Amazing ( Ephesians 2 v 1 - 10 )

 It is amazing how the hymn ,'Amazing Grace', is sung in so many places,  even at the swearing in of the now President of America  ,Biden. I wish him well, and will be praying for him, he will need all the help  God  can give him. Now coming back to that old hymn , 'Amazing Grace', I  believe many sing that hymn, and don't really know what it really means, consider the first verse, Amazing grace that saved a wretch like me,.. I once  was lost  .... was blind. He was confessing his sinfulness , wretched, blind ,and lost, John Newton the author was very, very, aware of  the depths of his sinful condition, and how  he cried unto Him for salvation , and God saved him, by His unmerited favour, through Jesus the only Saviour. I add through Jesus, because  there is no salvation apart from Him. Singing ,'Amazing Grace', is not enough, we need personally to ask Christ to be our Saviour, for no matter who we are, myself included ,we are wretched , lost ,and blind. The first verse could be changed to read.

                                                  Amazing Christ, how sweet the sound,

                                                  He saved a wretch like me,

                                                  I once was lost, but now am found,

                                                  Was blind but now I see.

I wish. ( James 4 v 2 - 3 )

Sorry to say we don't have a good fairy who will grant us three wishes, most people at some time or other make a wish, if you go to the Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland, there is what is called the wishing seat. If you see a shooting star you can make a wish, or if you see a rainbow ,or if you blow out birthday candles, or if ,so it can go on. Some  people wish they had never been born, or when they are running a marathon ,say I wish I had never started this, or I wish I , and so it goes on. The thing is ,wishing will not change any thing, it cannot change the past, present or the future. For some people wishing is like  a substitute for prayer, but its not, prayer is borne out a relationship with God through Christ. There is so much one could say as regards prayer, but one thing is clear it is not about wishing. As a Christian I know God hears and answers prayer, but it must be in accordance with Gods will ( 1 John 5 v 14 ). If it is not according to Gods will, it will not be good for us, Father God knows best, so stop your wishing ,and pray to  God to hears and answers prayer.

Remember. ( 1 Corinthians 13 )

 My grandchildren heard someone calling out for John their father ,they went and told their dad, who looked out , and saw his elderly neighbour lying on the ground. It had been snowing and he fallen over, my son ran down, carried him into his home, when he got him into his home, he phoned for an ambulance. His neighbour said this to him, ''I am glad I have an neighbour like you John'', I am also glad that I have a son like John, he is a very  loving caring person. In Charlie Mackesy lovely book  , 'The  boy, the mole, the fox, and the horse', we read,'' What do you think success is?'',  asked the boy, ''to love'', said the mole.' Take time to read 1 Corinthians 13, written to a church that had lost its way, and needed reminding ,that the most important thing was love. One of the last things Jesus said to his disciples was,'' My command is this; love each other as I  have loved you''. (John 15 v 12 ), remember love never fails.

What's in a name. ( Matthew 1 v 21 )

Many people don't think much about the meaning  of their name, imagine if nobody had a name what would we do?. Who would we address our letters to,?, or what would they do to announce the winners of the Oscars?, yes we need names. Children call other children names ,not very nice name, Jesus experienced this ,not when when he was a child, but when he was grown up. We read about it in the gospel of John chap 8 v 48 , the religious leaders were challenging him, and the longer it went on the more frustrated they became, and so  they thought of the worst thing they could call him. Here is what they said, ''You are a Samaritan and have  a demon'', the NLT puts it like this,'' You Samaritan devil''. The Jews hated and despised the Samaritans, so that was bad enough, but it did not stop there, your also demonic. This illustrates how much they hated and despised Jesus.it is in Isaiah 53 v 3, we read these words,' He was despised  and rejected of men'. that hatred of Him would cause them ,to commit  the greatest crime ever perpetrated, when  they  later had Him arrested and crucified. Jesus knew all this, none of this surprised Him, he knew what he would have to endure, compare the following,  'Matthew 16 v 21/  17 v 12/ 26 v2 / Mark 8 v 31/ 9  v 9/ Luke  9 v 22/ v 41. There are other scriptures that shows clearly that He knew what was coming, even death on the cross. Not only did He know what  was coming, He knew why  he would suffer .

                                               Wounded for me ,wounded for me,

                                               There on the cross He was wounded for me;

                                               Gone my transgressions, and now I am free,

                                               All because Jesus was wounded for me.

Adapting ( Philippians 4 v 13 )

 As one looks at life  ,one of the great lessons one has to learn, is to adopt to so many things, because  if one  doesn't then life can become  difficult . I suppose there are three groups of people in life in relation to adapting. those  who do adopt, those who struggle with adapting, and those who refuse to adopt. Those who willingly embrace the challenge of adopting ,who say I am going  to do it, I am going to embrace it , and they do,  The worlds population is on the move ,people are having to live in new countries, and many of them do, and then there others who retire to foreign countries, and never learn the language of their new country. When the industrial revolution came in ,life changed dramatically, many fought against it, to no avail.  The Bible is full of examples of people like Abraham who had to adopt to a new life in a foreign  country, the Israelites  in exile. It is inevitable  that change will come  ,we loose our job, a loved one, old age with all the changes that can bring. It is vital that we learn to adopt in life, if you are a Christian then you have  a decided advantage ,I hear someone say ,no I haven't, yes you have, you have Christ with you. If you are old, remember the Christ of your youth, is still the Christ of your old age. Every change that comes into your life is not a reason to wring ones hands in despair, it is an opportunity to prove the faithfulness of God, to trust Him to help you to adopt ,to every new situation ,and He will.

Heaven . ( Hebrews 11 v 13 - 16 )

 I heard Billy Graham speaking on You Tube , that he was just turning 80 yrs of age, and he said he was asked, 'What was the greatest surprise in his life, he replied, ''the brevity of life,'', of course he went on to live another nineteen years. I am sure  he would  have still have said the same answer. Moses the man of God said that the days of our life ,' quickly pass and we fly away', (Psalm 90 v 10 ). Just before Billy Graham died, he wrote this in his last column, ''By the time you read this, I will be in heaven''. Some people say that  to be to heavenly minded, makes you of no earthly use, it is not true. Colossians  3 v 2 ,reads,  'Set your mind on things above , not on earthly things'. Again a quote by Billy Graham, ''Heaven doesn't make life less important, it makes it more important, the Bible says as long as we are here on earth, we are strangers in a foreign land. There are enemies  to be conquered  before we  return home. This world is  not our home, our citizenship is in heaven'.

                                           When all my labours and trials are o'er

                                           And I am safe on that beautiful shore,

                                           Just to be near the dear  Lord I adore,

                                            Will through the ages  be glory for me.

                                            O that will be glory for me, glory for me,

                                            When by His grace  I shall look on His face,

                                             That will be glory, be glory for me.   ( Words by C.H. Gabriel )

                                            

Messiah ( John 6 v 35 )

 So Jesus fed the multitudes ,did that make him the bread providing Master?, the  multitudes appeared to think he was .In John chapter they  followed him in their droves after the miraculous feeding of the 5,000 plus. The Jews  had a hope of a Messiah the anointed One, at Christmas we quote many OT scriptures like Isaiah 9 v 6 -7, just recently I heard a Jewish scholar mentioning about the Messiah coming. They are still the waiting people, their Messiah will come and establish his throne upon the earth, and they would never more be oppressed, never more go hunger, and they  his people would rule over all the gentiles . In John 6 v 14 ,they identified  Jesus with the prophet  of  Deut 18 v 15-18 ,and the fact that they wanted to make him a king, as they saw him as the Messiah. Moses declared that the prophet would be like him, for they gave Moses the credit for feeding them, in the wilderness. To them Jesus  was the bread providing Master, or was he?, and of course Jesus had to tell that he wasn't. In the early days of missionary work in China , there were those who were known as rice Christians, they converted to Christianity for material gain, not out of conviction. The bases of coming to Christ must never be for material needs, but for the need of Him, and the Salvation that comes through trusting Him.

Compassion .( Psalm 86 v 15)

 Someone called our Lord ,'the bread providing Master', I suppose He could be seen as that ,after all He  performed two wonderful  miracles,  the first  was the feeding of the 5,000, (plus )  in John 6  and Mark 6, the next one ,the feeding of the 4,ooo, ( Plus) in Matthew 15, and Mark 8.Jesus was very popular, crowds numbering in their thousands followed Him, on both occasions they had nothing to eat, and Jesus responded to their needs, He fed them. In the second one, we have Jesus saying , '' I have compassion on the multitude'', that compassion led  Him to feed them. We read in a number of places of Jesus being compassionate in Matt 9 v36 ;14 v14; 15v 32; 18 v27; 20 v34 ; Mark 1 v 41; 6 v34 ; 8 v2;9 v22; Luke 7 v 13; 10 v33; 15 v 20;.  Compassion is not just crocodile tears, it should have desire to help, to lift up the fallen, to give to the needy. to comfort the sorrowing, to visit the lonely ,Jesus did, and He says to all of us follow Me.

That's a fact. ( 2 ) ( 1 Corinthians 1 v 18 - 31 )

' I'm  thinking, don't confuse me with the facts', so wrote Plato, what are the facts as regards human history, at this time I am reading a book ,called, ' Anarchy ',it is a historical account as to how the East  Indian  company, took over a country. I have reached the half way stage, and it suddenly struck me, how many  wars, there are recorded , and I thought I wonder how many wars there have been since time the fall of man. One writer commenting on Cain killing his brother says, ' since that time the world has become  a slaughter house'. That's a fact, in describing mans sinful condition, the word of God tells us in Romans 3 v 15,' Their feet  are swift to shed blood'. Although we are small  we are capital of so much violence, that's a fact. As regards sex ,the list of offences, are innumerable, that's a fact, we could say the same as regards murder, that's a fact.  Mankind has an addictive nature, be it with gambling, drugs ,alcohol, that's a fact. All these I have mentioned are but the tip of an iceberg, I have not even touched on  mans fraught attitude to God ,He is not even in their thoughts, and his name is blasphemed continually, that's a fact. We live in a broken world, were death  is ever present ,  reminding us of that fatal fall in Eden's garden, that's a fact.  I wonder would  you turn  your thoughts to the God who loves this world, to the God who loves you. For only He could provide a means for us to recover ,'Jesus', through  his death and resurrection, when we trust the Christ of the cross our sins are forgiven, we receive eternal life, and our lives are changed for ever ,that's a fact.

I feel quite small. ( 1 ) ( Proverbs 15 v 3 )

There is a song by one of my favourite singers, Katie Melua , which goes, 'There are nine million bicycles in Beijing,/We are twelve billion  light years from the edge, that's a guess,/There are six billion people in the world, more or less, and it makes me  feel quite small 'It is a  bit mind blowing  all those millions and billions, it does make one feel quite small. Six billion people more or less, a lot of people, but God knows everyone of them, yes even a little old you ,and a little old me. He knows  everything about us, and here is a point He is no respecter of persons, and it may come as a surprise to you, everyone is precious to Him, yes even you, and even me. He even loves us ,but don't be fooled ,His   love is not blind , He see's  us as we really are, and what He see's is not very pretty . When  Oliver Cromwell was having his portrait painted, he told the artist to paint warts and all. My old mother when she was going out to a party, used to say, as she put on her make up, I am putting on my new face, the fact the camera can lie .But God see's us as we are, and He would speak the truth to us, sometimes the truth is the last thing we  want to hear, Plato said, 'I'm  trying to think, don't confuse with the facts'. We  will consider this more next time.

Surrender . ( Isaiah 55 v 6 - 7 )

If you come from Northern Ireland, you would be familiar with the term ,'No Surrender',  this was the cry of  those who fervently wanted to stay in the United Kingdom, as opposed  to the nationalist  who wanted an all Ireland, to break free from British rule. After many years of conflict things have died down, after there was a degree of compromise.  The war in Europe could have ended sooner, if  Germany ruled by the Nazis had been willing to surrender ,because the surrender had to be unconditional , but they refused. The reason being the Nazis would have been held  accountable for the dreadful evils they had perpetrated .Yet what suffering would have been avoided, as the Russians were determined to have revenge on Germany for the terrible evils committed when they were invaded ,by the German army. The Christian life starts with surrender, and it must be unconditional, if you desired to be saved, you are not coming to discuss terms with God ,no salvation does not involve sitting at a table were one negotiates , no ,it starts at the cross were Jesus died. there has be no pride in doing that.  When Lord Nelson had conquered a French vessel, he went up to the French captain to receive his  surrender, the captain held out his hand to Nelson, but Nelson declined to shake it, and said ,''no captain, first hand over your sword.'' If you want to be saved ,you must surrender your sword, whatever that symbolises , pride,  independence, sinful pleasures, worship of other things, false religion, it is ,and must be unconditional surrender.

                                                    There is life for a look at the Crucified  One,

                                                     There is life at this moment for thee,

                                                      Then look , sinner, look unto Him and be saved,

                                                      Unto Him who was nailed on the tree.  ( Words by Asa M. Hull/)

Debt . ( 2 ) ( Isaiah 53 )

 We are all without exception in the debtors prison awaiting our appearance before a holy God, but he is not only holy, he is also merciful and forgiving. So out of a heart of love, he devised a way that we can have that debt paid, the question is how?, the answer he sent Jesus his only Son. He came with the specific purpose to pay the price of our sinful debt, a debt that no one is able to pay, I stress no one. Einstein could  not solve this dilemma that we find ourselves in ,none of the great philosophers could solve it, the list is endless of  false religions, promising they have the answer, but that's all they are ,false religions. No, we must turn again to God's answer, Jesus ,writing to Christians at a place called Colosse the apostle Paul reminds them what Christ  accomplished for them ,here is what he wrote,' God has broken you clean away from your past. He  has freely  forgiven  your sins. Those sins represented, so to speak,  a mountain of bankruptcy which  you were bound to acknowledge but could never have any hope of discharging , and nothing you could afford  redress. But Christ has wiped the slate clean and given you a fresh start. He took that signed confession of indebtedness which stood as a perpetual witness against you, and cancelled it in His death'( Col 2  v 13 ff)

                                                    Jesus for you a body takes,

                                                    Thy guilt assumes, thy fetters breaks,

                                                    Discharging all thy dreadful debt- 

                                                    And canst thou then such love forget.  ( Words by Krishna Pal )

                                                    

Debt ( 1 ) ( Psalm 51 v 3 - 4 )

 I saw recently a article on the internet ,how a group of  people who had received treatment for cancer treatment, could not pay their final bill. The debt collectors were involved, and it was serious, but the person they owed the money to cancelled their debts. In the article the term that was used was,' he forgive them their debts', in Matthews gospel chap 6 v 12  ,we have what is called the Lord's prayer, these words, ' Forgive us our debts',  here it is used in relation to sin. In Victorian times , there was what was known as the debtors prison, Charles Dickens father spent time in the debtors prison, in England in the 18Th and 19Th centuries 10,000 people were imprisoned each year for debt. Before they could be released they had to repay the creditor the amount owed. We may not realise it, but all  of us through out our whole life are accumulating a debt which none of us can pay, and non payment will result in us paying a terrible price. I am talking about all the sins we have committed ,we will be held accountable by God, and on that great judgement  day ,judgement will be passed, and oh what a weeping and wailing will heard on that day, as the lost will hear of their fate. Tomorrow we will consider this further.

Man know thyself. ( 5 ) ( John 8 v 1 - 11)

 Hopefully today we will finish on Psalm 139 v 19 - 24, in these verses we hear David crying out to God to deal with the wicked, he stresses their ,violence, evil intentions ,  blasphemous language, hatred of God, and their rebelliousness. Sometimes man's evil is so great,  God acts in a dramatic way , like the flood, the inhabitants of  Canaan, Sodom and Gomorrah, even the destruction of Israel . Dr . Meyer writes  the following, ' When we are startled at these strong expressions of  David , we may  well ask ourselves whether , in our tender pity for sinners , we may not be losing something of his stern consciousness of  the evil of sin, and the guilt of  the wicked'. David while imploring God's righteous judgement on the wicked, is conscious of his own fallen nature, and that he may have offended a holy God. v 23 - 24.oh yes David like us all, had a fallen nature ( C P  1 Samuel 11 ) That is why we all need  Jesus, in order that our sins may be forgiven, so we may escape the wrath to come.

God is just.( 4) ( Romans 1 v 18 )

 We continue a last look at Psalm 139, we have highlighted God's, Omniscience ,Omnipresence, and His Omnipotence. Now let us end by borrowing  H. Lockyer's heading for  v 19 - 24, ' The Overthrow of  God's Enemies '. Here our those verses,' If only you, God , would slay the wicked! Away from me, you are bloodthirsty! They  speak  of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. Do I not hate those who hate you ,Lord, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you? I have nothing but hatred for them;  I count them my enemies. Search  me , God, and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts. see if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting'.  People struggle with what David says, to them it appears ad odds with a God of love, has David got it wrong?, 'No'.  I will offer a few thoughts on this. Judgement is in the Bible, Old and New,  Jesus spoke of hell and judgement.  Every day the jihdi ,Islamic militants ,are murdering ,kidnapping ,forcing religious conversions , they are blind to the suffering they are causing. Is it wrong to cry out to God to deal with them?,  no it is not. ( of course the Koran calls Jews and Christians wretched creatures. ) In Psalm 7 v 11 we read ,'God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked everyday'. We will continue this next time.

Such power ! Such care! ( 3 ) ( Genesis 1 v 1 )

Continuing on in Psalm 139, lets consider v 13 - 18, Herbert  Lockyer puts this title over these verses, ' The Omnipotence of God', Omnipotence means having unlimited power ,and its in these verses we can see it manifested, so here they are, 'For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I  was made in the secret  place ,when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body ; all the days ordained for me  were written in your book before one of them  came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts  God, how vast is the sum of them. Where I  to count them they would outnumber the grains  of sand, when I awake I am still with you'. These words are breathtaking ,astonishing ,I remember my first child being born ,one never forgets that moment ,one looks at the little fingers ,little toes, amazing and wonderful, and humbling. In Psalm 100 v 3, we read,' Know that the Lord is  God, it is He who made us, and we are His.' Let me say this say  I am not very good at DIY, I struggle even with flat packs, no, I do not believe in self  creation, nor chance,  chance cannot do anything.  God has made us, and we are His, people say I am my own person, your not, on the cross where Christ died, God was reclaiming back His lost creation.

No hiding place ( 2 ) ( Romans 8 v 38 - 39 )

Let us take another look at Psalm 139 v 7 - 12, 'Where can I go from your Spirit? where  can I flee from your presence ?. If I  go up to the heavens, you are  there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of a dawn, if I  settle on the far side of the sea, even there you hand will guide me,  your  right hand will hold me fast. If  I say,' Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become  night   around me ,'even  the darkness will not be dark to you,  the night  will shine like day, for darkness is as light to you.'  When I was young  my friends and I  would play a game  called ' Hide and Seek', when are first parents sinned, we read that they hid from the Lord  God,  Gen 3 v 8. Since then humanity  has foolishly  tried to hide from God, but the fact is there is no hiding place from God. For although God  is in heaven, his presence is everywhere. The term we use to describe this, is omnipresence ,that God  is immanent in his creation. Herbert  Lockyer, writes,' No matter where we are, or may go, the  words stand -Thou God seest me -  which is blessed to those who know Him  as Father and Friend'. In China at this time a Christian brother called Gao Zhisheng has disappeared,  taken away by the authorities, in some   hidden  detention centre,  his friends and family don't know where he is, but God knows, and not only knows, but God's presence is with that dear brother.

Imperfect. ( James 5 v 13 - 18 )

Elijah was a wonderful prophet, he was very courageous ,and yet sometimes his courage failed him, James in his epistle chap 5 v 17 - 18 writes of this great man ,and how he had wonderful answers to his prayer. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it didn't for three and a half  years ,and then he prayed again and it rained. I remember reading about a man called George Muller was arriving in a ship in America, but a dense fog had ascended, holding up the ship, this was in the 19th century. George spoke to the captain who was Christian, he said he had an appointment that he must keep, the captain said there was nothing that could be done. George ask the captain to go and pray he would pray  also. They did that ,and the fog lifted, when we pray in the will of God  ( 1 John 5 v  14 ), wonderful things can happen. I stress those words ,the will of God. Prayer is not a novelty thing, we must ask with right motives ,every true prayer should have at its core,' Thy will be done', and if it is not God's will, the  prayer will not be answered Cp  James 4 v 3. Returning to Elijah, yes he was a great man, beware of making any person great or otherwise, your idol , yes he was a great but not a perfect man, ( James 5 v 17). These words remind us be be cautious us ,as seeing any godly person, as pure gold. Imperfect though Elijah was ,God heard his prayer and answered, so we imperfect individuals can be assured that God will hear and answer our prayers.

All knowing. ( 1 ) ( John 21 v 17 )

 If you are married, I wonder does your wife ever say , '' I know you'', she says this  in response  to you  saying,'' leave it to me I will do it'', the reason  is simple, her reply is,'' you will forget''. Lets face it after  38 yrs of marriage , she knows what I'm like, and of course I know what she is like. Well not fully, there is always a  hidden side of us, which no other person knows. When I say no other person, of course there is one person who does know us fully, God, we have  this wonderfully  illustrated in Psalm 139 v 1- 6. here is what it says,' You have searched me, and you know me. You know when I sit down and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my  going out and my  lying down; you are familiar  with all my ways. Before  a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it  completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is to wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain'. Here we have what is known as ,'The Divine Omniscience', meaning that He is all knowing, if it was otherwise He would not be God. Tozer in his book, 'The knowledge of the Holy', writes ,'To say that God  is omniscient is to say that He possesses perfect knowledge and therefore no need to learn. But  it is more ; it is to say that  God has never learned and cannot learn'. He further says, 'He never discovers anything ,He is never surprised, never amazed'. The being of God is beyond our understanding, and yet by His grace and mercy we can know Him , as our heavenly Father, when by faith we trust Jesus as our Saviour.

Hate ( Luke 14 v 25 - 35 )

 A famous evangelist daughter, was being interviewed, speaking about forgiven herself, her father, and then  she said sometime that astounded me, she said she forgive God. Although she was the daughter of a  world renowned evangelist, it is obvious she had a very distorted view of God. When one speaks like  that lady,  she is making herself God, for only God can forgive sin.no it was so wrong what she said ,and so sad. That lovely hymn by Reginald Heber ,   declares ,' Only  Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee, Perfect in power, in love. and purity'. The problem that lady has, goes back to her childhood, her father was away a lot preaching, and when he came home, he was always in demand, so she she could not get his attention and nearness ,she felt she needed. Consider what our dear Saviour spoke of what it means to follow Him  Luke 14 v 26 ,'' If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father, and mother and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, yes even his own life, he cannot be my disciple''. What Jesus is saying you must be prepared to love me more than your nearest and dearest yes more than anything else. My mind goes back to when I felt the call of God to serve him, in missionary work, I was married and  we had  three children, I loved them dearly. One evening I heard a missionary speaking of were he served God ,deep in the Amazon forest, he said it was called the green hell. That evening I was prepared  to go and serve God there ,if it was his will. My wife and I applied to the mission but were turned down, but we were willing, the challenge comes to all of us, in different  ways, do we love Jesus more?.

Have you troubles? ( Psalm 121 )

 One of Jobs friends said this,'' Yet man that is born  to trouble as surely as sparks fly upwards'', now that's a happy thought, the fact is we will all experience some sort of trouble during our lives. Job  experienced a great deal of trouble. there are  many people who experience a great deal of trouble, troubles  come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes we bring the troubles on ourselves not meaning to, sometimes we take a chance and we fall into trouble. If you are in trouble at this time, here is a word for you, Psalm 50 v 15,' 'Call upon Me in the in the day  of trouble;  I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.' Make Him your first port of call, do what he says, call upon Him. He is God, one who delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, from the blazing furnace, He delivered Daniel  from the lions den, he delivered Jonah from the belly of the great fish, and so we could go with more examples. He has not changed,  he can deliver you, out of your troubles, and when He does, give Him the glory.

                                                         Begone unbelief, my Saviour is near

                                                         And for my relief, will surely appear,

                                                         By prayer let me wrestle, and He will perform,

                                                         With Christ  in the vessel, I smile at the storm .  ( Words by J. Newton)

Not optional . ( Matthew 6 v 14 - 16 )

 Sometimes it is hard to forgive, I know a man and he had a difficult  relationship within his marriage, there were unresolved issues, that caused  difficulties, painful conflicts had often occurred. But they had managed to make up, but on one occasion, things were said, and the husband felt very hurt. Things seem to  carry on as normal, but the husband found it hard to forgive, he never said anything to his wife, but he was angry with her, and was finding it hard to forgive her. Eventually he spoke to God about it  telling Him how he felt, and that he found it hard to forgive her, and God said you must, it wasn't  optional.  He reminded him how much he had forgiven him, time after time , and he reminded him what it had cost to forgive him, and the husband  remembered the cross on which Jesus died for him, and he realised ,yes forgiving his wife was not optional.

Weakness ( Philippians 4 v 13 )

I wish I was stronger ,I feel so weak, I feel if  only, God would remove those hindrances ,those flaws in my character , and then I think of one the greatest Christians who ever lived,  the Apostle Paul. Consider his  achievements, and how God used him, and you say ,God use me, you cry, I want to be  used by God. Listen to what the Apostle Paul would say to you, ''are you weak enough'' ?, and  you stand back and cry out I want to be strong ,and the Apostle says I was once like you, but I had an affliction, everywhere I went  I carried it with me, it was like having a stake driven into me, it was so painful. So I prayed and I prayed, and I prayed, this was not just a word prayer, I was pleading with God to remove that awful affliction ,and you know what God said?,'' No''. but He didn't  stop there ,he went on to say, '' My Grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness, or as one translation puts it,'' My grace is enough for you''. Charles Haddon Spurgeon  preached this to his congregation ,''Dear brothers and sisters, go home and never ask the Lord to make you strong in yourselves, never  ask Him to make you anybody  or anything, but be content to be nothing and a nobody. Next ask that His power may have room in you, and that all those  who come near you may see  what God  can do by nothings and nobodies. Live with this desire , to glorify God''

It is important ( Luke 18 v 1 )

 Our family could not  meet together as we usually do, so we arranged to meet on zoom, and we would have a quiz, this we did. The wonders of  technology ,it was fun, I didn't cheat, and of course my wife  and I, didn't win, in fact we came last. It was nice to see the family, but before we signed of ,I reminded them that I pray for them each day. In James 5 v 16 we have these words,'  Pray for one another', very important that we  pray for one another, the apostle Paul encouraged the saints at Ephesus, to keep  on praying for all the Lords people 6 v 18, and in 1 Timothy 2 v 4, we have the charge to Timothy to pray  ' for all people'.  It was Alfred Lord Tennyson who wrote the following poem.

                                         More things are wrought by prayer,

                                         Than this world dreams of.

                                         Wherefore , let thy voice rise like a fountain for me night and day.

                                         For what are men better than  sheep or goats.

                                         That nourish a blind  life within the brain,

                                          If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer,

                                          Both for themselves and those who call them friend?.

                                          For so the whole round earth is everyway,

                                           Bound by gold chains  about the feet of God.

                                           

                                              

Doubt ( Psalm 43 v 5 )

 'I had been with him for over 3 yrs, I witnessed the miracles, I had  heard him speak, his enemies were amazed at what he said and taught, he appeared indestructible .  I never thought that he was going to die like he did, why did he die?, he was the Messiah, he was going to establish God's Kingdom on earth, why? , why?, why?. Now they are telling me that he is not dead, I don't believe it ,he was crucified,, he was dead ,and when your dead your dead. I can't believe, I won't believe'. His name was Thomas ,otherwise known as doubting Thomas, he was one the 12 disciples ,he must have felt many things  when Jesus died such a horrible death on that awful cross, doubt was one of them.  A friend of mine spoke of  her son who appears to have lost his way spiritually, she doesn't know why, she spoke of how she remembered him preaching, but now he appears to have withdrawn , struggling. There are may reasons why like Thomas people's faith can be affected, maybe like Christian in Pilgrims progress ,we all visit even briefly Doubting castle. It is good to acknowledge that , to acknowledge that sometimes we lose our way. In spite of his black hole of  doubt and despair, he did recover, we read how his Saviour manifested himself to him, for his Saviour loved him.  Today you may be struggling with doubt ,remember your Saviour still loves you.

A good feeling. ( Genesis 18 v 14 )

A well known preacher asked his sister ,what was one of the best  feeling she had?, and she answered, relief. It is very true ,as I look back on my life , I can remember so many times, I have experienced relief , in relation to my family , or when my football team one certain matches when it looked like they were going to be beat. Years ago my wife and young family were travelling home, it  was night, and the car had a puncture, and someone stopped and helped me, what a relief It was a relief when a church called me to be their minister , after so many doors had closed. Yes relief is a major thing in our lives, when a person recovers from a life threatening illness, or when a financial need is met, yes its a good feeling  . I know life has many different experiences , they are not always good, often they can be down right bad. You may be having a bad experience, there appears no way out, no relief on the horizon ,trust God for He has not left you, listen child of God ,He has not forsaken you, nor will He. He can make a way for you out of your difficulties, so don't despair, hear the word of the Lord ,''I will help you''. ( Isaiah 41 v 10 ),is that not a relief  .

Everything we need . ( Philippians 4 v13 )

 In 2  Peter 1 v 3 we read,' His divine power has given us everything that we need  for life and godliness'. When we become a Christian we are not left  with no resources, no God has given us everything we need for life and godliness. In Romans 7 the Apostle Paul, writes of the struggle he had in seeking to do what's right, the fact is none of us are perfect, but we must seek that godly perfection that Christ spoke of in Matthew 5 v 48. our Saviour did not tell us this, to mock us, but rather to make that our aim, to be ever striving, as the apostle  writes in Philippians 3 v 12 - 14.  We are not saved by what we do, but by what Christ has done, we are not saved by our righteousness ,Titus 3 v 5, but we are called to be righteous ,likewise only God is holy yet we are called to be be holy. ( 1 Peter 1 v 16 ) As  a Christian I have to take this serious, Paul recognised the challenged and struggled with it, why because although we have a new nature we still have the old nature which is referred to as the flesh Galatians 5 v 16 - 17. In Romans 7 v 25 Paul declares 'Thanks be to God ,through our Lord Jesus Christ', our Christian life starts with Christ, and continues with Christ, yes there is victory in Jesus. He is with us in the power of the Holy Spirit, who will grant us the power and the grace to live a life of godliness.

                                                  Through many dangers, toils, and snares

                                                   I have already come ;

                                                   Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,

                                                   And grace will lead me home.  ( Words John  Newton )

                                                    

Are you greedy? ( Matthew 22 v 37 )

 Years ago when  rich people had servants, the master of the house  overheard one of his servants saying to  the other servants, '' if only I had ten pound I would be so happy and content''. Well the master took ten pound from his wallet ,and gave it to him, and as he was walking away  he overheard him say, ''I wish I had said twenty pounds.'' Recently a neighbours daughter said to me, ''I don't want a lot of money, just enough to buy a few things''. The thing is the more people get, the more they want , it is very true, people always go for a better paid job, a bigger house, a better car .Now I am not saying that's its wrong to better ones self, for most of my life money has been scarce, not now, God has blessed me, and I am grateful, and content, my concern is to not let my possessions possess  me . In Ephesians 5 v 3 the apostle Paul  challenges the believers not to be greedy, it has the meaning of covetousness, a hunger for material possessions,( among other things). Charles Swindoll, points that in Colossians 3 v 5  greed is linked  to idolatry, and he makes this valid point ,''greed ,'' makes a god of what it seeks to possess''. My  dear wife is a self employed carer, and she reminds me it is not just about the money. it was dear William Cowper who wrote,

                                                    'The dearest idol I have known,

                                                     Whate'er that idol be,

                                                      Help me to tear it from Thy throne,

                                                       And  worship  only Thee.'.

It is not fair. ( Romans 12 v 19 - 21 )

 Looking back on my life, I think  of the many friends I've had along the way, one of my earliest friends was Billy Harris, although it wasn't all smooth going the friendship, bearing in mind ,we were both in primary school, in other words we were both very young. We had a fight and I bit him, no I didn't  try to eat him, no I just bit him, he  got over it, we still remained friends for a few years. I  remember going to his home, and his mother  sent him out to get some shopping, we both  went, and  when his mum asked him for the change, he had lost it. In those days money was short, so his mother was very upset, so she started blaming me, I  didn't take it ,or should I say, steal it, no I was innocent, he was my friend.  It is not nice being blamed for something one didn't do, think  of Joseph accused wrongly of trying to rape someone ,and for that he spent many years in prison. He could not do anything about it, it was not fair or just.  In   1 Peter 2 , Peter writes about those who suffer wrongly, and gives the greatest example of that in Jesus, and this is what we read, ' Who when he was reviled, did not revile in return; when he suffered , He did not threaten , but committed ( or entrusted ) himself  to Him who judges righteously' ( v 23 )

It became a reality. ( Isaiah 9 v 6 )

 In Matthew 2 we have recorded the visit of  the wise men from the east ,possibly from Persia, and they came seeking the king of the Jews, it is understandable that they went to Jerusalem initially, as it is very near Bethlehem. They assumed that the king of the Jews would be born in a palace, but not so, as they soon found out  ,when they met with  King Herod. The Jewish religious leaders pointed out from scripture, that it was to be in Bethlehem as foretold by the prophet Micah ( 5 v 2 ) that the Messiah was to be born. It is important to emphasize, that the coming of  Christ was foretold in the OT. In Isaiah  7 v 14/  9 v 6 we have his birth foretold,  in Isaiah 53, and Psalm 22, his suffering and death, in Psalm 16 v 10, we have His resurrection foretold. Christianity is not something  that we have made up , it was clearly foretold in scripture. Those Jews who made up the early Church, saw Christ  as the promised Messiah, that He was the one the scriptures clearly foretold was coming. Yes they followed  that prophecy given by  God, that became a reality, in that little town of Bethlehem, in a babe called Jesus, the Saviour of the world.

The future. ( Isaiah 50 v 10 )

 In 1939 Great Britain and many other countries were facing a very uncertain future, Germany  ruled by a  dictator called Hitler,  had set his sights on conquest by force  on the nations of Europe. The British Prime Minister thought he had secured peace, and the nation rejoiced, but alas it was not  so, and so war was declared. Difficult and uncertain times lay ahead the then King George the sixth on 25th of December 1939 ,spoke to the nation on the radio, his young daughter  Princess Elisabeth, passed unto him a poem by Minnie Louise Haskins, called,' The Gate of the Year', the king read this in his talk. Considering the uncertainties that we as a nation face and indeed the world ,its is a very appropriate poem to read. As  someone has said, 'No one knows what the 'New Year 'will bring, but God knows'.  

                                      'And I said to the man who stood  at the gate of the year, 

                                       Give me a light that I may tread safely  into the unknown,

                                        And he replied,   

                                        Go out into the darkness, and put your  hand, in the Hand of God  ,

                                        That shall be to you better than light, and safer than a known way.'

That God ,can be known through Jesus his Son, who said '' I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life''.  (John 8 v 12 )