Dedication of Aliyah Rose Fanning
Notes
Transcript
Dedication of Aliyah Rose Fanning to the Lord
Dedication of Aliyah Rose Fanning to the Lord
3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth.
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
13 And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” 16 And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.
As these verses tell us children are a blessing from the Lord. Jesus held a special place for children in His heart, He said that we need to become as children to receive the kingdom of God. What does that mean?
If you think about the trust that a child has in their parents, it is that kind of trust that we need in our heavenly father, a simple trust, a trust in the person and what He tells us, without all the other things that we as adults often add to trust.
We have the privilege this morning of dedicating Aliyah Rose Fanning to the Lord. This is wish of her parents Carson and Jo Anna. This bears a responsibility upon them and to each of us.
Carson and Jo Anna as parents it is your responsibility to train, teach, pray for and provide for your daughter. This is not an easy task, but a necessary and very important one, one that God gives us as parents. But the responsibility doesn’t end with them.
Grand parents, aunts, uncles, family, and church, we all have a responsibility in teaching, guiding and praying for Aliyah and her parents Carson and Jo Anna. The task before them is not an easy one but it is one given to parents since the first parents, Adam and Eve.
Pray for Aliyah and her parents.
Father, thank you for the blessing of life, for without You there would be no life, for you are the giver of all life. I pray Your blessing upon Aliyah, I pray that she would come to know You as her personal savior at an early age, I pray that she might grow up to follow and serve you through out her entire life. I pray that You would give Carson and Jo Anna wisdom as parents as they fill this task of teaching and training and providing for Aliyah. I pray You would guide them as they seek to follow You. I pray that You would help us as family and as the church to each do our part in teaching and training and supporting Aliyah as she grows up, may our actions point her to You.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen
Give them the rose.
As we continue in the book of Acts, we are now in Chapter 3.
1 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. 3 Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms.
As we look at these opening verses we see that this starts out like a normal day for Peter and John and for the lame man. Peter and John are on their way to the temple for daily time of prayer and the lame man is being carried to his usual spot by the gate to the temple. So what makes this day any different than any other day?
From these verses it would appear that Peter and John had walked past this man, probably many times. Dr Luke tells the story in detail.
The lame man initiates the interaction between himself and Peter and James by asking for alms. Luke describes this interaction as the lame man asking for alms but not making eye contact. But at this point Peter and John fix their eyes upon the beggar and request that he does the same to them. No doubt the lame man assumed that they were going to grant him his request.
But, an interesting little word comes into play, instead of the beggar receiving what he was requesting, he was about to receive much, much more. Lets read a few more verses.
6 But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” 7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 8 And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.
How many times to we approach our heavenly Father with a request that is small, when He wants to give us much much more. Is our faith to small? I’m not talking about asking God for a new Cadillac or something like that, but what about asking for God to bring us a need, such as a pastor? What about praying for our children to make right choices, or for them to come to know the Lord in a close and personal way? What about our neighbor, do we pray for their salvation?
Knight’s Master Book of New Illustrations Asking for a Little Dog
Asking for a Little Dog
Theodore Monod was once telling a little friend about Christ healing blind Bartimaeus. “And what,” said he to the boy, “would you have asked from Jesus if you had been blind?” “Oh,” said the child, with glowing face and kindling eyes, “I should have asked him for a nice little dog with a collar and chain, to lead me about.” How often do we ask for the blind man’s dog instead of the seeing man’s eyes.
Back to the text. Peter doesn’t hesitate in his reply to the beggar. If you remember back just a short time before this Peter denied that he even knew Jesus, not once but three times! Now he is commanding a lame man, one that has never walked since birth, in Jesus name, the one he denied even knowing, to stand up and walk! Wow. Think this beggar might have been a bit surprised? I think the text makes that pretty clear, he not only stands on his feet, feet that have never held him up in his life, but he is leaping, not just a time or two but all the way into the temple, praising God for his healing.
Do we sometimes forget to give God the praise that he deserves? We are instructed to have be thankful.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
How do the people react? They knew who this man was, they knew he had been crippled from birth, they knew something amazing had just happened!
9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
As Luke continues to tell the story of this event, may we remember what the Lord is doing in Peter’s life, he is now boldly proclaiming the one who he had previously denied, that should give each of us hope, the Lord can do the same in us.
11 While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s. 12 And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?
Peter is very careful at this point, not taking any credit for healing the lame man but pointing it entirely to Jesus. This formerly lame beggar is now clinging to Peter, the people are now attentive and listening to what peter has to say and Peter takes advantage of that. He points out that the one who healed this lame man was one and the same Jesus that Pilot was ready to release but they killed Him!
13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. 14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.
Peter is very clear in that it was this same Jesus, the one they had just killed but healed this lame man.
16 And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.
Peter doesn’t leave them there in their actions but calls them to repentance.
19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,
We have all sinned, just as this crowd of people had, we like them are called to repentance, to turn from our sins and to receive the salvation that Jesus has provided for us through His death and shed blood on the cross. Something that we will be remembering later in the service as we take communion.
Peter goes on to tell of what happens to those who do not repent and seek the Lord’s forgiveness, they will be cut off and destroyed.
23 And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’ 24 And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days.
He adds that all of these things were foretold of in the scriptures, a good reason to read and meditate on God’s word, the Bible.
As we move on into chapter 4, the religious leaders are greatly annoyed, or disturbed by what Peter and John are proclaiming to the people. So what was their reaction, they arrested them and through them into prison.
1 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.
But notice what is happening, many are believing the message that Peter and John are proclaiming about Jesus, and they are believing that message and are being saved. God’s word is powerful.
12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
When God’s Word is read and heard and examined, it changes lives. All of this has stirred up the whole city, many of the people are believing and repenting of their sins and many of the religious leaders are upset by the message that Peter and John are proclaiming. So they bring Peter and John before them to question them.
5 On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”
And notice what happens.
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Peter proclaims the gospel message clear and straight forward, that there is salvation in no other, than Jesus Christ. It doesn’t come by doing good deeds, by doing more good and bad, by church attendance, by anything else but by trusting in the name of Jesus. That is the simple truth of the gospel, it is a simple faith, a faith like that of a child, in only Jesus, to to redeem us from our sins.
That is the amazing thing about Jesus, he keeps things simple, man is the one that wants to make things complicated, Jesus was proclaiming His message through simple unlearned fisherman, He didn’t call the highly educated to tell his story but he called common men, just like you and me.
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14 But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.
That is what Jesus can do in us as well, we can share the truth about Jesus, we can pray for those around us, we can be a light in a dark world. Will we receive opposition to that Good News? Probably, the apostles did.
15 But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, 16 saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” 18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
But our response should be just like Peter and John’s.
19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” 21 And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.
We may very well receive opposition when we tell others about Jesus from some, but we also may see others come to know Him in a personal way. Is that not worth the risk, how will others know unless we who know Christ personally tell them?
As we move into this time of communion, let us take some time to examine our hearts, to allow Jesus to examine our hearts. Are we allowing Him to work in and through us? Are we listening to His voice, are we obeying His promptings?
Why do we take Communion or the Lord’s Supper or what ever name you choose to use for it? It is a time of reflection, of examination of our hearts, our motives our minds.
In a moment I will ask the elders to come up to the front and serve the juice and the bread. When you are ready you can come up the center aisle and partake and then return back around to the outside. Anyone that has accepted the gift of salvation that Jesus freely gives is welcome to partake, it has nothing to do with belonging to a church but solely upon your relationship with the Lord. It does come with a warning that we need to heed.
27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.
While there is a warning to not take communion lightly, it is open to all that have taken that step of faith and trusted Jesus for their salvation.
23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Have elders come to serve.
So let us take some time to allow the Lord to examine our hearts and then celebrate His gift to us and the redemption for our sins that He freely offers.
Communion
closing song