Do you ever feel like everything these days is sleight of hand or outright lying?
Here is the “zero emissions” excavator. From wattsupwiththat.com
Month: July 2019
Ephesians 1:3
Here is my commentary on Ephesians 1:3. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site.
Ephesians 1:3
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.”
“Blessed” (literally “well said of”) could be thought of being similar to praise. “Praise be to God…” We bless God in praising Him, and He blesses us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
Praise be to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hallelujah! He has blessed us with every blessing!
We have so much to praise God for. Every day is a blessing, but every day for eternity is like infinite blessing, bigger than we can count,in the presence of God. The blessings are infinite in number and infinite in size and intensity. This life is just the beginning and the blessings we enjoy now are just the shadow of the blessings in eternity.
Paul starts by blessing us with grace and peace but then turns his attention to blessing God.
To praise God, or to bless Him, does not impart anything to Him as such. But it does add to His glory. People from every tribe and nation are praising God, and every one of these people, every single act of praise, is a testimony to God’s love and mercy. Everyone of these is a light that adds to the unspeakably bright light that shines from His throne.
The testimony is a testimony to the world and to the cosmic system that is held in bondage by satan.
Every time we bless God or praise Him, we are saying to satan, “You are wrong! We will not side with you any more, for God has saved us through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
The world watches as we worship and it trembles- either in fear or conviction. So our praise or “blessing” of God is an impartation of glory to the Father. When we do it well, people are moved to join in praise and to repent of their sins.
God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the highest heaven.
We cannot add anything to God, we cannot impart anything to Him through words or actions because He is self-sufficient. He doesn’t need anything from us. We can only impart glory to Him through our blessing of Him.
God has imparted to us every blessing, that is every spiritual blessing. God has already given to us every blessing. Our response to bless Him is a response to what He has first done in us. God initiates the blessing and we respond by blessing Him.
When we think of blessings, our first thought often is of physical blessings. We see evidence of God’s blessing in our everyday life, and we think that we are blessed. This might be a financial blessing, a healing or a family reconciliation.
These things are important, but they are like an iceberg. We see the tip and praise God for the eruption of a spiritual blessing into the physical realm. Like the iceberg, there is so much beneath the surface that we cannot see with our physical senses or appreciate with our cognitive (thinking) abilities.
These are spiritual blessings and they must be apprehended by the spirit- not the flesh or the soul. Our spirit is the part of our nature that was activated, “born again”, when we were saved. It is the faculty that relates directly to the Holy Spirit.
He has given us every spiritual blessing. The thing about the Father that many people never seem to understand is that He is a generous Father. He is not miserly nor mean-spirited. He is the God of abundance. The name El-Shaddai often translated as “God of hosts” can also mean “God 0of breasts”- He has much food to give to those who draw close to Him.
God has held nothing back from His people.
What are the spiritual blessings He has given us?
They can by summarised in one word- Himself. Every spiritual blessing comes from the Father of Lights, James tells us. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit- one God in three “persons”- has poured Himself into us. The self-giving of God manifests as numerous spiritual blessings.
- Salvation- we are written into the Book of Life
- New birth- our spirit is activated or “born again” so that we can have fellowship with God.
- Baptism in the Holy Spirit- a prayer language in which we speak to God spirit to Spirit is given to us
- Supernatural grace including the gifts of the Holy Spirit
- A new name is given to us, known only to God. This speaks of the intimate relationship in which we call God “Abba, Father”
- Sanctification- the process where we shed off our sinful nature and are transformed “from glory to glory” by the Holy Spirit.
- Dominion over angels and all created things
- And many more
These spiritual blessings are primarily in the heavenlies, although they do some times manifest in the present physical world. We get a glimpse now, but one day we shall see them clearly.
To walk in these blessings we have to direct our attention to the heavenly realm. It is no good being totally focused on the earthly realm because only 1% of the blessing is here.
This is not about becoming “too heavenly minded to be of any earthly use”- which is a mocking, satanic curse designed to discourage believers from being disciples. We focus on heaven to be effective on earth. We want the blessing of the “highest heaven” (epouraniois) so that we can know the will and dominion of the Father and bring it to earth.
Prayer is the process of bringing the issues and situation we see on earth and laying them at the Father’s feet so that His will is done on earth as it is in heaven.
A word about heaven. In Jewish thought there were three heavens. The first heaven consists of the sky and the atmosphere, which is an extension of the earth, and still practically under the domain of satan, the prince of the air. The second heaven is the starry sky, the celestial realm, the physical universe which is beyond the earth but influences it. Then there is the third heaven or the highest heaven which Paul was taken up to (1 Corinthians 12:2). this is the realm of the presence of God.
In this verse, Paul uses ( epouraniois) the upper haven which is the third heaven where God’s presence is central.
Key points from this verse:
- We bless God in our praise and worship
- He blesses us, He has blessed us already, with every spiritual blessings
- Because these blessings are “spiritual blessings” and are in the heavenly places, we need to focus our attention there.
What Is A Man?
Matt Walsh: I Asked A Left-Wing Doctor To Define The Word ‘Man.’ He Couldn’t Do It.
By MATT WALSH @MATTWALSHBLOGJuly 17, 2019
As I have argued in the past, left-wing gender theory can be entirely dismantled and debunked with one simple question: What is a man? All of the talking points, all of the sermonizing, all of the stuff about “transgenderism” and “gender fluidity” and “gender spectrums” — all of it is blown to pieces by a question that my six-year-old could answer. No leftist who espouses gender theory can provide a coherent answer to this question. Few will even attempt it.
It is a classic double-edged sword. If “man” has no objective definition, then it is meaningless for a woman to identify as one. A statement like “transmen are men” is hollow and absurd if the word “man” has no meaning. But if it does have meaning, then we must admit that the meaning of the word stands independent of anyone’s feelings or opinions on the matter. If the word “man” means something, then it is possible for someone to wrongly identify as one. We can, in that case, compare their identity claims against the objective meaning of the term and determine whether their claim is correct or incorrect. Leftists can’t have that, of course, but neither can they have the alternative. If “man” has no definition, their position is destroyed. If it does, their position is destroyed. They lose either way. And they know it, so most will simply avoid the question and continue using words they can’t and won’t define.
But this week, a relatively prominent leftist made the mistake of not avoiding the question. Best of all, this particular leftist is a doctor. Dr. Eugene Gu, a self-described “surgeon-scientist,” made a decidedly unscientific claim on Twitter:
It’s a scientific and medical fact that men can get pregnant and also have abortions. Trans men and non-binary individuals are human beings who deserve to be acknowledged by society. They choose their own identity—not me, not you, not any doctor, and certainly not any politician.
Rather than mock this superstitious nonsense, I asked him the unanswerable (for a leftist) question:
Doctor, what is a man? Please provide a definition. Thank you.
Read the rest of the article here
Reflection on Luke 10:38-42
Scripture
The Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details. There is only one thing worth becoming concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Observation
Jesus and his disciples are travelling to Jerusalem. They come to the home of Mary and Martha. Martha is distracted by the dinner she is preparing while Mary sits at the Lord’s feet listening to His teaching.
Martha complains to Jesus about her sister, but He tells her Mary has chosen the better thing.
Application
Preparing food for thirteen people (plus all the extras) would have been a big thing then- no take away pizzas were available! In that culture, as in many places today, it was expected that you would put on a good meal for visitors, especially for someone as famous as Jesus.
Martha slaves away, preparing the food and fuming at her sister who has not lifted a finger to help.
Jesus tells Martha she has missed the point. Food is important, but not as important as eternal life. Honouring Jesus with food is good, but not when you are focusing on the failures of others.
The question not asked here is “What motivates you?”
Do I do things because it is expected of me, and people will judge me if I don’t do things according to their priorities?
Do I love Jesus with my words and actions while harbouring resentment or pride in my heart?
Jesus looks at our heart to see the true motivations that drive us. In that sense, we all need to spend more time with Jesus, letting His words transform out hearts.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I confess that many of the things I do “for you” have mixed motives. Forgive me for those times when I serve you from self interest. Help me to seek you for who you are and not for what I get from being seen to serve you. Amen.
Reflection on Amos 8:1-14
Scripture
You can’t wait for the Sabbath day to be over, and for religious festivals to end, so that you can get back to cheating the helpless.
Observation
The Lord shows Amos a basket of ripe fruit. The Lord says, “Israel is ripe for punishment.” The Lord will not delay.
The prophecy goes on to words of judgement against those who despise the poor and cheat the helpless.
Judgement will come against Israel that will shock the earth. There will be famine in Israel – a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.
Application
The people of Israel, like christians today, were meant to honour the Lord in all of their dealings, in every aspect of their lives.
Amos condemns people for being desperate for the Sabbaths and festivals to be over so they could get back to the business of ripping off the poor and helpless,
We must ensure that we honour God with our actions on Monday as much as we do with our lips on Sunday.
The problem with the people of Israel was that so many of them lived in a culture of holiness without letting their hearts be touched by God. Everything in the culture and daily life was meant to point people to their unique calling of living for God’s glory.
The trouble is that you can live in a godly culture and see it as a burden, as the way things are. You follow the rules and expectations without seeing the reason for the rules or the giver of the rules.
There are christians who worship God, who go through the outward appearance of christianity without having their hearts transformed by the Holy Spirit. Therefore their work life and family life can be a denial of what they claim to believe.
We all need to be changed from the inside out, not from the outside in.
Prayer
Holy Spirit, help me to yield heart to you. Come and dwell in every part of my life, teaching me how to glorify your name in every minute of every day. Amen.
Ephesians 1:1-2
Ephesians 1:1-2
I start this journey with trepidation and anxiety. I find myself fluffing around for the right pen and the right Bible- even though the Lord sad very clearly to me that this does not matter. I need to get this right and I am afraid of falling short. “Forgive me Father for my lack of trust in you.”
1:1
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.”
What an awesome title that is, a testimony of a life transformed by the grace of God. Paul used to be Saul; the persecutor is now an apostle.
An apostle is someone who has trans-local authority. Unlike a pastor, his authority extends over many regions, many congregations. In the Old Testament such a person would have been called a “Man of God.”
The authority of an apostle is not determined by the appointment of the church or a denomination. This is a charisma, a gift of the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 4:11, Paul talks about the five-fold ministry gifts, that is people– apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers– who are themselves a gift to the church for the equipping of the saints.
Not all who are appointed to a position in the church are done so by God. Not every person called an apostle or pastor is there by the will of God.
Paul is an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God. It is God who called him to faith. It is God who saved him. It is God who gave him the authority and the desire to be an apostle.
Paul is an apostle of Christ Jesus- an apostle of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. An apostle in the secular sense was a representative of Rome carrying military and governmental authority.
This apostle carried the authority of Christ. All true ministers of Christ carry this authority in their realm of ministry. Paul carried the governmental authority, not of Rome, but of the kingdom of God. This is a seemingly weak and puny kingdom, yet it carries all the power and might of God the Creator of all things, and of His Son our Redeemer.
“To the saints who are the faithful in Christ Jesus.” Some manuscripts have “To the saints in Ephesus”, but that may or may not have been added later. Paul was writing immediately to Ephesus, but he was also writing to all the saints everywhere,
A “saint” is a holy one, and Paul uses it to refer to all the believers. To be holy is to be set part for God’s purposes.
A christian is someone who has made Jesus the Lord, or Ruler, of his or her life. I am not my own any more for I have been set apart for God’s use.
Here is a mystery. God takes these broken, soiled, totally contaminated human beings and He sets them apart for His purposes.
We talk glibly about “giving your heart or your life to Jesus,” making it just a prayer and a hope for a better life. But from God’s side it is a change of use from common or earthly use to “holy, holy, holy” use.
We have our will and the capacity to sin, but God calls us holy.
We are the “faithful in Christ Jesus”. The “saints” are those who refuse to let go of Christ, despite set backs, suffering, persecution or disappointments. We are faithful to the end, because He is faithful to the end.
The apostle Paul who is an “apostle of Christ Jesus” speaks to those who are “faithful in Christ Jesus. To understand Paul, and indeed the whole of the Scriptures, we have to be “in Christ Jesus.” You can understand the words and gain knowledge without Jesus, but to get the full meaning, the great sense of Scriptures, we have to be “in Christ Jesus.”
What does It mean to be in Christ Jesus
- you must be born again first of all
- you must be faithful to Him, walking in His ways as far as possible
- you must pursue intimacy with Him, going deeper, deeper into His presence.
1:2
“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Paul bestows grace and peace. This is a blessing or an impartation of grace and peace. He doesn’t pray for peace and grace, He imparts them. The speaking of the word of blessing conveys the blessing. In Biblical culture “sending love and prayers” is a reality. To speak a blessing or a curse carries the power of blessing or curing through the words that are spoken.
When we are “in Christ Jesus” we can bestow grace and peace upon our brethren.
The word for grace is charis in Greek, meaning the gift of the Holy Spirit. Grace brings us to salvation and grace equips us for the journey of faith. The power gifts or “charismata” are given to enable us to serve Christ in our daily walk. We need this grace to stand firm, to remain faithful to Christ. We learn to depend on Holy Spirit rather than human wisdom, and then grace multiplies in us and out to other people.
Peace is eirene in Greek or shalom in Hebrew. It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. It transforms the soul in the knowledge that God is with us (Emmanuel) and so we have nothing to fear. This peace enables us to sleep in the boat as it battles through the storm. We relax in the face of adversity knowing that we are in His hands, the place of perfect safety.
So Paul blesses us with this grace and peace, imparting both gift and fruit, power and character, to equip us for every good deed in Christ.
Key points from these verses
- We need to be in Christ Jesus
- We need to receive grace and peace daily
- We need to pursue intimacy with God
Jo Nova: NIMBY Bob Brown Says Wind Farms Are Ugly
The hypocrisy of environmentalists in general, and Greens politicians in particular, is always a source of bemusement. Bob Brown is a great proponent of wind farms in other places.
Jo Nova writes
Former Greens leader Bob Brown campaigns against wind farm
Do we need wind farms to save the world or not? Not, says Bob Brown.
People can have sleep and health and their views destroyed, but that didn’t matter til a farmer on a remote island off Tasmania made a deal to build one of the largest wind “farms” in the world.
Graham Lloyd, The Australian
Former Greens leader and veteran activist Bob Brown is campaigning to stop a $1.6 billion wind farm development in Tasmania because it will spoil the view and kill birds.
The proposed Robbins Island wind farm in Tasmania’s northwest will be one of the world’s biggest, with up to 200 towers measuring 270m high from ground to blade tip.
He’s written a letter protesting about the view:
Despite the criticisms levelled at former prime minister Tony Abbott and treasurer Joe Hockey for describing wind turbines as “ugly”, Dr Brown said the Robbins Island plan was, visually, a step too far. “Mariners will see this hairbrush of tall towers from 50km out to sea and elevated landlubbers will see it, like it or not, from greater distances on land,” Dr Brown said. “Its eye-catchiness will divert from every coastal scene on the western Bass Strait coastline.”
So Tony Abbott was right. It will be good to hear that apology.
After millions of birds bats and who-knows-what-else has been killed, now he cares:
In his letter on the wind farm, Dr Brown wrote: “Besides the impact on the coastal scenery, wind turbines kill birds. Wedge-tailed eagle and white-bellied sea eagles nest and hunt on the island. Swift parrots and orange-bellied parrots traverse the island on their migrations.”
The birds are just a “beside”.
Reap what you sow — a belief based on superstition with no underlying principles means sooner or later Greens reveal their inner hypocrite.
The ABC reported on this project in Dec 2017. The industrial wind plant was only going ahead if they could also build a second interconnector across the Bass Strait, something the company said it would pay for if it got approval. For some strange reason the Tasmanian Government was spending $20m investigating the business case first…
Why are taxpayers worried about a business case if the company was the one risking the money?
The Hammond family farm high quality Wagyu beef.
Robbins Island farmer John Hammond sees the wind farm as a way to keep the Island in the family.
For his sake, we hope cows do better than people do when assailed by infrasound from giant machines. John Hammonds kids may inherit a farm where no animal thrives. Some “farm”.
The ABC also report that the same company, UPC Renewables, raised the ire of Tasmanians two weeks ago regarding a 170km proposed transmission line. The company said they’d consulted and most people were “on board”. But people were not and just three days later the boss changed his tune saying he “misread the people”.
The ABC have not mentioned Bob Brown yet.
Today’s Sermon
Reading Ephesians
Over a year ago now, I started reading the Book of Ephesians in depth. I believed at the time that there are new understandings to come out of this relatively short book of the Bible.
I thought at the time that it would take maybe a year to go through this. It took me a year just to get through the first chapter. Already I have found so much that I had previously overlooked or not seen, and I am excited about the revelations yet to come.
I intend to publish a section each week on this blog, but if you want to catch up with me you can do so at our web site
This week we go to my prologue.
Prologue
On the evening of Sunday March 11th, 2018 I was the preacher for our small night service. The passage I was preaching from was Ephesians 2:1-10. After I read the passage, I said, completely unexpectedly, “I believe there is a greater depth to the Book of Ephesians than anyone has yet seen, but the Lord is going to open this letter up over the next decade, and it will change the church.”
I believe that this was a prophetic word from the Holy Spirit for the whole world-wide church.
Over the next few days, these words kept coming to me over and over with the prompting, “Why don’t you start?” Feeling I had nothing to lose, I sat down with my trusty Greek-English New Testament. I prayed, asking God to reveal His insights to me, and started reading and writing the thoughts that came into my head.
Wow! The thoughts and insights just came flooding into my head as I read each word in verses 1 and 2- and that’s the “skip over to get to the meat” part! It was as if I received a “download” of revelation from the Lord, it came almost instantly and steadily.
I don’t pretend this is in any way God’s word for the church, but I believe it is God’s word for me. Perhaps it is God’s word for others also. Regardless, I pray that there will be a blessing in reading this.
This is meant to be read as a devotional piece not an academic or expository piece. That is, I am not trying to analyse the text from a literary-critical perspective. This is meant to be filtered through the heart as much as through the brain.
Prayer
Lord, I believe that you have new and deeper revelations to bring to us from this part of your word. This part, perhaps more than many parts of your word is a “Holy Spirit book”, It defies the plain understanding of the words, at least to my rational mind.
So Father, Son and Holy Spirit, precious Trinity, I ask you to bring the revelations that I seek. Speak to me, Spirit to spirit. Let me see you and hear your voice as never before. Amen.
Reflection on Luke 10:25-37
Scripture
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbour?”
Observation
An expert in the Jewish law asks Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus asks him what the law says, and he replies that it is to love God and to love our neighbour.
To justify himself, the man asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbour?” In response, Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan.
Application
We always want to justify ourselves. We always want to look good to others and to God.
The law is too hard to keep. God’s standard of righteousness is too hard to match. To cover our guilt we make excuses that seem to justify our actions.
We can never make ourselves right under the law.
Even if we could fulfil every letter of God’s law and live a perfect life, it would still not be enough.
A religious approach to life will always disappoint us and God. We can never be good enough for Him by our own efforts alone.
In Christ we do not have to live up to expectations that are too high.
In Christ we are already accepted by God. The sin is washed away in His blood. Better still, He gives us the grace to be “good.” And when we fail, He keeps on forgiving.
Acceptance comes first, and then the ability to live a life that is acceptable. God does not want performance form us. He wants love.
When I was saved, the love of God flooded into my heart. My response was, “God loves me so much; how can I love Him in return?”
I don’t worry about sin or about being good enough. No, I seek to serve my Father and to let Him correct my actions and attitudes. Much better to have a loving coach than to just read the rule book!
In Jesus there is no need to feel guilty abut our sins. There is no need to justify ourselves when we fall.
God’s love covers it all.
Prayer
Thank you Jesus for paying the price for my sin. Thank you for showing me what love looks like. Help me to walk in fellowship with you every day, letting your grace transform my heart. Amen.
New Life Narrabri 