Judgement. ( 2 Peter 10 - 13 )

We take so many things for granted ,water,energy,our homes,peace, all these and other things are being are  effected ,suddenly things have changed ,uncertainty has come in.The future doesn't look so secure,who knows how things will pan out,why is it happening?,the question I ask is,what is God saying?,in fact we could take it further,why is God bringing these things upon this world?.Oh yes God is causing these things to happen, these are judgements upon a world that is blind,you may not want to hear that.You may argue against what I am saying,and say that's life, things happen.not so, God rules over all the affairs of mankind.We need to take note of what is happening,why should He do this? I have mentioned the word judgment, William Hendriksen writes a number of things as regards this worlds,'The wicked base their entire hope upon the luxuries and pleasures of this life......this pleasure -mad, arrogant world, with all its seductive luxuries and pleasures, with its anti- Christian philosophy and culture, with its teeming multitudes that have forsaken God, and have lived  according to the lusts of  the flesh and the  desires of the mind shall perish.'This world has forsaken, and forgotten God they walk in paths of unrighteousness, choosing their own way and their own gods ,not realising that they are accountable to God, temporary judgements are fallen now upon the nation,but eventually their fate will be eternal judgement. Psalm 9 v17  reads,

                                                'The wicked shall be turned into hell,

                                                 And all the nations that forget God'.

                                                             Psalm 9 v 17.

Free. ( Hebrews 10 v 5 - 10 )

 I was out walking and I saw wild blackberry bushes also called brambles,they had a profusion of fruit,I tasted some and they were very nice. So next day I took a little tub with me and filled it up with blackberries,and they never cost me one penny.As far as I am concerned they were a gift from my loving heavenly Father,and I am grateful.God is so generous and kind,and this especially applies to salvation ,which is a gift of God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 6 v23).Salvation is the most important thing in all the world which anyone can receive. religion makes so many demands on people, do this, do that,jump through one hoop  after another,and if you fulfill  all they want you to do, they still cannot assurance one of salvation. In the Jewish religion there are 613 commandment which  are meant to be kept.The problem is this, in James2 v 10 we read,' For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all'.That's were it breaks down,for you must keep all the law,that means also the  spirit of the law.Our Saviours death provided the only way for us to  be saved,His perfect life  and death ,was Gods perfect answer,for us imperfect beings.

                                                      'No more.my God, I boast no more

                                                       Of all the duties I have done;

                                                       I quit the hopes I held before.

                                                       To trust the merits of Thy Son'.

                                                                  Isaac Watts

The seven churches (Revelation 2 - 3 )

 In the book of Revelation chapters 2-3 ,we have 7 churches who our Lord speaks to ,they are Ephesus the loveless church, Smyrny the persecuted church, Pergamum they tolerated wrong teaching ,Thyatira the tempted church .Sardis the dead church, Philadelphia a weak but faithful church, Laodicea a disobedient Church.William  Hendriksen points out' that the church is in the world. That was true then . It is still true today. The  Church  should shine in the midst of darkness.' Yes nothing Changes ,there will always be, loveless churches,persecuted churches,Churches tempted in the area of sexuality,Churches that WH writes of very being a'' peaceful '' church,but it was the peace of the cemetery' Thankfully there will be faithful churches, there will also be Churches that are down right disobedient. Let us be in prayer continually for the church of Christ,that they walk in the light.

A work in progress. ( Romans 8 v29 )

 Philippians 1 v 6,  reads,' I am certain  that God, who began the good work within you, will  continue His  work  until it is finally finished on the day when Jesus returns'.From the moment we trust Jesus we are a work in progress,yes we are accepted by God,we are justified,no longer under condemnation, we are children of God. But we are still in planet earth, our Saviour in His prayer to his Father as regards those who were His said,'that they may be brought to glory, and that they be kept safe from the evil one,and that He would make them holy (or sanctify them) by His truth ,that He teach them His word', John 17 v 17. William Hendriksen writes, 'Jesus requests, therefore , that the Father may cause these men, in an ever increasing degree,to love that word, and to live according to the truth of God revealed in this message which they have received from Him, and which he,in turn,had received from the Father'In other words that our lives would  reflect God's word , and so reflect Christ more and more.Paul is confident that God the Father  will do this,what God starts He will finish. We are a work in progress, during our lifetime  there should be definite changes.I am not the man I should be, but praise God I am a better man than I used to be ,by God's grace.

Who, why. ( Romans 1 v 18 - 23 )

 Recently I  listened on utube to Charles Laughton reading a letter written by a man called Carl Milles, he wrote it in response to his views on religion.  It is a very interesting  letter, he wrote much about nature, beauty,creativity, these things raised questions, like ,'who,why' ?,who has created us,it must have been someone?,he wrote, people pray ,the hardest and worst of men pray,and he comes to the same question ,'there must be someone?' It is the apostle Paul who writes as regards the evidence of creation, and that mankind is left with no excuse for not knowing God, Romans 1 v 18 -20. It appears that's as far as Carl Milles got,no farther, he was aware of Christianity, but never embraced our Saviour. He never went any further,in Acts 17 v24 ff Paul declared that God  made the world and everything in it, and he goes on to say, that should give us the desire to seek after God and feel our way towards Him,he assured us that God is not remote,but near those who seek Him. Unfortunately Carl didn't go any further he could see there was a creator ,but he never expressed his need of a Saviour. Acknowledging A creator is fine, but it will not save us,we must trust Christ as our Saviour for the time of judgement is coming upon all .All who have not sought forgiveness and repented of their sins will be Judged.

Special status. ( John 14 v 6 )

 In a number of the letters written to different church's ,Paul calls them saints, CP  Ephesians 1 v 1. 2 v19/ Philippians 1 v Colossians 1 v 4.this term is also used in many places in the OT. Psalm 16 v3 .31 v 23/ Zechariah 14 v 5.The term saints speaks of all the living Christs, not a selective few individuals selected after they  have died ,by a  so called hierarchy of the church. The term saint,means Gods holy people, separated  unto God, if you are a Christin you are a saint. There is a difference between the Christian and the non Christian,because we are separated to follow Jesus. Our values are not the worlds values, our aims are not the worlds aims. Unlike the non Christian the Christian seeks to glorify God in all things, that is our chief aim.Next let me mention that saints in heaven do not make intercession for the saints on earth, no were in holy scriptures  do we read of anyone praying to saints.In  1 Timothy 2 v5 we read ,'There is only one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus',Jesus alone ever lives to make intercession for us Hebrews  7 v 25.Likewise the position of the virgin ,Mary who is not the mother of God,,she was the mother of Christs humanity. Millions unfortunately have been led to believe things that are at variance with Holy Scriptures.

Common Grace. ( James 1 v 16 - 17 )

 Kagando Mission Hospital in Uganda have a motto which reads,' We care and God heals',I like that motto,People want to see miracles,yet everyday miracles are happening, our very existence is  a miracle, for we read Acts 17 v 28,'For in Him we live and have our being'. If God withdraws His powerful presence, we would all die. As regards healing, god has enabled mankind the ability to develop skills to perform wonderful operations, and to bring healing to people.Likewise we have medicine, which also is a gift of God.I believe all these things come from God,it is R.C.Sproul who writes of the invisible hand of God,' Because God is invisible to us, we often fail to recognize His activity in history'.God is merciful and  is a faithful , This world is God's world ,we read in Psalm24 v1,'The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it ,  the world, and all who live in it'. Yes it is God's world,and in spite of  mankind's rebellion God has not forsaken this world,and His common grace is manifest in a multitude of ways.Let every child of God, rise up and say ,to God be the glory,for  His many blessings,in healings, in  His provision, in His protection, in all the blessings that we enjoy.                                                                                                                                                           

Religion or Christ. ( John 3 v 1 - 16 )

 A Professor O. Hallesby  wrote a book entitled ,'Religion or Christian', there are those who teach that Christianity is not a religion.Dick Lucas wrote,'The word 'religion ' as it is used today can hardly be said to be a biblical  word at all; it does not occur in the OT, and in the NT there is no sanction for the modern usage. The faith of Christ is not presented  as one of the religions of the world, but as the unique and final truth with  which no ' other gospel' may be declared'.He goes on to to say,'The miracle of  conversion has freed us from the religious systems of their world'. This is something to think about, recently I  spoke to a young man,he said he was thinking about going to church, and I said the main thing is,trusting Jesus as your Saviour. Religious systems demand their followers  , follow rules  and regulations, as someone has said, there is a feeling of safety  in such a religion. Of course it does not save nor does it  give one peace,and an assurance of forgiveness of sins,only faith in Christ  can do that.When we do that we are connected to a relationship with God for all eternity,now you can't beat that.

What kind of world is it ?. ( Matthew 5 v 16 )

 What would you say to that question, 'What kind of world is it ?' ,the bible teaches clearly that it is a fallen world, it will never change,as it is we can never make it a heaven and earth. That does not mean to say we cannot make a difference,I believe we are meant to ,Matthew5 v 13 - 14 tells us that we are,' the salt of the world',and that we are, 'the light of this world'. Salt stops corruption, light displaces the darkness'. Dick Lucas writes,' In short, Christians must live  and suffer in an evil world. At the same time, the new born Christian is called to be a vigorous peacemaker, whether in family matters or in the larger affairs of people and nations, and the church is to be a community of peace in a world of war. It also remains true that human tyranny will not cease until Christ returns. People will continue to oppress and exploit their fellows .In spite of this we can to some extent make a difference for the better, it is possible, it is expected by our Saviour that we should.

Yes there is a better day coming. ( John 14 v1 - 6 ) (2)

In 2 Corinthians 4 the apostle Paul writes ,'We are hard pressed on  every side,but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair,persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed' In chapter 11 , he tells of more suffering, of being flogged, being exposed to death constantly,of  being  being lashed on 5 separate, occasions,of being stoned.of being shipwrecked,of  facing dangers.Of experiencing hunger and thirst ,of being cold, without enough clothing to keep  warm. In chap 12 he writes of having a thorn in the flesh,  I wonder what the prosperity gospel people would say to that,they should bow their heads in shame.Of course Paul was sustained by the Grace of God,but also by the fact that there was a better day was coming, In Iran there is a pastor Anooshavan Avedian who has been sentenced to 10years in prison,and a further 10 years of what is called,'' deprivation of social rights',( e.g. severe restrictions on employment when he is released)For that dear brother there is a better day coming. Here is what the  apostle Paul wrote ,'So we do not lose heart. Though are outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed  day by day. For this momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond comparison'

                                                                

                                                   'Yes there is a better day coming'

Yes there is a better day coming. (2 Corinthians 11 v 30 ) ( 1 )

For millions of people life is hard ,yes that includes Christians, millions are starving,for many dear people, there appears no hope. Only God knows ,it may get worse, for all of us,we will have to wait and see,the question is how can we face the challenges of life?.In 2 Corinthians 4 the apostle Paul writes as regards the difficulties that he and  his companions were experiencing,here is what he wrote,' v7 He writes of his being like a clay pot,but the wonder of that is,Christ  dwells within that body.he may be the great apostle,accomplishing great things,but it has come from the power of God, not him..We like Paul, are weak,everyone one of us,make no mistake about it,we are all without exception ,weak beyond measure,we are all  like clay pots. So stop your boasting ,arise, give God the glory,let Him increase ,and let us decrease. Without Him we can do nothing, but through Him, we can do all things that God would have us do.We will continue this next time,exalt your weakness, don't be ashamed of your weakness ,and glorify the one who uses the weak things of this world,to accomplish great things, even through us clay jars.

It's that important.( Philippians 1 v 29 )

Martin Luther said,' We will suffer our goods to be taken away, our name, our life,and all we have;  but the Gospel, our faith, Jesus Christ, we will never suffer to be wrested from us'. Many of the epistles were written in defence of the Gospel, written by men like Paul, and Peter,who not only proclaimed the Gospel but also were prepared to lay down their lives for the gospel,Paul was beheaded Peter was crucified.I am remined of Polycarp who was a disciple of the apostle John, he became a bishop in the church of Smyrna( (Izmir  in modern Turkey). In his 80s he was arrested,because he would not swear that Caesar was lord , if he did, he would be set free,this was what he said,''Eighty six years have I served Jesus,and he never did me an injury, how can I blaspheme my king and Saviour'' .He was pressed on this, being threatened to be devoured by wild beasts,or to be consumed by the fire,he refused.and said,'' Hear me declare with boldness,'I am a Christian'.So they gathered the wood, the Jews especially joining in ,and they burnt him to death. The gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ,is more precious than worldly riches,world fame, may our dear God grant us grace to live for Christ ,and if necessary to die for Christ.

The reason. ( Psalm 51 )

 Yesterday we asked why mankind is so violent?,we mentioned one aspect of our violence,war,but we never mentioned murders,robberies,rapes,abuse of all sorts,and so on,plus our evil thoughts.It is in the book of Jeremiah we read,'The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it it is (17 v 9) One may say I know a lot of nice people,but I also know that everyone is a sinner,the fact is we are all in it together ,and we all manifest  to some extent our sinful nature.Remember when we say that,we are not judging our being by other people.That is not the answer,we may say that we are good citizens,we are honest as the next person we pay our taxes.That is not the answer ,it is how we stand before a holy God,that's what makes us sinners,we come short of His glory .When David sinned  he confessed,'Against you, You only have I sinned,and done this evil in your sight' Psalm 51 v 4,he said that because it was God's law he had broken'.The words in Romans 3 makes it clear the way we are toward God.and that has an affect as to how we are with other people.The cross reminds us of the awful condition of humanity,a condition that will not change, because we cannot change,we do not want to change, because we love darkness rather than light.People will continue on their sinful way refusing to respond to God's offer of salvation,apart from Jesus there is no hope,and let me say again ,things will not get any better.

                                                 ' I heard the voice of Jesus say,

                                                  I am this dark worlds light,

                                                  Look unto Me, thy morn shall rise

                                                  And all thy day be bright.

                                                  I looked to Jesus and I found

                                                  In Him my Star, my Sun;

                                                  And in that light of life I'll walk,

                                                  Till travelling days are done.

                                                          Horatius Bonar.

The reason ( Romans 3 v 23 )

 The English poet Julian Grenfell wrote,' I adore war', His poem,'Into Battle', anticipates the 'joy; of combat. He was killed in May 1915.During the 20th century we have had two world wars,but there have been hundreds of minor wars and conflicts.Think of how many people have perished in those conflicts,it is impossible to say,possible 150 million, could be more.The fact is we live in a very,very violent world,and its not getting any better,the question is why,the Bible tells us the reason,in that great chapter in Romans 3 we are told this ,'all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.'the writer highlights or describes aspects of that sinful nature ,most of what he describes ,is to be found in passages in the OT.  I want to write them all out, so here goes,

                                      ''No one is righteous,not even one,

                                       No one is truly wise; no one is seeking after God.

                                       All have turned away; all have become useless.

                                       No one does good not a single one. 

                                       Their talk is foul,like,like a stench from an open grave.

                                       Their tongues are filled with lies.

                                       Snake venom drips from their lips.

                                       Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.

                                        They rush to commit murder.

                                        Destruction always follow them.

                                        The don't know where to find peace.

                                        They have no fear of God at all.''

The suffering Servant. ( Galatians 6 v 14 )

 The Lord during His lifetime manifested great power, He had power over nature Mark 4 v 35 -41,He raised the dead Luke 7 v 11- 16/ 8 v 53-56/ /John 11/. He healed countless number of people,He turned water into wine John 2,and fed on two occasions thousands of people with just a few small loaves and fishes John 6 /Mark 8. If He did all that surely he could have saved Himself from all that suffering?,but He didn't,surely He failed?,no ,when He told the disciples he would die , they couldn't take it in,and Peter reprimanded Him, for saying such things Matthew 16 v22  ,and Jesus rebuked him.To those disciples His death appeared a failure ,the Messiah they had in mind was not meant to die,but one who would rule by His great power,He would put down all who opposed Him, by force, they the Jews would reign and rule with Him.. But no, Jesus did not come to set up an earthly kingdom, John 18 v 36, His kingdom would be a spiritual kingdom,ruling in peoples hearts, it would be an eternal kingdom Daniel 2 v44. As to His death no one could take his life from Him,in John 10 v18 ,Jesus declares,'No one can take my life from me,I sacrifice it voluntarily.For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again  John 10 v 18. In John 10 v27 Jesus says,'Now is my soul deeply troubled.Should I pray,',  Father save me from this hour?But this is the reason I came!. He did not fail, His suffering on the cross was a victory for us sinners,our sins could be forgiven ,Satan and death would be defeated

                                                 Thanks be to God who give His only

                                                 begotten Son,that we could be saved 

                                                 eternally.

The suffering Servant. ( Romans 5 v 1 )

 Now we have touched on the physical suffering of Christ, but there is more to it than that,let us remember every sinner has the wrath of God upon them,John 3 v 36.While sin remains unforgiven wrath remains on them for ever,no entrance into heaven,but there will be an entrance into hell and all that it means, unless that wrath is removed no one can be saved.So it is that Jesus suffering on the cross involved Him taking the punishment of sinners,paying the full price for our transgressions.William Hendriksen ,writes the following,'by the shedding of his blood, a wrath -removing or propitiatory' sacrifice took place.Our Saviour told the story of a man who cried out to God ,'Be merciful to me a sinner',Luke 18 v13 .one has put it this way,'God be propitiated for me a sinner'. Compare Romans 3 v25 ' Whom God hath sent forth to be a propitiation', WH  writes ,'that the Greek word he chose is the English equivalent meaning,;Wrath removing ( or propitiatory)sacrifice'.He goes unto write,'Christ's propitiatory sacrifice does not go into effect automatically. If a person wishes to obtain this great blessing- the turning away of God's wrath,forgiveness, acceptance with God-they must exercise genuine faith in Christ,in and through whom God Triune reveals himself'.

                                                    'Simple faith in Jesus saves'

The suffering Servant. ( Isaiah 53 )

 The supreme purpose of Christ coming into the world was to die on the cross ,so our sins could be forgiven,His death accomplished everything that was necessary for our salvation. It meant that He would leave heaven,there he was equal with God,as part of the divine Trinity,it was truly one giant step,he entered this world,fully human and fully divine.And his role was that of a servant,and to become obedient unto death ,even death on the cross.The suffering He experienced when he was arrested,and his death on the cross was horrendous,this does not appear in the many pictures painted of His crucifixion.Well Mel Gibson made the movie ,'The passion of Christ', many complained that it was to graphic,it wasn't, it wasn't graphic enough.Let us bear in mind,that the Messiahs suffering was clearly  foretold by the prophets,In Isaiah 52 v 14 we read,'But many were amazed when they saw him,His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human,and from his appearance one would scarcely know he was a man'. In 53 v 7 we read,'That he was led as  a lamb to the slaughter',we often  talk about  animals going to the slaughter house.In modern abattoirs they try to make the killing of animals as painless as possible,but Christs death was anything like painless,it was slow and agonising, it was death on a cross, But it didn't stop there as we will see next time.

                                                      Man of sorrows what a name,

                                                      For the Son of God who came,

                                                      Ruined sinners to reclaim,

                                                      Hallelujah what a Saviour

                                                              Philip P. Bliss.

Brokenness. ( Luke 9 v 46- 48)

 As I am retired, and my wife is not, I look after the home,and one of the things I do is the washing,I have a clothes line where I  hang the wet clothes out to dry.I use clothes pegs.I have one clothes peg and its partly broken,I have thought about throwing it away,but no I have decided to keep it ,it is still useful It reminds in a way of how God uses broken people,most of us are broken in some way. It could be when you consider your brokenness, you think that God could never use you,you are wrong,very wrong,does not God say he uses the weak and the foolish things.Take Jacob his name means supplanter, a schemer, and He made him an Israel,Peter  failed his Lord  miserably but he became an apostle Whatever your brokenness God can use you,lets consider those lovely words in 1 Corinthians 1 v 26ff ,'God chose things the things the world one would consider foolish,He chose those whom one would consider unsuitable' ,not just unsuitable but people of  brokenness,and raises them up to positions of distinction.

                                                  The Lord doesn't see things the way you see

                                                  them. People judge by outward appearance,

                                                  but the Lord looks at the heart,

                                                                 1 Samuel 16 v 7.

Wolves in sheep's clothing. ( 2 Timothy 2 v 19 .)

In the 16th century Pope Alexander died ,it was said of him,'There was in him,and in full measure, all vices both flesh and spirit. There was in him no religion, no keeping of  word. He promised all things liberally, but bound himself to nothing that was not useful to himself . He had no care for justice, since  in his days Rome was a den of thieves and murderers.' It is said don't judge a book by its cover,it was also said by our Saviour, that people are known by their fruits,our Saviour spoke of the religious leaders,he said,'Beware  of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes,and love to be greeted with respect in the market -places and have the most important seats in the synagogues and places of honour  at banquets. They devour widows houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely'. Luke 20 v46-47.These people pretended to be pious, but behind it all they practiced ungodliness,being in a religious position should never be a opportunity to practice getting rich by exploiting others.

He delights in mercy. (Micah 7 v 18 - 20 )

In Jeremiah 29 v 11 we read,'For I know the plans I have for you , says the Lord.They are plans for good  and not for disaster,to give you a future and a hope'.These words were spoken to those in captivity in Babylon,they would be there 70 yrs.This was one of the lowest points  in Israel's history,God had been angry with His people because they had forsaken Him Jeremiah 2 v 13.if one reads Jeremiah and Ezekiel,you will get the awfulness of the nations sinfulness.So there they were in the land of  Babylon,in shock ,overcome with grief Psalm 137,they had no one to blame only themselves, but they were His people, he had rightly dealt with them, but he had not forsaken them. In Micah 7 v 18 -20 ,we read,Where is there another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant,overlooking  the sins of His special people  forever, because you delight in showing mercy'.Some people  think God delights in showing wrath, He doesn't ,often judgement is a last resort,often the word longsuffering is used of God, but if mankind keep on wilfully sinning, judgement will fall. If you are a professing Christian ,and indulging in sin,repent seek forgiveness,if you are not a Christian likewise God is merciful , believe in the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved.

Unchanging One 2

 I am the Lord, I do not change  ,so reads Malachi 3 v 6, we considered last time how awful changeable  Israel were,talking ,there is a saying of 'biting the hand that feeds you'. Their whole history was of God looking after them,freeing them from slavery,giving them a homeland of their own. In spite of them continually backsliding,rebelling against God,and forsaking Him, He still loved them, and cared for them.Like Israel ,we who delight in Christ as our Saviour, and God as our Father,if we were truthful have not followed God perfectly.Yet God comes to us and  tells us that He still loves us,has not forsaken us, cares for us in so many ways. Yes He is the Lord ,who does not change,let us bow our heads  ,and whisper a prayer of thankfulness,and tell him how much we love Him.

                                            '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.!.

                                                     Robert Robinson.

Lost. ( Luke 15 )

 As I returned home I was met by a very agitated wife,the reason she had lost one of her car keys,the good one, yes she has two, one recently had been playing up,the other was fine,but that was the one she lost.We were both a bit agitated now, car keys are really little computers,and they can be expensive to be replaced .I did my best to still my wife,I said lets pray about it,that's what we did. Later my wife suggested going to  an elderly lady my wife cares for,she is partially blind, this we did,I continued to pray.  When we arrived we  we discovered the key ,we were both very grateful, and I thanked God. There are a number of lessons one can learn from this experience, be careful not to judge the person who losses something ,that doesn't help.Next pray about it, bring our sovereign God into the situation,trust Him .As regards that which lost,remember that everyone is lost, and that is a fact, and unless they get saved ,they will die and consciously exist in an eternal permanent state for ever.Their only hope is Jesus, who came to seek and to save those who are lost, He is their only hope,the moment we die we go to either hell or heaven,what would you choose?.

                                                    'Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,

                                                     Weak and wounded, sick and sore;

                                                     Jesus ready stands to save you,

                                                     Full of pity,love, and power;

                                                     He is ale, He is able,

                                                     He is willing; doubt no more.'

                                                             John Newton.

                                                                  

                                                          

                                                    

Unchanging One. ( Psalm 51 )

 In Malachi 3 v6,God declares ,' I am the Lord,and I do not change', the book of Malachi makes very sad  reading, Instead of loving God obeying Him,being faithful to Him,they cheated on God, instead of recognizing their sinful ways they  turned it back on God,blaming Him accusing Him of so many things.The history of the old covenant Israel was deplorable,they never changed, they just kept doing the same thing over and over again.Our Saviour declared how they persecuted the prophets (Matthew 5 v 12)  , Stephen declared just before the Jews killed him,how they were stubborn,like the heathen,refused to listen to the truth, murders of the prophets,disobedient,even though they were favoured by receiving Gods word. Acts 7 v 51ff.Yet God did not change,He loved them,he was faithful to them,they deserved nothing from God,it was Jeremiah when standing amidst the ruins  of Jerusalem ,that had  experienced Gods judgement ,he was filled with despair,but then he remembered the following.

                                                   'The faithful love of the Lord never ends!

                                                    His mercies never cease.

                                                    Great is His faithfulness,

                                                     His mercies begin afresh each morning.

                                                               Lamentation 3 v 22 - 23.

                                                   

Put to death. ( 2 Peter 3 v 10 - 14 )

 In Colossians 3 v 5-6,we read ,'Put to death ,therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature; sexual  immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these the wrath of God is coming'.Theology always has an application, Paul has been dealing with the problems in the church,this  involved the person of Christ, there were those who were teaching that their faith in Christ was not  enough,beware of anyone who tells you such a  thing,if we have Christ, he is all we need,no adds on's. Now let consider 3 v5-6,  v5 commences by saying,'Put to death', and he names those immoral things,  although they were Christians ,they still had within them the potential to get caught up in immorality,Dick Lucas writes,' Not until death shall we be free from evil desires'.We must be severe with ourselves, think of the term he uses,'Put to death', do all you can by God's grace,to avoid such things,see them for what they are, evil.Let us not be sucked into the worlds moral morass, people are being conditioned mainly by the media to accept immoral behaviour. Lets us have a godly morality,that does not mean we will be Pharisees it will mean we will be walking a path of holiness, with our holy God and Saviour.

Troubles .( 2 Corinthians 4 v 8 -9 )

 Life is full of troubles there is no end to them , the troubles that humanity has to face are to many to number,we read in Job 5 v 7,' People are born for trouble as readily as sparks fly upward'.Matthew Henry comments, 'Such is the frailty of our bodies,and the vanity of our enjoyments, that our troubles arise as naturally as the sparks fly upward'.I often turn to the Psalms when troubles come,most of them were written by David who experienced many troubles,life threatening troubles, troubles from even his own family. In   Psalm 46 we have these words ,'God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help  in times of trouble,' Consider those words ,'always ready to help in times of trouble', God is not a reluctant helper,there are people who will help you but very reluctantly,not so God,he is always ready to help. v 2-4 of Psalm 46 reads .' So we will not fear  when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam . Let the mountains  tremble at the water edge'.No matter how great the troubles we may be facing ,God is greater,He can do exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think.

                                                         'A sovereign protector I have,

                                                          Unseen, yet forever at hand,

                                                          Unchangeably faithful to save,

                                                          Almighty to rule and command. 

                                                          He smiles  and my comforts abound;

                                                          His grace as the dew  shall descend

                                                          And walls of salvation surround

                                                          The soul He delights to defend.

                                                                 Augustus M,Toplady 

Hell ( Revelation 21 v 6 - 8)

 Some people make jokes about hell, I wont,it is a real place, Jesus ,yes Jesus spoke of  it often, CP , Matthew 16 v 18/ 18 v 8-9/ 23 v15/ Luke 16 v 23/.  It was Bertrand Russell who  held the view' that,for all that might be said positively about the teaching and character of Jesus Christ, it was overshadowed  on the negative side by His belief in hell.' It is the place were the unsaved go, they died in their sins,and so they suffer for their sins.Bruce Milne writes,'Hell is terrible by any measure and , as Jesus indicates, everything is worth sacrificing in order to avoid it. There is no more terrible prospect conceivable than of being consigned to hell'.As heaven will be more glorious than we can ever imagine,likewise hell,is more awful  than we could ever imagine. I do not apologise for writing about hell,I did not invent it, I did not make it up,no it is clearly taught in God's word.It is not inevitable that people will go to hell , because God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.  (John 3 v16 )

Take all of me ( John 3 v16)( 1 ) Romans 12

 I remember reading of a lady who suffered from severe mental illness, she said,'that her mind hated her', I think that we all at times feel that we have no control over our  minds. In Romans 12 v 1-2  we read,' Therefore ,I urge you, brothers  and sisters, in view of God's mercy,to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing  to God- this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind . Then you will be able to test and approve what's God's will is- His good ,pleasing and perfect will'.Now there is a lot in these verses ,to challenge us,to aid us in our Christian life,and being conformed to Christ. It commences with the word,'Therefore',  The apostle has been writing about  what God has achieved for us ,because of Christ dying for us,we have by faith in Christ been justified,( 5 v1) ,we are no longer condemned   (12 v1) In the light of such mercy we are called,to live a sacrificial and holy life to God which is pleasing to God,that means our whole being,our bodies and our minds.It was C.T. Studd  who said,/I had known about Jesus dying for me,but I never  understood that if He died for me, then I didn't belong to myself.Redemption means buying back, so that if I belonged to Him, either I had to be a thief  and keep what wasn't mine, or else I  had to give up everything to God'.

                                                    'Fill Thou my life ,O my God,

                                                     In every part with praise

                                                     That my whole being may proclaim

                                                      Thy being and Thy ways.

                                                      So shall no part of day or night

                                                       From sacredness be free;

                                                       But all my life, in every step,

                                                       Be fellowship with Thee.

                                                            Words Horatius Bonar.

Heaven ( 1 Corinthians 2 v 9 )

One of the most popular singers in  the early 20th century was Al Jolson,he was called ,'The worlds greatest entertainer',he wrote and sung many songs that became very popular.One was called 'Sonny Boy', the chorus goes,'You're sent from heaven, and I know your worth,you made a heaven,for me on earth'. We can appreciate the sentiments ,but the reality is ,nothing on earth ,no matter how wonderful it is, can even begin to compare with the glories of heaven.I believe the wonders of heaven are beyond our deepest thoughts, and imaginations.Heaven is a place were there will be no sin,we cannot even imagine what that means.We are so conditioned by evil in this world,that we think absence of it will be boring, not possible. There will be no death there, there are no graveyards in heaven,it is a place of life,death will have died. There will be no wars,permanent peace will prevail,all weapons of war  will no longer exist,no  crimes will take place,we will all feel totally secure, and content, no panic attacks.There are many who have tried to set up heaven on earth,,sought to set a certain system in place but they failed. The Lord Jesus will set the eternal glories, and He will be all the glory of Heaven,and we will be eternally satisfied.

                                                        ' Heaven here we come.'

Why did Christ come? ( Colossians 1 v 13 )

Why did Christ come?,because nothing was right,death happens to everyone,everyone has to die,everyone will experience pain,loss ,are bodies wear out .Relationships break up,people hurt others ,hurt themselves ,the Putin's of this world are not new,many are even worse.For those type of people the loss of life,of thousands ,millions,and millions,who suffer and die, they do not even shed a tear.Yes nothing is right, that is why Christ had to come ,without His coming we would have no hope at all,none whatsoever.Christ is not just the hope of this world ,He is the only hope. The only hope for this painful world,He is not a false hope,none who trust will never be disappointed,never.In this dark world ,He is light,we read in Matthew 4 v 16, 'The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land  of the shadow of death a light has dawned'.That light is Jesus,He has come to bring us out of darkness,open your heart to him,and ask Him into your life,and then you can say,'I once was blind but now I see', I no longer walk in the  darkness for the Lord is my light and my salvation,and I have hope.

Balance ( Revelation 3 v 19 - 20)

 I was watering the plants,and I reached up to water a hanging basket,I suddenly felt myself falling , I had lost my balance but I managed  to get to garden seat , so saving me from being seriously injured.I have  seen my GP who diagnosed the problem,it was related to my ear. Balance is so important,not only as regards walking, but also in our walk with the Lord. Alas sometimes we get out of balance and we don't forgive,don't witness,so many things can affect  our relationship with the Lord., and so we suffer spiritually.There are 7 church'es mentioned in the book of Revelation,most of them were out of balance in their relation with the Lord Jesus.  Ephesus,had left its first love, Pergamum had fallen into wrong teaching, Thyatira tolerated immorality, Sardis were as good as dead spiritually, Philadelphia  had shut the Lord out in the cold. Plenty of serious imbalance there,the Lord spoke to these churches ,repent ,or there fall would become permanent. I have visited the ancient city of  Ephesus, all there is left is ruins,if we like those churches become imbalanced there will be severe consequences,beware heed the warnings.

Only memories .( Hebrews 11 v 13 - 16 )

 England's women's football team have just recently won a major trophy ,by beating the German team. For many years I followed a famous men's football team,they were very successful, not so now,but the  memories remain.In the end that'a all one gets of this worlds glories,just memories, that's all just memories.The apostle Paul wrote about the athletes of his day,' They do it to win a prize that will pass away, but we do it for an eternal prize .' 1 Corinthians 9 v 25.Someone spoke about the glories that  shine afar,we all need to be reminded of the the greatness of what we will inherit in our eternal home. The apostle also wrote the following,'Since you have been raised to a new life with Christ,set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honour at God's right hand. Think about the things of heaven,not the things of earth' Colossians 3 v 1-2 ,

                                                 'Swift to its close ebbs out  life's  little day

                                                 Earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass away;

                                                 Change and decay in all around I see;

                                                 O Thou who changes not abide with me'

                                                                 Henry F. Lyte

The Providence of God. (Romans 8 v 28)

 My wife and I heard a loud thud,I went to investigate, and the lamp fitting had fallen down from the ceiling,it was a heavy glass fitting, it fell unto a bathroom rug,so it didn't smash into pieces.As l lifted it up I realized that if it had fallen on anyone ,it could have caused serious injury.I wonder how many times God has preserved us in life,from physical and spiritual dangers?.It is worth considering , we can put it under the Providence of God, an aspect of life that is not given much thought to. Consider those times you have been held up when out driving,caught in a traffic jam,or caught behind a slow driver,and you are not able to overtake.May not God be holding you back ,from some danger ahead,what about that job you didn't get?,the one you set your heart on.What about that promotion you didn't get, you were overlooked, it seems so unfair,John  Flavel writes,'Providence is wiser than you', God may not have wanted you in that position.Be well satisfied in that station and employment in which Providence has placed you, and do not so much as wish yourself in another', Consider daily in all the affairs of your life,the Providence  of God.

                                               'With mercy and with judgement ,

                                                My web of time He wove,

                                               And aye the dews of sorrow

                                               Were lustred by His love;

                                                I'll bless the hand that guided,

                                                I'll bless the heart that planned,

                                                When throned where glory dwelleth

                                                 In Immanuel's land.'

                                                    A.R.Cousin.

'