Dear Fellow Pilgrim,
I greet you with a description of who we are: But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9).
Do you know anyone in this Valley who at one time went to church but no longer does?
Do you think they would return if you asked them?
We are told that many of these people are waiting for a genuine invitation to return.
Their return is just one invitation away – an invitation from you and me.
Do you realize what a difference you can make in someone else’s life by inviting them back to church?
I am so excited and grateful for this opportunity to encourage people to reconnect with the family of God and in some cases with God Himself.
I want to encourage you to prayerfully think of who you would love to invite Back to Church on September 12, 2010.
We still have a few of the little booklets left, entitled: “10 reasons why people are leaving the church and why they are coming back.” They are well done and do not hit people over the head with guilt.
I remind us of the reason we exist as a church: Compelled by Christ’s love, Gospel Chapel exists as a family belonging to God that is united in loving Him, loving others, and helping people follow Jesus.
What an incredible privilege to be on this journey together with the One who is in charge – JESUS!
Looking forward to what God will do as we are faithful in praying and inviting.
God bless you richly today,
Pastor Henry
Helping you follow Jesus.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Back to Church Sunday
Sept. 12 is Back to Church Sunday at Gospel Chapel. Who are you going to invite?
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Life is a wreck
It doesn't take long for anyone to realize that life is a wreck, its a mess, everyone and everything is pretty well screwed up, or so it seems! we turn on the TV we see pain, we read the paper we see destruction in various ways, we drive a car and it breaks down...all the time!
"The sheer quantity of wreckage around us is appalling: wrecked bodies, wrecked marriages, wrecked careers, wrecked plans, wrecked families, wrecked alliances, wrecked friendships, wrecked prosperity. We avert our eyes. We try not to dwell on it. We whistle in the dark. We wake up in the morning hoping for health and love, justice and success, we build quick mental and emotional defenses against the inrush of bad news, and we try to keep our hopes up. And then some kind of crash or other puts us or someone we care about in a pile of wreckage. Newspapers document the ruins with photographs and headlines. Our own hearts and journals fill in the details. Are there any promises, any hopes that are exempt from the general carnage? It doesn't seem so."-Eugene Peterson, Working the Angles.
It all seems so hopeless, so pointless, so...sad! Everyone on some level has struggles in life, everyone of us has some sin that we cant seem to overcome! it can seem so utterly depressing!
This i think is one of the many reasons why Jesus was/is so appealing, hes not a wreck! he was consistent and whole. that being said we made a wreck of him, we took the one and only thing that was not screwed up and beat it to a pulp! how hopeless can we get?
it almost seems that we as humans cannot handle something or someone that is not a wreck. Adam and Eve couldn't. The Israelite's couldn't. The Pharisees couldn't. And we can't either. Does it ever bother you when people are doing really well on any level at all. we seem to become jealous and upset because it isn't us that is doing well. or when someone is doing well especially spiritually it can be so easy for us as humans to be annoyed by that person and think of them as a "goodie two shoes." it would seem that on some level, somewhere within us we hate what is good or that which is not a wreck!
However (and thank the LORD) there is hope, there is freedom, there is LIFE! "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."-John 10:10
It can be cliche or obvious but it is the simple truth. Freedom from this wreck of a life is found in Jesus. man alive i don't know how people get by in the life without HIM. i could never do it.
Having this hope and faith in Christ of course does not mean that life wont be hard, or that the world around us will stop crumbling. but on a certain level it does help give us some understanding of this world, we can see it in a new light and know that this world is messed but Christ is not finished with it yet, and there will be restoration! And above all else we have Christ to rest in for his "yoke is easy and his burden is light."-Matthew 11:30
-bent ;)
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Proverbs Sermon
PROVERBS
Here is the (an edited version) sermon i preached at the Grand Forks Gospel Chapel, I hope it can bless you in some way, I know that Gad used me in various ways that morning and im thankful to preach from His word and give all the credit to Him since He helped me!
So as we go through the O.T. books it is important to keep these passages in mind:
2 Timothy 3:16-17:
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
1 Corinthians 10:11:
“Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.”
Luke 24:27, 44:
“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He (Christ) explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself. He said to them, “this is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
A. INTERESTING FACTS
A proverb is often a short, compact statement that express’ truths about human behavior. It is often used in similes or metaphors, which can make it more powerful and vivid.
The Fear of the Lord is mentioned 16 times, (1:7, 1:29, 2:5, 3:7, 8:13, 9:10, 10:27, 14:2, 14:26, 14:27, 16:6, 19:23, 22:4, 23:17, 24:21, 31:30) within the book of Proverbs.
Proverbs give wisdom for: relationships, parenting, time management, prudence, limits, humility, money, learning to listen. (To just name a few).
B. AUTHOR
The Primary Author of Proverbs was King Solomon son of David and Bathsheba.
Along with Proverbs, Song of Songs (which I am not allowed to read until I am married) and Ecclesiastes can also be attributed to Solomon. It is also possible that Solomon wrote a couple of the Psalms as well. (72 and 127).
We know that Solomon must have been the primary author because the Bible says so:
Proverbs 1:1 “The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel”
Proverbs 10:1 “The proverbs of Solomon”
Proverbs 25:1 “These are more proverbs of Solomon, copied by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah”
Solomon was mentioned many times throughout the Old Testament and we learn a lot about him within the book of 1 Kings.
1 Kings 4:29-34 “29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the men of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than any other man, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. 33 He described plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. 34 Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon's wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.”
Let me remind you that Solomon was not the sole author of Proverbs. A few more names pop up within the book of Proverbs. In chapter 22:17 and 24:23 The titles read “sayings of the wise” Chapter 30 is attributed to Agur son of Jakeh and finally 31:1-9 to King Lemuel who is not mentioned anywhere else in the O.T. and many would agree was a non-Israelite king. Also chapters 25-29 are Solomon’s proverbs collected by Hezekiah.
C. DATE
Because Proverbs is a collection of writings from various authors there is a wide range of dates of when certain proverbs were written and when they were all collected to make the book of proverbs. I would suggest that the book of Proverbs was finalized around the fifth century B.C.
D. BIG PICTURE OUTLINE
1-9 The superiority of wisdom
10-21 Main collection of Solomon’s Proverbs
22-24 Sayings of the wise
25-29 Hezekiah’s collection of Solomon’s Proverbs
30 Sayings of Agur
31:1-9 Sayings of King Lemuel
31:10-31 The ideal wife
E. THEME
The ingredients for living a full life is rooted in the fear of the LORD.
F. SENTENCE SUMMARY
To have fear in the LORD is wisdom and leads to known positive effects and to defy it leads only to unhappy consequences.
G. KEY VERSES
1:1-7 “1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: 2 for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; 3 for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; 4 for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young-5 let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance-6 for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.
7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”
3:5, 6 “5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
H. THE BATTLE
1. Wise vs. The Fool
There are countless examples of what is in store for the wise and what is in store for the fool.
2. Woman Wisdom vs. The Adulterous Woman
There are many verses within Proverbs that depict wisdom as a female,
3:13-15 “13 Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, 14 for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.15 She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.”
Which is the exact opposite of the adulteress women talked about in
5:3-6, “3 For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; 4 but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave. 6 She gives no thought to the way of life;
Her paths are crooked, but she knows it not.”
3. World Wisdom vs. Biblical Wisdom.
There is a lot of so-called wisdom out in our world today. We are told how to be wise by so many different things in our culture. However if you truly want to be wise and live life to the full, the Bible and certainly the book of Proverbs will show you how to do just that!
I. MUSIC
Prov 25:20 “Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar poured on soda, is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.”
Prov 29:6 “An evil man is snared by his own sin, but a righteous one can sing and be glad.
J. CHRIST IN PROVERBS
Though Christ is not specifically mentioned in the book of Proverbs I would argue that there are connections to HIM within the book of Proverbs.
The first one is the example of wisdom Jesus was. He applied the book of Proverbs directly to his life and teachings.
Mk 1:21-22, “21They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.
Mk 6:2, “2When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.”
The Greek word translated as "parable" (parabole) in the New Testament is a translation of the Hebrew word for "proverb" (masal). In other words, Jesus was a teacher of wisdom.
Proverbs 8 is a chapter that would appear to talk about Christ and or Wisdom. The arguments can go either way. Some verses within this chapter seem to speak clearly that this is in fact Christ,
8:27, 34, and 35 “27 I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep. 34 Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. 35 For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the LORD.”
This clearly sounds like Christ
However other verses make it a challenge to say this is Christ,
8:22, 24 “22 "The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old 24 When there were no oceans, I was given birth, when there were no springs abounding with water.”
This passage seems to imply that wisdom being spoken of is part of the creation and, of course, Jesus is not a created being.
I personally would not be quick to say that Proverbs 8 is talking strictly about Christ, however many who are far wiser than I would disagree with me, I’ll let you be the judge. Either way it is important to note that there is Christ like qualities within this chapter.
I think one of the most helpful passages on Christ and Proverbs was actually written by Paul in Col 2:2-3 which says
“My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
“To say that the crucified Christ is the Wisdom of God is to say that he is the key to the meaning of the whole of the created order, and therefore the source of true wisdom, wherever that is to be found”-Colin Gunton
I would say in conclusion on the matter of Christ in Proverbs, is that the wise man chooses Jesus and his gospel whereas the fool chooses the empty idolatry and folly of this world.
K. SO WHAT!?
1. God does not call us to be lazy.
Proverbs talks a lot about being lazy and the outcomes for that. It can be very easy to be lazy in our culture. In the world we live in I can communicate with people all over the world or right in town without leaving my room. Never have we had so much access to communication and technology. This I believe has created a problem of laziness. We spend time together in front of TV’s, we talk through texting and emails, and we spend countless hours playing computer and video games. If ever there was a temptation to be lazy it is now. Don’t get me wrong there is a lot of good in technology, I just think we need to watch how much time we invest in technology vs. how much time we invest in others!
2. God calls us away from adultery and toward wisdom
Something that I have spoken on many times back at Briercrest is sexual purity. Proverbs clearly states that sexual impurity leads to death and destruction! There is nothing good for us there. Lust and pornography is taking us by storm and is killing Godly men and women. God says right in Proverbs what results in these actions and tells us there is something far better for us all.
3. Life is a challenge
Lets face it, life is hard. Talk to anyone who has ever lost a loved one, has ever dealt with addictions, or who can’t afford things like food and a roof over their head! Life isn’t easy. However there is hope in wisdom, and true wisdom is Christ! Wisdom is the fear of the Lord, if you didn’t catch it the first few times. Proverbs, helps us navigate through this thing we call life. Wisdom is the journey of the well-lived life, navigating successfully in God’s Creation.
N.T. Wright says, “Learning to navigate this world wisely, and to grow toward complete and mature human life in and through it all, is the challenge we all face.”-N.T. Wright
4. Fearing the Lord is essential when living a life for Christ.
If we want to be effective in the work that God has for us on earth we need to know what it means to fear the Lord. I would say that this has been lost in our culture. It can be so easy when we live in comfort to not know what the fear of the Lord truly means. Is God our friend? Yes! But he is so much more than that, I think we have leaned too far to one side and we have lost what it truly means to fear God, and according to Proverbs, the fear of the Lord is ESSENTIAL!
Our lives should be lived in awareness of the LORD of creation and in reliance on his generous providence.
-bent ;)
Here is the (an edited version) sermon i preached at the Grand Forks Gospel Chapel, I hope it can bless you in some way, I know that Gad used me in various ways that morning and im thankful to preach from His word and give all the credit to Him since He helped me!
So as we go through the O.T. books it is important to keep these passages in mind:
2 Timothy 3:16-17:
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
1 Corinthians 10:11:
“Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.”
Luke 24:27, 44:
“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He (Christ) explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself. He said to them, “this is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
A. INTERESTING FACTS
A proverb is often a short, compact statement that express’ truths about human behavior. It is often used in similes or metaphors, which can make it more powerful and vivid.
The Fear of the Lord is mentioned 16 times, (1:7, 1:29, 2:5, 3:7, 8:13, 9:10, 10:27, 14:2, 14:26, 14:27, 16:6, 19:23, 22:4, 23:17, 24:21, 31:30) within the book of Proverbs.
Proverbs give wisdom for: relationships, parenting, time management, prudence, limits, humility, money, learning to listen. (To just name a few).
B. AUTHOR
The Primary Author of Proverbs was King Solomon son of David and Bathsheba.
Along with Proverbs, Song of Songs (which I am not allowed to read until I am married) and Ecclesiastes can also be attributed to Solomon. It is also possible that Solomon wrote a couple of the Psalms as well. (72 and 127).
We know that Solomon must have been the primary author because the Bible says so:
Proverbs 1:1 “The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel”
Proverbs 10:1 “The proverbs of Solomon”
Proverbs 25:1 “These are more proverbs of Solomon, copied by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah”
Solomon was mentioned many times throughout the Old Testament and we learn a lot about him within the book of 1 Kings.
1 Kings 4:29-34 “29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the men of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than any other man, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. 33 He described plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. 34 Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon's wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.”
Let me remind you that Solomon was not the sole author of Proverbs. A few more names pop up within the book of Proverbs. In chapter 22:17 and 24:23 The titles read “sayings of the wise” Chapter 30 is attributed to Agur son of Jakeh and finally 31:1-9 to King Lemuel who is not mentioned anywhere else in the O.T. and many would agree was a non-Israelite king. Also chapters 25-29 are Solomon’s proverbs collected by Hezekiah.
C. DATE
Because Proverbs is a collection of writings from various authors there is a wide range of dates of when certain proverbs were written and when they were all collected to make the book of proverbs. I would suggest that the book of Proverbs was finalized around the fifth century B.C.
D. BIG PICTURE OUTLINE
1-9 The superiority of wisdom
10-21 Main collection of Solomon’s Proverbs
22-24 Sayings of the wise
25-29 Hezekiah’s collection of Solomon’s Proverbs
30 Sayings of Agur
31:1-9 Sayings of King Lemuel
31:10-31 The ideal wife
E. THEME
The ingredients for living a full life is rooted in the fear of the LORD.
F. SENTENCE SUMMARY
To have fear in the LORD is wisdom and leads to known positive effects and to defy it leads only to unhappy consequences.
G. KEY VERSES
1:1-7 “1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: 2 for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; 3 for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; 4 for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young-5 let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance-6 for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.
7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”
3:5, 6 “5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
H. THE BATTLE
1. Wise vs. The Fool
There are countless examples of what is in store for the wise and what is in store for the fool.
2. Woman Wisdom vs. The Adulterous Woman
There are many verses within Proverbs that depict wisdom as a female,
3:13-15 “13 Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, 14 for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.15 She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.”
Which is the exact opposite of the adulteress women talked about in
5:3-6, “3 For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; 4 but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave. 6 She gives no thought to the way of life;
Her paths are crooked, but she knows it not.”
3. World Wisdom vs. Biblical Wisdom.
There is a lot of so-called wisdom out in our world today. We are told how to be wise by so many different things in our culture. However if you truly want to be wise and live life to the full, the Bible and certainly the book of Proverbs will show you how to do just that!
I. MUSIC
Prov 25:20 “Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar poured on soda, is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.”
Prov 29:6 “An evil man is snared by his own sin, but a righteous one can sing and be glad.
J. CHRIST IN PROVERBS
Though Christ is not specifically mentioned in the book of Proverbs I would argue that there are connections to HIM within the book of Proverbs.
The first one is the example of wisdom Jesus was. He applied the book of Proverbs directly to his life and teachings.
Mk 1:21-22, “21They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.
Mk 6:2, “2When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.”
The Greek word translated as "parable" (parabole) in the New Testament is a translation of the Hebrew word for "proverb" (masal). In other words, Jesus was a teacher of wisdom.
Proverbs 8 is a chapter that would appear to talk about Christ and or Wisdom. The arguments can go either way. Some verses within this chapter seem to speak clearly that this is in fact Christ,
8:27, 34, and 35 “27 I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep. 34 Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. 35 For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the LORD.”
This clearly sounds like Christ
However other verses make it a challenge to say this is Christ,
8:22, 24 “22 "The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old 24 When there were no oceans, I was given birth, when there were no springs abounding with water.”
This passage seems to imply that wisdom being spoken of is part of the creation and, of course, Jesus is not a created being.
I personally would not be quick to say that Proverbs 8 is talking strictly about Christ, however many who are far wiser than I would disagree with me, I’ll let you be the judge. Either way it is important to note that there is Christ like qualities within this chapter.
I think one of the most helpful passages on Christ and Proverbs was actually written by Paul in Col 2:2-3 which says
“My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
“To say that the crucified Christ is the Wisdom of God is to say that he is the key to the meaning of the whole of the created order, and therefore the source of true wisdom, wherever that is to be found”-Colin Gunton
I would say in conclusion on the matter of Christ in Proverbs, is that the wise man chooses Jesus and his gospel whereas the fool chooses the empty idolatry and folly of this world.
K. SO WHAT!?
1. God does not call us to be lazy.
Proverbs talks a lot about being lazy and the outcomes for that. It can be very easy to be lazy in our culture. In the world we live in I can communicate with people all over the world or right in town without leaving my room. Never have we had so much access to communication and technology. This I believe has created a problem of laziness. We spend time together in front of TV’s, we talk through texting and emails, and we spend countless hours playing computer and video games. If ever there was a temptation to be lazy it is now. Don’t get me wrong there is a lot of good in technology, I just think we need to watch how much time we invest in technology vs. how much time we invest in others!
2. God calls us away from adultery and toward wisdom
Something that I have spoken on many times back at Briercrest is sexual purity. Proverbs clearly states that sexual impurity leads to death and destruction! There is nothing good for us there. Lust and pornography is taking us by storm and is killing Godly men and women. God says right in Proverbs what results in these actions and tells us there is something far better for us all.
3. Life is a challenge
Lets face it, life is hard. Talk to anyone who has ever lost a loved one, has ever dealt with addictions, or who can’t afford things like food and a roof over their head! Life isn’t easy. However there is hope in wisdom, and true wisdom is Christ! Wisdom is the fear of the Lord, if you didn’t catch it the first few times. Proverbs, helps us navigate through this thing we call life. Wisdom is the journey of the well-lived life, navigating successfully in God’s Creation.
N.T. Wright says, “Learning to navigate this world wisely, and to grow toward complete and mature human life in and through it all, is the challenge we all face.”-N.T. Wright
4. Fearing the Lord is essential when living a life for Christ.
If we want to be effective in the work that God has for us on earth we need to know what it means to fear the Lord. I would say that this has been lost in our culture. It can be so easy when we live in comfort to not know what the fear of the Lord truly means. Is God our friend? Yes! But he is so much more than that, I think we have leaned too far to one side and we have lost what it truly means to fear God, and according to Proverbs, the fear of the Lord is ESSENTIAL!
Our lives should be lived in awareness of the LORD of creation and in reliance on his generous providence.
-bent ;)
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