Spiritcode

Hebrews 2:6. Someone wrote in Scripture the words, ‘What is man that you pay so much attention to him, or the son of man, that you would come and be with him?’ (the name Jesus used for himself 81 times) 7. You created him of a lower spiritual order than angels, and yet now you have given him a crown of glory and honor and placed him in authority over everything that is yours. 8. He is in command o...

Shakings bring forth the eternal that can’t be shaken. Courage comes and the chapter closes and a new chapter awaits. What is next? Comfort and renewed strength now happen and the course is set for a new way forward. Elijah was a man that experienced the same human emotions as us. He felt the frailty of his limited humanity after the shakings of the battle with the prophets of Baal. Elijah has jus...

Paul was encouraging and warning the Hebrew Christians who had been undergoing great affliction and persecution not to give up on trusting in God to show himself strong on their behalf. Courage (heart) is putting your heart into the truth that you believe in. 1. Hebrews 2:1-4 – In one ear and out the other (flow by - drift away) 2. Hebrews 3:7–4:13 – hardening of heart and not entering the rest 3....

2 Chronicles 16:9  For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is perfect (salem – to complete, reciprocate, be at peace and at one with) toward Him. The mind goes where the eye goes. We look back at God with a renewed mind (Isaiah 26:3) 2Corinthians 4:18 ... we look at (skopeo) the things not seen that are eternal… This...

Answered prayer comes from praying in the will and purpose of God (aligned prayer). God is in command of his purpose. Jesus modelled this relational partnership. God is love and love is his relationship with us, desiring his ultimate good for us. Will his love stop acting if we ask him for something that is not his best for us? No, he will help us to know how to hear. The Holy Spirit aligned the w...

1John 3:20 If your heart condemns you God is greater than your hearts and knows all things Problem – Our heart condemns us. We have a sin consciousness that makes us miss the mark about our life and its meaning. That makes us judge ourselves on how good or bad we are, and condemnation emphasizes the negative. Thanksgiving disappears and makes us block God out in our minds. That kills our relations...

PRAYER IN CRISIS The bushfire situation is a time of crisis for our Nation. My prayer is for us to see God at work in this crisis. We experience crises of one degree or another constantly in our lives and God uses these crises to bring us to a point of decision concerning our response to that crisis - do we come closer to God is the main point in the searching out of what is in our hearts. (2020 C...

Standing where Abraham stood ‘Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place (ha makom) afar off’ (Gen. 22:4) Humans make primary connections to things (or people) from which they believe (or have been persuaded) they will draw life, identity and purpose. As children we find these in parents, lineage and country. These are important things which constitute our human pedigree and g...

THE CONTRADICTION OF CHRISTMAS Luke 2:25 God, you can now release your servant; release me in peace as you promised. With my own eyes I've seen your salvation; it's now out in the open for everyone to see: A God-revealing light to the nations. Jesus' father and mother were speechless with surprise at these words. Simeon went on to bless them, and said to Mary his mother, This child marks both the...

Luke 2:8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you glad tidings (Gospel - Luke 4:18) of great joy which will be to all people. For there is...

Isaiah 8:11 The Lord has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does. He said, don’t live in dread of what frightens them and call everything a conspiracy, like they do. Dedicate your life to The Lord of hosts He is the one you should fear, the one who should make you tremble. 14. He will keep you safe. He will be a stone that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall. A...

THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT FOR THE GREATEST VALUE Luke 10:25… One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?” The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And,...

It is a real joy to have Tim Watson, the new headmaster at Northern Beaches Christian School, to be sharing with us in the Word this morning. We pray God’s blessing upon Tim and his family and upon his ministry of leadership at the school. PSALM 78 1 My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth.  2 I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old—...

What was the point of the Ten Commandments? So that we could live in loving relationships – first to God and also with one another. Luke 10:26 And he answered and said, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself. (Luke 10 + Mark 12 + Matthew 22). (1John 4:20) This response to God is...

Covetousness may seem like a bit of a yawn compared to the gravity of most of the other commandments. Exodus 20:17 You shall not covet your neighbour's house; you shall not covet your neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbour's. Colossians 3:5… covetousness is idolatry… (and God's judgment upon idolatry is the destruc...

Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses. Being HIS witness is putting HIM on display in our lives Just as Jesus put his Father on display John 14:9 If you have seen me you have seen the Father… John 8:37 and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Witness of the Holy Spirit on earth now- Jo...

DO NOT SET ASIDE THE GRACEOF GOD Luke 5:36-38 No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’” Leading up to these statements Jesus and his disciples were questioned about eating and drinking with tax collectors and about fasting. Luke 5: 29-34 “Why do y...

Exodus 20:16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. The first lie that was ever told on earth led to death, which demonstrates the power of what is called false witness (Lucifer/God). A lie has the power to destroy the worth (Commandment 8) and the name of another (Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit). Satan is ca...

When Commandment eight ‘Do not steal’ is spiritually ignored or resisted people start to devalue not only relationships, but the actual worth of people generally, so they develop a life pattern of taking rather than gratefully receiving. The thief loses this sense of worth and value for people, in others and in himself. When people give up on something they often say ‘It isn’t worth it!’ Mark 8:34...

David was not having a good day. ‘I am restless in my complaint and moan noisily, because of the voice of the enemy…My heart is severely pained within me and the terrors of death have fallen upon me…fearfulness and trembling have come upon me’ David’s first reaction? ‘Get me out of here’...’Oh that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest...I would remain in the wilderness. I would...

Exodus 20:15 You shall not steal. In the last commandment, which dealt with faithfulness and loyalty in relationships, we saw that being gratified can become the easy option over being satisfied, so the notion of relationship gets devalued. This shift of values progresses to Commandment eight about stealing, where people start to devalue not only relationships, but the actual worth of people gener...

Exodus 20:14 You shall not commit adultery Adultery can be strictly defined as ‘sexual relations in which at least one person is married to someone else', but the spirit of adultery takes a lot more into account, and deals with the whole sphere of unfaithfulness, inordinate desires, and betrayal in relationships. It also highlights the extraordinary faithfulness of God toward us even when we are u...

Poison and Antidote Portions from Psalms 37 & 55 Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). The world is a poisoned and poisonous place. The poison is that of the serpent of Eden and it is the soul of man that is affected—that centre of the mind and the senses. The symptoms of the poison are many...

Exodus 20:13 You shall not kill. Jesus enlarged on this commandment in the sermon on the mount. Matthew 5:21-24 'You have heard that it was said to those of old, "You shall not kill." And whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment. 22. 'But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. This commandment speaks about more than just the...

Exodus 20:12 and Ephesians 6:2 -4 “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth. And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. Although this Commandment is given to children to obey, it actually deals with every single one of us in...