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Sunday 30 June 2013

'WONDER WOMAN'

Rev. Juliet Schimpf
By Rev. Juliet Schimpf   

Rev. Juliet Schimpf  is the Minister of 
First Baptist  Church in Perth, Ontario:

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LINK to CFRA broadcast of Sunday, June 30th, 2013)
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Broadcast Notes:
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'Wonder Woman'

Ref: PROVERBS 31

SECRET WEAPONS:
1.   HER WORSHIP
2.   HER WISDOM
3.   HER WINSOME NATURE

1.    WORSHIP

WONDER WOMAN:
STANDING----------àKNEELING
·        VERSE 30:  “A woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

·        JAMES 4:10  “humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
·        THE JOY OF THE LORD BECOMES HER STRENGTH
·        HER PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IS AN EXTENSION OF HER PRIVATE OBEDIENCE
ACTING-------------àWAITING

·        her strength isn’t her own; it comes from God

·        ISAIAH 40:31  but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

·        Psalms 27:14 - Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

·        Psalms 37:7-9 - Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.   (Read More...)

PERFECT-------------àIMPERFECT
·        In a way, this describes “Wonder Woman”, but we must remember that we have a “Wonder-Working God”.
·        “8  And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9  As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever."” (2Co 9:8-9 NivUS)

·        THE VIRTUOUS WOMAN OR THE NOBLE WOMAN; NOT THE PERFECT WOMAN

·        NAOMI WAS A WIDOW

·        Rahab was a former prostitute who recognized Israel’s God was the only God and risked her life to hide the two Jewish spies. She knew Israel would wipe out Jerichobecause of what their God had done in Egypt. She acted in faith to allow the spies safe return back to Joshua.

·        Ruth was an unlikely candidate for a godly woman because she was a Moabite. Yet she refused to abandon her mother-in-law Naomi, even after her own husband died. She placed her faith in Naomi’s God – the God of Israel – and God rewarded both of them through Boaz who would marry Ruth and become the great-grandfather of David.

·        Bathsheba had an affair with David who had her husband Uriah murdered. God struck down the child they had from their adulterous affair, yet when David married her God graciously gave them Solomon. Later on when David’s Abijah tried to proclaim himself as king without David’s permission, Bathsheba risked her life to confront David the aging king and remind him of his promise to Solomon and God’s covenant promises. David established Solomon as king.

·        MARY MAGDALENE HAD 7 DEMONS CAST OUT OF HER—SHE WENT ON TO SHARE THE RESURRECTION


2.   BECAUSE SHE WORSHIPS….
SHE IS WISE
CHAPTER 31 FUSES LADY WISDOM WITH THE ORDINARY WOMAN:
·         Within the world of Proverbs, the capable wife looks quite a bit like Woman Wisdom. She, too, is strong (compare 8:14 with 31:17, 25) and opens her mouth with wisdom (1:20-21, 24; cf. 31:26). She, too, "laughs at the time to come" (31:25; cf. 1:26). Indeed, the opening nine chapters of Proverbs present the student of wisdom as a son, listening to the instructions of his father (1:8; 2:1; etc.). Peppered throughout are speeches by Woman Wisdom (e.g., 1:20-33) who is to be desired rather than the temptations presented by the Strange Woman/Dame Folly (see 2:16-19; 7:10-20; 9:13-18).
Feminists have a field day with this proverb.
But this is no wilting violet!
This is not an enslaved woman; she is an empowered woman;
She is not to be pitied; she is to be admired:
·        she has servants to manage (15c);
·        money to invest (16);
·        as her husband’s trusted partner (11) she has sole responsibility in her domain, which extends beyond the house to the management of her lands (16) and to dealings in the market, where she is as shrewd a seller (11, 18, 24) as a buyer (13, 14).

WHY IS SHE WISE?
Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the
knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”

EVIDENCE OF HER WISDOM?
1.   VERSE 26 “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue” (31:26)
2.   VERSE 18  “her trading is profitable”

3.   Verse 14  She is like the merchants‘ ships - 
She acts like merchants. If she buy any thing for her household, she sells sufficient of her own manufactures to pay for it; if she imports, she exports: and she sends articles of her own manufacturing or produce to distant countries; she traffics with the neighboring tribes.
4.   VERSE 25   “she can laugh at the days to come”
·        She is keenly aware that God is Sovereign; not her.
·        She knows that God is in control; not her.
·        She knows that whatever the future may bring has first crossed the desk of the Creator of the Universe.
·        *  NRSV PSALM 27:  1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation;
     whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold
* [NASB “DEFENSE”] of my life]  of whom shall I be afraid?”

3.   SHE IS WINSOME
BEAUTY IS NOT THE END-GOAL
PROVERBS 11:22   Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout  is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.
PROVERBS 31:30  "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain [fleeting], but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." 

HOW MUCH WE OBSESS ABOUT APPEARANCE!

National Post Staff  December 18, 2010 – 10:00 am
a.   174, in millions of dollars, value of cosmetics and fragrances purchased at major retailers in December 2008
b.   89, in millions of dollars, average monthly sales of cosmetics and fragrances purchased at major retailers in 2008
c.   123, in millions of dollars, value of jewellery and watches purchased at major retailers in December 2008

GWYNETH PALTROW:  WORLD’S MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN
LOUD--------------àQUIET

·        1 Peter 3:3-4 New International Version (NIV) Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

PROVERBS 31:  "17 She girds herself with strength, and makes her arms strong. 25 Strength and dignity are her clothing"

Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
SELF-PROMOTING--------àSELF-EMPTYING
VERSE 20  She opens her arms to the poor
    and extends her hands to the needy.”

WINSOME IN THE SIGHT OF HER HUSBAND:
·        VERSE 11:  11 Her husband can trust her,
    and she will greatly enrich his life.
12 She brings him good, not harm,
    all the days of her life.

WINSOME IN THE SIGHT OF HER CHILDREN:
VERSE 28  Her children arise and call her blessed;
    
her husband also, and he praises her”

 ·    Dr.G. Campbell Morgan had four sons. They all became ministers. At a family reunion, a friend asked one of the sons, “Which is the greatest preacher?” While the son looked at the father, he replied, “Mother!”
 
WINSOME TO THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE:
VERSE 20 "She opens her arms to the poor and extends the hands to the needy."
 
Closed with a prayer.
 
Rev. Juliet Schimpf
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To listen to the above broadcast, click on the following link:
 

Sunday 23 June 2013

'IMAGINE: JESUS, BUDDHA AND MUHAMMAD GO FOR A WALK'

Rev. Canon George Sinclair
by Rev. Canon George Sinclair                           
 Pastor of the Church of the Messiah, Ottawa, ON.
 www.messiahchurch.ca 

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(Podcast of CFRA broadcast on Sunday, June 23rd, 2013)
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Broadcast Notes:
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(Abridged notes covering discussion on Luke 9: 51 - 56 )

Imagine: Jesus, Buddha And Muhammad 
Go For A Walk’ 

Notes not yet available... Please enjoy the audio (link above), and check back soon.

Sunday 16 June 2013

'MISTAKING DEMONS, IDOLS AND JESUS'

Rev. Canon George Sinclair
by Rev. Canon George Sinclair                           
 Pastor of the Church of the Messiah, Ottawa, ON.
 www.messiahchurch.ca 

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(Podcast of CFRA broadcast on Sunday, June 16th , 2013)
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Broadcast Notes:
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(Abridged notes covering discussion on Luke 9: 37 - 56 )

Mistaking Demons, Idols and Jesus’ 

Notes not yet available... Please enjoy the audio (link above), and check back soon.

Sunday 9 June 2013

'WORTHY'

Rev. Brian Wilkie
By Rev. Brian Wilkie                                                                                    

Pastor of St. Andrew's Christian Community
Rockland, Ontario


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PODCAST LINK to CFRA broadcast - Sunday, June 9th, 2013:

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Broadcast Notes:
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‘Worthy


Welcome to Good News in the Morning, a program of words and music bringing a Christian message of hope and encouragement to those who are looking for intelligent, meaningful and spirited approach to faith and to life. This program is sponsored by Good News Christian Ministries Box 184 Rideau Ferry, Ontario K0G 1W0. This is Brian Wilkie speaking.

Thank you to our listeners, we are very grateful for your encouragement and support. Remember that you can always visit our website http://www.GoodNewsChristianMinistries.ca for materials to encourage and support you in your Christian walk.

Today, as we look together into God's Word, our theme is "Worthy."
Jesus Christ is worthy, and here's a Scripture from John's Revelation chapter 5 verses 1 to 14. John sees this vision of Christ's power, of Christ's glory and of Christ's destiny. When he sees it, he writes these words:

Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song:

         “You are worthy to take the scroll
         and to open its seals,
         because you were slain,
         and with your blood you purchased men for God
         from every tribe and language and people and nation.
         You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
         and they will reign on the earth.”

Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang:
         “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
         to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
         and honor and glory and praise!”

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
         “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
         be praise and honor and glory and power,
         for ever and ever!”

The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

This is the Word of God proclaiming the glory of Jesus Christ.  Now here's a prayer to start the day with in the form of a song. The song is called Lauds by Steve Bell from his album Sons And Daughters.

As we begin today our message on this theme of worthy, we to ask the question, “what do we mean when we say worthy?” Many people obtain great fame, great honor, great wealth. Many people wield the instruments of power and sometimes we find that the people who hold that great gift don't necessarily come up to our estimation of being worthy. Being worthy doesn't mean that you have something, it means that you deserve something; and having something doesn't mean you're necessarily worthy of it. We use our discernment, we take a close look at someone's characteristics.

I’ve got friends who are great fans of sport. They look at the draft choices at hockey or the awards for most valuable player and they often have a different opinion than the people who make that choice on the networks and on the television. They will often say, “Well, yes, that's a good player, but that other player, he's really worthy of that honor.” We look at the people around us and we see people who are not necessarily making it well in life, they aren't getting all the breaks but somehow or other we see something in the makes us say that they really deserve better. In fact sometimes it's when people are at their worst, in the worst situations, at the greatest disadvantage, It is at those times, sometimes, that we see the real worthiness of a person: when they don't have what they ought to have.

Of course when we look at Jesus Christ we see that he receives worship from his church, from all those who a found salvation in him. He receives trust and honor from the people of the earth: from millions upon millions of people who have found in him life and love, forgiveness and grace. He's worshiped. To worship Jesus is to give him an honor and to declare that he is worth our honor and our praise. Now some people give honor to people simply because they hold power. You see people following around celebrities who have a great deal of fame, and you get the feeling that some people attach themselves to celebrities just to be in the limelight, just to catch a bit of their glow. Not because they necessarily think that that celebrity is worth all the attention, but because there are benefits from being involved with that person. Likewise there are those who follow and participate in political power, and end up following after wealthy or attractive people because they want to receive some of the benefits of that, not necessarily because they think the person is worthy of the power or the honor that they hold.

Now it's possible that some follow Jesus because they love power and they hope that Jesus will give them power. It's possible that some follow Jesus out of pure self-interest: out of simply a desire to save themselves. While that's a very smart position to be in – that is, to know that your salvation lies in Jesus Christ is a great thing – but we are called to recognize something greater in Jesus than just his utility for us. Given that we are presented with the character and the person of Jesus Christ we are presented with someone who is worthy of our honor, not just someone that is useful to follow. We see that so much in the story of Jesus: at times when Jesus is sort of on top of the world, when people see him as a teacher who speaks with authority: when they say that they say he's a person who's worth listening to. They hear his words and his wisdom and they think themselves, “That's right this guy is speaking the truth, he's opening up the Scriptures to us he's revealing the Father to us,” and they that honor him with their attention and their listening. When Jesus performs many miracles there are those who follow him simply because they want to get fed. They’ve seen him turn water into wine or they've seen him multiply loaves and fishes and may simply want to get some of those benefits. They don't look at Jesus they look at the benefits, but then there are those who look at the One who shows such compassion upon the sick, who notices the needs of the hungry and the poor, who preaches good news to the outcast and the lost. They look at Jesus and they say, “Even if I even if I don't receive a healing from him, even if I don't receive bread from him, He is worthy of my attention, worthy of my love.”

There were times when Jesus was filled with majesty and power, like when the disciples saw him upon the mountain talking with Moses and Elijah and a voice came from heaven saying, “This is my Son with whom I am well pleased, listen to him,” and they knew that Jesus was worthy of honor and glory. They saw in those circumstances the honor that God the Father himself gave his own Son. Then there are those times when Jesus glory shines through unexpectedly: like when the thief was upon the cross. At first he is mocking Jesus and then considering anew this man who hung dying beside him. The man who called out from the cross, “Father forgive them they know not what they do;” the man who looked at his mother Mary and his disciple John, saw their needs and reached out to them from the cross; the man who took insult and mockery, who took flogging and torture and even death itself. And the one thief said to the other thief, “Do you not fear God? For we are under the same condemnation as this man. Yet we are getting what we deserve for our deeds but this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he looked to Jesus and said, “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.” What did the Thief see in Jesus? In Jesus he saw a broken man on the cross who was worthy of honor, worthy of praise, worthy of devotion. Jesus Christ even in the worst circumstances shines through in the love of God, in the character that he's had from all eternity, in the sacrifice that he has given towards all of us. And we see Jesus raised from the dead don't we say, “This, this is the man who deserved it!” If anyone ever deserved to have his circumstances turned around if anyone ever deserved to be honored for the love that he'd shown and the faithfulness he’d shown to the Father; if any man ever deserved to be raised from the dead it's Jesus Christ! There are times when we can look at that resurrection and rejoice in it because the right thing was done. God honored his Son!
It's an extra for us, the bonus for us that we benefit from his death and resurrection – but even if we did not, he would be worthy of what the Father bestowed upon him, the kingdom and the grace. I thank God that he gives us such a gift of salvation through Jesus Christ and I'm thankful that he simply allows our eyes to see the one who is worthy of all honor and glory and power, all riches, all devotion, all grace. This is Jesus Christ, worthy of all things, presented to us in the cross and the resurrection, and presented to us today by the Holy Spirit continuing to reveal the Father and the Son to us through his Word and through his work within our hearts. Let us pause here to listen to a beautiful song by Sarah Groves, Love Is Such A Worthy Cause from her album Tell Me What You Know.

There can be no doubt that Jesus Christ is worthy of all which the angels in heaven declared about him and what the elders and the thousands upon thousands and 10,000×10,000 who encircled the throne and shared in the praise of God. The Angels, the elders, the Saints, and all the living creatures around the throne of God. He is worthy to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise. So what do we do to honor him? What is he worthy of in our lives? Well it's fairly obvious that when we commit our lives to Jesus Christ we’re saying that he is worthy of our trust. He is worthy of all our trust. He is worthy of our trust in good times and bad, he's worthy of our trust when we're feeling great and when were going through difficulties. He is worthy of all that we have. To be worthy of all this is to say that he's not worthy of just what we have extra: our spare time, the money that we know is not needed for our own indulgences. He is worthy of it all. He is worthy of our lives: all of our lives, not just the golden years when will get around to following Jesus, but the years in which we have strength in our limbs; our youth and even our childhood. Jesus Christ is worthy of a whole life given to him. How much we regret, once having discovered Jesus, that we didn't turn to him earlier. Often people turn to Jesus late in life, thinking throughout their life that by avoiding God they have benefited themselves somehow. Then when they finally do find God they realize how much they missed in the years that they allowed themselves to drift away and be used for their own fleeting purposes instead of using their life in the worship and service of the worthy God.

When we say that Jesus is worthy of all honor and all riches and all praise then we recognize that he is worthy to receive everything from us. Sometimes we make the mistake of offering only the best of what we believe we have to God and holding back those talents or those skills that we think are not quite up to scratch. How often we sing, to the children, hymns about how even the smallest gift is a good gift if it's given with love and yet we ourselves adults are ashamed of our talents, ashamed of our opportunities, ashamed of our words. We don't use them for God because we think they're not good enough. Yet he is worthy of all of it. Yes he deserves the best, he deserves better, but he deserves what we have to be offered for his glory and service. Whatever we have: if we only have a little love then offer it to him. If we only have a little bit of courage then use it for him. If our talent is small use it for him and don't hold back because he deserves everything.

When we honor him with our whole lives, do we honor him with our time and do we honor him with with our attention, with our obedience? Is his word getting all the attention it deserves? What is wonderful about Jesus Christ is that he accepts the gifts that we give, accepts the honor that we give him, and he equips us by his Holy Spirit so that what we give is multiplied, what we give is glorified. Often what we think to be the weakest part of our offering God turns into something he uses for great glory in his life. So give it to Jesus without restraint, without worrying, without shame, but give to Jesus the life that he's given you daily, as your spiritual worship.

In the Old Testament there were some offerings given to God that were a whole burnt offering: not just the best parts of the animal but every part was offered to God and that's the standard for our life when we give our lives as a living sacrifice to Jesus Christ, to be totally transformed by his spirit and his love. So let's continue to honor God in his worthiness. Let us continue to serve him and glorify him and give him all that he deserves, for he is indeed worthy.
Let's pray together. 

Lord you are worthy to take the scroll and open its seals because you were slain and with your blood you purchased people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve you, our God, and we will serve you. God, we will honor and glorify you with our lips, our hands, our thoughts and our lives. Glory be to your name, Almighty God, amen.

Thank you listeners for your encouragement, prayer and financial support. You keep us on the air week by week. If you can please make out a check payable to Good News Christian Ministries and send it to Box 184 Rideau Ferry, Ontario K0G 1W0. You will get a receipt at income tax time.

Be sure to worship in a church where the gospel is soundly proclaimed and lived out with compassion, integrity and resolve.

Now to conclude our program here is the song You Are Worthy written by Michael Card from his album Unveiled Hope. May you know Jesus Christ personally and profoundly may the Holy Spirit reside deep within your heart. May the heavenly Father surround you with his constant and abiding and accompanying love.

- Rev. Brian Wilkie
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To listen to the above broadcast, click on the following link: