16th July 2017 AD MINISTRY MORSEL The Christian is “at the same time justified and a sinner ”…God in his grace and mercy has declared the Christian to be righteous due to the atoning work of Jesus Christ. And what God declares something to be, truly is. And yet at the same time, sin is still at work in our flesh. Though declared righteous in Christ, we will not be completely free from sin this side of heaven. We are at the same time righteous and a sinner. But how does this express itself in the life of the believer? Is it a 50/50 split? No. Picture for a moment a person’s life as being like a see-saw in a children’s playground, where one end is righteousness and the other wickedness. Very few people have ever been completely evil, and only one person has ever been perfectly righteous. The norm is that our lives tend to go up and down, see-sawing between the two. The problem for the non-Christian person who still takes after the first Adam is that there is a badly overweight kid sitting on the wickedness seat, and only a scrawny child remains on the side of righteousness. The scrawny kid might have his occasional moment, but the big kid inevitably prevails. The sinful nature dominates. But what does this look like for the person who takes after the second Adam? What is the situation for the person who has been born again? We may be at the same time justified and a sinner, but this does not mean that we now have two evenly balanced kids sitting on the see-saw. Justification does not merely introduce an equilibrium. The reality is that we are now slaves of righteousness, no longer governed by the sinful nature but by the Spirit. The Holy Spirit himself is seated on the righteousness end of our see-saw and the overweight child of our sinful nature has been placed on a diet!... God is at work in every believer, renewing our minds, transforming our desires, and conforming us to the likeness of Christ. My reason for pointing this out is because this reality should impact the way that we spur one another on in the faith. While we can assume that the Christian person in front of us struggles with sinful desires, habits and behaviours, we can also assume that this same Christian person, deep down, finds those same sinful desires, habits and behaviours unwanted. Deep down, because of the indwelling Holy Spirit, the Christian person desires to be godly and is frustrated by their own sin when they fail. Sometimes we can get cynical about people’s willingness and ability to change…..Now, while it might be naive to assume that everyone in your church or life who calls themselves a Christian truly is one, it would also be wrong-headed not to give the benefit of the doubt to those who profess faith and show some indication of the Spirit’s fruit in their lives…..It is faulty theology that assumes that we need to drag our fellow Christians kicking and screaming in the footsteps of Christ like a reluctant toddler at a shopping centre….We have a powerful thing working for us as we strive to see people grow in Christ: they want to grow. (Words from Dave Mears) ‘Hell’ OT: Joshua 9:16-27 (p221) NT: Galatians 4:21-31 (p1170) Gospel: John 20:1-10 (p1087) PARISH SERVICES Weekly Sunday: Sunday @ 8 Holy Communion Sunday@10 Family Gathering 1.30pm Armchair Church - Woolgoolga Retirement Village Monthly third Wednesday: Wheelie Wednesday@10 Service - Holy Communion WEEKLY HAPPENINGS Sunday: Bible Study @ Marj Simmons’ Home Youth Growth Group@4 - Rectory Youth@5 - Rectory Tuesday: Bridge - Parish Hall 4pm - Choir Rehearsal - Church Wednesday: 9am - Prayer Gathering - Chapel Women’s Bible Study - 2 groups alternate weekly Thursday: 4pm - Table Tennis - Parish Hall 5pm - Music Group Rehearsal - Church 6pm - Free English Conversation Classes - Parish Hall Friday: 6pm - Friday Night Fellowship - Rectory Saturday: 8am - Saturday@8 for Prayer - Woolgoolga Headland by WaterTower Rector: Canon David Hanger 0408 423 442 Deacon: Rev Pam Stone 0418 228 885 Ministers: The Congregaon Parish Office: PO Box 49 Woolgoolga NSW 2456 66541370 (all hours) Op Shop: 21 Scarborough Street, Woolgoolga Email: offi[email protected] Website: www.northernbeachesanglicans.org.au SENTENCE: The words you have spoken are spirit and life, O Lord; you have the words of eternal life. John: 6-63,68 COLLECT: Bountiful God, we thank you for planting in us the seed of your word: by your Holy Spirit, help us to receive it with joy, and to live according to it, that we may grow in faith and hope and love; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Blessed Lord, you have caused all the Scriptures to be written for our learning: help us to so hear, read, learn and embrace them that, encouraged and supported by your Word, we may hold fast to the joyful hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. TODAY’S SERMON READING Job 18 (p514) YOUTH@4/5 IS ON TONIGHT IN THE RECTORY!