Hope

1
Hope

• You are righteous You love justice And those
  who honour You
• will see Your face I will arise and lift my
  eyes to see Your majesty, Your holiness All I
  am will bless You My hope is in the Name of the
  Lord Where my help comes from You're my
  strength, my song My trust is in the name of the
  Lord And I will sing Your praise Your are
  faithful

2
Heart of worship

• When the music fades, all is stripped awayand i
  simply come,
• Longing just to bring, something that's of
  worththat will bless your heartI bring you
  more than a song for a song in itselfis not what
  you have requiredyou search much deeper
  withinthrough the way things appearyou're
  looking into my heartchorusI'm coming back to
  the heart of worshipand it's all about you, It's
  all about you, JesusI'm sorry Lord for the thing
  i've made itwhen it's all about you, it's all
  about you, JesusKing of endless worth, no one
  could expresshow much you deservethough i'm
  weak and poor, all i have is yoursevery single
  breath

3
Above all

• Above all powers, above all kingsAbove all
  nature and all created thingsAbove all wisdom
  and all the ways of manYou were here before the
  world beganAbove all kingdoms, above all
  thronesAbove all wonders the world has ever
  knownAbove all wealth and treasures of the
  earthThere's no way to measure what you're
  worthCrucified, laid behind a stoneYou lived
  to die, rejected and aloneLike a rose trampled
  on the groundYou took the fall and thought of
  meAbove all

4
More love more power

• More love, more power, more of You in my life
• More love, more power, more of You in my life
• I will worship You with all of my heart
• And I will worship You with all of my mind
• And I will worship You with all of my strength
• For you are my Lord You are my Lord

5

• "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that
  asks you for a drink, you would have asked him
  and he would have given you living water."
• John410

6
Recap

• The gift of God through the ages in Israels
  history
• Hoseas revelation of covenant and God as father
  and husband instead of master to Israel
• Parable of the prodigal son revealing the
  Fathers love for Israel

7
The love story continues

• Assyria crushed the northern kingdom of Israel
  because of idolatry and scattered the people
• Babylon crushed the southern kingdom of Judah,
  the people were exiled to Babylon and the temple
  burnt
• Jeremiah preached against idolatry, encouraged
  true worship and gave the people hope of a new
  covenant (Jer2910-14)

8
Spiritual renewal in exile

• Where was the Lord our God when Jerusalem was
  destroyed? Is the covenant with God just a
  dream?
• No temple or animal sacrifice, only themselves to
  offer
• Realization how truly good and great God has been
  in loving them
• Studying of Gods word law and prophetic
  writings
• Ezekiel promised God will renew the covenant
  (Ezekiel 3624-28)

9
Return of the prodigal son

• Babylon was conquered by Persia and the king,
  Cyrus gave permission for the Judeans to go home
• Some stayed behind as they got accustomed to life
  abroad
• Temple was rebuilt in Jerusalem
• Ezra taught the Law to the people
• Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem
• The people renewed their covenant with God

10
Spiritual exile

• "Seventy 'sevens' are decreed for your people and
  your holy city to finish transgression, to put an
  end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in
  everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and
  prophecy and to anoint the most holy. Daniel
  9 24
• The people were in physical exile for only 70
  years, but will remain in spiritual exile for the
  next 490 years

11
God bridges the gap

• "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great
  joy that will be for all the people. Today in the
  town of David a Saviour has been born to you he
  is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you
  You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying
  in a manger." Luke 210-12

12
Need for a saviour?

• There is no one righteous, not even one there is
  no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All
  have turned away, they have together become
  worthless there is no one who does good, not
  even one.... All have sinned and fallen short of
  the glory of God (Rom310-12,23)

13
The name of Jesus

• Christ (Christos / Messiah) Annointed one
• Jesus (Ye- Shua) Yahweh saves!
• God became man to save us by revealing the
  Fathers love and demonstrating it by dying on
  the cross for our sins

14
The gift of Jesus

• "For God so loved the world that he gave his one
  and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall
  not perish but have eternal life. For God did not
  send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
  but to save the world through him. Whoever
  believes in him is not condemned, but whoever
  does not believe stands condemned already because
  he has not believed in the name of God's one and
  only Son.
• John 316-18

15
The ministry of Jesus

• "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has
  anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He
  has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
  and recovery of sight for the blind, to release
  the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's
  favor.."Today this scripture is fulfilled in
  your hearing." Luke 418-21
• "I am the good shepherd I know my sheep and my
  sheep know me just as the Father knows me and I
  know the Fatherand I lay down my life for the
  sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this
  sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will
  listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock
  and one shepherd. John1014-16

16
The message of Jesus

• Jesus preached on the Fathers love and the
  kingdom of God, both of which are equivalent
• Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute
  you, forgive your brother 70x7 times
• He speaks of the mark of a true disciple
• "A new command I give you Love one another. As I
  have loved you, so you must love one another. By
  this all men will know that you are my disciples,
  if you love one another." John 1334-35

17
The law before Jesus

• God gave the 10 commandments to shape and mould
  the Jews as they pass from slavery to freedom
• The chosen people were supposed to be a model
  community of love and the laws were supposed to
  help them live in harmony
• The Jews and Pharisees turned law into legal
  piety, and the law became an end to itself
• Result Spiritual pride, condemnation, disunity

18
The law from Jesus on

• Jesus revealed the spirit of the law as more
  important than the letter of the law
• The law gives us direction but it will be Jesus
  who will give us the strength and motivation to
  fulfill the law
• Jesus becomes the way, the truth and the life

19
The example of Jesus

• Washing of feet (John 1312-17)
• The way of the kingdom of God is demonstrated
• The master becomes the slave and in doing so,
  becomes the greatest in the kingdom
• More than just humility, it is a complete
  surrender of our will to embrace a new life

20
The passion and death of Jesus

• Traditionally we see it as a payback for our sins
  to God by a Godman that satisfies Gods appetite
  for punishment
• We need to go deeper to understand the redemptive
  work of Jesus
• Jesus emptied Himself to bear the sins of the
  world alone in saving us (Phil26-11)
• It wasnt the sufferings of Jesus per se that
  saves us, but what they stand for the
  unconditional love of Jesus and His perfect
  obedience to the Father, that saves us!

21
Gift of salvation

• Salvation is recognizing our sinful nature and
  clinging onto Jesus as our saviour. Recall
  Lifting up of the bronze serpent (Numbers 214-9)
• For the message of the cross is foolishness to
  those who are perishing, but to us who are being
  saved it is the power of God 1Cor111
• Come to face with the power of sin in our lives
  and appropriate the saving grace that comes from
  Jesus!

22
Gift of new life

• A man is not justified by observing the law, but
  by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put
  our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be
  justified by faith in Christ and not by observing
  the law, because by observing the law no one will
  be justified....For through the law I died to the
  law so that I might live for God. I have been
  crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but
  Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body,
  I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me
  and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the
  grace of God, for if righteousness could be
  gained through the law, Christ died for
  nothing! Gal216-21

23
The greatest gift of God

• In Jesus, flesh and blood is given to the concept
  of God is love
• In Jesus it is God Himself who goes in search of
  the stray sheep a suffering and lost humanity
• In Jesus, flesh and blood is poured out in
  unconditional love to save humanity
• So radical is Gods love for man that by becoming
  man, he follows him even unto death, and so
  reconciles justice and love!

24
Gift of presence

• Jesus anticipated His death and resurrection by
  giving His disciples in the bread and wine, His
  very self body and blood as the new manna
• Marriage between God and Israel is now realized
  not just by standing in Gods presence, but it
  becomes union with God through sharing in Jesus
  self gift body and blood

25
Gift of the Holy Spirit

• In Jesus dying on the cross, He gave up His
  Spirit, anticipating the gift of the Holy Spirit
  he would make after His resurrection (John2022)
• The love of God has been poured into the hearts
  of believers through the Holy Spirit given to
  them (Rom55)
• 50 days after the new passover, it is the finger
  of God that writes the law of love in their
  hearts through the Holy Spirit, principle of the
  new covenant

26
Love written in our hearts

• I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit
  in you I will remove from you your heart of
  stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will
  put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my
  decrees and be careful to keep my laws Ezekiel
  3626-27
• For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a
  slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit
  of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."
  The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that
  we are God's children. Rom 8 15-16

27

• The gift of God is God Himself!
• God gives His all to be with us, to be our Father
  and Husband / Bridegroom
• God pursues the heart of Israel relentlessly as a
  lover and forgives their transgressions
  repeatedly
• God empties Himself and becomes man (slave) to
  seek us out and save us
• God gives His spirit to transform our hearts to
  love like He loves
• God has given His all in loving us!

28
How to receive the gift of God?

• Imagine yourself an abandoned orphan, an outcast,
  a nobody
• Rejected from young, never loved
• No love for self or dignity or esteem
• What do we need?
• Someone to love us unconditionally!

29
The need for unconditional love

• When we are loved unconditionally, we learn to
  love ourselves authentically
• We accept ourselves, we have a sense of purpose
  and self-dignity
• We see ourselves in the eyes of the beloved
• Love elicits love and we become capable of loving
  others
• A new life is born

30
Gift of grace

• Grace is the unconditional love of God
• Grace is a gift, given freely it is a favour
  that is unmerited, undeserved
• Salvation is possible only because of the grace
  of God in Jesus Christ
• Grace continues to be present today as long as we
  are conscious of the love of God in our lives

31
Receiving grace

• To know the love of God as revealed in scriptures
• To experience the love of God in everyday life,
  in prayer meetings, in our adorations etc
• To realise where sin abounds, grace abounds even
  more
• To accept the invitation of God to a life of love
  and fulfill the potential of the image and
  likeness of God in us

32
Our response to the gift

• We worship God because He is so good and so great
  to love us so much
• We pray to stay in love with God, realising we
  are nothing without Him
• We love others as we have been loved by our
  beloved Father unconditionally
• We grow in holiness because we want to be like
  Jesus
• We preach the unconditional love of God and the
  promise of salvation through Jesus Christ

33
Happenings

• Empower by Fr Simon intro session Sunday 2
  April 3pm
• OLPS lenten vigil "GETHSEMANE DARKNESS TO
  LIGHT" -- Saturday 8th April to Sunday 9th April
  from 9.30 pm to 7.00 am.
• Easter weekend 15-16 April
• Empower officially starts 23 April every sun
  3-6pm
• Worship weekend 29 April 1 May