The sermons for January 29th and February 5th are now available on the New Life web-site.
On January 29th Susan Nash talked about “Seeing God’s Big Picture”. Click here to listen in your browser, here to download the mp3
On February 5th, I talked about “The Fifth Gospel.” Click here to listen in your browser, here to download the mp3
Last week we managed to have a short break.
On Friday afternoon we drove to Newcastle where we stayed overnight before attending Margaret’s cousin Lorraine’s 60th Birthday Party. The location was The Lakeside Cafe at Murrays Beach on Lake Macquarie.
Lorraine, me, Margaret in the back row with Margaret’s brother Graeme and partner Suzanne and Margaret’s sister Cathy.
Forster is an absolutely beautiful place. Tourism is its biggest industry and oyster farming in Wallis Lake is a close second.
We stayed at the Sails Apartments located a block back from the beach. Fantastic location.
Tim and Philip cooked sausages on the balcony.
We went on a 2.5 hour dolphin cruise and saw dozens of dolphins. I took many photos of water where the dolphin was a second earlier.
We paid $50 a head for the cruise which was value for money, but there were some stowaways
A game of Jurassic putt-putt was a lot of fun.
There was a “pirate ship” in the lake
and lots of sting rays
The mirrors in the lift were a little confusing
You know its a good holiday when you are exhausted.
I always love the bright turquoise colour of the Lake on a sunny day. The water is generally very shallow, just a metre or two, and so the colour of the sand shines through the water creating a unique colour.
So that’s a brief run down on our break.
You can see more photos on my Google page
Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/search?%s=Matthew+5.13-20
Scripture
“In the same way , let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Observation
We are salt and light. Salt must keep its saltiness or else it is no good. In the same way a light must shine out to be of any use. Our light must shine as good deeds that people see and then glorify God.
Jesus did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfil it. The Law will be present in all its fullness until the time of its completion. Therefore, anyone who teaches people to disobey it will be least in the Kingdom of God.
Application
Jesus tells us to let our light shine before others that in seeing our good deeds they will glorify God.
Don’t hide your light. People need to recognise the light of God’s Spirit in out lives. It is too easy to conform to the values and the deeds of the world in our daily life. We must enable the values of God’s kingdom to flow through every aspect of life. This is not just moral values but the power of the Holy Spirit, the light that has come into the world which darkness cannot overcome, the person of Jesus.
Our good deeds are deeds of love and grace which change the environment around us. When people are puling others down, we build up. When people mock Christ we praise Him. We shine forth the gospel in our love for God and for our neighbours.
The goal is for people to glorify God. Everything I do should draw people closer to a revelation of the living God. A light does not exist to shine for itself; it shines so that people can see something else. My good deeds do not serve to make people like me; they serve to make people like God.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ let your light shine through me that people will glorify our Father. Please show me how to let the light out. Amen.
New Life Narrabri 