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Light House Christian Centre, , 5 Kilmahuddrick Court, Clondalkin (2026)

13/02/2018

light house is a christian organisation, set up to propagate the
love of Christ to less privilege of the society, the homeless, those fighting addiction
those regarded by the society as destitute.

15/06/2015

Why Give?

Read 2 Corinthians 8:1-15

Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it. Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have. Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have. Of course, I don’t mean your giving should make life easy for others and hard for yourselves. I only mean that there should be some equality. Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way, things will be equal. As the Scriptures say, “Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough.”
(2 Corinthians 8:10-15)

Reflect

The Corinthian church had money, and apparently they had planned to collect money for the Jerusalem church a year previously (see also 2 Corinthians 9:2). Paul challenges them to act on their plans. Four principles of giving emerge here: (1) your willingness to give cheerfully is more important than the amount you give; (2) you should strive to fulfill your financial commitments; (3) if you give to others in need, they will, in turn, help you when you are in need; (4) you should give as a response to Christ’s mercy, not for anything you can get out of it.

How do you decide how much to give? What about differences in the financial resources Christians have? Paul gives the Corinthian church several principles to follow: (1) each person should follow through on previous promises (2 Corinthians 8:10-11; 9:3); (2) each person should give as much as he or she is able (2 Corinthians 8:12; 9:6); (3) each person must make up his or her own mind how much to give (2 Corinthians 9:7); and (4) each person should give in proportion to what God has given him or her (2 Corinthians 9:10).

Respond

God gives to us so that we can give to others, not out of guilt or obligation, but out of love and compassion. What will you give?

25/06/2014

Jericho captured

‘And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour. And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.’ Joshua 6:2–3

Suggested Further Reading: Hebrews 11:29–38

‘Go round about her: tell the towers thereof. Mark ye well her bulwarks.’ These men were practical surveyors of Jericho; they could well understand the strength of the battlements, how many feet long the huge stones were at the corners, and how near the stars the loftiest towers were raised. They had the difficulty, I say, always before them, yet they kept on in simple faith, going round the city. Sometimes we get into the habit of shutting our eyes to difficulty; that will not do: faith is not a fool, faith does not shut her eyes to difficulty, and then run head-foremost against a brick wall—never. Faith sees the difficulty, surveys it all, and then she says, ‘By my God will I leap over a wall;’ and over the wall she goes. She never brings out the flaming accounts of ‘Signs of the Times,’ in her favour; she does not sit down, and say that evidently public sentiment is changing; she does not reckon upon any undercurrents that may be at work, which she is told by Mistress Gossip really are doing great things, but she just looks at it, and does not mind how bad the thing is reported to be; if anyone can exaggerate the difficulty, faith is of the same noble mind as that famous warrior, who when told there were so many thousand soldiers against him, replied, ‘There are so many more to be killed.’ So faith reckons: ‘So many more difficulties, so many more things to be overcome;’ and even impossibilities she puts down as only so much burden to be cast upon him, with whom nothing is impossible. She keeps Jericho’s walls before her.

For meditation: Walking by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7) does not mean having blind faith. The Christian is not to close his eyes to the difficulties (Romans 8:35,38–39), but to open them to see the hand of the invisible God at work (Hebrews 11:27). Hezekiah had the right approach (2 Kings 19:14–19).

24/06/2014

‘Out of weakness were made strong.’ Hebrews 11:34

Suggested Further Reading: Hebrews 11:1–7

Faith makes the crown of eternal life glitter before the believer’s eye; it waves before him the palm branch. Sense pictures the grave, loss, suffering, defeat, death, forgetfulness: but faith points to the resurrection, the glorious appearance of the Son of Man, the calling of the saints from every corner of the earth, the clothing of them all in their triumphant array, and the entrance of the blood-washed conquerors into the presence of God with eternal joy. Thus faith makes us out of weakness to become strong. Let me remind you that the essential ingredients of faith’s comfort are just these: faith sees the invisible and beholds the substance of that which is afar off: faith believes in God, a present, powerful God, full of love and wisdom, effecting his decree, accomplishing his purpose, fulfilling his promise, glorifying his Son. Faith believes in the blood of Jesus, in the effectual redemption on the cross, it believes in the power of the Holy Spirit, his might to soften the stone and to put life into the very ribs of death. Faith grasps the reality of the Bible; she does not look upon it as a sepulchre with a stone laid thereon, but as a temple in which Christ reigns, as an ivory palace out of which he comes riding in his chariot, conquering and to conquer. Faith does not believe the gospel to be a worn-out scroll, to be rolled up and put away; she believes that the gospel instead of being in its dotage is in its youth; she anticipates for it a manhood of mighty strugglings, and a grand maturity of blessedness and triumph. Faith does not shirk the fight; she longs for it, because she foresees the victory.

For meditation: In the world’s estimation those who trust in the living God are the underdogs (2 Kings 18:22,35; 19:10). It may seem that way to us also, but the reality is that by faith in Christ we become more than conquerors over the world (2 Chronicles 32:7–8; Romans 8:37; 1 John 5:4–5). ‘When I am weak, then am I strong’ (2 Corinthians 12:10).

11/06/2014

Sin laid on Jesus

‘All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.’ Isaiah 53:6

Suggested Further Reading: 1 Peter 2:22–25

There was a relationship between our Lord and his people, which is too often forgotten, but which rendered it natural that he should bear the sin of his people. Why does the text speak of our sinning like sheep? I think it is because it would call to our recollection that Christ is our Shepherd. It is not, my brethren, that Christ took upon himself the sins of strangers. Remember that there always was a union of a most mysterious and intimate kind between those who sinned and the Christ who suffered. What if I say that it is not unjust but according to law that when a woman gets into debt her husband should bear it? And with the church of God sinning, it was but right that her Husband, who had espoused her unto himself, should become the debtor on her behalf. The Lord Jesus stood in the relationship of a married husband unto his church, and it was not, therefore, a strange thing that he should bear her burdens. It was natural for the next of kin to redeem the inheritance, it was most seemly that Immanuel, the next of kin, should redeem his lost church by his own blood. Recollect that there was a union closer even than the marriage bond, for we are members of his body. You shall not punish this hand of mine without making the sentient nature which dwells in the brain to suffer therewith; and does it seem strange to you that when the inferior members of the body have transgressed, the Head should be made to suffer? It seems to me, my brethren, that while substitution is full of grace, it is not unnatural, but according to the laws of everlasting love.

For meditation: The identification of the Lord Jesus Christ with sinners whom he would call his brothers was entirely appropriate (Matthew 3:13–15; Hebrews 2:10–14,17). For God to forgive repentant sinners is not a matter of justice abandoned but of justice applied (1 John 1:9).

28/05/2014

A Way to Be Wise

Read Proverbs 8:1–9:12

Wisdom has built her house; she has carved its seven columns. She has prepared a great banquet, mixed the wines, and set the table. She has sent her servants to invite everyone to come. She calls out from the heights overlooking the city. “Come in with me,” she urges the simple. To those who lack good judgment, she says, “Come, eat my food, and drink the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways behind, and begin to live; learn to use good judgment.”

Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return. Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt. So don’t bother correcting mockers; they will only hate you. But correct the wise, and they will love you. Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more.

Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment. Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life. If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.
(Proverbs 9:1-12)

Reflect

Wisdom and Folly (foolishness) are portrayed in Proverbs 9 as rival young women, each preparing a feast and inviting people to it. But Wisdom is a responsible woman of character—hardworking—whereas Folly is “brash” and “ignorant” (Proverbs 9:13) and serves stolen food. Wisdom appeals first to the mind, folly to the senses. It is easier to excite the senses, but the pleasures of Folly are temporary. Consider 1 John 2:16: “For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.” By contrast, the satisfaction that wisdom brings lasts forever.

Wisdom begins with knowing God. He gives insight into living because he created life. To know God is not just to know the facts about him, but to stand in awe of him and have a relationship with him.

Respond

You can tell whether a person follows the way of wisdom or folly by the way he or she responds to criticism. What does your response to criticism tell others? If you want to be wise, instead of tossing back a quick put-down or clever retort when rebuked, listen to what is being said. Learn from your critics; this is the path to wisdom.

11/05/2014

Giving to the God Who Has Everything

Psalm 50:1–23

We’ve heard or asked it again and again: “What do you give the person who has everything?” The very need to frame this question should alert us that something is wrong in our society. Psalm 50, though, teaches us how to give to the God who does indeed have everything.

As Christians, we have much to learn from God’s judgment in Psalm 50:7–16 against the “religious” community. The Lord does not rebuke these people for failing to meet his minimal requirements for sacrifices and offerings (see v. 8). Instead, God reproaches them for blatant sin and ingratitude (see vv. 17–20).

So, how do we give to the God who has everything? By giving to those who have nothing (see Mt 25:44–45) and by praising him for his blessings to us (see 2Co 8:9).

Devotional writer Selwyn Hughes (1928–2006) makes an important point about the sacrifice of generosity prompted by gratitude:

If in reality we don’t own our possessions, then the obvious thing is to acknowledge this in a prayer to God. Have the sense to say to God, “I am not the owner, I am the ower.” A businessman said, “I’ve prospered in my business; now my task is to know how much I can keep for my own use.” That’s the right order. How much can I keep for myself? For everything I needlessly spend on myself is taken from some other person’s need.

Management guru Ken Blanchard and CEO S. Truett Cathy contrast the ideas of success and significance:

The successful person has learned how to make money, but the significant person has learned how to give it away—how to be generous, to share the blessings of money with those who are in need or those who help meet a variety of social and humanitarian needs.

The successful person has achieved great things—sadly sometimes at the expense of others. He or she is proud of what has already been accomplished. The significant person understands that the greatest thing anyone can accomplish is to serve others and to help them achieve their goals.

Finally, successful people have attained a measure of status. Others look up to them and maybe even see them as role models. We often discover later that those who have become our role models let us down … In direct contrast, the significant person is one who values relationships. They become trusted friends and invaluable mentors, and they invest their time in others rather than in striving to build status.

Think About It

The people in this psalm were offering sacrifices and giving to God, but God was displeased with their hearts. How might you ensure your attitudes and lifestyle are in keeping with God’s desires for your life?
How does the knowledge that God owns everything prompt you to view what you “own”?
What do you feel is your obligation to others in light of God’s censure to the people in Psalm 50?
Pray About It

God, I do not own anything. It is all yours. Show me how much I should keep for myself and what I should give back to you.

24/04/2014

The Deity of Christ

Faith in the deity of Christ is necessary to being a Christian. It is an essential part of the New Testament gospel of Christ. Yet in every century the church has been forced to deal with people who claim to be Christians while denying or distorting the deity of Christ.

In church history there have been four centuries in which confession of the deity of Christ has been a crucial and stormy issue inside the church. Those centuries have been the fourth, fifth, nineteenth, and twentieth. Since we are living in one of the centuries where heresy assaults the church, it is urgent that we safeguard the church's confession of Christ's deity.

At the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325, the church, in opposition to the A***n heresy, declared that Jesus is begotten, not made, and that His divine nature is of the same essence (homo ousios) with the Father. This affirmation declared that the Second Person of the Trinity is one in essence with God the Father. That is, the "being" of Christ is the being of God. He is not merely similar to Deity, but He is Deity.

The confession of the deity of Christ is drawn from the manifold witness of the New Testament. As the Logos Incarnate, Christ is revealed as being not only preexistent to creation, but eternal. He is said to be in the beginning with God and also that He is God (John 1:1-3). That He is with God demands a personal distinction within the Godhead. That He is God demands inclusion in the Godhead.

Elsewhere, the New Testament ascribes terms and titles to Jesus that are clearly titles of deity. God bestows the preeminent divine title of Lord upon Him (Philippians 2:9-11). As the Son of Man, Jesus claims to be Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28) and to have authority to forgive sins (Mark 2:1-12). He is called the "Lord of glory" (James 2:1) and willingly receives worship, as when Thomas confesses, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28).

Paul declares that the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ bodily (Colossians 1:19) and that Jesus is higher than angels, a theme reiterated in the book of Hebrews. To worship an angel or any other creature, no matter how exalted, is to violate the biblical prohibition against idolatry. The I ams of John's Gospel also bear witness to the identification of Christ with Deity.

In the fifth century, the Council of Chalcedon (A.D. 451) affirmed that Jesus was truly man and truly God. Jesus' two natures, human and divine, were said to be without mixture, confusion, separation, or division.

The deity of Christ is a doctrine essential to Christianity.
The church has had crises of heresy regarding Christ's deity in the fourth, fifth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries.
The Council of Nicea (A.D. 325) affirmed the deity of Christ, declaring that He is of the same substance or essence as the Father and that He was not a created being.
The New Testament clearly affirms the deity of Christ.
The Council of Chalcedon (A.D. 451) declared that Jesus was truly God.

21/04/2014

Blood on His Hands

Hebrews 10:19–39

Recommended Reading: Leviticus 16:1–34; Matthew 6:19–21; Romans 8:28–39; 1 John 1:1–4

The sacrifice of atonement involved lots of blood—that should be a clue for us as to its importance to God. Once a year the high priest entered the most sacred place on Earth to offer up to God the blood of an animal. As a result, according to the law, the people of Israel temporarily stood in right relationship before their Creator Father.

Those of us who grew up attending Sunday school sometimes have a misperception that the temple was a place like the church in which we grew up—typically clean, orderly and with a planned program for worship. Most people, dressed in their “Sunday best,” sat quietly during the service and then enjoyed refreshments afterward. But that’s not what the Israelites experienced. The temple was for them a place of slaughter, bloodletting and sacrifice.

To be sure, the sacrifice was a messy business—hearing the cries of the resistant animal; watching the priest execute the slaughter and spread the sacrificed animal’s blood on the altar; and then watching the carcasses being sliced, cut and burned in sacrifice to God. Yes, this was a visceral experience quite opposite of what we experience in worship today. Yet this brutal ritual represented God’s provision for Israel to become once again right with him.

We shouldn’t be surprised that God’s new, permanent arrangement for people to come to him also required blood on someone’s hands. Jesus’ blood stained many hands: those of Judas, the Jewish Pharisees, the Roman government—even Pilate, who tried in advance to wash the symbolic stains from his hands. But Jesus’ blood fell mostly on the hands of his own Father, the God who “did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all” (Romans 8:32).

Our sin separates us from God, makes us wrong before him. In turn, God’s sacrifice of his own son cancels our separation from God. The blood of his Son sets us right before the Father.

That’s the far-reaching extent of our Father’s love for us. He reaches out to us today with those same bloodstained hands. The permanent, atoning sacrifice of the unblemished Lamb, Jesus, permits us to “draw near to God” (Hebrews 10:22), to “hold unswervingly to the hope we profess” (verse 23), to “spur one another on” (verse 24), to “not [give] up” and to “[encourage] one another” (verse 25).

To Take Away

Take a few minutes to read Leviticus 16. Why do you think God required such elaborate ritual and detail for the sacrifice of atonement?
According to Old Testament law, Israel needed to offer sacrifices to become right before God. In the New Testament Jesus becomes the final sacrifice for all. Why did God require a sacrifice at all?
How does the thought that the Father “gave [Jesus] up for us all” (Romans 8:32) make you feel about God? Why? What effect does this have on your life?

20/04/2014

Resurrection—Christ the firstfruits

‘But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.’ 1 Corinthians 15:20

Suggested Further Reading: Romans 6:5–11

Why is it that the resurrection of Christ is of so much importance? Upon it we have said that the whole system of Christianity rests; for ‘if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain… ye are yet in your sins’ (1 Corinthians 15:14,17). The divinity of Christ finds its surest proof in his resurrection, since the apostle tells us that Christ was ‘declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead’ (Romans 1:4). It would not be unreasonable to doubt his deity if he had not risen. Moreover, Christ’s sovereignty also depends upon his resurrection, for Scripture affirms: ‘to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living’ (Romans 14:9). Again, our justification, that choice blessing of the covenant, hangs upon Christ’s resurrection. He ‘was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification’ (Romans 4:25). Our very regeneration depends upon his resurrection, for Peter, speaking by the Holy Spirit, exclaims, ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead’ (1 Peter 1:3). And most certainly our ultimate resurrection rests here; for ‘if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you’ (Romans 8:11). If Christ be not risen, then we shall not rise; but if he be risen, then they who are asleep in Christ have not perished, but in their flesh shall surely behold their God.

For meditation: A great emphasis was placed by the preachers of the early church upon the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ as well as upon his death (Acts 2:24,31–32; 3:15,26; 4:10,33; 5:30; 10:40–41; 13:30,33–34,37; 17:3,18,31; 26:23). Is it important to you?

Sermon no. 445
20 April (1862)

Light House Christian Centre

13/02/2018

15/06/2015

25/06/2014

24/06/2014

11/06/2014

28/05/2014

11/05/2014

24/04/2014

21/04/2014

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