Church News – Page 61 – St George's East Ivanhoe Website

Some of us may remember a popular song, many moons ago, of which the first line in each of the four stanzas of the song is: “If you loved me half as much as I love you….” (written by Hank Williams)

Today’s Gospel reading commences with Jesus saying: “If you love me,” (John 14:15)

Do we love God “half as much as He loves us?”

When we were children, because we loved our parents we obeyed them.

Let us reflect on Jesus’ statement……

“IF YOU LOVE ME…..”(John 14:15)

It is in this same sense that we love our Lord and obey His commands because He has demonstrated His love for you and I and everyone in the world through His death on the Cross to set us free from our sin and guilt. Our Lord said: ”No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)

St. John wrote in his epistle, “We love (God) because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)

“Love is what we see in the Cross.” (“Reflections”, Volume 3, p.523, Leon Morris)

Hopefully, our parents demonstrated their love for us – to us and we, therefore, loved them in return.

God demonstrated His love first for us, through Jesus on the Cross, and we love Him in return.

In the Gospel passage before us today, Jesus said: “and those who love Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love them and reveal Myself to them.” (John 14:21)

God’s very nature, His very essence, is LOVE! William Barclay says in explanation of this passage of Scripture: “Fellowship with God and the revelation of God are dependent on love; and love is dependent on obedience. The more we obey God, the more we understand Him; and the person who walks in His way inevitably walks with Him.” (The Gospel of John, The Daily Bible Study, p. 169, William Barclay)

As children, when we obeyed our parents, we felt a unity with them; there was a bond of love through our obedience to them. It is similar to this when we obey God and obey Jesus’ Commandments, we walk in unity with our Lord and there is a tangible sense that our Lord is with us – “He abides with us.”

Jesus, the Son of God challenges us, “Do we love Him?”

Let us reflect on:

“JESUS’ COMMANDMENTS.”

“If you love Me…” said Jesus. “You will keep my commandments.” Jesus says later in the Gospel passage appointed for today: “They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love Me.” (John 14:21)

Well we might ask: “What are Jesus’ Commandments, remind me of them, so that I can keep them?”

You might recall that in many situations, e.g., in the armed Services, a “command” has to be abided by without question.

In the Gospel according to St. Mark, in response to the question asked by a scribe: “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered: ’The first is this, ‘Hear O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.” Then the Scribe said to Him, “You are right. Teacher; you have truly said that ‘He is one, and besides Him there is no other’; and to love Him with all the heart and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and to love one’s neighbor as oneself,’ – this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that He answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” (Mark 12:28-34)

Jesus’ “New Commandment” is stated a little later on in this Gospel according to St. John, when He says: “This is My Commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12)

“If you love Me you will keep My commandments…” Jesus said. (John 14:15)

“The principle observance of commandments through the motive of love is a revolutionary advance over the Jewish approach to the Mosaic Law.” (New Bible Commentary, Third Edition, p.958)

In a nutshell, Jesus’ commandments are to love God with all our heart, mind, strength and our neighbor as we love our self and Jesus’ “new commandment,” is: “Love one another a I have loved you.”

In the beautiful little book, “Mister God This Is Anna”, the little girl, Anna, wisely encapsulates Jesus’ commandments, when she says, “And God said, love Me, love them, and love it, and don’t forget to love yourself.” (Mister God, This Is Anna,” p.31+32, Fynn)

Jesus said: “If you love Me you will keep my commandments.”

“Loving Christ and keeping His commandments are inseparable. Moreover Christ’s love for us is the basis of His self revelation to us.” (New Bible Commentary, Third Edition, p.959)

Jesus said: “If you love Me you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15) Jesus is challenging us, personally, to move forward in our faith and trust in Him and to let go and love Him with a passion, and love one another, obeying His commandments with joy and freedom?

Let us reflect on:

THE ADVOCATE

So, if we love our Lord, we will keep His commandments. Jesus makes a further promise to us, saying: “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor Knows Him. You know Him, because He abides with you, and He will be in you.” (John 14:17)

At our Anglican Confirmation Service, when the Bishop lays hands on the Candidates heads, the prayer is prayed that we will receive the Holy Spirit to strengthen us for our walk of faith as Christians.

“The Advocate” is another name for the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Trinity, our Triune God whom we worship. Jesus’ promise is that those who love Him and who obey His commandments will receive the “Advocate” – the “Spirit of truth.” The “Advocate” is God, Himself, in the form of the Holy Spirit, Who will come to us to help us. He is the Spirit of Truth and will guide us into all truth and understanding about God and His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

In explaining the work of the Holy Spirit, the New Bible Commentary says: “This is the first of five important statements regarding the Holy Spirit in these Discourses. The Greek word translated ‘parakletos’ includes the idea of one called in to help, but is not to be restricted to a legal advocate. The more general idea of counseling better expresses the meaning. The Counselor’s help is not intermittent, but continuous.” (New Bible commentary, Third Edition, p.959)

In the following chapter of this Gospel, 16, Jesus says: “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth.” (John 16:13) What “truth” are we humans seeking in the sense of our soul’s longing? We are seeking the “truth” about God, to know God? Jesus said in last week’s Gospel, ”I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me.” (John 14:6)

CONCLUSION

Jesus said: “If you love Me you will keep My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, because He abides with you, and will be in you.” (John 14:15-17)

In the last chapter of this Gospel according to St John, in one of Jesus’ resurrection appearances, after Jesus and the disciples with Him had finished breakfast, Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love Me.” (John 21:15f)

Today’s appointed Gospel reading commences with Jesus saying to us all: “If you love Me you will keep My commandments….” (John 14: 15f)

The Son of God challenges us all in His words to us in the Gospel today to: love Him and God our heavenly Father with all our hearts, minds and strength and to love our neighbor as we would love ourselves. The New Commandment being: “Love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12)

As the Son of God, Jesus, challenged Peter three times, so Jesus challenges us regarding our love for Him. “Do we love Him, first and foremost in our lives?”

The Lord be with you!`

Bulletin for May 21st 2017 has been posted

May 19, 2017 by John Sanderson

Bulletin for May 21st 2017

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The Rev’d Gail Bryce – sermon for the Fifth Sunday in Easter, 14th May, 2017

May 15, 2017 by John Sanderson

ST. GEORGE’S ANGLICAN CHURCH, IVANHOE EAST

FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

8.00 and 10 am 14^th May, 2017

Readings:

Acts 7:55-60

Psalm 31:1-5, 17+18

1 Peter 2:11-25

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!

INTRODUCTION

The sermon today is in the form of a first person narrative. In the first Scripture reading appointed for today from Acts, (7:55-60,) we heard that the first Christian martyr, Stephen, was persecuted and stoned to death.

I will assume the character of Stephen, in this sermon, speaking as though I were Stephen, the man of faith in God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Stephen was so passionate about his faith in our Lord, that he was prepared to give his all, his life, in order to bring glory to God. St. Stephen has, no doubt, inspired countless lives to give their all to our Lord, counting their own lives as nothing and counting it all joy to serve God in His Son our Lord Jesus Christ.

Stephen says: “I, Stephen, speak these words to you to encourage you in your very own walk of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

You live in a very different time to when I was our Lord’s servant on earth. We are thousands of years apart in history and culture, but we share the “pearl of great price”, i.e., faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, our Lord and Saviour,

I heard God’s Word to my people, the Israelites, when: I worshipped in the Temple, from our “oral tradition,” from family and faith traditions and from my teachers. (Note: Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nzicolaus, (Acts 6:5)”all bore Greek names, probably Hellenistic Jews from the Diaspora, “New Bible Commentary, P979))

I knew the Apostles and was utterly inspired by their lives of faith in our Lord, Jesus Christ. Every one of them, except John, died for their faith. (“More Than A Carpenter”, p.57, Josh McDowell)

You read and hear God’s Word to you in the Holy Scriptures and you have the faith witness of all the faithful Christians down through the ages, especially those whose faith did not waiver when they were faced with persecution and even death

I, Stephen, wonder what the world is like now for you? What oppression does your world need saving from? No doubt there are some aspects of your world which are in need of change. How well do your family, relatives, friends and Nation know and understand the truth that the Saviour of the world, Jesus, has already came to rescue us all from bondage of every kind and paid the price for each of our sins on the Cross?

JESUS – THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE

Let us look in depth at God’s message to you today from the Gospel of John.

Jesus said to His Disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.” (John 14:1)

Jesus is comforting, calming down the disciple’s anxiety and fears which had risen almost to fever pitch! As the first Christian martyr, I can say to you that such comforting words from our Saviour Jesus, are that which give us the courage to continue our journey – whatever trials we encounter. In the previous chapter, 13, of this Gospel, Jesus has foretold that, a) one of the Disciples will betray Him

b) that Peter will deny Him three times and, most disturbingly for His disciples

c) that He would shortly leave them

The Disciples, who had left everything to follow Jesus were dismayed, disconcerted, alarmed, insecure – fearing their future. They didn’t understand what was about to happen. I guess, had any of us been there at that time, we, too, would have found it difficult to grasp the impact of what Jesus was saying.

You sit at a different vantage point to the disciples, they were in the midst of those world shattering events.

You see them from afar.

You know what happened.

You know what events occurred in Jesus’ life.

You know the agony our Lord suffered on the Cross to free you and us all – all humanity from the guilt of our sin.

You know the sublime ecstasy that death did not triumph over Jesus.

You know that Jesus rose victorious from the grave.

You know that this is the most profound “Good News” this world will ever know!

You know that God’s love for you expressed in the death and resurrection of our Saviour Jesus, has changed history, hopefully the history of your life as you have come to know this truth and understood it in your hearts and as you live the new transformed and resurrected life of a Christian.

I, Stephen, can verify for you, that this is what happened to me. I was hungry to find God, to know God, to know that He is real. God always takes the initiative in drawing us to faith in Him and in His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. God draws us like a magnet to Him. He says in His Word: “When you search for Me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 229:13)

A vital teaching from Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God, which convinced and convicted me to believe, without a shadow of a doubt, that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God, was that which was read here today at St. George’s.

The early Christians were called, “Followers of The Way”. In John’s Gospel chapter 14, we can hear Jesus’ reply to frustrated Thomas’ question, that they “didn’t know where Jesus was going so how could they know the way?” (John 14:5)

Jesus’ reply was ground breaking, revolutionary, unprecedented, unparalleled when He said those unforgettable words: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me.” (John 14:6) What Jesus said in this statement, I, Stephen, have personally found to be true. I am now living this life with the Father, with Jesus and with all the redeemed, in eternity because God reached out to my life and drew me to follow “the Way” through faith in Jesus.

JESUS – THE WAY

When Jesus said: “I am the way”, (John 14:6) He was saying that belief in Him is the only way we can connect with God in heaven. That He, Jesus, is the only connection humanity has with God. “Since Jesus is the revelation of God, there is no other way to the Father but by Jesus.” (“The New International Commentary On The New Testament – John, p.637, Leon Morris) Because Jesus is God how can there be any other way to the Father – God? When we follow Jesus, He leads the way to God, therefore He is THE WAY! Faith in Jesus is faith in God – they are one.

As I, Stephen, try to imagine the world you are living in, whatever other “religions” there are in your world – none of them lead humanity to God because Jesus says here that HE IS THE WAY! This was a shattering statement then, because in saying this, Jesus was saying that He was God – which He is, but to my people, the Jews, this was blasphemy. This fact about Jesus has not changed though the centuries have come and gone. This fact remains true to you today and will be true forever. Jesus is the only way to God – the Son of God has said this and He tells the absolute truth! Does this not elevate Jesus to the highest place possible? Jesus is God, nothing less – and He is the only way to God!

JESUS – THE TRUTH

Jesus also said; “I am the truth”. (John 14:6)

That Jesus is the “truth” reminds us of the complete reliability of Jesus in all that He says, does and is. Jesus is God. Jesus speaks the truth. Jesus’ teaching was and is the TRUTH and this pointed His hearers to God.” (Reflections on the Gospel of John, Leon Morris)

JESUS – THE LIFE

Jesus said: “I am the Life.” (John 14:6)

The only life worthy of being called “life” is that life which Jesus brings to us all as a result of our faith in Him, This is full, free, forgiven and abundant life. Ultimately, as I, Stephen, have personally experienced, “there is no eternal life apart from Christ.” (Reflections on the Gospel of John, p494, Leon Morris)

JESUS IS GOD

Jesus enlightened the disciples further, saying unambiguously: “If you know Me, you will know my Father.” (John 14:7)

In response to Philip’s request for Jesus to show the Disciples the Father, (i.e., God). Jesus declared: “I am in the Father and the Father is in Me.” (John 14:9)

Then Jesus extrapolates further by saying: “….if you do not believe this, then believe me because of the works themselves.” (John 14:11)

In the Gospel of John, Jesus’ “works” are the miracles or “signs” . A sign points us in a certain direction. Jesus’ miracles are “signs” which point all humanity to the absolute fact that Jesus is God (no one else could do these “works”). They are evidence that God is at ‘work” in and through Jesus because He is, indeed, God!

What Jesus said about Himself as quoted in John chapter 14 was “revolutionary”, to the Jews of Jesus’ day. It was revolutionary to their religious experience and their theological understanding. No one had ever claimed to actually be the connection between God and humanity, (“But Don’t All Religions Lead To God?”, p.43, Michael Green) as did Jesus when He said: “I am the way, and the truth and the life – no one comes to the Father but by me.” No one had actually claimed, nor have since, despite the plethora of religions which existed then or have since come into being, no other person has ever claimed to be the Son of God nor have they claimed to be the “way” through whom a person will enter heaven.

I, Stephen, came to a profound and life changing convicting knowledge that Jesus is the Son of God. That He was the long expected Messiah of my people. You all heard Him say, in the Gospel reading today: “If you know me, you will know my Father also.” (John 14:7

MY (STEPHEN’S) MARTYRDOM

Following Jesus’ ascension and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, (Acts 2:1f) the fledgling church began to grow and to touch more and more lives with the love of God. The message that Jesus’ death on the Cross was for the sins of the whole human race was received with grateful hearts by many who believed in Him, as did I, were baptized and received the Holy Spirit and became Christians, followers of “the Way”. Our lives were totally turned around and demonstrated God’s love through the care and provision we shared with all our brothers and sisters in Christ, many people were healed as the Holy Spirit enabled us to reach out with His healing touch to others in the Name of Jesus. The apostles chose myself, Philip, and five others, laid hands on us and prayed the Holy Spirit would enable us to help with the work of caring for the needs of our community. (Acts 6:1-7)

God filled me with His wisdom and the power of the Holy Spirit enabling me to accomplish much for Him and for His glory. Those who debated with me on some of the points of my people’s faith history and “fixed” the gathering by having people stir others to be objectors to what I was saying. (Acts 6:12)

In response to the high priest’s searching question regarding Jesus, I explained our faith history starting with Moses. God emboldened me through the Holy Spirit, to speak the truth that the hierarchy of the Jews had been: “a stiff necked people and that they had forever opposed the Holy Spirit. That they had killed the prophets who had foretold the coming of the Righteous One”, (Jesus) (Acts 7:51f) t

I then accused them saying: “you have become His betrayers and murderers?” (Acts 7:52) It wont take much for you to imagine that this was too much for them. Their anger became red hot and they ground their teeth at me. (Acts 7:54)

I can only encourage you by saying that at that moment, God encouraged me by showing me His glory and I actually saw Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father. (Acts 7:55) So profound and wonderful was this sight that I gave voice to it in front of the entire Jewish Council and others who had gathered there. This was too much for them – they were the “experts” who knew all about God, but did not know Him or obey His laws with all their hearts.

Their rage was so great that they dragged me out of the city and began to stone me to death. (Acts 7:58) As my life blood was draining away with each stone which penetrated my flesh, God gave me similar words to my Lord’s when He was on the Cross dying for my sins, yours and those of the entire world, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” (Acts 7:59, (Luke 23:46)) My strength was so sapped that I fell to my knees and gave voice to: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” (Acts 7:58) “Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do.” – Jesus – Luke 23:34) These were the last words from my last breath that I uttered.

You may well ask, question, ponder why I would so willingly give up my life for my faith in Jesus Christ.

I can simply say, Jesus gave His life for me so that I can have full and abundant life – greater love has no one than this.

The sacrifice of my spilt blood, has been the source of many a person coming to true faith in our Saviour,

FAREWELL

After my earthly life was taken away from me by those who were angered by the truth about the Son of God, my garments lay at the feet of a man named Saul. You know him as Paul, whose transformed life, once he had been encountered by the Son of God, became the greatest missionary for Jesus the world has ever known. He once wrote in one of his letters: “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection…” (Philippians 3:10)

I feel compelled to say to you that it should be “the burnping desire of every Christian to know God better” to know the truth about God therefore to increase in faith in Him. (“Be Transformed”, p.30, Warren Wiersbe)

As I bid you farewell, I thank you for hearing my story. May you be as powerfully convinced as was I about the truth that Jesus is God, for this is the “pearl of great price” which people all over the world are searching to find.

May all who search find the Son of God, Jesus, Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. “

The Lord be with you!

The Rev’d. Gail Bryce

14^th May, 2017