us to be persistent in prayer, teach us to realise that it is your will to give us every good thing which is in your will. Amen [1] Continual prayer is not prayer that goes on without any interruption, but prayer that continues whenever possible. The adverb for “continually” (adialeiptōs) was used in Greek to express a hacking cough. A persistent, ongoing cough that is constant. Paul was speaking of maintaining continuous fellowship with God as much as possible in the course of daily living in which concentration and focus is often broken.

Evidence that the first believers really thought Jesus was God? Jesus is Lord! Christians are right to believe that the New Testament tells us the truth about Jesus. But what do we say to those who doubt it? There are plenty of skeptics who will claim that the original NT writings have been tampered with to fit church orthodoxy, that rival claims about Jesus were simply suppressed, and that the divine view of Jesus that we now take for granted was a late invention, instigated by Constantine and the Council of Nicea in AD325. When faced with this kind of skepticism, we can look at the contemporary records that exist from outside of the New Testament - and here's what we find. - the earliest Christian apology affirms Jesus as Messiah, the Son of God; - the earliest sermon says "think of Jesus Christ as of God" - probably the earliest Christian symbol, the ICHTHYS (Greek for fish) is an acronym used to represent the words "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Saviour" - the earliest liturgical prayer, in use in the first century, says "come Lord!" - the earliest Roman letter discussing Christians reports that they worshipped "Christ, as to a god" - the earliest account of martyrdom has numerous references to Jesus as "eternal", "heavenly" and God's Son - even earlier than the written New Testament, the first Christian communities used oral creeds, which Paul later incorporated into his epistles, including Romans 10:9 - "that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (WEB). As a final point, for those that insist that the gospels were corrupted later to paint Jesus in new divine light, we have early manuscript evidence. Take papyrus 75 - it is the oldest manuscript we have that contains John 1, and could well have been written towards the end of the second century. It says just what your bible today tells you about Jesus: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (WEB). Jesus was Lord, the Son of God, in the first century. And so he remains in the twenty-first century! Amen by Guest Blogger Alan Scobie

The Blessings of the New Covenant In Part 3 we saw that our God is a God of covenants. A covenant is a formal binding agreement between two parties. A blood covenant is the most binding form of covenant. God entered a covenant with Abram as a way of convincing Abram that he would keep his promises to him, promises to give him a multitude of descendants, to give him the promised land and to bless him in it. God promised that he would bless those that blessed Abram and curse those who cursed him. We considered the actual covenant cut between Abram and God and then looked a typical covenant type ceremony performed by the ancient Hebrews. Finally we saw that the new covenant through the blood of the Lamb of God was eternally binding and forms the basis for us knowing that God will keep all his promises to us. The Blessings of the New Covenant We are now going to focus in on certain passages in the book of Hebrews, which pertain to the new covenant. The emphasis is on Jesus, the perfect High Priest, providing a new and better covenant which is not based on the peoples’ behaviour. Hebrews 7:20 and it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, 21 but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him: "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: 'You are a priest forever.'" 22 Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. 23 Now there have been many of those priests since death prevented them from continuing in office. 24 but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. 26 Such a high priest meets our need--one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. Jesus as the mediator of the new covenant represented the fulfilment of the new covenant promise in Jeremiah 31:31 “The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them, " declares the LORD. 33 “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 No longer will a man teach his neighbour, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." Hebrews 10:15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First, he says: 16 “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds." 17 Then he adds: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more." 18 And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin. 19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. When we enter the new covenant with God, he puts the fulfilled law [1] into our hearts. Jesus exchanged his life for ours and died for us on the cross. Because of this we ought to live holy lives and not use the grace of God to behave sinfully. Because Jesus completely fulfilled the Law, he swapped robes with us, we became righteous, and he dealt with our filthy rags. Because the fulfilled law is inside us, all the blessings of Deuteronomy 28 apply to us; here is what Jesus left for us in his will! 28:1 If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands, I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: 3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. 4 The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock--the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. 5 Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. 6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. 7 The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. 8 The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. 9 The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways. 10 Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you. 11 The LORD will grant you abundant prosperity--in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground--in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you. 12 The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. 13 The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Jesus was the perfect Mediator of the new covenant (Hebrews 9:15), providing an eternal inheritance in a way the old covenant could not (compare with Hebrews 12:24). 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! 15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. Furthermore none of the curses apply to us because we have already been judged in Christ on the cross. The New Covenant is Everlasting Christ's blood established an everlasting covenant in Hebrews 12:20 May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21 equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Conclusion As born-again believers we have been given a new spirit and God has written his law in our hearts. Even better is the fact that the law in our hearts is the fulfilled law, the Old Testament law that was completely fulfilled (all 613 parts) by Jesus Christ. We have an everlasting covenant with God through the blood of Jesus Christ. Our eternal life has already begun. Our sins have been completely forgiven, eternal judgement avoided, and we have been admitted into the royal family of God. We will rise from the dead and live with him forever. In this life all the blessings of Abraham are ours through Jesus Christ. Study the word of God day by day to see all that you have been freely given through the blood covenant of Jesus Christ. We need to apply it into every situation, God wants and expects you to know the terms of the covenant. This will bring greater victory in your life and consequently more glory to God. David knew the old covenant and took on Goliath. How much more should we conquer the giants in our lives by knowing our covenant relationship with the living God. Let us always remember that we have been purchased by the blood of our Passover Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen Footnotes [1] Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4 in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

Part 3 Our God is a God of covenants In Part 2 we followed the trail of Jesus blood as it was shed starting in the garden of Gethsemane, then in the barracks and palace, when he was scourged, and the crown of thorns planted on his head. The blood trickled through the streets of Jerusalem, then from his hands and feet as he was sacrificed on the cross. Finally after he had dismissed his spirit in death, a soldier pierced our Lord's side and the blood and water flowed out onto his dead body and down onto the ground. We saw that the Jesus’ blood was shed to reverse the effects of the curse that Adam and Eve brought on the creation. Jesus blood was given to reverse the effects of the fall. Jesus blood was then poured out on the mercy seat in heaven to make atonement for the sins of fallen man. His holy sinless blood washed away our sins and sealed the new covenant. What is a covenant? Today we are going to consider the concept of covenant and then try to find out why the blood was necessary for the new covenant. If someone made you a promise or a deal, a promise or a deal that was very important to you. How could they convince you that they would definitely keep their end of the bargain? If they were a person of integrity you might just accept their word. Sad to say there is little evidence of integrity in today's society. In the marriage ceremony people make vows. In legal and business contracts people sign up after taking legal advice. Abram had the same dilemma he asked God how he could be sure that God would keep his promise to bless him with millions of descendants. See Genesis 15:1-18. Genesis 15:5 He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars--if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." 6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. 7 He also said to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it." 8 But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?" 9 So the LORD said to him, "Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon." 10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. 11 Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. Jumping down to verse 17 17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking fire pot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates-- A Covenant making and keeping God The bible is divided into the O.T. and the N.T. The word for testament derives from the Latin word testamentum, which translates into English as covenant or testament. Definition of a covenant; a formal and legally binding agreement between two parties. In modern life many important things are based on a covenant type agreement e.g. marriage is a covenant with vows taken. In sickness and in health…etc. Such an agreement promotes trust and stability. A covenant usually involves vows or promises made by both parties with mutual benefits and often contain penalty clauses. In Hebrew ‘covenant’ is the word berith and the equivalent in the Greek diatheke means to 'cut covenant'. Brooker[1] defines a covenant in terms of the Abrahamic covenant as an agreement to 'make a binding agreement by the shedding of blood and walking between the pieces of flesh. The God of the ancient Hebrews is a God who makes covenants. Blood Covenant A blood covenant is the most sacred or solemn type, also the most significant and unbreakable. Marriage should be a blood covenant at consummation! In a blood covenant you promise to give your life, your love, and your protection forever. Example of a Hebrew Covenant Two men entering into a blood covenant would go through nine steps; Each one would take off his robe or coat and give it to the other, symbolising a pledging of themselves to the other. Take off the belt and give it to the other, symbolising the giving of our strength for battle (swords and daggers were in belt) both parties do this. Cut the covenant; they took an animal and split it down the middle. The two parties then stand in between the split halves of the animal with their backs to each other. Each one walks a figure of eight around the two halves and both end up facing each other. This is saying two things. a) We are giving up our own rights and lives and beginning a new walk (life) with our covenant partner. The two halves figuratively represent the death of the participants. b) The participants can point to the shed blood on the ground and vow that God should split them and shed their blood in the same way if they were to break this solemn agreement. [1] R Brooker The miracle of the scarlet thread. 5. Raise the right arm and mix blood; raise right arms and cut palms and intermingle the blood. While the blood is mixing together they swear allegiance to one another. The mixing of the blood represents them becoming one blood and hence one life. The two become one. 6. Exchange names; they exchange surnames. 7. Make a scar; as the blood has mixed the wounds are rubbed together to make a scar that will be a permanent reminder of the covenant we made. When others see it they will know that if you mess with me then you are messing with my covenant partner as well. The scar seals the covenant. The missionary Henry Stanley received 50 such scars when travelling in Africa. Hostile chiefs would think twice before attacking him when they saw his ‘connections’ i.e covenant scars. 8. Give covenant terms; One says all my goods are yours, my money, my transport, and my house. If you need them don't ask they are yours for the taking. If I die I expect you to look after my family. But he also says that he expects the same privileges from the second party. They might then list their assets jointly and in a sense consider them as joint property (both assets and liabilities). 9. Eat a memorial meal; they took bread and wine, the bread representing animal flesh and the wine representing the blood of the covenant. They fed the bread to each other representing joined flesh, and the wine joint lives. 10. Plant a memorial tree; the covenant must always be remembered. They planted a tree and sprinkled it with the blood of the sacrifice and along with their scars this served as a memorial. The tree will always serve as a reminder to the covenant. From this point they are known as true friends. Friendship in ancient times, in a sense only applied between those who had cut a covenant. Their children both living and unborn were also included in this at least until they were of age to reject or accept the covenant themselves. The bible gives several examples of covenant; a particularly lovely one was the one between David and Jonathan (see 1 Samuel 18:1-9). God's new covenant with us In a similar manner, before God created the universe, He planned to make a blood covenant for you so that you might be one with Him. When the time came, the eternal, infinite Creator entered into time and space through the person of Jesus Christ. Christ, the Son of God, exchanges names with us and became Jesus, the Son of Man. He was the God-Man who came to identify with us in our human condition and cut the covenant for us so that we might be one with God. Because Jesus lived a perfect life, He was able to cut a perfect covenant with God on our behalf. When it was time, Jesus gathered His disciples together to participate in the covenant meal. Jesus took the bread and wine and explained that they represented His own life which was to be offered in our place as the covenant sacrifice for our sins. He further explained that through His sacrifice, we could have our sins forgiven and receive eternal life through union with Him. Afterward, Jesus planted a memorial tree and stained it with His own blood. That blood- stained tree was the cross. There Jesus paid the judgment of sin for-us by "cutting the covenant" with Father God on our behalf. This is where the exchange of natures took place. Jesus took the coat or robe of our liabilities on Himself He took our sins into His spirit, our sorrows into His soul and our sicknesses into His flesh. In return, He gives us the asset of His garment of salvation and robe of righteousness. Through Him, we can have right standing with God and become partakers of His divine nature. Because Jesus never sinned, death couldn't hold Him in the grave. Three days later, He was resurrected and ascended back to heaven where He now sits on the throne of God with all authority and power over sin, Satan, and death. And He promises to come back to earth to rule over a kingdom of righteousness and peace with His followers. The New Covenant and You Anyone who will enter covenant with Jesus by accepting His death on your behalf, Jesus will give you the Holy Spirit and apply the blood covenant exchange and benefits to your life personally. The Holy Spirit will come and live inside you so that through Him you can partake of the divine nature of God. The Holy Spirit will be the divine scar on your heart that is God's personal seal and guarantee that Jesus will never leave you nor forsake you. You will be "born again" as a new person as the Holy Spirit joins you to Jesus in a spiritual union, filling you with His own glorious life. The Covenant Terms Here now are the terms of the covenant. God says if you will turn from your sins and fully commit your life to Him through a personal relationship with Jesus, He will give you His life. He will forgive your sins and restore you to a right relationship with Himself. You will receive authority and power over sin, Satanic strongholds, and habits, which left to themselves will destroy you. God will fill you with His own wonderful life of love, joy, and peace. He will renew your mind, stabilize your emotions and empower your will. He will give real meaning and purpose to your life, and finally, He will resurrect you from the grave so that you may live with Him forever. The Covenant Invitation God has provided for every human need through Jesus Christ by the sacred covenant in His blood. And now you can experience this for your own life. If you have not yet entered into this wonderful covenant with God. You may do so right now. As an act of faith, pray the following prayer from your heart, and then find a group of fellow believers who can help you live in the fullness of God's covenant life. The Covenant Prayer "God, I thank you for the covenant you have made for me through the blood of Jesus Christ. I acknowledge that I am a sinner in need of your forgiveness and salvation. I willingly turn from my sins and commit my life fully to you. I now accept and receive Jesus as my covenant Lord and Saviour. I ask You to forgive me of my sins and send the Holy Spirit to come and live inside me and fill me with Himself so that I can walk with You and enjoy the fullness of Your covenant life forever. Amen!

Part 2 The trail of Jesus' blood In Part 1 We saw that the bible is a book dripping with blood! The blood of Jesus is so special and central to the Christian faith That is why when Jesus gave us Holy Communion, he said do this in remembrance of me. He specifically wants us to remember his body and his blood. In the Old Testament, the blood of bulls, goats and lambs were only a shadow of the true blood, which would take away the sins of the world. For Christ our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed[1]. However just as the blood of the Passover Lamb was no use just sitting in the bucket but had to be applied to the doorpost and the lintels of the door (using a hyssop branch) to prevent the angel of death entering, so must we apply the blood of our Passover lamb to our lives. How do we apply it? 1 We apply the blood by faith, to cleanse us from sin to consecrate our lives etc. We must get the revelation of the blood of Jesus. We must ask God to reveal the importance of the blood to us so that we can apply it by faith to the various areas of our lives. 2. We can apply the blood by giving testimony, Revelation 12:11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Where can we apply the blood: The trail of Jesus precious blood? First a bit of background. Jesus’ blood is effective against the curses of the fall. The curse of the fall of Adam and Eve is described in Genesis 3:14-19[2] and includes. The curse on the serpent The curse of enmity between the serpent and the woman, and between the serpent and the woman’s offspring The curse of pain in childbirth and the headship of the man over the woman. The curse on the soil producing thorns and thistles meaning that it will take hard work to get its produce all the days of Adam’s life. Man will sweat and toil to make a living an eventually return to the ground where he was taken from. Hebrews 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaks better things than that of Abel. Jesus’ blood was poured for forgiveness of our sins and sprinkled onto the mercy seat in heaven. But Jesus blood was shed in other places too. We can also follow the trail of Jesus blood and apply it specifically to situations. Jesus’ blood was not only sprinkled on the true mercy seat in heaven but was sprinkled on the fallen creation here on earth. The trail of where Jesus’ blood was spilled shows us where the blood of the new covenant can be applied. If you follow the trail of Jesus blood you will see that it was applied to various parts of the original curses that came upon Adam and the earth (Galatians 3:13). Luke 22:44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling to the ground. He sweated (sweat was one of the first effects of the curse on Adam) blood in the garden of Gethsemane (for our emotional agony, anguish, and toil). Doctors report some patients going through great emotional distress have reported sweating blood. Luke 22:63 And the men that held Jesus mocked him and smote him. 64 And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee? 65 And many other things blasphemously spoke they against him. His blood trickled through palace and barracks. They mocked him, his blood covers derision and mockery. John 19:1 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus and scourged him. 2 And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe,3 And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands. His blood flowed when his back was lashed (for healing). Isaiah 53:4 Surely, he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and his wounds heal us. By his stripes we are healed, healed means literally 'sewed back together'. His wounds released the blood to heal sickness, physical healing is part of the covenant blessing he has purchased for us through his blood. His blood covers the pain and cruelty of man. His blood flowed when the crown of thorns pierced his scalp (could be for our mental suffering) His blood trickled on the streets of Jerusalem, one day it will be redeemed. Sin started at a tree and the blood of Jesus will eventually restore the creation. His blood flowed from his hands and feet. John 19:32 Then came the soldiers, and break the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: 34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And finally the water and the blood flowed from his pierced side, a ruptured heart, his heart burst for the love of sinful mankind. His blood flowed onto his dead body showing that the dead who receive his blood shall be resurrected. Receive the blood, apply the blood now. You are an able minister of the new covenant and a priest! In the Old Testament, the blood of bulls, goats and lambs were only a shadow of the true blood, which would take away the sins of the world. Declaring the truth about Jesus’ blood Because Jesus’ blood is so special, we can declare these specific truths today… 1 John 1:7 Through the blood of Jesus, I am continually being cleansed from all sin. Romans 5:9 Through the blood of Jesus I am justified, made righteous, just-as-if-I had never sinned. Hebrews 13:12 Through the blood of Jesus, I am sanctified, made holy, set apart to God. Hebrews 10:19 Through the blood of Jesus, I have boldness to enter the presence of God. Hebrews 12:24 The blood of Jesus cries out continually to God in heaven on my behalf. Amen [1] 1 Cor 5:7 Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast--as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. [2] Genesis 3:14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." 16 To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you." 17 To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."

How do we know Father God is a loving Father? Our main topic today is the Trinity and over the next weeks, we shall study various aspects of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and the unity of the Godhead. Today, we are looking at the Father as “the Creator” who made all things. Revelation 4:11 KJV Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. We are trying to answer, the question “why should we regard God as our loving Father”. Few earthly Fathers follow the example of how God acts as Father, but praise, God the men in his church are learning about it from his word. Matthew 11:27 KJV All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. Our prayer is from Mark: 14:36 and he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless, not what I will, but what thou wilt. God formed us in our mothers’ womb. He knew us in a sense before we existed! Psalm: 139:13 He has woven us in our mother’s womb 139:16 He has seen our unformed substance. Mark: 14:36 Abba Father meaning “Daddy God” is a tender expression derived from the Chaldean Abah = to show kindness. Psalm: 139 tells the of God’s tender care of his children. Ephesians 1:4; Father “chose us” before the foundation of the world – and has given us all spiritual blessings, eternal life, royal priesthood, kings & priests, hold nation, peculiar people to God, forgiven = accepted, redeemed, sanctified… Acts of our Loving Father. Ephesians 3:14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, Paul knelt and prayed for the building up of God’s temple i.e. his church (see Ephesians 1:22) Ephesians 3:15 includes a) every family in heaven, b) saints dead in Christ. c) The angels. Pater, Patria – The whole concept of Fatherhood is a play on words /the idea of family comes from God himself. Patria: Family or a social group descended from one common ancestor stemming from one source. Ephesian 4:6 describes the absolute unity we have in God’s Fatherhood. He counts each one of us as His children. Is he the Father of evil people? No, there are 2 separate families. John 8:42-47 v44 referring to the Pharisees ‘you are of your father the devil’! Our Caring Heavenly Father Summary, why should we look on God as our loving Father. Here are several reasons. Firstly, He chose us before the world was made. He saw our informed substance and wove us in our mother’s womb. He gives us all spiritual blessings in Christ. He created concept of Fatherhood John 3:16. Isaiah 40:26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that brings out their host by number: he calls them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth. Mathew 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. Our Father is clearly a caring Heavenly Father so much so that he cares about the small details of your life. Let us pray to Abba Father. Amen.

It is so much easier to kick a loose brick around than a solid wall! Recently I shared about enemy’s plans to stop you from growing up and maturing as a Christian (see below the sermon ‘Whose vision are you following’? One thing was clear to us that Satan does not want you reading your bible because according to John 8:31-32 if we continue in his word, we are true disciples, and we shall know the Truth and the Truth shall set us fire. Satan wants to starve you as a Christian baby, so that you will shrivel and wither in your souls and spirits. As well as attacking your bible reading, Satan attacks other vital areas in your Christian life. The area in question, this morning is your attendance at the meetings, sadly many Christians have also been deceived in this area; so what is Satan’s strategy? What is so dangerous to him/his kingdom of darkness about your regular attendance at the church meetings? I would like to ask you a question; What ministry or things do you receive at your church meetings? You probably get led in praise and worship, ministry of word, built up by gifts of Holy Spirit, and may receive a personal word from Lord. You should receive, building up, encouragement, exhortation, rebuking, correcting, communion, and hear prayer. What ministry do you give to your local body? Thanksgiving, praise, and worship, giving financially to the Lord and the Lord’s work, operating in gifts of spirit, particularly in the verbal gifts of spirit. Hopefully, you are being helped to develop your own ministry. Already we can see that each time we miss out on a meeting, a whole lot of opportunities to give and receive ministry that brings glory to God are lost. Make no mistake each time the evil one persuades you or me to miss the meeting or to only be an occasional attender, he knows exactly just how dangerous your regular committed attendance at the meetings is to him and to his influence in our lives. Let us look at why the devil specifically does not want you to attend fellowship meetings in a regular committed way. Please note that this is not a condemnation sermon since almost all of us for different reasons cannot be at every meeting. Different reasons such as babysitting, work commitments, special family commitments etc. can prevent our attendance at a given meeting. This message is not against any legitimate reason that you allow but is against the suggestion of enemy that you do not need or want to be committed to attend on a regular basis. So here are just a few reasons not to come regularly to the meetings: 1. All the reasons above we gave when we looked at ministry given and received. 2. Satan does not want you to hear God’s word (John 8:32-33). 3. Satan does not want you participating in corporate prayer. 4. Ephesians 2:19-22: as a part of God’s own family we are being built and fitted together, as a dwelling place for God in the Spirit. How can we attend together if absent (1 Peter 2:4-5)? You and I are living stones chosen, set apart by God himself. He is building us together into a spiritual house. But we are living stones with rough edges, those areas of our lives and attitudes where there can give friction when the lively stones rub together. Let me give you an example; a brother at another fellowship used to charge around before meetings and shout ‘out my way’ when asked he said “sorry, I get worked up to have sound system working”. God tells him, relax, trust in him, be polite but tells you to appreciate such ministries because they are there to bless you. We might say Lord deal with this sister’s slowness. The Lord says OK, but I will deal with your impatience too! Amen Fellowship life is God’s way of polishing and smoothing the living stones. God gathers his living stones into his building site i.e. our church meetings and smooths us down gradually and cements us together by His Love. Amen. The devil wants you to be a loose brick, rough unpolished with your life and attitudes not dealt with. It is so much easier to kick a loose brick around than a solid wall! Where does this idea come from Just because you are a Christian does mean that have to go to church? You guessed right-the enemy. The man who led me to Lord I asked him; Do I need to go to church? He looked straight in the eye and said, Yes, there is no other way! Do not be deceived any longer, God does not place solo artists in his church. Jesus Christ is building a family. Jesus Christ is building an army. Your basic training will mainly be at meetings of fellowship. Hebrews 10:23-25 Verse 23; Be steady, for Jesus is faithful. Verse 24; Provoke each other to good deeds! Set an example to our church family in every area of life. Verse 25; do not forsake the meetings (some are already deceived) but encourage each other as day approaches by saying I hope to see you at the meeting. Be a true friend, by encouraging each other to attend, always be watching out for each other’s welfare. Amen. Do not be deceived by enemy’s lies. 1. You are too tired; Meetings will refresh you. Put on the garment, praise for Spirit of Heaviness. Is the job that God blessed you with making you too tired to come and thank him for it? This does not sound right. 2. You are too busy to make time for God. You and I were created for his pleasure. What ‘idols’ have taken first place in your life above him in sense of materialism? Priorities out of order, doing unnecessary things to keep up with Joneses? So busy all week, no time for God? 3. You do not need to be a regular attender at church. Do not be a loose brick, you need to be built into a solid wall. Conclusion The Lord wants you by freewill choice to be a regular committed attender at local church meetings. His purpose is for you to grow in maturity, that you can be built into the body, developing your ministry and eventually to fulfil all your God-given destiny. The enemy wants to deceive you into not attending the church meetings, into not growing or getting your life dealt with, resulting in you having no ministry and thus unfulfilled destiny. Prayer Challenge # Repent if necessary # Renew your commitment to attend regularly and admit, we need to build attend into our lives. # In a spirit of humility agree to share this word with those absent. Encourage them not to forsake the assembling but to come and grow in grace and knowledge of Lord Jesus Christ, until we all attain to that full maturity found in Jesus Christ. Amen. Prayer

Both the Lord and the enemy have a vision for your church fellowship. The Lord has a vision for every church fellowship. The vision for this church is on the wall (Ephesians 4:11-13) which is about releasing ministries to build up the body thus bringing each one of us into a maturity. However, our enemy Satan also has a vision for each church fellowship, which is to prevent each fellowship from coming into maturity. The enemy plans to divide us, to break us up, and keep every believer defeated and downcast. The enemy as you probably know are organized in a hierarchy of fallen beings and are described in Ephesians 6, and include principalities [1], powers, world forces of darkness, wickedness in heavenly places. These evil beings have orders to attack your fellowship and try to overcome all of us Christians, in our individual lives and as a fellowship. What is important in the Life of a Church Fellowship? What do you think they (the enemies) will attack in the life of the believer? The major areas I want to focus on are the word of God and prayer. Have you ever noticed that these two things do not come easily? You can think of many other things you would rather do, there seems to be an opposition or difficulty. Another thing that seems to be opposed is to visit the sick and you can probably identify others? So why does enemy want to prevent you from reading the bible (1 John 8:31-32)? Of course the words of Jesus are found in the bible. If we read and abide, stay, live in, or walk according to his word, then we shall know the truth which shall make and set you free. What truth, Jesus has defeated devil! He has the keys of death and hell has openly triumphed over every power, principality, etc. and through the blood of his cross has purchased a great salvation for all who place their trust in him. That same Jesus Christ gives authority to his body, to tread on serpents (evil), over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall injure you. You shall know the truth if you read God’s word and his word abides in you. The enemy had you bound and blinded not knowing the truth that he is already defeated. Know you know for sure! 1 Peter 2:2 The enemy does not want you to know God word is food for your spirit or soul, which causes you to grow in the knowledge of your wonderful salvation. You can begin to understand the dimensions of God’s love for you. If you starve your baby of milk and she will die! Satan wants you to wither and die concerning knowledge of the truth found in God’s word. Those who are growing up past baby stage, he does not want you moving on to the later stages of maturity. Ephesians 5:25-27 Christ sanctifies the believers by washing us with his word. His word is alive and powerful and renews our thinking, changes our lifestyle as we conform our lives to God’s word. Christ loves you as part of his body and wants to make holy so that he can present you with spot or blemish to his Father. He cleanses us with the scriptures. How can he do this if we will not read and study them? Satan does not want you cleansed, holy and getting ready as the bride of Christ. Hebrews 4:12 The Word of God (bible) when it is used as a sword separates man from sin. The Word of God corrects our motives and is alive and powerful. The Holy Spirit defeats the enemy as he energizes our spoken word (rhema word). The enemy does not want you to be free but be kept in bondage and sin. Satan does not want you to know that he is defeated by the word of God in your mouth. Just as the enemy was defeated by our Lord Jesus Christ in the wilderness by quoting the scripture [2] (It is written …) So brothers and sisters, how long will you let yourself be deceived by the mind blinder? How long will you accept the lies that say these things? You cannot understand the word You do not have time for the word You cannot find a place for the word You have a block and barrier to receive the word You can start tomorrow to read the word Joshua 1:8 Psalms 1:2 If these are your excuses, then you are deceived. You need to repent and receive forgiveness and ask God to give you a hunger for his word daily to cherish and treasure the word of God in your heart. Let the word of God abide in you and you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free. Free from your past, from your problems, your failures and you will be sanctified and prepared as a bride waiting for her heavenly groom. Do not let yourself be starved any longer. Your heavenly Father is longing to feed you today come let us thwart the enemy today and every day by studying the bible. Amen Prayer Footnotes [1] Greek archon. The 5-star generals. The evil hierarchy in Ephesians 6:12 is in descending order of rank. [2] Matthew 4 4 But he answered and said, it is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 6 And saith unto him, if thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, it is written again, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them. 9 And saith unto him, all these things will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

What is the purpose of the local church fellowship? We want to consider specific questions such as: Does our enemy Satan want you to come to church? If not, why not? Why do we come to church? What is the main priority of church life? Is it bible teaching or preaching or perhaps evangelism? Or is it something else? Before we tackle the question of priorities, we need to consider the fact that every church fellowship should have aims and a vision. The aims are simply the goals ahead, i.e. the direction of the fellowship. When you play darts you have to aim at something. Most times when we aim at nothing, then that is exactly what we achieve nothing. The vision is obtained by mixing faith to the aims that we believe God has given us. If a fellowship has the aim to preach the Gospel in a new local area, then by adding faith to the aim then they might have a vision to a start a home group of some form of outreach there, believing God that he will bless them in it. Having a vision keeps you going when times are difficult. Jesus has a vision for his church which kept him going through the agonies of the cross. You must stick to the aims and visions that God has given to your fellowship through thick and thin! Priorities of Church Life Are there any models in scripture that can help us assign priorities to the various functions in the church fellowship such as evangelism, praise and worship, bible study etc.? Fortunately, there are! John 15:1-8 (see sermon at bottom of this page- The Vine and the Branches) John 15:17-19 The pattern here is that we abide in the vine i.e. we share in intimate fellowship with the life of Christ, then flowing from this communion, we begin to show that same agape true love to each other. Then we can interact with the world in terms of evangelism etc. This is the general pattern in Colossians and Ephesians. The Purpose of Fellowship Life Fellowship life is all about expressing and developing our commitments. First, we must show commitment to God, next to each other and then to those in the world. Here are the main reasons we come to church. 1. To express our love to God. 2. To produce maturity, stability, and holiness in our lives. 3. To encourage believers to love each other with good works flowing from love. 4. To promote the care of the poor (widows and orphans) 5. To preach the Gospel. 6. To do good in the world. Let us now look at these 6 main reasons. # To express our love to God The shorter Westminster catechism puts it like this “the chief aim of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” God created us for his own pleasure. He must become our greatest pleasure. The main thrust of attending church must be the Lord himself, with all the good works following on from this. We can express our love to Him in many ways. Thanksgiving, praise, and worship. Thanksgiving is acknowledging what he has done. Praise is acknowledging who He is, and worship is a heart-to-heart connection with the Lord. We also show our love to him, by fellowshipping with him in prayer and bible study. The bible is the word of God and is our daily bread. In the bible we find out who He is and what He has done. Prayer is like breathing as we give and receive communication to and from God. Giving is part of our worship acknowledges who is our source of all good things. If you love him, you will keep his commandments. # To produce maturity, stability, and holiness in our lives God has placed the fivefold ministry gifts in the body specifically to bring maturity so that each person will be able to perform their unique God-given ministry and therefore the church will be built up. Even when we know the word of God, we often neglect to learn how to apply it at church. God has specifically placed leaders in his church not only to preach and teach but to show an example of how to live godly lives. Stability comes from having sound doctrine. Holiness will grow as we mature; it is our love for the Lord in a sense that determines our rate of maturing! God desires stability in the flock, people who do not know the bible will never be stable. # To encourage believer to love with good works flowing from Love It is at church we are often reminded of the command to love God and each other, not in word only but indeed, practically, and sincerely. Faith without works is dead. We need to ask the Lord to bring us into the good works he has prepared for us from before the foundation of the world. A good deed is any deed performed for God’s glory. A good deed is motivated by love (of God and our neighbour). A good deed is performed by faith working through love. No genuinely good deed shall go unrewarded, not even a cup of cold water. # To promote care of the poor (windows and orphans, and those in want) God wants us to look after our own. Our own includes our natural family and our super-natural family i.e. His family, the church of Jesus Christ. No one in our midst should go without any of the basics of life when someone in the church can supply it. Lord, make us sensitive to the needs within our part of the body. What do we have that God did not give us anyway and what better way of acknowledging this than to share what we have? # To preach the Gospel The gospel is preached in the local church fellowship. The wonderful message of the gospel is taught and is then exported by the congregation to their relatives, friend, workmates, and neighbours. It is the body’s duty to take the gospel out not just the evangelists and leaders! # To do good in the world Jesus Christ is the Light of the World, and since we are in Christ and he is us, that same light shines through us, illuminating the acts of love and kindness which God inspires us to do. Preaching the gospel, healing the sick, casting out demons, being a peacemaker. These and every other good deed bear witness to the unbelievers that Jesus Christ is alive and still performing miracles through his body the local church. Amen Prayer

At some time in your life as a Christian someone will ask the question, ‘What is God like’? The average non-believer has little or no idea who God is or what he is like. The sort of ideas people have about God include for example, an old man up there in the clouds who throws the odd lightning bolt when you upset him, or someone up there who is looking after me, or a God who lives in a boring place with only harps and angels and has no fun. Yes, the Lord gets a bad press from the world and yet God does reveal himself in different ways to mankind. This morning we are going to consider how God reveals himself to mankind. This is important for two reasons. First, an understanding of the doctrine of revelation is important to each believer so that we know where to look. Second, and just as important, we the followers of Jesus can point the unbelievers to the various ways that God is revealing himself, by his nature, his will, his plan, and purposes for man, to every person who is willing to seek him. Definition Revelation is an an unveiling, a disclosure, to make something hidden or secret to be known. In the biblical sense revelation is the act of God revealing himself to mankind usually through information which man could not discover many other ways i.e., unless God reveals a truth to you there is no other way you can receive it. Caution Revelation knowledge: this expression has sometimes been misused an occultic way meaning knowledge gained without aid of the human mind and does not conform to scripture. Why do we need revelation? The fall of man in the garden of Eden brought a curse that affected Adam (and Eve’s) whole being i.e. spirit, soul, and body. The fall caused human minds and hence intelligence to become darkened (see Romans 1), so that we cannot naturally receive the things of God. Main text 1 Corinthians 2:10-14 v12 The Spirit of God is given to us so we can appreciate the things that God has provided for us. John 14:26 The Holy Spirit is our counsellor teaches us all things and reminds us of Jesus’ words. How does God reveal himself to us? The beauty of Creation We see intelligent design because he is the Intelligent Designer. Design, beauty, order, and numerical structure in all his creation. He is a wise creator. We can gaze into the starry sky with wonder and awe. See Psalm 19:1-4. Romans 1:19-20 God’s invisible attributes are clearly demonstrated in the Creation which leaves the unbelieving without an excuse, for there clearly is a God. The Conscience Adam and Eve were guilty, so they hid from God. The conscience of each man or woman points to an absolute moral law or standard given by God. Our conscience therefore demonstrates that there is a God. The Person of Jesus Christ Jesus Christ is the sum in total of all that God has revealed of himself to man. To look at the life of Jesus Christ the Son of God is to look at Father God himself. This is a very personal revelation of God to man. John 1:18 Colossians 1:15 Hebrews 1:13 So, what is God like? Well, look to the person of Jesus Christ, what he was and is, that is exactly what God is like. So, what is Jesus Christ like then? Where/ How do we find him? Jesus Christ is revealed in at least three ways. By the word of God, as we read the bible. The Holy Spirit gives us revelation of God’s character and truth. Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word (rhema) of God: The word of God here is known as the rhema word or you could say the living word. The written word in the bible is the logos. The rhema or living word is spoken by the Holy Spirit to you and brings revelation or power into the specific situation. The rhema word is alive and powerful is what causes us to receive the revelation of what the scripture means. Amen Jesus Christ can be known personally, when be become born again and we develop our relationship with God communicating in prayer. Colossians 1:27 To whom God would make known what the riches of the glory of this mystery is among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Christ is in each believer. God reveals himself and his glory through the lives of his church. What a tremendous privilege and responsibility! Conclusion God is revealed in creation, in our conscience and in an intimate personal way through the life and person of Jesus Christ. God is revealed as the life of Christ shows in you. May the Lord teach us to guide others to know him. Prayer Lord reveal yourself here to us each day, through your word. Speak a rhema living word to us today from your logos. Reveal yourself in Jesus Christ more intimately through creation and conscience. Lord God, reveal yourself to the lost, the blind, the unbelieving through each one of us today and every day. Be revealing Jesus in each one of us, more and more each day, reveal his abundant life and love, his obedience, his heart for the lost, and his compassion. Reveal Christ in me to the world today. Amen.

Significance then and now The high places in the Hebrew Scriptures were local sanctuaries for the purpose of worship especially idolatrous worship see an example in Leviticus 26:30. See also Numbers 21:28, 33:52 Isaiah 15:2, 16:12 2 Kings 14:4, 12:3, 15:35, 23:9 All these scriptures show that the high places that became polluted by unholy sacrifices and licentious rites. The Lord God condemned all the kings that gave tolerance to these places. 2 Chronicles 33:17; Some high places were devoted to the worship of Jehovah. By the time of Jeroboam, the high places of Dan and Bethel were in constant use. However, Jeroboam persuaded the people not to go to Jerusalem for worship (in frank disobedience to God). I Kings 12:31 Jeroboam made idolatrous shrines in the high places and appointed priests from among all the people (not the specified Levites). The Hebrew word bāmâth meaning “high places” get a general meaning of a “shrine” in a city or valley. Bāmâth not only specifies a high place where the Israelites go for worship but with a strong connotation of idolatrous worship. See also these scriptures 2 Kings 17:9 Jeremiah 7:31 Ezekiel 16:31, 28 Ezekiel 20:29 God asks idolatrous Israel “what is the high place to which you go?” Divine scorn is poured out on the Israelites. They ought to have known by its purpose that it was off limits to the people of God. God’s punishments for this are found in verse 33-38. I Kings 15:14 The high places were not removed although Asa had a good heart towards God 2 Chronicles 14:3 King Asa destroyed the pagan altars and high places, smashed their sacred pillars, and cut down their Asherah poles. 2 Chronicles 15:17 King Asa after deposing his pagan grandmother because she had made an obscene image, destroyed the image , yet surprisingly never removed the high places. 2 Kings 18:22; The Rabshakeh missed the point when he told King Hezekiah that he had taken away God`s high places, not realizing God wanted them removed. Bāmâth can be further defined as an elevation, a height, as well as a high place in the following scriptures. Deuteronomy 32:13, 29 Isaiah 9:12-19, Isaiah 10:5, 13 2 Samuel 1:19, 25 All sorts of important things happened on high places showing spiritual significances for example: 1. Noah’s ark resting on Mt. Ararat 2. Abraham was tested on Mt. Moriah 3. Moses receives the Law on Mt. Sinai 4. Elijah and the prophets of Baal fought on Mt. Carmel All this was in the Old Testament but in the New Testament high places are also significant. 1. Jesus went up into the mountain for praying [Matthew 4:23] 2. Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount[Matthew 5:1] 3. Jesus ascended to heaven from the Mt. of Olives and will return one day to Mt. of Olives 4. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ was on the hill of Calvary. Mountains and hills are a place of solitude/ a meeting place with God Almighty. What does the Law say? Exodus 20:3-6 Our God is a Jealous God Deuteronomy 12:1-5 God wanted the high-places of pagan worship to be destroyed. Worship should be at a place appointed by the Lord Himself and included the Tabernacle, the Temples and now in spirit and truth. Ezekiel 20:28-29; The Lord pours scorn on the Israelites offensive idolatrous offerings on the high-places. Why did the Lord tell the Israelites to destroy the Canaanite tribes? These tribes practised all kinds of forms of idolatry including the ritual sacrifice of their children. So important was this commandment to destroy these high places of pagan worship that was commented upon in the records of each King of Israel/Judah in the Books of Kings and Chronicles. Commandment to destroy High places was sufficiently implemented so that the Kings of Jews/Israel had their policy recorded/ report card in Kings/Chronicles. Examples; 1 Kings 12:31; Jeroboam built up high places and appointed non-Levities as priests. 1 Kings 13:33-34; Jeroboam’s fate 1 Kings 14:22-24; Judah`s high places (Rehoboam/Judah) 2 Kings 15:11-14; Asa (Judah) was a good king but neglected high places 2 Kings 14:3-4; Amaziah was also a good king but neglected high places Message for us today: Jesus is our Lord of lords and King of kings If we desire to be good kings, then we must surely destroy the ‘high places’ of idolatrous worship in our nation. What and where are they, you must answer for your own country. In Old Testament days good kings ought to have destroyed the high places with their altars and pillars. The best king’s physical destroyed the high places that were not dedicated to the Lord God Almighty. So how can we do this if there are no physical structures? Ephesians 2:2 Tells us that Satan is the prince of the power of the air Ephesians 6:12 Spiritual wickedness in high places 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 We can pull down enemy strongholds Could it be that when we go up to a ‘high place’ that in some way we are closer to the enemy and perhaps to the place that these demons receive worship from witchcraft, occultism etc? The hill known as Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh, Scotland is often a site of pagan and occult worship. (Tell story of my experience with my son Kenneth) By prayer and other forms of spiritual warfare and by using the word of God we can bring down those enemy strongholds over our towns and cities. Exodus 17:8-11; Moses, Aaron on the hilltop, they did a successful spiritual warfare. 2 Kings 6:13-17; Open our eyes Lord to the spirit realm, there are more with us than against us! Prayer Father, in Jesus name, grant us the prayer of Elisha that your servants may have their spiritual eyes opened. Amen

LORD FILL ME WITH YOUR HOLY BOLDNESS In terms of sharing the Gospel, you and I have attained royalty (like Queen Esther) and God’s favour for such a time as this Yes, many believe we are on the brink of a miracle, we are ready to reap and are co-workers with God in his harvest. We are poised for battle, ready to plunder hell and populate heaven. We are ready to lead many from darkness into the light. We are ready to snatch precious lives from the enemy’s hand and put them into the hand that no one can snatch them from. Today, we are looking to our commander, the commander of the Lord’s host, Jesus Christ who is, the Mighty God, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords. Lord Jesus we seek your face today knowing that it is you alone who can supply that which we need for the victory. We know our mission is to bring in the harvest We have our weapons and armour including the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God We know that God’s love conquers all What more do we need? Lord Jesus, we need you to fill us afresh with your Holy Spirit causing us to move in power and holy boldness. A boldness to step out in faith without fear and boldly proclaim the good news without compromise. We need a Holy boldness to tell it like it is We need a Holy boldness to reach out in love We need a Holy boldness to replace our fear We need a Holy boldness to fulfill God’s command of “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel” How do we get this holy boldness? What effects does it produce? Can we receive it today? Let us turn to God’s word to find out. Definition Boldness: Daring, courage, bravery, valour. Ready to meet danger head on. Holy Boldness: Courage and confidence to obey God’s commands with power to dare to step out for God. Will you dare today to step out for God? God’s power gives us courage to step out into the unknown, or even dangerous circumstances but with God’s power and courage to witness. Holy Boldness begins with baptism in the Holy Spirit Acts 1:8; Jesus promises us power to witness Acts 2:2-4; Baptism Acts 2:14; Peter ignoring any danger stands up and preaches his message, full of the Holy Spirit and boldness. Acts 2:22-24; The Holy Spirit gives power (and boldness) to tell it like it is without fear or favour. Acts 2:36-38; Repent and be baptized, be bold and direct and to the point. Acts 3:6-8; The lame man is healed, here is holy boldness in action producing miracles. Peter did it by the power of the God. We need to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit while you are witnessing. Amen? Every one of us needs to be baptized with Holy Spirit for he is, and he gives the power to witness. Boldness in Persecution Acts 4:8-13 Holy boldness: Peter tells it like it is without fear or compromise. Verse 13; You do not necessarily need an education or training, but you do need to spend time with Jesus in prayer. Spend time in the word and in fellowship in that sweet communion of the Holy Spirit. Verse 18-20; The disciples were forbidden to boldly speak in Jesus name by the authorities. We must however obey God rather than man! What would you do in these circumstances? Verse 21-31; v29 the disciples asked the Lord for courage not protection. Wonderful! Ephesians 5:18; But be filled with the Holy Spirit. We need to keep on being filled with the Spirit! You were once filled with the Spirit, but you leak? How can we get this Holy Boldness? Luke 11:11-13; We must ask in faith, believing and expecting to receive, the promise of the Father. Let us do it! Amen Prayer