Church in the Peak

Hannah spoke from Matthew 4 about Jesus being tempted in the wilderness.To read Hannah's notes, in PDF format, click here.

Phil continued his preaching on Grace, looking again at Psalm 51.

The catalyst of grace1 Peter 2 v 4 – 10 Living Stones for God’s House 4You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honour. 5And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests.[a] Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. 6 As the Scriptures say, “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem,[b]     chosen for great honour, and anyone who trusts in him     will never be disgraced.”[c] 7 Yes, you who trust him recognize the honour God has given him.[d] But for those who reject him, “The stone that the builders rejected     has now become the cornerstone.”[e] 8And, “He is the stone that makes people stumble,     the rock that makes them fall.”[f] They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them. 9But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests,[g] a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. 10“Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy. Now you have received God’s mercy.  Hosea 2 v 23 At that time, I will plant a crop of Israelites  And raise them for myself. I will show love to those I called “Not loved.” And those I called “Not my people.” I will say “Now you are my people” and they will reply, “You are our God.””  Romans 2 v 4 Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean NOTHING to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?  •Living stones – gifts: discipling, teaching, prophetic, mercy, hospitality, wisdom etc. •Royal  •Priests •Bowl of rotting fruit •Grace – “Nothing less than the death of God can save me.” •Trigger of “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy. Now you have received God’s mercy.” •We have all the gifts our Father wants to give us. We now want the outpouring of his grace to set us apart and motivate us to tell the world around us. We are a movement to see the world around us saved. Grace is the answer. •Grace- Be convinced of the faithfulness, kindness and power of God •Grace – Believe that Nothing less than the death of God can save me. •Grace- He loves me unconditionally •Grace – It is by his Holy Spirit that I will know this •Grace – To forgive and receive forgiveness. Questions 1.What motivates you to share the love of Jesus?  2.Have you reflected on the grace that saved you and allowed the Holy Spirit to apply the love of Jesus to you, recently? 3.Pray for each other that the Holy Spirit will reveal himself again to you. 4.As a living stone, where do you fit in His building? 

Following on from two amazing baptisms, Steve explained the importance of the resurrection and the secret message contained in Jelly Babies.

Phil continued the theme of his preach from last week, reminding us that God wants our hearts. The Clean Heart When David turned to God in repentance he was certain of the outcome that he would be clean and be whiter than snow  [7] Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.https://bible.com/bible/116/psa.51.7.NLT Our practice speak louder than our words and our practice reflects your heartEven though David sinned he still had a Heart after God so for him to turn to God was not difficult.  Are there any practices you may need to change to reflect your heart towards God? Living a life of integrity, looks like this - you are honest and firm in your moral principles. What Integrity do you have ?What would others say about your Integrity ? Romans 8:32 NLT[32] Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?https://bible.com/bible/116/rom.8.32.NLT Victory over our struggle with sin and self  is one of the “all things” that God has promised to give to you.  God's plan is for us to live in the good of the everything else he has planned and promised to us 1 Peter 1:13-23 NLT Peter tells us of the cost of our salvation encouraging us to live Holy lives  John Piper“Purity of heart is to will one thing, namely, God’s truth and God’s value in everything we do. The aim of the pure heart is to align itself with the truth of God and magnify the worth of God. If you want to be pure in heart, pursue God with utter single-mindedness. Purity of heart is to Will that one thing”.

Phil outlines where God is leading us next.Clean Heart Stained Carpet - Our efforts not good enough the remove the stains Psalm 51 David's prayer of repentance There is a Back story to this Psalm - 2 Samuel 11What's your Backstory ? Psalm 32 - Another about David's response to his sin Verse 1 -5 QuestionsWhere do you see yourself in this story , does it apply to your life ?How do the 2 Psalms instruct and help us ? David's sin occurred because he lost Integrity and failed to Guard his heartWhat can we do to Guard our Hearts and maintain our integrity ? We can understand and learn from David's Mistake 

Click here to view Peter's slides (in PDF format).Mothering Sunday.Return to your mother church where you remember your salvation.Time to celebrate Character of GodHow do you picture God?Father. Austere. Loving, but protective.Commanding.Needs sacrificeGod is love. Love is......God’s good news is that he loves you on your good days as much as he loves you on your bad days. He loves you when you can feel his love, and he loves you when you can’t seem to feel his love. He loves you whether or not you think you deserve his love. Rick warrenCreativeWho is creative?He made them, in his image, male and female. So he must have both characteristics‭‭Deuteronomy 32:11Like an eagle that rouses her chicks and hovers over her young, so he spread his wings to take them up and carried them safely on his pinions.‭‭Luke 15:8-10 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbours and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”‭‭Psalms 22:9-10Yet you brought me safely from my mother’s womb and led me to trust you at my mother’s breast. I was thrust into your arms at my birth. You have been my God from the moment I was born.‭‭Psalms 71:6Yes, you have been with me from birth; from my mother’s womb you have cared for me. No wonder I am always praising you!The Bible shows that Jesus was full of gentleness, tenderness, kindness, compassion, peace, courage, and patience.Holy spirit, the comforter and counsellor.Peace, doveThe image of God as mother may sound radical to some, but it's not new. The prophet Isaiah describes God as a woman in labour‭‭Isaiah 42:14For a long time I have held my peace; I have kept still and restrained myself; now I will cry out like a woman in labour; I will gasp and pant.and as a mother who nurses and comforts her child (66:10-13).‭‭Isaiah 66:9-13Moses reminds God that he is the mother of the people he is leading. He is the one who conceived them, gave them birth, and carried them, and nursed them.‭‭Numbers 11:11-12 Moses said to the Lord, “Why have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favour in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing child,’ to the land that you swore to give their fathers? John 3:3–8 – Jesus points to imagery that the God the Spirit gives birth to us. Only those who are born by the Spirit (and of water) are able to come into the Kingdom. Today we remember the value of our mothers But it's also important that we remember the motherhood nature of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is not as outrageous as it may first seem.If we don't focus on the motherhood nature of God we miss out on half of his characteristics.1 Peter 2:2–3 – “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Sarah looks at those niggling areas that we need to give to God to resolve. 

Vicki spoke about the lessons God had taught her when she was (physically) in a miry pit. Psalm 40:1-2

Sometimes in our lives we feel that God is distant and has forgotten about us and is far away from us, our prayers are bouncing off the ceiling and we are alone dealing with a situation. We can get frustrated and angry or disappointed with God and take things into our own hands to try and get them sorted out – most often with disastrous results! We only need to read the Psalms to remind ourselves how honest David was with GodPsalm 102Psalm 13We all feel like this from time to time in our lives. Hagar (OT)God has already promised to Abram that he will be the father of many nations Genesis 15:2-5Genesis 16:1–15According to the prevailing culture of the day if a wife was barren (which was a sign of gods displeasure) she could offer her servant as a surrogate mother to her husband so Sarai gave Hagar to Abram and she became pregnant. This caused jealousy and arguments and such ill treatment of Hagar that she runs away into the desert. Abram and Sarai took things into their own hands rather than waiting on God. Waiting is hard – and yet that place is where God would stretch our faith and trust in him to deliver what he has promised – It's a hard lesson.Hagar was out of Sarai and Abrams eyes but she wasn't out of God sight – she encountered God in the desert – Notice God knows her name and exactly who she isv8This is an amazing story of God's grace as God's covenant is with Abram and Sarai and yet we have here an Egyptian slave with no rights who God sees, directs and names her son. She is the first person in the bible to receive a visit from the angel of the Lord and her baby is the first baby named by God whilst still in the womb. Hagar comes to know God, who sees her and is invited into a relationship with the living God – something she believed was only for Abram and Sarai – and in doing so reveals part of Gods very character – Jehovah EL ROI – "I am the God who sees you" This is a wonderful story of God's heart for all men and women. However, there are consequences to Abrams actions which he has during his lifetime with Ishmael – Hagar's son which we are still struggling with today.Phil Moore in his commentary says:"...Whenever we hear news reports of fighting between Jews and Arabs over who should control Palestine, we are hearing the echo of what happened between Abram and Hagar"In the midst of our mess God's grace is wonderful – He is Jehovah El Roi – the God who sees you!The second person I want to look at is Nathanael (NT) John 1:43-51The Chosen – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAbwGTcPA_kJesus is God and therefore is the God who sees – he sees Nathanael under the fig tree in despair and his plight is not ignoredv48 Notice that Nathanael cries "DO YOU SEE ME" and quotes Psalm 102 which we started with today – Jehovah El ROI – I am the God who SEES – what a wonderful revelation to Nathanael – so much so that he immediately declares " Rabbi you are the son of God- the King Of Israel"God watches over you, he knows your situation, he knows the trial you are going through, your concerns and your fears – Even when you are at your lowest ebb and its 4.00am and you feel all alone He loves you and he wants the best for you – always to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:13) – Jesus is always moved with compassion in our lowest moments when we cry out to him – he is Jehovah EL ROI – the God who seesPsalm 33:12-22Questions1. Why do you think we take things into our own hands so often? What stops us trusting God?2. What about the similarities and differences between Hagar and Nathanael's situations? What does this show us about God?3. How does the fact that God is the God who sees us help me in my daily life?4.

Steve spoke about worship and what it means to us. 

Slides (PDF) As we start this new year of 2024 how you view 2023? We had a good year but both Ruth and I have struggled with infections etc. I got a bit depressed, the weight of the world on my shoulders. I accepted I needed help and sought prayer. I also spent time listening to Christian music. “I just speak the name of Jesus” stood out.We get a lot more discouragements than encouragements. How can we best deal with all the discouragements? Hebrews 10:22-25Thinking about encouragement, A farmer gets his animals to market by walking behind them carrying a long sharp stick, occassionally prodding them to get them to move forward.How can we define encouragement?The Greek word is parakletos - it describes not only giving comfort to someone but also involves exhortation, urging, and strengthening. The NT verb encourage can also mean “to comfort, cheer up, console or speak in a friendly manner”.Jesus uses this verb in John 14:26 where he calls the Holy Spirit our helper our advocate, or as J B Phillips paraprashed it “someone to stand by you”The ministry of encouragement is standing with one another, sometimes being the one who can reach down to help others who are struggling and sometimes being willing to reach up and accept the hand that is reaching down to help us.This is more than a quick “hello how are you”. It is a willingness to stand with one another so that as a church community we are all-in and involved, not scrutinizing and criticising but affirming and strengthening. I came across this quote about being members of a Church“The church humbles us as it’s one of those places in society today where we sit togther … as we focus on one simple objective to give praise and worship to Jesus and our loving heavenly father.”Jesus teaches and shares many commands about “one another” these include encourage one another, love one another (John 13:34-35), welcome one another (Romans 15:7), confess your sins to one another (James 5:16-18). The gospel calls us to step out of our comfort zone as we respond to Jesus’s call to follow Him, to do what he is doing, listen to His prompting, be willing to do what he prompts, share what he gives us and go where he directs.How can we grow in encouraging one another?By meeting and sharing time around worship and studying the bible – community groups. If you aren’t part of a group, talk to one of the elders or email the church.Romans 1:12For those who have shared this morning – thankyou – for those who thought about sharing something that God showed you but didn't, I would say two things – if you have something during the week write it down and share it either with your group leader or one of the elders. Secondly just be willing to come to the front and share with whoever is leading the meeting and trust their judgement.What other things could be doneAsk God who you should seek to encourage and pray for. And do it.Share stories of how Jesus gets us through life – triumphs and disasters. This encourages one another.Some other practical ways•Thank each of the Elders for what they do in leading the church•Send messages of encouragement or a simple how are you doing today?•Be willing to spend time listening to those who are struggling•Use your gifts or helping as God would prompt you.•Work alongside someone else by offering to prepare and lead your community group or get involved with an Alpha course or a bible study•Arrange to visit, go for a coffee or share a meal together•Share a kind word for we never know what someone else is feeling or going through. Allow the Holy Spirit to prompt you and be brave enough to share whatever he gives you.Hebrews 10:22-25

Serving Jesus and serving the communityJeremiah 29:1- 14These are famous often quoted verses. Looking at the context will help us gain the full blessing of the verses and encourage us to serve wherever we are whether in church, home or work.ContextThe Jewish nation had split into two kingdoms and Jeremiah is speaking to the Judah nation. The Jews had built idols and turned away from God. They were taken away by Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon. In modern geography we would call Babylon part of Iraq.It would have shocked the Jews who received the “letter from God” written in the hand of Jeremiah because they believed it was their evil enemy who had captured and exile them. This letter clearly declares it is God himself who put them in the hands of the Babylonians.Now the plan of the Babylonians was to bring all the talented Jews to Babylon and then get them to conform to the Babylonian culture and in so doing have a military, moral and cultural victory.The Almighty’s plan was to use the most talented Jewish people to cause the Babylonians to turn from their wicked ways and worship him and repent and if they don’t, He will send judgement on the Babylonians rescue the Jews and bring them back to Jerusalem.How many of us have come from many different areas, lands?We have all come from different lands, but God wants us to make where we live our homes even though we are all exiles or resident aliens in this land.The jobs we do have brought us to Derbyshire, the families we have married into have brought us to Derbyshire, there are many and various reasons why we are in Derbyshire.The culture we live in is often secular, often morally challenging, sometimes physically challenging.God is saying make you home among the people who live here.Work with the people who live here “And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.”Acts 17:27-28We are to serve where we live and work. But the issue is what is our heart attitude?Jesus came to serve us and did so by not just washing the feet of his disciples but also coming to serve us by taking our punishment on the cross. Our service should not be for our own gain either financially or egotistically. We live in a world that is me, me, me orientated. Be orientated to serve people around you. That is what it is like to be Christ like and the more we serve the more Christ like we can become. If you want to have promotion in the Kingdom of God, you serve.10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 11 Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.Questions1.     How did you come to be living, working and in church? Now you are where you are, do you feel the grace and peace of God where you are?2.     Do you feel you are able to pray for peace (shalom) in your work and living area? Do you have a clear strategy? Discuss and pray together your circumstances and how this can improve.3.     Do you see your role as serving your neighbours and working colleagues?4.     Where would you like to serve in the future?5.     Ensure you remember that the promise of God is - For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. 14 I will be found by you,” says the Lord.

Peter spoke at our special Dedication Service.

The Samaritan Woman - John 4:4-26https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ordhsDeAt60Jesus  reveals for the first time that he is the Messiah – not to the Jews or the Pharisees or Sadducees but to a Samaritan woman who has led a colourful life. He is breaking all social and religious norms in the process and blowing apart any pre conceived ideas about who Jesus came to save!Phil Moore: “John shows us in the first few chapters of this book that devout Jews are not good enough to be accepted, he now adds that wicked Samaritans are not bad enough to be rejected”When Jews travelled from Judah to Galilee they would go the long way round across the Jordan River rather than go through Samaria. Rabbis were not allowed to speak to women in public including their own wives under Jewish law – and yet here is Jesus meeting a woman in public, in Samaria, telling her that he is the living water she needs to change her life forever! This is a wonderful gospel moment giving us all hope – all can receive God’s spirit – no longer just in the temple but now he lives in our hearts – This is the gospel message in a nutshell!For Jews the temple in Jerusalem is the place of worship – “The Holy of Holies” and  “The Holy Place” – Only accessible by the High Priest/Priests - Behind the great curtain separating God’s Holy presence from sinful people – this was 60’ high, 30’ wide and 6” thick! Then there was the Court Of Israel for men and a wall, then the Court of Women and a wall and then outside the actual temple was the Court of Gentiles – that’s where we would be, as far away from God as is possible! BUT Jesus coming changes everything!Hebrews 10:11-12So what happens? Matthew 27:45-46v50-52The curtain had to come down because it hindered access to God’s presence. Jesus came to restore our RELATIONSHIP to God – access is no longer in a building, it’s in your heart by the power of the Holy Spirit  - Christ in you the Hope of Glory (Colossians 1) – no matter who you are – Worship him in Spirit and Truth. v14FRESH – Daily refreshed by the Holy Spirit – bringing life to us daily – A fresh touch  from Jesus every dayHow do you feel this morning? Fresh or dry? Full of life or not? Same old Church week in week out- nothing changes?We pray – Come Holy Spirit – Have your way – Do we really mean it – what are our expectations when we pray that? Let’s expect him to come in power and change things – this womans life was changed forever by one meeting with Jesus and yet we can meet with him every day.Whatever we need is met in Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit – If we are dry we need Fresh Water – Why? Because we leak, live in a fallen world, sin daily and need fresh water to empower us – We need a fresh start just as the Samaritan woman!v23What does the Holy Spirit do?John 16:13He guides us into truth by revealing Jesus and witnesses with our spirit that we are sons and daughters of God Romans 8:16TRUTH – Brings us into all truthWITNESS – Our spirit witnesses with the Holy SpiritDISCERNMENT – Truth instead of lies – Discerning of SpiritsSo what’s the result of this encounter?v39To finish - a reading from the Book of Mysteries by Jonathan Cahn – The RuachQuestions1.How did your spirit react when you watched the clip?2.Remember your own conversion – How did you feel and how do you feel now looking back?3.How does this story open up the scriptures and specifically about the temple and worship and our hearts?4.Discuss the reading “The Ruach” – what can we lear

At the beginning of our week of prayer, Dave spoke on prayer.

Phil continued our series on the values of the church, looking at the importance of prayer.

Andrew spoke about the fact that we are storytellers, telling God's story in our lives. He also outlined a number of 'head-problems' that the enemy uses to try to stop us from sharing our stories. 

Does money make you happy? Google – 766m hitsThere are 2,350 verses about money in the bible – More than those on faith and prayer combined!Tithing is an OT principalLeviticus 27:30/32 In Malachi God has an argument with Israel because of their tithe and its quality! God declared that it is not right.Tithing in the OT was mandatory, part of the Jewish Law and culture, but they recognised that everything came from God, the provider of life and sustenance.In the NT Jesus brings a different perspective – Jesus affirms the practice of tithing (Matt 23:23) but he also urges us to think about justice, mercy and faith rather than just the law.Matthew 23:23It is all about what is in your heart.  It’s not about following the letter of the law, it's giving out of a heart in love with God.Luke 18:10-14 Jesus continually teaches us it's not your outward actions that count. We can't earn God’s favour by our works – it’s all by grace – We are justified by our faith in Jesus and recognising we are sinners that need to be saved by GRACE!!Mark 12:41-44When we give, do we hold back? Do I give as an act of obligation or of worship? The Widow dared to love God, to have faith that he would provide, to give it all. Do we have that attitude?God owns everything anyway!J John – God owns all the doughnutshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I03Jlj4-ZQYThe question for us – what are you going to do with yours? What if God said give your 9 away. That’s where faith comes into play – God will provide all my needs!Proverbs 3:5,9&10God’s promise to us. Trusts God and rely on his promises!Three areas to be careful about in thinking about money1.    Your treasureMatthew 6:21 “that wherever our treasure is – that is where our heart will be” Conversely – where our heart is, that’s where our treasure will be.2.    PrideGod owns everything,  we are stewards of what he entrusts us with – Pride can enter our hearts and we believe that we OWN what we EARN – because we deserve it! Ezekiel 28:4-5 ITS MINE is the cry of our selfish heart  - It can so easily become our possession, our right and precious!3.     The Enemy.He is a liar from the beginning and will lie to you about everything including your money, possessions and heart attitudes.A:  He will say - It’s your money. You earned it. You spend it. You deserve it!Truth - All we have is God’s – we are stewards - he owns all the doughnuts!B: He will tell you that you won’t have enough for yourself if you give it away!Truth – Generosity of heart enables God to give us moreProverbs 11:25C: He will tell you that God will not provide for you and that God is not interested in your financial situation!Truth – God cares for every part of your lifeMatthew 6:25v33Have faith v30. This is the key.Luke 6:38God’s heart for us: He is not a God that gives us just enough, he is generous and extravagant in all he does for us -he wants us to have the same heart“Freely you have received – freely give” Matt 10:8You cannot out give God.Pray about money and ask God how much to give – he will often give you a specific amount. This is how the church works: love each other through giving and sharing doughnuts!Questions1.     How do you feel about giving after this talk?2.     Has anything helped in understanding the biblical principals involved here?3.     How do you feel about praying and asking God if he wants to use any of your doughnuts this week?4.     What is your fear when it comes to money and finance?

Dave spoke about the power of the Gospel to lift burdens.