12 More Prepared Messages

Transcription

1 12 Mre Cmmunin Messages All Cmmunin pieces have been cnstructed with the fllwing gals in mind.: That they shuld: 1) Take less than 5 minutes t present! 2) Be accurate. 3) Be inspiring (as pssible in a few minutes). 4) Keep t the pint (i.e. cmmunin!) These messages have been designed fr simplicity. This allws plenty f rm fr peple t add sme lcal clr. S please feel free t adjust them & make them yur wn 12 Mre Prepared Messages 26-The unleavened bread 27-Wnder Sap 28-What's in a Name? 29-Threshld Cvenant 1 30-Threshld Cvenant Clarey & the Cw 32- EPITAPH 33-The Eternal Bliss Eating Guide 34-A Histry Lessn 35- I Am - what yu need 36-Psalm The Visa

2 26. The Unleavened Bread All Cmmunin pieces have been cnstructed with the fllwing gals in mind. That they shuld: 1) Take less than 5 minutes t present! 2) Be accurate. 3) Be inspiring (as pssible in a few minutes). 4) Keep t the pint (i.e. cmmunin!) Please feel free t adjust them & make them yur wn. The Bible cntains large numbers f images, which relate directly t Jesus. Amng the multitude he is als The Unleavened Bread. The Israelites were cmmanded t bake and eat unleavened bread, the night befre they left Egypt. There were a few reasns why Gd wuld have dne this. 1. Firstly they were in a hurry. They had t pack up all their pssessins and be ready t leave in the mrning. They didn t have time t wait fr the bread t rise. 2. The secnd main reasn is that leaven is used in the bible t remind us f sin. Jesus tld his disciples t beware f the leaven f the Pharisees. Beware f the teaching f human laws that distract peple frm a real heart felt lve f Gd. The Jewish peple were t remve all leaven frm their hmes during the 8 day perid f unleavened bread (a clear 7 day perid). This is a reference t the imprtance f keeping urselves free frm the sin that clings s clsely, that we might live fr the Kingdm f Gd. Fr many peple, the mst difficult thing abut being a Christian is feeling guilty when we are nt living fr Gd the way we want t. It feels like a weight dragging us dwn. That s why Paul talks abut cnfessing ur sin, handing it ver t Gd and preparing urselves befre we receive the bread and wine (1Cr 5:7-8, 11:28). It is always a great pprtunity t cast ff sme f life s trubles. That way we can receive the bread and wine in a wrthy manner. On the night he was betrayed Jesus himself said, this is my bdy brken fr yu, d this in remembrance f me. Just as the bread was withut leaven, s his human bdy was withut leaven. He was withut sin, and because he was sinless he was able t be brken fr us all. The perfect sacrifice. S let us prepare urselves and cme befre the lrd. Let us receive his cleansing int ur hearts by faith. Cmmunin Time Prayer As we eat this bread, we thank yu fr yur bdy, brken fr us... As we drink this wine we thank yu fr yur bld, pured ut fr us. Amen.

3 27. Wnder Sap! All Cmmunin pieces have been cnstructed with the fllwing gals in mind. That they shuld: 1) Take less than 5 minutes t present! 2) Be accurate. 3) Be inspiring (as pssible in a few minutes). 4) Keep t the pint (i.e. cmmunin!) Please feel free t adjust them & make them yur wn. Wnder Sap! If yu think yu are bld enugh, and yu think the cngregatin can cpe with laughing during cmmunin time, then yu might try this apprach. Yes we did try it, and it wrked well - it makes yu wnder desn't it? Of curse yu have t talk like a sales persn. Prps - Laundry detergent Bx & perhaps washing line & pegs. Wnder Sap! (Thump the sap packet n the lectern) At last the guarantee yu have been waiting fr. Gd declares that this prduct is guarantied t wrk in all situatins. A life time guarantee. As lng as the cnsumer cntinues t apply this prduct, a miraculus transfrmatin is guarantied t happen. All spts and blemishes can be remved. Eyewitnesses testify that even thse deep dwn stubbrn stains disslve in time, such is the miraculus cleansing pwer f Wnder Sap. The Israelites swear by it. They used it in the desert fr 40 years, and their clthes never wre ut - what an endrsement. But wait, there s mre. The very first applicatin is guarantied t make a wrld f a difference. There after it will be just as effective. Regular usage is recmmended fr best results. Even the Bible, speaks highly f it when it says, and I qute, I shall be clean again. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snw (Psalm 51:7). And there s mre, it even says, Be clean, and in anther place "be white as snw." There s still mre, fr it says, I will cleanse yu frm all impurities (Ezek 36:25). Yes Wnder Sap, it's the nly sap pwder that cmes with a life time guarantee. In fact - an eternal guarantee. (This is the mment t get a little mre serius, s put in a few cmments abut hw gd it feels t be clean n the inside, and hw we all need his frgiveness in ur lives, Gd prmises t cleanse us. Then read this next scripture.) (1 Jhn 1:6 NIV) If we claim t have fellwship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and d nt live by the truth. (7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellwship with ne anther, and the bld f Jesus, his Sn, purifies us frm all sin. (8) If we claim t be withut sin, we deceive urselves and the truth is nt in us. (9) If we cnfess ur sins, he is faithful and just and will frgive us ur sins and purify us frm all unrighteusness. (Yu may have guessed at it befre, but nw yu knw - we are crazy!) Prduct warning! - Presentatins like this have been knwn t self destruct! Please handle with the utmst care.

4 28. What s In A Name? Tired f thse endless genealgies and lng lists f wh begt whm? Here s sme revelatin that makes yu think. Lng lists f genealgies! Ever wndered, what the pint f all these lng lists f hard t prnunce names in the Old Testament is? Well, yu are nt alne, thusand s f peple have graned inwardly when reading bks like Leviticus, and Numbers. But there are a number f very gd reasns why they are there. Firstly, because Gd is int families. He likes t bless families, frm ne generatin t the next generatin. Secndly, it was very imprtant that the Messiah be able t trace his ancestry clearly back t King David. Anther gd reasn is that names mean smething. We dn t think much abut that tday, but using the name with the right meaning was a very imprtant part f many cultures. Gd takes careful nte f the things we cnsider imprtant. Sme years ag, I was given a clear example f this. If we turn t Luke 3:23-38, we find the genealgy f Jesus. It reads in reverse rder, but if we take the Messianic line frm the creatin f Adam t Nah, Shem and the great fld and analyse what the names mean, we find hidden within these names a prfund mystery. This is the type f histrical arrangement nly Gd culd make pssible. A Gd wh knew the end frm the beginning. Adam Seth Ensh Cainan The Fist Man appinted (fr) mankind (a) pssessin Mahalaleel Jared Ench (t the) praise f Gd - descending - (t) mrtal man Methuselah A man sent (as an) Nah Rest & Relief Lamech vercmer (bringing) Shem a name f renwn, (f) famus reprt This is ur Gd. He cares fr us s much; he is willing t write cryptic letters t us. Frm generatin t generatin his purpse f deliverance and salvatin has remained the same. He has determined t redeem us frm self-destructin. All praise be t his name. Cmmunin

5 Ntes fr Further Meditatin Full Name Meanings Adam Seth Ensh Cainan Mahalaleel Jared Ench Methuselah Lamech Nah Shem First man, mankind. Sn f Gd Appinted, be accepted, substitute, excellence, rising. Man r mankind. Pssessin, acquisitin. Praise f Gd, praise. Descending, descent. Initiated, mrtal man. Man f sending, a sent man, Javelin man, sht ut. Overthrwer, striker dwn, wild man. Rest, bring relief cmfrt. A name, renwn, famus, reprt. Bibligraphy Strng's & Yung s Cncrdance, Eastn's Dictinary, Internatinal Standard Bible Encyclpaedia.

6 29. Threshld Cvenant (1&2) Threshld Cvenant (Talk 1) Smetimes we just have t admit that we dn't understand what the Bible means and seek ut a mre relevant cultural understanding. These talks n cvenant pened up a new depth f understanding fr me and I hpe they help yu t. O O Bld is thicker than water. This is a Eurpean saying, which basically means that ur family bld relatinships are far mre imprtant than any thers. There is anther saying. Bld is thicker than milk. This is a Middle Eastern saying, which says almst the ppsite. It says that cvenant relatinships are mre imprtant than family r mthers milk relatinships. S yu see we have a cultural translatin prblem here. If we step acrss the threshld f a Middle Eastern huse they may feel bliged t hnur and prtect us with their lives. Like Lt prtecting the angels in Genesis 19:8. Try reading the stry with this new understanding. We think that Lt ffering his daughters t the crwd utside is really grss, an unbelievable thing t d. Hw culd he d that t his wn flesh and bld? But that is just the pint. As sn as the angels stepped acrss his threshld he had made a cvenant with them. Nt a wrd was spken, but it was just as valid. If Lt was a man f hnur, and if he was a righteus man befre Gd he had t keep this unspken cvenant with these strangers. He had t prtect them at the expense f his wn family. There is n dubt that this demnstratin f hnur, this cvenant act, saved Lt and his family frm death. Lt prved himself t be righteus by what he did. Then Gd kept his prmise t Abraham and saved the righteus in the city. Think abut this. All the earth is the Lrd s, it belngs t him. If it belngs t him, then we have stepped ver his threshld. If we have stepped ver his threshld, we are under the shadw f the Almighty (Ps 91). Hw then shuld we act if we are living in his huse? Therefre He is bliged t care fr us. Gd is under an bligatin t d all He can at the expense f His wn family t save us frm the enemy, and save us frm urselves. Gd abides by His wn Cvenant Rules. Prayer As it says in the bible Gd has rescued us frm the miry clay. He has put ur feet back n slid grund. At His wn expense He has saved us frm ttal destructin.

7 30. Threshld Cvenant (Talk 2) Talk 2 carries n the cultural difference theme and prvides Even mre insight int anther way f thinking. O O Last time yu might remember I talked abut thse 2 different sayings bld is thicker than water & bld is thicker than milk. I pinted ut that they are almst ppsite in meaning and that Lt having brught the angels int his felt himself bliged t defend his guests at the expense f his wn family. I wuld like t share with yu anther aspect f this. The Hebrew wrd fr Threshld als means basin. This basin was placed in the threshld. It was the threshld. Yu had t step ver the threshld t enter the huse. The bld f the sacrifice was pured int it. This was a traditin t shw hnur & cvenant fr an expected quest. In fact yu culd tell yur imprtance by the amunt f bld in the bwl. A small amunt frm a Pigen, mre frm a Gat, a lt frm Oxen - r at the tp end f the scale yu may remember "The Fatted Calf" (1 Kings 1:23). Des that reveal smething? Just wait, there's mre! When King David came unannunced t Araunah's threshing flr, Araunah ffered all the xen fr free, nt s much because he was afraid f the King, but because he was unprepared. He was bliged t make a Very Big Sacrifice fr a visiting King. Is this making sense? Much f the New and Old Testament depends n a "cvenant understanding" f the Bible. Nw then, if the bld sacrifice shws us hw imprtant we are, r hw much hnur we are shwing ur guests. What d yu think we wuld be saying, as we enter the huse, if we TREAD in the bld? I can tell yu, we wuld be making an enemy fr life. It is ne f the ultimate insults we culd give. T break cvenant faith in this way culd get us killed. Let's nw read frm Hebrews 10:29, sme wrd's we have nt really understd befre. I guarantee yu see smething new. Heb. 10:29 Hw much mre severely d yu think a man needs t be punished, wh has spurned the Sn f Gd, and prfaned (trdden under ft) the bld f the cvenant which made him hly. Des this verse make sense nw? "O the bld f the Passver Lamb Is applied t the dr f my life." This is the Bld f the New Cvenant. Accrdingly He sacrificed His mst precius pssessin fr us; t buy freedm fr all that can accept it. The bld f Jesus is in the basin, and n the drpsts, and lintel. Jesus said we have t enter by the dr. Jesus is the dr. Isn't it awesme what Gd has dne fr us?

8 31. Clarey & the Cw All Cmmunin pieces have been cnstructed with the fllwing gals in mind. That they shuld: 1) Take less than 5 minutes t present! 2) Be accurate. 3) Be inspiring (as pssible in a few minutes). 4) Keep t the pint (i.e. cmmunin!) Please feel free t adjust them & make them yur wn. All f us have sme understanding f the hardships f life, and this apprach, shws us just hw much farther Jesus was willing t g, t give us intimate access t the fathers cmpassin and lve. Clarey & the Cw There was a blke I came t knw, Clarey, by name. I guess he didn't like t be called Clarence, But he culd handle it all the same. He was a marvel f a man with energy t match And he wuldn't mind me saying, That he's past 80 - and still ging - and still full f beans. He retired t be a farmer - fr smething t d T raise sme lambs, t plugh the grund And raise sme cws t. He tld me a stry t me in passing - that made me think again. Of anther time - anther man - and a bld eternal plan. Anyway - Clarey was a clever blke An knew a trick r tw Of what t d when things g wrng, & yu just dn't have a clue He had a cw that died - giving birth t its calf And anther that gave birth t a still brn calf. Straight away he grabbed the knife - there was n time fr delay. There was nly ne way t get ut f this fix --- r lse tw weeks pay. He cut the skin/hide ff the dead calf - as the sun rse in the sky. And tied it n t the rphaned calf - that had been left t die. He tk that calf and gave it - back t the rphaned cw. Wh sniffed - & sniffed - & licked - & licked - - & gave the calf its milk. (cvered in his righteusness) The father lks at us and sees Jesus This is the bld that seals ur agreement with Gd (Heb 9:20) (Heb 13:20, Rev 7:14, 12:11)

9 32. EPITAPH Jesus has died and has risen, can we respnd t that and say we have died and have risen by the Spirit f Gd? Behld I tell yu a mystery, we shall nt all die! - Great Wrds! What is an Epitaph? It's a shrt statement that reflects a smene's life and death. The srt f thing that yu find n a tmb stne. Gal 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I n lnger live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the bdy, I live by faith in the Sn f Gd, wh lved me and gave himself fr me. Death t : Let's breathe life int: Old ways f thinking. Old ways f living. Old habits that lead t death, disease, and sin. Living fr Jesus. Living fr the future. Living fr the Kingdm. Living fr Eternity. Jesus lked frward t being reunited with his father. He lked frward t cmpleting the race set befre him. T achieving the final victry ver sin and death. Even thugh Abraham came frm a large city he preferred t live in tents in the prmised land until Gd fulfilled the prmises he had given him. We need t make clear divisins between the past and the future. We need t live in the kingdm and make the kingdm f Gd a reality in ur life. There needs t be a visible difference between the ld values and new values. The ld life and the new life. We have the mst truble when cmbine the ld habits and the new. Why, because the ld cannt live at peace with the new, there is nly rm fr ne, s chse the new. Every day chse the new and build n the eternal fundatin. Cl 2:3:1 Since, then, yu have been raised with Christ, set yur hearts n things abve, where Christ is seated at the right hand f Gd. Set yur minds n things abve, nt n earthly things. Fr yu died, and yur life is nw hidden with Christ in Gd. When Christ, wh is yur life, appears, then yu als will appear with him in glry. Put t death, therefre, whatever belngs t yur earthly nature: sexual immrality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idlatry. I have already designed my wn Epitaph. First birth, date - date Rebrn (date) - Nw alive in Christ (date) T Eternity.

10 33. The Eternal Bliss Eating Guide All Cmmunin pieces have been cnstructed with the fllwing gals in mind. That they shuld: 1) Take less than 5 minutes t present! 2) Be accurate. 3) Be inspiring (as pssible in a few minutes). 4) Keep t the pint (i.e. cmmunin!) Please feel free t adjust them & make them yur wn. Fr thse wh speak well and have gd timing when it cmes t jkes. Here is a piece guaranteed t lighten the md f the mrning. Cafe "Enter wn Name" "Enter wn Address" Frm The Eternal Bliss Eating Guide "The Best Value Sticker" The eating place with the tuch f heaven. Yu culd even say it has a slice f heavenly cake. This is perhaps the mst affrdable place in twn and the fd here is definitely ut f this wrld. N prblem with quality here, they aim t satisfy. In fact I guarantee that this fd is mre satisfying than yur grandmther culd ck up; assuming that she can ck (n guarantee f that these days). This is nt really a take away and it's definitely nt a self serve. Dn't be fled by the externals, this place prvides a full service. This is fd fr the serius and enthusiastic eater. Frget Macdnald's and Hungry Juark's, this fd cmes with a satisfactin mney back guarantee. There is a ne price fr all plicy - child r adult, yung r ld all are welcme. It desn't cst us much nw, but the riginal price was nt cheap, s that makes this great value. When yu arrive the table is ready laid, the bread is filling, the wine is new and fresh, and there always seems t be mre fd available than yu can digest. Regular eating is recmmended fr specially healthy results. The wners Sn is always present, and the lve is always in seasn. Be served by peple that really care abut yur health and diet. The entertainment is all included in the ne value price - and it is cnsidered very suitable fr the regular family n the way up. Being a regular patrn myself, I happily give this place a 5 star rating. Frm The Cntented Eater Eternal Bliss Eating Guide

11 34. A Histry Lessn The Lrd s Supper Shrt Exerts frm Eastn s Dictinary Cmmunin - is described in 5 ways. 1. Fellwship with Gd (Gen. 18:17-33, Ex. 33:9-11, Num. 12:7-8). 2. Fellwship between Christ and his peple (Jhn 14:23). 3. Fellwship by the Spirit (2 Cr. 13:14, Phil. 2:1). 4. Fellwship f believers with ne anther (Eph. 4:1-6). 5. The Lrd s Supper - is s called (1 Cr 10:16-17) because in it there is fellwship between Christ and his disciples and the disciples with ne anther. The Breaking f Bread In the early church f the Acts there are scattered references t table fellwship, eg. Acts 2:42, 46 where the phrase is breaking f bread. In Acts 20:7 there is a reference t a fellwship meal, using the identical phrase. The fact that n mentin f the cup is ever made in Acts leads H. Lietzmann t the elabrate thesis that this Jerusalem cmmunin is the earliest and mst riginal frm f the sacrament. It was a fellwship meal beginning with the familiar Jewish custm f breaking f bread. A cntinuatin in fact f the Galilean ministry when the Lrd fed the crwds and in which the Lrd and his disciples frmed a haburah. What is significant abut the early frm f the Eucharist is the nte f jy which stems directly, nt s much frm the Galilean meals as frm the pst resurrectin appearances, many f which are assciated with a meal between the victrius Lrd and his wn (Luke 24:30-35, 36-48, Jhn 21:9, Acts 1:4, 10:41, Rev. 3:20). The Pauline Eucharist Paul s distinctive Eucharist teaching serves t enhance the significance f the Supper by anchring it firmly in Gd s redeeming purpse; s that prclaims the Lrd s death (1Cr. 11:26) as the Passver ritual set frth; that is, the redeeming mercy f Gd as shwn under the ld cvenant. He als expunds the inner meaning f the Table as a cmmunin (kinnia) with the Lrd in his death and risen life, signified in the bread and the wine (1Cr. 10:16) Therein he discvers the unity f the church, fr as the members share tgether the ne laf they sit dwn as the ne bdy f Christ. There are eschatlgical vertnes as well in the evangelical traditin, with the frward lk t the advent in glry. Maranatha in 1 Cr. 16:22 may very well be placed in a Eucharist setting s that the cnclusin f the letter ends with the invcatin Our Lrd, cme! and prepares the scene fr the celebratin f the meal after the letter has been read t the cngregatin. Paul can express the wrd f Jesus withut mentining the sacraments at all. But if they cme int view he cnnects them with entire riches f the grace f Christ, because he sees in them the will f Jesus fully expressed and fully effective.

12 35. I Am - what yu need All Cmmunin pieces have been cnstructed with the fllwing gals in mind. That they shuld: 1) Take less than 5 minutes t present! 2) Be accurate. 3) Be inspiring (as pssible in a few minutes). 4) Keep t the pint (i.e. cmmunin!) Please feel free t adjust them & make them yur wn. Fr many f us cmmunin is a chance t encunter the reality f Gd in the flesh and in the Spirit. A Gd Encunter I am, what yu are in need f. Hw d need Gd t reveal himself? Mses and the burning bush, - Mses had a Gd encunter. There was nthing cmfrtable abut this Gd encunter. Mses was cnfrnted n all frnts. First f all there were the terms f meeting. Mses sn learnt there was n neutral grund; wherever Gd was encunter it was always hly grund r else it became hly grund. He tld Gd, I can't live this life yu want me t live. I can't cnfrnt these peple / this gvernment / all these persnnel issues. Mses came t meet regularly with Gd in the tent f meeting. Gd enjyed these meetings. The fferer had t slaughter the lamb after living with it fr sme days. It was necessary t kill the lamb. Fr the Passver Lamb, the death f that lamb meant deliverance fr us. Yu have t pen yur heart t receive the Lrd f glry. Encuntering Jesus in the bread and wine. He is what we are in need f. Cmmunin Prayer Father yu created us t wrship yu and freely enjy yur presence. Thank yu that yu have met us in yur Sn and brught us hme that we can nce again experience yur true peace.

13 36. Psalm 1 All Cmmunin pieces have been cnstructed with the fllwing gals in mind. That they shuld: 1) Take less than 5 minutes t present! 2) Be accurate. 3) Be inspiring (as pssible in a few minutes). 4) Keep t the pint (i.e. cmmunin!) Please feel free t adjust them & make them yur wn. A Psalm f Redemptin (Psalm 1) Blessed are thse wh find the mercy f the Lrd Whse sins are cvered by the bld f the Lamb Thse wh take refuge in yur dwelling place Will find the peace f the mst High A place f peace and fullness f jy Hw can we replay yur lving kindness? Fr when we were nt Yu lved us When we came t be Yu frmed us Nw that we are Yu frgive us When we return t Yu Yu redeem us Wh can fathm the depths f the Lrd r find the limits f his great pwer? He is ur sng and ur deliverer Our twer f strength in the day f truble I will call n yu O Gd fr yu will answer me Please listen and hear my prayer Yu have made knwn t me the path f my life and fill me with the jy f Yur presence May thse wh dwell in his mst hly place Find jy in his pleasant places The bread f life Fr the healing f the natins The bld f life Fr the life f the Spirit The gift f life Fr the life f all (peple) Real life fr all

14 37. The Visa All Cmmunin pieces have been cnstructed with the fllwing gals in mind. That they shuld: 1) Take less than 5 minutes t present! 2) Be accurate. 3) Be inspiring (as pssible in a few minutes). 4) Keep t the pint (i.e. cmmunin!) Please feel free t adjust them & make them yur wn. Prps - A cpy f a Permanent Settlement Visa. When yu mve t anther cuntry t live, (unless yu live illegally) Smene has t spnsr yu. If yu were nt brn there yu have t knw smene. Yu have t pay the right price fr the Visa. Yu need the right currency. There is a date stamped n the Visa A Visa is a right f entry. Yu dn't need a Visa t visit. It helps t knw the language, custms & sme histry. Yu have t leave behind yur earthly pssessins & travel light. Yu need a place t stay - (many rms) (14:1) "D nt let yur hearts be trubled. Trust in Gd ; trust als in me. (2) In my Father's huse are many rms; if it were nt s, I wuld have tld yu. I am ging there t prepare a place fr yu. (3) And if I g and prepare a place fr yu, I will cme back and take yu t be with me that yu als may be where I am. It's gd t travel with thers - it helps prevent distractins. Eph 2:19 Cnsequently, yu are n lnger freigners and aliens, but fellw citizens with Gd's peple and members f Gd's husehld, (20) built n the fundatin f the apstles and prphets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief crnerstne. (21) In him the whle building is jined tgether and rises t becme a hly temple in the Lrd. (22) And in him yu t are being built tgether t becme a dwelling in which Gd lives by his Spirit.