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Sunday 30 September 2012

' Can Jesus Identify With Your Struggles?'

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(Podcast of CFRA broadcast on Sunday, September 30th , 2012)
  _____________________________________________________
Rev. George Sinclair
by Rev. George Sinclair                           
 Pastor of the Church of the Messiah, Ottawa, ON.
 www.messiahchurch.ca 

Broadcast Notes:
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(Abridged notes of a short Sermon on 2 CORINTHIANS 15:17 –21) 

Can Jesus Identify With Your Struggles?’

Christians say that Jesus is sinless. If He is sinless, then how on earth can He relate to my struggles? How can I trust a Saviour who does not understand my struggles? These are great questions.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21   - (ESVUK)
17 Therefore, if anyone is (A)in Christ, he is (B)a new creation.[a] (C)The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, (D)who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us (E)the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling[b] the world to himself, (F)not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us (G)the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, (H)we are ambassadors for Christ, (I)God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 (J)For our sake he made him to be sin (K)who knew no sin, so that in him we might become (L)the righteousness of God.
Footnotes:
a.      2 Corinthians 5:17 Or creature
b.      2 Corinthians 5:19 Or God was in Christ, reconciling
Cross references:
I.       2 Corinthians 5:20 : ch. 6:1

Let's look at what the Bible teaches. We will read Second Corinthians 5:17-21, but we will really be focusing on verse 21: God made Him who had no sin, to be sin for us, so that in Him, we could become the righteousness of God.

This text teaches us that God made Jesus our Representative. At times we need someone to represent us. God did not set us up for failure by assigning us a hopeless representative. He gave us the best.

This text teaches that Jesus identifies with us. Because He is sinless, only He knows the full power of temptation and struggle.

This text teaches that Jesus is our Substitute. Knowing everything there is to know about us, He willingly takes our place.

This text teaches that Jesus offers us an Exchange. He trades His destiny for my doom.

How do we respond? How do we get in on the exchange? Repent and believe.

Repentance involves two aspects. First we acknowledge our wrongdoing and then we repudiate it (this means we say, “never again”).

Believe is a personal word and involves two aspects. Asking Jesus into our lives and giving Him full permission to live within us.

There is no better time that right now to accept Jesus' offer and come to Him in repentance and belief.

Let’s bow our heads to pray:
Jesus, Thank you, so much that you loved us enough that you were willing to die for us. Thank you Jesus that you can represent us; that you, Father, loved us so much that you sent your best; You sent your own son to be a representative. Thank you Jesus that you know what it’s like to be human; that you identify with us, fully, that you identify with me, fully.
Thank you, Jesus that you were willing to die on the Cross, in my place, in my stead. And thank you Jesus that you were willing to die and exchange your destiny for my doom, when you died upon the Cross.
Jesus, draw me ever closer to yourself and help me to live my life, in light of your grace.

Rev. George Sinclair
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To listen to the above broadcast, click on the following link:

Sunday 23 September 2012

'1 CORINTHIANS 15'

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(Podcast of CFRA broadcast on Sunday, September 23rd , 2012)
  _____________________________________________________
Rev. George Sinclair
by Rev. George Sinclair                           
 Pastor of the Church of the Messiah, Ottawa, ON.
 www.messiahchurch.ca 

Broadcast Notes:
*********************************************************
(Abridged notes covering discussion on 1 CORINTHIANS 15:1 – 11)
 
1 Corinthians 15’

The theme for today is 1 Corinthians 15, and the message behind The Resurrection of Christ.


The Christian hope is based on the real defeat of death by the person of Jesus, just over 2,000 years ago.


 1 Corinthians 15: 1-11  - (ESVUK)


1 Now I would remind you, brothers,[a] of the gospel (A)I preached to you, which you received, (B)in which you stand, and by which (C)you are being saved, if you (D)hold fast to the word I preached to you—(E)unless you believed in vain.

For (F)I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died (G)for our sins (H)in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised (I)on the third day (J)in accordance with the Scriptures, and that (K)he appeared to Cephas, then (L)to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to (M)James, then (N)to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, (O)he appeared also to me. For (P)I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because (Q)I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace towards me was not in vain. On the contrary, (R)I worked harder than any of them, (S)though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Footnotes:
a.      1 Corinthians 15:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 6, 31, 50, 58

Cross references:


Paul’s actual letter to the Corinthians was sent about 20 to 25 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. That’s why Paul refers to the witnesses as “most of whom are still alive.

Paul writes to a church in Greece to remind them what the good news is that changed their lives. He wants to assure them that Jesus really did die. Jesus really did rise from the dead on the third day. Paul provides a partial list of eyewitnesses. He is saying to his readers that they can track these people down and ask them questions.

Jesus did not enter death and then return from the dead. He did not have what we now call a 'near-death experience'. Lazarus, by contrast, was dead 4 days and came back to life. But that is precisely the point. We do not follow Lazarus even though he was dead longer than Jesus. Lazarus died and returned to this side of death. He would still die because death was stronger than Him.

There is no comparison between the death of Lazarus (John 11:1-44) and the miracle of his resuscitation four days later. Lazarus, in fact, was resuscitated from death, by Jesus, and went on living until his natural death, like every other person.

Jesus died, on the other hand, tasted all there is to taste of death. He resurrected from the dead after three days. Then he rose alive on the far side of death. He triumphed over death.

When Jesus appeared before multiple witnesses, as described in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, it was entirely different from the situation with Lazarus.

The Christian claim is that Jesus appeared on the far side of death -- immune to all causes of death -- having defeated death, so that death no longer had a hold of Him.

The heart of the matter is that when Jesus died and rose again, it was to atone for our sins; so that we, too,  might experience the same triumph of Jesus.

He died and was resurrected so that those who repent and follow Him might also have victory over death, like Jesus.

There is no better time, than today, to give your life to Jesus and to trust in Him.

Let’s pray:

Father, we thank you so much that you love us; that you desire us to be yours; that you desire us to be reconciled to you. We thank you for Jesus. We thank you that He was willing to die for us, knowing everything there is to know about us and still loving us and dying for us. We thank and praise you that He rose from the dead; that He triumphed over sin and death and Hell and all hostile spiritual powers in His resurrection.
We give you thanks and praise that His resurrection is not just His private victory, but that it’s a victory that He can share with us, and wants to share with us.
We ask, Father, that you help us to put our faith and trust in Jesus; that you help us to repent and turn to your son, Jesus Christ, and put our faith and trust in Him; and we thank and praise you, Father, that when Jesus comes into our life, He will never let us go.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Rev. George Sinclair

To listen to the above broadcast, click on the following link:
 http://proxy.autopod.ca/podcasts/chum/6/8556/good_news_019_sept23.mp3