Worship

Please take time to consider the words of this wonderful song, as you offer yourself in worship to the Lord.

‘Be still for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One is here;
Come bow before Him now, with reverence & fear:
In Him no sin is found – We stand on holy ground.
Be still, for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One, is here.

Be still, for the glory of the Lord Is shining all around;
He burns with holy fire, with splendour He is crowned:
How awesome is the sight – our radiant King of light!
Be still, for the glory of the Lord is shining all around.

Be still, for the power of the Lord Is moving in this place:
He comes to cleanse & heal, to minister His grace –
No word too hard for Him. In faith receive from Him.
Be still, for the power of the Lord is moving in this place.’

Sermon on the Mat: True or False, Matthew 7:15-23.

‘Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves……….’ v. 15.

How do we discern truth from error? How do we know whether or not what we are hearing & experiencing through the life of another person is genuinely the Spirit of God at work?

By looking beyond the rhetoric.

By paying as much attention to the attitude & character of the speaker as we do their message & their manner of delivery. Paul said it best when he stated in 1 Corinthians 13:1 – ‘If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging symbol.’

I don’t know about you but I’d rather listen to a faltering sermon from a person who I know walks with humility & integrity before the living God, than a smooth talking individual who excites & draws in the crowds but behind closed doors seeks to further their own ends.

Putting it another way, beware of all preachers & indeed all prophets who love themselves more than they do God & the people of God! Preachers & prophets who are not only out to exploit our emotions but also our pocketbooks as well, in order, take note, to furnish a lifestyle that is diametrically opposed to the lifestyle Jesus exercised here on earth. As we’re taught in 2 Corinthians 8:9 – ‘Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor so that you through His poverty might become rich!’

In relation to this verse John Stott notes – ‘The authority by which the Christian leader leads is not power but love, not force but example, not coercion but reasoned persuasion. Leaders have power but power is safe only in the hands of those who humble themselves to serve.’

By looking beyond the rhetoric – By staying close to Christ.

The more we centre our minds on Jesus, the better able we will be to distinguish between what is of God & what us not of God. I.e. Where the destructive presence of the wolf begins & the innocent presence of the sheep ends. Remember the devil is the master counterfeiter, capable of deceiving the very elect of God, (Matthew 24:24), if we allow him to.

We need to be on our metal at all times, if we are to avoid falling foul of his many deceptions. 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 serves as a salutary warning & reminder of just how easily we can end up where we hadn’t planned to be. I.e. Serving the purposes of evil rather than the purposes of good – ‘For such men are counterfeit apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, since Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. So it is no great surprise if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness but their end will correspond with their deeds.’ AMP.

How, in practice, do we keep our focus on Jesus & thereby remain sharp to the task of spiritual discernment? We come to Him in prayer, often. Spending quality time alone with Jesus will not only serve to build our relationship with Him (the most significant & most important relationship of all) but will also hone our defences against the countless attacks of the enemy & his power to deceive.

We dig deep into the pages of His Word. Every part of which is true & every part of which speaks of His love & compassion. The devil has no answer to God’s anointed word spoken out in faith from the heart of every true believer, (Luke 4:1-13).

We draw strength & power from the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. The One who is the embodiment of all truth. The One in whom nothing false could ever hope to reside. As Jesus Himself said – ‘But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own initiative but He will speak whatever He hears (from the Father – the message regarding the Son), & He will disclose to you what is to come (in the future).    John 16:13. AMP.

True or false? The need to look beyond the rhetoric. To see past the content of the message to the inward calibre of the messenger. The imperative of staying close to Christ & all that that will require of us – the fellowship of His people (so hard to accomplish in these current circumstances, I appreciate), included!

Prayer

Lord God, we rejoice in Your greatness & power,
Your gentleness & love, Your mercy & justice.
Enable us by Your Spirit
To honour You in our thoughts and words & actions
And to serve you in every aspect of our lives;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Please pray for –

• All who have experienced the loss of a loved one & are now facing the challenge of coming to terms with that loss.
• The government, that they would turn their thoughts to God & allow Him to lead the people in all the ways of His righteousness.
• God to move in revival power amongst the nations of the earth.