St Peters RC Church Hamilton

!

“Blessed are the people of whom this is true; blessed are the people whose God is the LORD!”
Psalm 144 v 5
Why? Because of the blessing of grace.
2 Peter 1 v 3 “His divine power has given us everything”
Yes, “Everything needed for life and godliness.”
How? Because we share the life of Christ
Colossians 1 v 27 “Christ in you, the hope of glory”
is the story of God’s intervention in mankind’s plight.
Mention Christ, call on His name
and life will not be the same round of continuous calamity and chaos.
Difficulties and dilemmas there will be,
but by God’s grace, the blessing of His Son,
the struggles we face in life are already won.

“Jesus answered them, ‘Do you now believe? … In Me you may have peace. In the world you will
have tribulation; but be of good cheer I have overcome the world’.” John 16 v 31, 33

Christ died on the † to make us righteous,
to allow us to share His power of holiness.
The gift of the Holy Spirit, was
a power so insurmountable
even seeming destruction and death did not hold Christ captive.
Just as He rose to a new life in the Spirit,
so too are we set free from the captivity of sin
to win over the kingdom of darkness and despair.
Whatever the problem, God is there in Christ by the Spirit
in whom we inherit the blessing of grace.
That grace which allows us, invites us, bids us
to be the presence of God to each other in Christ ,
Colossians 1 v 15 “The image of the invisible God.”

“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on
earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6 v 9, 10

To cover over any wrongdoing and its ensuing pain
any amount of perplexity and problem,
our identity as children of God, damaged or destroyed,
we come to share in Christ’s holiness, His uprightness, His goodness.
That we may bring the presence of God alive,
active, effective in, through and amongst us.
Such was, such is the total triumph of the †.
“ ‘I, when I am lifted up from the earth,
John 12 v 32 will draw all (wo)men to Myself’,” Christ promised.
There is therefore, no dearth of help available to us.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk
according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has

made me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8 v 1, 2

“Blessed be the LORD my Rock,
who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle –
my loving kindness and my fortress, my high tower and my deliverer,
Psalm 144 v 1, 2 my shield and the One in whom I take refuge.”
We are not helpless and life is not hopeless
unless at our peril we ignore our claim on Christ’s name.
“ ‘If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you,
you will ask for what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit;
John 15 v 7, 8 so you will be My disciples’,” is the promise to hang on to.
Christ came to fill us with His life so we could fulfil His will.

“The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the reign and
shadow of death light has dawned. …Jesus began to preach and say ‘Repent, for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand’.” Matthew 4 v 16, 17
“ ‘I am the vine, you are the branches.
(S)he who abides in Me, and I in him (or her), bears much fruit;
for without Me you can do nothing’ “ nothing eternally effective.
“ ‘I say to you, (s)he who believes in Me,
the works that I do (s)he will do also;
and greater works than these (s)he will do, because I go to My Father
and whatever you ask in My name, that I will do,
that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
John 14 v 12, 13, 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it’.”
What a promise, what a privilege, these are the blessing of grace.
Let us embrace the Father in the Son, the One whom we can depend upon.

“Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth, My Father will give you whatever you ask in My name. Until now you
have not asked for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.”
John 16 v 23, 24
Let us turn to the Spirit, yearn for Him
that we may begin a bolder walk and talk of faith.
“For the law was given through Moses,
but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has seen God at any time.
John 1 v 17, 18 The only begotten Son …He has declared Him.”
Let us see God at work that we may be as God at work.
Let us see lives transformed, by our share in Christ’s holiness.
John 1 v 43 As He speaks to us to say “ ‘Follow Me’,” let us dare
to believe in a better, safer, more peaceful, more loving,
more hopeful, more joyful grace filled world of opportunity,
the blessings of God’s grace in Christ, through Christ, by Christ.
God’s grace given, gifted in Christ’s authority by His sovereignty over all evil.

“ ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me’.” Matthew 28 v 18

Lord, You are our Defender, our Redeemer, our Restorer, our Protector,
our Saviour Lord of life in all fullness.
Guard us and guide us, that in You, by Your Spirit, we may glorify God.

It was for freedom that You have set us free.
“Therefore we are no longer a slave, but a son (or daughter)
Galations 4 v 7 and if a son (or daughter), then an heir of God through Christ.”
Yes, we encounter the Father in the Son by the Spirit.
All praise and glory be!
Let us “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free,
Galations 5 v 1 and do not be entangled again with a yoke of slavery”.
The blessings of grace will see the fruit of the Spirit
Planted, seeded, grown, nourished and harvested,
all to our benefit and unnumbered blessings.
The blessings of the kingdom of God established and ever present
flourishing amongst us, due to Christ.
His is the eternal victory of the †. All praise and glory be!

“ ‘I am the resurrection and the life. (S)he who believes in Me will live, even though (s)he dies; and
whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this’?” John 11 v 25

“I say then: Walk in the Spirit …The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” Galations 5 v 16, 22, 23

Lord,
I thank You that having shown us how to live in a way most pleasing to God such was Your
holiness, “You humbled Yourself and became obedient to the point of death, even the
death of the cross. Therefore God has highly exalted You and given You the name
which is above every name, that at Your name, at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, of those in heaven, and those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that
based on every tongue should confess that You, Jesus Christ are the Lord, to the glory of God
Philippians 2 v 8-11 the Father.” You have banished evil, destruction and death for all who call on Your name.
We need no longer be afraid.

Having poured out Your life for us upon the †, You now offer us the newness of Your
resurrected life, life in the Spirit of holiness, the perfect love of our Father evidenced in and
through You. Act in us, speak in us, think in us, Lord. Grant us that Spirit of holiness alive
in us. “By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ
has come in the flesh is of God …Let us love one another, for love is of God; and
everyone who loves is born of God and knows God …If we love one another, God
abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in
1 John 4 v 2, 7, 12, Him, and He in us, because He has given us His Spirit. And we have seen and testify
13, 14 that the Father has sent the Son as Saviour of the world.” We will live in and through
You, Lord.

based on How I praise and thank You that “As many as received You, to them You gave the right
John 1 v 12 to become children of God, to those who believe in Your name.” You “Became flesh and
based on dwelt among us, and we beheld Your glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the
John 1 v 14 Father, full of grace and truth,” our very life of hope and peace and joy and love, perfect love
come to earth.

“Whoever confesses that You are the Son of God, God abides in him (or her) and (s)he

1 John 4 v 15, 16 in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us.” That perfect
love made plain by Your †, there we may share Your holiness. “God is love, and (s)he who
1 John 4 v 16 abides in love abides in God and God in him (or her)”. “Love has been perfected among
us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgement; because as He is, so are
1 John 4 v 17 we in this world,” able to be Spirit filled by Your holiness, Your uprightness, Your goodness,
all the blessings of grace.

1 John 4 v 18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear.” Where You are Lord, we shall
know of joy, Your joy, our joy of coming fully alive in You, through the Holy Spirit, “Now may
based on the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing, that we may abound in hope
Romans 15 v 13 by the power of the Holy Spirit.” I ask this Lord, in Your name of love, perfect love in and
amongst us. May our lives ever be all to the gory of God, ever to His glory. Amen.

28.10.08