Transgender ( Psalm 139 v 13 - 16 )

 I want  to touch on the subject of transgender, I do not do this to stir up animosity,but rather to express my views on the subject.I want to quote you something I read in the Times newspaper,  by a Labour MP, she is writing about her conversation with a transgender person, she called her a trans woman,here is what was said ,'I  suppose there's  the upside of not having  periods' . And she said to me,''The thing is, I'd really, really love to have a period'. That woman was a woman to me, but neither of us was under any illusion that we had the same biology'. So lets consider what was said,by the trans person,who said they would love to have a period,The MP had mentioned earlier how there were times that  she had to go home from work because she had her period. In my mind I could hear millions of women  crying out to the trans person,' take mine, take mine',no woman wants to have periods.Lastly consider what the MP said last ,''they did not have the same biology'', biology takes in a lot of things,our bodies are different, our bodies define our gender, not our minds. When I look at my body in the mirror I see that I am a man, likewise when my wife looks at her body she see's that she is a woman. I repeat it again, it is our bodies that defines our gender, not our minds.Lets not confuse the issue, God who  made male and female, made no mistake.

Paradise regained. ( 3 )( Revelation 21 v 1 - 8 )

Again we are borrowing the title for my message from Milton's book,Paradise regained, he writes,

                                                          By one man's disobedience lost,

                                                          Now sing,/ Recovered Paradise,

                                                          To all mankind,by one man's

                                                           Firm obedience.

That man was Jesus, Romans 5 v 19, reads,'For just as through the disobedience of one man the many were made sinners, so also through the one man the many will be made righteous'. Hodge writes,'The disobedience of Adam....was the ground of being placed in the category of sinners' and' the obedience of Christ was the ground on which the many are to be placed in the category of the righteous'.When we trust Christ  as our Saviour by faith, in His finished work on Calvary, everything is changed. We are no longer excluded from a relationship with God, we are now His children (John 1 v 12), we have free excess into His presence. The barrier of sin has been removed. In our old state we lived under the wrath of God (John 3 v36 ) that is gone, no longer are we facing judgement ( Hebrews 10 v 27 ) Paradise has being regained through Christ, we can look forward to that new heaven and new earth where all things will be new.( 2 Peter 3 v 13 )

Paradise Lost (2 )( Genesis 3 )

 I have borrowed the title from Milton's ',Paradise  Lost', considered one of the greatest poems in the English language,it deals with , in the words of Milton,

                                             Of man' first disobedience,

                                             And the fruit , brought death

                                             into the world, and all our woe.

In Genesis 3  we read of the most terrible event to have ever taken place, for into that earthly paradise sin entered,which brought death ,and woe's, upon all of us.Romans 5 v 12, reads,'Therefore, just as sin entered into the world through one man, and this way death came to all men, because all have sinned.' Sin must never be looked upon in a light manner. Let us consider its effects on planet earth.Where everything was in harmony, not now, as God said, CP Genesis 3 v 19 - 19. no longer would it be environmentally friendly, I was surprised to learn that in England's green  and pleasant land, there are plants that are highly dangerous, some can even kill . I suppose my favourite flower is the rose,a beautiful flower, but most rose's have thorns.There are to many things to mention that can do us harm, it is a wonder that any of us survive. Not long after the expulsion from Eden, the first murder took place,,and the animosity within  humanity, continues daily. But the most lasting effects of mankind's fall was the effect it had on our relationship with God. There are people who do not like the word sin, and that we are all sinners,but we are, every last one of us. Sin is a great offence to a holy God,it cuts us off from Him, in time and in eternity,and that is a great tragedy,but as we will see next time,in the words of Milton ,paradise can be regained.

Paradise .(1 ) Genesis 1 v 1 .

I have a little garden,I weed ,I water,I feed, I cut,oh yes, nice gardens don't just happen, but it is rewarding,when I finished working on my garden,I sit down and admire it,it gives me pleasure.In the beginning God our creator, when He had finished  His work of creation, He declared ,' That it was very good'.it looked good,and it was good ( Genesis 1 v 31 ) . It was a perfect work,a finished work,as John Calvin writes,'There is in the symmetry of God's works the highest perfection, to which nothing can be added'.There was a perfect harmony in everything, no note of discord, no imperfections, everything was pleasing to the eye.Such was the world at its beginning,and into that world God placed the man and the woman He had created, in a garden called Eden,Eden means delight ( Genesis 2 v 8). A place as one person puts it, of pristine or natural beauty. there they dwelt in harmony with each other,  it was to all intents and purpose an earthly paradise.That couple were sinless ,and so they had a perfect relationship ,with God  who is sinless,there was nothing between, no sin and no guilt.no fear.,no shame ,no death, everything in the garden was rosy. If only it had stayed that way,if only, we will continue this next time.

Is that all there is? ( Proverbs 4 v 18 - 19 )

 I like football, or as it can be known also as  soccer,every year the contest called the,' F A cup',takes place . often after watching it,I used have an empty feeling. It reminds me of something I read recently, of  a famous baseball player,whose team had won the championship,to him it felt like an anti climax,and  he is reported to have said,' Is that all there is?'.  As I said ,I like football, but I am grateful that's not all there is, my thoughts turn to a man who from a human point of view, had everything, Power, wealth,women ,etc, he even was granted great wisdom by God. Then he acted foolishly, sinfully,and he lost sight of the meaning of life, he became very cynical, his name was Solomon.Charles Swindoll writes,'He had pushed God out of his life,' and he felt it, and expressed it, in words like this,'Meaningless ! Meaningless!......   Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless'. Next time when you go to a funeral service, or you see a hearse, ask yourself this question, is that all there is?. There is a greater  purpose in life,it can only be found in God ,through trusting Jesus as your Saviour. When you do that, then like a blind man who has suddenly regained his sight,  cried out,' I can see, I can see'.

Poem ( 1 Peter 5 v 7 )

 I found this little poem on the fly leaf of a tattered old Bible that belonged to my dear first wife,it did not tell me who wrote it, but I would like to share it with you.

                                                   Through every moment of the day,

                                                   Whate'er may meet thee on life's way,

                                                   This thought shall be thy strength and stay,

                                                                        He cares.

                                                   When shadows veil the fairest scene,

                                                   And pleasures fade that might have been,

                                                   On the unchanging Saviour lean,

                                                                        He cares                         

                                                  He marks thy steps, He goes before,

                                                   From this time forth for evermore,

                                                   Then from thy heart let praise outpour,

                                                                        He cares.

New phone. ( Romans 3 v 23 )

 I bought a new phone awhile back. I liked my old phone, and I  hankered after it, eventually  I  went back to the place I purchased my new phone, and asked If I could transfer what was on my new phone, to my old phone, he said no, explaining to me why. He then said ,''you have to move on'', I thought about what he  said and I saw the wisdom in those words .Many people embrace change, but many of us want to hold unto the past.Many years ago the Presbyterian church in Ireland updated their hymn book,my oh my, that caused a stir,there were those who could not accept this.The fact is , we live in a world  that is always changing, and we must learn to adopt, it is the only way,or should we say, it is the only sensible way. we must move on. I am sure there are many fine  Mennonite Christians, all I  can think of  is ,why  do they still live in the past?.  Well, so be it, but what should never change ,for us as Christians, is truth, the fact is humanity will always be sinners, who need the Saviour our Lord Jesus Christ, that will never change.

The impossible( 2 )( John 11 v 40 )

During Jesus earthly time on earth ,He performed many miracles, we only have a select few recorded, CP  Mark 1 v 32 - 34/  3 v10 . Consider the sickness that prevailed in those days, and the demonic activity. the hopelessness of those people, no doubt they would have come from  everywhere to be healed, and Jesus did just that. He performed miracles, not only did He heal, but He raised the dead, what  was humanly impossible ,but He did it. He actually did feed 5000 plus ,and about 4000 other people, with a few loaves and fishes. God is the  God of the impossible, ,no one is able to perform miracles, except God, when it comes to so called faith healers, they are people who often are nothing more than charlatans, and lovers of money. I am careful what I am writing, people who are reading this may have loved ones who are dying, yet I believe Jesus can heal today, he still does the impossible, He is  the same yesterday, today, and forever,  He has not changed. I mention healing but there are many other impossible situations, Jesus  is able to deliver, to provide, to make a way ,were there is no way,

                                                          Have faith in God.  

The importance of. (1 ) ( Matthew 4 v 4 )

 Two things I was reminded of this morning, first one was all things are possible with God, I was reading Mark 6 v 14 ff, when Jesus seeing a huge crowd of people, he had compassion on them, he described them as sheep without a shepherd, a miracle was coming, but first He taught them. We do not know what He taught them, as Christians we need to be taught by Jesus, that's not hard, it means we must take time to read God's word, seek to understand ,and live it out  Feed ourselves, we can buy good books, even commentaries ,to help us understand Gods word, also godly teachers on the internet, two I would recommend, Charles   Swindoll, and John MacArthur, I have found them helpful, Hopefully you have a godly minister who does not deviate from God's word, sadly there are an increasing number who are straying from the truth, they will not build you up in your faith, always be discerning, the Holy Spirit will be your guide, John 16 v13. Remember what our dear Saviour taught, ''Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God''  Matthew 4 v 4''. We will move on next time next in Mark 6 v 14ff .

He does care . ( 1 Peter 5 v 7 )

 Continuing on from last time recorded in Mark 4 v 35ff ,Jesus and His disciples in a storm, how they  woke the sleeping Jesus, with the words, 'Teacher, don't you care if we drown?'', these words were spoken out by fear ,it is apparent that they did not know the character of Jesus. they at this time could only see the teacher, but as time went on they would see and understand that Jesus was the most loving , caring person who ever lived. At that moment it appeared He didn't care, but He did, we look on Jesus who had compassion on the multitudes, He would feed them, He would heal the sick, comfort the down cast, He wept outside the tomb of one He loved. And they would see how loving and compassionate He was when He died on the cross. Christian are you in  storm , don't be tempted to think that He does not care, it may be a mystery to you ,as regards your suffering, but as Jesus said to Peter when He was going to wash his feet, and Peter objected,'' You don't understand now what I am doing, but some day you will'', John 13 v 7 In my living room hangs a embroidery from a poem by Florence M. Alt,  which my first wife did, it reads,

                               '  Not till the loom is silent, and the shuttles cease to fly

                                Shall God unroll the canvas - and explain the reason why,

                                The dark threads are so needful in the weavers skilful hand,

                                As the threads of  gold and silver, in the pattern He has planned'

I don't know why my dear young wife died, but someday I will ,never let any of us  think that  Jesus does not care, He does.

Just a teacher? .( 1) ( Romans 10 v 9 - 13 )

 In  Mark 4 v 35ff  Jesus and His disciples were in a boat, in a storm, it appeared that the boat would be swamped and they would all be drowned. Now Jesus was asleep at the back of the boat  ,He must have been totally exhausted so the disciples went to Jesus woke Him and said, '' Teacher ,don't you care if we drown''. They called Him teacher, of course He was a teacher, the greatest who ever lived, there are many who like Gandhi accepted the teaching of Jesus, but that is where it stopped. Even His enemies said, 'No one ever spoke the was this man does '. John 7 v 46. But neither Gandhi nor his enemies accepted Him as Saviour, Jesus is not a  Shakespeare ,Dickens, etc, He is a Saviour, in fact the only Saviour, who can forgive you your sins, and grant you eternal life. Of course we should not discount His teaching, for the words He spoke when believed ,will save us from error ,false religions, false ideas, and like Abraham we will be declared righteous by God.

There is a cure. ( Matthew 9 v 1 - 8 )

 Just imagine if someone had a cure for all illnesses,  no matter what illness, and you went to that person to get the cure, you listen to him, he shows you one tablet, it cost it a fortune ,but it is will not cost you anything, yes it will be absolutely free. You don't have to take it with water, for if you do,  it will not work ,just swallow it on its own, and wonder of wonders, it will have no bad side effects. He went on  to say that he  guaranteed  it would work, he said many people have been cured by it. I wish this was true, but let me apply this spiritually, the Bible tells us clearly that we are all sinners, you may have heard the term ,sin sick souls, in Isaiah 1v 5 - 6, the nations sinfulness is likened unto physical illness. our Saviour speaks of sinners as those who need a doctor Mark 2 v 17, I have heard people  say to me, 'I don't sin, if only that were true, but its not so, we all ,let me stress the all, have sinned and come short of the glory of  God Romans 3 v23. and the need to have our sins forgiven, is more important than anything else.  There are many religions in the world ,and  they put many demands put on their followers, no Muslin has assurance of eternal life, there is only one cure, Jesus, the only one who can truly save and forgive us our sins, He has paid the price for our  sins to be forgiven, there are no add-ons , it is effective for all sins, and it is  guaranteed to work.

                                                    Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe,

                                                    Sin had left a crimson stain,

                                                    He washed it white as snow.

                                                      Words Elvina  M. Hall.

Ruthless Trust. ( Isaiah 12 v 2 )

I  borrowed the words 'Ruthless Trust', from the title of a book by Brennan Manning, it made me think how appropriate, for all who will embrace faith in God, which always starts at the cross, were we trust Christ as our Saviour. What does ruthless mean?, it can be understood as being harsh even cruel. But it can have a good aspect to it, in our relationship with God, who desires that we trust Him unconditionally. One person  speaks of, 'heroic courage', in a loving God, no matter what happens'. Think of the courage it took for  Job to declare as regards God, ''Though He slay me, yet I will trust Him'', Job 13 v 15. He lost all his ,children, wealth, health, and  his friends were saying it was his fault, which it wasn't . A person wad asked to define  his life in one sentence, he replied,'' I can define it in a single word, 'Trust'.  When I am experiencing some difficulty ,I often hear these two words in my mind ,'Trust Me', it is as if God is talking to me. We all have a choice ,do we let unbelief, bitterness, suspicion, take over,  or we can ruthlessly cut across them, and trust our sovereign loving God?.

                                                     Trust in the Lord with all you heart,

                                                     And lean not upon your own understanding.

                                                                   Proverbs 3 v 5 .

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The Cross. ( Philippians 2 v 5 - 11)

 Tom Holland the historian writes the following on crucifixion ,' No death was more excruciation , more contemptible , than crucifixion' .It was a chosen means of punishment for slaves and thieves ,TH, writes the following, 'Exposed to public view  like slabs of meat hung from a market  stall' , it was a grim warning to any slave who stepped out of line.  Naturally ,if it were to serve as a deterrent  it needed to be public. Nothing spoke more eloquently of a failed  revolt than the sight of hundreds of corpse- hung on crosses'. TH writes 'The death of Jesus on a cross is an established fact', yes it really did happen, as did the resurrection, The cross was a excruciating death, it was also a humiliating way to die, reserved for those of  no standing in society. When one thinks of the awfulness of the cross, the total horror of it, one is utterly amazed that Christ choose to die such a death, and He did. In John 12 v 33 - 34, He knew how He was going to die, and He knew when He was going to die, John 13 v1 ,and He knew why he had to die on that cross. ( John 3 v 14 -15 )

                                                        Wonderful love coming to me,

                                                        Wonderful grace, freedom and mercy;

                                                        Bought with a price, death on a cross,

                                                        Wonderful love, Jesus, You've given to me.

                                                                      Words David Fellingham .

If only. ( Psalm 81 )

 Lets consider Psalm  81,believed to be written to the Northern  Kingdom Israel, V 1-4  ,there we have one of the festivals mention, Israel had a number of festivals, major ones and minor ones, most of them related to their ,deliverance from Egypt ,and other historical events. When  we read about Israel in the Bible we are not just  reading  something that was made up, but actual history, the events and characters mentioned were real. When we move into the New Testament the same applies, it is history, Calvary really did happen, .likewise the resurrection. V 5- 7 of the Psalm  reminds us how God delivered them from Egypt, Think back child of God, and how He delivered you in the past ,you called upon Him in your distress, He did not forsake you ,turn away from you, no, He delivered you .Our salvation was the greatest deliverance of all, He delivered us from sin and Satan's power, indeed from death itself ,'Hallelujah''. The  rest of the Psalm reminds Israel of their failures to listen to God, and their tendency to worship other gods. Things could have been different, V 18 -19. ' If my people would only listen to me ,if  Israel would follow my ways, How  quickly I would subdue their enemies and turn my hand against  their foes'.

                                                    Listen to God.

                                                    Obey God.

                                                    God will bless.

The unexpected. ( Luke 12 v 13 - 21 )

 There used be a program on TV  called,' Tales of the unexpectant' ,likewise I heard a preacher say the following, ''Lord prepare us for the unexpected''. Proverbs that wonderful book of wisdom chap 27 v 1, reads,' Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth'. very wise words, but few do this, they make there plans, not considering the things that can  interrupt these plans. You see the unexpectant can happen, it was William Ernest Henly  who wrote, 'I am the master of my fate, I am captain of my soul'. It has something that people like to think is true, but its not, the very nature of life would teach one that. The apostle James reminds us of the foolishness of  boasting as regards our planning, even the stupidity of it. James 4 v 13 - 17. As Christians we  should not boast, but humbly, manifest a daily trust and dependence on our God .Proverbs 3 v 5-6 . If you are not a Christian ,tomorrow may not be yours  , remember  heaven and hell are no trifles, trust Jesus as your Saviour , and then you have nothing to fear about the unknown tomorrow.

Gifts ( Romans 3 v 36 )

Melanie Reid has a column in the Times newspaper, it is called ,'Spinal  Column', Melanie is tetraplegic after breaking her neck and back in a riding accident. In a recent article ,she wrote, 'Don't think I'm not grateful....but  here are the 30 gifts I never want to receive again'. Here are a few, 'Any hardback book that weighs over 150g.Tickets to anywhere, because I have no where to go. Rings, My  knuckles are to big .Delicate neck chains . Because I can't feel them, break them , and feel bad.' Lovely though these gifts are they are not suitable, because of Melanie's condition, they are in a sense unwanted gifts. We have I am sure all received gifts that we don't want, we appreciate the thought, but those unwanted gifts will end up in a charity shop. The most precious gift I have ever received was eternal life when I accepted Jesus as my Saviour.  Sad to say many have not received that gift, yet  it is offered to the whosoever, it is a gift you cannot buy it, or even merit , it is free, absolutely  free. Without this gift there is no hope of heaven, but you say what about my sin?, total forgiveness comes with the gift. Believe on the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved, 

                                               There's a way back to God 

                                                From the dark paths of sin,

                                                There's a door that is open

                                                 and you may go in,

                                                 Calvary's Cross is where you 

                                                 When you come as a sinner

                                                            To  Jesus'

Empathy ( John 11 v 35 )

  What is empathy? ,it is described  in the following way,' The ability  to understand and share the feelings of others', some say it has three components,' Cognitive ,that means, listening ,knowledge, understanding ,judging and problem solving.  Next we have, 'Emotional' , which leads us to the last component,' Compassionate' .One  of the results from personal suffering, we gain is an understanding of others who are suffering. That's very important in life, Queen Victoria felt the death no her beloved husband Albert  greatly, but is recorded how she visited a particular lady who had suffered the loss of a love one, she did not say much but just sat quietly with her. One aspect of the book of Hebrews is, the highlighting of  Christ's as our high priest, we are reminded that He suffered ,and that  He was tempted in everyway, just as we are, yet He did not sin. When we come to Him  he fully understands how we feel in our suffering, so we  are encouraged to approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (  Hebrews 4  v 14 - 16 )

                                               No one understands like Jesus                     

                                               He's a friend beyond compare.

                                               Meet Him at the throne of mercy

                                                He is waiting for you there.

                                                No one understands like Jesus

                                                When the days are dark and grim,

                                                No one is so near, so dear as Jesus,

                                                Cast your every care upon Him.

                                                              ( Words  John Peterson )

                                                 

Troubles ( 1 Peter 5 v 7 )

 Job 5 v 7 reads ,'Yet man is born to trouble as surely as the sparks fly upwards'. no one who has ever lived, or who ever live will escape some degree of trouble, Christian or non -Christian. Trouble is no respecter of  persons, there is no escape from it, but there is a God in heaven who has a special love for His children, consider dear child of God this wonderful verse from Psalm 55 v 22.

                                                   'Cast your cares on the Lord

                                                   and He will sustain you;

                                                   He will never let the righteous

                                                   be shaken'

If  you read the Psalm written by David, you find  he experienced so much trouble in His life, he had many enemies, and even experiences trouble from a friend. Overwhelmed by trouble he declares, 'Oh , that I had wings of a dove! I  would fly away and be at rest'. But that does not happen, instead he is driven to the one place,  and one person, the place of prayer, and the person of God. Dear child of God no matter how severe your troubles are, now, or in the coming days, don't give in to despair, have faith in God . William Plumer wrote the following,' Rivers of sorrow may roll over us, and mountains of care rest upon us, but if we cast all on God , He will sustain you'

Secure. ( Isaiah 12 v 2 )

I worked for 20 yrs as a support worker with the mentally ill, I visited people in their homes, monitoring them, seeing  if thy were taking their medication, supporting them in different ways. Mental illness has different levels, it can be very severe and disabling, often irrational fear controls the lives of those who suffer mental illness. for some the safe place is bed, there they don't have to face life and all that means. I wonder were your safe place is?, In the peanuts cartoon strip ,there was a character called Linus, who carried about with him a security blanket, there were those who tried to rid him of  it, with no success. But gradually he outgrew his security blanket , I wonder have you got a security blanket?, quite possible you have. Now of course we live in a very insecure world, and most of us experience fear, and feelings of insecurity. I need not go down  the list of reasons, nor  am I judging anyone.  Looking back on my own life, and those times when I felt insecure and fearful, there are two words that come to mind, 'Trust Me', the Me being God. Remember the character of God, as one who can be trusted, totally, He is not a fair weather friend, He is one who can be relied upon in times of difficulty, remember Child of God , He is your security.

                                              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.

                                              His love in time past forbids me to think

                                              He'll leave me at last in trouble to sink;

                                              Each sweet Ebenezer I have in review

                                              Confirms His good pleasure to help me quite through.

                                                                 (Words John Newton).

Lost cause ( Colossians 1 v 27 )

 A humanist Joseph  Krutch said this,'' Ours is a lost cause and there is no place for us in the natural universe, but for all that we are not sorry to be human'' .I think the word natural says it all, he is looking at things from a purely natural sense, when he looks us  all he sees is the planets, and stars. Contrast this with what the word of God says,'' The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands''  (Psalms 19 v 1 ). There is a saying that goes, 'There are none so blind as  those who will not see', in other words, they are to stubborn and unwilling, to acknowledge God, the great creator. That would knock them of their throne, they will be held accountable for this when they stand before the God who made all things .CP  Romans 1 v 18 - 20. The humanist says that ours is a lost cause, there is a real sense of hopelessness in those words, in one sense its true, the human race , have rejected God, and so they go on their way, on a broad road that leads to destruction, not oblivion ,but to an existence of total lostness, and pain, cut of from God, no comfort, no hope ,and no escape. I want to turn you away from the words of hopelessness ,to the God of hope, who so loved  you and me that He gave Jesus to save us, from ourselves, and our lostness. The  words of a little song goes, 'I have a hope that will surely endure after the passing of time', that hope is to be found in Jesus, and in Him alone.

Muttering ( Hebrews 12 v 1 - 2 )

 Are you a mutterer ?I must confess I am, and I am reminded of this by my wife, who tells me to stop muttering. The fact is I have always been a mutterer, Let explain what muttering is, it is one speaking to oneself in a low voice, complaining expressing dissatisfaction, or annoyance. I jokingly said to my wife, when my family came to see me when I was born, they heard me making low murmurings, my mother said ,oh , he is muttering, and so it continues. I don't think it is a joke ,it is something we do  out of habit, a habit that we need to break, a habit I need to break, where do we start?, by being honest, But the problem is this, as with all habits, they are hard to break, yes lets start to involve all wrong habits, swearing ,lying, violence, alcohol, over eating, sexual, covetousness, we with the list goes on ,and on and on. Yes they are hard to break ,with good  intentions we try ,but  fail, it becomes like new  year resolutions, we make  them, we break them. So what  can we do? Lets take them seriously ,see them for what they are, bad habits. first of all pray, confessing there sinfulness, and ask forgiveness, and ask for  God to help you. God may require you and direct you to receive professional help. In faith go forward ,praying continually, relying on God each step of the way, in the strength, of your Saviour.

Prone to wander. ( Jude v 24 - 25)

 A  minister Robert Robinson in the 18th century wrote a lovely hymn ,'Come Thou Fount of every blessing,' based on the words 1 Samuel 7 v 12, which reads, 'Thus far the Lord has helped'. These words were spoken by Samuel the Prophet, at a time  when their enemy  the Philistines where a great threat to them. Samuel encourages the people of God to direct their hearts to God, to serve only Him, for as per usual, they had wondered away from God, worshipping other  gods, making themselves idols. They responded to Samuels words and put away the idols, and turned from the false worship. Having done that Samuel reminds them how God had helped them up to now, inferring that He would continue to do so, which he did. Like Israel of old ,we can so easily wander from God, we start living like those around us, morally confused, doctrinally confused. We need all of us, to stay close  to God, and if we do , He will help us, I leave the last verse of that hymn with you , as  a prayer.

                                              O to grace how great a debtor 

                                              Daily I'm constrained to be!

                                              Let that grace, Lord , like a fetter,

                                              Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

                                              Prone to wander, Lord I feel it,

                                              Prone to leave the God I love;

                                              Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it,

                                              Seal it from Thy courts above.

                                                                    Amen.

Deck chairs. ( Matthew 9 v 9 - 12 )

While on holiday ,we went to the town of Weymouth ,and spent time on the beach,  our youngest son and family were with us. My two grandchildren had great fun ,and we hired deck chairs, when one returned them you received your deposit back .So when  we took them back ,a young fellow was sitting at a table, it was he who would give us our deposit back. As I looked at him, it reminded me of the account of Jesus who came to a man called Matthew who was collecting taxes, and Jesus spoke to him, simply saying ,''Follow Me'', and he did. I took the opportunity  to tell  the young man that story, challenging him to trust Jesus. He said to me, why?, so I said to him, He will forgive you your sins, save you from hell, take you to heaven , and give you a new life. He did not respond much to what I said, I then  said, I would pray for him, and he said thank you. Will you pray for him?, and if you are not a Christian, Jesus is saying to you,'' Follow Me''.

I wonder ( Luke 24 v 13 ff )

Sometimes I wonder how am I going to get through certain situations, yes how? Do you every feel like that, could be situations at work, at home, situations with friends, whatever. How does a person who has been married to someone for a life time and they die, how oh how, do they get through that situation?. For every situation there is only one answer Jesus, here is what He would say to us, trust Me, take my hand  and I will bring you through. Although we cannot see Him ,He is there as the old hymn reminds us,' Standing somewhere in the shadows you'll find Jesus', could be you have forgotten that .Remember those two people on the Emmaus road, their world had fallen apart, every time they thought of what had  happened, their heart would ache, and feel like breaking .Is that your situation is that how you feel?, what's the point of going on. They were at their lowest ebb what could possible change things?, we read one came on the scene, it was Jesus ,we read that they were kept from recognising Him .But He knew them, He knew the reason for their sadness,, and so He ministered to them, and  their  hearts were touched.

                                                         Sometimes when my faith would falter,

                                                         And no sunlight I can see,

                                                         I just lift my eyes to Jesus,

                                                         And I whisper, Pilot me.

                                                         Fear thou not for I'll be with thee

                                                         I will still thou pilot be,

                                                         Never mind the tossing billows,

                                                         Take my hand and trust in Me.

                                                                Words Emily D. Wilson.

Imperfect (Mark 12 v 41 - 44 )

 I  have just watched the service from Stonebriar Community church in Frisco, Texas, the Pastor is Chuck Swindoll, a wonderful man of God, with a wonderful ministry, you can get it up on You Tube. He preached on 'Growing  old, and growing deeper', at the end of his message, he mentioned the cross, and living 24/7 in light of the cross. Just before he finished, he sang a verse of  a well known hymn.

                                          When I survey the wondrous cross

                                          On which the Prince of glory died,

                                          My richest gain I count but loss,

                                           And pour contempt on all my pride. ( Words . Isaac Watts )

Chuck is an older man than I am, he would never win a singing contest, but I am sure God was pleased and accepted his song of praise. I have a very dear friend who  was booked to speak to the young people in his church many years ago, he had a miserable cold, but God honoured the word he gave, to the salvation of those young people.

                                           Fear not to enter His courts in the

                                           slenderness

                                           Of  the poor wealth thou would'st

                                           reckon as thine;

                                           Truth in its beauty, and love in its

                                           tenderness,

                                           These are the offerings to lay on His 

                                           shrine.  

                                                     ( Words . J.S.B. Monsell)

Tears. ( 1 Peter 5 v 7 )

 A tear fell on my cars windscreen , and my cars wipers, wiped it away ,and that tear was no longer there, as I write this, I am conscious that we live in a world, were many tears are falling, for all sorts of different reasons. Everyone one of us will have occasions when we will shed tears, could be that you have been shedding tears at this time. The great prophet Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet CP Jer 3 v 9, King David had his time of weeping ,CP  1 Samuel 30 v 4, no one can expect to escape shedding tears. Even our blessed Saviour shed tears, when a dear friend died ,we read ,' Jesus wept', CP John 11 v 35. He was called a man of sorrows, CP Isaiah 53 v 3. After Jesus died on the cross, and rose again,  He then ascended to heaven, He became our great High Priest, the one who understands fully out tears, as  William Kapp wrote,

                                                   In every pang that rends the heart, 

                                                    The man of sorrows has a part. 

                                                     He sympathizes with our grief,

                                                      And to the sufferer sends relief.

                              Come to Jesus, He will comfort you, and He will dry  your tears.

Revival. ( Acts 1 v 8 )

I  recently read about the revival that happened in 1949 in the Hebrides under the ministry of Duncan Campbell, but the one place it did not effect was the capital Stornoway. Why?, well there were doctrinal differences, some Christians ,opposed it, one of the reasons some ministers used  to undermine it was, that the preacher wore brown boots. black boots were the norm. It seems comical that anyone would take that serious, but they did, if this is true, it is tragic .I know God is sovereign so I wonder how  this fits into this, only God knows. The   country I come from Northern Ireland, in the past experienced revival, and left its mark to this day on the Provence of Ulster. Unfortunately  revival  in western countries is non existence, why?, I am sure there are many reason, that go further than brown boots. Revival often came as result of people praying earnestly ,pleading with God with tears, we cannot force revival but we are told , that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man can achieve wonderful things CP James 5  v 16..

I am bound to the scriptures. ( 2 Timothy 2 v 15 )

Hercule Poirot the fictitious Belgian detective created by Agatha Christie said the following,' 'In all the world there is nothing so curious and interesting, and so beautiful as truth'' ,I would add to that by saying, there is nothing so important as  truth. Yet it is that very thing we struggle with, consider how many people  do struggle with it, yet we want people to be truthful, people have been sent to jail for telling lies. When a witness  is called in court, he swears on the Bible to tell ,the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. That book that he swears on ,is the is truth, and yet so few people accept it, the cults distort the truth, likewise Muhammad who reportedly wrote the Quran, is another great example of that. In doing so he has robbed his followers of a Saviour, and that is so serious. and so sad, for we all need a Saviour, that Saviour being Jesus. Many Christians want to pick and choose what they will believe, not accepting ,that God who is love, is also the righteous judge, so they reject much that is in the OT. William Barclay was a very popular writer ,well known for his daily study Bible , denied the deity of Christ. among other things. When we start changing the truth of Gods word, putting wrong meanings on it, refuse to accept the difficult bits, we are asking for trouble. We are called as Christians, to accept the Bible, as the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth., as Luther said, ''I am bound by the scriptures'',  ''Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen''

When ?. ( Romans 11 v 33 - 36 )

                                                 When will I ever learn to live in God?

                                                 When  will  I ever learn ?     

                                                 He gives me everything I need, and more.

                                                 When will I ever learn?

                                                           ( Words Van Morrison)

As I listened to the CD of Van singing these words ,I starting singing along with him, and I became quite emotional, for they struck a real cord within  me. So often  we live in fear ,in anger, doubt, even in unbelief, and I ask myself the question, 'when will I ever learn to live in God?, after all He gives me everything I need and more, when will I ever learn to live in God?.  I look back on my life ,and trace God's wonderful providence ,how  I was saved from drowning as a child, and his care for me in a multitude of ways  . The times in my life I wondered away from Him, and how he never forsook me, and in His great mercy He drew me to Himself again. I think of the times my anger could have destroyed me and hurt those I love, and how He restrained me.  Robert  M. M'Cheyne wrote.

                                               When this passing world is done, 

                                               When has sunk the radiant sun,

                                               When I stand with Christ on high,

                                               Looking o'er life's history,

                                               Then Lord, shall I fully know,

                                               Not till then, how much I owe.                                            

                                           

  

Philosophers. ( 1 Corinthians 1 v 18- 31 )

 ' I can see clearly now', they are the words I heard being sung over the radio, and I thought that's true ,the words of a popular song ,comes to mind,' I once was blind but now I see'. Would it surprise you, if I told you that everyone is born blind, now I am not talking about a new born baby. No I am talking about man kinds  inability to understand spiritual truth, it is borne out in many ways. Lets us go back to ancient Greece, and to the city of  Athens, when a certain Christian called Paul visited  this city. Greece is known for  its great thinkers, Socrates, Plato, and many more, in Acts 17 v 18 we read of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers, debating with Paul. all these Philosophers are considered even to this day to be very wise people. Yet in that great seat of  human wisdom, idolatry reigned, Athens was submerged in idols, thousands upon thousands of them. It again bears witness to the reality of humanities spiritual blindness, and the so called wise beings, groping their way in the darkness of uncertainty, that is taking them into a lost eternity. Returning to that young man Paul, in the providence of God, he had an opportunity  to tell them of one who died and rose again, Jesus, who is the power of God and the wisdom of God. When we trust this Jesus as our Saviour, we can say, 'Amazing grace that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost ,but now am found ,was blind but now I see.'