The young rich man ( Matthew 19 v 16 - 30)

He was a seeker,he was rich, but he felt empty, he was not only rich,but he was also very religious. He had everything, but there was a something that was missing,and so he comes to Jesus,surely this noted Rabbi could give the answer. He addressed Jesus as good teacher,and asked what good thing shall he  do that he may have eternal life?. Jesus had to challenge him, reminding him that his efforts to be good would never be good enough.  This young man would eventually be brought to the place were he would have to make a decision ,Jesus told him ,if you want eternal life then you must keep the commandments.,his reply was,'' which ones''?,I think it was a strange thing to say,for as James points out that if you break one commandment you break them all ( James 2 v 10 ).Jesus nevertheless goes along with him ,and mentions  5,and adds  ,to love your neighbour as yourself,  CP Matthew 22 v 37 - 40. The young man declares ,''all these have I kept'', ''what else must I do?'' Jesus tells him to go and sell all his  possessions and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven,then come and follow me. The young man went away sad,for he had many possessions. but the fact is, he went away poor , it could have been so different,today he could be in heaven instead he is in  hell.  Everyone is not challenged to give up all their money by Jesus, but we are all called to follow Him on his terms,it must be unconditional surrender.

The rich farmer ( Luke 12 v 13 - 21 )

'I'II pick up the bill', this is the promise made by Bill Gates, he says if the vaccine made by Oxford scientists works, he will help to get it produced on a huge scale. Bill is reputed to be the second riches man in the world.He is spending a large sum of his fortune on paying for research into various diseases. We commend him for his generosity, I don't see any problem in having riches,it  is what you do with your money that matters, and that applies to all of us.Our Saviour highlighted aspects of being rich. He told the story of a rich farmer ( Luke 12 v 13 - 21 ) who left God out of his life,all he cared for was gathering up things for himself.  Consider how we in the West are rich compared to so many in this world,and the sad thing is this,that so many are only interested in gathering up things for themselves. Jesus tells us how God dealt with that man and how he viewed him, He took him away in death from his riches ,and he called him a fool. The Message paraphrases  what Jesus said ,' That's what happens when you fill your barn with self, and not with God'.

The Lord is good to all. ( Ephesians 2 v 1 - 10 )

In Psalm 145 v 9, we read,'The Lord is good to all;he has compassion on all he has made',Because I love all my children, does not mean that I will not help those outside my family circle. So it is with God he does not limit his goodness to those just within his family,just to clarify ,Gods family are those who have been born again , when they trusted Jesus as Saviour ( John 1 v 12 ).,God has never forsaken this world he created,he is still a faithful creator,yes there is much suffering in this world,and that is because we live in a fallen world,let us remember ,God owes this world nothing,but this world owes God everything,the very breath that  we breathe comes from him.In the prosperous west many have  so much,cars homes,money etc,we have doctors,hospitals,and yet  never a word of thankfulness to God,instead he is denied,ignored,yet in spite of his goodness ,they live without him,and sad to say they die without him. It need not be so,if we turn to him ,we will find him merciful,kind and forgiving,Jesus said behold I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears my voice and open the door ,I will come in  ( Revelation 3 v 20)

Don't Tell ( 1 Timothy 2 v 3 - 7 )

I read a line from a poem ,which reads,'I'm still waiting to be saved,I'm afraid', that's all I know of the poem,  the words, made me think. A friend told me about a friend of his, a Christian, who was asked to give a little word of testimony of his Christian experience. Later the man who had asked him to speak requested him not to mention about being saved as it might offend people. So what do you think happened?,when he got up to speak,and he told how he had got saved. If God saves you ,then surely one would be delighted to tell others about being saved,The sad fact is ,that in so many churches ministers are not preaching about being saved,not because it offends others ,but because it offends them. Does it offend you? possible, because ,only you can answer that because,why do I preach or speak to individuals that they need to be saved?. The word of God tells us clearly ,that we are sinners ,I remember a person who  became irritated with me,why?,because I kept mentioning sin. As one person wrote the grim logic of history leaves me in no doubt that sin is a reality . The next reason for telling others that they need to be saved ,is because what awaits all who die with their sins unforgiven ,is to spend eternity in hell..The next reason would be because God has given me the awesome responsibility to warn people. Last but not least ,my love for sinners,it breaks my heart that people need my Saviour,yet ignore him ,for he is the only Saviour there is, his name is Jesus. His death shows the seriousness of sin,and the importance of trusting Him, for the forgiveness of your sins.

Raised ( Revelation 1 v 18 )

We finish looking at Gods answer as regards sin, and I just want to finish on the last bit the resurrection,in Romans 4 v 25 which reads 'He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification' Charles Hodge writing on this says, The resurrection of Christ,, is an historical fact, established by the most satisfactory evidence ( see 1 Corinthians 15 ),authenticates the whole gospel'.A quotation from the ' Believers Bible Commentary', is helpful.' Our justification is the result that is assured by Christ's resurrection. There could have been no  justification if Christ had remained in the tomb. But the fact that He rose tells us that the work is finished, the price has been paid,and God is infinitely satisfied with the sin atoning work of the Saviour'. Trust in Jesus,follow Jesus,know Jesus,love Jesus,and you will never be disappointed.

Removed ( 1 Thessalonians 1 v 10 )

I mentioned last time the word propitiation, we have this word in Romans 3 v 25/ 1 John 2 v 2 /4 v 10. it is a controversial term to use,because it involves the removal of wrath, L Morris writes ,'Some commentators find the the concept of divine wrath  distasteful and unworthy,so they write it out of scripture'.I can assure you that the wrath of God is clearly mentioned in God's word, in many places,I mean many. CP  2 Chron 28 v 11/ Ezra 10 v 14 /John 3 v 36 / Ephesians 5 v 6.These are just some of the verses with the wrath of God in them.L Morris rightly points out ,'If there is no wrath there is no propitiation'. It means the removal of wrath,now the question is this how can it be removed from sinners?.the answer Christ would become a sacrifice ,and would bear the wrath of God for sinners.The words of Isaiah 53 which is a clear foretelling of Christ's death , speaks of Him being punished by God,pierced for our transgressions,crushed  for our iniquities, the Lord laying on him the iniquities of us all, and bearing the sin of many'.If this is not so, how then can wrath be removed? but praise God it can be removed from all who trust Jesus as there Saviour. When we do trust Him,we are no longer living under the wrath of God,following the removal of wrath,sin can then be removed .To sum it up, wrath is removed ,sin is forgiven it means our sins our sins are removed, this is expressed   wonderfully  in the words of Psalm 103 v 12,'as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us'

What does it mean?. ( Isaiah 53 )

We move on to consider the death of Christ,on the cross, we cannot escape the cross, Islam has a Christ with no cross ,there had to be a cross , so what was involved in his death ?First  it would  show his love, in 1 John 4 v 9.it would show a love that meant Him going to Calvary,to die on that cross.But there was more to his death than love,it would mean justice being satisfied,sin cannot be overlooked by a holy God.Those who sin must face the consequences ,that means everyone would be judged,and a sentence would be passed,which means facing the wrath of God. The wrath of God abides on  every person without Christ John 3 v 36, but will only come into its full effect the moment we die,as we lift up our eyes in Hell in torment,there will be no escape,no way out. In Isaiah 53 v 10 we read, 'Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;he has put him to grief,Now we will begin to understand Gods answer for our salvation.Why should he be crushed?,why should he endure punishment?,after all he never sinned. In 1 John 4 v 10 ,we read,'Herein is love,not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins'. we will continue this next time.

He didn't fail. ( Matthew 3 v 17 )

Gods answer , in relation mans dreadful condition, sin,and its terrible consequences, was Jesus, his name means Saviour.We emphasise the cross and rightly so,but we must also see  the importance of His life.He had to do something the first Adam failed to do,fulfill Gods will perfectly,In  Psalm 40 v 7 - 8 and Hebrews 10 v 5 - 7 it stresses a number of things one of the things, was, to do the will of God. For His death on the cross to be effective,his life had to completely conform to the Gods will.He would have to fulfil Gods law ,in Matthew 3 v 15 He spoke of fulfilling  all righteousness, this He  did,He never deviated one bit from doings God will ,and He never sinned ( Hebrews 4 v 15 ) If  He had failed in those two things, His death on the cross would have been pointless,but praise God He didn't.

God's Answer. ( 1 Corinthians 1 v 30 - 31 )

Alright we have considered the problem that all mankind has to face up to ,it can be summed up in one word ,'SIN', unless sin is dealt with, the consequences are dreadful,awful in the extreme . Everybody wants to go to heaven,but the door is shut to those whose sins have not been forgiven,no matter who it is.  Now forgiveness is not something that you or I can resolve,people have by various means tried , but only God has provide the answer,and if we are to be saved from Gods wrath,we have to accept Gods answer. If  Gods justice could be satisfied ,then wrath could be removed,and sins could be forgiven,now the other problem is, we need to be provided with a righteousness ,that would enable them us to have acceptance with God. The answer for all these things would come through one person, whom we know as Jesus. By  His life , death and His resurrection ,He would fulfill,what was needed, to  save  us sinners..We will consider this more next time..

Important ( Ephesians 2 )

Yesterday we considered how law keeping ,and rule keeping,does not deal with sin,and that also includes the good things we do.L. Morris points out,''The good that people do is never a problem.It is something to be thankful about, not something people must be saved from.But sin is another thing altogether. It is a problem wherever it is found.'I have a friend who was brought up in a very religious family,he himself was very religious,obeying the church,but for all his religiosity he had no assurance that his sins were forgiven. This is the dilemma that many religious people find themselves in,and it is serious for them and for everyone.Because if our sins our not forgiven,we will have a price  to pay, ( 1 )We can never have a relationship with a holy God,  ( 2 ) We will experience God's judgement,  He is a just God,He cannot overlook sin, nor will He,have no illusions,to think otherwise is a false belief. I took a brief count as regards the word wrath is mentioned in the Bible ,and counted roughly a 170 times..Remember the OT God is the same God as is in the NT.   C  P; Romans 1 v 18/  2 v 5./v 8 ,  1 Thessalonians 1 v 10, speaks of wrath to come,these as I have pointed out  are just a few examples that are mentioned in the Bible.So as a preacher I am not making it up when I mention the wrath of God. If a person is not a Christian then the Bible tells us in John 3 v 36, that wrath abides on them.This is very serious for all ,whose sins have not been forgiven,so what is the answer,or should I say what is Gods answer?. We will consider this next time.

Irrelevant (Isaiah 64 v 6 )

Are you very religious?,go to local mosque,temple,church,you seek to keep  the laws of your religion  ?.I knew a Muslim lady who prayed the prescribed 5 times every day,and kept to the time table.She was a nice lady, often wanted to feed me,there many are nice Muslin's ,Hindu's.Jew's ,and one the nicest person's I knew was an agnostic.During this time many people are doing many nice things,nurses ,neighbors , and even strangers..Yet the Word of God tells us that we are all sinners and come short of the glory of God ( Romans 3 v 23 ) H. Moule writes,'The harlot, the liar,the murderer.are short of it;but so are you.Perhaps they stand at the bottom of a mine, and you on the crest of an Alp; but you are as little able to touch the stars as they'. That's a challenged to all of us especially if we are religious,and seek to keep the rules and laws of our religion,we are proud  of our religious observance ,and law keeping. But the fact is religious rule keeping,law keeping,avail us ,no standing before a holy God,none of these things can remove sin,or deal with sin. Our boasting in those things is of no value,the sin still remains,and the consequences still remain.As someone has said,'pride in all these things is the besetting sin of all religious people,no matter what their religion'. We will continue to look at this tomorrow

A Superstar? ( John 3 v 36 )

I  have never seen the musical, 'Jesus Christ Superstar', written  jointly by,Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rich, it has no spoken dialogue,and traces the last seven days of our Saviours life, seen through the eyes of Judas Iscariot. I am not writing to criticise it, as I have not seen or heard this musical. But as regards the title',Jesus Christ Superstar,' I would take exception,as I believe that Christ was never a superstar.He could have become that if He had gone along with what Satan said in the wilderness testing,when he offered Jesus the world and it's  glory. Jesus never came to be superstar, He came to be a Saviour,  superstars there are in plenty, but there is only one Saviour, The world is a needy place,and so often the last thing they want to hear is, that they need a Saviour, but I can assure you from experience,we all need a Saviour.Superstars soon become yesterdays people, we can name  them,but Jesus never changes,His love for you and I never changes, in spite of the fact,that like me ,you are a sinner,yes we are all without exception sinners,and who do sinners need?, Jesus,is the only one who can forgive your sins,the only one who can save you from yourself.So forget about superstars,and ask Christ into your life,now.

Fear the Lord ( Isaiah 55 v 6 - 7 )

In Romans 3 v 18, we read,'There is no Fear of God before their eyes',The context of these words is mans sinful condition,it is summed up in v 23, were we read that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.The word fear  in Romans 3 v 18,is taken from Psalm 36 v 1,it is Leon Morris who points out that it is not to be understood in the sense of reverence, but of terror.He comments by saying,'Evil doers would do well to have a healthy fear of Him, who will determine their eternal destiny,' and then he adds,'but they have none'.Jesus said,''Do not be afraid of those who kill the body  but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One ( God ) who can destroy both soul and body in hell'' ( Matthew 10 v 28 ). What have the following all in common?,'The flood,Sodom and Gomorrah, the plagues in Egypt ,the wiping out of the Canaanites,the destruction of Israel by Assyria,and the Babylonians.Judah Iscariot's fate,Herod's death in Acts,Ananias and Sapphira's death,the answer is very simple,they were judgements by God. You may not fear God now ,but one day be assured you will.Seek the Lord as your Saviour while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.

Darkness then light ( John 11 v 25 )

In Genesis one,we read, 'the earth was formless and empty,darkness was over the surface of the deep',to many on that day when Jesus died,it was a dark ,dark experience.Darting back to that creation event,there we have the first words that God spoke, recorded,''Let there be light''.Now shooting back to the darkness that Christs followers were experiencing ,and suddenly they heard those earth shattering words ,'He has risen''. The darkness fled dispelled by the glorious light of the resurrection,   no longer would death have the last say,the last enemy had been defeated. Dear child of God you may be facing death at this time,remember, because He lives you shall live, because He rose from the dead so will you.My dear Christian brother ,or sister,who may be grieving over the loss of a loved one,a godly mother ,father,husband,wife,child ,friend,take comfort that they are with the Lord, and one day you will be reunited with them.Remember the words spoken to those early Christians,'He has risen', and rejoice.

Take away the 'D'. ( Ephesians 6 v 10 - 20 )

We return to looking at the devil,and how he affects humanity,in relation to what Jesus said in John 8. He had  a profound effect upon the religious leaders ,He declared that their father was the devil.The devil is not mentioned these days,sometimes he is not mentioned even in Church, I don't jest ,I think he has been relegated to the category of myth by the non Christian,and by some Christians. The Bible teaches very clearly that he exists,he is a real being ,the Bible speaks of the devil and his angels ( Matthew 25 v 41 ) Both he and they are demonic, and they have great power,their activities in relation to humanity is always negative, with the desire to destroy, ( 1 Peter 5 v 8 / 2 Corinthians 4 v 4) And one thing he is good at, is lying,you have heard the saying you cant believe a word that person says,that sums up the devil.William Barclay writes, 'Every lie is begotten and inspired by the devil ,and does the devil's work'.The religious leaders who opposed Jesus had allowed the devil to blind them,to the obvious truth who Jesus was, and what he had come to do..Jesus is the Son of God,truly God,yet truly man.he is also the one and only Saviour,whom we all need,I beseech you, to not to believe the devil ,and his lies.

He is a murderer ( John 8 v 42 - 47 )

In Romans 1 v  25, we read, 'They exchanged the truth about God for a lie', I remember a number of years my son told me a lie, I was so angry,I confess I over reacted.One of the problems as regards humanity they are prone to lie,not only that ,they are prone to believe lies.When our Saviour spoke  to the religious leaders they challenged Him with being a Samaritan and being demon possessed.The Jews hated the Samaritans,that was bad enough but to say Christ was  demon possessed was dreadful,Jesus answered them as to the source of their attitude,and who was behind it. He told then that they were telling lies,and instead of their father being Abraham,their father was the devil.He went on to say that the devil was a murderer and the father of lies. He brought death into the world ,when he tempted man,and of course they took the bait,and   died spiritually. William Barclay says,   'The devil murders goodness, chastity,honour,beauty,all that makes life lovely. The devil murders   peace of mind and happiness ,and even love. The devil is essentially a killer'.He will destroy your life,if you let him,our Saviour came to destroy the works of the devil.and so set us free from his power.

Not D I Y. ( Romans 1 v 18 - 22 )

A monkey  and a giraffe met up one day and the monkey said to the giraffe I would love to be a giraffe,and the giraffe replied ,'funny you should say that ,I was thinking I would love to be monkey'.Well lets go for it, said the monkey ,and so they agreed to meet up again when they had changed .So after a trillion  years. ( it is only fictitious,it could not really happen)  they met up,the monkey had become a giraffe,and the giraffe had become a monkey,and the monkey said to the giraffe ,boy that was hard work,and just at that moment a little mosquito was heard to say,'you can say that again, I used to be a whale'. Yes lets be honest it is only fictitious,it really could not happen,in the words of the poet Joyce Kilmer  ,'Poems are made by fools like me. But only God can make a tree'. 'As the scripture says ,'Know that the Lord,He is God; It is He who has made us,and not we ourselves'.( Psalm 100 v 3 )

A Truism. ( Isaiah 53 )

While studying,I read the following,by Leon Morris,'That Christians are loved by God is not a truism but a truth to be received with awe and wonder'.It is the same when we say, God bless you,how few really understand the significance of those words.Consider the words,that you are loved by God,how do I know this?,because Jesus suffered for me.In the garden of Gethsemane ,Jesus  prayed that His soul was overwhelmed to the point of death,and He prayed to His Father if it is  not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I (He ) drink it,may your will be done ( Matthew 26 v 38 -39 )He knew fully what He was going to suffer,beatings, the hair of His being pulled out ,a crown of thorns pushed into His head, a flogging so severe that His back was like a ploughed field,so much so that His bones were visible. Yes He knew the suffering He was going to endure,but He knew more than that , justice had to be done,the penalty for sin had to be paid.The penalty for sin is the wrath of God,that wrath that abides upon every human being,in order for any  to escape that wrath,He would have to bear it,and wonder of wonders He did , when we trust Him as our Saviour we will not face the wrath of God, no wonder as Leon Morris wrote, 'it is a truth that such love, should fill us with awe and wonder'.

Hope ( Psalm 23 )

Two little children were playing outdoors and one chalked on the pavement the following words,'Save our country', of course she was thinking about the coronavirus ,and those who may be infected by it and die. Yes we would say Amen to those words,but as a Christian  my concerns go beyond being saved from sickness or even death. I do pray for the sick the bereaved and for those affected by the present situation,but my concern goes further than that,and indeed much more important. First of all let me say, that as Christian ,I am suppose to be different,because God has showed me the truth as regards life that it has not come about by some impossible  freak and nonsensical process and that life is very empty with just things,wealth and prosperity.For in the end we live in a  very uncertain world,and that in a moment trials,tragedies, and disasters,can come upon us. And following us all is the grim reaper, death ,it all seems so hopeless,yes it is,if you leave God out of your life. As a Christian I have hope not based on my bank balance,my health,I know I am loved, because Jesus died for me on the cross, the greatest display of love ever manifested.I was talking to a man called Gary,he said he was an agnostic, and that the most certain thing was,that we will all die alone.I said, when I die I will not be alone,that when I go through the valley of the shadow of death the Lord Jesus would be with me.I  heard a poem by Malcolm Blackes called Easter Dawn ,It is about Mary discovering the risen Christ,she had gone to the tomb,only to discover the body of Christ was missing,thinking someone had stolen the body, she walks away,she encounters a stranger,she thought he was the gardener.He questioned her as to why she was crying she told him that someone had stolen the body,she hears the man speak one word ,Mary.The poem ends like this,'She heard the word that turned her night and ours into day'.

If only.. ( Luke 24 v 21 )

All of a sudden He was not there, he was dead,what were they going to do? ,they had so many great  hopes ,the one they believed to be the Messiah,the Christ, the anointed one was gone,it was all over.They must have remembered His words,His actions,how He had  stilled the storm,fed thousands with a few loves and fishes,twice,how he had made the  blind to see,the deaf to hear,cast out demons,walked on water.His teaching now appeared hollow,they wondered and wondered,was this really the end?.  where they deluded? blind,where they fools,to leave all and follow Him?.They remembered His wonderful words,how they promised so much for them and for their nation, He had challenged  those holier than I, Pharisees .He had so often put them in their place,yet it seems that they have won. I suppose now they would  be on their hit list..Its all gone wrong they must have thought,yet they loved Him,being with Him was wonderful, with Him everything seemed possible,  mountains could be removed,difficulties could be overcome,the sky was the limit .Oh Jesus if only you were here, if only you had not died.

Jesus wall destroyer. ( Ephesians 2 v 11 - 22 )

Abraham Lincoln said,'' When I do good I feel good,and when I do bad, I feel bad,that's my religion''.I wondered  why he looked so sad.What can we say about the good , people do?,here is what Leon Morris wrote,' What the good people do is never a problem. It is something to be thankful about ,not something people must be saved from. But sin is another thing altogether,it is a problem wherever it is found'. A person is not separated from God by the good they do,no, the thing that separates us is sin. (Isaiah 59 v 2 ) In Belfast were I come from there what is known as the, 'Peace wall', it enables two waring factions to live in peace,In China we have the ,'Great wall', built to keep enemies out,likewise ,'Hadrian's wall'.Humanity is born with a fallen nature,a sinful nature, ( Romans 5 v 12 ) David declares in Psalm 51 v 5,' For I was born a sinner,yes from the moment my mother conceived me'.From that point onward we are wall builders,and every brick is a sin, the sinful wall  can never be demolished by anything we do,religion cannot remove it,good works cannot remove it.nothing you or I could do would remove it,if that wall remains we will be forever separated from God, both for time and eternity.Only God can provide the answer, He has provided  the only solution, Jesus. When we trust Him ,all sin, we have ever committed  will be forgiven and be removed,there will be no more wall separating us from God,and a glorious future.

Hear, and your soul shall live.. ( Matthew 17 v 5 )

One of the things that happens before a plane takes of ,two air stewards  stand in the aisle,one in the front and  one in the middle.Then they go through a procedure informing the passengers what to do if  an emergence arises.I flown quite a lot of times ,I hear what they are saying which is important ,but I do not listen.Of course this applies to many situations,the wife says,'you don't listen to me,children often say this to their parents.  Now this is  nothing new ,our Saviour who knew human nature better than any, said ,''whoever has ears let him hear'', ( Matthew 11 v 15 ) What did He mean?,people heard Him but they did not listen to what He was saying,take my experiences with Jehovah witnesses.Time after time I have spoke to them,but in the end I realise they have not been listening.Coming back to what Jesus said,and the importance of really hearing what He says, because so much that He says, is vital to our spiritual well being,and our eternal destiny  ..

It is coming . ( John 3 v 16 )

There are ministers who avoid preaching about judgement ,so what are we supposed to do with scripture that clearly teaches us that God will judge sinners .Those who are called to the ministry  bear a greater responsibility,and will be held accountable ( James 3 v 1 ), but I believe we all bear the responsibility of warning people.  In 2 Corinthians 5 v 11,the apostle Paul wrote, 'Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord,we persuade men'. The Message paraphrases this verse this way,' It's is no light  thing to know that we'll all one day stand in that place of judgement. That's why we work urgently with everyone we meet to get them ready to face God'.Yes there is a day of judgement coming,the apostle knew this ,'Barnes writes,' the knowledge that there would be a judgement,and that the wicked (Those who do not know Christ as Saviour ) would be sent to hell, was a powerful motive for Paul to endeavour to tell others to escape from wrath.'

Amazing. ( Ephesians 1 v 1 / 2 v 8 - 9 )

' My grace is sufficient for thee,My grace is sufficient for thee,O matchless,boundless grace of God, My grace is sufficient for thee.' These are simple words from an old hymn, simple but profound,one of my favourite hymns is, 'Amazing Grace'. I have listened to it many times,often it brings tears to my eyes,I remember years ago when it made the hit parade , it was sung by Judy Collins,what a lovely singer. Someone wrote this about her,'She combated alcohol addiction and over-come it.' and then he added,'I'm over- coming  addiction and I will, because of Grace' The only thing I would add to that is this, that such grace comes to us through Christ, for salvation,  for power to over-come addiction whatever that addiction may be,for strength to face the trials of life ,whatever they may be,it truly is amazing grace coming to us from an amazing Saviour.

Hope ( Colossians 1 v 27 )

When you get to my age birthdays loose their novelty, you may wish that they would loose their meaning,one year older, we may be in denial,no I'm not really that age,it's a lie,it's a lie, but alas the mirror does not lie. It was dear old William Shakespeare ,who wrote about the seven ages of man,it starts with being a child,and ends as he puts it,the second childishness ,in which he describes our condition,without teeth,without ,eyes ( sight) without taste,without everything. That's true,someone was asked ,'are they all your own teeth?,' he replied,'yes,I paid for everyone of them'.When it comes to  our second childishness we can all identify with what WS wrote.But is that all there is to it? no , for old age is not the end, for the Christian heaven awaits,where there will be no ageing process,no deterioration,no, old age pension.On a serious side ,it will be wonderful and all because of Jesus,if you know Him rejoice,if you don't ,accept Him as your Saviour and look forward with hope.

Peace be still ( Matthew 28 v 18 )

The passengers were fearful,they were passing through a terrible storm,then they heard the first mate speaking don't be afraid the captain is at the helm.During  the 20th century globally ,there were two world wars,a flu epidemic that effected 500 million people,there was no cure,millions died.Storms in plenty come also into our own individual lives, the list is endless,and the pain and fear they bring is real. Because we sinned this world is no longer a friendly place,that's what our first parents were told ,God said to Adam, 'Cursed be the ground because of you,......It will produce thorns and thistles for you'.( Genesis 3 v 17 - 18 )Instead of harmony with nature and humanity, storms  come,and come,and come,so it will go on and on,they are inevitable, this goes for Christians and non- Christians.As a Christian I have experienced my share of storms, as I am sure you have,or may be having now.Hear the words of that first mate ,'The captain is at the helm',who is our captain?Jesus, who is called the captain of our salvation ( Hebrews 2 v 10 . AV ) A verse of an old hymn reads,'The wind and the waves shall obey my (His) will ,Peace, be still.Whether the wrath of the storm- tossed sea,or demons,or men, or whatever it be. No waters can swallow the ship where lies,the Master of ocean and earth and skies. They all shall sweetly obey My (His ) will. Peace be still,Peace be still.

Rejoice ( 2 Timothy 4 v 9 - 18 )

More of Terry,'I've never believed that if one has religious belief then that means one will have special protection for the ills that afflict all humankind. But if you have faith,  then that will give you resources to draw on'. It sure will,consider those who like Terry are in prison cells in Iran I will mention two , Naser, Navard Gol-Tapeh and Nadarkhani a Pastor,both are serving a ten year sentence,for supposedly acting against national security. This is a typical kind of  charge made against Christian converts in Iran, This is not something new,the great apostle Paul wrote of being in prison frequently (2 Corinthians 11 v 23),a number of his letters taht he wrote  were written from prison. Be assured in Paul's time prison was no picnic,and yet inspired by the Holy Spirit he wrote, ''Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again;rejoice'' (Philippians 4 v 4 ), no matter what our circumstances, the Lord is with us,and He will not fail us,focus on Him,and rejoice.

I dare you. ( Mark 1 v 16 - 18 )

I dare you,I wonder has this ever been said to you? we may have foolishly taken up the challenge,we did  it because, well there is always a reason. We look at history, we read of people who dared to go were no one has gone before,the explorers ,scientist,the entrepreneur,and a multitude of other people.Martin Luther King Jr had a dream,he dared to dream,and accomplished so much.What about you ? let me bring to you a challenge,dare to trust Jesus as your Saviour,yes I dare you.You may loose all ,but think at what you will gain. The apostle Paul thought of what he had given up to follow Christ,and he counted those thing as dung,garbage,for knowing Christ.Moses gave up power ,position,privilege,and wealth,for the sake of Christ. Christ is speaking to you ,He is saying, come on,' I dare  you ,follow Me.'.

We have a choice ( Matthew 6 v 43 - 48 )

On March 4,1865 Abraham Lincoln made a speech,the civil war was about over,there was much bitterness towards the South, and there were those who wanted them to suffer. Abraham was a very wise man , he knew that the nation needed to be united,so here is part of what he said,''With malice  towards none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us....do all which may achieve,and cherish, a just, and a lasting peace among ourselves, and with all nations''It is recognised by most historians ,that the severe penalties inflicted upon Germany at the end of the first world war,had a direct effect upon what followed,a little man with a little moustache,oh that more people would show the spirit of Abraham Lincoln.Remember the words  Jesus uttered on the cross as regards those who hated Him,''Father , forgive them''. ( Luke 23 v 34)

Lockdown ( Philippians 4 v 11 )

Terry Waite has written a number of books,based upon his experience of being held hostage in Beirut from 1987 to 1991.In an article in a national newspaper he wrote a number of helpful things, based on his experience,in an effort to help us all at this present time.First a bit of practical advice,'Today in lockdown, it is important to keep yourself well. Don't slob around all day in your pyjamas and a dressing down. Dress properly and develop a routine. It's important to have structure- get up at a certain time,eat regular meals and so on.It's important not to sit around all day. A walk is still possible. For many the exercise bike that has been in store for many years could be brought back into service. Place a tablet computer on the handlebars,find a cycle route and off you go through Italy or wherever.In other words, be innovated and keep your imagination alive'. ( Thanks Terry.)