Monday, May 29, 2017

28 May 2017 - ENCS

The focus of Pastor Josh’s sermon today was Genesis four
But first he reminded us that context we should not ignore
If one reads just Ecclesiastes chapter ten verse nineteen
The wrong message is taken from the words that are seen
For food, drink, and money were not Solomon’s solution
For in eternity they actually do not make any contribution

Turning back to Genesis, Eve gave birth to Cain and Abel
Even though her relationship with God was far from stable
Eve may have believed that Cain would be the Messiah
But his meager offering actually made him more of a pariah
Cain got angry as he did not understand God’s reaction
But giving God an offering is never part of a transaction

In every person, there is indeed a mix of evil and good
Thus to be healed, our own darkness must be understood
God only compares us to Jesus and to our own potential
Given different talents, versus others is inconsequential
Per Isaiah twenty nine, worship is often based on rules
But not looking to God is a path only taken by fools

Micah six says to act justly, love mercy, and humbly walk
Doing this is tough but must influence how we act and talk
Acting justly implies a difference between wrong and right
We should give our best to God in order to share His light
Loving mercy means judgement we may need to forego
Walking humbly with God teaches what we need to know

If the focus of worship is on actions, it is invariably vain
But if worship is merely from the heart, it is a false domain
True worship focuses on God, that much should be known
Per Ezekiel three, God wants to replace our heart of stone
And then the Holy Spirit enables us to obey from our heart
Thus allowing each of us to use our talents and play a part

Sunday, May 28, 2017

21 May 2017 - ENCS

Genesis Pastor Josh did continue the series on Genesis yearlong
Prior to Genesis three, man’s fellowship with God was very strong
But once Adam and Eve did fruit from the forbidden tree partake
Per verse twenty two, God made changes following their mistake
The issue was not in terms of the knowledge they had gained
But how they got it by disobeying God, Pastor Josh explained
God then instructed that they could not take from the tree of life
For living forever apart from God would have caused much strife
So then from the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve were banished
And without God’s love and grace, all hope would have vanished

We are in the same state of separation from God when we sin
But thanks to Christ’s sacrifice, into heaven we are allowed in
This is stated quite emphatically in Hebrews ten verse nineteen
Draw near to God with a sincere heart, we should thus glean
And to obtain real wisdom, we should not turn to Facebook
But instead, to God’s Holy Book we should constantly look
Hebrews also instructs us to hold to the hope that we profess
Spurring each other on to love and do good deeds to bless

Then Pastor Josh repeated the same four words to summarise
Pray to draw near to God, meditate on His Word to get wise
Then proclaim to declare our faith to the Lord and to others 
And of course fellowship to stir up our Christian brothers

Sunday, May 14, 2017

14 May 2017 - ENCS

Pastor Josh gave us a special sermon this Mother’s Day
Linking our worth to God’s worth is really the only way
Single moments and choices often can define our lives
Every interaction with another is what actually survives
Raising children involves teaching them good from evil
The aim of which is to equip them for times of upheaval

Pastor Josh then spoke based on Exodus chapter one
Focusing on things various women for Moses had done
The midwives feared God and thus disobeyed the king
So they did not murder any of the Jewish male offspring
Moses’ mother hid him for three months, per Exodus two
Then she put him in a floating basket and bid him adieu
His sister stood at a distance, seeing what would happen
Pharaoh’s daughter found baby Moses and took him in
To find a suitable nurse, the sister did then cleverly offer
Moses’ mother was the Hebrew woman she did proffer
His mother got paid for taking care of Moses for years
Everything worked out well, thus avoiding many tears
And while behind everything, God’s plans clearly were
Without those women, the exodus could not occur

Per First Timothy one, Timothy go his sincere faith
From his grandmother and mother, Paul did sayeth
This is a reminder that God blesses generationally
And that being a mother carries great responsibility

Mothers pray, meditate, proclaim, and fellowship
For their children at home or when on a long trip
We can all learn from this and show others love
Reflecting what God pours on us from up above
"Happy Mother’s Day” is more than just a phrase
It is an unending role that deserves highest praise

Sunday, May 7, 2017

7 May 2017 - ENCS

About Genesis chapter three, Pastor Josh did speak today
Our physical beings will all die, verse nineteen does say
Adam then called his wife Eve, the mother of all the living
It is not clear if this was arrogance of for their sin misgiving

A spectrum about faith, Pastor Josh did with us then share
We need to balance both trust and diligence, not doctrinaire
One extreme leads to skepticism, the other to negligence
We should read God’s word for wisdom, not just intelligence
Per Acts seventeen, we must receive His word with eagerness
And always rely on it for guidance, Pastor Josh did stress

Turning back to Genesis three, per verse number twenty one
God showed grace despite what Adam and Eve had done
He made garments of animal skin for each of them to wear
So they would not be embarrassed by their bodies bare
More importantly, this parallels God covering us with grace
Protecting us from the death that us sinners should face

The righteousness of God, per Romans three twenty one
Is manifested apart from the law for believers bar none
We should always remember that we all sin and fall short
That we need the Spirit is something we should not distort
We are so valuable to God that He sent His Son to die
This divine forbearance actually benefits both you and I

God needed to be just but He wanted to extend mercy
Jesus paid the price so that from our sin we are now free
For that we should not be proud, per verse twenty seven
Instead we should give all credit to Jesus in heaven
Due to the Spirit, we are empowered to differently live
Allowing God to change us and love to others give

Per Daniel nine, based on God’s mercy we should pray
The righteous do live by faith, Romans one does say
By continually pursuing God, our lives get transformed
In this way, hearts of many others will also be warmed
Josh once again shared four steps that help us equip
We should pray, meditate, proclaim, and fellowship