Monday 26 March 2012

Ressurection! The Antidote to Entropy

Resurrection! The Antidote to Entropy

‘Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death’ (Ro 8:1-2)

I am not a scientist and neither do I have any deep understanding of scientific things.

However, I have gleaned from people who have a scientific knowledge that there is a scientific law called ‘The third law of thermo-dynamics’, otherwise known as the ‘law of entropy’.

This law states in layman’s terms that, ‘everything left by itself, without any outside influence, falls into decay’.

This law is seen to be at work all around us in the natural realm e.g. beautiful garden without a gardener becomes a plot of weeds, a beautiful home without continual maintenance becomes a pile of dust, a brand new Mercedes without tender care will become a pile of rust.

It is a law that those that dismiss a belief in creation and cling to the belief in the theory of evolution seem to forget. For a state of nothingness cannot produce anything without an outside influence.

Can I suggest to you that that which science has discovered and called ‘The third law of thermo-dynamics’ or the ‘law of entropy’, the Bible has known about for a very long time.

However, the Bible calls it by another name, ‘…the law of sin and death’.
Very simply it means, if you sin you die.

Adam and Eve in the Garden disobeyed the Command ‘Do not eat’ and their disobedience brought judgement.
Man rejected the outside influence or higher power and is now left by itself with decay.
Ever since the world has been subject to this law.
This is the natural order.
Since man fell in the Garden of Eden things have progressively become worse with the passage of time.
Oh yes, man has made many advances in life, technology, medicine, art, science and discoveries, but the deterioration of the law of sin and death continues.
We still get older, weaker and die.
The world, despite its advancements has suffered more death through war in the last 100 years than throughout history combined.
Atrocities still face us day by day.

Man still has no cure for a broken heart, guilt, or fear.
Why? Because without and outside influence, without intervention from a power greater than itself, man is locked into the law of sin and death and continues into decay.

The answer we come up with is to look into ourselves, discover our true potential, work harder, learn more, increase, invest, follow this way or that way. But all of them are based on the natural order of things.
We do not have the answer.

As you prepare for the Easter holidays you are facing probably the most important day in the Christian calendar.
Why? Because it reminds us that on this day 2,000 years ago man was given the opportunity to participate in a change from the natural order of things.

Jesus Christ, who was crucified, certified dead and buried three days earlier, was raised to life!
The resurrection went against the natural order of things and the Bible promises that all who trust in Christ with all their heart will do the same.

The law of sin and death was impacted by a higher law.
The law of the Spirit of Life sets us free from the law of sin and death,

What is the law of the Spirit of Life?
Very simply it is this, just in the same way the law of sin and death came into the world through the sin and disobedience of one man, Adam, so the law of the Spirit of life comes through the obedience of one man, Jesus Christ.
Death came into the world because of what one man (Adam) did, and it is because of what this other man (Christ) has done that now there is the resurrection from the dead. Everyone dies because all of us are related to Adam, being members of his sinful race, and wherever there is sin, death results. But all who are related to Christ will rise again’ (1Co 15:21-23 TLB)

So what law are you living under?
Why not take a step this Easter and break the law that kills and submit to the law that brings life.

Just saying......

Friday 16 March 2012

Why Face Impossibilies

Have you ever noticed how God sometimes in bringing us where he wants us be takes us through places we don’t want to go.

Joshua and the Israelites were being called to enter the Land of Promise at most difficult place (Jericho) and at the most inopportune time (Jordan in flood).

God called them to the impossible, through the impossible, by the impossible!

Have you ever wondered why he does this?

Here are 5 reasons why!

Reason 1. To make us bigger people
‘Today I will begin to exalt you’ (3:7)
The Hebrew means - 'To make great
God wants to make us great - bigger people - to do it he needs to stretch us, test us, see what is in us - refining process - Joshua had lived in Moses shadow - now needed stretching as he takes up responsibility of something bigger.

Reason 2. To reveal His presence
‘This is how you will know that the living God is among you’ (3:10a)
If God didn't lead us through impossible circumstances by supernatural means what would mark us out as having the presence of God with us

Reason 3. He wants to do it so he can defeat our enemies and drive them of from our possession.
‘He will certainly drive out from before you’ 3:10b
He uses us to take back ground the devil thought was secure and safe in his possessions.
In those impossible situations, wilderness experiences that we go through we can cause light to shine in darkness.
IJn 3:8 “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devils work”
He uses us to enforce that victory and take back ground that Adam lost and which Christ restored.

Reason 4 He did this so his power could be revealed and that all men might know he is the Almighty.
'He did this so that all peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful’ (4:24a)
He uses our impossible situations to reveal his glory and power. If we can always cope in natural - when will supernatural be revealed.
Uses circumstances of journey to reveal his power

Reason 5. So we might always stand in awe of him
‘So that you might always fear the Lord your God’ (4:24b)
The God of impossible deeds
So that we might have a confidence in him, not only to take us in and then through impossibilities but in and through the last enemy which is death.

God wants us to cross great obstacles have great adventures and overcome impossibilities.
Everything God does is to a purpose.
‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose’ (Ro 8:28)
Even the trouble we face in this world God uses to a purpose.

Application
 So what do we do to become victors in difficult times
 So what do we do to become available for God to take us through impossibilities.
 So what do we do to fulfil God’s purpose in our trouble?

1. They moved off from a place of rest (3:1)
‘What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?’ (Ro 8:31)
‘Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?’ (Ro 8:35)

2. They followed God’s leading (3:3)
Follow the anointing – comes a time when all are tested in this, i.e. Jesus into wilderness (Jn 4:4, Ps 23, Ps 66)

3. Consecrated themselves (3:5)
Set themselves apart to do his will.

4. They took a step of faith (3:13)
Faith to fight. Faith to go with flow.
Faith to believe God’s in control

Laugh at the darkness and sing in the rain.

Faith is hearing the music of tomorrow but dancing to it today.

5. Be obedient to His word (4:8)
If you keep doing what is right according to the Word then what’s wrong and who’s wrong will soon leave your life.

6. We have to desire the place God wants us to be in more than we fear the journey to get there.
40 years earlier the people were fearful but today was different.