Jesus Is… The Sinless One

But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. ²At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. ³The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" ⁶They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." ⁸Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

⁹At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ¹⁰Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

¹¹"No one, sir," she said.

"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." John 8:1-11

The one part in this passage that I so love is the unmasking and revelation that Jesus is the SINLESS ONE. It so puts it out there that if you weren’t concentrating you might miss it. Jesus is the sinless one, the one who could not pick up the stone and condemn her.

Coming up in housegroup we’ll be looking at JESUS IS… a series about Jesus, who He is, what He does… magnifying Him, lifting Him up. It’s all about Jesus. He’s the beginning and the end of everything.

Beginning here – Jesus is The Sinless One – the perfect sacrifice, the Lamb of God who takes away our sins.

It’s a beginning place that encapsulates salvation and grace and the great demonstration of God’s love upon the cross. It also gets into how we live from that point – overcoming temptation, rejecting compromise and becoming holy.

The main verses that state that Jesus never sinned are:

 

• For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Hebrews 4:15

• For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21

• "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." 2 Peter 2:22

• For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.  1 Peter 1:18-19

• But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.  At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.  Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" "No one, sir," she said.    "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." John 8:6-11

The Temptation of Jesus – Luke 4

We read in Hebrews 4:15 that Jesus was TEMPTED, but that He overcame the temptation and did not compromise or choose to give in to it. 

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Hebrews 4:15

So what are the lessons we can learn from Jesus’ example of overcoming temptation?

The devil slyly begins, "If you are the Son of God…." He’s basically saying to Jesus, "You may not be the Son of God at all. Prove it to me by doing this minor miracle." He was also pushing Jesus’ flesh buttons knowing that Jesus had been fasting and praying for 40 days in the wilderness – the enemy was tempting Jesus to satisfy the needs and wants of His flesh in ways that were disobedient to God. The second temptation is about authority and worldly glory. The devil leads Jesus up to a high place and shows Him the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. Again, Jesus resists. Satan tries a third time. He brought Jesus to Jerusalem and took Him up to the highest part of the temple and told Him to jump off. He said that angels would come and lift Him up so that he wouldn’t be hurt. The devil even starts quoting scripture now, quoting from Psalm 91, "For He shall give His angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone." (Satan left out the part about ‘to keep you in all your ways’.) Jesus answered him, "It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God’."

We see His temptation here and also in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:39-46). In both instances, Jesus chooses His Father’s will over the temptation to pursue an easier path. But notice that He has no extraordinary weapons in his temptation; He used the same tools we have — the Spirit and the Word.

An important lesson for us is this: temptation is not sin. The enemy may tempt us by putting evil thoughts into our mind, but we can push them right out again with God’s help and our choice. Martin Luther says "You can’t help it if a bird flies over your head, but you don’t need to let him make a nest in your hair." Temptation is not sin. It is that thing that stirs within us that desire to do something we know is wrong and not pleasing to God, something that compromises the lifestyle of holiness that we live as children of God. "Temptation is inevitable. You have to decide whether or not it’s going to connect with a lust or vulnerability on the inside of you." -Casey Doss 

"For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want" (Galatians 5:17). The battle is both inevitable and necessary for you to begin to experience spiritual freedom in your life.

Note: God may test His children, a process designed to purify and strengthen them, but He does not lead them into sin. Without exception, sin results when temptation strikes a sympathetic chord in the human heart, and man has no one to blame but himself. 

But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed His steps; I have kept to His way without turning aside. I have not departed from the commands of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread. Job 23:10-12

Notice how Jesus responded to temptation. The devil brought truths mixed with half truths to deceive and entice Jesus. Jesus answered with the Word. Even when the devil misquoted the Bible to Jesus, Jesus answered back with the Scripture He knew.

Jesus teaches us this: answer temptation with God’s Word. We need to know Scripture well enough to answer our doubts and fears and temptations with it. The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17), and as we learn to apply the Word to every circumstance of our lives, we too can emerge victorious from fierce temptations.

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11

Passages on temptation:

• Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

• 1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

• James 1:12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

• 1 Peter 5:8-9 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings

• Galatians 5:13, 16-17, 24 You are called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.

• Romans 8:5 puts it like this: Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.

The Big Question:

What do you think Jesus’ strategies were in overcoming temptation?

How can we make this real in our life?

Giving Up Giving In

In each of the passages above there is a balance of grace – of God’s empowerment to overcome – and our own decision and action in the matter. Watch and pray. Stay alert and sober. Resist. Use your freedom. Its also really significant that God makes a way out of the temptation – how glorious is that!

We are in this constant process of transformation – of change – of making the inward righteous that is by faith in Jesus Christ an outward expression in the way we live our lives.  One significant part of this is overcoming temptation.

Giving up giving into temptation can sometimes be a willpower thing – but it’s driven by love – its motivation is rooted in love – for our Saviour.

Giving up giving into temptation can sometimes be a grace thing – God intervenes and takes away the desire for that "thing".

We have been given the keys and example – we have the Word and the Holy Spirit within us. Jesus has given us the example in His own life of how to overcome. Whatever we face we have the victorious power of God at hand to help us – be it by supernatural intervention, still quiet voice, our conscience or by willpower to make the right choices.

We must know God’s love and mercy and grace and to be born again – made supernaturally alive on the inside – that’s the first part of overcoming.  This fills you with the Holy Spirit who enables you to overcome and also guides you in the living out of life.  Knowing God’s love is the first step because from that point – LOVE – and relationship – that comes only with salvation – from that point we live to walk close to God, living not for ourselves, but for His glory and His ways and His pleasure.  Again, giving up giving into temptation can sometimes be a willpower thing – but it’s driven by love for our Saviour.  Sometimes we make a choice and we tough it out and plan plans and strategies to avoid the sin and temptation – to flee it and run from it, to not be where it is located, to avoid the things and people and places that make us vulnerable to giving in.  Sometimes it is a standing up on the inside that helps us make the choice to overcome and we battle it until it no longer has any power or distraction value.  Just as people every day choose to stick to a diet, or give up smoking or drinking.  Just as people every day choose to get fit and learn a new skill or get their degree.  We sacrifice and transform and are determined and change a habit. Other times, giving up giving into temptation can sometimes be a grace thing – God intervenes and takes away the desire for that "thing" and all of a sudden we’re transformed and free.

Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Hebrews 12:1-2

Fixing my eyes on Jesus is one of those things that I live by.

Fixing my eyes upon Jesus means I fall more in love with Him and I see Him and His ways and His Word and I hear Him calling me to draw near and to follow Him.  He gives me peace, courage, strength, hope, determination, conviction. I fix my eyes upon Jesus and see His goodness, His mercy, His love, His sacrifice, His power, His justice, His holiness, His compassion, His friendship. I fix my eyes upon Jesus and see my Saviour who died for me. And when I fix my eyes upon Him I want to draw near and walk as He walks and i want to throw off everything that distracts and dissuades we from doing that. Fixing my eyes on Jesus is one of my keys to giving up giving in to temptation.

 

 

The Big Question: so what works for you?

Jesus is the sinless one

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.  1 Peter 1:18-19

He is the Lamb of God that takes away our sins. The one who takes our sins away.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:6-8

You are not your own; you were bought at a price. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 john 4:9-10

The Big Question: how does knowing Jesus is the Sinless One affect you and your walk with Him?

Tweet Week

 

been so blest/challenged/provoked/encouraged/inspired by heaps of tweeters this week – this is a selection that stood out to me.  let them not just be words but springboards into prayer and action…  some of these quotes will find their way into my writing and preaching… but its fair to say they resonate with my heart and spirit…

 

one other thing i love about twitter is seeing everyday people, ordinary people, people like me, standing up with a voice, determining to live by their words, to declare the goodness of God, to share light and to demonstrate the love and grace of God.  people using a moment in time to make a declaration with a tweet that says THIS IS HOW I WANT MY LIFE TO BE (in regard to quotes) and sharing what they’re doing right now, in the everyday…  its like a window into their heart…

 

 

 

theramp The answer for your city is the same answer that changed you: a radical encounter with His presence.

 

theramp Develop habits of prayer and devotion that will keep God in an elevated position in your life.

 

ChristineCaine Our seemingly impossible … falls within the realm of God’s possible … with God ALL things are possible …

 

unscriptedlife "If your problem is too big for you, it’s just the right size for God." @stevenfurtick #SunStandStill

 

stevenfurtick My qualification to preach isn’t that I’m perfect. It’s that I’m called to point to One who is.

 

billjohnson00 The mind is either at war with God or it is being renewed. There is no middle ground. ~ Bill Johnson.

 

CSLewisDaily God, who foresaw your tribulation, has specially armed you to go through it, not without pain but without stain-CSLewis

 

CSLewisDaily "Die before you die. There is no chance after." C. S. Lewis

 

CSLewisDaily The enemy will not see you vanish into God’s company without an effort to reclaim you-C.S.Lewis

 

davidsliker How are you preparing for the acceleration of change around the earth? The world as we know it will be radically different in 1 generation.

 

stickyJesus  I have summoned you by name; you are Mine. Stop running.

 

stickyJesus I will never leave you or forsake you. Just a loving reminder.

 

Andy_Shudall RT @LigonDuncan: Sayin "Preach rhe Gospel Daily, use words if necessary" is like sayin"Feed the hungry, use food if necessary.

 

Sola_Christ The gospel is the story of God covering His naked enemies,bringing them2the wedding feast&then marrying them rather than crushing them-Welch

 

joshprays Jesus the Messiah – born in scandal, insulted and mocked, reviled, hated, and crucified on a Roman tree. Could my God be any more humble?

 

ashley__leigh a missionary that is pierced by love will shake the world. –@davidsliker

 

WisdomMoments Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible!

 

my prayer today

 

 

Praying for a move of God to ignite a generation of young people to stand and burn and shine for God, demonstrating His love and grace and real life power and relevancy and reality to those around them…. those that know their God will be strong and do exploits… that God would reveal Himself in reality and glory, and come and  turn our hearts towards Him afresh… let it begin in me… …let it begin NOW! a generation loving God, empowered & pouring our lives our for His glory!  our heart cries out Lord for you to come and move.  We look around at the hurt and brokenness around us and know that you are the only one to give hope and remedy and rescue.  we pray.  we seek you Lord.  we pray.

"be the spark that lights the fire" isaiah 64:2

"Our prayers lay the track down which Gods power can come. Like a mighty locomotive, his power is irresistible, but it cannot reach us without rails." – Watchman Nee

The Mission

Jesus Christ is alive. Jesus is actually alive! Jesus died for sin and rose and that Jesus Christ can take away sin. People don’t need to go to hell. They can go to Heaven. They don’t need to be disconnected from God. They can be connected to God. They don’t need to live lives of sin. They can live lives of transforming grace. People don’t need to do anything to merit the love of God. “God demonstrates his love for us in this: While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

The good news is that Jesus is alive and that he is seated on his thrown in Heaven. He’s ruling and reigning over all creation. That means that every nation and every city and every neighbourhood and every block and every suburban and rural area and every cul-de-sac and every coffee shop and every house is under the lordship of Jesus,

And there are people there that he loves.

There are people there that he’s willing to forgive.

There are people there that he’s willing to save.

There are people there that he’s willing to befriend.

There are people there that he’s willing to change.

There are people there that he’s willing to be with forever in the New Jerusalem, the great city that he’s created for us. So I urge you today: if you don’t know Jesus, give him your sin, receive his salvation, and get connected to Jesus.We implore you to be connected to Jesus’ mission.

“We nominate ourselves to love and serve the people here on behalf of the God who loves us so well.”

Mark Driscoll Mars Hill

 

 

I am His

i am His.

i belong to Jesus.

His grace is sufficient for me.

I am secure in His love.

He is always my Father, i am always His child.

there is no where where i am alone

i am tucked into His love

His presence is constant, His love is everlasting

though i may not see Him, or feel Him

He never leaves me, so i am always aware He is near.

I am His.

Brought by His blood shed on the cross

the greatest demonstration of love ever made

I am His by love

 

 

 

1000 Things (40)

Gratitude is the perpetual reminder that what you have is special because it is a gift from God. Steve Furtick

 

766.  so impressed with the volunteer heart of people – willing to say YES and help out!

 

767. new worship

 

768.  my threadless tshirts (for myself and some for christmas) have arrived!  its so much fun!  they come all the way from america so is a great adventure for me to order them online and have them arrive a few weeks later

 

769.  the wonder of narnia – the witch in the cupboard – as evangeline says.  she watched it with us for the first time just yesterday and is captivated.  i remember the same feeling when i was a kid reading the books – and as a grown up watching the movie.  she doesnt get scared in movies which is good and wants to change her name to lucy!

 

770.  academic achievement by caleb – he’s blasting through school!

 

771.  this morning one of the other mums did the devo time in our mums group, and it was awesome.  touching.  moving.  real.  relevant.

 

772.  faithful prayers of people.  i overhead a wonderful lady today tell a friend that she is still praying for her everyday.  it ment so much to my friend and so warmed my heart too – i was glad God raises up people, unexpected people sometimes, to pray for us.

 

773.  good messages – i’ve been so blessed by my mp4 – been listening to judah smith and his youth pastors, steve furtick, peter morton, bill johnson…

 

774.  But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed His steps; I have kept to His way without turning aside. I have not departed from the commands of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread. Job 23:10-12

775.  chocolate cupcakes.  the way they make the house smell.  inviting and delish.

 

776.  new babies going to sleep on my shoulder.  no, i dont want more.

 

777.  went to the most awesome pamper night last week – massages and other cool stuff.  the older women in our church put it on for us younger women – so much fun, so girly and so blessingful!  lovely to have some of our mainly music mums come and get a bit more connected

 

778.  i got prayed for on sunday night – i dont usually as i’m on the leadership team so i am usually a prayer, but after it all ended one of our staff members asked if she could pray for me… and it so blest me.  shes american and well, i just have to say, sometimes prayer sounds so cooler with an american accent lol!  it was just the type of prayer i needed and was like a cool can of coke on a stinking hot day!

 

779.  potential

 

780.  i can play music on my puter.  thats so awesome!

 

781.  sunshine.

 

782.  jesus – the sinless one, the one who takes away my sin.  he is soooo good!

 

783.  the provision of God.

 

784.  someone got saved in our young adults service a week or so ago.  was so cool.  neat to pray with him this week and see his eyes light up as God reveals His heart to him.

 

785.  mums who get it.  who really get it.  who live it out and walk it out every day.  who give you grace and inspire you to do more and better the next day.

 

786.  God’s mercies are new every morning!

 

787.  flexibility of plans.

 

788.  the people in our housegroup are the most awesome in the world.  i love them muchly.  i love watching them grow and change and stand up for jesus and follow His call.  they’re like my kids, but grown up already.

 

789.  hot chocolate fudge cake brownie.  oh my.

 

 

 

just a short list today )

how about you make your list – let gratitude be your attitude!

 

 

My Dictionary

here are some frequent words that i use that have bigger meanings than they appear…. so this is a claire-ictonary…

= Remember = more than just recall – it is fuller than that – and used often in reference to remembering the works of God and how that builds our faith – it is to remind our souls, to speak to ourselves about WHO God is, it is to reaffirm and stir up faith… so go and remember the works of God and be strong…

= Know God = this is more than intellectual knowledge, head knowing, but it is relationship and intimacy, living the reality of the Bible and the promises it has in relation to knowing God…. my passion is to Know God and make Him known…

 

= appreciate = i dont think there are ever enough words, or descriptive enough words to describe how much i love God and thank him for all he does in my life, and so i say i appreciate him = it is deeper than thanks, deeper than gratitude = it fills me with joy and gratefulness and is expressed i hope and i try in how i live my life, laid down for my king.

 

= fingers crossed = aka praying…

= wet my pants = that was really really funny! (i dont really wet myself with laughter…) more than a tee hee and more than a lol… also termed as "wet myself" or "got wet pants" – kinda raw i know, but there you go.

= kick in the pants = a heart stirring, a refreshment of vision, a kick start, a new perspective, a fresh approach and outlook, a fire-ing up of the heart, a re-passioning, a wake up call… a kick in the pants…

 

= annointed = i always spell it with 2 n’s – cos i want a double annointing like how Elisha got a double annointing from Elijah.
= confuzzling = confusing…

= pash = snog = got it yet??? kinda a naughty thing to have on my list, but oh well i was feeling cheeky…

= lux = vacum = hoover = what do you call it? you know – use one of those sucking machine things to clean the floor….

 

so there you go… the start of a claire-ictonary!

 

are there any other words i should explain???

 

Introducing Me Again…

 

Let me introduce myself… again… well rather let me tell you my story…

I’ve been a Christian since April 1993… grew up in a semi catholic home (mum catholic dad not) – so we did go to church. sometimes. but it didn’t really mean all that much to me. it was what we did on Sunday. we put on our church clothes and went to church and dad cooked a fantastic roast dinner for us to come home to.

i DID really want to know God though and there are several experiences that i know have shaped my faith, expression and relationship with God from childhood.

In early teens though i decided that God must not be real, as he didn’t seem to be "there" – so I figured I would live my life without the "hassle" of thinking about Him and "His laws" (very catholic way of thinking) and so did that.

Our family moved quite a bit and when I was 15 we moved from Gore… where I went from a 300 student coed school to Blenheim, where I had to go to a 1000+ all girls school! Talk about freak out! Took a bit of adjusting… made some new friends… anyone one of my new friends went to a youth group and I went along with her one night for one reason and one reason only. There were boys there! Great reason for going to youth group eh lol!

Anyway on that first night someone PRAYED and I KNEW God was REAL and I knew I wanted to know Him, and could, so I knew I had do something about my "revelation". I waited until I went to their Easter Camp (about 3 weeks later) and there, not knowing what a Christian was or did, I became one…. I went up the front and responded to God, and encountered Him radically. By that i knew something was different – that i had given my life to God and became His child. sounds like a Christian cliché eh, but very real. i felt clean and new and forgiven. life had purpose and meaning. it was the start of an adventure.

So at that camp, at that youth group I discovered God was real and that I had a choice to make. I had to choose whether I would believe in Him and follow him – or whether I would turn my back on him and live my life my own way…. And suffer the consequences…

Did you know that your name is engraved on the palm of God’s hands?

Did you know that?

Your name.

My name.

My name is engraved on the palm of the hand of God.

It is for sure engraved on the palms of Jesus’ hands – great big gaping nail hole wounds.

It was all because of love that Jesus died. It was all because of love that God sent Jesus to live and to die on the cross as the sacrifice that pays for our sins.

The Bible puts it this way….

Colossians 1:20-22 And God was pleased

   for Jesus to make peace

   by sacrificing his blood

   on the cross,

   so that everyone

   would be brought back to God.

You used to be far from God. Your thoughts made you his enemies, and you did evil things. But his Son became a human and died. So God made peace with you, and now he lets you stand in his presence as people who are holy and faultless and innocent.

God loves you. Loves YOU. He gave everything so that you can know him. He gave everything that you would know him in this life and in our after life, in eternity.

Do you know 100% beyond a shadow of a doubt where you will open your eyes if you drove out of here and were hit by an SVU? Would you open them in a glorious place filled with light and glory and peace and joy and worship to see God face to face and hear him say Welcome, I know you, you are mine…..

Eternity is all about location location location… just like real estate.

And the choice, is up to you.

Its all been paid for.

Its all ready for the taking.

But you have to walk over the line and believe and trust and surrender and be made new….

The Bible puts it this way…. You must be born again. Only God’s Spirit can change you into a child of God. Don’t be surprised when I say that you must be born from above. Only God’s Spirit gives new life.

Being a Christian isn’t about coming to church, or coming to youth group, or wearing a cross, or even owning a bible or anything like that…. It is a spiritual transformation….

Before you become a Christian you are dead on the inside. The Bible is blunt… it says dead, evil, corrupt, guilty.

When you become a Christian God makes you alive. He makes you pure and holy and innocent and not guilty. You are a new person on the inside.

You may look the same on the outside but if we could look into the spirit of someone we would see something new and alive and amazing where there was nothing before…

Like this – light a match…

You need to be alive. The Bible says you need to be reconciled to God. Reconciled is a fancy word that means you need to be in right relationship with God. You need to know him and be part of his family. Only if you are made alive, if you are born again, are you new and clean and acceptable to God. Only then can you know God.

You can know God! That in itself blows my mind. We can know the creator God who is so creative and mighty and holy and awesome – who sees all and knows all, who created the zebra and the orchid and the butterfly and the blue whale and the tiger and the gnat…. The God who breathed the stars out with a single breath, who said let there be light and light exploded into existence…. You can know the God who knows the future and knows how many hairs you have on your head and how many hairs you have on your toes….

“ Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.

But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 1 Corinthians 2:9-12

Now doesn’t that rock your socks off. We can know God.

But only if we take him at his terms. The only way to God is through Jesus Christ. He is the way the truth and the life and no one comes to God but through him. Jesus made the way. He paid the price for my sin and your sin. He makes up the gap. On the day I became a Christian I sat under a huge tree by the shearing shed and I cried and cried because I knew that I would never ever be good enough to make my own way to heaven. But the good news is that I don’t have to. Jesus made the way for me. And if I believe that and accept that and live my life on that and allow him to make me alive on the inside – then I can know God in this life and when I die, forever.

Jesus died on the cross so that I can be friends with God, so I can be saved from eternity without Him, so I can be in relationship with Him now. Eternity is about now, not just after we die.

It was a long time ago i made that choice. 

since then i’ve found God is truer, realer, gooder, more amazing than i could have imagined at that time.

there arent even really words to wrap around my new life with Him, because of Him, for Him.

but its real.

i may not see a form, but He is with me always.

and one day, when i close my eyes in death, i will open them, to see Him.

what about you?

do you know for sure?

snapshot of my weekish

listening to: been hooked into a new band after catching a song of theirs on LIFE FM called The Letter Black.  their song BELIEVE is my fav.  also been listening to music by Gateway worship – particularly love the song RUNNING.  always draws me nearer to God, i want to stop and worship whenever i hear the song.  also love the newish song by JESUS CULTURE called SHOW ME YOUR GLORY, so catches my heart!

 

on the box: watched Prince of persia the other day with my husband.  my description is that it is one of those movies to watch with someone you love on a saturday night over chocolate and a bag of chips.  its more about the people you’re with than the movie.  weak acting.  awesome action.

 

reading:  just finished a nora roberts book called High Noon.  hostage crisis investigator drama.  good.  i like novels, i like stories.  thats my downtime.

 

coming up: this weekend we have the Light Party, which is a halloween alternative type thing at our church.  we run it as an outreach and give flyers to the school and run it for free.  this year shes my baby and so this week will be busy with details and doing.

 

preaching:  preaching at youth on the 14thish on evangelism and the lost and also at young adults late november.

 

blest: i got a new computer.  amazing.  i dont know much technical stuff but its cool.  and it has sound.  and a flat screen.  stoked.  such a blessing!

 

in the word:  in numbers, job, psalms, corinthians, isaiah.  really enjoying the practicality of how to live a natural supernatural life in corinthians and the historical power of God in numbers…

 

i miss:  Lost

 

eaten:  i ate the yummiest butter chicken last night – but i think it gave me funny dreams.  i love naan bread!

 

been thinking:  lots about not giving into temptation (as you’ll know if you’ve read my blog lately) and more probably about a generation rising that will live to honour God in radical outstanding ways, that will know their God and be strong and do exploits.  its so in tension with the overwelming experience and knowledge of the grace of God – the two go hand in hand, grace and obedience.  love and living out.  i long to live holy because He loves me so and gave His life for me.

 

enjoying: the sunshine and the dry washing and the warmth and the way it makes people feel happier

 

challenged: to learn how to accept compliments without wanting to deflect attention away from myself…

 

joined: a bmx club.  well caleb has.  meets friday nights and is a real family focused group for kids.  love watching caleb stretch himself.  looking forward to making some friends and shinning some light.  but loving watching caleb get into it!

 

rejoicing: at the love and grace of God poured out upon us.  wow.

 

 

Giving Up Giving In part 2

i was thinking some more about giving up giving into temptation and how Jesus is the sinless one, and our model, the one who overcame temptation and shows us the way to live…

and i was reminded in that instant:

let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Hebrews 12:1-2

fixing my eyes on jesus is one of those things that i live by.

fixing my eyes upon jesus means i fall more in love with Him and i see Him and His ways and His Word and i hear Him calling me to draw near and to follow Him.  He gives me peace, courage, strength, hope, determination, conviction.

i fix my eyes upon jesus and see His goodnes, His mercy, His love, His sacrifice, His power, His justice, His holiness, His compassion, His friendship.

i fix my eyes upon jesus and see my Saviour who died for me.

and when i fix my eyes upon Him i want to draw near and walk as He walks and i want to throw off everything that distracts and diswades we from doing that.

fixing my eyes on jesus is one of my keys to giving up giving in to temptation.