Sunday 26 July
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This week my message is based on a passage from Acts chapter 5 verses 33–42
'Peter and the other Apostles were under arrest for preaching about Jesus and had been brought before the rulers of the Jewish church, the Sanhedrin.
33 When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. 34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honoured by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. 35 Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: ‘Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36 Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.’
40 His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42 Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.'
Message: -
My aim this week is to unpack the reading a bit with an eye on how we might see God at work both in the reading and in our lives.
When one reads the Bible, one can clearly see that there have always been Disciples down the years who have had a hard time. Our reading begins with a similar story of Theudas who was killed but then turns to tell of Peter and the other Apostles who were set free. You could say that what happened to them was unbelievable. I believe we have a God of the unbelievable. Even from the very beginning it is unbelievable that when there was nothing God existed as Father Son and Spirit, with nothing else at all and for how long that were the case no one knows. Then one day God said let there be light and the story begins. God has been doing the impossible ever since. That is why I am asking for your stories of God’s goodness in your lives for next week. God’s goodness as I said last week is one of the best ways to lift the level of faith in any fellowship. Dare I say, even in the prayer “God, let me find a parking space” and there is one! Even that could lift one’s faith. But is that just luck or answered prayer?
All I would say is that, just the one co-incidence would be just that but when dozens of co-incidences happen in response to prayers that is what I call God-incidences. When one of these is impossible, I see that as God at work and that is what we have in our reading.
Our reading sees Peter and the Apostles locked up under threat of death for blasphemy in that they were preaching about Jesus. Then God intercedes. And they are free.
Since then history is full of what God is doing and still it is impossible. It is no wonder that the sceptics in the world don’t believe or rather they have to believe in something other than God.
For so many people there can’t be a God “when so much bad stuff happens” but then that is a flawed argument. If there can’t be a God, he can’t he can’t be responsible for anything. Good or bad!
But then the corollary has to be true too! To be responsible for anything he must first exist!
The issue the Pharisee named Gamaliel and the Sanhedrin had was however the opposite I believe. Not that Yahweh didn’t exist but rather that the Son of God didn’t. Jesus had to be an imposter. Otherwise their entire existence and way of life was in question. They couldn’t accept that the arrival of the Messiah meant the arrival of everything they were anticipating. So, they plotted the death of the Apostles.
Gamaliel however, skilfully talked them out of executing the apostles in the belief that they would be found out to be imposters and put in their place by the mob or just fizzle away in a time.
God however turned bad into good as he often has, is and will do again and again.
Joyce and I were in a very difficult situation at work that had a negative impact on our health and on my placement as a Minister. Early retirement and a move to Dunbar allowed us to heal and recover. Something, we would have thought impossible just 3 years ago but God made it happen. More than that, it allowed me to spend time at Belhaven and build relationships there. That time was followed by my time here. Clearly either most fortuitous which I don’t believe, or the perfect timing of God and another example of our God of the impossible working for the good of those who love him. Then to be asked to vacate our home and find not 1 but 2 houses in just a few weeks is again an impossibility, save for God.
My message today has to be to encourage you to look for what God is doing in your lives and around about you and to encourage you to share these incredible demonstrations, of his love and care for you, with each other. If we can learn to see our God of the impossible at work in our lives, it becomes easier to allow him to make our little light shine in this dark world of ours.
To His glory. Amen.
'Peter and the other Apostles were under arrest for preaching about Jesus and had been brought before the rulers of the Jewish church, the Sanhedrin.
33 When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. 34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honoured by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. 35 Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: ‘Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36 Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.’
40 His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42 Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.'
Message: -
My aim this week is to unpack the reading a bit with an eye on how we might see God at work both in the reading and in our lives.
When one reads the Bible, one can clearly see that there have always been Disciples down the years who have had a hard time. Our reading begins with a similar story of Theudas who was killed but then turns to tell of Peter and the other Apostles who were set free. You could say that what happened to them was unbelievable. I believe we have a God of the unbelievable. Even from the very beginning it is unbelievable that when there was nothing God existed as Father Son and Spirit, with nothing else at all and for how long that were the case no one knows. Then one day God said let there be light and the story begins. God has been doing the impossible ever since. That is why I am asking for your stories of God’s goodness in your lives for next week. God’s goodness as I said last week is one of the best ways to lift the level of faith in any fellowship. Dare I say, even in the prayer “God, let me find a parking space” and there is one! Even that could lift one’s faith. But is that just luck or answered prayer?
All I would say is that, just the one co-incidence would be just that but when dozens of co-incidences happen in response to prayers that is what I call God-incidences. When one of these is impossible, I see that as God at work and that is what we have in our reading.
Our reading sees Peter and the Apostles locked up under threat of death for blasphemy in that they were preaching about Jesus. Then God intercedes. And they are free.
Since then history is full of what God is doing and still it is impossible. It is no wonder that the sceptics in the world don’t believe or rather they have to believe in something other than God.
For so many people there can’t be a God “when so much bad stuff happens” but then that is a flawed argument. If there can’t be a God, he can’t he can’t be responsible for anything. Good or bad!
But then the corollary has to be true too! To be responsible for anything he must first exist!
The issue the Pharisee named Gamaliel and the Sanhedrin had was however the opposite I believe. Not that Yahweh didn’t exist but rather that the Son of God didn’t. Jesus had to be an imposter. Otherwise their entire existence and way of life was in question. They couldn’t accept that the arrival of the Messiah meant the arrival of everything they were anticipating. So, they plotted the death of the Apostles.
Gamaliel however, skilfully talked them out of executing the apostles in the belief that they would be found out to be imposters and put in their place by the mob or just fizzle away in a time.
God however turned bad into good as he often has, is and will do again and again.
Joyce and I were in a very difficult situation at work that had a negative impact on our health and on my placement as a Minister. Early retirement and a move to Dunbar allowed us to heal and recover. Something, we would have thought impossible just 3 years ago but God made it happen. More than that, it allowed me to spend time at Belhaven and build relationships there. That time was followed by my time here. Clearly either most fortuitous which I don’t believe, or the perfect timing of God and another example of our God of the impossible working for the good of those who love him. Then to be asked to vacate our home and find not 1 but 2 houses in just a few weeks is again an impossibility, save for God.
My message today has to be to encourage you to look for what God is doing in your lives and around about you and to encourage you to share these incredible demonstrations, of his love and care for you, with each other. If we can learn to see our God of the impossible at work in our lives, it becomes easier to allow him to make our little light shine in this dark world of ours.
To His glory. Amen.