A New You!
Romans 12:2.
Note one of the evidences and results of our consecration is that we will have a different worldview…
- A New Perspective. Do not be conformed to this world.
The Christian sees things differently.
- He is living in this world. We cannot do otherwise. We cannot practice the monasticism of the past. We must live in this world, and work in this world and raise our children in this world. We must also witness for Christ in this world.
- He does not belong to this world! We are to be salt and light in the world. Matthew 5:13-16 Salt to preserve it and light to disperse its darkness.
- He views this world from a different angle. What the world loves does not captivate him as it does those who are worldlings. The Christian will come to hate the things that this world treasures. Will hate its morality and its standards. Will grieve over the babies that are aborted and the lives that are lost. Over pensioners robbed and women violated. Over men whose lives are forfeited by greedy governing powers and ruthless political movements. Over all the lies and duplicity of the ruling classes and the political lackeys who crave for power over us.
So what is the answer? Perhaps we need strong, closely bonded Christian communities, who love and serve the Lord and believe His Word, who will learn and grow together and work to influence the world to return to civilised values.
Text Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
A Christian will be CONSECRATED! Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. So, since consecration is our proper resonse to Christ, let’s see what paul teaches us about it here.
The Drama of Redemption – Introduction
Reading: Romans 9:1-5
In Romans, Chapters 9, 10 and 11 are closely related. They unfold for us some of the truths concerning God’s sovereignty and providence, using the people of Israel as a background. Now. because these chapters contain many references to Israel, we ought to ask the question, “When Paul refers here to Israel, who exactly does he mean?” There is no doubt that one theme running through the chapters is Jewish unbelief and the problems that it raised. Why did the covenant people of God fail to recognise their Messiah and crucify Him? How did the conversion of the Gentiles fit in with God’s plan and purpose? What future do the Jews and the Gentiles have, in God’s mind? The passages in chapters 9-11 deal with Israel’s past, present and future! Let’s see:-
1. The Relationships that are being Addressed.
These chapters concern the relationships between the Gentiles and the Jews. The Jews, everyone agrees, have had a unique position in God’s purpose. Paul has already made mention of This. Romans 1:16. Romans 2:9 Romans 2:17-20 Romans 3:1 Romans 3:29-31 Romans 4:1-5 Romans 6:14. Romans 7:1-5 Romans 8:2-5 So these chapters will address the balance between the Old Israel and the new situation, in which God’s people are both Jew and Gentile. But why was such a detailed explanation of the matter necessary? Read more…
Jesus The Mediator
Text . Job 9:32-35 1 Tim 2 5-6 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all.
H/C Lord’s Day 6, Q18 & 19. Because only Jesus can bridge the gap between God and sinners, only he is our Mediator. Today we are going to discover what that means – and whereabouts in the Bible we can find out about his mediatorial work. Read more…
The Great Escape
Text . Romans 2:1-11 Hebrews 2:3.
Heidelberg Catechism Lord’s Day 5.
So far in this series, we have been looking at the basic biblical teaching about MANKIND. We learned that we are sinners, – because we have broken God’s Law, but we were not always like that, we were created in God’s image, and that the image of God was shattered and distorted at the Fall, and that one day we will have to give account of ourselves in judgement. Yet all the time we have been discovering that the solution is always Jesus. He is sinless, and he perfectly fulfilled the Law of God, and yet he gave himself for us, to pay the price for our sin in his own body on the cross. Last study we thought about the Last Judgement and the excuses some people think they might make on that day. To no avail! Now, the bible poses a question, and it is one we will consider: Hebrews 2:3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him. The question in the text makes some basic presuppositions:-
List of EXCUSES you CAN’T use on Judgement Day
Text . Hebrews 9:27-28 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgement, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
Heidelberg Catechism Lord’s Day 4. Q. 9-11
Consider the ultimate end of man, who will one day stand before God, and give account of his works done in this life, and as we know, all our works, even our righteous works, fall short of God’s standards, and condemn us to the Lake of Fire. It’s that judgement that we want to learn a little bit about today, or rather, some of the ideas that people have to stop themselves from having to prepare for it… Think of some common misconceptions…
The Lord’s Prayer: Benediction
Text . 1 Chronicles 29:11-13 Matthew 6:13AV For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
So, why do Catholics not use the Long Ending of the Lord’s Prayer? Why is it in some bibles and not in others? And, why do we use it so extensively?
- It has a long liturgical history. It is used in the DIDACHE. (Teaching of the Apostles) A book of church order and discipline, written around 94AD,, very early in church history, showing the worship practices of the very early church. It’s not canonical, but it is historical, a contemporary report of what the church was doing and saying in worship. When it advises on prayer, the long ending is included. We know that in the first century the first Christians were using it. . So it is historically and liturgically attested.
- It is perfectly scriptural, and based on 1 Chronicles 29:11-13. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, And You are exalted as head over all. 12Both riches and honour come from You, And You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great And to give strength to all. 13 “Now therefore, our God, We thank You And praise Your glorious name. So theologically and biblically it is sound and correct.
- It’s provenance is unclear. Our repetition of the Lord’s Prayer (as in the old Book of Common Prayer) was based on the so-called Byzantine Text, – the Greek ‘received text’ that is the basis of the KJV and the NKJV. But the long ending is not in the NIV, or the ESV, which are based on the Alexandrian Texts (Codex Siniaticus and Vaticanus). Slightly older texts, but with less copies. The Byzantine Texts have the benediction but the Alexandrian do not. The RCs up to the reformation didn’t use the Greek Texts, they used Jerome’s Latin Translation (Vulgate) so in their liturgy the long ending is omitted. The Reformers wanted to get back to the Greek Texts, so they included it. More recent discoveries of ancient Alexandrian Manuscripts it is omitted, so modern translations place it in the footnotes. But did the Alexandrian copyists lose it, or did the Byzantine copyists wrongly include it? No-one actually knows.
- It is adiaphora. It is a Protestant tradition to say it, and this tradition connects with the oldest traditions of the Church. We say it because it is universally used in the church, but if another church doesn’t want to include it, it’s not something to argue about.
So, let’s see what the long ending of the Lord’s Prayer can teach us, and what we imply when we say it…
