The consequences of unforgiveness ( Luke 23 v 34 )

     One of the things I see as I read history  is that nations history, is similar to individual
     histories,in the area of forgiveness. What I mean but by that is,as many individuals
     refuse to forgive wrongs committed against them , nations will not forgive.When
     the first war ended, France was more concerned with punishing Germany than forgiving it.
     The victors at the treaty of  Versailles burdened Germany  severe financially repayments,
     it all paved the way for German  militarism in the 1930s ,and  eventually of Hitler and the
     Nazi party,and all the horror that brought. If only there had been a more forgiving attitude
     I believe things could have been different. We all need to to realise that unforgiveness  has
     serious consequences, our Saviour was not exaggerating when he told one of His disciples
     that we are called on to forgive always,continually ( Matthew 18 v 22}. That is what God does,
     how many sins have we all committed, I dread to think ,but our amazing God through
     our wonderful Saviour He forgive us everything. So much would be so different and better ,if
     we would forgive others,this also includes nations.

                                                      To err is human
                                                       To forgive is divine.

Friendship ( Proverbs 18 v 24 )

           I received a Christmas parcel  from the wife of a couple I have  known for years, her husband
           was a minister,he is a person I admired much.We had some good times together, we used to
           play table tennis,he usually won. His Christian background was that of ,'The Brethren', that
           gave him a great grounding in the scripture,and  also presented him with opportunities to
           develop a preaching ministry. We met at Bible college,although on reflection I don't think he
           needed Bible college training,not all people do,I did, and most people do.He always had a very
           good library of Christian books,now he has a very large library,in contrast mine is small,but it
           is growing.Now my friend is feeble,and hard of hearing,and suffers from diabetes,still I know
           if I met up with him today,we would start up where we left off. Most of us value friendship,
            but of course sin has distorted humanity,we are not as sociable as we will be in eternity.In                   heaven  everyone will be our friend,for there will be no class,or  racial, or social
           distinctions.and we will love everyone with a perfect love. As our Saviour walked among
           humanity,He loved the unlovely,the marginalised , yes He loved Judas who sold Him out,He
           even loved Peter who denied Him, He even loved a thief hanging on a cross,and as the old
           hymn says,''He spoke to him words of compassion and took him to Paradise,and wonder of ,
           wonders He loves you ,and yes He even loves me.

                                                                       Jesus
                                           He is my Lord,my Saviour, and my best Friend.
                               

Don't nod off . ( Genesis 2 v 2 )

       While travelling home recently,I was stuck in a lot of traffic,we where all moving very slowly,
       so there was a lot of breaking and starting,it is times like that,that I am glad I have an automatic.
       but  I was tired.Now you can guess what happened, I dozed off, and gently hit the car in front,
       the driver got out to see the damage,but thankfully there was none,he signalled that all was well,
       then got back into his car. You may asked why had I not taken a brake? ,I had , but it still
       happened.There was a\ reason why I was tired,not enough sleep, yes I will have to be more
       disciplined in going to bed at a more reasonable time.There is an old saying which goes,' You
       cant burn the candle at both ends',and that's true as I found out.We need sleep,it is important,
       that seems obvious,but unfortunately we do not practise it.there are many reasons for this,
       whatever the reason we need to put this into practise.There are many things of course we need
       to put into practise,but let us practise one thing at a time.

                                                                 A  prayer.
                             Dear Lord help to see the importance of rest and
                             sleep,and grant us the grace we need to put this
                             into practise, in Jesus name   Amen

Pure gold ( Hebrews 4 v 15 )

             It is Michael Wilcock who describes King Hezekiah as this golden boy,there is no doubt
             that he was a very good king, but it is obvious that he was not pure gold. I was listening
            to a program on the radio, and a lady was expressing her view's about Prince Harry's forth
             coming wedding to what would be known as a commoner,she said how it made the royal
            family ordinary just like us. As one looks at the history of  kings and queens it does appear
            that many did think they were more than ordinary.They saw themselves as Gods anointed
            separate from  those they ruled, The Japaneses Emperor was considered divine, how
            unlike Jesus,who was God manifest in the flesh ,we read He became poor,most monarchs
            are very wealthy.They don't live in common dwellings,but in palaces    ,often they enjoyed
            much while those they ruled went hungry,one queen is thought to have said as regards her
            hungry citizens,let them eat cake.Even king Solomon's son Rehoboam when ask to make it
            easier for those he ruled,said he was going to make it harder  ( 2 Chron  10) When Jesus
            came to earth ,he identified with the poor and lowly,he declared Himself to be a servant.
            He healed the sick,fed the hungry,sought out those on the margin's of society,and instead
            of ignoring humanities greatest need,their sinful condition ,He took it upon Himself,to deal
           it,when He died on Calvary,sin can be forgiven,sin can be overcome.

                                                Unlike Hezekiah who was not                     
                                                pure gold,Jesus was pure gold.
           
         
         

All good things. ( Matthew 6 v 24 )

      Well it is all over,as the saying goes, 'all good things came to an end', we will soon be taking down our Christmas tree,and putting away the decorations. But for many it is not quite over,the sales have begun,even though we have received so much we will want more,and so it goes on.Let us remember the words of Jesus ,''Watch out,be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life
does not consist in the abundance of his possessions'' (Luke 12 v 15 ).Oh yes I like things ,I like having nice clothes, I am grateful to God for the way He has blessed me, I could tell you about all
 my possessions.But I know that they are only borrowed,  we only have a loan of them,there comes a time when we all will leave them behind.And it's then if we know the Lord that we enter into true riches,yes enjoy what God has given you,but remember those who are less fortunate,the first thing the wise men did when they came to Jesus was they worshipped Him,and then they gave Him their
 gifts,for after all God wants us ,He wants our love, loyalty,faithfulness,our worship.     

                                                        Remember.
                          When you have Jesus ,you have more wealth,in
                           your soul,than acres of diamonds,and mountains
                          of  Gold.

   


                                     

Jesus. ( John 3 v 16 )

              I love reading I read fictional  and non fictional books,fictional are written out of the authors
              imagination,non fictional, like historical are usually based on historical fact.So it is like
              Christmas,so much that fictional ,at the expense of the non fictional,and unfortunately the
              the non fictional has taken over,and that is very serious.For it practically blots out the real
              meaning of Christmas,and that is very serious,instead of a Saviour we have Santa,instead
             of  of us focusing on the eternal Christ we focus on temporal things.So let me mention
             briefly the true meaning of Christmas  ,Christ,simple,yet true,Immanuel God with us,
             also called Jesus which means a Saviour,for we are all sinners and everyone of us needs a
             Saviour who is Christ the Lord.
                       
                                     Please do not miss the true meaning of the season

Pride . ( Proverb 8 v 13 )

                 Another aspect of Chronicles can be summed up,in the following statement ,in
                 relation to the kings.'' He who seeks the Lord will be blessed, while he who
                 abandons the Lord ,will be abandoned ''is is the reality as regards Israels leaders,
                 And so it appears,that as long as Uzziah sought the Lord,God gave him success,
                 (  2 Chronicles 26 v 5 )Uzziah was a great king,accomplished so much,but then
                 we read how that when he became powerful, and from them on things deteriorated,
                 pride took over. Here is what the word of God has to say about pride
                                                  Pride goes  before destruction,
                                                  a haughty spirit before a fall
                                                  Better to be lowly in spirit and
                                                  among the oppressed
                                                  than to share plunder with the
                                                  proud.
                                                         ( Proverbs 16 v 18-19 )
                Pride brought this godly king down, it can so easy bring all of us down, we  need
                to heed the destructiveness of sin. John Bunyan that godly man wrote.
                                                    He that is down needs fear no fall,
                                                    He that is low, no pride;
                                                    He that is humble ever shall
                                                    Have God to be his guide.
               
   

Weakness. ( 2 Corinthians 12 v 7 - 10 )

        I am studying the book of  Chronicles the writer Michael Wilcock, commenting on the kings
        who ruled the southern kingdom ,(Judah),  points out the following,when they were weak they
        were strong,and when they were strong they were weak. People say the most important thing
        is good health,the apostle Paul suffered from a serious health issue,that did not go away, yes
        he prayed much about it ,asking for Gods  healing touch,and it did not happen. No one likes
        an on going health problem,or any ongoing problems and yet you have prayed often
        about it, time after time, to no avail,the fact is God permits certain things to remain in our
        lives. the purpose in Paul's life was, to keep him humble.Whatever the reason for our weakness
        is that we rely on God, and rely on Him, and rely on Him,just as Paul had to. He also began to
        realise Gods purpose,and truly did discover that Gods grace was sufficient , to such  extent
        that as the Message puts it, ''he quit focusing on the hardships and began appreciating  the
        gift'',that they were serving a good purpose in his life.In spite of  his weakness ,he was
        experiencing the strength he needed.

                                                            A prayer.
                              Dear Lord  help us in our weaknesses,grant unto
                              us the grace, to not only cope, but to so experience
                              your grace,that we truly can say that your grace
                              is sufficient, Amen.
     

Jesus ( Philippians 2 v 5 -11 )

 
             ''Everything in Christ astonishes me ,His spirit overawes me, and his will confounds me.
             Between him and whoever else in the world,there is no possible term of comparison.He
             is truly a being by himself......I search in vain  in history to find the similar to Jesus Christ
             or anything which can approach the gospel. Neither  history, nor humanity, nor the ages
             nor nature, offer me anything with which I am able to compare it or to explain it. Here
             everything is extraordinary''.

                                                             Napoleon.
         
            And He will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of
                                                              Peace
                                                       (  Isaiah 9 v 6 )
                                 And you are to give him the name Jesus,because
                                 he will his people from their sins

                                                       ( Matthew 1 v 21 )

                                                             

The tree and the curse. ( Isaiah 53 )

          It is that time of  the year again when the Christmas tree goes up, it was Prince Albert
          Queen Victoria's  husband who introduced the Christmas tree into this country. Has it
          anything to do with the actual Christmas event ?.It is a tree, and we read in Galations
          3v13 and 1 Peter 2 v24  how the cross is referred to as a tree, the NT writer see's in the
          OT  in Deuteronomy 21 v23, where we read that anyone hung on a tree comes
          under a curse.It is also in Deut 27 v26, we are informed that those who do not keep the
           law come under a curse,that means we are all under God curse.So it is we are told that
           on that tree [Cross),Christ became  accursed,

                                                      William Barclay.
            ''Even at his most involved, and here he is invoved, one simple yet tremendous fact is
            never far from the mind and the heart of Paul- the cost of the Christian Gospel..He
            could never forget that the peace,the liberty,  of Jesus Christ the right relationship with God
            that we possess  cost the life and death of Jesus Christ, for how could men have known
            what God was like unless Jesus Christ had died to tell them that He loves them like that''

Mercy ( Matthew 9 v 10 - 13 )

      Philip Yancey tells of  a prostitute who was in dire straits, confessing to a very, very ,wrong,
      she had committed in connection with her two year old daughter ,to someone.They  asked
      if she ever thought of going to a church for help.She gave a look of astonishment,and  cried, ' ''            ''Church ''why would I ever go there? They'd just make me feel worse than I already do.''
      It is dear old Shakespeare ,who wrote.

                                                The quality of mercy is not strained.
                                                 It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven...
                                                 And earthly power doth then show likest God's
                                                 When mercy seasons justice.

                                                  Blessed are the merciful, for they shall
                                                                obtain mercy.
                                                       ( Matthew  5 v 7 )

If you believed [ John 11 )

                  I read this by Michael Wilcock , ''It is at Wits' End Corner that  you meet the miracles,''
                  so many times we read in Gods word how God delivered His people,when all seemed
                  lost.my mind turns to different accounts in the Bible of how God stepped in and helped
                  His people.In Exodus 14, Israel were in dire straights,The people were terrified  the
                  Egyptian army was about to attack them had no where to run, they were at 'Wits'
                  End Corner'.But the man of God had  the answer,God,and so he spoke to Gods people,
                  ''Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you
                  today., and they did,  God performed a miracle.God is never at Wit Ends Corner, never.                       In  John 11, a man had died, the sister's of the man went to Jesus, one said ,''if you had
                 been here, my brother would not have died ( John 11v 21 )But they soon discovered
                 that  ,Jesus was able to bring back their brother from the very dead. The words in
                in v 40 challenge us all to have faith,''Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would
                see the glory of  God'',and they did.

                                          Remember if we believe we will  see the Glory of God
                                                  [ John 11)

             


         
               
                 

Discernment ( Genesis 13 v 10 - 13 )

               I am studying Chronicles ,and just finished looking at the life King Jehoshaphat
               king of  the southern kingdom, also known as Judah,Benjamin  was also part of
              it. Israel  was split in two.the other part was known as the northern kingdom, they
              were ruled by King Ahab. From the time the Northern broke away politically,
              they broke away spiritually,forsaking God. Ahab had married the infamous
              Jezebel ,and followed her ,into her pagan worship.Now Jehoshaphat did a foolish
              thing he allied himself to Ahab, (  2 Chron  18 v 1 ) . It is M. Wilcock who writes
              ''The  frequent comings and goings between the two capitals no doubt originated
               in  Jehoshaphat's desire to thing the best of his neighbour,to foster the unity of
               the two nations, and to overlook differences. Subsequent events showed the perils
               of goodwill without discernment''.This nearly cost Jehoshaphat his life,and would
               open the door for a down turn spiritually,that would eventually be disastrous,for
               the southern kingdom.We cannot fraternise with those who do not stand for truth,that is
               revealed in Gods word, if we do ,we will be pulled down. Nations are introducing
               laws ,that are bound to to have serious consequences,more than ever we as Cthistians
               need discernment.
             

Unjust treatment. ( Isaiah 53 )

                If we turn to the book of Job we see a very godly man who had had suffered awful
                loss,his ten children,had died, when a house had collapsed on them.He was  a very
                wealthy person,but he lost his wealth,then he lost his health. His wife thought the
                best thing for him ,was to die,then his three friends came,and they began to accuse him,
                of causing all the evil that had happened, on him,in other words ,he had sinned,and
                God was punishing him.The debate wages to and fro,they accused him , he defending ,
                himself ,in the end God sorted it out.During  all of this Jobs,friend Eliphaz
                 said this to Job,'' As for me, I would seek God, and to God would I commit
                my cause. ( Job 5 v 8 )That's  good advice ,there are so many situations that we find
                ourselves in which we are accused falsely of whatever,and all we can do is ,seek God,
                and commit it all to Him. You see that's what our Saviour did,we read ,''When He was
                reviled, he did not revile in return, when he suffered,he did not threaten, but continued
               entrusting himself  to him who judges justly.

                                                        Leave it to Him.

He can be trusted. ( Titus 1 v 2 )

                    I read recently something by a man called John Sherrill  ,he said that there where
                    two types of promises in the Bible ,one for feeding on which we receive strength
                    from, then there are those premises ,that help us  fight our enemy, when we are
                    being attacked..I have just read 2 Chronicles 20,King Jehoshaphat and his country
                    are faced with a combined force of three nations.Defeat was stirring them in the
                    face,Jehoshaphat called the people together to fast and pray.He led the people in
                    prayer,one of the things he prayed was this.
                                                               
                                                    ( v12) O our God,will you not judge them?
                                                    For we have no power to face this vast army
                                                    that is attacking us. We do not know what to
                                                    do,but our eyes are upon you.
                  What a prayer that this king offered in front of all his people ,humility is a great thing
                  especially for a king, what an example to his subjects,and to us,Jesus said without me
                  you can do nothing ( John 15 v 5 ) .Then a Spirit filled man spoke a message from God
               
                                                     Do not be afraid  or discouraged , because of this
                                                     vast army, for the battle is not yours, but Gods. ( v  15 )
                 What  a wonderful promise from God ,and so it  came to pass,God Himself defeated the
                 enemy.,the God who promised ,fulfilled His word, and was victorious over them.

                                                     Trust those exceeding great and precious promises
                                                     REMEMBER GOD CAN BE TRUSTED.

The truth ,and nothing, but the truth. ( John 14 v 6 )

            Freedom is the cry of so many in this world, people die for it, in recent years South
            Sudan ,got their freedom,you would think every body would be happy. But not so
            at this moment there is a severe conflict there,with the result many are perishing.The
            term killing fields has been mentioned,we all know that comes from, Cambodia.
            It appears ,as so often happens freedom politically does not free from  such conflicts
            .Refugee's,starvation,rape,murder ,ans so ,and so .The French revolution ushered
             in the great terror,the agreement in Ireland,freedom from British rule, ushered
            in a civil war, and so one could on.Prisoners are freed, only to re offend. In the West we have
            material prosperity, like no other time in History ,but people still bemoan their lot
          . Prosperity ,has not stopped people  falling into debt . In the 1960 free love was promoted
            yet sexual perversion is on increasing, millions are controlled by lust, and feast on it,on the
            inter-net.Millions are addicted to so many things, over eating,gambling, alcohol,children
            receive wonderful education ,yet bullying goes on everyday.We watch the Proms on the TV
            and hear them sing land of free,if only that was true. Let me unashamedly tell you what my
            Saviour said,''I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin, that means, all of us,
            but He went on to say ,if the Son sets you free,you will be free indeed.  ( John 8 v 34 v 36 )

                                                   Jesus said the truth shall set  you free.
                                                   Well do you want to be free?
                                                    trust Jesus.

Intolerance ( Luke 9 v 49 - 56 )

       December is a bit dark and dreary, yet it is this  month  in  which we celebrate   the coming
       of  Christ. Most people do not fully understand or take into account what that means.Some
       historians are changing,the general accepted terms,''BC/AD'',possible they want to write out
      the Christ event altogether.I am reading a novel called ,'Conclave', by Robert Harris.it deals
      with the election of a new Pope. The main character is Lomeli  who is overseeing the affair,
      he is has to preach during this process, and one of the things he said was this,''the one sin I have
      come to fear more than any other is certainty . Certainty is the great enemy of  unity. Certainty
      is the deadly enemy of tolerance, ''I wonder what you think of these words ?,now of course
       the Bible teaches us truths that are certain, the Christ event is an historical fact, and as
      one reads the OT we see plenty of references as regards a Messiah coming, the purpose of His
      coming is clearly shown.,to die as a sacrifice for sin.These and many other things we believe
      are clearly shown and declared as a certainty. Jesus Himself declared that he is the only way to
      God (  John 14 v 6 ) .The word hope as is used in parts of the NT is a sure and certain hope,so
      much so that many have been prepared to die for their faith.What about intolerance ?,well
      those who profess to be Christians at times have shown an intolerance ,that is unbiblical.
      We are meant to hold on and proclaim the truths  we believe,but we are never meant to
      harm or,hurt anyone,  we go forth, not with sword or gun ,but with the greatest power in
      world, the love of God.
   
   
   

Special because.....( 1 John 3 v 1 )

         He was the Son of God,who was also the Son of Man  that men and women could become
         children of God. What we were before that wonderful experience happened , objects of
        wrath , but we received mercy through Christ (  2 Peter  2 v 10 ), now we belong to God.
          William Barclay writes,
         '' In any museum we will find quite ordinary things - clothes, a walking- stick, a pen, books,
         pieces of furniture- which are only of value because they were once possessed and used by
         some great person. It is the ownership which gives them worth.It is so with the Christian .
         The Christian may be a very ordinary person , but he acquires a new value and dignity and
         greatness because he belongs to God. The greatness of the Christian lies in the fact that he
         is  God's ''
                                               Jesus makes us special.
       
       

Are you listening? ( 2 Chronicles 15 )

             God granted Asa victory over the enemy,and as he returns from the battle ,the prophet
             Azariah  meets him ,The first thing he says is ,''listen to me'', and he did listen. There
             are so many things that stop us from listening,the sermon was to long, our minds are
             to tired,we don't want to be disturbed ,it may be surprised that God is speaking ,but
             we are not listening.. The prophet tells him that God is with him,
             what a wonderful word to receive ,dear fellow Christian ,the Lord is with you,( Mt 28 v
             20) Think what these words meant to Asa, comfort,confidence, encouragement. But
             there is a word of warning also be faithful or else I will not be with you,says the Lord.
             Faithfulness is vital in our relationship with God,yes even unto death .( Revelation 2 v 10 )

                                               Let Me have My way among you,
                                               Do not strive, do not strive,
                                                         (Words by G. Kendrick )
           


     

Trust wholly in God. ( Ephesians 3 v 20 -21 )

            We read about King Asa in 1 Kings 15, and in 2 Chronicles 14-16 who was king of Judah,
             for most of  his reign he acted in a godly manner, for most of his reign. He received
             encouraging words from God,and sought Him and trusted him ,when faced with an enemy
             who had a vast army,he prayed a wonderful prayer.'' Lord,there is no one like you to help
             powerless against the mighty.Help us , O Lord our  God, for we rely on you, and in your
             name we come against this vast army.O Lord, you are our God; do not let man prevail
            against  you.'' What a wonderful prayer, those words ,''we rely on you'',are key words
            he could run away,but no, he stands by faith, depending upon his God,and so faith was
            rewarded,and God granted him the victory. Later on a prophet goes to him , with  words
            of encouragement, God would continue to bless him if he continued to seek God.

                                            Trust wholly in your God ,no matter
                                             how great the difficulties are.
       
           

God is speaking, ( Romans 1 v 16 - 20 )

       It was reported  on the news recently that light pollution is increasing ,that means when
       we look up into the sky at night we cannot see very many ,if any stars. Now of course this
       has consequences ,we blot out one aspect of seeing the glory of God,not by means entirely.
       The Westminster  confession of  faith begins by saying that ''the lights of nature, and
       works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness,wisdom and power of
       God as to leave men inexcusable''. The apostle Paul in Romans 1 v 20, writes how creation
       has a wonderful message for us ,there is a God who has made all things.Of course believing
       in a creator is important,but to get to know that God ,then there must be salvation, that does
       not come through through looking at creation,no it comes  through Christ.

                                            Oh Lord my God when I in  awesome wonder
                                            consider all the works Thy hands hath done,
                                            I see the stars , I hear the mighty thunder,
                                            the power throughout the universe displayed.

                                            When through the woods and forest glades I wander
                                             and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
                                            when I look down  from lofty mountain grandeur,
                                            and hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

                                            And when I think that God His Son not sparing,
                                            sent Him to die - I scarce can take it in,
                                            that on the cross my burden gladly bearing,
                                            He bled and died to take away my sin.

                                           When Christ shall come with shout of  acclamation
                                           and take me home, what joy shall fill my heart,
                                           Then shall I bow in humble adoration,
                                           and there proclaim ,my God, how great Thou art.

                                          Then sings my soul,my Saviour  God, to Thee,
                                           how great Thou art, how great Thou art
                                           Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee,
                                           how great Thou art,how great Thou art.

                                                      (  Words by S.K,Hine )

                                                 
                                         
                                           

                                       

                                 


                                           
     
   

An old Bible. ( John 5 v 39 )

        What does one do with old  Bible's ?, I have a number of Bible's different translations, but
        one I use everyday, and for preaching, is beginning  to show serious  deterioration.So I have
        ordered a new one.,what does one do with the old one? ,after all it is the word of God. I
        remember a lady visitor , voicing concern because people placed their Bible's on the floor.
       I appreciate people treating the Bible with respect ,yet I know we are not meant to worship
       the Bible, we are meant to worship the God of the Bible.The Jews of our Lords time held the
       the scriptures as being very important as they do today. The Jews are the people of the Book,
       in every synagogue  it holds an honoured place. The Jew has only what Christians call the Old
       Testament ,this holds 39 books., today it is commonly called the Tanakh..One thing Jews will
       not call it,is the Old Testament. Such a label  to them implies the Hebrew Bible has been  been
       superseded  by its Christian successor.To the Jew it was everything ,to acquaint yourself  with
       it brought  great blessings from God. Yet it is W. Barclay who points out ,''The best Bible
       students in the world,the people with the greatest reverence for the scriptures ,fail to see
       Jesus in their  Scriptures.So it is ,that no matter how knowledgeable one is as regards the
       scriptures, without a true saving knowledge of the Christ of the whole Bible ,one will never
       be saved.

                          I still have no answer to my question, what do I do with
                          my old Bibles? .



     
     


       ,he