Messages

 

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE
Text:  1 Samuel 3:21 and 4:1

Then the Lord appeared again in Shiloh.  For the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the Word of the Lord.  And the word of Samuel went to all Israel.

  • We are looking today at the role that conscience plays in our life. We are all aware of times when, if it were not for our conscience, we would probably have done and accepted things that others do not think twice about. However doing the right thing both in terms of principles and in the thought of others determines how we act.

 

  • It is interesting to note that the word 'conscience' does not appear anywhere in the Old Testament, however it is inferred in many of the calls to repent by the prophets over the centuries. However in the New Testament it is mentioned, especially in John 8, were we recall the story of the woman who committed adultery and the Pharisees wanted to stone her as was the custom. However the Lord said, "He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone". They were all convicted by their conscience and they walked away one by one.

 

  • Samuel was the first of the prophets in Israel and had been given to the temple by his mother to serve the Lord. You may recall from a recent passage from Judges that the people had no king. They had no one to lead them and show them the way and therefore they went astray. Samuel was the person chosen by the Lord to show them the way forward and the text says, "The Lord revealed Himself to Samuel by the Word of the Lord". It was necessary for Samuel to give the Israelites boundaries and at times he could be a little inflexible. However if we think about it once we are developing a conscience it can be inflexible because we develop gradually into knowing what is right.

 

  • We all recognise that each person's conscience is affected by culture, background and religious belief structure, but conscience must involve concern for others.

 

  • The life of Samuel shows us how conscience develops. He was young and innocent when he was presented to the temple by his mother. It is important to give our children a sense of what is right from an early age. The stories from the Bible give them an understanding of what is right. He was also required to open up the doors of the tabernacle. Our conscience opens the door to the Lord.

 

  • Our text says, "the Lord appeared again in Shiloh". In the Hebrew language this word means 'calmness and tranquillity'. This says a whole lot about what our conscience can do for us. If we have acted according to our conscience then we can feel some calmness without guilt. As we develop our conscience then it is through it that the Lord and the angels can reach us.

 

  • This tranquillity gained will of course came after some battles with our conscience over what we should do in certain circumstances, but if we listen and develop it gradually based on the truth from the Word then the result will be a sense of tranquillity and calmness.

 

  • Our conscience will be the instrument for how we lead our life, the principles we have, the way we deal with others. It will influence what we say and how we react. "And the Word went out to all Israel". The collective conscience of Israel was changed by Samuel based on his relationship with the Lord.

Suggested application during the week

Let us be conscious this week on how our conscience is playing its part in our day to day lives.

Rev. Chris Skinner

Sunday 13 November 2011

 

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE
Text: Isaiah 39:8 to 40:5
Envoys from Babylon

"The word of the Lord you have spoken is good", Hezekiah replied.  For he thought, "There will be peace and security in my lifetime".

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.  Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins.

A voice of one calling:  "In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.  Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.  And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it.  For the mouth of the Lord has spoken."

  • This is the third message in a short series showing the sweep of Isaiah and looking at the pattern of repentance, reformation and regeneration. Isaiah has 66 chapters, the Bible has 66 books. Isaiah is split into chapters 1-39 and 40-66, although some see Isaiah as having three sections, with chapters 34-39 being segregated from the first part. We look at the theme of repentance in the 1st message and chapter 28 verse 20 says that the bed was too short and the covering too narrow. This refers to the principle in our life and that we are not good enough and need to change. This is the first aspect of our life, reviewing the state of our life, which is repentance. Chapter 28 starts with the words, "woe to the drunkards". An admonishment for people to think about whether they are on the straight and narrow.

 

  • The 2nd message looked at Isaiah 35 verse 8 about a highway and a road, the way of holiness or wholeness. This is about what road we should take after the reflection on our life. The way of wholeness is to start living by the truth. Establishing some boundaries in our life and in obedience try to live by them. It is about the direction we are going to take and commit to. If we neglect to establish a path we will be on the road to nowhere. This section is about reforming our life.

 

  • This 3rd message is about regeneration, in other words new birth from an old spirit to a new one. It has been mentioned a number of times during the messages that we have to be careful not to see the Word in arbitrary partitions like chapters segregated by people. This is a very good case in point. In the scrolls found at Qumran, Isaiah was the only one that was found almost complete and there was no break between verse 8 of chapter 39 and verse 1 of 40 meaning that the general sense flows on from what is in verse 8. Paraphrased, it says goodness and peace will be found in the Word. It is marking the change from obedience to the truth - reformation. The love of truth which is regeneration. The first few verses of chapter 40 are majestic and full of meaning.

 

  • The passage is speaking of the coming of the Lord and what this will mean for the church and individual lives. Comfort will come but with it will be warfare, which is the testing of the truth in our life as we try to live it. "Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill will be made low" is referring to life of the individual. The humble who turn to the Lord will be raised and the pride and selfishness of others will bring them low.

 

  • The passage is speaking about the church where it refers to Jerusalem but it is also speaking about the church in each one of us, which is at the heart of regeneration or spiritual growth. Do we love the Lord and the truth that He has given us to enable it to affect our whole life?

 

  • Is the basis for our living centred on the principles of the Word and do we try to live our life out of love not just out of obedience? This is the final transformation that needs to take place in our life. It will of course bring with it challenges and difficulties but it will also bring its rewards in a deepening relationship with the Lord.

 

  • As the book of Isaiah proceeds we see that it develops the theme of the Lord's life and reading the passages enables us to sense the difficulties that the Lord had in His ministry and the struggles between his human element from Mary and also His divine element. This is the struggles we have as well because we are finite human beings who do not always get it right.

 

Suggested application during the week

Reflect on what the Lord means in our life.  Does it show itself in the way we live our life and interact with others?

Rev. Chris Skinner

Sunday 23 October 2011

 

 

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE
Text: Daniel 4:14-16
(also read the whole chapter)
Vision of the Great Tree

He called in a loud voice: "Cut down the tree and trim off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit.  Let the animals flee from under it and the birds from its branches.  But let the stump and its roots, bound with iron and bronze, remain in the ground, in the grass of the field.  Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live with the animals among the plants of the earth."

  • Recently we looked at the Parable of the Trees in Judges and this is another passage which has a tree as the main focus. In fact there are numerous passages which refer to trees because they are symbolic of the growth of spiritual life. In the Word of God we have the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden in the book of Genesis and the Tree of Life in the book of Revelation. Revelation explains how the tree went from the centre and then is restored. The passage we are considering is about the tree that needed to be hewn down.

 

  • The Book of Daniel is an apocalyptic book. Many of the visions that were interpreted by Daniel are about things that were to take place in the future and in this sense it is similar to the Book of Revelation. At the centre of our passage is the vision/dream that Nebuchadnezzar had. He was king of Babylon who had taken the Jews into exile. As he became more powerful he became more controlling. The vision was about the tree having to be cut down. In essence Daniel told him that because he was not looking to God his kingdom would fall.

 

  • At one level it is a picture of what has happened to leaders of all sorts in history, pride comes before a fall. These leaders look to their own selfishness and dominion and forsake the Lord. We have seen it on our own country and all over the world. In the vision which Nebuchadnezzar had he recognised what had happened and eventually acknowledged that God was the All in 'All and the heavenly King'.

 

  • Looking at the passage as a prediction of what was to come we see it as the fall of Babylon or the controlling Christian Church, which was more interested in power than in leading people to the Lord. This is vividly demonstrated by the actions of the church before the Reformation.

 

  • We can see it in many organisations today including religious bodies. Some want to control from within and this has effects on relationships and families. This is what is wrong about 'churches' that want to control and they are likened to the Great Tree. The branches, leaves, flower and fruit are all the things that make up the essence of loving thoughts, good lives and useful actions and come from the true centre which is the Lord's love and truth. If this is missing then it is not a good tree and must be hewn down.

 

  • However the stump is left. This is left because there are good people that need to have some form of structure to rely on. The stump is bound by a band of iron and brass. The symbolism of this is that iron relates to truth and brass to an externally good life, one of obedience. The Lord never leaves people in an absolute vacuum. He always provides a life line.

 

  • The same principles can be applied in all areas of our life. In companies and families people take on positions and forget that it is the Lord that is at the centre. All areas of life where people in leadership positions take more power to themselves at the expense of love and compassion are represented in this vision. It is a warning to all of us in our own life.

 

  • We are between the tree which was taken from the centre of the garden and the tree of life in the centre. A new Christian Church will evolve. What form this will take and how long is unknown, but the vehicle will not be about control and power but will be a vehicle for each person to know the love of God and the Word in their life.

 

Suggested application during the week

Let us look at our life and see if we are in danger of being a person that wants to control others or whether we acknowledge that the Lord is at the centre and not ourselves and that this is reflected in the way we live.

Rev. Chris Skinner

Sunday 16 October 2011

 

 

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE
Text: Judges 9:8-15
Parable of the Trees

One day the trees went out to anoint a king for themselves.  They said to the olive tree, "Be our king."  But the olive tree answered, "Should I give up my oil, by which both gods and men are honoured to hold sway over the trees?"

Next, the trees said to the fig tree, "Come and be our king."  But the fig tree replied, "Should I give up my fruit, so good and sweet, to hold sway over the trees?"

Then the trees said to the vine, "Come and be our king".  But the vine answered, "Should I give up my wine, which cheers both gods and men, to hold sway over the trees?"

Finally all the trees said to the thornbush, "Come and be our king."  The thornbush said to the trees, "If you really want to anoint me king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not then let fire come out of the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!"

  • Have you noticed how trees define landscapes in different parts of the world? In England there are beech, oak trees, etc. and in Australia there are gum trees. In a sublimable way we get used to the types of trees. In the desert there are palm trees, in colder climes pine trees, etc. Also, above a certain height trees do not grow.

 

  • Throughout the Word there is a great focus on trees of all sorts, but mainly the ones found in the Holy land as they are used to illustrate spiritual principles. We have the thread through the Bible of the Tree of Life. The growth of a tree from seed to branch to leaf to tree blossom and fruit symbolises the way we grow spiritually. It is this whole theme that is used in the passage under consideration today.

 

  • To understand the reason and significance of the passage we need to see it in context. Gideon was the hero because he led the Israelites to victory over the Midianites and they wanted him to become king. He refused to become king as he said there is only one ruler and that is God. He lived for more than 40 years after the battle and it was a very peaceful time. However after Gideon died, Abimelech wanted power. Abimelech was the son of Gideon born of a concubine, and to achieve his ambition he killed all the sons of Gideon born to him and his wife. Only Jothan survived by hiding and it was Jothan that cited this parable overlooking Shechem.

 

  • In a metaphorical sense Jothan was showing the people what happens when someone wants to dominate, and he was using the various trees to symbolise Gideon, Abimelech and the people. This was obviously at a superficial level and there is a much deeper sense to this whole story because it is talking about our spiritual life. There were four trees: olive, fig, vine and cedar. None of the trees would bow down to the bramble bush but it wanted to take power to itself. This is a picture of what can happen in our life if we let power, selfishness and ambition take over.

 

  • The olive tree is one of the most beautiful trees that grows in the east and of course the oil was and is used in worship and food. It symbolises the love in our life and the love of God. The fig tree is mentioned many times in the Word - it is a low spreading tree with sweet fruit. The vine was used to produce wine all over the area. The bramble is of course a very thorny tree with fiery wood and can take over an area if left unchecked. We then have the lofty towering cedars which epitomise the area.

 

  • From a spiritual perspective the olive symbolises a person who loves the Lord and does good works - full of the oil of love. The fig tree, with its sweet fruit, represents good works of pure natural kindness. The vine symbolises good works done from the motive of seeing the wisdom in it. None of these trees would bow down to the bramble but the bramble, which can scratch and destroy an area, wanted dominion due to selfish motives. This is contrasted with the modest motives of the other trees. Fire coming out of the bramble symbolises the fire of self love and anger. Cedars represent the lofty principles of our spirit.

 

  • If we look closely at this parable we can see it replicated in all area of our life. In dictators, in heads of companies, in families where one person rules with an iron rod making things difficult for all. It can happen to us as well if we allow selfish motives to dominate. We need to recognise that all the attributes that we are given are to be used for the benefit of others and not be regarded as our own. These virtues are from the Lord and we should, in humility, use them for the good of others.

 

  • Humility, obedience and courage are at the heart of the lesson of this story. If we use what we have been given properly we can change things for good, but if we have no humility then it will result in evil.

 

Suggested application during the week

Reflect on how we influence others in what we do.  Is it out of goodness and love, or out of a need to dominate?

Rev. Chris Skinner

Sunday 9 October 2011

 

 

 

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE
Text: Matthew 8 verses 14-15
Healing of Woman with a Fever

When Jesus came into Peter's house, He saw Peter's mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever.  He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.

  • This miracle occurred after Jesus came down from the mountain after giving the Sermon on the Mount. From the heights He came down to be amongst the people and came close to them to heal them. Quite a number different ailments were cured during this period and it was in Galilee where they were undertaken. Galilee symbolises the natural state of life.

 

  • In any of the passages from the Word we need to look at what it is saying about our state of life. Many of the diseases that affect people have a link with something inside them and many of the diseases in the world are a symptom of the state of life within. The spiritual world and its influence affect us in this world. It is important for doctors not just to treat the symptoms of patients but look at the underlying cause.

 

  • This healing, like many others, addresses a state within our life that needs to be corrected. As with other miracles, like the woman with the bent back, it is not just about what was wrong physically but what was happening in her life. She may have had the cares of the world weighing heavily on her. Or the paralysed man not able to move may have been because of something that had affected his life.

 

  • This is an interesting miracle because it is short and sharp, only 2 verses and is the only one that occurs where one of the disciples is related to the person being healed. The Greek word used is peretos which means 'burning fiery fever'. A fever that exhausts and levels people without energy. If we look at our own state of life we can see that life is led at a feverish pace. We seem to have no time to focus on particular things and we are left exhausted.

 

  • The relationship of Peter with the person healed provides some significance because we can remember Peter saying he will do things and not being able to live up to them. He was trying to make himself worthy but not being able to carry through.

 

  • Peter tried to walk on water and not deny his involvement with the Lord at the time of the crucifixion. In other words, lofty ideals which could not be reached. We live in a world where aims, needs and expectations are so high to put on appearances but the outcome falls short of this.

 

  • In this miracle the Lord came close to the woman and healed her of her fever and then it says she ministered to them. This is therefore talking about the woman serving others, just as the Lord came alongside others so He comes along side us in our life.

 

  • We need to slow down our feverish pace and make time for the small things which often get overlooked in our life. Do we have time to listen, do we have time to spend on helping people on the small things which take little time but mean so much to people who receive it.

 

  • It is like the Good Samaritan who was the only person that stopped to help an injured man; the others were too busy or not inclined to give time or did not want to stop to help.

 

  • The passage from the service today is a small part of the Word but it is a miracle which provides us with a much needed lesson for our life.

 

  • A very powerful text which encapsulates the real life decisions we have made or will make.

Suggested application during the week

Try and slow down the pace of life and ask the Lord to heal us of the things that stop us from serving others and the inner feverishness which is behind it all.

Rev. Chris Skinner

Sunday 25 September 2011

 

 

 

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE
Text: Isaiah 35 verse 8

A highway shall be there and a road; and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness...

  • As mentioned in the message last week, we have to look at the texts or passages in the context of a chapter or series of chapters. This passage is no different, we need to see it in the light of the first verse which talks about a wilderness and a wasteland which shall be glad. This whole chapter is looking at how our life changes if we look to the Lord, or living the truth, in our life.

 

  • Our text, when it refers to a highway and a road, is really looking at the direction we are going to take in life or the direction we have taken in life and whether there is a need to change after reflection.

 

  • We all know that organisations such as AFL football teams and more recently Australian cricket have looked at how they are doing things and should it do things differently. They then set out on a path to make improvements with a view to the aim of being number 1. Whilst we do not have to aim necessarily to be number one, we do need to aim to be better.

 

  • Last week we looked at the focus of chapter 28 on repentance and this week the focus is on reformation. As previously mentioned, the book of Isaiah is like a mini Bible and from a spiritual perspective looks at our inner life. Chapters 35-29 focus on the change from recognising the need to change (repentance) to actually moving to change and looking to truth from the Lord. This whole chapter, although speaking about natural things pre-dominantly, if we look at it closely gives us a picture of what is going on inside of us spiritually.

 

  • If we reflect on our life we will recognise that decisions, choices, etc. all stem from what really motivates us and the changes we make may have started early in our life or later but never-the- less a decision was made.

 

  • Our text encapsulates the direction we will or are taking. A highway and a way are not two different paths, they are one direction or way but are distinguished by the highway or elevated way. We are raising our life up to one that focuses on the truths of the Word in an attempt to reform our lives. It is the way of Holiness, our attempt to walk with the Lord. At one level the chapter is looking to the Lord's incarnation but more particularly for us it is looking at how the Lord comes to us in our life.

 

  • In verse 7 it refers to reeds, bulrushes and grass which spiritually represents a progressive change for looking at natural things to living from spiritual principles and verse 10 looks at the change that is taking place.

 

  • Will we choose the right path or will we choose the road to nowhere? This in one sense is the watershed in our life. To see the shift will we see that in chapter 36 the direction we take, in other words, the high road or the low road, is demonstrated in the contrast between King Hezekiah and Sennacherib. Choosing good or evil.

 

  • A very powerful text which encapsulates the real life decision we have made or will make.

Suggested application during the week

Focus this week on what is at the heart of the way we treat people and the principles by which we lead our life.

Rev. Chris Skinner

Sunday 25 September 2011

 

 

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE
Text: Isaiah 28:20

For the bed is shorter that a man can stretch himself on it: and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it.

  • As with all passages in the Word we must not take this strange text out of context, and if we look at this whole chapter of Isaiah we will get a better idea of what the theme of the chapter is all about. It starts with the words "woe to". This is giving the impression that the people of the time must look at the way they are living and change. 'Drunkards' are mentioned quite a few times and as we know drunkards cannot keep on a straight path and are not in possession of all their faculties in that condition.

 

  • Drunkards symbolise people who are so bound up in their own intelligence and selfishness that they cannot see what is the real truth. From a study of Isaiah from a spiritual perspective we see that the book of 66 chapters is split up into 3 parts and looks generally at a different aspect of our spiritual journey. Repentance, reformation and regeneration are the main themes and up to chapter 35 the main focus is repentance, hence the focus of our chapter.

 

  • The warnings given within the chapter are about the way people are living and they must turn from their wickedness and look to the Lord. The text above concentrates on a bed and bed clothes. If we look at the Word in general, we see that there are many instances where beds are mentioned. We are all aware of the story of the man being lowered on his bed to Jesus and the Lord saying, "Arise, take up thy bed and walk". In Luke, we read about two men in a bed and one was taken and the other left. This refers to men with the same doctrine but different living.

 

  • In all these cases the beds refer to the principles of our faith. It is the doctrine that forms the foundation or bedrock of our life. We all know what an important thing a bed is. If we do not get enough sleep then our ability to function is diminished. A lumpy bed or lack of bedclothes which makes us cold prevents us from having a good night's sleep.

 

  • If we look at our text in the context of these general thoughts, we will get an idea of what it means. If our doctrine or the principles of our faith are founded on false reasoning, then it will fall short of what is really needed for us to live a truly meaningful and fulfilling life. It will obscure the mind and prevent us being truly spiritual. The covering of our doctrine is the truth we know and if that has no love within it, then the truth is not covering us properly and not only will we be cold in our bed but spiritually we will be cold in our bed. We will lack what is really required to lead a good life.

 

  • Our faith, which is made up of truth and principles, can hold us in good stead and the love of the Lord can be a real strength for us. We can all reflect on what has helped us and been a sense of joy in our relationships - things that have helped us change. However if love is lacking and we are only looking at life from our own ways and self intelligence, then it will lead us astray.

 

  • This is what our text is warning us about. We can see in fundamentalist positions of all religions that hardness, judgement and lack of a true understanding of the nature of God leads to all sorts of major problems.

 

  • Today is the 10th anniversary of the bombing of the World Trade Centre in New York and we all know what devastation that caused, both in buildings but more so in the lives of people who were affected by loss. This act demonstrated a lack of love for others and only a blind following of particular principles for a deadly end.

 

  • It is important for us to rest on a bed of truth doctrine and faith which enable us to grow in love and that provides the impetus for the way we work, play and support others.

Suggested application during the week

Let us look at what forms the basis of our faith and what are the rules that we live by to ensure that all our decisions and actions come from a loving principle.

Rev. Chris Skinner

Sunday 11 September 2011

 

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE
Text: Judges Chapter 16 and Daniel Chapter 6

One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute.  He went in to spend the night with her.  The people of Gaza were told, "Samson is here!"  So they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate.  They made no move during the night, saying, "At dawn we'll kill him."

But Samson lay there only until the middle of the night.  Then he got up and took hold of the doors of the city gate, together with the two posts, and tore them loose, bar and all.  He lifted them to his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.

Sometime later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah.  The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, "See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so that we may tie him up and subdue him.  Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver."

So Delilah said to Samson, "Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued."

Samson answered her, "If anyone ties me with seven fresh thongs that have not been dried, I'll become as weak as any other man."

Then the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh thongs that had not been dried, and she tied him with them.  With men hidden in the room, she called to him, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!"  But he snapped the thongs as easily as a piece of string snaps when it comes close to a flame.  So the secret of his strength was not discovered.

Then Delilah said to Samson, "You have made a fool of me; you lied to me.  Come now, tell me how you can be tied."

He said, "If anyone ties me securely with new ropes that have never been used.  I'll become as weak as any other man."

So Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them.  Then, with men hidden in the room, she called to him, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!"  But he snapped the ropes off his arms as if they were threads.

Delilah then said to Samson, "Until now, you have been making a fool of me and lying to me.  Tell me how you can be tied."

He replied, "If you weave the seven braids of my head into the fabric on the loom and tighten it with the pin, I'll become as weak as any other man."  So while he was sleeping, Delilah took the seven braids of his head, wove them into the fabric and tightened it with the pin.

Again she called to him, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!"  He awoke from his sleep and pulled up the pin and the loom, with the fabric.

Then she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you', when you won't confide in me?  This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven't told me the secret of your great strength.  With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was tired to death.

So he told her everything.  "No razor has ever been used on my head," he said, "because I have been a Nazirite set apart to God since birth.  If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man."

When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, "Come back once more; he has told me everything."  So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands.  Having put him to sleep on her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him.  And his strength left him.

Then she called, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!"

He awoke from his sleep and thought, "I'll go out as before and shake myself free."  But he did not know that the Lord had left him.

Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza.  Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding in the prison.  But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.

Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate, saying, "Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands."

When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying,

"Our god has delivered our

enemy into our hands,

the one who laid waste our land

and multiplied our slain."

While they were in high spirits, they shouted, "Bring out Samson to entertain us."  So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them.

When they stood him among the pillars, Samson said to the servant who held his hand, "Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them."  Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform.  Then Samson prayed to the Lord, "O Sovereign Lord, remember me.  O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes."  Then Samson reached towards the two central pillars on which the temple stood.  Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines!"  Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it.  Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.

Then his brothers and his father's whole family went down to get him.  They brought him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father.  He had led Israel for twenty years. ›

It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel.  The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss.  Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.  At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so.  They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.  Finally these men said, "We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of this God."

So the administrators and the satraps went as a group to the king and said:  "O King Darius, live forever!  The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or man during the next thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into the lion's den.  Now, O king, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered - in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed."  So King Darius put the decree in writing.

Now when Daniel learned that the decree has been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened towards Jerusalem.  Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.  Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help.  So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree:  "Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or man except to you, O king, would be thrown into the lions' den?"

The king answered, "The decree stands- in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persian, which cannot be repealed."

Then they said to the king, "Daniel who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the decree you put in writing.  He still prays three times a day."  When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.

Then the men went as a group to the king and said to him, "Remember, O king, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the kings issues can be changed."

So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions' den.  The king said to Daniel, "May your God, who you serve continually, rescue you!"

A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of this nobles, so that Daniel's situation might not be changed.  Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him.  And he could not sleep.

At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions' den.  When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?"

Daniel answered, "O king, live forever!  My God sent his angel, and He shut the mouths of the lions.  They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in His sight.  Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king."

The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den.  And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

At the king's command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in an thrown in the lions' den, along with their wives and children.  And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed their bones.

Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language throughout the land:

"May you prosper greatly!

I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and

reverence the God of Daniel.

"For He is the living God and He endure for ever;

His kingdom will not be destroyed,

His dominion will never end.

He rescues and He saves; He performs signs and wonders

in the heavens and on the earth.

He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions."

So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

  • We are not looking at a specific text but at two leaders in the Bible and the chapters that you are invited to look at provide a glimpse of these two men. We are celebrating Fathers day and we are looking at leadership in our life. Both as a Father or parent and a person who influences and acts as a parent figure we need leadership in our life and the only way we can be a leader is to have an example to go by. When we open the newspapers and look at the way those in leadership in the world conduct themselves we have to say that many do not exemplify the type of ideals and principles that set good examples.

 

  • If we look at the Bible we will see that for many years there were leaders in Israel such as Moses and Joshua who led the Children of Israel out of the wilderness. Then for a period during the time of the Judges there was no specific leadership until the Kings later in history. In one sense the people were leaderless but God raised up various people to fill the void and one of those was Samson.

 

  • As we all know Samson was not without his failings just like ourselves but he had one attribute which he was well known for and that was his hair. It was from this hair that he gained super human strength. Samson's was from the tribe of Dan and it means affirmation and acknowledgement of God. He did not drink and had simple obedience to God. The story of Samson provides us with some lessons for our life and for what we should hold onto for leadership in our life.

 

  • As we said earlier Samson's strength was his hair but his weakness was the love of the sensual and this brought him down because his love for Delilah, a Philistine, resulted in her finding out what his strength was and then cutting off his hair so he lost his strength and so he could be captured and was then not able to lead the people against the Philistine.

 

  • Just as the result of having no leader meant that the Israelites fell into evil and selfish pleasures so will we do the same if we have no one or something to lead us. The main point of this passage is the significance of the hair. The symbolism of the hair is that it is like the ultimate or literal sense of the Word. The leadership we need in our life is the principles contained in the Word. Like Samson who had simple obedience so we should have in the first instance simple obedience to the principles of the Word. The Divine truth is a powerful source of strength for us in our life. It provides guideposts and boundaries for our actions and decisions.

 

  • If we allow Him the Lord provides particular truths to be presented to us to held us in a given situation which enable us to steer our way through. If we are leaderless and rudderless , like the Israelites then we will make wrong decisions and be led away from the right path.

 

  • Daniel is another figure who stands out as a Leader. He was able to survive the lions den and his actions in not taking the food that was provided shows that he had strength to do the right think. The lion was used both in the Samson and Daniel stories for a reason. Lions have wonderful qualities but they also represent passions and anger than can get the better of us. The Lord protected Daniel from the lions just as he can protect us against the wrong passions that can surge up in our life but we need to be mindful of what is happening and look to the Lord for the strength.

 

  • Both these leaders and the principles behind the stories show that we need to follow the right leadership and be motivated by the right principles in our life.

Suggested application during the week

Reflect on what we use as our guide posts for our life and whether we are using the principles to pass on to those who         we influence.

 

Rev. Chris Skinner

Sunday 4 September 2011

 

 

 

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE
Text: 1 Samuel 16:23 (also verses 14-22)
David and Saul - The Ups and Downs of Life

Whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would take his harp and play.  Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.

  • If we look at the past few days or weeks, there would no doubt be various ups and downs in several areas of our life. It may be mood changes, it may be difficult circumstances which have made things hard, or other things. How have we dealt with these situations or have we tried to ignore them? These fluctuations can be seen as part of life and to some extent they are, and of course some of the fluctuations in our moods are part of chemical changes that take place in the brain but this is by no means the whole story. This text which looks at Saul's mood and the use of David's harp to sooth Saul is telling us a very important truth.

 

  • We all know that music can have a beneficial effect on changing our thought patterns and can touch our soul. At various times in our life different types of music affect us more, depending on how we feel. The text is also challenging us to look a little deeper as that is what the Word is all about. If we look at the text closely we will see that it says, "the distressing spirit from the Lord". This at once makes us sit up and listen. Is this right? Surely the Lord is all love and does not send spirits to us. This is also correct, so how do we deal with this statement?

 

  • This whole text is not just dealing with our moods it is dealing with changing states. These changes occur because we need to be challenged and the crucial point is how we respond or re-act if indeed we do at all. Spiritual growth requires us to make decisions on how we will deal with circumstances and thoughts that come to us, and it is at this level that our text applies. Evil spirits come to us in our thoughts which we are mostly not aware of, and it can appear that this comes from God because this is our human inclination to blame God but it is only an appearance and because the Word deals with appearances this is the way it is written.

 

  • If we read the whole passage we will see that Saul's servants tell Saul to seek David and the harp. The servants spiritually are those thoughts that tell us to seek God and to not act selfishly. The harp, a 10 stringed instrument, provides harmony. When the strings are plucked they reverberate and provide beautiful energy, like the living truth from the Word.

 

  • Life's ups and downs can be caused by all sorts of things but the important aspect of this text is to understand that at a deeper level, it is about our own growth, our regeneration and how we deal with the thoughts and feelings that come into our life. In one sense we have a downward movement from innocence to rationality, from childhood to adulthood, and the rest of our life is about the movement from self to the Lord. If we were in a vacuum then there would be nothing to challenge us and we would not grow.

 

  • The harp is the comforting influence of the Lord and His Word on our life.

Suggested application during the week

Pay attention to what is going on in our mind and how we can use it for changing our life.

Rev. Chris Skinner

Sunday 28 August 2011

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE
Text: 1 Samuel 24:11 (also verses 1-22)
David and Saul

See, my father, look at this piece of your robe in my hand!  I cut off the corner of your robe but did not kill you.  Now understand and recognise that I am not guilty of wrongdoing or rebellion.  I have not wronged you, but you are hunting me down to take my life.

  • The story of David is spread over three books of the Bible and many of the incidents such as Goliath, David and the harp and David and Jonathan, are well know, however other stories are not. Much of David's life is spent in battles of one kind or another and the lives of the three kings; Saul, David and Solomon are intertwined. This is no coincidence because at a spiritual level, linking is a symbol for the way our life progresses spiritually if we work at it. Saul, David and Solomon are the three levels of spirituality; natural, spiritual and celestial. We recall that Solomon's wish was for wisdom and it is wisdom out of love that we are being led towards.

 

  • Saul, if we look at the passages in the Word is quite natural and much of the passages devoted to him are about his relationship with David and particularly the hatred that Saul has for David. If we see this in the context of the spiritual meaning we will note that once we make a life decision to follow the Lord and His Word, there is introduced to our life a wrestle between our natural inclinations and the spiritual values which we are trying to live by.

 

  • This incident from the Word focuses on the fact that in spite of David having been driven into the wilderness by the constant threat on his life, when the opportunity came for David to kill Saul he did not do it. In our battles with the evil within, we are often driven into the wilderness and when we find it difficult to put love before hatred.

 

  • In this passage we have possibly the only time in the Old Testament where the law quoted by the Lord is given flesh. 'Resist evil, love your enemies'. Probably the most challenging command from the Lord. The need to love and not hate, the need to forgive and not have retribution high on our agenda.

 

  • This passage is about unconditional love.

 

  • Given the focus that David spares Saul his life against the wishes of his men and at great risk to himself, we can easily overlook the small but very significant incident about the cutting of a corner of Saul's robe by David and holding it up before him.

 

  • This act by David is very significant because it brings to light what the Word is all about. It is the power of the Word in our life. The garment or outer covering is truth and it emphasises the power of ultimate truth in our life. David held up Saul's garment and in one sense it showed David's power over him, but in another sense it demonstrates that the power of the Word which has unconditional love at its centre, is the power by which we can resist evil. We can hold onto texts or passages and they can become the supreme motivator and guide when our natural inclinations could take us in a different direction.

 

  • If we look at all sorts of conflicts between individuals, governments, nations, religious groups, we acknowledge that if love and forgiveness was the guiding principle much of the problems of the world would dissipate. This is not to say that struggles and overcoming tyrants can always be avoided but they should be the last not first resort. We should also note from our story that in spite of being spared Saul again attempted to kill David. Our spiritual struggles are ever present because we are always fighting our natural inclinations.

Suggested application during the week

Be aware at all times of how our natural inclinations are moving in certain directions and focus on the truth within the Word.

Rev. Chris Skinner

Sunday 21 August 2011

 

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE
Text: Revelation 2:17
Variety and Inclusion

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna.  I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.

  • Whilst the text encapsulates the work we need to do in living the truth, it is also important to look at Exodus 28:15-22 and the whole of Revelation chapter 2. The theme running through these texts is the 'inclusion' that is within the Lord's kingdom. The message in Revelation to the seven churches is a message of looking to the Word and living a good life. Each church is different, just as we are all different, and the Lord's kingdom is made of people who respond in different ways to the truth.

 

  • The same message comes through when we look at the passage from Exodus, which has the description of the breastplate worn by Aaron as part of the priestly garments. The whole chapter goes into detail about the garments and it is easy to gloss over these as irrelevant. However contained within the description of the material things are the spiritual principles which look at our inner life.

 

  • The breastplate was made up of 12 stones and details of the stones are described in the passage mentioned. Each of the stones are linked by braid woven together by embroiderers. Underneath the 12 stones were the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. A study of the pearl gates and the stones in the wall of the holy city has the same principle. The colours of the stones with the predominance of red, blue and purple shows colours like a rainbow which is made up of reflected light.

 

  • If we look at the meaning of the names of the twelve tribes, the names themselves reflect different qualities of the people concerned. We therefore have a real sense of richness in diversity. The various colours positioned on the breastplate show the way truth is received by different people, either in a shallow or deep way. In other words, they have an affection or love for the truth. If a study was undertaken it would show that the six on the left, based on their colours, have a different emphasis than those on the right. There are 4 rows of 3, just as there are 3 gates on each side of the holy city and it is square, which symbolises justice and judgement.

 

  • The judgement symbolism does not mean that God judges us, rather we judge ourselves depending on how or if we receive and use the truth given to us. The seven individual churches have different qualities, just as happens today, but the message is to learn and love the truth.

 

  • The text above talks about having ears to hear and to him that overcomes, hidden manna and a white stone with a new name written on it will be given. This is the process we have to go through. We have to listen to the Word and then accept that we have to overcome temptation and struggles as the truth becomes part of our life.

 

  • The 'hidden manna' represents the way that truth changes us as we work at it. The 'white stone' symbolises a quality of purity which comes when we are looking at the truth from a state of goodness and the 'new name given to us' means the way the quality of our life has changed because we have worked with and then loved the truth. As such, we are a new person.

 

  • The new heaven and the new earth referred to in Revelation and the message to the seven churches, together with the symbolism of the breastplate shows that God wants everyone for heaven and He recognises that we will each find the truth and work with it in different ways. However as is the message to the seven churches, we have to recognise our need of the Lord, recognise our inadequacies and do something about them.

Suggested application during the week

Focus on the good qualities in others and see how the Lord uses each of us based on the qualities of character which have been given to us.

 

Rev. Chris Skinner

Sunday 3 July 2011

 

 

 

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE
Text: Acts 2:1-13 and Joel 2:28-32
Receiving the Holy Spirit

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.  Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.  They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.  All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.  When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.  Utterly amazed, they asked:  "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans?  Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language?  Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs - we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!"  Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"

Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine." š

And afterwards, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.

Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke.

The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the survivors whom the Lord calls.

  • We need to see the reception of the Holy Spirit in the light of the various events that affected the lives of the disciples. They had experienced the satisfaction and immense joy of being led by the Lord for 3 years, the sorrow of the crucifixion, the exhilaration of the resurrection and the progressive appearances of the Lord following the resurrection. As time went on they were feeling leaderless and to some extent directionless.

 

  • Forty days after the resurrection the Lord ascended in a cloud and they were to see Him no more. It was a time for them of perhaps loneliness and without purpose and then they were called to assemble together at Jerusalem and then we have the giving of the Holy Spirit like breath, fire and a mighty rushing wind. It was a corresponding way of showing them the power of the spirit of the Lord

 

  • In one sense this sequence of events can be a little like our own. We have the guidance and care given to us by our parents, then in adolescence we move out of that environment to find our own way in life and become tempted and to some extent directionless, after this period we hopefully find our way.

 

  • In the ascension we have the Lord taken up in a cloud which means that He is partly obscured from our view, much like the letter of the word. We only see part of His divine truth and it grows in us as we come to love it. The power of the Holy Spirit was to demonstrate to them that the Lord was as powerfully with them as He was when on the earth.

 

  • The word 'holy' is derived from the word 'whole' and the spirit is something felt but not seen. We can therefore think of the Holy Spirit as the whole of God's life even though invisible breathing into all created forms. The spirit of holiness.

 

  • At no time was the power of God completely absent from the world. It became very dim at one stage which necessitated the Lord coming to earth but in one way or another there was always life from God. God always communicated with His people. He was very powerfully present as the Lord Jesus Christ and then when He was no longer present the Holy Spirit descended.

 

  • This descent came in spectacular fashion and the disciples were left in no doubt that they had a mission to proclaim the Gospel. The speaking in tongues and with fire was meant to show that this was to be done with holy zeal and the new tongues were a language of love that could be received by all people. The fact that people could understand was because it was speaking to their spirit. It was the language of ideas, thoughts and the truth. It was a new enlightenment, a new heaven.

 

  • The power of the Holy Spirit or being filled with the spirit is not about literally speaking in tongues like the Pentecostalists. It is certainly very powerful but it is about a new found expression and feeling of God being present in our life and this comes from knowing the truth in the Word. It affects us powerfully and emotionally because of our love of God found in the Word.

 

  • The Holy Spirit is the divine proceeding or activity and we in one sense are the instrument. If we see an orchestra each individual is moved by the music they learned, the wind and movement that plays the instruments and the love and depth of emotion that they feel when playing. It results in a beautiful sound which is guided by the conductor. Our response to the Word is due to the power of the Holy Spirit - not a third person in the god-head but the power of the one God in our midst.

Suggested application during the week

Try and identify how the love of God and His Word has been the instrument for motivating and guiding particular actions this week.

Rev. Chris Skinner

Sunday 11 June 2011

 

 

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE
Texts:  John 8:32
Know the truth and it will set you free

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

  • This verse is more than it seems on the surface as is the case with much of the Word. It appears to be saying that truth itself will set you free just by knowing it, but it is much more than that. To know the truth is about knowledge and what knowledge can do. It can do very little if all that happens is that the knowledge is left in the mind to stagnate and possibly be forgotten.

 

  • If we look at our own experiences we all know people who have a wonderful knowledge of their subject or occupation, but do nothing to impart it to others or use it purposefully in what they do. We have all known many teachers or lecturers who know their subject very well but find it very difficult to impart it to others or put it in a form which is useful for others.

 

  • Jesus is said to be the 'the Word made flesh' or the living truth but if He was only that then there is a lot that He would not have done. The life of Jesus was full of the demonstration of love and compassion. He put Himself in the shoes of the other person and showed empathy.

 

  • At the beginning of this chapter it speaks of the woman caught in adultery. The Jews wanted her stoned because that was the law, but Jesus said, "He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone", and they all went away because they knew that they were not perfect.

 

  • In this example it can be seen that in contrast to the Jews who wanted to apply the letter of the law, Jesus looked beyond into its essence. In this text therefore knowing the truth is not the whole truth. It is about using the truth we know in a loving and useful way.

 

  • At times, we talk about someone giving their word. In this instance it is not about speaking about a number of letters that go into making up a word, it is talking about what their integrity is all about and that they will do what they say.

 

  • The Pharisees used much of the Old Testament to judge people and take everything to the letter. The truth was about them, about power, about selfishness and we are gradually getting to the essence of the text.

 

  • In another passage we read the Lord healed a demon possessed deaf mute. The Lord enabled the man to hear and speak. In other words He could listen and communicate and was not bound up within Himself.

 

  • For the truth to set us free we must understand that the real essence of what Jesus taught was about releasing ourselves from self bondage and to look beyond our own needs to the needs of others. We are all born with evil tendencies and we have to nurture looking to others, because if we do not those evil inclinations will take over and we will be bound to selfishness.

 

  • The truth becomes living in us when we know it sufficiently for us to want to love others and work with others - this is what true freedom is. We all know what it is like to be so engrossed in what we want that it takes us over. We also know of circumstances where people focus only on themselves. They think they are free but it is only when they see the light of truth that they realise they were not.

Suggested application during the week

Watch our thoughts and actions this week and see how our own needs and wants are preventing us looking at the needs of others.

Rev. Chris Skinner

Sunday 5 June 2011

 

 

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE
Texts:  Exodus 25:23-30
Table of Shewbread

"Make a table of acacia wood - two cubits long, a cubit wide and a cubit and a half high.  Overlay it with pure gold and make a gold moulding around it.  Also make around it a rim a handbreadth wide and put a gold moulding on the rim.  Make four gold rings for the table and fasten them to the four corners, where the four legs are.  The rings are to be close to the rim to hold the poles used in carrying the table.  Make the poles of acacia wood, overlay them with gold and carry the table with them.  And make its plates and dishes of pure gold, as well as its pitchers and bowls for the pouring out of offerings.  Put the bread of the presence on this table to be before me at all times."

  • We can be forgiven for regarding the furniture of the Tabernacle as part of a lost age. However if we see in them a way of moving from external worship to inner worship and add a layer of meaning of the symbolism or correspondences associated with them, we will see that they can open up an understanding of what goes on in our inner life. I am sure that if we do not have one ourselves, we are certainly aware of family heirlooms. They are a means of transporting us from the material item to what they mean to the family and the uses they perform. They engender affections for people and much more.

 

  • If we think of a table we think of gatherings of food, of community and of fellowship. So the table is an instrument or vehicle for us to share together and this is the symbolism of the table in question. It symbolises heavenly blessing and the mercy and love of God. The bread is called the 'bread of the presence' or the 'bread of faces' from the Hebrew translation. This refers to the many qualities or attributes of our life; we can see love, joy or innocence and the many faces or qualities of God. The infinite bounty of God. The table was made of acacia or shittim wood which symbolises the mercy and righteousness of the Lord.

 

  • The dimensions of the table were 2 cubits long, 1 cubit wide and one and a half cubits high. The number 2 represents 'conjunction', the conjunction of God with man. One cubit wide is the truth we receive and one and a half height is the use that putting love and God and the truth he gives into life. The table was overlayed with gold which signifies the pure love of God. The rail was a hands breadth which is the joining of truth to the external part of our life. The four rings are the outermost sphere of the heavenly marriage of good and truth.. The conjunction of good and truth. The rings were on the four corners to give firmness near the legs which is contact with the ground and to provide firm support. It shows us that unless we put the truth into life it is of no use.

 

  • The poles are the power that truth brings. It is the means of strength to carry the sense and feeling of the Lord with us everyday of our life. There were various dishes or vessel on the table. The vessels are knowledge of the Lord.

 

  • If we think about the overall symbolism of the table of shewbread we are given a glimpse of the way the Lord works in and with each one of us. He gives us heavenly blessings, the table out of pure love for us. He provides us with bread which is goodness or manna to feed our souls. Golden vessels are the inner spirit of life which is given to us as we transform factual knowledge into acts of love from the truth that moves us. The Lord provides sustenance, he is the bread of Life. 12 loaves were on the table which symbolises all of Divine mercy. Bread was replenished every seven day. Seven is what is holy and shows us how the Lord can renew us and demonstrates the cycle of need that we have.

 

  • From purely external furniture used in worship we gain a sense of how the Lord works with us spiritually. An understanding of these things shows us how the Lord wants to lead us inwards as we grow to understand His Word and give expression to it in love in our life.

 

  • There are many ways in which we can see things around us working as an instrument to lead us from material to spiritual qualities. The choir of hard knocks was a way of giving a sense of purpose to those struggling with life and there are many other examples. We can find our own way of going from outer things to more spiritual ones.

Suggested application during the week

Find ways to use things in our life to trigger spiritual qualities   and thoughts which lead us inwards to God and to express  His love in our life.

 

Rev. Chris Skinner

Sunday 29 May 2011

 

 

 

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE
Texts:  Ezekiel Chapters 1 and 10
Vision of the Wheels

In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.

On the fifth of the month - it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin - the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, by the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians.  There the hand of the Lord was upon him.

I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north - an immerse cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light.  The centre of the fire looked like glowing metal, and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures.  In appearance their form was that of a man, but each of them had four faces and four wings.  Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze.  Under their wings on their four sides they had the hands of a man.  All four of them had faces and wings, and their wings touched one another.  Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved.

Their faces looked like this: each of the four had the face of a man, and on the right side each had the faces of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle.  Such were their faces.  Their wings were spread out upwards; each had two wings, one touching the wing of another creature on either side, and two wings covering its body.  Each one went straight ahead.  Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went.  The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches.  Fire moved back and forth among the creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it.  The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning.

As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces.  This was the appearance and structure of the wheels:  they sparkled like chrysolite, and all four looked alike.  Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel.  As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced; the wheels did not turn about as the creatures went.  Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around.

When the living creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose.  Wherever the spirit would go, they would to, and the wheels would rise along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.  When the creatures moved, they also moved; when the creatures stood still, they also stood still; and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked like an expanse, sparkling like ice, and awesome.  Under the expanse their wings were stretched out one towards the other, and each had two wings covering its body.  When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty, like the tumult of an army.  When they stood still, they lowered their wings.

Then there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads as they stood with lowered wings.  Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man.  I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him.  Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.

This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.  When I saw it, I fell face down, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

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I looked, and I saw the likeness of a throne of sapphire above the expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim.  The Lord said to the man clothed in linen, "Go in among the wheels beneath the cherubim.  Fill your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city."  And as I watched, he went in.

Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of the temple when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner court.  Then the glory of the Lord rose from above the cherubim and moved to the threshold of the temple.  The cloud filled the temple, and the court was full of the radiance of the glory of the Lord.  The sound of the wings of the cherubim could be heard as far away as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when He speaks.

When the Lord commanded the man in linen, "Take fire from among the wheels, from among the cherubim," the man went in and stood beside a wheel.  Then one of the cherubim reached out his hand to the fire that was among them.  He took up some of it and put it into the hands of the man in linen, who took it and went out.  (Under the wings of the cherubim could be seen what looked like the hands of a man.)

I looked, and I saw beside the cherubim four wheels, one beside each of the cherubim; the wheels sparkled like chrysolite.  As for their appearance, the four of them looked alike; each was like a wheel intersecting a wheel.  As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the cherubim faced; the wheels did not turn about as the cherubim went.  The cherubim went in whatever direction the head faced, without turning as they went.  Their entire bodies, including their backs, their hands and their wings, were completely full of eyes, as were their four wheels.  I heard the wheels being called, 'the whirling wheels'.  Each of the cherubim had four faces:  one faced was that of a cherub, the second the face of a man, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.

Then the cherubim rose upwards.  These were the living creatures I had seen by the Kebar River.  When the cherubim moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the cherubim spread their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels did not leave their side.  When the cherubim stood still, they also stood still; and when the cherubim rose, they rose with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in them.

Then the glory of the Lord departed from over the threshold of the temple and stopped above the cherubim.  While I watched, the cherubim spread their wings and rose from the ground, and as they went, the wheels went with them.  They stopped at the entrance to the east gate of the Lord's house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.

These were the living creatures I had seen beneath the God of Israel by the Kebar River, and I realised that they were cherubim.  Each had four faces and four wings, and under their wings was what looked like the hands of a man.  Their faces had the same appearance as those I had seen by the Kebar River.  Each one went straight ahead.

  • Both these chapters, which have a vision of wheels, have some different details but the essence within is very similar. Ezekiel was a prophet and much of what he wrote was apocalyptic in nature and the prophesies were given in correspondences. He came to show what needed to change. If you read both passages you can, if you reflect on it, see at one and the same time a sense of torment and tribulation coupled with a sense of order and the power of God.

 

  • If we look around us in the world today we can see the same turmoil and difficulty and struggles, both at a personal level and climatically, politically, economically and we can be forgiven for wondering what is going on. In our personal journey and spiritual growth we can say we have our cycles, our ups and downs, in the clouds one minute, brought back to earth in another. Our spiritual journey is much the same; we struggle, we have joy, make progress, take one step back. At some points we are motivated and at others we are less so. All of these are often going on at the same time so we could say that there are wheels within wheels.

 

  • Within the two passages, although we will centre on Chapter 10 we are shown these states shown in image form. Many have struggled to interpret these passages but until we see them as speaking of the way God works with us at a spiritual level, both within us and around us, we will not fully appreciate what is going on. It is impossible to deal with everything in detail so I can only give the essence of the passage.

 

  • Woven within the passages are the cherubs, wings, hands, feet and face. The cherubs show the protection of divine providence, the wings represent the way we can be lifted up by truth, the hands symbolise power, the feet represent the external or lower things of life and the face what is internal. We also have the fire, the living creatures, the wheels full of eyes and the wheels within wheels. If we think of wheels as transporting and cycles we will get idea of the varying states of life.

 

  • The fire is the power and idea of God's love, the fire is controlled as is the mercy of the Lord. Love must be tempered as does our loves. Evil loves can destroy and even good love has to be given in a measured way at times. The wheels represent the Word also it is the means of progress or transportation. That is, the Word can move and motivate us and is the means for us to make progress. It is the guide post for our life. The four wheels are like the four gospels, four square, four winds, etc. It is divine truth providing us with the means to gain the foundation for our life's work.

 

  • The wheels within a wheel represent the inner meaning of the Word. It is the spirit within the letter which really provides the true strength of the Word, but the letter gives us the means as well like the outer part of the wheel which gives traction on the ground. The wheels full of eyes is the truth which gives the power to see more clearly and the living creatures are the affection with which we go to the Word for guidance and strength. Warmth in the heart brings a new dimension to the truth we know. If we are cold then we lack motivation and our mind is slow. When times are tough and we lack momentum we need to seek the Lord's Word. Through prayer our affections can be awakened.

 

  • Go back and read the passage with these insights of the symbolism and the passage comes alive and you will see it as showing the power of God to change our life's direction and purpose amongst the outer turmoil that can embroil us, if we do not lift the eyes of our mind higher to the divine truth and love of the Lord.

Suggested application during the week

Let us all take a look at our life and where it is at.  Are we overwhelmed by turmoil or can we see within it the Lord leading us?  Take the opportunity to see how we can change our thinking so that we can focus on the true meaning of life and the Lord in our midst.

Rev. Chris Skinner

Sunday 22 May 2011


 

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE
Texts:  1 Samuel chapter 1
 Ruth chapter 1
 Matthew 12:43-50
Mothers Day Message

There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.  He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah.  Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.

Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Ophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord.  Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters.  But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb.  And because the Lord had closed her womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her.  This went on year after year.  Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.  Elkanah her husband would say to her, "Hannah, why are you weeping?  Why don't you eat?  Why are you downhearted?  Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?"

Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up.  Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the Lord's temple.  In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord.  And she made a vow, saying, "O Lord Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head."

As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth.  Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard.  Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, "How long will you keep on getting drunk?  Get rid of your wine."

"Not so, my lord", Hannah replied, "I am a woman who is deeply troubled.  I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord.  Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief."

Eli answered, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him."

She said, "May your servant find favour in your eyes."  Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.

Early the next morning they arose and worshipped before the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah.  Elkanah lay with Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her.  So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son.  She named him Samuel, saying, "Because I asked the Lord for him."

When the man Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfil his vow, Hannah did not go.  She said to her husband, "After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the Lord, and he will live there always."

"Do what seems best to you", Elkanah her husband told her.  Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the Lord make good His word."  So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him.

After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three year old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh.  When they had slaughtered the bull, they brought the boy to Eli, and she said to him, "As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord.  I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him.  So now I give him to the Lord.  For his whole life he shall be given over to the Lord."  And he worshipped the Lord there.

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In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab.  The man's name was Elimelech, his wife's name Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion.  They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah.  And they went to Moab and lived there.

Now Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died, and she was left with her two sons.  They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth.  After they had lived there about ten year, both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.

When she heard in Moab that the Lord had come to the aid of His people by providing food for them.  Naomi and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there.  With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah.

Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back, each of you, to your mother's home.  May the Lord show kindness to you, as you have shown to your dead and to me.  May the Lord grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband."

Then she kissed them and they wept aloud and said to her, "We will go back with you to your people."

But Naomi said, "Return home, my daughters.  Why would you come with me?  Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands?  Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband.  Even if I thought there was still hope for me - even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons - would you wait until they grew up?  Would you remain unmarried for them?  No, my daughters.  It is more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord's hand has gone out against me!"

At this they wept again.  Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.

"Look," said Naomi, "your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods.  Go back with her."

But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you.  Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay.  Your people will be my people and your God my God.  Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried.  May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."  When Naomi realised that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.

So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem.  When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, "Can this be Naomi?"

"Don't call me Naomi," she told them.  "Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter.  I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty.  Why call me Naomi?  The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortunate upon me."

So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning. ›

When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it.  Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.'  When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order.  Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there.  And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.  That is how it will be with this wicked generation.

While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him.  Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you."

He replied to him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?"  Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers.  For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."

  • The above passages from the Bible are used to look at the different aspects of motherhood and the role of the church as 'mother'. We must recognise that the role of mother is performed by all sorts of people in different situations. Teachers, child care workers, fathers and members of the extended family. All who do it, in some cases out of duty, but always out of caring, compassion and love. The birth mother is often the one we focus on, but others perform this role because of circumstances and in some instances because the birth mother will not or cannot. Whatever the circumstances, the mother role is performed out of care and love and it certainly involves a great deal of patience and sacrifice.

 

  • In our passage from Samuel, Hannah the second wife of Elkanah, is disturbed and upset because she cannot have children and Peninnah the first wife is nasty to her. We see later how this relates to us spiritually. In the Book of Ruth we see a wonderful mature relationship between Naomi and her daughter in laws and how the selfless concern is shown by Naomi. In the passage from Matthew we see that the Lord broadens the name mother and brothers and shows that He is referring to the spiritual role of His life and the community and later the church.

 

  • In very early Christian times the followers of the Lord were victimised by the Jews and wealthy woman made their homes available for meeting and worship, which is much different to what we have today. Cathedrals now are known as the 'mother church' and people come together on special occasions. In a deeper sense the church as mother relates to the role of nurture, community and growth together as a family of people who provide love, support, wisdom and guidance. It provides a haven with the Lord Jesus Christ at its head. Our relationship with the Lord is partly shaped within the church.

 

  • The symbolism of nurturing of a baby, our growth spiritually and the church as 'the body of Christ' all relates back to the concept of nurture and the mothering role whoever it is given by. The qualities that we need to develop in our life such as patience, care, compassion and love all relate to the mothering role. We also need to be prepared to sacrifice our own needs for others because this is the essence of regeneration or spiritual growth.

 

  • In the passage from Samuel, there was Elkanah, Peninnah and Hannah just as we know of Jacob, Leah, Rachel and others. This dynamic is spread throughout the Word and they are there to provide a spiritual lesson. Elkanah represents the Lord and Peninnah, who bore the children, symbolises the first steps in faith which produce fruit but which can have elements of nastiness built in. It is only later that Hannah who is ridiculed by Peninah is given a child. If we look at the passage we will see that it happens only after she focuses on the love that is demonstrated by Elkanah, both in words and deeds. The love of Hannah for her child Samuel is a much deeper love than Peninnah shows and it demonstrates that we need to develop our faith from the truth to a real sense of the love of the Lord in our life. Hannah presents Samuel to Eli at the temple, which is a very selfless act in recognition of her deep love for the Lord.

 

  • The qualities needed to bring up children require us to seek support from the Lord. We need strength to handle all the circumstances that are thrown at us and which we need to endure. Our love, our patience, our commitment are tested and we need to turn to the Lord. Indeed it is from the Lord that the love comes and we need continually to seek his help.

Suggested application during the week

As we reflect on our mothers or the mother figures in our lives, let us look at what attributes we are displaying in our life of the qualities needed to nurture relationships and how much are we relying on the Lord to give us strength.

 

Rev. Chris Skinner

Sunday 8 May 2011

 

 

 

 

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE
Text:  Exodus 25:17-22
The Mercy Seat

Make an atonement cover of pure gold - two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide.  And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover.  Make one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two ends.  The cherubim are to have their wings spread upwards, overshadowing the cover with them.  The cherubim are to face each other, looking towards the cover.  Place the cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the Testimony, which I will give you.  There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.

  • This is one of the passages in Exodus that describes the various pieces of furniture around the tabernacle and Holy of Holies, which were used by the Jews for their worship. We are very much aware that the Jewish worship was ritualistic and it is easy to gloss over these passages as being irrelevant. However this would be misguided, not because we should place undue importance on the detail, but the symbolism of them is important for understanding our relationship with God and Him with us. The mercy seat was over the container which held the Ten Commandments and when you read the passage you will get the detail.

 

  • How many of us have a favourite seat in a favourite position? It provides comfort, relaxation and even security. It is the place where we feel 'at home' or settled and puts us in 'a good place'. All of these concepts help to understand and illuminate our vision and sense of the mercy seat. Coupled with this is the need to recognise the nature of God which is mercy itself. In the highest sense mercy is divine love. The Lord is full of mercy and great compassion. We all have a need for mercy, for love and equally important, we all need to show mercy and love.

 

  • The Jews understand the mercy seat to be the seat of atonement but this implies sacrifice. God cannot be at the same time mercy and prepared to sacrifice. God is one and total love. The mercy seat is pure gold, heavenly love and on top of the seat are the two cherubs facing each other. Cherub means 'guard' with wings outstretched reaching heaven. Wings represent truth and the means of reaching great heights. We should remember that the mercy seat was over the ark and contained the Ten Commandments which are laws for every age. These laws are dispensed with love for humankind as everyone needs principles by which to live their life.

 

  • God's mercy yearns that we all reach heaven.

 

  • The cherubs are guards to ensure that those who are in the good of love and charity truly commune at the mercy seat. The Lord Jesus Christ is the mercy seat. Just as Aaron was required to wash before worship, so we are required to put away evil tendencies in our life and come to the Lord in a humble way knowing that we are trying our best.

 

  • There are times when some of us might find it difficult to approach the Lord, and that is often when we are not in a good state. Something inside of us prevents this closeness to God. There is something obstructing us. Perhaps it is our feeling of inadequacy. However the Lord is always ready to receive us. If we are ready to repent of our errors and look to the Lord then we will come close to Him.

 

  • Inside of each soul there is a mercy seat. Each person spiritually can approach this inwardly when we focus on the Lord in our life. The mercy seat is the entrance to heaven. The essentials for entering heaven are love for God and love of the neighbour, which is symbolised by the two cherubs. If our life is ordered in this way we can commune with God and indeed do as we live our life every day. God will speak between the cherubim because in looking to God and living a life of charity or love, we will be in tune with His voice in our life.

Suggested application during the week

Think this week on how much we are putting the truth into practice in our life out of a sense of love for God and others.           Listen to see if we can hear Him speak to us.

Rev. Chris Skinner

Sunday 1 May 2011

 

 

 

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE
Text:  John 1:1-20 and Luke 24:1-12
'He is risen as He said'

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.

Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.  In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John.  He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe.  He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.  The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognise him.  He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.  Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children to God - children born not of natural descent, not of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

The Word become flesh and made His dwelling among us.  We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John testifies concerning Him.  He cries out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.'"  From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another.  For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made Him known.

Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was.  He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Christ". š

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.  They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.  In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here; He has risen!  Remember how He told you, while He was still with you in Galilee:  The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'"  Then they remembered His words.

When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others.  It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles.  But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.  Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb.  Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

  • These two passages from the Word provide us with an overview of the Easter message although each Gospel provides a different emphasis. What is at the heart of the Easter message? We all know the events, but for it to be meaningful we have to see it in the context of our lives today and not an historical message. The events provide us with a spiritual viewpoint of how this message can be as relevant to us today as it was for the woman and the disciples, and if it is not then our celebration and worship is of little effect.

 

  • The crucifixion and resurrection are the culmination of the Lord's life. His whole life was a process of putting off the human and making the human nature divine. This process is mirrored in our own life, changing us from selfish to unselfish people and the appearances of the Lord in various ways is similar to the way the Lord accommodates Himself to our own particular needs and personalities. Through His life in this world He re-established the link with heaven and made it possible to touch each one of us now as He did those who were with Him then. Even though the disciples were walking with the Lord whilst on earth they still had doubts after His death that they would see Him again. We can also be forgiven for having doubts. One thing the resurrection provided was an understanding that life is eternal and whilst our mortal body dies, our spirit cannot die.

 

  • Jesus' life broke the bonds of death. Unlike us whose body remains in the grave, the Lord rose completely. The tomb was empty and the stone rolled away. We should picture this open tomb as a symbol of the opened Word. Stone is rigid and hard like the principles in the Word, but comes alive when we go to it with love and see in its pages the way forward for us spiritually. A sentence from the Word actioned in life can change someone when we show them how to love another. A thank you or a smile can transform a person's day or their attitude.

 

  • Many people want to reject the divinity of Jesus. This is like Peter denying the Lord. If our God, who created all, is God at all He has all power and therefore like the disciples, we are limiting His power if we do not see Him in everything.

 

  • Jesus appeared many times in all sorts of ways after the resurrection: to Mary; to Thomas; and to the disciples on the road to Emmaus. This demonstrates that the Lord meets us at the level we are at: Mary spiritually; Thomas at a more natural level; and, the disciples progressively as they came to recognise Him as the living truth and love.

 

  • These appearances after the resurrection showed that the Lord was a spiritual substance and each person was seeing Him with their spiritual eyes. The fact that His body was not left in the tomb is a wonderful picture that the Lord is more fully with us than our friends and relatives when they die. He glorified His Human. He cast off its limitations but he is still present fully with us. The limitation comes from us not Him.

 

  • The first day of the week is like a new dawn, a new state and we have the opportunity to recognise the Lord as the way forward. He has the ability, with our cooperation, to change the way we think and act and this will be done progressively just as He put off the human progressively. He will rise in us if we nurture the power of love within us.

Suggested application during the week

Use the Easter message to re-visit where we are in our relationship with the Lord and whether we are expressing the power of love in our life just He did by His life.

 

Rev. Chris Skinner

Sunday 24 April 2011

 

 

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE
Text:  Exodus 7-11
The Ten Plagues

  • Most people are aware of the plagues that appear in chapters 7-11 of the Book of Exodus and generally they are considered to be gross in some way and people wonder what they have to do with the Word of God. In fact they have everything to do with the Word because, at its heart, the Word is about what is going on inside of us and this at times can be quite unpleasant.

 

  • In today's world we have images of all kinds thrown at us, especially in films where computerisation can illustrate very bad images. We therefore can see how evil can capture people's minds both in current films and in the ten plagues.

 

  • The ten plagues appear in the Bible at the point just before the Children of Israel were released from bondage. The series of plagues shows that the more we become slaves to evil inclinations the deeper the problem becomes. We can see bondage around us, for example, in the way that people become dependent on drugs, alcohol, sex, etc. These modern plaques can be very difficult to break away from and there can be a rapid descent into evils of all kinds connected with these things.

 

  • The ten plagues at a natural level are in the Word to symbolise spiritual plagues that go on inside of us and we need the Lord's help to overcome them. Pharaoh symbolises the evil and selfish tyrant which we can become if we shut the Lord out of our life. Moses and Aaron represent the Lord in our life.

 

  • If we reflect on our own life we will be able to identify times when we have not wanted to listen to anyone or weren't aware of the way we were acting or behaving. Others can see it but we can't and it often takes a graphic picture of what we are becoming to wake us up with a jolt. We can wallow in our own misery if we refuse to ask the Lord to help pull us out of what has taken hold.

 

  • Ten symbolises 'all' or 'everything' which is the reason for ten commandants. The order of the plagues was: water into blood; frogs; lice; flies; livestock; boils and sores; hail; locusts; darkness; and, death of first born. The water into blood symbolises turning truth into falsity. The fish dying symbolises true knowledge destroyed by falsity. The frogs or croaking is false reasoning. Lice attack the surface of the skin and this symbolises sensual desires and selfish pleasure.

 

  • Flies represent false thoughts filling the mind, livestock animals represent affections because they are warm blooded and they symbolise all natural good impulses being destroyed. Sores and boils are about interiors manifesting themselves on the surface, such as a whole, natural mind being infected and distorted. Hail is the destructive force of water instead of gentle rain. Hail represents false truths destroying the church. Locusts destroy everything in their path and they symbolise the destruction of all remaining goodness. Darkness is no truth or good left and death of the first born is the destruction of all the remains of truth and the separation of faith and charity.

 

  • All of this shows what can happen to us spiritually if we allow ourselves to become overwhelmed with selfishness and evil. It is not a good picture but if we hold on to the good thoughts and feelings that can be with us when we choose to follow the truth and refuse to be completely selfish, we will see the contrast.

Suggested application during the week

This week, try and identify one thing which we may feel is becoming addictive and look to the Lord for help.

 

Rev. Chris Skinner

Sunday 10 April 2011

 

 

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE
 Text: Luke 14:25-35
Parables in Luke

Large crowds were travelling with Jesus, and turning to them He said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters – yes, even his own life – he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’

Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit nether for the soil not for the manure heap; it is thrown out.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

· In the Gospel of Luke, like all the synoptic gospels, there are a large number of parables which Jesus used to explain in natural terms spiritual principles. In chapters 14-20 there are many of these and we are focussing on two in particular which provide a very good example of how we need to build on the truth in our life.

· In verses 28- 32 it speaks of the way to build a tower and how we need to think about foundations, cost and how we are going to build it. I am sure we can all think of the well known tower in the Old Testament which was talking about the way they built the tower based on self love.

· I am sure we can all think of towers that we have seen or know of. The most famous is the leaning tower of Pisa. In one sense this is good example of the principles involved. I can also think of the Martello towers which were built around the coast of England to act as fortresses. Towers are also built so that they can be climbed on to get a better view. The higher we get the better perspective and overview we can have.

· We can also think of bell towers which enable the sound to travel further and there are many more tower examples. All of the principles about towers not only apply to natural towers but they have great relevance to our spiritual life and that is why the Lord used them as examples.

· We mentioned that towers are sometimes used to act as fortresses against the enemy and this is the central principle of our parable. As we all know a tower will easily crumble if it is not built on firm foundations. It is the same with our spiritual life, it must be based on firm principles of truth but this truth will only be strong if it is strengthened by use in our life. As we take this truth and put it into our life then it is providing a fortress against evil inclinations that is part of our life. As we build on this principle, we raise our thoughts and spirits.

· Our sense of goodness and the right thing to do will grow and we will build on each victory so that in a sense our spiritual tower is getting higher reaching closer to heaven. The strength we gain by this process helps us have a greater sense of what is right and our perspective changes as we get higher principles.

· The other short parable is about the kings and two armies – one of 10,000 and one of 20,000. Kings have power and we should think of the power of truth and the power of error. It appears that the power of evil is symbolised by the 20,000 having more power, however, if we are building our life on firm foundations we will see that it does not. Our strength will come from the power of truth. When kings and armies are far off they have not gained a place in our life. Ambassadors of peace are sent out but if they are not using the Lord's strength to fight the battles, then it is false peace.

· All of the examples and the inherent truth contained in these short parables are pointing us to what we should do and how we work with truth. However the real test is the application of this truth in our daily lives. Each day opportunities are presented to put the truth into practice and as we do then we are building our tower. The truth should become part of our everyday life because it is there that the Lord walks with us.

Suggested application during the week

Look back in the past week and see where there was an opportunity to put the truth we know into practice and assess whether we did or not, and if we did, was it good outcome?

Rev. Chris Skinner

Sunday 3 April 2011

 

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE
 Text: John 8 verse 32
Truth

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

· In our life experience we have probably noticed that it is not always the person who knows everything or has great knowledge about a subject who is the best at their job or the best teacher of a subject. Something more is needed which is passion and empathy with people in the workplace or school.

· Knowing the truth is not just about knowing the Word of Truth or the whole Bible. The meaning of this text is more than what appears. It has levels of meaning. The words are the shell and the real power is what lies beneath. It is what we do with the truth: how we use it; how we love it.

· If someone says to you, “I give you my word”, it is more than what he says and whether he is truthful or not, it is about that person’s whole being. What drives them, what sort of person they are? Knowing the truth is the way words become alive in our life. Knowledge of truth and knowing the truth is like knowing all the ingredients of a recipe but never having tried it to see how it tastes and looks.

· Knowing the truth and feeling the need to use it and live it is what this passage is all about. We all know how we have been affected when we have told an untruth which has negatively affected others. It debilitates us and we feel constrained. It is only when we have righted that wrong and owned up to the mistake that we really feel relieved and can move forward freely.

· For truth in the Word to set us free we must read, understand and put it into our lives so that it changes us and has a positive effect on the people we meet. Using the truth changes our life because it gradually makes us a different person, freeing us from the bondage of selfishness and evil influences.

· We must have a growing desire to use and feel the power of the Word and this will only come about as we try, and test out the truth and then move on to the next trial. It is a process that builds up the power of truth in our life. The Pharisees did not understand what the Lord was saying to them. They thought they were free but it was a false and shallow freedom.

· Each of us continues to face our own demons and spiritual battles. Applying the truth to our life will gradually free us from them. As we slowly see what loving the truth means to us and how it affects our life and conscience state of mind, then the light of truth will turn into energy and result in life changing outcomes.

· If we focus totally on our own weaknesses and own state we leave no room for the Lord. The whole of the Gospels are littered with examples of the Lord honouring the good in people even if they are far from perfect – the tax collectors, the blind, the lame, etc. We are all on the journey but at different points and we all have to grab the truth and live it.

Suggested application during the week

Think about a part of your life which needs change then go to the Word, find a passage, read it and then ask the Lord to help you work through it.

Rev. Chris Skinner

Sunday 20 March 2011

 

 

 

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE
Text:  Isaiah 5:1-7 and part of Matthew 13
Harvest Thanksgiving

I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard:

My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside.

He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines.

He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well.

Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.

Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.

What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it?

When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad?

Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard:

I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed;

I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled.

I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there.

I will command the clouds not to rain on it.

The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the garden of His delight.

And He looked for justice, but saw bloodshed;

For righteousness, but heard cries of distress.

  • This is the time when we thank the Lord for the provision He has made for us from the natural bounty. The fruits of His creation. The seed has grown and blossomed. If we reflect on it, the whole of the Word is sprinkled with things that relate to growth and fruit: vineyards feature often; fruit; the parable of the sower; and much, much more. It is important however for us to not only think of the natural harvest but also the spiritual harvest because all the references to natural growth are looking towards the concept of spiritual growth or regeneration.

 

  • The two passages that we look at have relation to the macro and micro. In Isaiah the vineyard (macro), and the micro in Matthew the parable of the mustard seed from small to great. Both verses spiritually are about the growth of truth and love in us as individuals and as a group or church. It is no coincidence that a vineyard from planting to producing fruit takes 7 years and 7 symbolises completeness. Whether we have a vineyard garden or just a flower box, we can see the growth take place before our eyes.

 

  • In the natural world the Lord has provided all the mechanisms necessary for the seed to develop into a plant or fruit, provided the natural conditions such as water and sun are right. This is not the case however with our own regeneration or spiritual growth. For us there are challenges that come along the way. Temptations are put in our path to make us decide what is important and this develops our conscious. It is interesting to note the correspondences between the natural and spiritual world.

 

  • We need water in the world for growth, as we need water or truth to start our spiritual growth. Recently with the floods, we can see what too much water can do when there has been that much that it cannot soak in. Spiritually if we do not allow the truth to soak into our life in forms of love then truth is of no use.

 

  • Using the example of a garden or field, we need fertiliser or manure to assist in growth. Often this is foul smelling and comes from excrement. These symbolise falsities that we have to overcome in our life in order to grow. In the natural world we have the seed, field and fruit and spiritually we have the truth, doctrine and goodness which is a spiritual progression. Vineyards produce many varieties of grapes and each of us is a different variety in terms of the way we receive the truth and work with it.

 

  • In the parable of the mustard seed a man sowed the seed. In Greek the word is 'anthropos' which means man or more literally, human faced. We can see the Lord as the human face of God so that we can have a connectedness with him. From that small seed a big plant grows. If we acknowledge the part the Lord plays in our life, the small ideas or qualities of care, commitment, and loyalty can blossom in much bigger ideals and principles for our living. The parables in chapter 13 of Matthew are parables about the Kingdom of heaven.

 

  • In Isaiah it talks about the vineyard and the wasteland. In the natural world humankind has abused the provisions God has made for the earth and for His people. We are making it a wasteland and we have to accept the consequences of this abuse. In our spiritual life we need to ensure that we grow the seed of truth and enable it to blossom into the fruits of love, otherwise our mind will be a wasteland.

 

  • We are giving thanks today for the harvest. May we also give thanks for the spiritual blessings that we have been given and which are made possible as a result of having a commitment to the Lord.

Suggested application during the week

Let us make a point first thing each morning to give thanks to the Lord for the many blessings we have and not just focus on the things we have to do in the day.

Rev. Chris Skinner

Sunday 13 March 2011

 

 

 

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE
Text:  Luke 14:14
Happiness in Heaven

And you will be blessed.  Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.

  • This text is part of the chapter which looks at people being called to a feast and it says that the reward is at the resurrection. It is an introduction to the principle of what is heavenly happiness.

 

  • We can all be excused for thinking that the world is in turmoil, with uprisings in some countries and the major earthquake in New Zealand. However if we are not careful these thoughts can take over our whole thinking patterns and we can lose sight of our own goals. When we are young we don't tend to think much about heaven, but as we come to our twilight years it does occupy our minds a little.

 

  • The happiness of heaven is a real attraction but how do we gain that happiness? Can we experience it here? The teachings for the New Church provide great detail on what heaven will be like but we should also recognise that heaven is a state and is nurtured within us in this world.

 

  • The passage speaks of calling the lame, blind, etc. to a feast or a dinner and then it says your reward will be at the resurrection. Notice the passage does not say that the reward is for doing good. The reward of heaven comes as a result of the change that takes place in the person who looks beyond themselves. The feast or dinner is the good we do. The Lord dwells in the good we do.

 

  • Heavenly happiness, can we imagine it? Now and again we will experience it here. It will emerge from the goodness that we are doing and a sphere will be created which comes to the surface. It is internal and most of the time it will be smothered by all that is going on around us.

 

  • During the past few days following the earthquake in New Zealand, we heard anecdotes of the way people were focussing on helping each other and supporting each other in what is a devastating period which turned their lives upside down. Within challenges is a sense of heaven.

 

  • Heavenly joy is an obscure delight and can only come as we look to the needs of others and not just ourselves. Luke 12 says, "It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom". The church is a vehicle for leading us to heaven and the Word signposts the journey with stories, parables, etc. The Word is punctuated by telling us the consequences of not leading a good life, not because of judgement but the Lord knows how our life will go if we do not look to caring for others and only think about ourselves.

 

  • What are the ingredients for heavenly happiness? It is spiritual. It comes following struggles and temptations that have been overcome. It is humility, it is useful activity, it is sharing delights and blessings with others. It is relationships which are nurtured for the benefit of the other person as well as our own.

 

  • Heavenly happiness grows within us and can be described as a growing contentment and peace. This is an inner state as our outward states may be in some turmoil, but within we are content in the Lord.

 

  • The guide book or map has been given to us by the Lord. We have to commence the journey to get to the destination. We may not feel worthy of heaven, but unless we start the journey the Lord cannot help us.

 

  • Once we have commenced, the Lord will lead us forward and heavenly happiness can be experienced even if only briefly, and we can build on it both in this life and the next. When we pass from this world to the next, the material trappings that have held us back will gradually fall away as we become acclimatised (so to speak) to the spiritual world and we will find happiness in an environment where everyone has the same sense of true happiness and love for others.

Suggested application during the week

Reflect on what is important to us in life from a spiritual perspective and nurture this day by day.

Rev. Chris Skinner

Sunday 27 February 2011

 

 

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE

Text:  John Chapter 9

Healing of the Blind Man

As He went along, He saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked Him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

"Neither this man nor his parents sinned", said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of Him who sent me. Night is coming, when no-one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

Having said this, He spat on the ground, made some mud with the saliva and put it on the man's eyes. "Go", He told him, "Wash in the Pool of Siloam". So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

His neighbours and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, "Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?" Some claimed that he was.

Others said, "No, he only looks like him".

How then were your eyes opened?" they demanded.

He replied, "The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed and then I could see."

"Where is this man?" they asked him.

"I don't know", he said.

They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath. Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. "He put mud on my eyes," the man replied, "and I washed, and now I see."

Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for He does not keep the Sabbath."

But others asked, "How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?" So they were divided.

Finally they turned again to the blind man, "What have you to say about Him? It was your eyes He opened."

The man replied, "He is a prophet."

The Jews still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man's parents. "Is this your son?" they asked. "Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?"

"We know he is our son," the parents answered, "and we know he was born blind. But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don't know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself." His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for already the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue. That was why his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."

A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. "Give glory to God," they said. "We know this man is a sinner."

He replied, "Whether He is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind and now I see!"

Then they asked him, "What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?"

He answered, "I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become His disciples too?"

Then they hurled insults at him and said, "You are this fellow's disciple! We are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don't even know where He comes from."

The man answered, "Now that is remarkable! You don't know where He comes from, yet He opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does His will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing."

To this they replied, "You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!" And they threw him out.

Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when He found him, He said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"

"Who is He, sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in Him."

Jesus said, "You have now seen Him; in fact, He is the one speaking with you."

Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshipped Him.

Jesus said, "For judgement I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind."

Some Pharisees who were with Him heard Him say this and asked, "What? Are we blind too?"

Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains."

 

• This whole chapter in one way or another speaks of the healing of the man who was blind. The setting of the event, the people involved and the nature or reaction to the healing, all have a significant part to play in what it teaches us about our journey. In one sense we could entitle it 'the awakening' because that is what it is all about.

• Have you ever observed the change that can come over some people as a result of an event or circumstance? Their whole view of life changes and they look at life in a new way. In many aspects of life it takes the ability to look beyond the 'usual' or standard rules to make new discoveries. To look at something in a different way.

• In this passage from the Word it is not only the blind man who is involved, it is the way the Pharisees react and indeed the way the man gradually sees that it is the Lord that has healed him.

• This miracle took place near the Pool of Siloam and the use of water or the part that water plays in many important passages in the Word is a sign of the symbolism involved. Water corresponds to truth and water cleanses or purifies from false ideas. That interplay between the Pharisees and the man and the Lord is what goes on in our spiritual struggles day by day.

• Our willingness to give up selfish ideas and ways will be challenged when we try to live in a spiritual way. Even in the Word we need to look beyond the facts or characters in any passage to the essential truth which lies beneath the stories.

• The fact that it took place on the Sabbath and the Lord healed on the Sabbath is important because the Lord challenges the old view of ritual and worship. What is worship, but the way we interact with others and live our life. The man being born blind is telling us that often we are blind to the important things in life.

• The Lord always wants to reach us where we are and so He used the spittle and earth to make mud for the man's eyes because this symbolism was very well known to everyone at the time and would have been a powerful image without saying anything. The Lord's truth, the water mixed with the earth, the dirt was expressive of the Lord working in our life. This man was receptive but had little instruction but the Lord knew this even though He passed him by.

• The interplay that took place after the miracle says a lot about the awakening of the Lord in us or the lack of it. The Pharisees were blind to any of this as they were only looking at life from their own selfish and rigid ways. Some said this is the blind man and the man himself was not sure at first who the Lord was. The Lord made Himself known to the man at the end and the man realised that the Lord had changed his life.

• The whole story shows a change from darkness to light, or to enlightenment. It shows us how our life can be changed when the stories of the Word, ‘the truth', change our life and our understanding is merged with love. As with this story the recognition that the Lord is present in our life is not always easy to see but gradually it dawns on us. In all aspects of our life we need to look beyond the squares.

 

Suggested application during the week

Let us reflect this week on some of the things that happen to us and not just allow them to come and go, and instead see where the Lord is leading us.

Rev. Chris Skinner

Sunday 13 February 2011

 

 

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE

Text: Luke 11:9

Ask, Seek, Knock (Prayer)

So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

· This text in Luke was an invitation to everyone and the words do not convey the passion and zeal that the Lord would have had in His voice when He uttered these words. How often do we pray, either openly or silently during our week, and if we do what is our main motivation?  Regrettably it is often when we want a specific answer or have a need and not on a regular basis.

· We need to open our minds and hearts to the Lord and a powerful way to do this is in prayer. Our tendency is to expect that our prayers will be answered directly by the Lord and the circumstance or material possession that we may be seeking is provided immediately. This is not the way the Lord works.

· Our prayers are heard but perhaps in a way we do not expect. Our prayers do not always re-dress or alter the circumstances. We may not notice any specific change. However the change may be in an ability to accept a situation more readily or by being given the energy and motivation to work towards resolving the situation or responding to things that arise after we have prayed.

· The Lord is focussed on our inner world. This does not mean that He does not want us to have good things or work for good things, but it is always with a view to what is eternal. There is no reason that we should not pray for our health, our career, our children etc., but it should be in the context of the way we use and love what we have or are given.

· Prayer is not about solving all our problems or difficulties, it is about all aspects of our life. In all aspects of our life we must encourage ourselves to make contact with the universal influx from the Lord. It is about bringing people closer together who are apart geographically and perhaps emotionally. The Lord often works in unseen ways.

· It is important that when we pray that we should be positive in the fact that there will be a response to our prayers. In some cases it may be immediate but not in ways we expect. In some cases it may be in ways that we need to either listen for or recognise in the actions of someone else, or in a change in circumstances, but perhaps this may be later rather than sooner.

· Sometimes the response to prayer means that we have to listen to our thoughts or the thoughts that come into us or the words of another person. The Lord works in our lives not outside of it. Prayer is talking with God. The quality of our affections determines the quality of our prayer. Prayer provides a spiritual influx. With our powerful teachings as the link between the spiritual world and this world, we can see that there is a closeness and there will be an effect in some way.

· The very fact that we pray allows the Lord to come close to us. Our prayers for others brings influx to them even if they do not recognise it or feel it directly. Our prayers for the flood victims or cyclone victims will have an effect. It may come in all sorts of ways, giving, response by emergency crews, etc. Our prayers need not be formal as long as they are heartfelt and then the channels of communication with the Lord, heaven and the spiritual world are opened.

· Ask, seek, knock. The Lord said, “Behold I stand at the door”. It is important that we do this by asking, seeking and knocking. Our prayers are the means to connect with the Lord, both for our need and those of others.

Suggested application during the week

Let us recognise the benefits of prayer and use them as a vehicle to get close with the Lord and so we have the strength work through the challenges in our lives.

Rev. Chris Skinner

Sunday 6 February 2011

 

 

 

 

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE

Text: Luke 2:25-32

Simeon and the Christmas message

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

“Sovereign Lord, as You have promised,

You now dismiss Your servant in peace.

For my eyes have seen Your salvation,

Which You have prepared in the sight of all people,

A light for revelation to the Gentiles

And for glory to Your people Israel.”

· We are all familiar with the traditional passages from the Word proclaiming the birth of the Lord and the wonderful events surrounding the birth. In essence they are telling us that God took on human form and came on earth to restore freedom to humankind.

· At Christmas we look back to this event and can get caught up in all the cultural and religious traditions and forget to see that the birth of the Lord into the world and into the lives of people is ongoing. We therefore need to, at the same time, look back but also reflect on what it means for us in our life.

· Our passage speaks of Simeon, a just and devout man, who was waiting for the Lord. He came to Jesus in the Temple at Jerusalem when Mary and Joseph took Jesus there as is the Jewish custom. Little is known about Simeon but the passage provides a powerful snapshot of the benefit of the wisdom of old age. Simeon represented the remnant of people who held on to a deep love of God.

· The name Simeon means to hear and obey. The symbolism of Jerusalem is the church, or more importantly, the application of the teachings of the Word to life. Simeon was waiting for the Lord and was eagerly expectant. He was just and devout and therefore waited with spiritual affection and spiritual preparation. He took the child in his arms and tenderly gave the blessing.

· Here we have a wonderful poignant contrast. We have the baby Jesus making a new beginning for humankind and bringing salvation and we have an old man who had a lifetime to reflect on what this baby was going to mean for the world. He was led by the Holy Spirit to be at the Temple and to offer this blessing which was of peace, salvation and enlightenment. He knew that Jesus came so humankind could have its life back and reach heaven if they wanted to.

· We are not in a time warp. Whilst we look back and see the meaning of Christmas and the birth of the Lord, we, like Simeon who had the benefit of wisdom, must reflect on what the birth of the Lord means in our life.

· Last year we came to celebrate the birth of the Lord and its power is the birth of the Lord in us. What has happened in our life in the last twelve months? What changes can we see in ourselves? The reason the Lord came was so that He could restore freedom and reach the minds of people again. He is continually trying to bend us and guide us. How have we changed? Has it been for the positive?

· Have we responded to the Lord's subtle leading, or have we left it all to the Lord and not done anything? Have we developed spiritually and emotionally as a result of the events of the last year? These are the reflections that we can make and we pray that we will gain wisdom gradually as we advance in years.

· The blessing that Simeon offered was one of peace, salvation and enlightenment. He saw the hand of the Lord at work in his life and he was led by the Spirit. He said Jesus was ‘the light to bring a revelation to the gentiles’, which means all people. In this blessing then is truth, light and love.

· Let us endeavour to gain wisdom as we read the Word and reflect on what the coming of the Lord really means.

Suggested application during the week

Let us see the coming of the Lord and the celebration of Christmas as an opportunity to reflect on the Lord's leading and use this as a springboard for the coming year.

Rev. Chris Skinner

Sunday 12 December 2010

 

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE

Text: Isaiah 40 verses 1-5

A Message for Advent

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.

A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will see it, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

· The Book of Isaiah has probably the most prophecies of the Lord's coming of any book in the Bible. It is a majestic and beautiful book looking to the coming of the Lord in many ways. The book was written 800 years before the coming of the Lord and the progressive prophesies in the Word span thousands of years.

· This particular text, if you look in the chapter before it, is provided to give hope to Hezekiah for his years on earth before the Jews are sent into exile. As with all prophesies it is meant to be a message of hope. We know the wonderful phrase, ‘where there is life there is hope’ and this passage looks ahead. We all need hope that things will improve - it is what keeps us going.

· The passage starts off with the word 'comfort'. We all know what it means to be comforted, given assurance and encouragement. A warm loving word gives comfort. True comfort comes from hope and having new insight into what we can do. Vision comes from the truth that is given. The Lord came as the living truth from divine love which was within Him. He said, “I am the spirit of truth, the comforter”.

· The text has many levels and whilst the prophecy in one way was meant for the people of the time, it is also meant very much for us as we look at it from the other side of His coming. “Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God”.

· How do we prepare the way for the Lord? We do it by giving up mistrust, resentfulness and our really selfish ways. Whatever darkness has covered up our earth or minds, the Lord will rise above and give us true light. We clear a path for the Lord to enter our life.

· Earlier we said it was another 800 years before the actual coming of the Lord. Why was it so long?

· We used the phrase, ‘where there is life there is hope’. The Lord always leaves people in freedom and whilst there was some hope, some truth, people were left to their own devices. However at the point the Lord saw the need to come, all hope had gone and it was difficult for people to choose freely. There was almost total darkness.

· In our own lives it is not until things are at their lowest that we feel the need to change and allow the Lord to help us. When we feel totally lost, it is only then that we sacrifice our own ideas and turn to the Lord. The Lord knows the time and just as it was in His time that He came into the world.

· He came as the 'redeemer'. To redeem is to restore or regain something that was lost and this is exactly what He did. He restored freedom and diminished the power of evil so people could again see the light.

Suggested application during the week

Let us examine our lives and see if we are truly allowing the Lord to come to us. Whether we are surrendering our selfishness to allow Him to liberate with His truth from love.

Rev. Chris Skinner

Sunday 5 December 2010

 

 

 

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE

Text: Revelation 17:10-11

The Beast, Scarlet Woman and Kings

They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for a little while. The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction.

· Whilst we focus on the text we cannot understand the full significance of it without looking at the whole chapter and in one sense the whole book. Theologians have puzzled and come up with different ways of finding a meaning for this book. If we focus on seeing it as showing at various levels the relationship with the church and the Lord, this will help. This, like other visions, was showing in symbolic form the future developments of the church and people within it. The whole book is about who rules heaven and earth and various characters come, take control and are overthrown. In the end the Lord Jesus Christ reigns and the true Holy City emerges.

· We will look at various aspects of the spiritual symbolism but cannot deal with it all today. We will see that that the scarlet woman represents the church and the beast symbolises the Word. Babylon refers to the church and our chapter, in symbolic form, shows the descent of the church from love to control. We can see this with the Catholic Church down the centuries, but we should not just look at the Catholic Church. All religious organisations that move away from the essence of the Word and seek to control or judge as a result of their interpretation of a particular truth, will have the same effect.

· We must always have in the forefront of our mind that Jesus came to show love and make union between His human and divine so that He could be with us always. This passage is all about what happens when the church and indeed each individual in their life, tries to put themselves in a position of power, control and authority over others.

· In our passage the vision is about seven heads which are seven mountains and seven kings. Looked at symbolically or in correspondences relating to spiritual principles, seven mountains symbolise love and the seven kings are wisdom. Kings represent what is primary and seven means holy truth - all the truths in the Word.

· In our text it says “five kings fall, one is, and the other has yet to come”. Taken in reference to the church it refers to the way in which the essence of truth from the Word is forsaken in favour of power and control. The five fallen are all the truths that are rejected - five being many or few. The one that remains is the divinity of Jesus Christ as God and man. The one yet to come is the union of the Divine and human in the Lord Jesus Christ. I and the Father are one. This is still not fully acknowledged that in Jesus is all the fullness of the Godhead bodily ( Colossians 9: 2)

· It goes on in verse 11 to speak of the beast that was and is not the 8th. The Word of God in its totality inflows into all of the individual parts just as the sun's heat and light pervades all. The destruction of the Word occurs if people deny its real essence. The Word is the living truth which Jesus came to show.

· In our lives we can misuse our freedom and attempt to take power and control over others because of selfish ends. We can take passages from the Word and use them to judge rather than as a principle to base our life but not to judge. There is nothing wrong with taking principles from the Word but any distortion can suddenly mean they are used to segregate and label rather than be a means to help. We can disagree with gay marriages and homosexual trends but we have to ensure that we still care about the individual.

· The Lord is our king and He is a benevolent ruler who Kingdom is love. Remember that the scarlet woman was succeeded by the bride the lamb's wife, the Holy City New Jerusalem. Revelation is a vision of how the church will evolve over the millennia from power and control to a true focus on the Lord and His Word to rule our hearts in love.

Suggested application during the week

Examine our motives and actions to ensure that in our life we are using the truths of the Word from a position of love to others and not to judge or control.

Rev. Chris Skinner

21 November 2010


 

 

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE

Text: Luke 9

Who do men say that I am?

· It could be argued that Christmas is more important in the New Church then Easter! That the Word is more important than the cross. By the Word of course I don’t just mean the Book but the Word made flesh - the Lord’s life in this world. In fact the process by which our Lord being born as human and became divine. We say He put off His humanity which He derived from His mother and put on His divinity. In the New Church we are helped enormously to understand this teaching by the writings and the insight they give us into what we call the spiritual sense of the Bible. This morning I want to take Luke chapter 9 as an example and I have entitled my message: “who do men say that I am”

· Verses 1-6: Then He sent them out to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick

The first verses of Luke tell the story of the sending out of the disciples; the instructions of what to take, what to do and what happened (miracles and deliverance). We are told that the spiritual sense of this passage teaches us that:

1. We acknowledge all is from God

2. God seeks us out we don’t seek Him out

3. Miracles and power are a part of His work not evidence of our importance

· Verses 7-9: Herod said who is this man? (John the Baptist, Elijah, the prophets)

Herod being King represents the ‘status quo’, the world’s view of things. These verses contrast with the previous ones:

1. The world sees God as distant and disinterested in us

2. It sees religion as a cop-out

3. It rejects not only miracles but spirituality as airy-fairy self delusion

· Verses 10-17: There were about five thousand

This chapter goes on to relate the event of the feeding of the 5,000 through this event we are told spiritually:

The Lord wants to deliver us from the world and teach us the truth. That He is the sole source of truth. But note that in this situation He looks to the disciples to organise the crowd and find the boy and the boy is part of the crowd. This teaches us that although He is the sole source of life He draws from what little is in us to produce that life. He takes that and adds a miracle, ‘from little things big things grow”

· Verses 18-20: Who do the crowds say I am? (John the Baptist Elijah the prophets)

Finally we get to the heart of this passage, ‘who do men say that I am’. Various answers are given: Jesus had characteristics’ of all these men, He had their authority, He did miracles, He spoke for God, but these are only half an answer.

Who do you say? God’s Messiah (son of the living God) said Peter. Jesus was asking the disciples to make a stand to recognise His sole provision of life and truth (reality) to recognise Him for who He was. What answer would we give?

· Verse 21: Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone.

Jesus did not want to hide anything but we must be ready to believe in Him

· Verses 22-26: Following Jesus is hard.

A life of following Jesus requires change. This is only truly possible through what the Word call temptation. Combats in this chapter are described as suffering, rejection, loss of status perhaps self respect, humiliation (our cross)

· Verse 26: If anyone is ashamed of me

Jesus could never be ashamed of us. This statement describes the possibility that we might not be following the real Jesus but some sanitised, fantasised, made up Jesus. We might not want to be associated with the real Jesus if we have in fact been following our own

· Verse 28-32: His faced changed, His clothes became dazzling white. Moses and Elijah spoke with Him about His death.

Jesus would fulfil the Word, both in its historical and in its prophetic sense - both fully human and fully divine

Rev Martin Pennington

Sunday 14 November 2010

 

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE

Text: Genesis 1:28 and Mark 8:1-10

Progression in Life

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

š During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.”

His disciples answered, “But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?”

“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.

“Seven”, they replied.

He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people, and they did so. They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. The people ate and were satisfied. Afterwards, the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. About four thousand men were present. And having sent them away, he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.

· What are we aiming for, what is our purpose? Our life is a series of progressive steps- infant, youth, adult, we are prepared for work through education. Our mind develops progressively. The Lord wants the best for us. The creation story is one of steps and so is the feeding of the 4,000 and 5,000. If we look at both the feeding miracles in the inner sense we will see a progression.

· The essence of the miracle is the transformation of the loaves and the fishes. Loaves are made from grain which rise from the darkness of the soil to the light, and fish are grown from water and water is needed for life. Water is concentrated ether, in other words all levels of creation. The essence of the loaves and the fishes are the essence of our spiritual life, which is goodness and truth from God.

· In the miracle the people came to be feed, to learn and be healed. The Lord fed their bodies and their souls. The disciples wanted to send them away when it was time for feeding but the Lord provided. We are inclined to push people away from us if we lack compassion.

· This aspect of progression is seen in the differences between the two miracles of the 5,000 and 4,000. The symbolism or spiritual correspondences are in the numbers. Five means a little or enough and four means good to the full. Five loaves in one story and seven loaves in another. Five means enough and seven means holy. The two stories reference two fish and a few fish. Fish is truth and two is conjunction so is the use of truth. A few fish means less emphasis on truth and more on love. At the end there were 12 baskets and 7 baskets. Twelve means what is full and seven what is holy. In the feeding of the 4,000 the number 7 appears twice. We can therefore see from a spiritual perspective, progression and spiritual growth. As we know from the miracles, the bread and fish were transformed into many by the Lord.

· In the text from Genesis the essence of the words are one of progression. “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, subdue the earth and have dominion over the fish, birds and all living creatures”. These words should be looked at from their spiritual correspondence to see the true meaning for our spiritual life. Being fruitful is to take whatever knowledge, truth or affection we have even for our own satisfaction and do good. Multiplying as we use them and go to the Word for insights.

· “Fill the earth”, the earth being the community as we put the heavenly gifts from the Lord into action. We fill our lives with goodness. “Subduing the earth” is to gradually put away our lower nature and the desires that are harmful. To have dominion over fish, birds and all living creatures is about showing that we are going from being cold hearted to warm hearted. Our thoughts and affections, represented by the fish and birds, will turn into heartfelt love for others (the living creatures).

· As we progress through life our interactions will change from a focus on ourselves to a focus on the needs of others. It is important that we have a sense of God in our life so that we know that it is the essence of God, which is love and wisdom, which is working in us to transform our spirit.

· If this is the case then our interaction with others will change. We will turn from our needs to others. We will build others up and not knock them down. We will look at what their needs are and not just our own. In all our relationships of whatever kind we will show care and compassion and concern in all we do.

Suggested application during the week

Look at what our priorities and how we interact with others and try to allow the Lord to be the added dimension in everything we do.

Rev, Chris Skinner

Sunday 7 November 2010


SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE

Text: Exodus 30:1-10

Altar of Incense

“Make an altar of acacia wood for burning incense. It is to be square, a cubit long and a cubit wide, and two cubits high – its horns of one piece with it. Overlay the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and make a gold moulding around it. Make two gold rings for the altar below the moulding – two on opposite sides – to hold the poles used to carry it. Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. Put the altar in front of the curtain that is before the ark of the Testimony – before the atonement cover that is over the Testimony – where I will meet with you.

Aaron must burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps. He must burn incense again when the he lights the lamps at twilight so that incense will burn regularly before the Lord for the generations to come. Do not offer on this altar any other incense or any burnt offering or grain offering, and do not pour a drink offering on it. Once a year Aaron shall make atonement on it horns. This annual atonement must be made with the blood of the atoning sin offering for the generations to come. It is most holy to the Lord.”

· When looking at the furniture of the temple we should look beyond the ritual of worship to the embedded wisdom contained in these things which assist worship. Just as rosaries and prayer wheels for some assist them in their devotions, so the spiritual meaning of the temple furniture leads us to a spiritual understanding of worship.

· A full description of the Altar gives us a wonderful understanding when we look at the inner meaning and how it helps us come closer to the Lord.

· It is not possible to provide great details on the layout of the Holy of Holies and other areas where the Ark and Altar of Incense were located, but its place outside the veil of the Holy of Holies was important symbolically. The Altar corresponds to prayer and prayer leads to the Lord.

· The Altar is a representation of the Lord and incense corresponds to things of worship perceived with delight.

· The Altar was square which indicates righteousness. We often use the term ‘fairly and squarely’ or ‘in the right place’ and this derives from the meaning of righteousness which has come down through the ages.

· In terms of our spiritual life, the Altar represents worship from spiritual good. The Altar was outside the Holy of Holies and the layout shows a progression from the natural to the spiritual to the celestial, as represented by the Holy of Holies.

· The Altar was covered with pure gold which means that our life and prayers must be grounded in love to the Lord. The horns on the Altar represent power when the truth we know is joined with love and living according to the Word. The crown border around the Altar symbolises the sphere of truth and love.

· The use of incense is to convey the idea of prayers made morning and evening raised to the Lord from our heart, just as incense smoke rises and envelopes us, like the love of the Lord.

· Prayer should not be done in the open like the Pharisees but hidden; it should be private, sincere and humble. That is why the Altar of Incense was hidden from view.

· Our prayer life must be focussed and balanced. It should be about finding a closeness to God. It should be about gaining a sense of strength, commitment, joy and love. It should also help us to overcome difficulties and seek answers so we can be discerning in the life we lead.

· Each morning and evening the lamps were dressed or trimmed. We must re-visit our life each day as we read the Word. ‘Your Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path’. Instruction comes outwardly, light comes from within.

· Once a year blood was sprinkled on the Altar. Let us focus on the spirit of truth rather than sacrifice and how the spirit of prayer represented by the Altar can lead us forward.

· There is much more that could be said about this passage, but let us use it as a means of focusing on the importance of prayer in our life so that it can help us gain a deeper sense of God’s presence in our life.

Suggested application during the week

During the week let us hold the symbolism of the Altar of Incense before us and use it as a means to find our quiet time prayer with the Lord.

Rev, Chris Skinner

Sunday 24 October 2010


SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE

Text: Luke 14:7-14

Heavenly Happiness

When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honour at the table, he told them this parable: “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honour, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this man your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honoured in the presence of all your fellow guests. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbours; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

· The Lord whilst He was on earth spoke a lot about the Kingdom of Heaven particularly in parables. What do we think heaven will be like or what is the happiness of heaven?

· What is happiness in heaven? We can all define what happiness is here for us although each person may look at it differently. The major elements that people will mention are financial security, health, good family, football team doing well etc., and the sense of contentment that this brings. What are we expecting heavenly happiness to be and can this be defined? Many think of heaven as being a state of joy and peace which does not involve action.

· In the passage that we have as our lesson, the Lord spoke about a banquet and described not inviting friends but others and that the reward will be at the resurrection. If we look at this closely we will see that the Lord is telling us to look beyond ourselves. The reward of heaven is the feelings we get when we look beyond ourselves to the good in others. Most people think of the reward of heaven being a life of faith in the Lord. This of course comes into it but the life of faith is one of doing good.

· Our happiness tends to be measured from outwards to inwards and generally from the things and people around us in the world, but the happiness of heaven is felt and seen in a much different way. Our teachings give us a wonderful picture of heaven, its uses and gives great detail on how the life of heaven is all about use and love to others and how the angels feel this because it is the Lord with them.

· The measure of happiness in heaven is about the deeper levels of our spirit where we build almost without noticing it a deep happiness as a result of the way we live our life here. It is mainly hidden from us although we may on occasions feel it but mostly we are living at a more external level.

· We cannot fully appreciate what a difference there will be when we are free of material cares and the confines of an earthly body and gradually become more aware of values apart from the material. Our happiness will be looked at differently

· The parables of the Kingdom if we look at them, such as the sower, mustard seed, leaven etc. are looking at the process of separating good things and actions from the evil inclinations that are part of us. In other words being re-born. The struggles we have in doing this, the pain and anguish we go through in life are the ways in which we come to understand the differences between superficial and lasting happiness.

· We learn how to become a good husband, wife, father, mother friend, employer, boss, etc. This is done gradually by the experiences we have and the more we look at the other person rather than just ourselves, the more we build an inner happiness which is born out of loving others.

· If we look at what is important to us and what gives us the deepest happiness, we may come to see that it is the joy we get from making others happy. If that is not the case then we are still focussed on ourselves and what others can do for us, rather than the reverse.

Suggested application during the week

Reflect on what is really important to us and what really makes us happy and ask the Lord to nurture what is good within us.

Rev, Chris Skinner

Sunday 10 October 2010

 

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE

Text: Joshua 6

Battle of Jericho

Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.

Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hand, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Make seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. One the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, make all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in.”

So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and make seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.” And he ordered the people, “Advance! March around the city, with the armed guard going ahead of the ark of the Lord”.

When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the Lord went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the Lord’s covenant followed them. The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding. But Joshua had commanded the people, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!” So he had the ark of the Lord carried around the city, circling it once. Then the people returned to camp and spent the night there.

Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets kept sounding. So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.

On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into His treasury.”

When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud short, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city. They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it – men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.

Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her.” So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.

Then they burned the whole city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord’s house. But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho – and she lives among the Israelites to this day.

At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: “Cursed before the Lord is the man who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho:

“At the cost of his firstborn son will he lay its foundations;

At the cost of his youngest will he set up its gates.”

So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.

· This story has fascinated people and provides a wonderful theme. Many have tried to place a natural phenomenon on the reason for the fall of the walls. However as with everything in the Word we should see it as applying to our spiritual life and the lessons we can learn from it.

· The Israelites had travelled 40 years in the wilderness and been led to the Promised Land. The Promised Land symbolises the spiritual and heavenly life which we commit to. Unfortunately our commitment to the Lord comes with many joys and many challenges and the overthrowing of the city of Jericho is the first one for the Israelites so soon after crossing and it is one of the first for us.

· Jericho was on the lowlands which represent more external states and Jericho means city of palms. A city is our system of belief and the palm is about the Lord saving us not by faith but by the love we have in honouring His name. The first thing we have to overcome if we are to lead a good life is the evil tendencies which are in each of us. They can be walls preventing us from being really true to the Lord.

· If we are to move forward in the spiritual life then we must overcome them. This takes perseverance and commitment and all the resources at our disposal with the Lord's help. The Israelites went round the city once a day for 6 days and then seven times on the seventh day. There were armed men, priests with the Ark and then they blew the trumpets and finally the walls fell.

· Six times on consecutive days is like the six days of labour being the struggles we have to overcome in our life. On the seventh day and seven times we have what is holy, represented by seven when we can sense the joy of knowing and loving the Lord. The falling of the walls is the work we have to do to ensure that our new life is not tainted by the evils that rear their head.

· We all know how that can affect us and we must tear down the walls before we can truly move forward. The priests and Ark are what is holy and the Commandments and the Word of God which we need to strengthen our work. We are unable to do it on our own. The blowing of the trumpets and the shouting is a sign of the strength of the Lord to battle for us as we cannot do it on our own.

· The trumpets made of rams horns is another symbol of strength of the Lord's divine love helping in the struggles and enabling us to speak up for what is right. The Israelites were able to keep the treasures of gold, silver, brass etc because they are the spiritual qualities that are needed to lead a true life.

· The whole principle is that all our good intentions can be destroyed by evil or bad habits and they must be overcome. We all know what that is like and unless we get these under control our spiritual life will not be deepened. This is the reason for the challenges. We must always be committed for the long term knowing that the Lord is with us.

Suggested application during the week

Look at what is holding us back and the things we need to weed out of our life but at the same time hold onto the vision of the Promised Land.

Rev, Chris Skinner

Sunday 3 October 2010

 

SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE

Text: Genesis 29:32

Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now”.

· The theme of the message is our spiritual journey and the content relates to the whole of chapter 29, but the focus is around the birth of Reuben to Leah. In Chapter 29 we see that Jacob continues on his journey from Haran and meets Rachel at the well and later has twelve sons, of which Reuben is the first to Leah and the last two are to Rachel, namely Joseph and Benjamin. Leah symbolises the affection for natural truth and Rachel represents more spiritual affection for deeper truth. Even in this we can see that this is about a journey of faith.

· The text is about the birth of a child, all the potential that this brings and the naming of a child. We have a natural development and a spiritual development, the first starting at birth and the second when we become an adult (or rational). The whole of our spiritual journey is to overcome the tendency to evil that is inherent in all of us. What would happen to humanity if there were not social and legal constraints preventing us from carrying out certain actions? Many people do not feel those constraints and openly break the law and do bad things.

· Our aim if we want to grow spiritually is to gradually progress from small beginnings to a deeper sense of God and the love of truth which leads to goodness. To embark on this we need a vision for life and a goal to become a better person and this can be achieved if we have a sense of God in our life. If we remember that Jacob loved Rachel in a deeper way than Leah and he eventually married Rachel and had two sons by her, this symbolises the vision for something deeper but first he married Leah. Over the years he had other sons by handmaidens of Rachel and Leah. These twelve brothers symbolise various qualities that we have to acquire and nurture if we are to be truly spiritual.

· The first of these sons was Reuben whose Hebrew name means 'to see' and symbolises faith in the understanding. It is the essential ingredient for growth, a sense of God which is understood from truth.

· Truth puts that sense of God into context and coupled with the vision gives us the motivation to want to improve our life. As everyone knows spiritual growth is not done in a vacuum, it is done at the 'coal face '. It is sculptured out of experiences, circumstances, decisions, etc., which mould us into a progressive application of the truth we see. As we develop so hopefully the truth become deeper because as we apply it we feel more love for the Lord. This is the reason for the second son being born to Leah being named Simeon which symbolises obedience.

· The text is a reference to the first step on the path of regeneration, symbolised by Reuben, leading to a love of goodness which is the Lord and the Lord is represented by Jacob. Finding the dudiam is reference to conjunction or a marriage of good and truth, symbolised by dudiam.

· Jacob first meets Rachel at the well which represents the Word and the Word is the inspiration and guide for our life and the direct means for us being able to regenerate because we are learning the living truth. It can be of great comfort and support on our journey but we still have to make our own decisions and growth within the context of daily living.

· At all times we should remember the vision for our life and in all that we do have this end in view. As we develop we will move on to a deeper love of God and this will show in the way we live out our life.

Suggested application during the week

In the context of what we have been through and our faith let us reflect on what matters most to us.

Rev, Chris Skinner

Sunday 26 September 2010