<![CDATA[Amazing Grace Baptist Church - Pastor's Place]]>Fri, 25 May 2012 13:51:47 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[That Christ Might Get The Glory]]>Thu, 08 Mar 2012 08:40:01 -0800http://www.amazinggracebridgetown.ca/1/post/2012/03/that-christ-might-get-the-glory.htmlIt seems that there has been a lot of tragedy lately, and God gave me this outline this morning for Sunday, that I hope will help and encourage you!

TITLE: That God May Get The Glory

We have this idea that this Christian life is all about our fulfillment and the pursuit of our own happiness.  However we find a much different representation of the Christian life in Scripture. Jesus took 6 steps down to man (Phil. 2) and humbled himself, and we know the Father exalted him, and we to are to bring glory to His name. Sometimes God uses our difficulties to glorify himself.

God can be glorified through:

1.  Our Hindrances - Matthew 15:30,31
God may use obstacles in your life to bring glory to himself.
A. Conditions - God used Moses though he could not speak, God used Paul though he had eyesight trouble, and the blind guy in John 9:1,2 we are told that his blindness had nothing to do with the sin of his mother or father, but that the works of Christ might be manifest!
B. Clans - 2 Kings 22:1
Josiah did that which was right in spite of his rearing and family. We must stop using the excuse of "Well I didn't have a good family". We can bring glory to God by serving him in spite of our hindrances of family.  We have a man in our church that is doing this!
C. Circumstances - Acts 16:25
Paul and Silas brought glory to God inspite of being in prison.
2. Our Hardships - 2 Tim. 3:3,4A. Tomb - John 11:1-4
Lazarus dying was a hard thing but it was to be used to glorify God!
B. Trials- 1 Peter 4:12,13 -
Peter tells us our fiery trials are for the glory of God -
C. Tearing Down (reproaches) - 1 Peter 4:14
Our reproaches can be used to glorify God.

3. Our Heedings - Matthew 5:16
A. Our Purposed Person - 2 Thess. 1:11,12
We bring glory to God by living in the way we are instructed to love
B. Our Purposed Preaching - 1 Peter 4:11
The preaching of the cross is what God has chosen to confound the wise and magnify His Son!!!

I Pray it is a blessing to you. ]]><![CDATA[Because the People's Hearts Were Stirred]]>Wed, 29 Feb 2012 08:13:45 -0800http://www.amazinggracebridgetown.ca/1/post/2012/02/because-the-peoples-hearts-were-stirred.htmlGod gave me this one in my devotions this morning about people's whose hearts are stirred by the things of God.
STIRRED - Moved; agitated; put in action. (Webster's 1828)

1. A Big Sacrifice Was Realized - Exodus 35:21-29 And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD'S offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments. And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the LORD. And every man, with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, and red skins of rams, and badgers' skins, brought them. Every one that did offer an offering of silver and brass brought the LORD'S offering: and every man, with whom was found shittim wood for any work of the service, brought it. And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen. And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats' hair. And the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate; And spice, and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense. The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the LORD, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the LORD had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses.

2. A Blessing Spirit Was Received - Exodus 35:30-33 And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the LORD hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship; And to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, And in the cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work.

3. A Burdened Servant Was Responsible - Exodus 35:34 And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.

4. A Befitting Skill Was Rendered - Exodus 35:35 Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work.

5. A Bountiful Supply Was Reaped - Exodus 36:7 For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.

Would to God our hearts would be stirred over the things of GOD! ]]><![CDATA[Leaving Luz and Abiding in Bethel]]>Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:42:14 -0800http://www.amazinggracebridgetown.ca/1/post/2012/02/leaving-luz-and-abiding-in-bethel.htmlTHE CONTRAST BETWEEN LUZ AND BETHEL:

Genesis 28:19 And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.

1.  It Is A Dreadful Place - Genesis 28:17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.- It is time we Christians get a fear of the house of God!

2. It Is A Place Of Decision - Genesis 28:20-22 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.

3. It Is A Place of Dwelling - Genesis 35:1 And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.

4. It Is A Place of Dealing - Genesis 35:2 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:  Genesis 35:7 And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.

5. It Is A Place of Dedication - Genesis 35:14-15 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon. And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel.  - Dedication is the act of devoting or giving up to.

]]><![CDATA[Four Wise Little Things]]>Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:07:45 -0800http://www.amazinggracebridgetown.ca/1/post/2012/02/four-wise-little-things.htmlPicture
Proverbs 30:24-28 There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise: The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer; The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks; The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands; The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces.


1. The Prepared Ant - Proverbs 30:25 The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;
- The trait of wisdom that is manifest here by the ant is Preparation.
- The ant is not strong in fact, what is weaker than an ant?  How many ants do you step on in a day?
- Yet something so wise about an ant is the fact that they are prepared.
-Proverbs 6:6-11 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.
- We can take a lesson in wisdom from that we need to learn to be prepared.
- The small boy was directed to soak his feet in salt water to toughen them. He considered the matter thoughtfully, and then remarked to himself: "It's pretty near time for me to ket a lickin', I guess I'd better sit in it."

2. The Protected Coney - Proverbs 30:26 The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks;
- We see the characteristic of these conies they are a weak and feeble folk.
- They are not strong!
- Conies or rabbits do not prey on any animal, and yet they are the prey of many animals!
- They aren’t strong, they don’t really have a very good ability to protect themselves.
- They have no big claws or vicious teeth or a deadly sting, they are weak!
- But the Redeeming quality about the coney is they know where to hide!!!!
- Praise God we have a shelter that we can run to!
- We are a weak and feeble folk, but praise God we have a great place to hide!
- Rock of Ages cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee!
- Psalms 27:5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.
- We have been learning in that great tribulation that the Lord will make a place where the nation of Israel can run to and be protected, and I have found a place under his wing where:
- storms do not shake
- fears do not frighten
- Foes do not fight
- Sin does not Succeed
- Satan does not seduce
- Under his wings I am safely abiding!

3. The Partnered Locust - Proverbs 30:27 The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;
- Locust are small critters, but they can wipe out an entire crop!
- They have no king over them, but they are partnered with other locust, and in so doing despite their size they are a formidable foe.
- They share relationships with other locust to accomplish great feats!
- Isaiah 41:6-7 They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage. So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smootheth with the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It is ready for the sodering: and he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved.
- We are one body in Christ, and in order to accomplish a great thing we are going to have to work together.

4. The Persevering Spider - Proverbs 30:28The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces.
- When we go into our basements we expect to see spiders, or in the attic, or in the shed, but not in the king’s palace.
- Every day there is someone to clean and wipe away all those cobwebs, but the next day they come back and the webs are spun again!
- This spider is hard working and persevering, and Paul admonishes us many times that we must fight the fight and keep the faith.
- You may get knocked down one day but you should get up the next!!1
- Persevere, God never promised this life would be easy only, that his grace would be sufficient for thee!
]]><![CDATA[The Doctrine of Imputation]]>Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:55:41 -0800http://www.amazinggracebridgetown.ca/1/post/2012/01/the-doctrine-of-imputation.html_Recently I have been faced with this question of are we born sinners, and if so do babies that die go to hell?  Here are my answers in concise form.

1. I believe that all children are born sinners. 
- Psalms 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
- Psalms 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.
- Job 14:4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.
- Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
This is something I am very fresh on considering we just lost a man from our church who decided he believed we are NOT born sinners.  There is no mistaking Scripture.  Although the words "sin nature" do not appear in Scripture, the Bible does make clear that by our very nature we are born children of God's wrath. Ephesians 2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
2. I believe that God does not IMPUTE sin to the account of a child/ mentally challenged person until they have "knowledge of the law".
- This is of course known as the age of accountability, although I believe firmly that it is NOT an age but rather an understanding.  The age varies.
- Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
- God is just. Although we are born sinners (by nature) God does not impute (count sin against us) until we have a knowledge of sin, which comes by understanding the law.
- This is not to say that God creates sin.  Although we know that God gives life, he has not reached in the dirt and formed a man since Adam.  We are not made anymore in the image of God, but in the image of our father Adam (Genesis 5:3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth: )
- Because if this we are born sinners!
- Romans 7:7-9 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
- These verses clearly show us that it was the knowledge of the law, that caused sin to "revive".  Without the LAW, sin is DEAD!
- Therefore a child that does not KNOW the law, does not have his or her sin imputed to their account.  This is what we call the period of innocence. 
- We do not know when that light comes on, therefore it is not an age, but an understanding of accountability. 
- I believe that handicapped people who became so later on in life, and lived some years with knowledge are responsible for their sin. I believe that those who were born handicapped from birth (situation dependent, and I am not the judge) are not responsible if they can not understand the law.  Such is the case of the majority of the clients I work with.
- David speaking of his infant son (illegitimate child with Bathsheba) recognized that his baby went to heaven.
- 2 Samuel 12:23 But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.

Conclusion:  We are all born sinners, based on the Biblical facts.  God, being just, does not impute that sin to us until we have knowledge of the law, according to the Scripture.  Therefore there IS a period of innocence.  If a child was to die within that period, they would go to heaven, having no sin imputed unto them. ]]><![CDATA[Apostleship]]>Tue, 10 Jan 2012 06:27:22 -0800http://www.amazinggracebridgetown.ca/1/post/2012/01/apostleship.htmlPicture
As I was studying in Romans this week, I was examining the apostleship of Paul.  Paul in Romans 1:1 was called to be an apostle.  There are about 22 men named as apostles in Scripture.  They were men called of God.  Today we have those who claim apostolic succession, that is, that they have inherited that apostleship, and as a result, inherited the sign gifts along with it. We know that claiming to be an apostle is the only way, since the sign gifts were given to the apostles (2 Cor. 12:12) Nowhere can I find a Scripture where a Christian today is called to be an apostle.  Even in Ephesians 4:11 where some are give apostles, and prophets, those are no longer!  There is no man today whom God has hand selected to be an apostle.  We are called sons, and brethren, called to walk in the light, and newness of life, but not to be apostles.  There is no such thing as apostolic succession.  Each of the men named as apostles in Scripture were hand picked by the Lord.  Paul was the last of them.  Every one of them saw the Lord, and no man today has seen him!  1 Corinthians 15:8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. Paul was the last one who saw him in Acts 9.  He was a late bloomer, born out of due time.  There is no apostolic succession, and as a result the sign gifts are finished.
]]><![CDATA[Resolved]]>Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:59:02 -0800http://www.amazinggracebridgetown.ca/1/post/2012/01/resolved1.html_Last week in a message I said that a RESOLUTION was a declaration of an intention, but that resolve was a determination of that intention.  Resolutions are easy to make and difficult to complete.  That is why we            must recognize that we can only obtain the prize by leaning upon the Lord.  Hebrews 12:2  Looking                      unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,             despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. We must keep our eyes on Jesus.       Keeping our eyes on Him will cause the things of this world to grow strangely dim.  We will no longer desire the cheap prizes of this world, but we will be steadfast in pursuing the heavenly inheritance that fadeth not away!         ~ Pastor Brandon Lake
]]><![CDATA[Resolved]]>Sun, 01 Jan 2012 04:31:54 -0800http://www.amazinggracebridgetown.ca/1/post/2012/01/resolved.htmlPicture
This month I will be preaching a new series of messages on being RESOLVED. As a Christian going into a New Year, we ought to have some resolve to be a better Christian than we were last year.  We always hear about people making new years resolutions, but we need to go beyond the making of the resolution to the doing of the resolution.   2 Timothy 1:12-14 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us. We know that He will keep that which we have committed to Him, but will we keep that which has been committed to us? 

R- Reflect more on my attitude, actions and ambitions.

]]><![CDATA[Series Being Preached...]]>Sat, 10 Dec 2011 14:46:03 -0800http://www.amazinggracebridgetown.ca/1/post/2011/12/series-being-preached.htmlThought I would let you know about the series that I am preaching on right now at church. On Sunday nights I have been preaching on Worldly Philosophies That Are Invading Our Churches.  I have covered one topic so far and that is the Ecumenical Movement.  I spent two weeks dissecting that.  Tomorrow night I will be dealing with the Charismatic Movement.  Some of the other topics to come will be Feminism, Contemporary Christian Music, The Emerging Church, Social Networking, and maybe others.  On Wednesday Nights I have been preaching on End Times. We started in Revelation 4 right after the "Church Age" ends.  We are now in Revelation 6 hitting the seals, and the four horsemen.  Check out the audio to some of these on our sermon audio site.

Pa
]]><![CDATA[The Real Wise Men - Luke 2:15-20]]>Fri, 09 Dec 2011 08:03:17 -0800http://www.amazinggracebridgetown.ca/1/post/2011/12/the-real-wise-men-luke-215-20.htmlPicture
_ When we think of the wise men in the Christmas story we think of the magi that travelled from the middle east; but this morning I want us to consider who the real wise men might have been, the shepherds!
What made these wise men so wise?
        - Was it their occupation?  I doubt it, they were probably classes         about the same as the fishermen of their day (ignorant and                     unlearned men).
        - Was it the revelation of God to them?  Although it was special             that the angels heralded the Lord’s birth to them, there were                 others who at that time and in times past had received revelation         from God.
I submit to you that it was not the revelation of God to them that made them wise, but their response to that revelation. 
We have all received the Word of God! 2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
We are not especially wise because we have the revelation of God, the wise one are those who do something WITH that revelation!
Examine the wisdom of these Shepherds with me:

1.  The Seeking of the Shepherds - Luke 2:15-16 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

2. The Speaking of the Shepherds - Luke 2:17-19 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

3. The Steadfastness of the Shepherds - Luke 2:20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

If you would like to here this message as it will be preached follow the links to our homepage on sermonaudio.com.
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