Mince pies ( Luke 8 v 26 - 35 )

In the U K ,mince pies are very popular,they go back a long time,in Tudor times they were made of 13 ingredients,representing Jesus and the 12 apostles,later mutton was added to represent the shepherds. Modern mince pies have no meat in them,instead they are filled with,dried fruit and spices. A woman who tested the different supermarkets mince pies, she said this about her favourite ,'' I tested  Aldi's   mince pies,they are the best, and they changed my life'' I think she is, to say the least,exaggerating,they may change her figure,but I can assure you they will not change her life or anybodies life. I know someone who can change ones life,his name is Jesus,and when you trust him ,you will not put on weight,you will lose weight.and the weight I am speaking of ,is the burden of your sins,and the guilt that goes along with them, millions have trusted Jesus as their Saviour,and the result was, their lives were changed,they were made anew. In  2 Corinthians 5 v 17,we read, 'Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation,old things have passed away;  behold , all things have become new'.

24/7 ( 2 ) Temptation (1 Corinthians 10 v 13 )

We finished yesterday thinking about the obstacles we face,now lets consider the temptation we will face,I want to highlight 6 things  ( 1 ) Don't put yourself in temptations way, remember humanity is very prone to addiction,and all addiction start with one look,one thought,one action.When Joseph was tempted by a woman ,he ran for dear life ( Genesis 39 v 11),in other words don't run into temptation run away from it.  (2 ) Don't think you will not yield,Samson was a strong man,he yielded to a  pretty woman,and he lost his sight, and his freedom .1 Corinthians 10 v 12  ,reads,'Let him that thinketh  he standeth take heed lest he fall'. ( 3 )Don't be fooled with the temptation,remember all that glitters is not gold, remember the  forbidden fruit ,yes it was pleasing to the eye ( Gen 3 v 6)  ( 4 ) Don't think you are to old to be tempted,  Frances of Assisi said,''Expect temptation to your last breath''. ( 5 ) Don't go asleep,when Jesus had  prayed in the garden of Gethsemane,he came to the disciples and he found them asleep,and he said to them,'Get up and pray so that you may not fall into temptation''. ( Luke 22 v 46 )  ( 6 ) Don't be afraid,the Lord is with us ,he knows how weak we are,and how prone we are  to fall into sin (which we all do),remember temptation is not a sin,it is yielding to it, that is a sin. If we do yield,let us repent and seek forgiveness, CP  1 John 1 v 9 .

24/7 ( 1) Psalm 46 .

 When I was younger I had two jobs one was full time ,the other part time,when you become a Christian,  we have to realize that it is full  time, 24/7 ,fifty two weeks of the year. It is a commitment ,we are always on duty,come what may,when I was a young lad ,I joined the army boy service,I signed on for 9 years,actually I only did nine months,I got discharged ,but when you are a  Christian you sign on for  life , you don't get discharged. Of course being a Christian is not a life time prison sentence,no, it is  the road of freedom,and the blessings are many,but also the challenges are many. It is a life of holiness,  a life  of faithfulness,a life where we are faced with obstacles,,and temptations,that will not change.The obstacles  that we meet are meant to be overcome,and when we don't overcome them  we must persevere,failure is not a get out clause,there are lessons to be learnt from our failures.Our sinful proud hearts are challenged,and we are made to realise how much we need God.The man who struggled with a severe disability ,could say, I can do all all things through Christ who strengthens me ( Philippians 4 v 13) We  will consider this further tomorrow.

Light and darkness. ( 1 Corinthians 15 v 3 - 4 )

 Francis of Assisi said ,''All the darkness of the world cannot extinguish a single candle'',Jesus said ',I  Am the light of the world '', ( John 8 v 12),and so He was ,and so He is. It is in John 1 v 4 - 5,writing of  Jesus it says ,'In him was life,and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness,and the darkness has not overcome it'.Consider the opposition that Jesus had to contend with, at his birth  ,Herod sought to murder him. when he commenced his ministry Satan,sought to tempt him to sin, when he visited his home town and spoke in the synagogue,the crowds tried to kill him. Also in John 10 v 31,we read that the people took up stones to stone him,then Peter sought to stop him from fulfilling  his destiny ,again Satan had an influence in this. ( Matthew 16 v 22 - 23 )Then we move on to our dear Saviours last hours, when Judas  would betray him, influenced by Satan ( Luke 22 v 3 ).The darkness was increasing in its intensity, for mankind, who loves darkness rather that the light , were intent in destroying  Him who is the light of the world,so they crucified him.But praise God they did not succeed. For on that cross ,he defeated Satan, his death accomplished a salvation that would save mankind from the wrath of God, by experiencing Gods wrath for us..Sins could be forgiven,for all who trust him to be their Saviour.But that's not all ,on the third day he arose from the dead.,yes the darkness could not extinguish the light.

Just one look ( 5 ) ( Ephesians 2 v 1 - 10 )

 So we started by looking at the wonderful king ,David,who had everything,God had blessed him,raised him from being a nobody, to being a somebody.He faced God's enemies and he got the victory,the people sang his praises,what could go wrong to the man who had everything?. You know its not the enemies that are without,that are the problem ,that we need the victory over,but the enemy that is within, our fallen sinful nature. So it came to pass,the result,  well you know the result,adultery,followed by murder,these are not little things,he should have been sentenced to death,as the law required (Genesis 9 v 6 / Leviticus 20 v 10),God is no respecter of persons,the law applied to everyone without exception.Why was he not executed,? In Psalm 51 we have the prayer of a repenting David, in other words he had turned from his evil ways and was asking forgiveness?. The Psalm commences with these words,' Have mercy on me,O God',David knew his God, that he was merciful, 'Praise the Lord,His mercy is more.Stronger than darkness,new every morning.Our sins they are many, His mercy is more' (Words by Keith and Kristyn Getty).No matter how awful our sin,or how  many are our sins,they can be forgiven,because God is merciful. We receive that mercy because of Jesus, when we accept Him as our Saviour,mercy will flow like a river,and we are forgiven.

Just one look ( 4 ) ( Proverbs 5 v 21 )

 A little boy had been attending Sunday school,the children were taught a little chorus,the words went,''Be careful little eyes what you see,there's a Saviour up above, looking down with tender love,Be careful little  eye's what you see'.That same little boy was out walking with his father, they were passing an orchard ,so   his father said to him,I fancy some apples,keep looking to see if anybody is coming.The little boy appeared uneasy with this,and his father asked him,what's up?,the little boy replied, ''what about looking up dad''.King David  wrote ,'I look up toward the hills.From where does my help come ? .My help comes from the Lord,the Creator of  heaven and earth'. (Psalm 121 v 1 - 2) . Even the most godly of  people can forget that God is looking at us, as to what we do,not like a sentry on duty,who falls asleep ,for we are told God does not sleep ( Ps 121 v 4 ).Yes he is watching you and me,He see's all ,nothing is hid from Him,  and we read,'The thing David had done displeased the Lord.'.What did he do ?, he sinned against the Lord, When we have sex outside of marriage we sin,when we commit adultery,we sin,when we murder someone, we sin,when we covet someones wife we sin,when we take God's name in vain,it is a sin.In 1 John 5 v 17 we  are told, 'All wrongdoing is sin',not just the gross things,but those things we may consider trivial,no sin is overlooked by a holy God. All sin matters,as  John Stott says,''It destroys fellowship with God',and that is very serious,we will continue this ,next time.

Just one look ( 3 ) ( John 4 v 1 - 14 )

 Lets continue to consider,'Just one look',it is in 1 John 2 v 15 - 17 ,which commences .'Do not love the world',what does the world mean?, it includes all things that are contrary to a holy God,and he names three things,The lust of the flesh,the lust of the eyes,and the pride of life'.The lust of  the flesh stands for all the desires of our carnal nature CP Galatians 5 v  19 - 21.We will go to number 3 ,the pride of  life.of course we all can think what pride is,the question is ,is there a good pride,and a sinful pride?.the core of racism is pride ,we are declaring we are better than them,they are inferior,pride is when we leave God out of our achievements,  out of our successes. .Last but not least the ,'Lust of the eyes',one could say it is being  being blinded to God  and the things of God.it is not just looking, it is lusting,and desiring,and craving,and wanting, and still not being satisfied.Go back to David  ,he had many wives CP 1 Chronicles 3,but the lust of his eyes took over,if we are ruled by the lust of our eyes we will never be satisfied, as David found out to his cost.John Stott writes,'Our affections, are set either on this world or on God. It is impossible to love them both'.

Just one look. (2) ( Romans 6 v 23 )

Just one look is all it took,we should not be surprised at this, in Genesis 3 v 6 we read of Eve being   tempted by Satan,to eat the forbidden fruit,she knew that God had forbidden her to eat this fruit.So we read in spite of this,' When the woman saw ....she took some and ate it,in other words ,just one look,that's all it took. Just before the overthrow of Jericho ,the Lord told Israel that they were not to take any of the spoils for themselves. (Joshua 6 v 19).But a man called Achan ,disobeyed ,so when Israel faced their next challenge they suffered  defeat, and loss of life ,when it was revealed that Achan  had disobeyed , he was confronted with what he done,he said,' I saw the plunder', just one look and he took ( Joshua 7 v 21)  What is very tragic as regards what  David,Eve,and Achan did ,was the consequences of their actions,on others.Consider the result of Davids action,Uriah was murdered,the child born out of the adultery died. Consider the consequences of what  Achan did,Israel lost the battle with the citizens of Ai,with the loss of life. And of course I don't have to mention  the awful  consequences of Eve's disobedience., Yes it all started with just one look, let all of us consider as we look at that which is  forbidden by God ,how it is going to affect others ,your child,your wife,your parents.,hear this, there is always a cost when we sin.

Just one look (1 ) ( 2 Samuel 11 )

 One evening King David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of his palace and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself,she was very beautiful. So it began with just one look,as  he looked at this beautiful woman he was smitten,desire took over, sinful desire..It is said eyes are the windows of the soul, they are also the windows to our sinful hearts,surely that does not mean the man after God's own heart oh yes,it means David,and it means all of us.When the hymn the words,Amazing grace, that saved wretch like me,he meant it,we are all wretches, as we will see ,as we look at what followed that one look. None of us ,yes I say, none of can  appreciate the depths we can fall morally.One look was followed by a headlong  pursuit to  fulfill his sinful desires,and he was determined that nothing would stop him.He was told that she was a married woman,that didn't stop him,and her husband  was one of his bodyguards ,Uriah the Hittite,that didn't stop him. So he unashamedly sent for her,slept with her ,then she returned home,and that was that,his one night stand was over. We will consider this further next time, I will leave you with these words from Numbers 32 v 23.'Be sure that your sin will find you out',there is no escape from the consequences of our sins,as David would find out.

I am His Child. ( Psalm 46 )

A friend passed on four things to me,which I want to share with you .( 1)' Make sure you test positive for faith.' In Hebrews 11 v 6,we have two important words,'Without faith',could that be you?, have you ever thought what that means?,lets put it to the test,have you or have you not faith?.ask yourself that question.   Next, faith in what?or should I say in who? in Christ,do you really know Him as your Saviour?,because if you have not ,then you are lost. If you have trusted Jesus as your Saviour,then trust  Him to bring you through Life and take you to heaven.. ( 2 )' Keep distance from doubt',how do we do that?,by trusting the Lord with all our hearts and leaning not upon our own understanding, ( 3 )'Isolate from fear',is that possible?,yes it is ,it depends on what you are focusing on, the awful situation we find ourselves in,as regards your job,your needs,the ,'what if's',so many of them. Ask the Saviour to help you ,He will carry you through.  ( 4 )'Trust God in all you are going through',we have already mentioned that earlier,He makes no mistakes,remember you are His child.,as the words of the hymn says,'Under His wings I am safely abiding ;Though the night deepens and tempests are wild,Still I can trust Him, I know He will keep me; He has redeemed me, and I am His child'.

Good morning Jesus. ( Proverbs 3 v 5 - 6 )

A man  approached a godly lady, he wanted advice about following the Lord,so she said, every morning when you get up,the first thing you do is say ,'Good morning Jesus'. She told him do this without fail,it  seems such a simple thing,I suppose what it is doing is inviting  Jesus in at the commencement of each day. It does not mean you won't have a quite time,but it set's the right tone for the day.and that's important. When I have a problem I look to God to solve that  problem,and if we bring him into all aspects of our lives,our lives we will be better for it.I try to make prayer a way of life,we all should,yes we need to set a time to pray each day but also live in a spirit of prayerfulness  ,talk to God,and bring him into all your decisions,  tell Him you love Him. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's prompting.and when you have grieved Him,tell him your sorry ,and ask His forgiveness,for unconfessed sin  will be a hindrance in your relationship with our dear Saviour,and we don't want that,do we?

We are all the same. ( Romans 3 v 23 )

 William Carey served God in India, he translated the Bible into 6 Indian languages,and parts of other dialects, and languages.He did many other things, he was the founder of the English Baptist Missionary Society.One of the things he said was,''Expect great things from God,and attempt great things for God'   One of his characteristic was perseverance,he is thought to be the founder of modern missions.There was a time in his life when he became very seriously ill,it was thought he might die. He was asked if the sickness proved fatal,what Bible text would he select for his funeral service'.He replied ,'' Oh, I feel that such a poor  creature as me, is unworthy to have  anything said about him,he chose the following words and that nothing more  should be cut on his gravestone,'William Carey born August 17th died - . '' A wretched ,poor,and helpless worm. On Thy kind arms I  fall''.It was Isaiah the prophet  who cried out,''Woe to me'', I am ruined. For I am a man of unclean lips''  ( Isaiah 6 v 5 ) It was Peter the Apostle who fell on his knees before Jesus,and said,''I am a sinful man'',  ( Luke 5 v 8 ) and  it was the Apostle Paul who wrote,'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,of whom I am the worst'. ( 1 Timothy 1 v 15). No matter who we are, be it  a missionary,prophet,or apostle,we all have one thing in common, we are all  sinners,and need  Jesus to be our Saviour.

is 

Heaven ( 2 ) ( John 14 v 6 )

 Forget about those modern day heavenly tourist,and let us remember we who are Christians,are people of  faith ( Hebrews 11 v 13 )., in 2 Corinthians 4 v 18, we read,' we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. In 5 v 17 we read,' we live by faith and not by sight',but one day, faith will give way to sight, when we are with the Lord.In the mean while ,we press on in faith, towards that heavenly country. The apostle Paul wrote, 'Therefore we do not lose heart,though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all (2 Cor  4 v  16 - 17 ) If  we are suffering,or if we are struggling, or if we are sorrowful,and feel like saying, is this Christian life worth it?.With the eye of faith fixed on Jesus , consider your heavenly inheritance,and the glory that lies ahead,for all who know Jesus,it will be no disappointment,someone said heaven is better than this,that's an understatement ,it will  be glorious ,more glorious than we can ever imagine.Consider what wont be there,the list is endless,all the bad things , the evil things, the hurtful things,the terrible things,the horrible things,the awful things,you name it,it will not be there.Then consider all the good things that will be there, John MacArthur writes ,we will have   perfect knowledge (1 Cor 13 v 12),we will live in perfect comfort,we will live in perfect love,and  undiluted joy,and most of all we will be with Jesus. Heaven is a real place,not something made up,the only thing that will stop you getting there ,is your sin,it must be repented of,and forgiven,this comes through trusting Jesus as your Saviour.

Heaven ( 1) ( 2 Corinthians 5 v 8 )

 I must confess I do not appreciate what is called heavenly tourism, I am talking about those who say they have been to heaven and back, and of course they will have books  published, recounting their experience. It was the apostle Paul who tells us how he was caught up into the  third heaven were he heard inexpressible things,things that no one is permitted to tell  ( 2 Corinthians 12  v  2 - 4) . his experience was real,it was not false..Now of course heaven is real.Heaven and is  were God dwells and rules from,the Lord's prayer starts,'Our Father in heaven',( Matthew 6 v 9 ).  The OT saints looked forward to heaven,CP ,Hebrews 11 v 13 - 16 ,  N T saints also look forward to going to heaven, and were encouraged to set their minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth ( Colossians 3 v 2 ).Is this escapism? ,no, its not,life on planet earth is something to be treasured, were we can serve our God and king,but for all of us life comes to an end, death is not a very nice thing,but it is a reality.For many in this world ,life is a struggle,so many people face injustice, persecution,the treasures on earth are temporary,but for all who trust in Jesus the glories of heaven awaits .We are told that Christ is bringing many sons and daughters to glory,( Hebrews 2 v 10),one of the last things He said to His disciples before he went back to heaven was '',I go to prepare a place for you'',(John 14 v 3 ),and in his  prayer in John 17 v 24 ,He prays,'Father ,I want those you have given me to be with me, where I am'. We will continue to look at this next time.

Decision time. ( Matthew 7 v 13 - 14 )

 In Matthew 7 v 13- 14,our  Saviour says, '' You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate.  The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to  life is very narrow and the road is difficult,and only a few ever find it'' Robert Frost wrote a poem called  '  The road less travelled', It highlights those times in life when a decision has to be taken. The poem ends with the lines ,'Two roads diverged in a wood and I took the one less travelled by,and that has made all the difference'. Consider what Jesus said,it faces us with a challenge,to make a decision,there was a moment in my life when I made that decision,it was on a road less traveled,but it has made all the difference to me ,and it was a difference for the better. Yes there have been difficulties, trials,and challenges,but in the end it will be worth it.Make a choice this day ,follow Jesus on that road less travelled,and you will never regret it.

There is more ( Psalm 23 )

In ancient times as one left the Mediterranean there were what was known as the Pillars of  Hercules, with the following inscription on it ,which read,''Non Plus Ultra'',which means,'Nothing Further Beyond''.When Columbus discovered the ,''New World'',Spain adopted as its motto,''Plus Ultra'',meaning,''Further Beyond'', or more beyond.  The grave looks so cold and forbidding , many in these days  believe that there is nothing beyond the grave,but there is,yes there is more beyond.For those who believe that when life ends ,that's it,will find out to their cost  ,for we are told in the Bible after death there is judgement, this judgement will be for sin.For those who are Christians they believe that is more beyond,not judgement ,because their sins have been forgiven by trusting Jesus as their Saviour, they enter into Heaven were their Saviour is,and enjoy unimaginable joy,and blessing.They  can say with the hymn writer,'Yes, I shall soon be landed on yonder shores of bliss.There, with my powers  expanded, I shall dwell where Jesus is'. 

Despairing saint. ( Isaiah 49 )

 We live in an uncertain world,the rich can loose their riches in a moment,the strong can become weak,those we love can be taken in a twinkling of an eye,all our plans can come to nothing.Yes we are fragile,a puff of wind can blow us over,need I go on. Even if you are a Christian, your world can fall around you,consider Job,in a moment he lost ten children,then he lost his wealth, and then he lost his health.Ask yourself ,how would you feel?,how would I feel?.In Isaiah 49 , we read that Israel was suffering ,and they cried out ( v 14),' The Lord has forsaken me,the Lord has forgotten me'',could it be that you feel like that? God's answer to Israel and to you was,'Can  a mother forget  the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?.  Though she may forget, I will not forget you.See I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;( 15 -16 ). Spurgeon  comments on these words,'Heaven and earth may well be astonished that rebels should obtain so great a nearness to the heart of infinite love as to be written on the palms of His hands. ''I have engraved you'' .See the fullness of this. I have''engraved your person, your image,your case,your circumstances,your sins,your temptations,your weaknesses,your wants,your works;I have''engraved you'',  everything about you,all that concerns you;I have put you altogether there. Will you ever say again that God has forsaken you when He has ''engraved you'' on His own palms'

Our endeavours. ( Ezra 8 v 21 - 23 )

 Hudson Taylor was founder of what became known as the,'China Inland Mission',but is now known  as the ,'Overseas Missionary Fellowship'.Hudson was a qualified doctor,this is an account of one incident that took place in China,'  During an evening prayer meeting a nurse brought a little child to him ,she thought she was dead,a woman suggested that he pray for the child,''Yes, pray, '' he shouted back,'' while I  work''.The child was blue and limp,his first efforts failed. Then he tried the kiss of life,after a few minutes the child's colour  changed  and she began to breathe,when she grew up she became a   CIM missionary .' Someone said that Hudson   prayed about things as if everything depended upon the praying...but he worked also, as if  everything depended on the working'.Make no mistake, prayer does not excuse us from serving  and working .but the two should go together.

Are you listening ( 4 ) ( Luke 12 v 13 - 21 )

 We continue considering the words of Proverbs 8 v 34 - 36,which promises a blessing on those who listen to God's wisdom,not just listening but with a desire to find true wisdom.A few years ago, my wife and I went to see ,'Les Miserables',during the performance a lady next to me was making funny noises,it was disturbing people around her,but so intent was I in what was being performed on stage ,I did not take much notice of  what that lady was doing. Such should be our intent in gaining godly wisdom.Godly wisdom leads to life,ungodly wisdom lead to death.The worlds wisdom is to just focus on the world and its ways, get enough money and retire to sunny places.We read of such a man in Luke 12 v 13 - 21, he had everything,well he thought he had,you see, he was rich and prosperous,and he said to himself,''You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat , drink, and be merry''.Many can identify with that man,that's were so many people want to get to.Yes he had a good nest egg set aside , the sweet life beckoned,but then the voice of God speaks,'You fool,this very night your soul shall be required of you'. Jesus said ,'Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions'.Dear friend don't be a fool, seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near,turn to Christ before it is to late.

Faith ( Romans 10 v 17 )

 Many people are like Thomas ,the one who would not believe that Jesus had risen from the dead,after all ,when you are dead you are dead.He would not believe ,even when his fellow disciples told him,'we have seen the Lord', but Thomas rejected what they said,after all Jesus died a terrible death,on a cross,now it was finished,it is not rational,there is no sense to it.He wanted proof and the only proof was to actually see Jesus not only see him but  he had see the nail marks in his hands ,and put his finger where the nails were; and put his hand into his side ( John 20 v 25 ). To him Jesus was dead ,and that was it,no matter what anybody said,he would not believe.There is a saying which goes,'convince a man against his will , and he remaineth of that opinion still'.Many people doubt ,refuse to believe in the resurrection,and so do not believe in Jesus,the other disciples had seen the risen Saviour,I wonder before that happened,did they believe?,it is interesting that when Jesus appeared to them,He showed  them,his hands, and his side,to confirm to that it was really him.All Thomas was saying he wanted that also,and wonder of wonders ,Jesus obliged,and Thomas believed.Yes he believed because he saw. But Jesus went on to say to  Thomas,    ''because you have seen me,you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed ( John 20 v 29 ) William Hendriksen writes,'' Faith that results from seeing is good; but faith which results from hearing is more excellent''.

Are you listening? ( 3 ) Wisdom . ( 2 Timothy 3 v 15 - 16 )

 Proverbs 8 v 34 - 36, reads ,'Blessed is the man who listens to me,watching daily at my doors,waiting at my doorway. For whoever finds me finds life and receives favour from the Lord. But whoever fails to find me, harms himself; all who hate me love death.'The book of Proverbs is about the importance of  finding  God's wisdom,and the blessing that comes with it.The world is full of people who are wise in their own eyes,that is called worldly wisdom, this is from the proud in heart.On considering wisdom the most important wisdom I believe is being wise unto salvation. The Apostle Paul writing to a young man called Timothy, writes,' and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.Christian parent remember the most important thing your children  need  is not a university education,but to be taught the Word of God,that they may become wise unto salvation,by accepting Christ as their Saviour.

Are you listening ? ( 2 ) ( Revelation 9 v 20 - 21 )

 When Stephen was contending for the faith before Jewish leaders,there came a point ,that they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him ,and when he said, ''I see heaven open and the Son of  Man  standing at the right hand of God'',they covered heir ears.It appears to me that I live in a society that has covered their ears to the voice of God.Oh yes their ears are uncovered to what the world is saying,and what Satan is saying.Why did people listen to the rantings of Hitler?, they were blinded by their prejudices and their pride, and that he had taken them out of poverty. Stephen said to those Jewish leaders,''you always resist the Holy Spirit. Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute,'' (7 v 51 - 52) and he adds how they murdered Jesus the righteous one ,Jesus.I wonder are your ears covered,Martin Luther was a brilliant law student,one day as he was riding a horse,he was caught up in an electric storm.Lighting bolts were everywhere,when suddenly one struck the ground near him,and he fell of his horse,uninjured but   shaken, he cried out to God,'' I will become a monk''.I wonder what it will  take for this world ,this nation,this town,and you, before you listen to God?.

Are you listening?. ( 1 ) ( Hebrews 4 v 7 )

 I had finished reading ,but had not really concentrated on what I read, I am sure we all do this,when I was working,which involved  a lot of driving,sometimes  one didn't concentrate. How many people pray and sing hymns without concentration ,mouth the words,but that's all they are doing,just mouthing words.  In Matthew 11 v 15, Jesus says this,''Whoever has ears,let him hear''.Your wife is talking to you ,when  suddenly she stops talking, and says ,''you are not listening to me'',and then you reply,'' I was'',but you weren't. We smile, because we have all done it,but when Jesus spoke ,and speaks,it is vital that he is listened to. Many of the people Jesus dealt with, had their own agenda,a mind set that refused to listen to what he had to say .When the J Ws  call at ones door, they have a mind set,the result is they are not really listening,to what you have to say,they are  spiritually deaf of course.Often people turn off, when one witness'es to them,they don't want to hear.There will come a day when people will stand before Christ,and protest we did not hear you speaking,Jesus will reply,every time you passed by a church building ,I was speaking, every time Christmas came I was speaking,every time  Easter came, I was speaking,every time you saw a cross I was speaking,every  time you where offered a gospel tract I was speaking, every time you attended a funeral I was speaking Yes I was speaking,but you were not listening.

Are you Jesus? ( 1 Samuel 12 v 1 - 5 )

 Jeremiah that OT prophet who was called to minister to Judah which included also the small tribe of Benjamin ,although they are anonymous.So for 40 yrs he did just that,it was a very difficult calling,he is called the weeping prophet.The wonderful thing was ,he was faithful,faithfulness is what God requires from those who know Christ as Saviour. That was a big challenge for Jeremiah,he experienced many difficulties,he had to tell the people things they didn't want to hear.Again dear Christian we are all called to tell people things they don't want to hear. R.K.Harrison writing about the true prophet says, they laid exemplary lives,and that the divine word within them was like a fire which consumed whatever was unworthy and made them persons of absolute integrity'. Likewise for all Christians ,our lives should show the reality of what it means to be a Christian,What does that mean?, it means we are to be honest, morally upright,manifesting good works ( Mt 5 v 16). A little boy went up to a missionary and asked him,are you Jesus?,of course he wasn't Jesus,but we should show forth in some degree Jesus in our lives.

It is raining. ( Psalm 30 v 5 )

The summer is gone,so we are getting more grey wet days,it  seems we have an attitude that its only a nice day if the sun shines.I suppose that's why many people go and live in sunny countries. Sometimes when it  rains I am reminded of words from an old Al  Jolson song, called, 'April showers', 'Though April showers  may come your way ,they bring the flowers that bloom in May.So if it's raining have no regrets,because it is'nt rain you know,it's raining violets. And when you see clouds upon the hills,you soon will see clouds of daffodils.So keep on looking for a Blue Bird,and listening for a song,when ever April showers come along'. What the writer is saying look beyond  those showers,as to what they produce,take those who are enduring terrible trials,I have just been reading about recently ,how Christians in Islamic countries who are   suffering dreadfully.It is the apostle Paul who suffered so much,was guided by God's Holy Spirit to write  'we also glory in our suffering, because we know that suffering produces perseverance,  perseverance,character, and character, hope.( Romans 5 v 3 - 4 )John Stott writes,' Suffering can  be productive,if we respond to it, positively, and not with anger or bitterness'.Most of all it produces ,hope,a hope that does not disappoint us.J S further writes,'What is the ultimate ground on which our Christian hope rests, our hope of glory.?. The reason our hope  will never let us down is that God will never let us down. His love will never give us up', Charles Swindoll writes,'We need to listen. In the sound of the rain, the Spirit of God sings silent lyrics with a distinct rhythm,discernible only to our souls through the ears of faith'.

Wisdom ( 2 ) ( James 3 v 13 - 18 )

It is William Shakespeare who wrote of the,' the quality of  mercy', but what about the quality of wisdom,  that other wisdom, that comes from God. This is a different type of wisdom from the earthly wisdom, William Barclay  writes,  'Wisdom  is not philosophic speculation, and intellectual knowledge.Wisdom is for life'.It is vital to  the Christians well being.How do we acquire this wisdom?well we turn to James 1 v 7 ,which reads,'If any  of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God,who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it shall be given him',he stresses that we should ask in faith not doubting .(v 8) Remember God's  wisdom is  very important,and we have a whole book to prove it ,Proverbs.Consider the qualities that this wisdom will  bring to you,'purity,peace love,considerate,submissiveness,mercy,good fruits,impartiality ,sincerity and last  but not least, being a peacemaker'. My, what wonderful  qualities they are,and if we are to be  the Christians we should be, these are the qualities we need, I know I do, what about you?.

Wisdom (1) James 3 v 13 - 18 )

I recently heard  a preacher mention ,'The perfect wisdom of God',Many who suffer loss of a love one,may wonder why,  because it seems so unfair, they may even might think God is cruel,..The perfect  wisdom of God,comes from the God who is love, he is never cruel.In James 3 we are told of two types of wisdom,one we are told is earthly,unspiritual, demonic,from where you have envy selfish ambition and evil practices.  The world is full of that kind of wisdom, John Blanchard calls it the wisdom from Hell,it is a wisdom that follows man basic instincts ,they are following their fallen nature,and William Barclay says,''it source is not God, but the devil. Douglas J. Moo,says,' Some who pride themselves on their wisdom and understanding are displaying a jealous, bitter partisanship that is the antithesis of the meekness produced by true wisdom''.This is wisdom does not only display itself in the world, where you would expect it to, but unfortunately  in the church of Christ,as was evident in the church of Corinth,it may be evident in your church,and you may be the one who is manifesting it.

Desperate ( Luke 13 v 22 - 30 )

 When I young, a long time ago ,we used to buy a comic for children,and one of the characters in the comic was called Desperate Dan,a big brute of man, it was harmless, but I don't know why they called him Desperate. That was his name,Desperate,what does the word mean?,it is an adjective,meaning a sense of hopelessness,that one is in a situation that is bad, that is impossible to deal with. I quote what follows from an article ,by  a minister  Roderick Strange,he was writing about a person called Bartimaeus who was blind,and he was a beggar,we read about him in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 10 v 46 ff .He lived in Jericho,he heard that Jesus was passing,  Jesus the healer,the teacher,the Son of David,here was  an answer to his prayers,so he cried out, 'Jesus, Son of David ,have mercy on me'.The crowds were not interested in a beggar ,and so told him to be quite,but he would not shut up,he kept calling out all the more,you see he was desperate,this was not a game of trivial pursuit .Roderick writes the following,'There is a moving line in the prophecy of Jeremiah, it reads''If you seek Me with all your heart, I will let you find  Me'. The search with all the heart does not refer to effort, but rather to deep longing. The prophet is not saying'' Providing you work hard enough, you will succeed'', offering a reward in proportion to effort,.but rather,when your longing is deep- seated ,you will discover what you desire. Yet the discovery will come as a  gift;''I will let you find Me''. Just in closing ,Jesus did heal him.

Jesus is coming again. ( Acts 1 v 7 )

 Many years ago an elderly Christian man, told me that the Lord told him that he would live to see the Lord returning  before he died, of course it did not happen. Many Christians in their eagerness for Christ's return , stress the signs of the times,there shall be wars and rumours of wars,in Matthew 24 v 6, but our Saviour followed that by saying don't be alarmed,that end is not yet. In verses 6- 14 our Saviour mentions a number  of things that will take place,but there is nothing to indicate a definite time when he would come back again.Jesus is saying, these things  to reassure His followers,not to panic. In spite of  what Jesus said , people have panicked,throughout history, no, let us not  panic,what we must do, in spite of challenging situations,persecution,increase in immorality,lawlessness,and whatever,is to hold on,press on .Verse 14 ends with these words ,'the end will come',when Jesus comes again,(whenever that may be),yes let that hope burn bright in your heart,

Filthy Rags. ( 1 Corinthians 1 v 26 - 31 )

 In the 18 century there was in America what is known as the great awakening,one of the preachers God used was  George Whitefield. It is said that God prepared the people,for what he was going to do, I wonder is that what He is doing now, with this pandemic?, I hope so,let us pray so.In Whitefield's journal we read the following,there was farmer called Nathan Cole who was also  a carpenter in America, who was anxious about his soul . He heard that George Whitefield was preaching,but it was 20 miles away,a good distance in those days to travel,but he was desperate So he went to his wife and told her ,we are going to hear George Whitefield,he told her to get their horse,which she did,he told her to get on it,and to start off to were Whitefield was ,he would   hold unto the horses tail,and run behind,she was to keep going. And so they set of,he rode a bit on the horse ,but ran most of the way. When he got there a vast crowd had gathered,as he looked on Whitefield ,he thought he looked very young and angelic,when he preached it was with the authority of the great God. The word preached,convicted him, realising his own righteousness could not save him, he asked Christ to save him.In Isaiah 64 v 6, we read,'all our righteousness are as filthy rags',it means that no matter what good you do,it will never save you,they are classed as filthy rags.The only righteousness that can make us and make us acceptable to God,is the righteousness of Christ,when we trust Christ we are as it were are clothed in His righteousness.