West View Baptist Church, Hartlepool

A family friendly church in the town of Hartlepool

Sermons

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Did you know Jesus had a job description?

Tim brought us the Word on 21 October. He preached from Hebrews 5 verses 1-11. Maybe the language in this passage is hard to understand. The language in Hebrews may be unfamiliar to us, but to to the people of the time it was clear as it was about Jewish traditions and culture. The writer of the letters (who we now believe was not Paul) is trying to get across juest who Jesus was and what he did. He is borrowing from the tradition but Tim’s reading finishes on the fact that this is difficult to understand.

Ever been for a job interview or applied for a particular job? Tim reflected on the day he saw a particular job advertised in a paper that could have been written only for him. (He also asked “When was the last time any of us bought an actual physical paper copy of a newspaper?”). The job description could only apply to him as it was a unique set of skills that he had at that point in his working life.

This passage in Hebrews is in effect the job description of Jesus. Jesus is the only one that ticks all of the boxes. Who helps you when you are in trouble? Who can you turn to when you want to make amends? The Jewish people had a sacrificial system. Jesus was the sacrifice for us.

Have you noticed how one or two people in a work area emerge as the people that everyone confides in? They are the people who rise up to be the “high priest” in that area. Someone to chat to, someone to go to. These are the folks for ehom this occurs naturally and organically and not because of their job title or the role they are given. This is route one for the High Priesthood, someone who has experienced something of what life can throw at them.

The passage in Hebrews is all about Jesus. Exodus 28 sets out the old requirements for priesthood , for standing in the gap. The responsibility and the humanity experienced by Jesus leads him to understand our weaknesses. Hebrews 5 verse 10 shows Jesus as “designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.” This quoting from Psalms sets the requirement. Jesus in the words of the writer of Hebrews is a perfect priest. Through Christ’s obedience he was made perfect. As Jesus lived as a human and went to the death on the cross on our behalf, his obedience shows how he was perfectly qualified . He was saved after death on the cross. He had to share in the experiences of those he served.

Jesus became fully human although some struggle with this particular concept. He felt real human pain, cried real tears and died on the cross.

The writer in introducing Melchizedek. This and the appearance in Genesis chapter 14 are his only references in the Bible.He is the high priest and king of Jerusalem and his name means King of Justice. He comes with bread and wine! He is a Messiah figure. Jesus is not a traditional high priest, he’s not a Levite. Instead he is of the eternal order of Melchizedek, a priest forever.

Imagine the Jewish Christians receiving this letter. It validates who Jesus is! He is without sin, a priest forever, creating an order of salvation forever. He’s superior, perfectly qualified and the account in Hebrews connects with the audience it is aimed at. The writer talks about Jesus being one of us, flesh and blood, emotional and independent. The cross would break us as it broke him. The humanity of Jesus is never in doubt. Can a tortured, bruised, broken human be the one who carries us to God? Of course he can.

Jesus offered up prayers and supplication as any priest would. We are all called and chosen to work with him. We respond to God’s call to live out our faith. As Jesus stands in the gap for you and me, it is important for us to stand in the gap for the wider community. Through him we might approach the throne of Grace.

Is He qualified? Can He do the job? You bet he can. Tim shared the story of a man who did not believe in the fact that God would choose to be human and walk the earth as Jesus, with all of human fraility. He refused to go to church with his family, and stayed home for services. He was sat at home when he heard a sound like snowballs hitting his house. Going outside he saw a flock of birds had flown into the windows at the side of his house. He tried to entice them with food and with treats into his warm barn to recover, he tried to chase them in but none would go. They simply didn’t understand he was trying to save them. He stood there thinking “if only I was a bird, I could talk to them, show them, make them understand.” Suddenly he realised what he was being shown and sank to the ground. Crying “ Now I understand!”

This was broadcast by Paul Harvey on an American radio station, here’s a version  where someone has added some animation.

https://vimeo.com/149931982

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How many traps would a satrap trap if a satrap could trap traps?

Johnny and Tim provided the music today. Tim led worship and brought us the Word from Daniel 6:1-27. This is the last in the highlights of the Old Testament that we have been exploring.

It’satrap. A play on words but a true statement none the less.

Sirius was king of Persia, a known historical figure. Tim showed slide of Sirius cylinder in British museum. Part of history. The Bible says that he appointed Darius yet no reference in historical documents. It does however demonstrate that Gods people at this point are far from home.

The fact we don’t find mention of Darius elsewhere doesn’t matter. The story is being told to God’s people to encourage them in a time of oppression. It’s a book of prophecy and encouragement. Reminds Tim of Joseph. Like Joseph in Pharaoh’s court, Daniel finds his way to the heights of Darius’s civil service. The satraps or chief officials are all jealous of each other. They seek to undermine each other. They want Daniel out because Daniel is going to be a prime minister. They need some false news. They dig for dirt and can’t find anything , nothing to tweet, Daniel is an example of one who is faithful, incorruptible. There’s a steady faithfulness here of a man walking with God. It’s why this story is told. Jesus said teach people to be disciples and to follow. Daniel did this. God just asks us to be faithful. Two ways to interpret this trap being set. One view is that you are only allowed to worship Darius, another is that Darius is the only one who can pray.

It’s a clever trap. It can’t be repealed.

Daniel doesn’t question or doubt, he simply continues to pray with quiet faithfulness . He bows to Jerusalem, perhaps this builds on Solomon’s prayer dedicating the temple he built in Jerusalem.   Daniel prays towards this place . And Jerusalem was the place God chose. The temple had been destroyed by the Babylonians. Yet those in exile turn to the city in hopefulness and longing. Daniel does this without hiding it . He opens the shutters of his room and prays openly. He simply continues what he has done every day. Looking for God to return the to Jerusalem. Jesus in the sermon on the mount instructs us not to be showy but simply to pray in private .Daniel’s pattern of prayer seems to match what Jesus asks people to do. The most faithful pray-ers that Tim has encountered he reflects are those who do this in the quiet and without fuss. When do you pray? Where do you go? On the commute? After the kids have gone to school? Have you found that place? We’re all different but we need to work into our daily routine a pattern like Daniel.

The satraps go and tell the king and reminds Darius he can’t change his mind. Darius hopes that God will save Daniel and tells him this.

Darius fasts and is unable to sleep. He has a worst time of it than Daniel. Daniel is in with the lions but has faith God will keep him safe.

Daniel is saved and Darius punished the satraps. The writer seems to enjoy the satraps getting their punishment. Remember though this is not necessarily God’s view but that of the writer, a member of a downtrodden and abused people. Despite a sentence of death and the clear example, the lions were hungry and capable of killing. God is in control. The future is his. In Darius there is the similarity to Pontius Pilate, both powerful men unable to save the victims of false charges. Both were at private prayer, and both powerful men tried to save those falsely accused. Tim shared some pictures from the catacombs showing imagery drawing the same comparisons. We see the power in Jesus the Risen one. God shows up to take care of his faithful people. Hebrews 11 references the tale of Daniel. The disciples obey God rather than men, continuing to preach when they get out of jail. People notice this faithfulness in Daniel and Darius the mighty king shares v26 and v27, coming to the same understanding of the faithfulness of Daniel.

“I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. “For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. 27He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”

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A Child of Christ: The view of the World that we want.

It’s been an amazing weekend that has seen God move in many amazing ways. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been blessed in taking out new people on Town Pastors. Last week I took out someone who had travelled the drug and alcohol addiction road and was coming out of the other side with a real determination to live life for God in a very different way to what had gone before. He shared his story with some of our regular homeless and vulnerable people and then through the week he also had chance to share his story with one of our young vulnerable friends on the street.

She met the team whilst we were out this weekend and shared that he had touched and moved her with his story of his journey. She realised that, contrary to what she thought, she wasn’t a lost cause. He’d been on harder drugs, taken more and done worse and had sank even further into the darkness and despair than she was currently and yet God had made the difference in his life. He’d fought for his sobriety and been reborn to a new life as a Child of Christ. He now wanted to join with those Christian brothers and sisters who were determined to make this world a safer better place for those living, working studying and partying in the town. Pray for her that she finds the courage to put the first steps on the road to recovery and a better life. Amazingly whilst Street Angels were helping her,  our friends in the Hartlepool CCTV centre also contacted the team to say they were watching over her and offering sources of help and advice.

The theme of children and families continues to be played out at West View Baptist Church. We’ve been blessed to be joined recently by two new couples, Charlotte and Joe and Terry and Carolyn. They have thrown themselves into the life of the church and already appear as if they’ve always been part and parcel of the  West View family.  Expect to see more of these names in future weeks as God has led, and is leading them on an amazing adventure as they relocate to this area. We prayed for workers and God sent us people who were trained in working in the kitchen, worked with children and were good at practical stuff like maintenance and repairs.  I wanted a bible verse about workers and went on my online bible to be greeted with the Verse of the Day from Joshua 24:15 that ends “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord”. Amazing to have the verse served to me straight away.

Amazing is a word I seem to have written a lot this week. Today in church we were over run with children. They came in as a constant stream, the first came with their church families, then 3 young lads from the estate, then a family from Filling Station, then the family from across the road carrying babes in arms. All arriving at different times, but with the net result that when our Young Church gathered for their separate part of our morning worship they had 23 children. Some of these children don’t even cope well in school yet they chose to come to us. One of the highlights from the day was overhearing the Dad from the Filling Station family say to his young boys, “Go into the kids room, Daddy’s going to stay here because I’ve come to worship”.

Ian,  Amanda and Jonny led worship today. The song choices were spot on and never has the words to “No Longer Slaves” been more appropriate. “I’ve been born again into a family, Your blood flows through my veins. I’m no longer a Slave to Fear, I am a Child of God”.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8TkUMJtK5k

Mark brought the word today. It was Peacekeeping Sunday today and Mark was supposed to preach on the theme of arguments. However Mark was led instead to talk about the different viewpoints in life, looking at heavenly views as opposed to earthly views.

He read from Mark 9 30:37. This was a passage that spoke of the disciples arguing yet finished “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.” Did I mention we welcome 23 children into church this morning?

He asked us to consider what a heavenly view might look like.  He  suggested that this should look like we have both good morals and good morale, liking everyone as God’s children and accepting people for who they are and not who we think they should be.

He also urged us all to be positive in our outlook. He posed the question “If we’re not positive as a Child of God, what does this look like to others? He reminded us about the way children behave before they learn about earthly fears. Think about how children just walk up to people and treat them as friends without fear. Think about the way we deal with earthly issues , family abuse, depression, unhappiness, negativity, how and did this change occur in our own lives. Mark shared how his life changed and his outlook changed. He admitted to not being open about his feelings and struggling with depression. Then he says he met his wife Sarah and his future in-laws . Through them he found God and learned to forgive.

He reminded us that it is the earthly values that make us negative and judging of others. He asked “How do we change this?” The best way is to turn to God, pray, share your problems with others, don’t be afraid to ask for help and guidance from friends in church.

Mark shared how he thought that a good principle in life was to think before you act or speak. He recalled the fashion at one point for people in church to wear wrist bands with “What would Jesus do” It’s a good thought habit to get into.It’s true, be polite, say hello to the people you meet in your daily journey, the fellow cyclist, the dog walkers. It leads to a conversation. 2 minute talk to a stranger can change their day. Our new arrival Terry had shared how he met his wife when he was pushing a street sweeper’s barrow and he used to stop and chat. Children do this all the time. Somehow we as adults we lose this ability, yet it can change our lives. Help us overcome negative thoughts, concentrate on the heavenly views. Did I mention West View Baptist Church is seeing amazing things? Help us to show this earth our heavenly views. Join us on the journey.

 

 

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Words matter, use them well for positive things

Ian and Amanda led the service today and chose some powerful songs to demonstrate the power of words, whether it be eagles soaring, unending praise or standing firm on a Rock.

It was a great service made all the more relevant for me having finished the previous night’s Street Angels patrol simply talking to people and being given the right words to deal with a variety of people. The correct reassurance for worried Mancunian, the sharing of faith with the person who hadn’t been to church since they were little, the sharing of comfort and a hug for a homeless person, the words of shared background and understanding with the once atheist, now Buddhist but Christian living seeker of knowledge. We had a new volunteer with us and he asked what he should say if people asked him about his faith and his life journey. My answer was simply to say that it was up to him, we didn’t have a script,  we simply ask people to answer from their own heart and experience why they choose to be a street angel.  That honesty and openness is what people respond so positively to. Not sure he believed this at the beginning of the night but he was convinced by the end.

Esther brought the Word today. She spoke about the power of words. She hoped we’d all been offered words of welcome when we arrived and hoped we were glad to be here. We had opened our service with the broadcast words of Shadrach Meshach Lockridge who was the preacher at Calvary Baptist Church from 1953 to 1993.His words on “That’s my King” come at the end of an hour long sermon he delivered and are amazing to listen to. The rythmn and the musicality of his words reach out across the 4 decades since he preached them. Esther pointed out that God has given her a lot of words (her husband David agreed!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA86JLichyY

Mark 8:27 offers some important words here. They are central to our understanding of Jesus, Central pivotal . Says it all. They mark a place 2 and a half years into the ministry of Jesus.

The disciples are travelling, they’re going up north Just like some couples in this room. Mark is the shortest most chronological Gospel starting at the baptism of Jesus. Jesus is baptised in the Jordan lowest point on the planet. They’re on their way to Caesarea Philippi . We’ve already heard about lots of miracles and parables from Jesus. Mark was the PA or personal assistant to Barnabas Paul and Peter. He was the translator. People wanted Peter’s sermons recorded a bit like this blog. Words are so important.

Thankfully gospel people blogged them and write them down. These events happened 6 months before Jesus went to the cross. The disciples were travelling in a pagan area. The source of the water they find is snow on the mountain flowing through a crack in the water. This has pagan symbolism and there are statues of Caesar and Pan in the rock face where the river emerges. This is where Jesus asks “Who do people say I am? But it’s not out of vanity or ego. It’s not a Donald Trumop incident. Trump needs to know how people see him checking tweets etc.

Not he case for Jesus. His authority comes from God. Children of God is where and what our identity should be. It’s approval from God we’re after. The disciples reply back with the headlines of the day, Herod says the same words in chapter 6. Amongst the people was already the sense that that he was a prophet. Between John the Baptist and the previous prophet there had been a break, a period of silence of 400 years! A long time.

Jesus wanted to know what people were saying simply to lead to the big question “Who do you say I am Peter?” This is the first time Peter speaks. “You are the Christ the messiah”. Was Jesus surprised Peter got it right. Matthew 16:15 to 20 shows this knowledge was from God. Peter didn’t tell Mark this bit. Peter it seems did not want to have the focus about him.  Tough for us not to put the me as the focus. Esther noted that a lot of us preach with ourselves as the focus. It’s difficult not to.  Jesus was affirming Peter here and starting to teach the disciples some tough bad news messages.

Both Christ and messiah mean the annointed one. This is where the teaching of the disciples starts. Only when we answer this question can Jesus move us on. The power of God working in us is shown and the cost of this is revealed. Whatever God call us to do has a cost. Jesus speaks plainly about being the son of man. Daniel 50o years before shares his vision in Daniel 7 13:14. Dwell on this for a minute. What a message! This is our Jesus foretold.

Jesus uses hard words, involving suffering rejection death. Peter rebukes Jesus , yet Jesus takes him aside. He doesn’t embarrass him, he clarifies his message in private. Esther shared that she had always felt for Peter when Jesus refers to Satan. Jesus was seeing Satan at work trying to tempt Jesus through Peter. Jesus needed to go to the cross to fulfil his mission.

Esther and David then shared a dialogue from the Roots material we use for our children and youth teaching.  Again the words were powerful  as Jesus (voiced by David) shared  his views on how blessed are meek those who mourn and so on. Words from the commentator (Esther ) such I serve someone who was born in a stable and died on a cross reinforce the power of words. We also used this dialogue in our visit to our friends at the Sheraton Court care home later in the day.

We can’t just choose the good bits when we become a disciple of Jesus. It’s hard . If we are to save our lives we should be prepared to lose our lives in Jesus. In this world many of the words folks us are to bring people down . Words really, really matter . Use words that matter well. Make a positive effort to use words well. Be positive with our spouses, our children, our parents, our colleagues, take positivity out there Esther concluded with the words of Isiaih 50 4:7.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA86JLichy

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Step up, stand in the Gap and act for God.

We’ve been following the Old Testament highlights and today we’ve come to Elijah, the Lionel messi of the prophets.

We looked at Elijah 17 1:24 and Tim asked us to consider the questions, Do you have enough? What have you consumed bought stored or thrown away in the last week?

This story is a see saw between nothing and everything. Elijah is introduced as a Tishbite, not a prophet. He is a servant of God and his character builds through the story. We’ve enjoyed hot weather recently  but we didn’t run out of water, we weren’t in a life and death situation. There are places in the world where this is a daily or annual fear. Are there times of drought in our lives, where we struggle to find what we need to survive?

This story here of Elijah is made up of 3 episodes.

Episode 1 finds Elijah camping by the dry cut off ravine, and being looked after well  by God. How many of his contemporaries would have had bread and meat morning and night delivered by “RavenEats”, problematic unclean birds. When he runs out of water Elijah doesn’t go to the nearby river Jordan which never dries up.

Elijah is obedient and stays by the Stream that Dries Up which lives up to it’s name and does just that.

Sometimes things dry up they go flat. What did Elijah do? He didn’t go back, he moved on to a new place, God taught him something new. Even Elijah, this big spiritual superstar found himself in a dry place.

Fed by unclean ravens and fed well.

Episode 2, despite what God told Elijah the widow doesn’t seem to be aware of the commend of God to feed Elijah. She had absolutely nothing other that the last meal for her and her son that they are going to eat they lie down to die.

Easy for someone else to sayas Elijah does “don’t be afraid”. Elijah isn’t the one running out of food watching their son waste away. What business has the man of God asking her for bread. The language she uses is the language of scarcity. Death is waiting at the door for this family, actively knocking to get in.

Yet Elijah brings good news of Promise, of Abundance.

Jesus does the same feeding the five thousand. This is the Old Testament pre echo . Elijah moves here from being a passive recipient to an active collaborator of God. There are times in our lives when we receive all abundance from God.

But god wants us to be coworkers and collaborators in his work. acting out the words of God, on a Friday at Filling Station or any day of the week.

Episode 3, despite the inexhaustible supplies, the widow’s son dies. Despite the abundance, death visits this scene. The widow blames Elijah, Elijah blames God and then confronts God and asks for the son to be restored. Here Elijah becomes a Man of God for the widow. God listened to Elijah! To listen in Hebrew is usually equivalent to obeying. It’s the opposite way round here. Elijah asked of God.

Joshua chapter 10 was a similar day.

Elijah stands in the gap between those in need and God , God calls us to be people who stand in that gap. Elijah reminds us to move on from meeting our own needs to be those who collaborate and stand beside God to help the wider world.

Elijah steps in in behalf of God and prays and the prayer is answered.

How do we earn the title People of God. We live in material abundance, with more than we need. Will we be the unlikely prophet of God’s Abundance.

When Elijah says “Do not be afraid” he’s not talking to the people of Israel, he’s talking to an outsider, a stranger. Are the ravens the means by which God gets his message here to Elijah.

Will we hide in the  ghetto or will we be the ones to hear and take heart. No need to fear the neighbour, close the border, build the wall. Are you sitting by a dry brook?

Pray, stand in the gap,

Elijah listens to God and acts. Let that be our response as well.