That's your opinion. ( Psalm 119 v 105 )

We live in a world of confusion, in the moral realm the confusion is increasing, and of course as regards  truth ,anything goes. The absurdity of evolution rules, people are told and taught that everything just happened. When the new leader of a party in Northern Ireland was elected, we were told that he rejected evolution, and believed in creation, the question is  why did they mention that? .Simply because they see it  as absurd ,of course  it's not, for it makes more sense than saying it just happen, all the variety ,the design ,the season's and so on, it could not just happen, it could not  just happen, in a trillion years. Many church people are going along with it, alas.  Evolution is utter confusion. Confusion reigns within the church on so many issues ,doctrinally confusion, and moral confusion ,it is becoming the order of the day.  When I said that homosexuality was a sin, (CP 1 Corinthians 6 v 9 -11 , ) to a minister, he replied that was my opinion, yes moral confusion reigns. hell  and sin is played down, among many other things. Once you leave the confines of the word of God, and exchange it for the confines of your mind, you are entering into a sphere of confusion .Instead of  holding to the certainties of scripture we end up with no certainties, thinking that we know better than God, and what He has revealed in His word.

                                               Cling to the Bible! Cling to the Bible!

                                              Cling to the Bible -Our Lamp and our

                                               Guide.

He is the prize. ( Hebrews 12 v 2 - 3 )

 When Mahatma Gandhi was asked near the end of his life,.'Babaki, you have been looking for God all your life. Have  you found him yet?' 'No', was the reply,  ' I'm still looking.' Gandhi was a great man , but he never  trusted Jesus as his Saviour. He was influenced by what Jesus taught, but never saw Him as the son of God. There are  a number of things that put him off becoming a Christian, many of those who professed to be Christians for a start. It is a pity that he didn't look beyond  them, to Christ Himself, after all He read the Bible, read the gospel's  , why did he not then trust Christ? ,Of course we as Christians should show the reality of Christ in our lives, but it is not always so. There are many fine Christian's, but they are far from perfect, when one becomes a Christian, you are coming into a  church of fallen human beings. Do not let anyone put you off  becoming a Christian, no matter who they are,, remember one of the disciples Judas ,betrayed Jesus for money ,another one denied Jesus, his name was Peter. The history of the church is not a perfect history, but we have a perfect Lord, and a perfect Saviour. Look to Him alone, he is the prize, He will forgive you and save you, He will never fail you , nor leave you, He will always care for you and love you.

Without faith. ( Hebrews 11 v 6 )

 Raymond Brown quotes the following, 'God who made everything out of nothing can do anything', he further says ,'Nothing  whatever is beyond the ability of such a mighty God'. So many of us need to hear these words, I know that miracles happen now and then, but the fact is they do happen, God has not changed, but unfortunately we do ,our  faith instead  of growing ,diminishes ,we are not growing we are shrinking. We may have stopped asking, 'can  God?', to,' God can't', we are like the Israelites who came out of Egypt , they witnessed so many miracles, and yet  a whole generation died because of unbelief. Numbers 14 v 22 - 23. Unbelief is a sin, faith is what God desires, in the words of a song,' Prayer is the key to heaven but faith unlocks the door, ' a man came to Jesus with a request, that He would heal his son, and He said to Jesus ,''If you can'', and Jesus threw that back at him, and said,'' Everything is possible for one who believes''. The man had first gone to the disciples, but they could do nothing, no wonder the man said, ''I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief.'' The good news is ,Jesus did heal the boy,  the failure of the disciple to help that boy was a lack of prayer .( Mark 9 v 14 - 29 ) Remember it is not the littleness of our faith that's a problem. no ,if we have faith as a grain of mustard seed ,answers to prayer can happen, yes even miracles can happen. ( Matthew 17  v 20 -21 )

Five glorious reasons ( Psalms 50 v 15 )

Someone wrote ,'More things are wrought  by prayer than the world dreams of', it was our dear Saviour who said ,that we should always pray and never give up'. I pray  about many things ,and there appears no answer  is coming, I do not know why certain things have not been answered, there  are reason why, God knows, the words that comes  to my  mind is ,'How Long?,. How long will it be before  God will answer our prayers, and the answer is this, in His time .It may be after we have gone  to heaven ,that He will answer, yes in His time, and His word to you and me is simply ,'keep praying'. That is our God given task, ours is not to  reason why, but to keep on praying. But of course that  is only one aspect of prayer ,He will answer our prayers immediate, no long waiting period ,when we are faced with troubles, Writing about Psalm 50 v15 ,which reads, '' Call upon Me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me'', Pastor Mark Altrogge highlights,' 5 glorious reasons to call on God in your trouble'.

                                    1/   It show that our Heavenly Father cares about

                                           our lives.

                                     2 /  It shows how willing the Lord is to help us.

                                     3/  It shows that  God knows we need simple commands. 

                                     4/  It shows that God gives sure and certain promises.

                                     5/  God delivers for His glory.

He finishes of by saying, ''When God says  , call upon Me in the day of  trouble, He intends to answer that prayer''.

Are you sinking. ( Deuteronomy 33 v 27 )

 On one occasion when the disciples were in a boat they saw someone walking on the water, and they were terrified, it was Jesus, who calmed their fears. But Peter said if it is you Lord, command me to come to you on the water. So Jesus said come, so Peter stepped out unto the water, but as he got nearer  Jesus ,he panicked ,and began to sink. Then we read ,' Jesus immediately reached out His hand and took hold of him.' There is a modern song I want to share with you. written by Keith and Kristyn called ,'He will hold me Fast'.

                                        He will hold me fast, He will hold me fast,

                                        For my Saviour loves me so, He will hold me fast.

                                        Those He saves are His delight, Christ will hold me fast.

                                        Precious in His sight, He will hold me fast.

                                        He'll will not let my soul be lost, He will hold me fast.

                                        Bought by Him at such a cost, He will me hold fast.

                                        For my life He bled and died, Christ will hold me fast,

                                        Justice has been satisfied, He will hold me fast.

Trust Him. (Psalm 23 ) Psalm 37

Psalm 37 v  25, reads ' I have been young , and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken ,nor his descendants  begging bread.' David was old and as he looked back on his life he declares God's faithfulness to His children. God is faithful all the time, our Saviour encouraged us , He said that  our heavenly Father will care of His children, ( Matthew 6 v 25 - 34 )But I will share what William Plummer writes on this  verse, 'There  are  in Scripture many general principles stated, which are not universally true,, though they are commonly so, and exceptions to them are rare'. There  many examples in scripture of  God providing for His children. and his children's children. So trust Him child of God  for your needs ,and your children's needs the Lords is your shepherd you shall not want.

Prosperity ( Psalm 37 )

 You want to prosper ?,yes of course you do, well let  us consider Psalm 37  v 3 - 6 tells three things we must do three things,

                                                                 One.

                                   Trust in the lord and do good , Then you will live safely

                                   in the land and prosper.

               .

 Don't just profess to trust the Lord,  show the reality of that, by doing good, ancient Israel failed in this, they did evil, and so  they didn't prosper.

                                                                Two.                                                                                       

                                          Delight  yourself also  in the Lord  ,

                                          And He  shall give you the desires

                                          of your heart.

Consider that word delight , people delight in a multitude of things , but not the Lord, as Christians our greatest delight should be the Lord., the question is He?. Well, if you do ,He shall give you the desires of your heart, in keeping with His will.

                                                                Three 

                                          Commit your way to the Lord . Trust 

                                          also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.

Our ways, means all that concerns us ,commit  everything to God, everything, and He will honour that, all your endeavours, our going out and our coming in, Spurgeon  writes, 'Roll the whole burden of life upon the Lord. Cast away anxiety, resign  thy will, submit thy judgment, leave it all ,with the God of all.

                                                                                                        

                                             

                                             

                                              

Cease from anger. ( 2 ) ( 1 Peter 2 v 21 - 23 ) Ps37

  Let us consider v 7- 8  of Psalm 37 ,'Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him, fret not yourself  over the one that prospers  in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices. Refrain  from anger, and forsake wrath!  fret not yourself, it tends only to evil'. David experienced  harm  from people people who sought to hurt him  ,even though he had done them no harm. The first one was King Saul, time after time he sought to kill David, Saul hunted David like an animal .There  arose an opportunity for David to kill Saul CP 1 Samuel 24, but he didn't yield to the temptation, and he spared Saul's life ,it is Plummer who writes ,'He would  not hurt him, but left  his whole cause with God ,expecting  Him to send deliverance'. In 1 Samuel 25 we read of a man called Nabal who refused to help David ,and insulted him, and David was so angry that he were going to destroy him and his household. But Nabal's wife a wise person ,intervened with the result David ceased from his anger, and spared Nabal and his household.  Let us cease from our mad passions, and sinful anger, and leave God to deal with all such wrongs.

Remember. ( Psalm 107 )

Isaiah 63 v 7 ,reads, ' I will tell of the Lord's unfailing love. I will  praise  the Lord for all He has done'. I know life has its difficulties and things can get on top of us, and we forget just what the Lord has done for us. While not making light of the difficulties of life, take the words of the prophet and tell forth God's unfailing love to you, consider the pit He pulled you out of, and the  terrible He saved you from, even HELL. Consider how much it cost our dear Saviour to save you, look to the cross, on that cross ,He  took your punishment, that meant, at its worst experiencing the wrath of God. It does not stop there ,yes there is more, yes much more. John writes in amazement, 'What marvellous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it - we're called children of God! .Israel continually were told to look back and remember  God's pass blessing, His goodness ,mercy, and loving kindness. Mercy thankfully did not stop at the cross, the prophet Jeremiah wrote in a time of great suffering .

                                                Because of the Lord's great love

                                                we are not consumed, for His

                                                compassions never fail. They are

                                                 new every morning; great is your 

                                                 faithfulness.  ( Lamentations 3 v 22 - 23 )

                                                

Fret not ( Luke 16 v 19 - 31 )

 Psalm 37 is a lovely Psalm, it was written by David, a man after God's heart, yet a man for all that, so let us consider it , we will start at the very beginning. v 1- 2.

                                         Don't worry about the wicked or envy those who do 

                                          wrong. For like grass, they soon fade away. Like  

                                         spring flowers, they soon wither.

Psalm 73 deals with this also, there the writer is deeply disturbed  when  he saw how the ungodly  were prospering, so much so that he envied them, they didn't appear to have the troubles that the godly have. It was not until he sought God, that the cloud lifted, like v1-2  of  Psalm 34 v 1-2 ,he is reminded of there end, it will come, 73 v 18 ,reads God places them on slippery ground, and causes them to be cast down to ruin. Envy no one, especially the wicked, Herbert Lockyer writes,' Why envy the wicked, when the candle flickers into everlasting darkness'. Some translation use the word fret, instead of worry, they say that fret means ,'burn not thyself  with grief  or anger, I  occasionally get angry, and  sad, when I see how money grabbing  rascals are taking advantage of  refugees, their time will come, of that I am sure.

Grace in Trials. ( 2 Corinthians 12 v 9 )

 I have a book called 'The Valley of Vison', it comes from a time ,when  many Christian were known as Puritans, they were strict ,but very godly people, They get a bad press, being seen as kill joys I do not believe that was true, they were people who wanted to purify the  church. So here is one the prayers from  the ,Valley of Vision.

                                                    O Lord,  giver of all grace ,I look

                                                    to Thee for strength to maintain them in me,

                                                    for it is hard to practice what I believe.

                                                    Strengthen me against temptations. My

                                                     heart is an unexhausted fountain of sin,

                                                     a river of corruption since childhood days,

                                                     flowing on in every pattern of behaviour;

                                                     Thou hast disarrned me of the means in which I trusted,                        

                                                     and  I have no strength  but in Thee. 

                                                     Thou alone canst hold back my evil ways,

                                                     but without Thy grace to sustain me I fall.

                                                     Satan's darts quickly inflame me, and the 

                                                     shield that should quench them easily  drops 

                                                     from my hand; Empower me against his wiles

                                                    and  assaults, keep  me sensible of  my weakness,

                                                     and of my dependence upon Thy strength.

                                                     Let every trial teach me more of Thy peace,

                                                     more of Thy love.  Thy Holy Spirit  is given to

                                                     increase Thy graces, and I  cannot preserve or

                                                    or improve them, unless He works continually 

                                                    in me. May He confirm my trust in thy  promised help,

                                                    and let me walk humbly in dependence upon Thee,

                                                                           For  Jesus sake,

                                                                                 Amen .

                                                     

 

                                    

When they're gone, they 're gone. ( Romans 4 v 7 - 8 )

 Psalm 103 is one of contrast, we have in v 3 , we have Gods forgiveness ,He is the one who forgives all your sins. that is something we can't do, forgiving sins is Gods business, No priest can forgive sins, the only priest that can do is Jesus our great High  Priest Hebrews 10 v 17- 18. He forgives all our sins, no matter how many they are, no matter how bad they have been, no matter how far back in our lives they have taken place. All our sins can be forgiven ,let me stress this again , all our sins. The death of Christ was for sins we have committed (Christ never sinned ),the blood that He shed, cleanses us from all sin,1 John 1 v 7. Consider v 12 of this Psalm , 'As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us', they are gone, vanished, we are free from guilt, no longer under the wrath of God.

                                                  My sin, O the bliss of this glorious thought!

                                                 My sin , not in part but the whole,

                                                 Is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more;

                                                 Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O  my soul.  ( Words H. G. Spafford)

                                                

So you think you are strong ?. (Ephesians 6 v 10 )

 There is an old hymn with the following words in it, 'Well our feeble frame He knows', in Psalm 103 v14 we have the same thought expressed, 'For He knows  how weak we are;  He remembers we are only dust', Mr Universe can catch a cold, and die from whatever, the very fit person ,can have many flaws  and weaknesses. Goliath was defeated by a young lad, and that lad when he grew up was defeated by lust. Who are the strong ones?, none of us, our Saviour left us a timely reminder where are strength  comes from, the answer is ,Him, John 15 v 5 ,tells us ,'Apart from Him we can do nothing'. The greatest of the apostles Paul declared ,' I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me' Philippians 4 v 13. So the lesson we need to hear is this, we need to rely ,on our Saviour ,for moral and physical  and spiritual strength.

Jesus is coming again. ( Revelation 20 v 11 - 15 )

 John 14 v 3 , Jesus said,'' And  if I go and prepare a place for you, I will  come back and take you to be with Me''. Yes  Jesus is coming back again, I wonder have you thought about that recently?, and if not , why not, especially if you are a Christian. It is not for us to know when ,stay clear of those who in anyway try to predict the time of His  second coming ,CP Matthew 25 v 13' It is a long time since He went away, but that changes nothing, it is Peter who deals with this, and he reminds us., that God's timing is not like ours CP  2 Peter 3 v 8. Our Lord stresses the importance of  living in the light of His coming ,and not to be caught out, that  would be very serious  CP Matthew  25 v 1 - 13. His coming will be to the air, CP Acts 1 v 11,1 Thessalonians 4 v 16- 17, this will result, in all true believers being removed from the earth, followed by judgement on unbelievers, 2 Thessalonians 1 v 7  - 9/  2 Peter 3 v 7 - 12. Everyone will be resurrected,  believers unto eternal life, John 3 v 16 .unbelievers to eternal judgement ,Matthew 8 v 12.  Believer rejoice in that blessed hope ,of your Saviours return, live in the light of that great event, ( 2 Peter 3 v 11)  If you are not a believer ,then flee from the wrath to come, and trust Jesus as your Saviour, now. ( Acts 16 v31 )

Christ can. ( Romans 1 v 16 )

 He's the devil, but don't hold that against him, he helps solve murders, and runs one ... of a night club, that's the summing up of a movie, called  Lucifer. Just let me say I have not seen this movie, but let me ask you a question, do people really believe in the devil?. In a sense that movie tells us a lot  about the times we live in ,and peoples attitude towards the devil, they don't  take this demonic being serious. Let me say I believe there is a being called the devil and he is   very evil and powerful . Because he is a spiritual being we can't see him,  but we can see evidence that he is there, consider these words from 2 Corinthians 4 v 4 ,' The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot  see the light of the gospel that  displays the glory of Christ , who is the image of  God', v 3 ,reminds us of the unsaved person as those ,'who are perishing'. One commentator writing on this blindness,' They refuse to give the gospel serious attention. All they have eyes for is the fashionable god of darkness. They think he can give them what they want, and they won't have to bother believing a truth they can't see. They are stone blind to the message that shines with Christ'. The devil as Paul Barnet writes,  inhabits and controls the minds of all people everywhere, not their  emotions, or the will but the mind of man'. Is the devil real you can bet your bottom dollar he is. But here is the good news ,'The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil' ( 1 John 3 v 8 ) That means Jesus can set us free from the devils power and control, if we turn to Him and trust Him as your Saviour.

Blind Faith. ( John 8 v 12 )

 Germany was loosing the war, the Russians were closing in, the generals and staff  and Hitler were reviewing  the situation. One general suggested a plan of action, that would help. He give sound military reasons, and to everyone's surprise Hitler agreed until others objected. The general continued to give reasons for what he said, but Hitler changed his mind, ,dismissing  the generals plan, and told him to have faith. Of course the  general was right, and Hitler was wrong, but he used the word faith, surely that was right, was it? ,no. We can use faith in relation to many things, many Germans put their faith in Hitler, many put their faith in Stalin, both very wicked people. Many  put their faith in religions that are fabrications of truth, we speak of blind faith, that kind of faith speaks for its self, it is blind, the old hymn declares, 'I once was blind but now I see. 'Christianity is not a religion of the blind, it is a religion of truth, based on the word of God , that word foretold that a Saviour would come and why He would come, it foretold  His death on a cross, and His resurrection. When we trust Jesus as Saviour we are not following a lie, we are following Him who is the Way ,the Truth ,and the Life .( John 14 v6 ).

The best made plans ( Psalm 107 v 7 )

 I had arranged to visit a friend, but I felt unwell ,so I had to cancel my visit, often the plans we make don't work out. When David was sent to take provisions to his brothers, he ended up facing a giant. likewise when Joseph was sent to see how his brothers were, he ended up in Egypt as a slave. We often need to be reminded that God  is sovereign ,our lives are in His  hands, in Psalm 31v 15,we read, ' that our times are in Gods hands'. and in Jeremiah  10 v  23, we read ,' that is not in man who walks to direct his steps'. People act as if they are sovereign and in control, don't be fooled they are not. When Abrahams servant was sent to get a wife for his son Isaac ,it was not by chance that he was led right to  the girl who become Isaac's wife, he thanked God ,and declared ,''The Lord led me''. (Gen 24 v 27 ). Yes we make our plans, but it is the Lord who directs our steps ( Proverbs 20 v 24 ). Yes we make our plans, but God has a plan, and He will cause all things to fit in, with His plan, not ours. In my life I had my plans,  as to where I might serve God, in  the end His will prevailed. In proverbs 3 v 5-6, we read,' Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.' these words are important, the apostle tells we in Romans 8 v 26, 'That we do not know what to pray for', but He does, and He make no mistakes, We are told, to trust God with all  our hearts, so total trust is vital. Verse 6, tells us something else that is important, that we are to acknowledge God in all our ways and He will direct our paths'.

                                                   I know who holds the future,

                                                   And He'll guide me with His hand,

                                                   With God things  don't just happen,

                                                    Everything by Him is planned;

                                                    So as I face tomorrow

                                                    With its problems large and small,

                                                     I'll trust the God of  miracles,

                                                    Give to Him my all.

                                                        

Peace ( 2) ( Galatians 6 v 14 )

 We saw last time how humanities sinful nature reached zenith level  in the suffering inflicted on Jesus, a manifestation of  our hatred towards God, a shrilling scream of defiance, that said we will not have this  man to rule over us. We were the enemies of God, rebellious ,on the run from God, we swallowed the Devils lie that we would be like God.  But let us lift our thoughts to the sovereign God, He who made this world, who in eternity had a plan to bring  humanity back to Himself, to know peace with God. The suffering of Christ would be a substitutional sacrifice, in other words, He would bear the guilt of our sins on the cross. That meant ,not only would He suffer  the violence of men, but he would also experience the wrath of a holy God ,Isaiah 53 v 10, reads,' Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him, God did not take pleasure in Christs suffering, it means, that it pleased Him that Jesus voluntarily submitted to the suffering he would experience on the cross, for our sins. It pleased him that eternal redemption for us sinners, was possible, As Luther said,'' The punishment that was laid on Him would mean that we might have peace, with God.                                            

                                           You can know peace with God by trusting Jesus

                                            as your Saviour.

                                             

Peace ( 1 ) ( Ephesians 2 v 1 - 3 )

 We live in a world that is at war with itself, from the moment Cain slew his brother the world has been a slaughter house. As the population of the world has increased so has the loss of life in conflicts, the 20th century is an example, it has been thought that as many as one billion may have died in wars throughout all human history, It is really hard to know fully, consider how many  people have been murdered. The question is why are we as human beings so out of control? ,the reason is ,it is part of our sinful nature ,I say part it is not the whole, Romans 3 v 15 ,reads ,' Their feet are swift to shed blood'. read Romans 3 v 10 -18, and you get the fuller picture, v 23 sums it up,' For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God'. Could the reason for all this killing  be , that we are seeking to destroy that which reminds us of God, for we were created in the image  of God. We are at war with God, do you doubt that? look at the cross see the Son of God, whom we inflicted ,He was led as a lamb to be slaughtered, the physical suffering, that He endured was inhuman in extreme, in Isaiah 52  v 14 , we read,' His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human, and from His appearance, one would scarcely know He was a man'. We will continue  this next time.

He can do it again. ( Matthew 15 v 7 - 10 )

 Leupold , writes the following, 'The arm of the Lord did such a mighty things once, He can do it again', Israel had been held captive, in Egypt as slaves, and yet He delivered them . He brought them out. Isaiah foretells of  the captivity in Babylon,  which would last for 70 yrs which the prophet Jeremiah also foretold , and at the end of that period they would return to the promised land. ( Jer 29 v 10) The question they may have been asking, can God do it again?, and the prophet assures them He can, Isaiah 51 v 11, ' And the ransomed of the Lord shall return', and of course they did. We are a bit like Israel of old, we read about revivals, when multitudes have been saved. yet the situation now, appears hopeless, to our finite minds it does not seem possible, but with God all things are possible. There are so many situations in life that  cause us to stumble in unbelief, healings in the will of God can happen, He did it before ,He can do it again. I  had to trust God to meet my needs , my wife and children's needs, when I went to Bible college  and He did, He can do it again. This is the word for all of us, 'He can do it again.'

The man in the pub. ( Hebrews 9 v 27 )

 Returning to the second man I witnessed to,  the man in the pub, it was rough place, it reminded me afresh of  the fact  that  Christ came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance ( Matthew 9 v 13) I feel many have forgotten this. We expect people to come into the church buildings, instead of  obeying the go ,in the Gospel. It was C.T, Studd  who said, ''Some want to live within the sound of  church or chapel bell. I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell''. So there I was in a pub, simply to watch a football match, I sat near a man, and started up a conversation with him, he told me different things about himself. I told him a bit about myself , and it led to an opportunity to witness to him. He told me two things about himself, one, how bad he had been, to bad to be forgiven. Of  course this is not true, every Christian is but a sinner saved by God's wonderful grace, and the whole reason why Jesus came, was to save sinners.  No matter how wicked we have been when we trust Jesus, He will forgive all our sins. The next thing he told me was ,''when your dead , your dead'', in other words ,that's all there was ,but of course he was very wrong, the resurrection of our Saviour proved that. The word of God reminds us clearly that death is not the end, and we will all stand before God the judge in the person of Jesus. For those who have not accepted Jesus as their Saviour,  hell awaits, for those who have , heaven awaits.

Not Hereditary. ( John 3 v 7 )

 Recently I witnessed to two people. one in the street and one in a pub, the first one was a lady ,I asked her did she know Jesus as her Saviour?. She did not give me a straight answer, she mention a relative who had been, a theologian ,indicating that should  answer my question. But it didn't, so I asked her again  so she said she did, I had to leave it at that, but I wondered ,did she really know Jesus as her Saviour?, I hope so, all I would say is this, salvation is not hereditary, it comes through  us personally trusting Jesus, to save us. Jesus  said. we must be born again.

                                                                    John  1 v 11 - 13

                                     'He ( Jesus )   came to His own people, and they rejected Him. But

                                    to all who believed Him, He gave the right to become children of God.

                                   They are reborn- not with a physical  birth resulting from human passion

                                   or plan, but a birth that comes from God.'

Trustworthy.

 What dose ii mean to be trustworthy ?,it can mean that a person is reliable, dependable, one you can have confidence in. When I worked , my manager asked me to do a particular job it was important, she said she could rely on me.  Here is what God said to those who are His ,''Who among you fears the Lord and obeys  the word of His servant? Let the one who walk in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name  of the Lord and rely on their God.  ( Isaiah 50 v 10 )   Leupold comments,' They  who follow the Lord without reservations may frequently find themselves in situations of ,'' deep darkness'' , even to the point where ''not even a glimmer of light guides them'' Such persons are counselled by the Lord to ''trust in the name of the Lord and firmly rely on Him''.  

                                                  A  Prayer.                

                   

                    Dear Lord,' Let every trial teach me more of Thy peace,

                    more of Thy love. Thy Holy Spirit is given to increase

                   Thy graces, and I cannot preserve or improve them

                    unless He works  continually in me.

                    May He confirm my trust in thy promised help,

                    and let me walk humbly in dependence upon thee,

                    For Jesus sake. Amen.

                      ( From , The valley of Vision )

              

                    

                                                 

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You need help? ( Psalm 40 )

 Here is a word for today to those who are facing difficulties ,'It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me', ( Isaiah 50 v 9) Consider those words the Sovereign Lord. Take your eyes of the challenges you face, the enemies you may be facing , the needs you may have, the protection you may need, look to God who is sovereign, your God, he will not fail you. Do not doubt, but trust Him, His help is certain, do not fear the  reproach of mere  mortals or be terrified by their insults ( Isaiah 51 v 7). In  Isaiah 50 v2  God speaks to His weak children, who were full of doubts and fears ,and says, 'was my arm too short to deliver you? Do I lack the strength to rescue you?. One commentator puts it like this ,' Do you think I've forgotten how to help? Am I so decrepit that I can't deliver? I'm as powerful as ever'.  He has not forgotten you, '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'  (Isaiah 49 v 15 - 16 ) So look to your Sovereign God ,the one who has made heaven and earth, and the one who will help you.

God and His promises. ( Romans 4 v18 - 25 )

The Bible is a book full of  promises made by God, sometimes they are fulfilled quickly, often there is a time of waiting involved, sometimes  a long wait. That is were faith comes in, in Isaiah 49 v23 we read,'' they who wait for me will not be disappointed''. When God gives a promise nothing can stop it being fulfilled, absolutely nothing, as the verse said, we will not be disappointed. We have the example of Abraham and Sarah ,being given a promise of a child,  a special child , through  Abraham and his seed all the people of the earth would be blessed.( Genesis 28 v 14 ).It looked like it was never going to happen, Abraham was 100, Sarah his wife was 90, God had promised, and against hope Abraham  believed, and it happened (Romans 4 v 18 - 25 ) John Stott wrote the following,' Abraham contemplated his own senility  and  Sarah's  barrenness, he neither turned a blind eye to the problems, nor underestimated them. But he reminded himself of God's power and faithfulness. Faith always looks at the problems in the light of His promises. ' By faith Abraham , even though he was past age- and Sarah herself was barren - was enabled to become a father because he considered  Him, faithful who had made the promise.  He knew that God would always keep His promises ( because of His power) and He knew He would do so because of His faithfulness. He was  fully persuaded that God had power  to do what He promised. '

The scammers. ( 1 Timothy 6 v 10 )

 These days are dangerous times, every day people receive emails ,texts, phone calls, from people who are out to rob them. I have received such calls, and even though you know they are a scam ,when they tell you that you owe money, or whatever you feel a bit of fear rising in your heart. Of course that is what they aim  at, so that you panic, and so respond to them, and then they try to suck you in  ,and unfortunately many people, give them their bank details, and the rest is history. Like most thieves and robbers they don't care about those they have cheated out of their money. Well Jesus spoke about those kind of people in Matthew 6 v 19 ff.,these verses are about money, He stresses in v24 ,those  who devote their lives to a love of money,  accumulating it, in other words it is something they worship, Jesus  tells us we cannot serve God and money. When it comes to God ,He must come first, it must be Him and Him only we worship and serve, there is to be no divided loyalties. In this world we can so easily go along  with the same values  of the world , accumulating things, and forgetting what Jesus said, about the uncertainty of money and things. He is not saying it is wrong to have money, but it must not take over our lives. So He warns us that there are thieves who can so easily rob us, and we are left with nothing .Then He tells us to  lay up treasures in heaven ,the most secure bank there is. We do this by helping others, the poor the needy ,by  being  generous , even  at times be sacrificial. Just to remind you He is talking to Christians, we are not saved by money ( 1 Peter 1 v 18 - 19), but we will be held accountable ,as to our stewardship of it.

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Come Home. ( Luke 15 v 11- 24 )

Here is what God had to say to Israel ,'' If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well being like  the waves of the sea. Your descendants would have been like the sand, your children like its  numberless grains; their name would never be blotted out nor destroyed from before Me.'' But the thing is ,they did not listen, they continually disobeyed God, turned from the paths of righteousness, to paths of wickedness and sinfulness. They would have been indestructible ,no one could have defeated them, they would have been truly blest. If only, if only, as I look back on my life , I feel a degree of sadness, for as young lad I went away from the Lord, I know if I had only stayed with the Lord my life could have been better. There are no advantages in leaving Gods way, and going back to your old ways, none whatsoever. I don't dwell on it, but I do think on it occasionally, nevertheless, thankfully God is merciful ,and forgiving, and He restored me to Himself. If  you  like me ,and like Israel ,have strayed  from God, come back, God still loves you.

                                                      I've wandered far away from God;

                                                      Now I'm coming home;

                                                      The pats of sin too long I've trod;

                                                       Lord , I'm coming home.

                                                       I've wasted many precious years;

                                                       Now I'm coming home;

                                                       I now repent with bitter tears;

                                                       Lord , I'm coming home.

Don't give up.( 1 Samuel 30 v 1 - 20 )

' Giving up', is that the way you feel sometimes?, well you are not on your own, I think of the great prophet Elijah, he felt like giving up, he wanted  to die. This is what he said, '' I have had enough ,Lord'', is that the  way you feel?. One thing after another, you tried so hard, tried everything, could  be you are a minister, could  be you are business person, could be you are a parent ,could  be your marriage is failing. Whatever it may be , you feel like Elijah, you have had enough. I remember a dear brother ,he and his wife ran a Christian bookshop ,bills had to to be paid, they had done everything they could to make a go of the business, they were at their wits end. Someone gave them a word that was spoken to Moses, when things were difficult ,we read about it in Exodus 6 v1, Then the Lord said to Moses Now you will see what I will do''. So you have come to the end of yourself, good, now you will see what God can do, have faith in Him who delights to help the helpless, and the hopeless, 

                                                     The Lord says.

                                       Call on me in the day of trouble;

                                       I will deliver you'  ( Psalm 50 v 15)

Astrology . ( Acts 19 v 17 - 20 )

 Let consider Babylon again, in Isaiah 47 v 8 11, they are coming under judgement by God, and nothing would save them. In v 9 we have these words, 'In spite of  your many sorceries, and in spite of  the great power of your spells' These gave them  confidence that all would be well v8, someone described Babylon as ,'' the promised land of astrology and magic''. But God assures them these  practices will  prove utterly futile, Leupold, comments,' Confidence was placed  in the stars and their courses and not in the power of the living God. Incantations and magic formulas, and the endless repetition of them is futile procedure'. These things as Leupold says,' are not just grandiose delusions, they are wicked and sinful. Babylon was soon to fall in 539 BC ,to the army of  the Persian army led by King Cyrus the Great. Many people today like the Babylonians ,put their trust in astrology, in the form  of daily horoscopes, tarot cards  and psychic readings. These are all foolish and futile, we need to place our hope in the living God, and in Jesus as our Saviour.

Consider how all this will end. ( Acts 16 v 31 )

 It was Hitler who said the Third Reich would last a thousand years, in fact it thankfully lasted only 12 yrs, coming back to Babylon, we read in Isaiah 47 v 7,that they thought they would rule forever, . Power blinds people, they become proud, but all power is temporary, only God's power is permanent . We must always remember, that God is sovereign, as one writer said,' History has at  its very centre  God',  Psalm 75 v 6 - 7, reads,' For promotion  cometh neither from the east, nor  from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge; He putteth down  one, and setteth up another'. Babylon never gave that a thought, they felt that they were going to reign for ever. It appeared inconceivable that everything would come to an end, We need to learn a very important lesson , earthly kingdoms come and go ,  Babylon is no longer, the Roman empire   is no longer, the British empire is no longer. As with earthly kingdoms ,so it is with you and I, our lives will come to an end. We may   survive the present plague, but we still will die, consider your latter end, for after death there will be judgement .only knowing Christ as your Saviour can save you from that dreadful coming day.