I didn't take my camera through the tunnels we went through as it would have got destroyed. Ngaio tunnels are cool and I can confirm there are glow worms.
Friday, 28 October 2005
Photos from TYG
I didn't take my camera through the tunnels we went through as it would have got destroyed. Ngaio tunnels are cool and I can confirm there are glow worms.
Thursday, 27 October 2005
WiFi High Speed Broadband in Ngaio Valley
Some of you will know that some friends and I run a not-for-profit high speed internet service in the Ngaio Valley. I thought it was about time I documented what it is and how we do it.
The system is broken into four components.
ISP
We currently purchase a 10Mbit/1Mbit cable service from Telstra. This is the fastest residential service you can buy. It costs about NZ$150 per month and has a 10Gb limit. The good thing about this connection is that the national traffic only counts for 1/10th. This means if you download 100Mb of national traffic, we only get charged for 10Mb.
Firewall
We run a SmoothWall 2.0 firewall on an old Compaq Deskpro SFF. We seem to be able to get these old PCs for $30. They are small and very reliable. SmoothWall is Linx based and runs within the 64Mb standard memory without the need for virtual memory.
The SmoothWall is configured to filter by outgoing IP addresses. We only run static IPs within the core of the network.
The SmoothWall is also used to monitor usage by the different clients. This is to ensure we do not go over our 10Gb allowance.
SmoothWall firewalls allow an ORANGE zone for webservers. We have had one operating and we are about to release a new machine onto it soon. We are also looking at adding a plugin that will provide content filtering. Being Linx based there are lots of plugins that have been developed for SmoothWall.
Main Transmitter
We use a Borg Wave Guide and a Proxim AP700. The Borg gives us the distance we need (about 4-5km). We mount the Proxim near the Borg to give us the greatest signal strength. The AP is in the weather proof box and we run power over ethernet to it.
The Proxim is used to filter MAC addresses. It also runs WEP but it is the MAC address filtering plus the IP filtering on the firewall that provide the main security.
Clients
We have six client sites at the moment. These have either a D-Link AP2000 plus or AP2100 at them (one has another Proxim). These are mounted in the antenna case. We run power over ethernet in all sites. The D-Link devices are not the best but we have not found anything better for the price. The latest firmware updates help but they have some really annoying features (like you have to re-enter your password with each page of their web based screens you go to).
Most sites run a SmoothWall firewall and have multiple users. Some sites have their own local WiFi network. The clients can do what they like the other side of their firewall.
A client site will take a day to get up and running from scratch.
This system has been running for close on a year. Our issues have been:
>unreliability of the D-Link devices (this was a problem with them talking to the Proxim - solved by firmware upgrades)
>a leak inside the client antenna box (resulted in frying two transformers and about 20 meters of cabling)
>interference from high voltage power lines (discontinued service to that site)
>poor fitting power socket on the power over ethernet interface (solved with small bit of paper jammed into plug)
We charge NZ$20 per month for 1Gb (although given the 1/10th charging and shared nature of the set up most people can use up to 2Gb before we get worried). This includes hardware costs which we retain ownership of. The upfront cost is about $1k. The Proxim and the Borg are not cheap.
For me it means I get a 10Mbit connection and 3Gb (ok I am a heavy user) for NZ$45 (I paid for my hardware). Previously I was paying NZ$75 for a 256Kbit connection. So for not quite half the $$$ I get 40X the speed.
It does take quite a bit of time to set up. Ongoing effort to look after it would be about 3 hours per month (now that it is stable).
The system is broken into four components.
ISP
We currently purchase a 10Mbit/1Mbit cable service from Telstra. This is the fastest residential service you can buy. It costs about NZ$150 per month and has a 10Gb limit. The good thing about this connection is that the national traffic only counts for 1/10th. This means if you download 100Mb of national traffic, we only get charged for 10Mb.
Firewall
We run a SmoothWall 2.0 firewall on an old Compaq Deskpro SFF. We seem to be able to get these old PCs for $30. They are small and very reliable. SmoothWall is Linx based and runs within the 64Mb standard memory without the need for virtual memory.
The SmoothWall is configured to filter by outgoing IP addresses. We only run static IPs within the core of the network.
The SmoothWall is also used to monitor usage by the different clients. This is to ensure we do not go over our 10Gb allowance.
SmoothWall firewalls allow an ORANGE zone for webservers. We have had one operating and we are about to release a new machine onto it soon. We are also looking at adding a plugin that will provide content filtering. Being Linx based there are lots of plugins that have been developed for SmoothWall.
Main Transmitter
We use a Borg Wave Guide and a Proxim AP700. The Borg gives us the distance we need (about 4-5km). We mount the Proxim near the Borg to give us the greatest signal strength. The AP is in the weather proof box and we run power over ethernet to it.
The Proxim is used to filter MAC addresses. It also runs WEP but it is the MAC address filtering plus the IP filtering on the firewall that provide the main security.
Clients
We have six client sites at the moment. These have either a D-Link AP2000 plus or AP2100 at them (one has another Proxim). These are mounted in the antenna case. We run power over ethernet in all sites. The D-Link devices are not the best but we have not found anything better for the price. The latest firmware updates help but they have some really annoying features (like you have to re-enter your password with each page of their web based screens you go to).
Most sites run a SmoothWall firewall and have multiple users. Some sites have their own local WiFi network. The clients can do what they like the other side of their firewall.
A client site will take a day to get up and running from scratch.
This system has been running for close on a year. Our issues have been:
>unreliability of the D-Link devices (this was a problem with them talking to the Proxim - solved by firmware upgrades)
>a leak inside the client antenna box (resulted in frying two transformers and about 20 meters of cabling)
>interference from high voltage power lines (discontinued service to that site)
>poor fitting power socket on the power over ethernet interface (solved with small bit of paper jammed into plug)
We charge NZ$20 per month for 1Gb (although given the 1/10th charging and shared nature of the set up most people can use up to 2Gb before we get worried). This includes hardware costs which we retain ownership of. The upfront cost is about $1k. The Proxim and the Borg are not cheap.
For me it means I get a 10Mbit connection and 3Gb (ok I am a heavy user) for NZ$45 (I paid for my hardware). Previously I was paying NZ$75 for a 256Kbit connection. So for not quite half the $$$ I get 40X the speed.
It does take quite a bit of time to set up. Ongoing effort to look after it would be about 3 hours per month (now that it is stable).
Sunday, 23 October 2005
A Biblical Model for Prayer
Well Good morning.
This morning we are discussing prayer so I reckon it is appropriate to start by praying.
Father, we want to bring honour to you. We want your name to be known in all the nations and for all people to bring praise to you. Lord, we are dependent on you. We ask that you open our minds and our hearts. Lord, let us leave the baggage of day-to-day life at the door and cause us to come eagerly to your Word, expecting to grow closer to Your will. We ask this in Your son’s precious name. Amen.
First up this morning I would like to clear the decks by making a couple of observations about prayer:
Firstly, there is a biblical model of prayer for us to follow. In fact there are a number of models we have been given in God’s Word. And they are all very useful in understanding how to pray. If you are wanting to learn more about how to pray, then the Lord’s Prayer, Luke 11 or Matthew 6, is a great place to study. I mean, the disciples asked Jesus how to pray and Jesus said “Pray like this”. How more direct can you get?
Secondly, praying, or how to pray, is something people seem to worry about a lot. Am I praying the ‘right’ way? Is it ok to pray about this? Is it ok to pray about that? Should I stand up? Should I sit down? Should it be out loud? Should it be in silence? Does God really hear me? How do I know if he has heard me? Who should I pray for? What happens if I don’t pray? Question after question. All these questions are valid. We will address some of them today.
To study prayer I have used the Lord’s Prayer as a base. So let’s open our Bibles to Matthew 6:5-18. As we work through what I believe are five principles of prayer, I would like you to think about how these relate to or are displayed in the Lord’s Prayer.
So, this morning we are going to study five principles of prayer. These principles say that when you pray you should pray:
To God
In the Spirit
With Persistence
With Purity
About everything
Sounds simple? It is! Let’s have a look at each principle in a bit more detail.
So firstly, we should pray to God.
This sounds pretty obvious but many have been confused by this over the years. I would suggest we can still be confused by this today.
Let’s check out some verses.
Matt 6:5-6 (NLT)
"And now about prayer. When you pray, don't be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I assure you, that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father secretly. Then your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you.
Matt 6:9-10 (NLT)
… Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven.
Matt 14:23 (NLT)
Afterward he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.
Luke 11:2 (NLT)
…"Father, may your name be honored. May your Kingdom come soon.
When you pray it is not about how others see you. It is not about impressing that special someone who you have liked since primary school. It is not about making your parents proud that their daughter can pray “powerfully”. Jesus calls people who strut about showing off their “deep holiness” hypocrites.
Does this mean we should not pray out loud in the presence of other people? No. Of course not.
What it does mean is that our focus should be on God.
Focusing on God can be more difficult in a public or group setting. When we pray out loud in a group I would suggest we should be doing one of two things. We either act as the spokesperson for that group to God. Or we aim to lift the other members’ hearts by what we pray towards God… in essence to build up or encourage the other members in praying. Both of these options have a focus towards God and this is good.
We are to pray to God.
I want to take the first of a couple of little detours here. Does this principle amaze you? We can pray, speak, communicate with God directly. This is all because of what Jesus did for us, because of His sacrifice, because of His love for us, all that junk that would normally cause God to turn His back on us, that would repel Him, is forgotten, is gone!
We have the illustration of our junk is flung away as far as the west is from the east (Psalm 103:12). To me this is just mind blowingly amazing. And honestly I struggle to comprehend “why me?”. Why with all my faults would God want to love me, communicate with me? Do you struggle the same way?
The fact is that He does love us and He choses to communicate with us. And that is simply amazing!
The second principle is that we are to pray in the Spirit.
As Christians we have been blessed with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit dwells within us. The Holy Spirit is a manifestation of God, equally as real as Jesus was a person.
Let’s check out some verses.
Rom 8:26-27 (NLT)
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don't even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will.
Eph 6:18 (NLT)
Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.
Jude 1:20 (NLT)
But you, dear friends, must continue to build your lives on the foundation of your holy faith. And continue to pray as you are directed by the Holy Spirit.*
The Holy Spirit is integral to us praying. He guides us in our prayer. He prompts us to pray. He prompts us about what to pray for. He sustains us in praying.
He even speaks for us when we do not have the words to express. Have you had a time when you were without words? When you cried out to God with so much more than what you could express in words?
Some of you may have heard this story before. When I had just become a Christian at Waikato University, I was swimming in the river. There was a really cool place we would swim. On one side of the river was a sandy beach and the river actually flowed backwards there. On the other side was a cliff. There was a rope on that side that you could swim across and swing out on. So I was swimming across… oh did I mention speed boats… Speed boats would go up and down the river. Well guess what came around the bend in the river as I was swimming across? For me that was one of those moments where I had no words. My mouth remained shut. My heart cried out “HELP ME JESUS!!!!”.
Can you think of a time like that? Or maybe it was a time when something amazingly excellent happened. You might have shouted out “Oh yerrr, thank you God!” but you really were saying much more.
The Holy Spirit speaks those deep unspoken words of prayer and praise to God on your behalf.
The Spirit is integral, core to prayer.
We are to pray in the Spirit.
The third principle is we are to pray with persistence.
This does not mean we are to nag God. No dripping tap prayers.
Let’s check out some verses.
Matt 26:41 (NLT)
Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you. For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak!"
Luke 22:44 (NLT)
He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.*
Eph 6:18 (NLT)
Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.
1 Thes 3:10 (NLT)
Night and day we pray earnestly for you, asking God to let us see you again to fill up anything that may still be missing in your faith.
James 5:13 (NLT)
Are any among you suffering? They should keep on praying about it. And those who have reason to be thankful should continually sing praises to the Lord.
Jude 1:20 (NLT)
But you, dear friends, must continue to build your lives on the foundation of your holy faith. And continue to pray as you are directed by the Holy Spirit.*
What God is saying here is to be dedicated, fervent, earnest, to keep on praying. Not to give up if something seems beyond being realistic. If the Holy Spirit has put a passion in your heart, then keep on praying about it.
Nor should we give up when things are difficult. Maybe we will experience discouragement from people we value or even persecution. We keep on praying about it.
Recently I have been thinking a lot about how God seems to delight in us waiting expectantly on Him. The heart that is waiting there, expecting God to act in a glorious way, brings delight to Him. I think this is captured under this principle of persistence.
We are to pray with persistence
The fourth principle is to pray with purity.
Sin, anger towards others, evil, grudges… all these types of things seem to get in the way of not only our following of Jesus but our ability to pray.
Again, let’s check out some verses.
Luke 11:4 (NLT)
And forgive us our sins- just as we forgive those who have sinned against us. And don't let us yield to temptation."
Matthew 6:12-15 (NLT)
and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.
And don't let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
"If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
1 Peter 3:12 (NLT)
The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil."*
1 Tim 2:8 (NLT)
So wherever you assemble, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy.
Mark 11:24-25 (NLT)
Listen to me! You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you will have it. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.*"
God wants us to pray to Him with out malice in our hearts.
Believe it or not this is as much a practical principle as it is a spiritual principle. Husbands/wives… have you ever tried praying when you are annoyed with your partner? Children… we are all children, have you tried praying about something when you feel you have been wronged by your parents?
For many of us our minds just can’t lift focus from anger, injustice, grudges to other issues that we want to be praying about or the Spirit wants us to be praying about.
Practically, we need to forgive or seek forgiveness before we pray about these other issues. In most cases we need to seek forgiveness from God. We need to lay our sin down and ask Jesus to deal with it. In other cases we need to stop and go and see someone. Put things right. We may even need to tell someone they are forgiven even though they have never asked.
We are to pray with purity.
The fifth principle is we are to pray about everything.
Yes, it is ok to pray about that exam. It is ok to pray about that job. It is ok to pray about little Rupid’s broken nose. It is ok to pray about the finances for a new house. It is ok to pray for someone’s salvation. It is ok to pray for people who have been lead astray. It is ok to pray against evil powers. The list goes on and on. It is ok to pray about anything.
Let’s check out some verses again.
Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
Give us our food for today and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.
And don't let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one
Mark 11:24 (NLT)
Listen to me! You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you will have it.
Luke 6:28 (NLT)
Pray for the happiness of those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.
Eph 6:18 (NLT)
Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.
Philippians 4:6 (NLT)
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
James 5:15-16 (NLT)
… And anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.
In our key model of prayer, Jesus teaches the disciples to pray for their food. Their daily need. Later He says we can pray about anything, even for those that hurt us. Paul affirms this by saying we should pray on every occasion and about everything.
But there is a trap here. This is not an invitation to be a demanding little two year old. “Give me this. Give me that”. What I believe these verses call us to do is to submit everything, including our practical day-to-day issues, to God. I believe it is a call to recognize that we are dependent on God for even the stuff we might think is under our control.
As Stuart said a few weeks ago when speaking from Proverbs, God holds us together, including every breath we take. He sustains us. Without Him, we would be dust. We are dependent whether we like that concept or not.
So when we pray, it is quite all right to bring the littlest things of life to God. In fact He wants this. It recognizes our dependence on Him. It is an act of worship in its own right.
Likewise with spiritual issues. Forgiveness. Temptation. Faith. Healing. Salvation. You name it, God delights in us depending on Him.
I would like to take a little detour for a moment on this verse from James. It struck me that we need to bring our sins in openness to God and confess them. We need to seek His forgiveness. We also need to do this more with each other as well, as James suggests. While I disagree with some of the theology of the Catholic confessional, namely the whole penance thing, I feel the Protestant emphasis on individuality has missed the boat as well.
We operate in a community. Our sin affects our community. I would suggest we should be addressing our sin and the affects of it in a more community orientated approach, like James highlights. Confessing our sins to our close friends and confidants seems to me a good idea.
Anyway, let’s get back on the main road again. Something to think about though.
So… we are to pray about everything.
So I am suggesting this morning that we have five principles of prayer. To recap, we are to pray:
To God
In the Spirit
With Persistence
With Purity
About everything
I think when these principles shape our prayer, we can be confident that God will be listening to us. If our prayer is not shaped by these principles, in many respects, we might as well be talking to a stone idol or the lawn outside or the carpet on the floor.
Finally, I would like to give you a few pictures of prayer that have struck a chord.
Firstly from a Heavenly perspective…
Rev 5:8 (NLT)
And as he took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense-the prayers of God's people!
The prayers of God’s people are incense to Him. When we are praying we are filling up heavenly bowls with something that God values… namely prayer.
Given this imagery, do you think prayer is important?
Let’s now look from an earthly perspective…
James 5:13-18 (NLT)
Are any among you suffering? They should keep on praying about it. And those who have reason to be thankful should continually sing praises to the Lord.
Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. And their prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make them well. And anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for the next three and a half years! Then he prayed for rain, and down it poured. The grass turned green, and the crops began to grow again.
Prayer is important. Earnest, faithful prayer can heal, lead to the forgiveness of sin and even stop and start the rain (in the case of Wellington, maybe the wind too). And note that this is not just the “Christian Superstars” like Peter, Paul, James, Billy Graham, Rick Warren etc. The passage explicitly says that “Elijah was as human as we are…”. Your prayer, my prayer has great power.
In a community such as OCC we should be serious about praying. We have a lot to pray about. And there are lots of opportunities to make prayer a priority, both personally and corporately as a church body. You will hear over the next few weeks about a whole pile more opportunities in which you will be able to pray for our fellow OCC people and the community around us. I would encourage you to make these opportunities a priority.
A question for you… what’s more important? An extra hour spent at work (or whatever you do) or an extra hour spent talking, communing with God?
Finally I would like to share from a personal perspective…
Some of you may know the story of how Claire and I started going out. It involved a late night run to a deserted and dark field by the Waikato river. The police. And God.
So basically Claire asked me to be her boy friend. This is because I had asked previously and she said no. After I had dropped her home I was very very happy. You really have no idea how happy I was!!! Serious.
So I drove to this field near the Waikato river. I got out of my car and went into the middle of this dark field and got down on my knees and prayed. I couldn’t say anything more than “Thank you Lord!”. The Holy Spirit was saying some much more.
Then the fun began. As I walked back to my car a Police car drove up. This lady cop lends out the window and asked me my name and what I was doing. So I told her that my girl friend had just asked me out and I was thanking God. She said ok, admittedly in a puzzled kind of way, so I walked off to my car. I had got about 10m when she shouted out “Congratulations!” and drove off. Police officers must see some random things!
Prayer is important whether it is about little things like our daily food or big things like thanking God for the start of what has turned out to be a rather important relationship. We need to recognise its importance and give it real priority. We need to approach prayer with understanding and a real sense of joy that God has provided a way, through Jesus, that we can come to Him… to talk to Him both about what’s on our mind and what is on His mind for us.
My prayer this morning is that these five principles will give you the confidence and knowledge to bring everything to God, as the Spirit leads, all the time, with pure hearts.
This morning we are discussing prayer so I reckon it is appropriate to start by praying.
Father, we want to bring honour to you. We want your name to be known in all the nations and for all people to bring praise to you. Lord, we are dependent on you. We ask that you open our minds and our hearts. Lord, let us leave the baggage of day-to-day life at the door and cause us to come eagerly to your Word, expecting to grow closer to Your will. We ask this in Your son’s precious name. Amen.
First up this morning I would like to clear the decks by making a couple of observations about prayer:
Firstly, there is a biblical model of prayer for us to follow. In fact there are a number of models we have been given in God’s Word. And they are all very useful in understanding how to pray. If you are wanting to learn more about how to pray, then the Lord’s Prayer, Luke 11 or Matthew 6, is a great place to study. I mean, the disciples asked Jesus how to pray and Jesus said “Pray like this”. How more direct can you get?
Secondly, praying, or how to pray, is something people seem to worry about a lot. Am I praying the ‘right’ way? Is it ok to pray about this? Is it ok to pray about that? Should I stand up? Should I sit down? Should it be out loud? Should it be in silence? Does God really hear me? How do I know if he has heard me? Who should I pray for? What happens if I don’t pray? Question after question. All these questions are valid. We will address some of them today.
To study prayer I have used the Lord’s Prayer as a base. So let’s open our Bibles to Matthew 6:5-18. As we work through what I believe are five principles of prayer, I would like you to think about how these relate to or are displayed in the Lord’s Prayer.
So, this morning we are going to study five principles of prayer. These principles say that when you pray you should pray:
To God
In the Spirit
With Persistence
With Purity
About everything
Sounds simple? It is! Let’s have a look at each principle in a bit more detail.
So firstly, we should pray to God.
This sounds pretty obvious but many have been confused by this over the years. I would suggest we can still be confused by this today.
Let’s check out some verses.
Matt 6:5-6 (NLT)
"And now about prayer. When you pray, don't be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I assure you, that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father secretly. Then your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you.
Matt 6:9-10 (NLT)
… Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven.
Matt 14:23 (NLT)
Afterward he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.
Luke 11:2 (NLT)
…"Father, may your name be honored. May your Kingdom come soon.
When you pray it is not about how others see you. It is not about impressing that special someone who you have liked since primary school. It is not about making your parents proud that their daughter can pray “powerfully”. Jesus calls people who strut about showing off their “deep holiness” hypocrites.
Does this mean we should not pray out loud in the presence of other people? No. Of course not.
What it does mean is that our focus should be on God.
Focusing on God can be more difficult in a public or group setting. When we pray out loud in a group I would suggest we should be doing one of two things. We either act as the spokesperson for that group to God. Or we aim to lift the other members’ hearts by what we pray towards God… in essence to build up or encourage the other members in praying. Both of these options have a focus towards God and this is good.
We are to pray to God.
I want to take the first of a couple of little detours here. Does this principle amaze you? We can pray, speak, communicate with God directly. This is all because of what Jesus did for us, because of His sacrifice, because of His love for us, all that junk that would normally cause God to turn His back on us, that would repel Him, is forgotten, is gone!
We have the illustration of our junk is flung away as far as the west is from the east (Psalm 103:12). To me this is just mind blowingly amazing. And honestly I struggle to comprehend “why me?”. Why with all my faults would God want to love me, communicate with me? Do you struggle the same way?
The fact is that He does love us and He choses to communicate with us. And that is simply amazing!
The second principle is that we are to pray in the Spirit.
As Christians we have been blessed with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit dwells within us. The Holy Spirit is a manifestation of God, equally as real as Jesus was a person.
Let’s check out some verses.
Rom 8:26-27 (NLT)
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don't even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will.
Eph 6:18 (NLT)
Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.
Jude 1:20 (NLT)
But you, dear friends, must continue to build your lives on the foundation of your holy faith. And continue to pray as you are directed by the Holy Spirit.*
The Holy Spirit is integral to us praying. He guides us in our prayer. He prompts us to pray. He prompts us about what to pray for. He sustains us in praying.
He even speaks for us when we do not have the words to express. Have you had a time when you were without words? When you cried out to God with so much more than what you could express in words?
Some of you may have heard this story before. When I had just become a Christian at Waikato University, I was swimming in the river. There was a really cool place we would swim. On one side of the river was a sandy beach and the river actually flowed backwards there. On the other side was a cliff. There was a rope on that side that you could swim across and swing out on. So I was swimming across… oh did I mention speed boats… Speed boats would go up and down the river. Well guess what came around the bend in the river as I was swimming across? For me that was one of those moments where I had no words. My mouth remained shut. My heart cried out “HELP ME JESUS!!!!”.
Can you think of a time like that? Or maybe it was a time when something amazingly excellent happened. You might have shouted out “Oh yerrr, thank you God!” but you really were saying much more.
The Holy Spirit speaks those deep unspoken words of prayer and praise to God on your behalf.
The Spirit is integral, core to prayer.
We are to pray in the Spirit.
The third principle is we are to pray with persistence.
This does not mean we are to nag God. No dripping tap prayers.
Let’s check out some verses.
Matt 26:41 (NLT)
Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you. For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak!"
Luke 22:44 (NLT)
He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.*
Eph 6:18 (NLT)
Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.
1 Thes 3:10 (NLT)
Night and day we pray earnestly for you, asking God to let us see you again to fill up anything that may still be missing in your faith.
James 5:13 (NLT)
Are any among you suffering? They should keep on praying about it. And those who have reason to be thankful should continually sing praises to the Lord.
Jude 1:20 (NLT)
But you, dear friends, must continue to build your lives on the foundation of your holy faith. And continue to pray as you are directed by the Holy Spirit.*
What God is saying here is to be dedicated, fervent, earnest, to keep on praying. Not to give up if something seems beyond being realistic. If the Holy Spirit has put a passion in your heart, then keep on praying about it.
Nor should we give up when things are difficult. Maybe we will experience discouragement from people we value or even persecution. We keep on praying about it.
Recently I have been thinking a lot about how God seems to delight in us waiting expectantly on Him. The heart that is waiting there, expecting God to act in a glorious way, brings delight to Him. I think this is captured under this principle of persistence.
We are to pray with persistence
The fourth principle is to pray with purity.
Sin, anger towards others, evil, grudges… all these types of things seem to get in the way of not only our following of Jesus but our ability to pray.
Again, let’s check out some verses.
Luke 11:4 (NLT)
And forgive us our sins- just as we forgive those who have sinned against us. And don't let us yield to temptation."
Matthew 6:12-15 (NLT)
and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.
And don't let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
"If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
1 Peter 3:12 (NLT)
The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil."*
1 Tim 2:8 (NLT)
So wherever you assemble, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy.
Mark 11:24-25 (NLT)
Listen to me! You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you will have it. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.*"
God wants us to pray to Him with out malice in our hearts.
Believe it or not this is as much a practical principle as it is a spiritual principle. Husbands/wives… have you ever tried praying when you are annoyed with your partner? Children… we are all children, have you tried praying about something when you feel you have been wronged by your parents?
For many of us our minds just can’t lift focus from anger, injustice, grudges to other issues that we want to be praying about or the Spirit wants us to be praying about.
Practically, we need to forgive or seek forgiveness before we pray about these other issues. In most cases we need to seek forgiveness from God. We need to lay our sin down and ask Jesus to deal with it. In other cases we need to stop and go and see someone. Put things right. We may even need to tell someone they are forgiven even though they have never asked.
We are to pray with purity.
The fifth principle is we are to pray about everything.
Yes, it is ok to pray about that exam. It is ok to pray about that job. It is ok to pray about little Rupid’s broken nose. It is ok to pray about the finances for a new house. It is ok to pray for someone’s salvation. It is ok to pray for people who have been lead astray. It is ok to pray against evil powers. The list goes on and on. It is ok to pray about anything.
Let’s check out some verses again.
Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
Give us our food for today and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.
And don't let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one
Mark 11:24 (NLT)
Listen to me! You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you will have it.
Luke 6:28 (NLT)
Pray for the happiness of those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.
Eph 6:18 (NLT)
Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.
Philippians 4:6 (NLT)
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
James 5:15-16 (NLT)
… And anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.
In our key model of prayer, Jesus teaches the disciples to pray for their food. Their daily need. Later He says we can pray about anything, even for those that hurt us. Paul affirms this by saying we should pray on every occasion and about everything.
But there is a trap here. This is not an invitation to be a demanding little two year old. “Give me this. Give me that”. What I believe these verses call us to do is to submit everything, including our practical day-to-day issues, to God. I believe it is a call to recognize that we are dependent on God for even the stuff we might think is under our control.
As Stuart said a few weeks ago when speaking from Proverbs, God holds us together, including every breath we take. He sustains us. Without Him, we would be dust. We are dependent whether we like that concept or not.
So when we pray, it is quite all right to bring the littlest things of life to God. In fact He wants this. It recognizes our dependence on Him. It is an act of worship in its own right.
Likewise with spiritual issues. Forgiveness. Temptation. Faith. Healing. Salvation. You name it, God delights in us depending on Him.
I would like to take a little detour for a moment on this verse from James. It struck me that we need to bring our sins in openness to God and confess them. We need to seek His forgiveness. We also need to do this more with each other as well, as James suggests. While I disagree with some of the theology of the Catholic confessional, namely the whole penance thing, I feel the Protestant emphasis on individuality has missed the boat as well.
We operate in a community. Our sin affects our community. I would suggest we should be addressing our sin and the affects of it in a more community orientated approach, like James highlights. Confessing our sins to our close friends and confidants seems to me a good idea.
Anyway, let’s get back on the main road again. Something to think about though.
So… we are to pray about everything.
So I am suggesting this morning that we have five principles of prayer. To recap, we are to pray:
To God
In the Spirit
With Persistence
With Purity
About everything
I think when these principles shape our prayer, we can be confident that God will be listening to us. If our prayer is not shaped by these principles, in many respects, we might as well be talking to a stone idol or the lawn outside or the carpet on the floor.
Finally, I would like to give you a few pictures of prayer that have struck a chord.
Firstly from a Heavenly perspective…
Rev 5:8 (NLT)
And as he took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense-the prayers of God's people!
The prayers of God’s people are incense to Him. When we are praying we are filling up heavenly bowls with something that God values… namely prayer.
Given this imagery, do you think prayer is important?
Let’s now look from an earthly perspective…
James 5:13-18 (NLT)
Are any among you suffering? They should keep on praying about it. And those who have reason to be thankful should continually sing praises to the Lord.
Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. And their prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make them well. And anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for the next three and a half years! Then he prayed for rain, and down it poured. The grass turned green, and the crops began to grow again.
Prayer is important. Earnest, faithful prayer can heal, lead to the forgiveness of sin and even stop and start the rain (in the case of Wellington, maybe the wind too). And note that this is not just the “Christian Superstars” like Peter, Paul, James, Billy Graham, Rick Warren etc. The passage explicitly says that “Elijah was as human as we are…”. Your prayer, my prayer has great power.
In a community such as OCC we should be serious about praying. We have a lot to pray about. And there are lots of opportunities to make prayer a priority, both personally and corporately as a church body. You will hear over the next few weeks about a whole pile more opportunities in which you will be able to pray for our fellow OCC people and the community around us. I would encourage you to make these opportunities a priority.
A question for you… what’s more important? An extra hour spent at work (or whatever you do) or an extra hour spent talking, communing with God?
Finally I would like to share from a personal perspective…
Some of you may know the story of how Claire and I started going out. It involved a late night run to a deserted and dark field by the Waikato river. The police. And God.
So basically Claire asked me to be her boy friend. This is because I had asked previously and she said no. After I had dropped her home I was very very happy. You really have no idea how happy I was!!! Serious.
So I drove to this field near the Waikato river. I got out of my car and went into the middle of this dark field and got down on my knees and prayed. I couldn’t say anything more than “Thank you Lord!”. The Holy Spirit was saying some much more.
Then the fun began. As I walked back to my car a Police car drove up. This lady cop lends out the window and asked me my name and what I was doing. So I told her that my girl friend had just asked me out and I was thanking God. She said ok, admittedly in a puzzled kind of way, so I walked off to my car. I had got about 10m when she shouted out “Congratulations!” and drove off. Police officers must see some random things!
Prayer is important whether it is about little things like our daily food or big things like thanking God for the start of what has turned out to be a rather important relationship. We need to recognise its importance and give it real priority. We need to approach prayer with understanding and a real sense of joy that God has provided a way, through Jesus, that we can come to Him… to talk to Him both about what’s on our mind and what is on His mind for us.
My prayer this morning is that these five principles will give you the confidence and knowledge to bring everything to God, as the Spirit leads, all the time, with pure hearts.
Friday, 21 October 2005
Briar's Exhibition Opening
These are some pics from Briar's exhibition opening. Unfortunately I couldn't make it (bit sad about that). It is worth a look. And make sure you sign the guest book.
The Economy
Earlier this month I talked about how the NZ economy is unbalanced. I suggested that conventional conomic theory has no answers to stopping our current situation with a huge current account deficit from continuing to go out of control. The only way that I see this situation working out is for NZ to experience what economists call a "sharp correction". Most people know this as a depression.
Well today the STUFF website had an article in which it says companies are starting to come to this realisation too.
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New Zealand's stellar economic run could be drawing to a close, with a string of recent corporate downgrades suggesting the tide is turning.
Several of the country's top listed companies have indicated in recent weeks that they are starting to feel the pinch of a slowing economy, with higher costs – due largely to rocketing fuel prices – and the strong New Zealand dollar, taking a bite out of earnings.
Last week Contact Energy, the country's biggest energy company and the local bourse's second largest stock, said it expected fuel prices to squeeze margins and slow growth.
Last month wood products company Carter Holt Harvey cut its annual earnings forecast by 11 per cent citing lower prices and higher foreign exchange costs.
This week, the downgrades continued.
National carrier Air New Zealand yesterday slashed its full year profit forecast, before tax and abnormals, by more than half to $100 million.
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My strong suggestion at the moment is to ensure you have some solid savings behind you. Also, if you are in the house market, sell now, wait 6 months to a year and then buy. If you have a business that is struggling because of the high dollar, just hold on. We are about to see the NZ dollar come tumbling down.
Interest rates are a little more difficult to predict. It depends on whether the Reserve Bank (RB) realises that what ever it does with interest rates it will have no effect on the economy. Inflation is likely to blow out as the exchange rate declines and at this point the RB may decide to increase them to try to reduce inflation. This is classical economic theory but it will not work. So it may be worth while locking up your mortgage onto a fixed interest rate but then again interest rates may decline with the reduction in demand to borrow as investment in the housing market closes down.
Anyway... those are my predictions on things economic.
Well today the STUFF website had an article in which it says companies are starting to come to this realisation too.
#########
New Zealand's stellar economic run could be drawing to a close, with a string of recent corporate downgrades suggesting the tide is turning.
Several of the country's top listed companies have indicated in recent weeks that they are starting to feel the pinch of a slowing economy, with higher costs – due largely to rocketing fuel prices – and the strong New Zealand dollar, taking a bite out of earnings.
Last week Contact Energy, the country's biggest energy company and the local bourse's second largest stock, said it expected fuel prices to squeeze margins and slow growth.
Last month wood products company Carter Holt Harvey cut its annual earnings forecast by 11 per cent citing lower prices and higher foreign exchange costs.
This week, the downgrades continued.
National carrier Air New Zealand yesterday slashed its full year profit forecast, before tax and abnormals, by more than half to $100 million.
#########
My strong suggestion at the moment is to ensure you have some solid savings behind you. Also, if you are in the house market, sell now, wait 6 months to a year and then buy. If you have a business that is struggling because of the high dollar, just hold on. We are about to see the NZ dollar come tumbling down.
Interest rates are a little more difficult to predict. It depends on whether the Reserve Bank (RB) realises that what ever it does with interest rates it will have no effect on the economy. Inflation is likely to blow out as the exchange rate declines and at this point the RB may decide to increase them to try to reduce inflation. This is classical economic theory but it will not work. So it may be worth while locking up your mortgage onto a fixed interest rate but then again interest rates may decline with the reduction in demand to borrow as investment in the housing market closes down.
Anyway... those are my predictions on things economic.
Tuesday, 18 October 2005
Briar's Photo Exhibition
Some photos of Briar's Photo Exhibition in construction mode. A whole days work!!!
Exhibition is in J-ville mall for the next week. Go and check it out.
Monday, 17 October 2005
Fresh Power - Jim Cymbala
I have recently finished a book by Jim Cymbala called Fresh Power. It is meant to be about the Holy Spirit but it spoke to me more about prayer and waiting on God. Let me explain…
Essentially the author, the senior pastor at Brooklyn Tabernacle, is saying that in the modern western church we are missing something (this of course is a generalisation). We are missing the Holy Spirit. He suggests that we rely too much on programs and professional productions, basically ourselves. We limit the Spirits work.
He goes on to suggest that it is the work of the Spirit that actually attracts non-believers. It is the miraculous that caused the 3000 to come to see what was going happening on the Day of Pentecost. Then when they hear the gospel, Jesus amazing message of love, forgiveness and salvation, it is the Spirit that causes them to accept this message and rejoice.
He says that we have become too busy and we are not prepared to wait on God as the disciples did after Jesus ascended. We need to get back to being a praying church, where prayer is where we start. We need to wait expectantly in prayer for the Holy Spirit to refresh the church, not try to do it ourselves with our multitude of programs, flashy singers, slick and eloquent speakers and our flashy church buildings. We should desire to see the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit both in our own lives and the life of our church community.
To be perfectly honest, I agree with him.
For me this book has been part of a journey I am on at the moment.
It starts with getting back to the basics. The refreshment of the realisation that God loves me and there is nothing that will cause that to cease. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing!
Next is a comprehension that we are amazingly blessed that we have God’s Word, the Bible. It reveals God’s heart and speaks into our lives with both specifics and principles.
Following that, the thought that real spiritual growth comes through outworking my faith. It is not about becoming the wisest, most bible knowledge guru dude around. Faith without good works is dead. If I want to become more “spiritually mature”, closer in relationship with God, this is done through doing His work.
And now to here where it has become real that through my own strength, this is just impossible. I am dependent. I am depended on God for my existence, on Jesus for my salvation and on the Holy Spirit for the way I live. To live as Christ I need to get myself out of the way and let the Spirit fill me. I need to open up those ‘closed rooms’ and let the Spirit fill every void of my being.
So back to the book…
Well that seemed a lot about the Holy Spirit. So why did I say it spoke more about prayer and waiting on God?
Well, prayer and waiting are the two things we need to bring into our western culture, our western church culture to invite the Holy Spirit in to work. We are just so busy. How can we know what the Spirit wants when we are so busy doing so much? We leave no time for the God.
Seriously… look at the time in your day. Look at your bank statement. Look at who your friends are. Look at all you have. Tell me… who is more important in your life??? Jesus or yourself?
If you don’t believe in Jesus, then that’s fine (actually, not really but that is a whole different issue – e-mail me if you want to discuss). If you do however, what’s up????
Wednesday, 12 October 2005
The Holy Spirit - A Statement
We believe in God. This is the God described in the Bible. He was referred to as the god of Israel. He is the God who appeared to Moses. He was called Yahweh by the Israelites. He refers to Himself as “I am”.
We recognise that God has three personas or manifestations. This is commonly referred to as the Trinity. This concept is not mentioned in the Bible. Rather it is a human construct to try to make sense of some qualities of God that are distinctly not human.
The Trinity consists of God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. They are one but they are also distinct. They are three distinct personas, lacking nothing but choosing to be personified differently in some respects.
All personas of God have always existed and always will exist, as they are one and the same.
Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit seals us as believers. Without the Holy Spirit we do not have salvation. We may believe or follow Jesus’ teachings but we need to be baptised by the Holy Spirit to receive the grace of salvation.
The Holy Spirit communicates with us as Christians on a constant basis. This is referred to as indwelling. He does this by:
• Encouraging us
• Convicting us
• Empowering us
• Teaching us
• Causing us
• Guiding us
We see this ‘work’ in the creation of the Bible, the story of the Bible, the characters of the Bible, the writers of the Bible and in the lives of Christians past and present.
The purpose of this work is to bring glory to God, principally by transforming Christians more and more into the likeness of Jesus.
We recognise that God has three personas or manifestations. This is commonly referred to as the Trinity. This concept is not mentioned in the Bible. Rather it is a human construct to try to make sense of some qualities of God that are distinctly not human.
The Trinity consists of God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. They are one but they are also distinct. They are three distinct personas, lacking nothing but choosing to be personified differently in some respects.
All personas of God have always existed and always will exist, as they are one and the same.
Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit seals us as believers. Without the Holy Spirit we do not have salvation. We may believe or follow Jesus’ teachings but we need to be baptised by the Holy Spirit to receive the grace of salvation.
The Holy Spirit communicates with us as Christians on a constant basis. This is referred to as indwelling. He does this by:
• Encouraging us
• Convicting us
• Empowering us
• Teaching us
• Causing us
• Guiding us
We see this ‘work’ in the creation of the Bible, the story of the Bible, the characters of the Bible, the writers of the Bible and in the lives of Christians past and present.
The purpose of this work is to bring glory to God, principally by transforming Christians more and more into the likeness of Jesus.
Tuesday, 11 October 2005
Monday, 10 October 2005
Sunday TNT and the spare sausage!!!
It is quite disturbing what happens at TNT with sausages. No toothpaste was involved fortunately!!!
Velvet Elvis
Well it is time for another book recommendation.
This is a book by Rob Bell, the same guy who does the nooma project DVDs. He is the pastor at Mars Hill Church in grand Rapids, USA.
Now I recommend this book because it causes you to think. There are a couple of areas where I wonder what he is thinking but basically it is sound.
The challenge that it gives to me is two fold. Firstly, to get back to basics. We need to base everything on the fact that God loves us. Quite often this does not make sense to us when we think about what we do and what we think. But to put it bluntly, "There is nothing you can do to make God love you less... NOTHING".
Secondly, he examples how we really should be coming to God's word. He looks at what it says, goes what does this mean in the day that it was written, extracts the principle, then moves it across to today. Now some things do this in a literal way. For instance do not murder comes across very easily. But other bits make so much more sense when you see them in the light of when they were written.
Anyway, a very good book. Very challenging. Very Christ centred. Many thumbs up!!!
This is a book by Rob Bell, the same guy who does the nooma project DVDs. He is the pastor at Mars Hill Church in grand Rapids, USA.
Now I recommend this book because it causes you to think. There are a couple of areas where I wonder what he is thinking but basically it is sound.
The challenge that it gives to me is two fold. Firstly, to get back to basics. We need to base everything on the fact that God loves us. Quite often this does not make sense to us when we think about what we do and what we think. But to put it bluntly, "There is nothing you can do to make God love you less... NOTHING".
Secondly, he examples how we really should be coming to God's word. He looks at what it says, goes what does this mean in the day that it was written, extracts the principle, then moves it across to today. Now some things do this in a literal way. For instance do not murder comes across very easily. But other bits make so much more sense when you see them in the light of when they were written.
Anyway, a very good book. Very challenging. Very Christ centred. Many thumbs up!!!
Sunday, 9 October 2005
Relationships according to Proverbs
Introduction
Well Good Morning.
Let’s commit this time in prayer.
Father, we want to bring honour to you. We want your name to be known in all the nations and for all people to bring praise to you. Lord, we are dependent on you. We ask that you open our minds and our hearts. Lord, let us leave the baggage of day-to-day life at the door and cause us to come eagerly to your Word, expecting to grow closer to Your will. We ask this in Your son’s precious name. Amen.
Well this morning we continue on in our series from Proverbs. And this morning I want to put a little context around the book before we dive in.
The Book of Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings. For the most part these sayings were recorded by the world’s wisest man, King Solomon. We can read about King Solomon in 2 Samuel and 1 Kings.
Solomon was the third King of Israel after King Saul and King David. He reigned over Israel from 971 to 931 BC, about 40 years.
In 1 King 3 we see Solomon being offered the offer of a lifetime. God appeared to Solomon in a dream and offered him anything. Solomon asked for an understanding mind or what I guess we call wisdom. And God granted him this in such a way that he was the wisest man ever to live (except for Jesus of course). People came from far away to get Solomon to decide things. We read that even royalty would come to his presence to learn.
Well one thing Solomon did, being so wise, is that he wrote down his glimpses of wisdom. The first 25 odd chapters of Proverbs appear to be general wise sayings that were about in those days. The remaining chapters, with the exception of the last two chapters, are the sayings of Solomon.
Another bit of context information that is important is that most of Proverbs is written in a poetic manner. This is why in your bibles you will see the text in little chunks, rather than our normal English sentences and paragraphs. In many cases you will see two sentences chunked together. This is called parallelism or intensification. What this simply means it that the first bit of the chunk is related in some way to the second bit of the chunk. One bit will add some meaning to the other. Generally it does this by comparing or contrasting one bit to the other bit. I won’t try to explain this fully as in the words of Bro Town… “I may be some time”. If you are interested I have a really simple one pager on it.
So now we have a bit of context, let’s jump into our topic this morning… Relationships! Or more precisely, what can we learn from the Book of Proverbs about relationships.
The Book of Proverbs is a practical guide. It takes deep truths and makes them understandable in our daily living context.
In terms of relationships, Proverbs divides our relationships into three areas.
1. Our relationship to God
2. Our relationship to our family
3. Our relationship to others
Today we are going to skim through each of these areas, stopping briefly to focus on a couple of points.
Our relationship to God
Solomon kicks off Proverbs with the most profound statement that really sets the scene for the whole book.
Proverbs 1:7 (NLT)
Fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge. Only fools despise wisdom and discipline.
This concept, this idea is the cornerstone of Proverbs and indeed should be the cornerstone of our lives. The concept is repeated another 17 times in the Book of Proverbs. It is really really important.
Solomon is saying if we do not have a relationship to God then we are fools. No matter what wisdom we build up, it won’t have a foundation of truth. Without a good foundation wisdom is no use because we will be prone to swapping our “wisdom” as we are swept around by the waves of life.
Where does the wise person build their house??? On the rock which is the Lord.
The proverb also describes the relationship. We should be in fear of the Lord. This has a bit of a different meaning to what we immediately think of when we hear the word fear. What it really means is more a cross between fear, awe and reverence.
In the Old Testament we see the people of Israel cower in fear when the Lord made His presence felt. Even Moses could not look at God’s glory directly. We are now under the covering of Jesus’ sacrifice but we need to remember that while this sorts out our sin issue, who God is has not changed.
Look at the disciples. Jesus wasn’t their “bud”. They shared good times. They laughed together like friends. But there was a reverence, a knowledge that Jesus was their Lord.
So wisdom starts with a right relationship with God.
There are four key verses that describe the outworking of how we are to relate to God.
Proverbs 3:5 (NLT)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.
Trust everything to God. Do not follow your own biases. This means trust God when He says that through Jesus you are made right with Him. Trust God when He says He loves you. Trust God when He says He wants what is best for you. Trust God when He says there is nothing, absolutely nothing you can do to make Him love you less.
Proverbs 3:9 (NLT)
Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything your land produces.
God should have first call on our lives. This is our natural response to trusting God’s promises. This means giving our dreams and aspirations, our time, our money… our everything. This does not mean make sure you give God 10% of your salary. I think money is the least valuable thing to God. He wants your goals, your dreams, your motives, your desires, your heart, your attitude, your thoughts… your very soul. This is scary stuff! Are you prepared to release everything, absolutely everything you have been given to bring honour to God? I struggle with this one.
Proverbs 3:11 (NLT)
My child, don't ignore it when the Lord disciplines you, and don't be discouraged when he corrects you.
The word discipline is such a loaded word now days. What this means is God will correct us when we go off track. This is a good thing because it shows He cares. We are to listen and learn from those corrections.
Proverbs 3:25-26 (NLT)
You need not be afraid of disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked, for the Lord is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap.
God protects us. And seriously… I would prefer that God was protecting me than anyone else. This does not mean we won’t go through hard times. What it does mean is that God will not expect us to handle anything that He hasn’t developed us to handle.
One of my Aunties had leukaemia. She went through chemotherapy but eventually the cancer was too strong. Over the months that she took to die she was quite peaceful. Her family really struggled but she seemed to be ok with it. God gave her an understanding, a sense of security, enough to deal with the path she was travelling.
So the key lesson Proverbs has for us about our relationship to God is quite simple. We are to recognise with reverence, with fear, with awe who God is. This lead us to trust, to honour, to be encouraged when corrected and to be secure in God.
Our relationship with our families
There are a number of relationships under the title… families. Proverbs seems to split these up three ways.
First up we have the parent-child relationship from the perspective of the child. This is where we all start.
Then we have the spouse relationship. This can be seen as the girlfriend/boyfriend relationship as well; as such relationships are a prelude to a spousal relationship.
Finally we have the parent-child relationship again, this time from the perspective of the parent.
Let’s check out some verses…
Proverbs 3:12 (NLT)
For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child* in whom he delights.
Proverbs 4:1-3 (NLT)
My children,* listen to me. Listen to your father's instruction. Pay attention and grow wise, for I am giving you good guidance. Don't turn away from my teaching. For I, too, was once my father's son, tenderly loved by my mother as an only child.
Proverbs 5:15 (NLT)
Drink water from your own well-share your love only with your wife.*
Proverbs 7:4 (NLT)
Love wisdom like a sister; make insight a beloved member of your family.
Proverbs 13:24 (NLT)
If you refuse to discipline your children, it proves you don't love them; if you love your children, you will be prompt to discipline them.
Throughout Proverbs there is an underlying theme of love in these relationships. Family relationships need to be based on love for these relationships to function properly. Things like disciplining or correcting needs to be done in a loving way or it becomes destructive to the relationships.
I think this is common sense. Love is the centre of all family relationships.
I do want to make a stop on one of the family relationships that I feel is not discussed enough. This is the parent-child relationship from the perspective of the child. As a child, how are we to relate to our parents?
Some verses…
Proverbs 30:17 (NLT)
The eye that mocks a father and despises a mother will be plucked out by ravens of the valley and eaten by vultures.
Proverbs 23:22-25 (NLT)
Listen to your father, who gave you life, and don't despise your mother's experience when she is old. Get the truth and don't ever sell it; also get wisdom, discipline, and discernment. The father of godly children has cause for joy. What a pleasure it is to have wise children.* So give your parents joy! May she who gave you birth be happy.
Proverbs 19:26 (NLT)
Children who mistreat their father or chase away their mother are a public disgrace and an embarrassment.
Proverbs 20:20 (NLT)
If you curse your father or mother, the lamp of your life will be snuffed out.
Proverbs 17:21 (NLT)
It is painful to be the parent of a fool; there is no joy for the father of a rebel.
God is very explicit that we are to listen to our parents. We are to treat them well with the love and respect due to those who brought us into this world and were charged with caring for us when we were not able to do so for ourselves. We are not to bring shame on them.
In practical terms I would suggest this means that, short of being told to sin, if you live under their roof or are dependent on your parents then you are to do as they say. You do this because you love, or at the very least, respect your parents. If they are instructing you to sin then you should bring that to the elders as your spiritual parents and seek their counsel.
If you are no longer dependent on your parents then you are still to respect them. This means listening to what they have to say and treating it seriously. You may not agree with them and ultimately you may choose a different path than what they suggest but you are to treat what they say with an extra measure of respect and authority. And if you decide to choose a different path than what they suggest, you are to do that in a respectful way, not rubbing it in their faces.
This can be really difficult. Sometimes you may feel your parents do not love or respect you. What they do or demand may not be fair. In some cases they may not have fulfilled their role as a parent at all well. Your parents may not be believers and you are. There are a thousand and one reasons.
It does not matter. God calls you to respect your parents, no ifs, buts or maybes.
I would like to suggest that this approach applies not just to the young people here. It applies to you who are parents. Even if your parents have past away, it applies. If you set an example by using disrespectful talk about your parents, I’ll give you one guess how your children will talk about or relate to you!!!
So show love in all aspects of your family relationships. And particularly, show respect to your parents.
Our relationship with others
There are three different “others” that are addressed in the Book of Proverbs:
• Friends
• Neighbours
• Enemies
Let’s check out some verses.
Firstly about friends.
Proverbs 27:9 (NLT)
The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.
Proverbs 27:10 (NLT)
Never abandon a friend…
Proverbs 27:17 (NLT)
As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend.
Proverbs 18:24 (NLT)
There are "friends" who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.
Friends are loyal. Friends are close. Friends are involved in each others lives. Friends are part of the process by which God grows you, refines you, draws you to Him.
There is a bit of a contrast between friends and those who are referred to as neighbours.
Proverbs 25:17 (NLT)
Don't visit your neighbors too often, or you will wear out your welcome.
The distinction between friends and neighbours is around the closeness.
Friends enjoy being in each other’s company. There is a desire to spend time with you as their friend. On the other hand, Proverbs says that neighbours tolerate your company but eventually it becomes tiresome.
So how we to relate to our neighbours?
Well Proverbs suggests that we are to be helpful and honest and to do our best by them.
Proverbs 3:27-30 (NLT)
Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it's in your power to help them. If you can help your neighbor now, don't say, "Come back tomorrow, and then I'll help you."
Do not plot against your neighbors, for they trust you. Don't make accusations against someone who hasn't wronged you.
This is pretty straightforward. And I guess from a practical standpoint, we need to remember that all of our friends, even our spouses, start out as neighbours.
So what about our enemies? Those people who cause us harm. Those people who do wicked.
Proverbs 16:7 (NLT)
When the ways of people please the Lord, he makes even their enemies live at peace with them.
Proverbs 24:17 (NLT)
Do not rejoice when your enemies fall into trouble. Don't be happy when they stumble.
Proverbs 25:21 (NLT)
If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat. If they are thirsty, give them water to drink.
What’s surprising here is that in many ways these verses parallel how we are to relate to our neighbours.
We are to be helpful, merciful. We’re not to kick them when they are down. We are essentially to treat them the same as our neighbours.
For me there is a theme that runs through friends, neighbours and enemies. A theme of giving, of meeting the needs of others that God has empowered us to meet. In most cases this will be giving of ourselves in some way.
For our neighbours and enemies, we are to endeavour to give into their practical needs. For our friends it is this AND also giving into the needs of their souls.
This is pretty challenging for me. Some people who I thought of as friends seem to be more like neighbours. It is interesting to take stock of who our friends really are.
I want to take one last detour. As my homegroup, TNT, studied Proverbs earlier this year. A couple of issues stood out for me.
Proverbs 26:18-19 (NLT)
Just as damaging as a mad man shooting a lethal weapon is someone who lies to a friend and then says, "I was only joking."
How many of us have said something to a mate, waited for a reaction and then said, “Just joking!!!”? I am a bit of a mad man.
What about…
Proverbs 19:29 (NLT)
Mockers will be punished, and the backs of fools will be beaten.
Proverbs 22:10 (NLT)
Throw out the mocker, and fighting, quarrels, and insults will disappear.
Last week Steve talked about words. I think that we have to be mindful of the way we joke around. Much of our joking around is based either around saying something to cause our friends unease or to put our friends down, to mock.
Our words are powerful and can build our friends up or tear them down. And a friend can do this with far greater effect than our neighbours or enemies. We need to be careful with our words particularly when it comes to friends.
Bringing it together
Proverbs has a lot to say about relationships. There are probably a dozen relationship sermons you could do based entirely on Proverbs. I think the reason why Proverbs says so much about relationships is Solomon recognised their importance. As humans we are created to have relationships, firstly with God, secondly within families and lastly with others.
Unfortunately Solomon was not a very good example for us to follow when it comes to relationships. He had great wisdom but in many cases he chose not to follow his own advice.
We most graphically see this in his acquisition of 700 wives and 300 porcupines, sorry… concubines. Solomon ignored his own advice to fear the Lord. God had given him understanding of the laws about marrying foreign women.
1 Kings 11:9-10 (NLT)
The Lord was very angry with Solomon, for his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. He had warned Solomon specifically about worshiping other gods, but Solomon did not listen to the Lord's command.
God had warned him that these foreign women would lead his heart astray. Their beliefs in other gods would undermined Solomon’s dedication to serving the Lord. And indeed this happened.
For someone who had been made the offer of a lifetime, the gift of absolutely anything he wanted, he left only a little legacy. His son Rehoboam was a failed king. The massive temple he built was completely destroyed. All Solomon was known for was being the wisest man and having 700 wives and 300 concubines.
Well not quite!
In the darkness of his sin as he worshipped his wives foreign idols and was coming to the end of his life, Solomon penned the Book of Ecclesiastes. At the very end of Ecclesiastes Solomon finally realises that where he started at the beginning of Proverbs was all he really needed.
Ecclesiastes 12:9-14 (NLT)
Because the Teacher was wise, he taught the people everything he knew. He collected proverbs and classified them. Indeed, the Teacher taught the plain truth, and he did so in an interesting way.
A wise teacher's words spur students to action and emphasize important truths. The collected sayings of the wise are like guidance from a shepherd.
But, my child,* be warned: There is no end of opinions ready to be expressed. Studying them can go on forever and become very exhausting!
Here is my final conclusion: Fear God…
So what’s the point???
Maybe it is a lifetime of wisdom is of no use unless we begin with a right relationship with God. Until we realise that God… yes the God of the universe, the one true God… until we know that He loves us and that He has freed us from death… and until we respond to that with orientating our lives in worship to Him… then everything else… our relationships, our wisdom or knowledge… everything… it is just not going to work or is pointless because it does not start from a solid foundation.
Well Good Morning.
Let’s commit this time in prayer.
Father, we want to bring honour to you. We want your name to be known in all the nations and for all people to bring praise to you. Lord, we are dependent on you. We ask that you open our minds and our hearts. Lord, let us leave the baggage of day-to-day life at the door and cause us to come eagerly to your Word, expecting to grow closer to Your will. We ask this in Your son’s precious name. Amen.
Well this morning we continue on in our series from Proverbs. And this morning I want to put a little context around the book before we dive in.
The Book of Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings. For the most part these sayings were recorded by the world’s wisest man, King Solomon. We can read about King Solomon in 2 Samuel and 1 Kings.
Solomon was the third King of Israel after King Saul and King David. He reigned over Israel from 971 to 931 BC, about 40 years.
In 1 King 3 we see Solomon being offered the offer of a lifetime. God appeared to Solomon in a dream and offered him anything. Solomon asked for an understanding mind or what I guess we call wisdom. And God granted him this in such a way that he was the wisest man ever to live (except for Jesus of course). People came from far away to get Solomon to decide things. We read that even royalty would come to his presence to learn.
Well one thing Solomon did, being so wise, is that he wrote down his glimpses of wisdom. The first 25 odd chapters of Proverbs appear to be general wise sayings that were about in those days. The remaining chapters, with the exception of the last two chapters, are the sayings of Solomon.
Another bit of context information that is important is that most of Proverbs is written in a poetic manner. This is why in your bibles you will see the text in little chunks, rather than our normal English sentences and paragraphs. In many cases you will see two sentences chunked together. This is called parallelism or intensification. What this simply means it that the first bit of the chunk is related in some way to the second bit of the chunk. One bit will add some meaning to the other. Generally it does this by comparing or contrasting one bit to the other bit. I won’t try to explain this fully as in the words of Bro Town… “I may be some time”. If you are interested I have a really simple one pager on it.
So now we have a bit of context, let’s jump into our topic this morning… Relationships! Or more precisely, what can we learn from the Book of Proverbs about relationships.
The Book of Proverbs is a practical guide. It takes deep truths and makes them understandable in our daily living context.
In terms of relationships, Proverbs divides our relationships into three areas.
1. Our relationship to God
2. Our relationship to our family
3. Our relationship to others
Today we are going to skim through each of these areas, stopping briefly to focus on a couple of points.
Our relationship to God
Solomon kicks off Proverbs with the most profound statement that really sets the scene for the whole book.
Proverbs 1:7 (NLT)
Fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge. Only fools despise wisdom and discipline.
This concept, this idea is the cornerstone of Proverbs and indeed should be the cornerstone of our lives. The concept is repeated another 17 times in the Book of Proverbs. It is really really important.
Solomon is saying if we do not have a relationship to God then we are fools. No matter what wisdom we build up, it won’t have a foundation of truth. Without a good foundation wisdom is no use because we will be prone to swapping our “wisdom” as we are swept around by the waves of life.
Where does the wise person build their house??? On the rock which is the Lord.
The proverb also describes the relationship. We should be in fear of the Lord. This has a bit of a different meaning to what we immediately think of when we hear the word fear. What it really means is more a cross between fear, awe and reverence.
In the Old Testament we see the people of Israel cower in fear when the Lord made His presence felt. Even Moses could not look at God’s glory directly. We are now under the covering of Jesus’ sacrifice but we need to remember that while this sorts out our sin issue, who God is has not changed.
Look at the disciples. Jesus wasn’t their “bud”. They shared good times. They laughed together like friends. But there was a reverence, a knowledge that Jesus was their Lord.
So wisdom starts with a right relationship with God.
There are four key verses that describe the outworking of how we are to relate to God.
Proverbs 3:5 (NLT)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.
Trust everything to God. Do not follow your own biases. This means trust God when He says that through Jesus you are made right with Him. Trust God when He says He loves you. Trust God when He says He wants what is best for you. Trust God when He says there is nothing, absolutely nothing you can do to make Him love you less.
Proverbs 3:9 (NLT)
Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything your land produces.
God should have first call on our lives. This is our natural response to trusting God’s promises. This means giving our dreams and aspirations, our time, our money… our everything. This does not mean make sure you give God 10% of your salary. I think money is the least valuable thing to God. He wants your goals, your dreams, your motives, your desires, your heart, your attitude, your thoughts… your very soul. This is scary stuff! Are you prepared to release everything, absolutely everything you have been given to bring honour to God? I struggle with this one.
Proverbs 3:11 (NLT)
My child, don't ignore it when the Lord disciplines you, and don't be discouraged when he corrects you.
The word discipline is such a loaded word now days. What this means is God will correct us when we go off track. This is a good thing because it shows He cares. We are to listen and learn from those corrections.
Proverbs 3:25-26 (NLT)
You need not be afraid of disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked, for the Lord is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap.
God protects us. And seriously… I would prefer that God was protecting me than anyone else. This does not mean we won’t go through hard times. What it does mean is that God will not expect us to handle anything that He hasn’t developed us to handle.
One of my Aunties had leukaemia. She went through chemotherapy but eventually the cancer was too strong. Over the months that she took to die she was quite peaceful. Her family really struggled but she seemed to be ok with it. God gave her an understanding, a sense of security, enough to deal with the path she was travelling.
So the key lesson Proverbs has for us about our relationship to God is quite simple. We are to recognise with reverence, with fear, with awe who God is. This lead us to trust, to honour, to be encouraged when corrected and to be secure in God.
Our relationship with our families
There are a number of relationships under the title… families. Proverbs seems to split these up three ways.
First up we have the parent-child relationship from the perspective of the child. This is where we all start.
Then we have the spouse relationship. This can be seen as the girlfriend/boyfriend relationship as well; as such relationships are a prelude to a spousal relationship.
Finally we have the parent-child relationship again, this time from the perspective of the parent.
Let’s check out some verses…
Proverbs 3:12 (NLT)
For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child* in whom he delights.
Proverbs 4:1-3 (NLT)
My children,* listen to me. Listen to your father's instruction. Pay attention and grow wise, for I am giving you good guidance. Don't turn away from my teaching. For I, too, was once my father's son, tenderly loved by my mother as an only child.
Proverbs 5:15 (NLT)
Drink water from your own well-share your love only with your wife.*
Proverbs 7:4 (NLT)
Love wisdom like a sister; make insight a beloved member of your family.
Proverbs 13:24 (NLT)
If you refuse to discipline your children, it proves you don't love them; if you love your children, you will be prompt to discipline them.
Throughout Proverbs there is an underlying theme of love in these relationships. Family relationships need to be based on love for these relationships to function properly. Things like disciplining or correcting needs to be done in a loving way or it becomes destructive to the relationships.
I think this is common sense. Love is the centre of all family relationships.
I do want to make a stop on one of the family relationships that I feel is not discussed enough. This is the parent-child relationship from the perspective of the child. As a child, how are we to relate to our parents?
Some verses…
Proverbs 30:17 (NLT)
The eye that mocks a father and despises a mother will be plucked out by ravens of the valley and eaten by vultures.
Proverbs 23:22-25 (NLT)
Listen to your father, who gave you life, and don't despise your mother's experience when she is old. Get the truth and don't ever sell it; also get wisdom, discipline, and discernment. The father of godly children has cause for joy. What a pleasure it is to have wise children.* So give your parents joy! May she who gave you birth be happy.
Proverbs 19:26 (NLT)
Children who mistreat their father or chase away their mother are a public disgrace and an embarrassment.
Proverbs 20:20 (NLT)
If you curse your father or mother, the lamp of your life will be snuffed out.
Proverbs 17:21 (NLT)
It is painful to be the parent of a fool; there is no joy for the father of a rebel.
God is very explicit that we are to listen to our parents. We are to treat them well with the love and respect due to those who brought us into this world and were charged with caring for us when we were not able to do so for ourselves. We are not to bring shame on them.
In practical terms I would suggest this means that, short of being told to sin, if you live under their roof or are dependent on your parents then you are to do as they say. You do this because you love, or at the very least, respect your parents. If they are instructing you to sin then you should bring that to the elders as your spiritual parents and seek their counsel.
If you are no longer dependent on your parents then you are still to respect them. This means listening to what they have to say and treating it seriously. You may not agree with them and ultimately you may choose a different path than what they suggest but you are to treat what they say with an extra measure of respect and authority. And if you decide to choose a different path than what they suggest, you are to do that in a respectful way, not rubbing it in their faces.
This can be really difficult. Sometimes you may feel your parents do not love or respect you. What they do or demand may not be fair. In some cases they may not have fulfilled their role as a parent at all well. Your parents may not be believers and you are. There are a thousand and one reasons.
It does not matter. God calls you to respect your parents, no ifs, buts or maybes.
I would like to suggest that this approach applies not just to the young people here. It applies to you who are parents. Even if your parents have past away, it applies. If you set an example by using disrespectful talk about your parents, I’ll give you one guess how your children will talk about or relate to you!!!
So show love in all aspects of your family relationships. And particularly, show respect to your parents.
Our relationship with others
There are three different “others” that are addressed in the Book of Proverbs:
• Friends
• Neighbours
• Enemies
Let’s check out some verses.
Firstly about friends.
Proverbs 27:9 (NLT)
The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.
Proverbs 27:10 (NLT)
Never abandon a friend…
Proverbs 27:17 (NLT)
As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend.
Proverbs 18:24 (NLT)
There are "friends" who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.
Friends are loyal. Friends are close. Friends are involved in each others lives. Friends are part of the process by which God grows you, refines you, draws you to Him.
There is a bit of a contrast between friends and those who are referred to as neighbours.
Proverbs 25:17 (NLT)
Don't visit your neighbors too often, or you will wear out your welcome.
The distinction between friends and neighbours is around the closeness.
Friends enjoy being in each other’s company. There is a desire to spend time with you as their friend. On the other hand, Proverbs says that neighbours tolerate your company but eventually it becomes tiresome.
So how we to relate to our neighbours?
Well Proverbs suggests that we are to be helpful and honest and to do our best by them.
Proverbs 3:27-30 (NLT)
Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it's in your power to help them. If you can help your neighbor now, don't say, "Come back tomorrow, and then I'll help you."
Do not plot against your neighbors, for they trust you. Don't make accusations against someone who hasn't wronged you.
This is pretty straightforward. And I guess from a practical standpoint, we need to remember that all of our friends, even our spouses, start out as neighbours.
So what about our enemies? Those people who cause us harm. Those people who do wicked.
Proverbs 16:7 (NLT)
When the ways of people please the Lord, he makes even their enemies live at peace with them.
Proverbs 24:17 (NLT)
Do not rejoice when your enemies fall into trouble. Don't be happy when they stumble.
Proverbs 25:21 (NLT)
If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat. If they are thirsty, give them water to drink.
What’s surprising here is that in many ways these verses parallel how we are to relate to our neighbours.
We are to be helpful, merciful. We’re not to kick them when they are down. We are essentially to treat them the same as our neighbours.
For me there is a theme that runs through friends, neighbours and enemies. A theme of giving, of meeting the needs of others that God has empowered us to meet. In most cases this will be giving of ourselves in some way.
For our neighbours and enemies, we are to endeavour to give into their practical needs. For our friends it is this AND also giving into the needs of their souls.
This is pretty challenging for me. Some people who I thought of as friends seem to be more like neighbours. It is interesting to take stock of who our friends really are.
I want to take one last detour. As my homegroup, TNT, studied Proverbs earlier this year. A couple of issues stood out for me.
Proverbs 26:18-19 (NLT)
Just as damaging as a mad man shooting a lethal weapon is someone who lies to a friend and then says, "I was only joking."
How many of us have said something to a mate, waited for a reaction and then said, “Just joking!!!”? I am a bit of a mad man.
What about…
Proverbs 19:29 (NLT)
Mockers will be punished, and the backs of fools will be beaten.
Proverbs 22:10 (NLT)
Throw out the mocker, and fighting, quarrels, and insults will disappear.
Last week Steve talked about words. I think that we have to be mindful of the way we joke around. Much of our joking around is based either around saying something to cause our friends unease or to put our friends down, to mock.
Our words are powerful and can build our friends up or tear them down. And a friend can do this with far greater effect than our neighbours or enemies. We need to be careful with our words particularly when it comes to friends.
Bringing it together
Proverbs has a lot to say about relationships. There are probably a dozen relationship sermons you could do based entirely on Proverbs. I think the reason why Proverbs says so much about relationships is Solomon recognised their importance. As humans we are created to have relationships, firstly with God, secondly within families and lastly with others.
Unfortunately Solomon was not a very good example for us to follow when it comes to relationships. He had great wisdom but in many cases he chose not to follow his own advice.
We most graphically see this in his acquisition of 700 wives and 300 porcupines, sorry… concubines. Solomon ignored his own advice to fear the Lord. God had given him understanding of the laws about marrying foreign women.
1 Kings 11:9-10 (NLT)
The Lord was very angry with Solomon, for his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. He had warned Solomon specifically about worshiping other gods, but Solomon did not listen to the Lord's command.
God had warned him that these foreign women would lead his heart astray. Their beliefs in other gods would undermined Solomon’s dedication to serving the Lord. And indeed this happened.
For someone who had been made the offer of a lifetime, the gift of absolutely anything he wanted, he left only a little legacy. His son Rehoboam was a failed king. The massive temple he built was completely destroyed. All Solomon was known for was being the wisest man and having 700 wives and 300 concubines.
Well not quite!
In the darkness of his sin as he worshipped his wives foreign idols and was coming to the end of his life, Solomon penned the Book of Ecclesiastes. At the very end of Ecclesiastes Solomon finally realises that where he started at the beginning of Proverbs was all he really needed.
Ecclesiastes 12:9-14 (NLT)
Because the Teacher was wise, he taught the people everything he knew. He collected proverbs and classified them. Indeed, the Teacher taught the plain truth, and he did so in an interesting way.
A wise teacher's words spur students to action and emphasize important truths. The collected sayings of the wise are like guidance from a shepherd.
But, my child,* be warned: There is no end of opinions ready to be expressed. Studying them can go on forever and become very exhausting!
Here is my final conclusion: Fear God…
So what’s the point???
Maybe it is a lifetime of wisdom is of no use unless we begin with a right relationship with God. Until we realise that God… yes the God of the universe, the one true God… until we know that He loves us and that He has freed us from death… and until we respond to that with orientating our lives in worship to Him… then everything else… our relationships, our wisdom or knowledge… everything… it is just not going to work or is pointless because it does not start from a solid foundation.
Thursday, 6 October 2005
Christian Short Movies
I have found a web site with some Christian short movies.
http://cityonahillproductions.com./index.htm
You better have some serious broadband though. Even my 10Mbit was struggling for the big versions. Not bad bits of work. Not up to Nooma but kind of different genre.
Check them out!!!
http://cityonahillproductions.com./index.htm
You better have some serious broadband though. Even my 10Mbit was struggling for the big versions. Not bad bits of work. Not up to Nooma but kind of different genre.
Check them out!!!
Snake vs Croc - with updated photo
So what happens when a 13 foot snake takes on a 6 foot croc?
Thats the crocs tall sticking out of the side of the snake!!!
Well apparently the snake wins but the croc rips the snakes stomach and the snake explodes.
Seems to me that a general rule is... stay away from snakes and crocs!!! And crocs and snakes should follow that rule as well!!!
Thats the crocs tall sticking out of the side of the snake!!!
Well apparently the snake wins but the croc rips the snakes stomach and the snake explodes.
Seems to me that a general rule is... stay away from snakes and crocs!!! And crocs and snakes should follow that rule as well!!!
Wednesday, 5 October 2005
Nooma
I have recently acquired the set of Nooma project DVDs.
These are a series of very short DVDs which have a sermon on them (in essence). Very post modern and pretty good. Theologically they emphasis God's love. They are pretty solid.
The are produced by Rob Bell who is the founder of the Mars Hill churches. He is a very good communicator.
I would recommend these DVDs as they give the message of the Gospel in a new and understandable way.
These are a series of very short DVDs which have a sermon on them (in essence). Very post modern and pretty good. Theologically they emphasis God's love. They are pretty solid.
The are produced by Rob Bell who is the founder of the Mars Hill churches. He is a very good communicator.
I would recommend these DVDs as they give the message of the Gospel in a new and understandable way.
Saturday, 1 October 2005
Two E words - Election and Economy
So this morning the make up of the next parliament. Since I was in Russia I have had minimal interest in politics. However I do observe that what ever group of parties is formed will be prety unstable. Maybe it will last a bit longer now the Nats have one less MP but I still do not think it will last the 3 years.
However it is not the finely balanced parliament numbers that will be the pressure point.
New Zealand, and a large number of other countries, have got themselves into an economic hole. We have very high interest rates. We have a very strong dollar. And we have ever increasing debt issues.
Some of you will know I have a Bachelors and a Masters in economics. Even with 6 years at uni I can not see a happy way out of this.
We are buying too much from overseas. To do this we are borrowing. We can do this because our dollar is very strong. In a normal system this would put pressure on the dollar to devalue. However we are trying to control inflation through interest rates. With all the consumption our inflation rate is under a lot of pressure. So we are hiking interest rates up to being the highest in the western world. This attracts a lot of overseas financial investment (not productive investment). This drives the dollar higher which fuels more overseas spending and debt.
Simply we have ourselves in a very bad circle and there is no easy way out. At some point the circle will burst. The problem is that it will BURST. It will happen overnight. Overseas investors will remove their money on mass, this will drive our dollar probably below 50 cents to the US dollar and in doing so our debt will gain 30% in value in NZ dollar terms. Our debt rating will crumble and basically we will have a recession.
Added to this, the cheap imports (due to the high dollar) are killing off our export sector. When it bursts, we will have a reduced ability to earn foreign currency. Only good thing about this killing off is that it will kill off the low margin work first so hopefully the high margin stable part of the export sector will remain.
So what can we do about this? Wait seems the only thing. Some might look to move $$$ overseas. But where to? The US has the same problem and their downfall will probably precipitate ours. I would not touch China and Asia in general at the moment. They are an environmental time bomb that seems to be going off with air pollution and viruses. Europe is Europe but does not inspire. The Middle East is where the $$$ are coming to fund much of this debt but that place is a mess. Australia to me looks the only solid economy by virtue of its low debt and lots of natural resources (essentially they can dig up more wealth and buy their way out).
Personally, the key is to not take on any more debt and make sure your job and workplace is secure. If you are a student, I would be saving so you can do an OE sooner rather than later. In 10 years time this might have sorted out.
However it is not the finely balanced parliament numbers that will be the pressure point.
New Zealand, and a large number of other countries, have got themselves into an economic hole. We have very high interest rates. We have a very strong dollar. And we have ever increasing debt issues.
Some of you will know I have a Bachelors and a Masters in economics. Even with 6 years at uni I can not see a happy way out of this.
We are buying too much from overseas. To do this we are borrowing. We can do this because our dollar is very strong. In a normal system this would put pressure on the dollar to devalue. However we are trying to control inflation through interest rates. With all the consumption our inflation rate is under a lot of pressure. So we are hiking interest rates up to being the highest in the western world. This attracts a lot of overseas financial investment (not productive investment). This drives the dollar higher which fuels more overseas spending and debt.
Simply we have ourselves in a very bad circle and there is no easy way out. At some point the circle will burst. The problem is that it will BURST. It will happen overnight. Overseas investors will remove their money on mass, this will drive our dollar probably below 50 cents to the US dollar and in doing so our debt will gain 30% in value in NZ dollar terms. Our debt rating will crumble and basically we will have a recession.
Added to this, the cheap imports (due to the high dollar) are killing off our export sector. When it bursts, we will have a reduced ability to earn foreign currency. Only good thing about this killing off is that it will kill off the low margin work first so hopefully the high margin stable part of the export sector will remain.
So what can we do about this? Wait seems the only thing. Some might look to move $$$ overseas. But where to? The US has the same problem and their downfall will probably precipitate ours. I would not touch China and Asia in general at the moment. They are an environmental time bomb that seems to be going off with air pollution and viruses. Europe is Europe but does not inspire. The Middle East is where the $$$ are coming to fund much of this debt but that place is a mess. Australia to me looks the only solid economy by virtue of its low debt and lots of natural resources (essentially they can dig up more wealth and buy their way out).
Personally, the key is to not take on any more debt and make sure your job and workplace is secure. If you are a student, I would be saving so you can do an OE sooner rather than later. In 10 years time this might have sorted out.
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