HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2015-02-19, Page 15THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2015. PAGE 15.
By Pastor Andrew Versteeg
Brussels Community Bible
Chapel
Our church meets at the Brussels
Business and Cultural Centre;
formerly known as the Brussels
Public School. Recently I was
looking for something in the supply
room and I came across an old
blueprint of the school. The school
was built in the early 1960s and
since that time a few additions and
renovations have taken place.
When we are going to build
something, we usually begin with a
blue print. We need a plan and we
have to communicate that plan to
those involved in the construction of
that building. A complete set of
plans tells you everything you need
to know about the building, and as
you look at the blueprint you get a
good picture in your mind as to what
the building will look and be like. A
lot of blueprints actually include
some three dimensional views of the
building.
But blueprints are just blueprints;
they are not the real thing. By that, I
mean they are just lines on paper,
they are pictures and details about
what the building will be, but they
are not the building. You cannot live
in a blueprint, or set up your office in
a blueprint, or move your business
into a blueprint, or attend school in a
blueprint. The blueprint gives us the
picture of what the building will
actually be when it is built.
I want us to think about God’s
word in terms of a blueprint, and in
terms of a building, the completion
of the blueprint.
John 1:17 says, “For the Law was
given through Moses; grace and
truth were realized through Jesus
Christ.” This verse essentially
teaches us that in God’s word there
is a blueprint, which is the Law that
was given through Moses, and there
is a building, which is grace and
truth which became reality through
Jesus Christ.
The Law, as it was given through
Moses, began with the Ten
Commandments and then included
many details about how the people
were to live holy lives before the
Lord. Through the Law, God was
telling the people then and us now
that He is holy, completely holy, and
that if we would be His children then
we too must be completely holy. The
Law was meant to be obeyed
completely/perfectly in order for a
person to be right with God. Our
problem is that we are incapable of
keeping the Law perfectly, and all of
our attempts at being good fall far
short of God’s holy standard.
But thankfully the Law also
showed to us that God is gracious
and merciful. He is compassionate
and understands that we are
incapable of being completely holy.
In the Law there was provision for
grace so that we could be made right
with God. Lambs and other animals
were sacrificed as a payment for that
which was not right before God.
There was a sacrifice for sin. Keep in
mind that this is still the blueprint;
not the reality. These sacrifices could
not pay for sin, but they were
pictures to tell us that a perfect
sacrifice was coming. These
sacrifices were telling us to look
ahead to the sacrificial death of Jesus
Christ.
Then Jesus came to earth, as we
celebrate at Christmas. He was the
reality. He was what the blueprint
was looking forward to. To say it
another way, Jesus Christ is the
building. John 1:17 tells us that
“grace and truth were realized, or
became reality, through Jesus
Christ.” First grace became reality
through Jesus. In Jesus’ life we see
God’s grace and compassion, His
kindness and mercy; and we
especially see His grace when He
died on the cross as a payment for
our sin.
Truth became reality through
Jesus as well. This was realized in
His life because all that He did was
right. Jesus never sinned and His life
was a life of complete truth, or to say
it another way, complete
righteousness.
Grace and truth are the two things
that we need in order to become
children of God and receive eternal
life: grace to pardon our sin, and
truth as completed obedience. How
can this be reality in our lives, or to
put it another way, how can we enter
into this completed building? The
answer is through faith in Jesus
Christ. All that Jesus did He did on
our behalf so that we can become
children of God. This becomes
reality in our lives by receiving and
believing in the Lord Jesus.
John 1:12 says, “But as many as
received Him, to them He gave the
right to become children of God,
even to those who believe in His
name.”
Often we think that if we try to be
good and do some good things in our
life, then God will accept us based
on those things. But God is
completely holy and we need to
recognize that all of our attempts at
being holy/good are only attempts
THE CATHOLIC PARISHES OF NORTH HURON AND NORTH PERTH
CORDIALLY INVITE YOU TO ATTEND HOLY MASS.
OUR SUNDAY LITURGIES ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Brussels:
St. Ambrose
Saturday
6:00 p.m.
17 Flora Street
Wingham:
Sacred Heart
Sunday
9:00 a.m.
220 Carling Terrace
Listowel:
St. Joseph’s
Sunday
11:00 a.m.
1025 Wallace Avenue N.
ARISE
Missions Conference @ Huron Chapel
Friday: February 20th
7:00pm Movie night for all ages
Saturday: February 21
9:30am Digging Deeper…sessions on prayer, giving & going
7:00pm Family Fun Night in the village
Sunday February 22:
10:30 am Arise with Tim Whatley in the morning service
119 John’s Ave. in Auburn - huronchapel.com
CORNER OF DINSLEY & MILL STREETS
MINISTER
Rev. Gary Clark, BA, M. Div.
All Welcome
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Floyd Herman, BA, M. Ed.OFFICE: 519-523-4224
Sunday, February 22 ~ Lent 1 – “Jesus Calms...”
Sunday, March 1 ~ Lent 2 – “Jesus Laughs…”
Worship Service & Sunday School at 11 a.m.
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Floyd Herman, BA, M. Ed.
Children
Welcome
Youre Invited
to come worship
with us
Sunday, February 22
Brussels Business & Cultural Centre
at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Sunday School for children
4 to 12 years of age at 9:30 a.m.
Childcare provided for infants and
preschoolers during the sermon.
Coffee & cookies after the morning service
For additional details please contact Pastor Andrew Versteeg 519.887.8621
Steve Klumpenhower 519.887.8651 Rick Packer 519.527.0173
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
Rev. Elwin Garland
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22
Nursery care available
519-887-9017
Worship & Sunday School - 10 am
Coffee & Snacks - 11 am
We invite you to join our church family in:
Fridays 11:30 am - 1:00 pm ~ Soup & More 2
- a free community meal held in Melville’s basement, and
made possible by the Brussels churches working together.
SUNDAYS
Morning Service 10:00 am
Evening Service 7:30 pm
Hwy. 4, Blyth www.blythcrc.ca 519-523-4743
Minister: Pastor Gary van Leeuwen
You’re Invited To Join Us In Worship
BLYTH CHRISTIAN
REFORMED CHURCH
BRUSSELS
WORSHIP SERVICE
AND SUNDAY SCHOOL 10:00 am
All Welcome
United Church
Minister: Rev. Gary Clark, BA, M.Div.
Bulletin notices: 519-523-4224
blythunited@tcc.on.ca
Church bookings: 519-887-6377
Other concerns: 226-963-1175
getlivingwater.org
Living Water
Christian Fellowship
10:30 a.m. ~ Worship & Sunday School
at 308 Blyth Rd. (former Church of God)
Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 519-523-4848
Feb. 22: Ps.84; SoS.1
Evangelical Missionary Church
Small Groups Weekly in Blyth & Wingham
“Deepen Desire”
FREE MOVIE: Fri., Feb. 20 ~ 7:30 p.m.
250 Princess St., Brussels
519-887-6388
www.bmfchurch.com
Pastor Ken Gazley
Guests Welcome
Jesus Is Lord!
Brussels
Mennonite
Fellowship
Worship Service 10:00 am
Sunday School 11:15 am
From the Minister’s Study
God’s word is the blueprint, then you come in
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