Sans Souci Baptist Church

The Little Things
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”  And the Lord answered, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you. 

Which of you whose servant comes in from plowing or shepherding in the field will say to him, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? Instead, won’t he tell him, ‘Prepare my meal and dress yourself to serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you may eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what he was told? So you also, when you have done everything commanded of you, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” (Luke 17:5-10) 

Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will entrust you with true riches? And if you have not been faithful with the belongings of another, who will give you belongings of your own? 

No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. (Luke 16:10-13)

The Parable of the Mustard Seed
Jesus said, “To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.” 
(Mark 4:30-34)

The tiny mustard seed symbolises the small beginnings of the early Church when Jesus planted the seed of the Gospel in the hearts of all who would accept His message. The growth of the mustard seed into a large tree represents the tremendous growth of His Church which is continually being nurtured by the Holy Spirit. The large branches and the creatures that dwell in its shade, represent the spread of the Church across the face of the earth, calling all men to salvation in Christ Jesus. 

The lessons are:
- Do not dismiss small beginnings.
- The Kingdom of God is continually growing.
- The Kingdom of God is always available for rest, refuge and shelter, peace and protection.    

The Father's Heart
And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”  Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”  And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.  But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.”  And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock,  and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by.  Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”  (Ex 33:17-24)  

The Lord said to Moses, “Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to me on the top of the mountain. No one shall come up with you, and let no one be seen throughout all the mountain. Let no flocks or herds graze opposite that mountain.”  

So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first. And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand two tablets of stone. The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”  

And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. And he said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.”  And he said, “Behold, I am making a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels, such as have not been created in all the earth or in any nation. And all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the Lord, for it is an awesome thing that I will do with you. (Ex 34:1-10)

Finishing The Race Well
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.  (Heb 12:1-3)  

Join me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. A soldier refrains from entangling himself in civilian affairs, in order to please the one who enlisted him. Likewise, a competitor does not receive the crown unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to partake of the crops. Consider what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all things. 

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David, as proclaimed by my gospel, for which I suffer to the extent of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained! For this reason I endure all things for the sake of the elect, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. (2 Timothy 2:3–10)

In this episode, grounded in Philippians 1:1-9, Nathan Reid analyses the nature of partnership in Christian mission. The message establishes that mission originates from God himself and that the church was formed specifically for this purpose in the world. Reid defines the biblical concept of fellowship (koinonia) not as an institutional agreement, but as a profound collective commitment characterised by shared prayer, mutual support in adversity, and genuine affection. The sermon also emphasises the individual calling for each person to act as God's "masterpiece", with the continuous objective of reflecting the character of Christ in society.

Waiting On God
I will stand at my guard post and station myself on the watchtower; and I will keep watch to see what He will say to me, and how I may reply when I am reprimanded.

Then the LORD answered me and said, “Write down the vision and inscribe it clearly on tablets, so that one who reads it may run. 3 “For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it hurries toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it delays, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay long. 

“Behold, as for the impudent one, his soul is not right within him; but the righteous one will live by his faith.  “Furthermore, wine betrays an arrogant man, so that he does not achieve his objective. He enlarges his appetite like Sheol, and he is like death, never satisfied. He also gathers to himself all the nations and collects to himself all the peoples. (Habakkuk 2:1-5)

{Habakkuk Chapter 1 & 2 describe the prophet's intense dialogue with God regarding the apparent injustice in the world, and the triumph of wickedness over righteousness. As Habakkuk waits for an answer, God assures him that though justice may be delayed, it will not be denied. Judgement is surely coming upon the wicked!}

Wrestling With God
Habakkuk was a prophet that wrestled with God. He brought his concerns and questions before God in prayer. God's answer was not the answer he was expecting. Likewise we need to persevere in faith, when our situation doesn't match up with what we expect God might do, and refusing to let go until the answer comes.  (Habakkuk 1:1-2:1)

A Divine Encounter
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go south to the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official in charge of the entire treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his return was sitting in his chariot reading Isaiah the prophet.

The Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to that chariot and stay by it.” So Philip ran up and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. “How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 

The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture from Isaiah 53:
“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so He did not open His mouth. In His humiliation He was deprived of justice. Who can recount His descendants? For His life was removed from the earth.” 

“Tell me,” said the eunuch, “who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” Then Philip began with this very Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As they traveled along the road and came to some water, the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is there to prevent me from being baptized?” And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. 

When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing. But Philip appeared at Azotus and traveled through that region, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he came to Caesarea.   (Acts 8:26-40)

Here Is Your God!
Nik Karanakis unpacks Isaiah 40:1-11 which heralds the coming of the Messiah. A message of abounding Hope.

Jesus reveals Himself to each one of us as a Shepherd who is gathering His Flock. Jesus laid down His life for the sheep and He calls us to lay down our life for Him. If you are willing to die to self and take up your cross, you will find the life that He promised. Real life, Real power, Real peace, and Real Joy that is not linked to your own circumstances.  

JESUS - Our Comforter, our Saviour, Very Son of God, and The Power of God.

Greater Together
Jesus prayed in John 17, that believers may be one, just as He and the Father are one. Members of His church are to be like-minded, striving to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. The death and resurrection of Christ brought together different people of diverse culture and upbringing, into one body. Paul speaking by the Holy Spirit describes the church as a human body with different parts, working together to carry out God's will on Earth, just as it is in Heaven. (1 Cor 12:12-26) 

An important role of the Holy Spirit is to develop unity in the Body of Christ. He will lead if we listen and obey His promptings, focusing on God and not ourselves. As we walk in the Spirit and remain connected to Jesus the 'True Vine' we naturally manifest the fruits of the Spirit. 

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us walk in step with the Spirit. (Gal 5:22-25)