Jude 17-25 intro

Some of you, like me, can remember when the seatbelt law came into effect. Some people had a hard time accepting the law that you have to wear seatbelts. One man in New Zealander took it to an extreme. The police ticketed him 32 times over five years for failing to use his seat belt. Even though this was costing him big money, he refused to buckle up.

Finally, instead of obeying the law, he decided to rely on deception. He made a fake seat belt that would hang over his shoulder and make it appear that he was wearing a seat belt when he wasn’t. His trick worked. He didn’t get any more tickets. But then he had a head-on collision. He was thrown forward onto the steering wheel and killed. His fake seat belt couldn’t save him.

If there’s a moral to this story, it’s this: When tested, what’s fake won’t save you.

Jude wrote this short letter to the church about our salvation. He wanted to major on what’s real about our faith:

  • the story of Jesus Christ,
  • the Son of God who became man,
  • who died for our sins
  • and rose to give us new life.

But Jude knew there was a problem.

  • He was writing to a church that had fake seatbelts in use.
  • He was writing to a church that had left this common salvation, this faith once for all delivered, and had instead substituted fake teaching.

While I am focusing on the last few verses this week, let me encourage you to take the time to read the entire book.

This is not just a problem for them. Charles Colson, who was president of Prison Fellowship, said,

Most Christians do not understand what they believe, why they believe it, and why it matters.”

Colson used to ask mature believers to name the fundamentals of the faith. Most of them, he says, looked surprised and perplexed. They wold finally came up with a short list. Colson has stopped in the middle of some of his speeches, and asked the audience, “What is Christianity anyway?” At one church in the Bible belt, there was silence for what seemed to be a full minute before three or four painful answers. Colson concludes, “Our ignorance is crippling us.”

Remember: when tested, what’s fake won’t save you.

In these concluding verses of Jude. Jude explains why it’s so important that we don’t accept false teachings. He doesn’t spend all of his time condemning false teachers. He shows us how we can respond to false teachings, and remain rooted in what is true.

Yesterday I said that we need to remain healthy in these days.

  • emotionally
  • physically
  • mentally
  • socially
  • spiritually

Ask yourself, on a scale of 1(poorly) to 5(great)  how are you doing?

  • Be honest.
  • What is one thing you will do today that will move you in a positive direction in anyone of those 5 areas?

it could be as simple as:

  • emotionally: taking a few minutes to do some deep breathing exercises.
  • physically: going for a walk around the block.
  • mentally: playing a couple games of sudoku.
  • socially: giving someone a call to see how they are doing and to encourage them.
  • spiritually: put on some instrumental worship music and spend 5minutes talking with God.

Make the decision to do that one thing

What Now?

In the last few days,

  • we have shared together in an online communion.
  • reflected on Good Friday.
  • sat through the mystery of Holy Saturday.
  • celebrated in a very different way Easter Sunday.

Now what?
It’s easy to keep focus when we have these major markers to guide us.
But now… what?

If we are honest…

  • Some of us are tired, weary.
  • Some are feeling overwhelmed.
  • Some are frustrated.
  • Some are feeling cut off and lonely.
  • Some are fearful – there is so much uncertainty.
  • Some are anxious.
  • Others are feeling depressed.
  • Others are thinking how can I teach my kids?
    • how will we pay our bills?
    • how can we stay safe?
  • Many are wondering will we ever go back to normal?
    • What is normal?

How do we remain healthy in these days?

  • emotionally?
  • physically?
  • mentally?
  • socially?
  • spiritually?

I want to reflect on these questions this week. We are going to use as our starting point is a little letter that Jude, a brother of James wrote:

17 But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. 18 They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” 19 These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.
20 But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
22 Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.
24 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—25t o the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

This week, let’s read this passage together. Each day I will share some reflections on this passage.

Monday

On this Easter Monday, we are reading some of Jesus’ words about his return. You can find the reading here.

In this day of COVID-19 pandemic, many people are thinking about the end of the world.

  • What does Jesus say about the timing of his return?
  • What does it mean to “keep watch” and therefore to “be ready“?
  • What are we called to do while waiting?

 

 

Matthew 24:36-48

Peace Be With You

36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’

Easter Prayer

Join us Sunday evening at 6:30pm for a Zoom Prayer Gathering

Date: Apr 12, 2020
Time 6:30 PM

Join Zoom Meeting 

Meeting ID: 847 222 979
Password: 2FtqpB

A couple of notes on using zoom

  • if you are using zoom on your phone or tablet you will need to download the app
  • if you are using it on your laptop or desktop computer, when you click on the link, it will automatically open in a new tab in your browser

Easter Sunday

Welcome to OCC online

We invite you into listening to our God

  • as you pray,
  • as you enter into worship,
  • as you read the Scripture.

Listen and respond to him.

You can check our selection of Easter Songs here.

Praying for others

  • those at OCC & in our family and friendship circles with health needs, especially for those whose tests and procedures have been delayed.
  • those at OCC & in our family and friendship circles who have family/friends in nursing homes and hospitals.
  • those at OCC & in our family and friendship circles with anxiety, depression and other mental health struggles.
  • those at OCC & in our family and friendship circles who have lost loved ones.
  • for all of those who are working in the health care field.
  • for those who are working retail, so the rest of us can get the supplies we need.
  • for those who are learning to work from home, especially those who are learning to homeschool at the same time.
  • for children and youth whose lives are being changed.

The Hat Lady

Here’s an Easter Hat Lady story.

Easter Sunday

Everything has changed.
No one knows what will happen tomorrow, or next week, or next month.

  • uncertainty
  • fear
  • anxiety

And in the midst of this we have Easter.

  • It’s too good to be true.
  • Jesus is alive and Lord of all circumstances.
  • He comes and stands among the fearful, among those of us who have swung and missed at a curve ball, and He promises us peace.
  • He comes to remind us that He will heal our brokenness.
  • He will give us a new character.
  • He invites us to depend upon Him for real, to experience his joyful, abundant life and not upon the lives we attempted to craft for ourselves, and now seen how flimsy they were.

If you don’t have the joy that pastor Mike mentioned… send him an email to explore knowing Jesus.

Giving

Expenses at OCC continue. Thank you for your faithfulness in giving to the ministry of OCC.
There are several ways you can give during this time:

  • You can drop your offering off at the OCC building, either when there is someone in the building or through the mail slot (in the front glass panel, nearest to the driveway).
  • You can mail your offering to
    OCC
    64 Colborne St E
    Orillia, ON, L3V 1T6
  • You can give by e-transfer. Use the following email address when using e-transfer for your offering: finance@occweb.org.
    You may be asked to provide a security question and answer, however, you do not need to send this to OCC.
    Our e-transfer is set up with security so that we can receive it automatically without needing to answer the question.
  • You can give via PayPal. The easiest way to go to occweb.org/online-giving/ and click on the donate button.

Sunday

In our Easter Sunday readings, the women find the stone rolled away, and the tomb empty. You can find it here.

As you read the accounts in Matthew and John

  • can you imagine being one of the Marys who came to the tomb
    • what do you feel?
    • how would you respond?
  • can you imagine being Peter or John
    • what do you feel?
    • how would you respond?
  • knowing what you know of the whole story…
    • how do you respond to the risen Lord?

Matthew 28:1-10; John 20:1-18

The Women Go To See The Tomb

Matthew 28:1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

The Stone Is Rolled Away

John 20:1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

Saturday

We are reading Matthew 27:62-66. You can find it here.

It’s a day when not much happens. The tomb is guarded. The disciples are huddled behind doors. Mourning. Wondering. Feeling lost.

Most of us don’t give a lot of thought to the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Except maybe for this year.

  • It feels more real doesn’t it.
  • It feels like we have lost so much.
  • We feel so cut off.
  • Isolated.
  • We wonder…
    • what’s next? (we are not sure)
    • how long will this last? (probably longer than we think)
    • will things get back to normal? (I think a lot of things will change)
    • what’s going to happen to my job, to my savings, to school, to… (a lot of questions with few answers at this time)
  • It’s easy to get caught up in all this
    • It’s OK to acknowledge the loss
    • It’s good to recognize what we are missing
    • But don’t waste the time… dig deep into God’s presence and his word.
      • where have you been reading?
      • what has God been teaching you?
    • Remember, that even though the disciples thought that Saturday was the end of the story…
    • It wasn’t!