05 Oct 2025 Sunday Morning Service
The Importance of Listening to God's Word with an Open Heart: The text emphasizes listening to God's word not to find fault, as the Pharisees and scribes did, but with an open heart, so it can bring about change.
- Galatians 6:17: "Henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." (This verse is presented as a meditation point, highlighting Paul's testimony of bearing the marks of Christ.)
- Bearing the Marks of the Lord Jesus: The core message revolves around having the "marks of the Lord Jesus" in one's body as a testimony. This is not about physical marks but a spiritual transformation.
- Galatians 6:17: (As above) "for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus."
- The First Mark: The Sign of the Birth of Jesus: This refers to Jesus being born of a virgin, signifying a life undefiled by the world.
- Isaiah 7:14: "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."
- The Role of the Holy Spirit in Forming Christ Within Us: The text stresses that the Holy Spirit is essential for Jesus Christ to be formed within a person, just as the Holy Spirit enabled Mary's conception.
- Luke 1:35: (Implied through the explanation of Mary's conception by the Holy Spirit) "And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."
- Luke 11:13: (Used to illustrate asking the Father for the Spirit) "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?"
- The Second Mark: The Sign of the Birth of Jesus (Humility and Temperance): This mark is symbolized by the baby Jesus being wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed in a manger, representing humility and a life not defiled by worldly "smells" or sin.
- Luke 2:12: "And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."
- The Third Mark: The Sign of the Blood of Jesus: This refers to the cleansing power of Jesus' blood, which removes all differences (like race or status) and protects from the destroyer.
- Exodus 12:13: "And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you: and the plague shall not be in you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt."
- 1 Corinthians 10:17: (Implied through the unity in Christ's blood) "For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are partakers of that one bread." (The text speaks of unity and no differences after being washed by the blood).
- Discipline as a Mark of Christ: The folded grave clothes of Jesus after his resurrection are presented as a sign of a disciplined life.
- John 20:7: (Implied through the description of the folded clothes) "And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself."
The context also mentions Ezekiel 16 and Ezekiel 9:4 in relation to the "smell" of sin and the mark of those who sigh and cry for abominations, but these are not directly quoted as verses within the provided text.