Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2015-05-14, Page 17THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2015. PAGE 17. By Pastor Andrew Versteeg Brussels Community Bible Chapel Recently my wife and I, along with a number of people from our community attended a “Right to Life” banquet in Wingham. It was a good evening and very informative. The speaker that evening spoke about euthanasia and how the laws against euthanasia are being struck down in our country as well as other “western” countries. One of the points the speaker made had to do with the function of law in general. He said that laws are put in place for our protection. This is the general, overarching function of law – it serves to protect our society, or more specifically, the citizens of a society. Laws are put in place to provide a society or environment in which we can function, have families and homes, be productive, hold down jobs, etc. Without law our society would dissolve, be hostile, and we would all be reduced to poverty very quickly. Could you imagine a place that attempted to live without law. Think, for example, about how the small town of Brussels would function without law. It would immediately make our streets unsafe. What is disturbing about our society is that increasingly we are becoming lawless. There is a trend in our society to do away with law and discard laws that we used to uphold; laws that made our society strong and productive. A friend recently told me that government reports indicate that overall the crime rate in Toronto is dropping. The reason why the ‘reports’ indicate these statistics is not because Toronto society is more law-abiding now than it was before, or have learned morality. Rather the reason why the statistics indicate this is because the Toronto Police are not charging and arresting people for the same things that they did in the past. For example drug possession is now being more readily overlooked. Euthanasia and abortion laws have changed. Other laws such as gambling and sex-trafficking have changed as well. Government and laws have been given to us by God for our good (Romans 13:4). Government and laws have been given to us by God, not because we are good, but because God is good and in His goodness He has given us laws for our protection. So what is it or who is it that we need to be protected from? The answer to that is that we need to be protected from ourselves. We just don’t need to be protected from some people out there; no, we need to be protected from ourselves and from the sin and evil that is present in each of our hearts. That might sound shocking, but it is true. Each of us is capable of the worst of sin if that sin is not somehow curbed or restrained. God in His kindness has given us His Law to restrain that evil and also enable us to live and function provided that we submit and obey His laws. God gave us His laws and wrote them in two places. The first place He wrote them was on our hearts (Romans 2:14-16). Instinctively we know what is right and wrong because God’s law is written on our hearts. God has also given us a conscience and when we are guilty, that conscience bothers us. That law written on our hearts restrains the sin in our hearts otherwise we would be given to every form of evil and we would destroy ourselves. God also wrote His law and gave us the Ten Commandments. The laws of our society are by and large derived from these laws and serve as the framework from which we have written the laws that govern our society. These laws were given for our good and if we abandon them, we will also abandon our protection and our society will become increasingly hostile and will be given over to poverty. We need the protection of the law for our own good and the presence of law serves to remind us that we are a sinful people, and desperately so. The problem is in each one of our hearts. Jesus said, “out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders” (Matthew 15:19). The law is not a cure for our sin, it is only a restraint and a reminder to us that we have this problem. Is there hope? Yes, wonderfully there is. Jesus came not just to show us how to live a good life, but to deal with the source of our sin. He came to deal with our hearts. Spiritually speaking we need a heart transplant; we need a new heart that loves God and His ways. Jesus came to rescue us from our sinful hearts and give us new hearts that love Him, submit to Him and seek to obey Him. Galatians 4:4-5 says, “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons/daughters into His family and kingdom.” In heaven, God’s people will be governed by only one law, it is called the law of Christ and that law is the law of love. We will love and obey God with all that we are; and we will love each other and always do what is right and good in heaven forever. 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. MELVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BRUSSELS Rev. Elwin Garland SUNDAY, MAY 17 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. 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, May 17 ~ Food Grains Bank ~ Guest Speaker Jean Art Sunday, May 24 ~ You Shake My Nerves & Rattle My Brain 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, May 17 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 519.292.0965 Rick Packer 519.527.0173 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 ALWAYS A PLACE FOR YOU @ HURON CHAPEL IN AUBURN 10:30 SUNDAYS HURONCHAPEL.COM 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 Sunday, May 17 ~ Jn. 5:19ff Evangelical Missionary Church Small Groups Weekly in Blyth & Wingham “No Waiting: Eternal Life Starts Today” 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 Society is becoming lawless: Versteeg 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