Christian love. ( John 15 v 12 )

Bruce Milne wrote,' To love like Jesus is to love inclusively, indiscriminately and  universally.When that kind of love flows within a congregation the world will take note that' they have been with Jesus'.Nor need this standard daunt us. Tertullian  reported in the late second century  the comments of the pagans in his day;' Behold, how these Christians love each other! How ready they are to die for each other! ' There mutual love was the magnet which drew the pagan multitudes to Christ. It has the potential to do so again'.

                                                                      Psalm 133.

                                             

                                                    How wonderful and pleasant it is

                                                    when brothers live together in harmony!

                                                    For  harmony is as precious as the anointing oil

                                                    that was poured over Aaron's head,

                                                    that ran down his beard

                                                    and unto the border of his robe.

                                                    Harmony is as refreshing as the dew of  Mount 

                                                    Hermon that falls on the mountains of  Zion.

                                                    And there the Lord has pronounced His blessing

                                                    even life everlasting.

                                                   

                                             

Nothing. ( Hebrews 12 v 4-11)

                                                           In Romans 8 v 38- 39 we read.

                                           ' For I am convinced that neither death nor life,

                                            neither angels or demons,neither the present or

                                            the future, nor any powers,neither height nor                                           

                                            depth,nor  anything else in all creation,will be 

                                            able to separate us from the love of God that is

                                            in Christ Jesus our Lord.'

Wonderful words of assurance to those who belong to Christ,that does not mean we can do anything we like,to presume on the word of God.If we fall morally ,act in a wrong way, He will not reject us,but out of  love for us His children, He will correct us and discipline us, that's what our heavenly Father will do. Hebrews 12 v 6.

                                         

The preacher.( Acts 4 v 13 )

 Many years ago while out walking  I came across a place where a tent was being taken down, it had been used to hold a gospel meeting.I knew one of the people,so I spoke to him.There was another man there who had been the preacher, I engaged in a conversation with him,and I wish I hadn't ,I mentioned I was going to  bible college,and that didn't go down to well, not much encouragement from him,I mentioned to him a friend  of mine who was a fine Christian,but the person spoke unkindly of him.The person was going to be a missionary to South Korea, I didn't respond to his unpleasantness ,but felt concerned for those he was going to minister to,and I ask myself this question in relation to him taking the gospel to South Korea,was he taken Christ with him?.Here is a general thought for all of us to consider, it is not all about preaching , important though that is, it's also about manifesting Christ in our lives.As regards that person I spoke to,yes he had just finished preaching the  gospel ,but as a young Christian I didn't see the reality of that in his life, even now I feel so sad with my encounter with that man.

Our example ( John 13 v 15 )

 We have been looking at Jesus who is our teacher, which involved His words,deeds and example. a certain politician during the pandemic  appeared on the TV stressing the importance of certain things,but he himself did not do what he said,it was a case ,do what I say ,but don't do what I do. When it all came out it was not long before he had to resign,he had lost the peoples confidence, and respect.Our dear lovely Saviour lived as He spoke,there were no inconsistences in His life,no one could call him a hypocrite.That is the challenge that we who are Christians face,I remember hearing about a minister who said ,'they are watching us',and indeed they are. As the non-Christians look on us what do they see?,as our family looks at us what do they see?. We are not talking about being a person pleaser, but one who  pleases God, there is a big difference ,our lovely Saviour always did that which pleased His Father,that should be our aim in life. We need not be to concerned if people are unpleased with us,because we stand for truth,and when we live a holy life,in doing so , we are walking in the footsteps of our Saviour ,Lord and teacher.

Our teacher and Lord ( Philippians 2 v 5-11) 2

 Let us further consider what our Lord did  and what He said,when He washed the feet of His disciples. The Lords action in washing his disciples feet was a genuine act of humility,He wasn't play acting,it was real, and should have had a profound effect on the disciples.Here was one who thought it not robbery to be equal with God,but He give up as one translation puts it,' His divine privileges'.He took the form of a servant, and was born as a human being and He became obedient unto death, humbling Himself  by dying on a cross,which was reserved for criminal's.All of this was real no play acting,and was necessary for our salvation.The mark of a true Christian should be one of humility,it would remind the disciples ,as it should remind us,to not get big headed,carried away with our own importance.A friend of mine told me that when she was young, when out walking,if a minister was walking towards them,they were expected to step of the pathway,and let the minister  pass.It seems to me, in light of what we are considering,the minister should have stepped of the path. Jesus said ,'I have left you an example that you should do as I have done for you'.

Our teacher . ( Matthew 7 v 24 -29 )

 When I was in primary  school I remember one teacher called Mr Jenkins,he was a Welsh man,I can't remember to much about the teachers I sat under.They must have done some good to me for I learned to read and write,so I am indebted to them for that. Being a teacher is a very important job, we need them,but we also need to put into practice what they teach us.A music teacher wants their pupils to practice .what they have been taught,likewise Jesus our great teacher wants us to put into practice what He teaches us. Jesus taught by His words but also by his actions,it is John 13 we have Jesus and His disciples having a Passover meal,when Jesus gets up unannounced,took of his outer clothing,wrapped a towel around His waist,poured water unto a basin , and began to wash the disciples feet. Bruce Milne writes,  'This was a particularly humble task,Jewish slaves would not be required do this'. The disciples didn't make any effort,as BM says,' one does not wash the feet of peers!'.Here we have Jesus going against the norm ,it is Peter who objects,to his Lord washing his feet,but Jesus made it clear he had to put aside his objection.When Jesus had finished He said that what He their master had done they must do.It is not that we in 22century should have feet washing in our churches ,our Saviour is laying down a principal as regards His followers, of being prepared to act in humble obedience,it was not optional. We will consider this further next time.

Not till then. ( Romans 8 v28 )

 I have just read from John 9, it tells us of a wonderful miracle by Jesus,on a man who was born blind from birth.Before Jesus healed him,His disciples asked a question,'who did sin,this man,or his parents?'.There was a common held belief that at that time that calamity and suffering was the result of sin, our dear Saviour ruled that out,and so should we.Religions like Hinduism and Buddhism hold that belief,  it is vey wrong to put that unto people who suffer.The greatest example of a person who did not suffer for any wrong he had done ,was Job. We will most definitely suffer for our own sin,if not now,then most certainly in eternity,that's why we need Jesus, suffering is part of life in this fallen  world it cannot be eliminated.Good people suffer and bad people suffer it is inescapable ,we cannot change that. This blind mans suffering had a purpose ,God's power would be manifest in him,by Jesus healing him.We often do not know  the purpose of our suffering, in the case of this man we do.God's power would be manifested,the more important thing would be,he came to know Christ. If you are suffering,you may not understand why you are suffering,hanging on the wall of the room I'm sitting in,is a framed picture,with a verse of a poem that my first wife who died of cancer  embroidered,I will leave it with you.

                                        '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 pattern H has planned.'

                                                               'Words by B M.Franklin'

                         

Unconditional love. ( Romans 1 v 18 )

 I read this recently,' Love can move a person to act in unexpected ways, leave them to overcome the most  daunting obstacles with a startling heroism . In the end it is love that triumphs over death and  destruction.'   There are many things that are dressed up as love,and are not,but true love is truly the greatest thing.Is there such a thing as unconditional love?,we hear this term continually from Christian  preachers.In our unsaved state we were enemies of God Romans 5 v 10,we were ungodly 5 v 6,but the love God offers to humanity comes in the person of Jesus.The question is this in our unsaved state,are we prepared to repent of our sins,to seek forgiveness and trust Jesus as our Saviour?. If we are not prepared to do that,we are spitting in the face of God,we will not experience His love,we will remain under the wrath of a Holy God John 3 v36, and will face eternal judgement.There are conditions if we are going to be saved,His love is not unconditional,sin must be dealt with,at the foot of the cross..

God is leading. ( Psalm 23 )

 Following on with the thought,'We do not choose the hand of cards dealt to us', we applied it  to a non-Christian,now let us apply it  to Christians.We mentioned the sovereignty God,from the moment we became a Christian we died to self,and began to live unto Christ, in the path He would  lead us, not a path of our choosing.On that path we would experience many things,we would have blessings but we also would experience various trials James 1 v 2. Trials by their very nature ,put us to the test, Edward Clowney writes the following,' Trials should not surprise us, or cause us to doubt God's faithfulness.....  Our trials keep us trusting; they burn away our self -confidence and drive us to our Saviour, it shows the  genuineness of our faith, and purifies our faith'.The trials that God brings into our lives are not meant to destroy us ,they are meant to perfect us.Whatever hand of cards God deals to us He will bring us through,I want leave the words of a Christian song with you,its called ,'God leads His dear Children along',written by George A.Young.

                                              'In shady ,green pastures,so rich and so sweet

                                              God leads His dear children along.

                                              Some through  the waters ,some through the flood,

                                              Some through the fire,but all through the blood.

                                              Some through great sorrows ,but God gives a song,

                                              In the night season and all the day long

I saw the light. ( John 3 v 19 ) 1

 This thought came to me,'We do not choose the hand of cards dealt to us', it may be prosperity or adversity, life like the rainbow has many colours to it.it is a sovereign God who paints the colours. The poet wrote  ,'Our lives through varied scenes are drawn', every life lived is somewhat unique,.and God has a plan for all of us,we might not like the plan . If you are not a Christian then you may curse God,you may rule God  out of your life,which is not the answer,it does not solve anything,it only leads one further into darkness. and one ends up in eternal darkness,from which there is no escape.Here is what Jesus said,' I am the light of the world,he who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life'. (John 8 v 12). Trust Him to be your Saviour.

                                                        'I wandered so aimless,life filled with sin,

                                                         I wouldn't let my dear Saviour in,

                                                         Then Jesus came like a stranger in the night,

                                                          Praise the Lord I saw the light.

                                                                         Hank Williams.

Grace ( 2 Peter 3 v 18 )

 I found myself  singing words from that well known hymn ,'Come Thou fount of every blessing',by Robert Robinson,it was the last verse of that hymn that blessed me. Here are the words,'O to grace how great a debtor,daily I'm constrained to be.' Grace, what is the grace of God?,it describes,'God's unmerited love and favour', and I would add it comes through Jesus the Son of God. Grace falls into two categories, 'Common',and,'Particular', common grace is described by someone as the protection and care God gives to all His creatures, regardless of their relationship with Him'.Our Saviour taught that God makes the sun to  rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5 v45 ). Particular grace relates to salvation,and all aspects of our lives,God saves us by grace,keeps us by grace,and blesses those who are His, daily,with His special care and love.So from the moment I was conceived and born till now I have experienced the grace of God,and will continue to experience it ,till I go to heaven.As a Christian I am so grateful for His grace that has been granted to me,especially for the grace that saved me,when I trusted Jesus as my Saviour.

                                                        '  O to grace how great a debtor

                                                          Daily I'm constrained to be!

                                                          Let Thy grace,Lord, like a fetter,

                                                          Bind my wandering heart to Thee,'

                                                                       R.Robinson.

                                                     

Evening Praise. (Ephesians 5 v 20 )

                                              'Evening Praise', From  valley of vision'

                                   'I thank Thee for the temporal blessings of this world,

                                    the refreshing air, the light of the sun,the food that renews

                                    strength,the raiment that clothes,the dwelling that shelters,

                                    the sleep that gives rest,the starry canopy of night,the summer 

                                    breeze,the flowers' sweetness,the music of flowing streams,

                                    the happy endearments of family and friends.I bring my 

                                    tribute of thanks for spiritual graces,the full warmth of faith,

                                    the cheering presence of Thy Spirit, the strength of Thy restraining

                                    will,the overturning of hell's artillery.'

                                                           'Blessed be my sovereign Lord '

                                     

    

                                   

What's wrong with this world? ( Romans 3 v 23 )

What,s wrong with this world?,it is a scary old world ,why would a man go into a nursery of all places,and murder little babies,and adults?.We could multiply the why's in life,I don't want to depress you,it is no good sticking our head in the sand and ignore the awful things that are happening now ,and throughout history.I watched a movie recently,an old lady was talking to her son,she spoke of inherit goodness of people,they were are not all bad. Her son replied with a biblical quotation from Jeremiah 17 v9,'The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked;who can know it'.That goes against what we say about certain people,that they have a good heart.You may not think this verse applies to everyone,but it does ,given the wrong circumstances ,wrong as regards evil,we can easy become part of that evil. When I look in my heart it scares me,are you any different?. Money and power does not change this it often increases the evil we commit ,as for religion ,it is no different,yes even the religions that go under the name of Christianity,the lust for money power rules many,likewise sex,in the abuse of children.Why did Christ come?,to make us rich and powerful,to give us a trouble free life,no, He came to forgive us our sins,and by His Spirit aid us  to overcome,the evil without and the evil within, that's why you need Jesus and I need Jesus.

Be the Magnet ( Psalm 139 v23 - 24 )

Robert Robinson lived in the 18th century,he was a minister,and the Lord blessed his ministry,he wrote the hymn,' Come Thy fount of every blessing',Here is the second  verse.

                                                   'O to grace how great a debtor

                                                    Daily I'm constrained to be!

                                                    Let Thy 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'

It reminds me of Christian and his friend Hopeful in Pilgrims Progress who wandered of the pathway and were taken prisoner by Giant Despair and cast into the dungeon of Doubting castle. Like them we can so easily wander away from God,morally and theologically,I am reminded of two great kings who did just that,David and Solomon, Like them it would be so easy to wander away from the God we love.I found myself praying these words, 'May you Lord, be the magnet to my soul,that draws me back from wandering from You,in Jesus name'.

Be ready ( Revelation 1 v12 - 18 )

 In John 7 v 1 ,we read that the Jewish leaders were looking for a way to kill Jesus, now of course Jesus knew that they would eventually have their way,Matthew 16 v 21.But that moment would come in God's time,and not before,the purpose of Christ coming was to die on the cross. John 12 v 27. There was times when people tried to kill Jesus but it did not happen Luke 4 v 28 - 30,the reason being it was not God's time.the scripture puts it like,'His hour had not come'.John 7 v 30. It is Calvin who reasons from Christ's death to ours;' From this a general doctrine must be gathered; for though we live unto the day, the hour of every man's death has nevertheless been fixed by God...... we are safe from all dangers until God wishes to call us away'. And as I often say,' be ready',as believers let us live as if it were our last day on earth, and if  you are not a believer, trust Jesus as your Saviour, for it may be your last day.

                                                         'Sovereign ruler of the skies,

                                                         Ever gracious,ever wise;

                                                         All my times are in Thy hands,

                                                        All events at Thy command.

                                                        Plagues and death around me fly;

                                                        Not a single shaft can hit,

                                                        Till the God of love sees fit.'

                                                                  John Ryland.

Our priority. ( Matthew 6 v 9 - 10 )

 We read in John 7 of our Lord going up to Jerusalem during the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles,for Him it was a dangerous thing to do, for the Jewish leaders were looking for a way to kill Him . Alongside this his own brothers did not believe in Him,but undeterred He went to the festival knowing the risk . He was very brave and courageous ,He was not acting foolishly or in a spirit of bravado ,no, He was  walking in the will of God. His whole life entailed that very thing, doing the will of God.It was His delight  Psalm 40 v 8, and His purpose in coming into this world, in John 4 v34, He declared,'My food',...'is to do the will of Him who sent Me,and to finish His work.' As Christians the challenge  for all of us is to follow in our Saviours footsteps,in doing the will of God. I recently heard of a man who was very discouraged because he did not get what he prayed for,he wanted a job.What we want is not the priority in our lives ,the priority must  always be the will of God,

                                                                    A prayer.

                                                 'Not my will, but yours be done'.

A grateful heart. ( Luke 17 v 11 - 19) 1

 In Psalm 107 v 23 - 32 we read of those who go to sea in ships,and how often  they find themselves in a severe storm that threatens their lives,they try everything to survive,but to no avail,death looks certain. In that situation they do what many people do,'they cried to Lord'v 28,and we read God in His mercy responded ,by calming the sea,and bringing them to their desired haven. It stands to reason that if God delivers,be it nation,or an individual,they should give thanks unto God ,sad to say it does not often happen but if we are children of God it should happen.How grateful are we for His many deliverances, for his help and protection ,and most of all for His salvation.May today we raise our thankful hearts to him who loved us when we didn't love Him,from Him who stuck with us through thick and thin,and still remains faithful to us today.

                                                   'Now thank we all our God,

                                                   with hearts,and hands, and voices;

                                                   who wondrous things hath done,

                                                   in whom this world rejoices;

                                                   Who, from our mothers arms,

                                                   hath blessed us on our way 

                                                  with countless gifts of love,

                                                   and still is ours today.

                                                           Martin Rinkart.

                                                   

And it came to pass ( 2 Corinthians 4 v 16 - 18 )

              I heard this song recently written by Kaidi Tatham, called ,'These things will pass'.

                                            'These things will pass and some great morning,

                                             We'll look back and smile at heartaches we have known,

                                             So don't forget when shadows gather,

                                             The Lord our God is still the King upon the throne.

                                              These things will pass,so don't you worry,

                                              The darkest time is just one hour before the dawn,

                                              So hold up high and face your troubles ,

                                              And don't despair if you must face them all alone.

                                              A rose looks grey at midnight ,but the flame is just asleep,

                                              And steel is strong because it knew the hammer and white heat,

                                              When love and faith are strong, they cannot long endure.'

'But now, thus says the Lord, who created you O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel. Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called by your Name,you are mine.When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk  through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God. The holy One of  Israel, your  Saviour'.       ( Isaiah 43 v 1 - 3 )

                                               

Unrighteous anger. ( Ephesians 4 v 30 - 32)

Jonah was a very angry man,even disillusioned ,why?, because as one writer puts it,' he could not accept  Yahweh'cheapening' His mercy by offering it to all and sundry'.It was all to much for him to accept,so he asked God to take his life.God challenges Jonah as regards his anger,are you angry?be careful that  your anger may lead you to say something you shouldn't,or do something you shouldn't. We read how Jonah went out of the city and sat down to see what would happen,would God give in to him,and destroy the city, that was not going to happen.As he sat there God caused a plant to grow,and it give him shade from the sun,but then God caused the plant to die,he became angry and wished to die. He felt justified at being angry at the loss of the plant. It was then God spoke to him,and pointed out that Jonah thought more of the plant ,than the  hundred and twenty thousand people and their livestock, whom God in mercy showed pity on then.It is sad that so often we who profess to be God's children ,misrepresent Him, in so many ways.  God grant us grace,to be like our dear Saviour, who did not come to condemn the world ,but to save all who repent of their sin and trust Him.

                                                          'Christ receiveth Sinful men

                                                          Even me with all my sin;

                                                          Purged from every spot and stain,

                                                          Heaven with Him I enter in'

                                                               Erdman Neumeister

Mercy . ( Luke 18 v 9 - 14 )

 The last chapter of the book of Jonah commences with Jonah displeased and angry at God showing mercy unto Nineveh.Ore we any different? most people think that the wickedest  people,should not be shown any mercy,and most definitely not go to heaven,and that they should go to hell.I thing that we all have to some degree the spirit of Jonah.  We are told that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God Romans 3 v 23,in other words we all deserve to go to hell, we all need the mercy of God.That mercy only  comes through Jesus ,it was one of greatest of the prophets Isaiah,acknowledged  his need of  forgiveness. (Isaiah 6 v 5- 8). Jonah's reluctance to go to Nineveh stemmed from his knowledge of God,that God was gracious ,merciful,and loving, and that He would forgive even the Ninevites. We will continue looking at this next time, I will leave you with a verse of a hymn by Frederick William Faber.

                                                   ' There's a wideness in God's mercy

                                                     like the wideness of the sea;

                                                     There's a kindness in His  justice

                                                      Which is more than liberty'

Change ( 2 Corinthians 5 v 17) 9

The moment Jonah finished his prayer,God spoke to the fish and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land 2 v 10. The creature obeyed their creator unlike humanity who remain in a state of disobedience choosing not to listen.,Zechariah 7 v 11. As Jonah stood on dry ground God spoke a second time to him, his message was basically the same ,judgement was coming, and they were told that it would happen in forty days. Jonah faithfully proclaimed God's word,and he had every preachers dream, come true,for we read,   'And the people of Nineveh believed God',3 v 5.Even the king ,he  rose from his throne ,removed his royal robes,put on sackcloth and sat in ashes. He give orders that animals and people should fast,and to be covered in sackcloth ,and for the people to cry mightily to God, and to turn from their evil ways,in the hope that God would repent,and turn away His fierce anger,so that they would not perish ,and that is exactly what happened.It was the greatest of the prophets,John the Baptist, who declared to the religious leaders of his day,'Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turn to God' Matthew 3 v 8.A true turning to Christ, must manifest a true reality,in a change of life.

Christ Alone . ( Ephesians 2 v8 -9 )

 Jonah 2 v9 reads,'Deliverance belongs to the Lord',the word deliverance,or salvation ,Rosemary Nixon,writes,'That this is one of the most profoundly significant saying in scripture'.The religions of the world would not agree with those words,they all have their followers,doing something,in order to be saved,to gain their gods favour .Consider Jonah's situation,trapped in the belly slowly dying,he was totally helpless,in fact those who threw him overboard ,would have assumed he was dead,and indeed he was as good as dead.Again what could he do to save himself,the answer is nothing,he was in a state of utter hopelessness.A man once came to the apostle Paul, and his friend Silas.he fell down before them,and said,' Men , what must I  do to be saved?,their answer was this,' Believe on the Lord Jesus,and you will be saved', Acts 16 v31. Simple yet so many stumble at the simplicity of these words,are you prepared to believe on the Lord Jesus to save you?,you see he is called a Saviour, that means ,He saves, completely, 100 percent.On the cross Jesus paid the price for our salvation,if you try add anything to it ,it becomes null and void.

                                 '  Not what my hands hath done,can save my guilty soul,

                                   Not what my toiling flesh hath borne,can make my spirit whole.

                                  Not what I feel or do, can give me peace with God,

                                   Not all my prayers and sighs and tears,can bear my awful load.

                                  Thy work alone O Christ , can ease the weight of sin;

                                  Thy blood alone, O lamb of God, can give me peace within.'

                                                               ' Horatius Bonar'

                     

Mercy ( Psalm 145 v 8 ) 7

 So they took up Jonah, and threw him into the sea 1 v 15,so that was it,? no ,for we read,'And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah;and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.There he was in the belly of this great fish,one can only imagine ,how awful it was, but it was something of his own making.Then he did something he should have done earlier,he prayed o the Lord we read that prayer in chap 2.Even though he was in the belly of this great fish,he could still pray to God,we can pray to God anywhere ,and any time,you don't have to make an appointment.Here was this stubborn runaway person, in a death situation,the question is this, is he prepared to die physically,or is he prepared to die to self,and turn to God?.What would he choose?.well he chose to die to self,that was the only thing that would save him. and it did,God who later on would show mercy to the heathen Ninevites, showed mercy to his  disobedient servant, and rescued him.

                                                   'It is never to late to receive mercy'

                                                   ' Before the stirrup and the ground

                                                    I mercy sought, and mercy found'

Jonah 6Man overboard

 The men were to their credit were reluctant to do throw Jonah overboard,but the storm became worse,they realised they had to do it,so they prayed not to  be held guilty for what they were about to do.So they took Jonah up and threw him into the sea. After they did that the storm ceased,and this made a deep impression upon them,as one writer puts it,' No longer terrified by the sea,but in awe of God,they worshipped God,offered a sacrifice,and made vows'.So good did come out of it for them,although Gods people were Israel,He is still the God of all the earth, these dear people lived in spiritual darkness, but God opened their eyes,and revealed Himself to them,and they responded,and trusted in him.How precious is the salvation of a soul,as regards Jonah, he never denied God,and he spoke of Him to those in the boat ,Gods purpose went beyond a disobedient  prophet,Jonah just saw people as sinners,but God saw them as sinners that needed to be saved.Our dear Saviour was faced with a Jonah attitude continually,and challenged it continually,for that was His purpose in coming,to seek and to save that which was lost.

                                                          'For My sake and the Gospel's go

                                                          And tell redemption's story.'

Obeying. ( 1 Samuel 15 v 22 ) 5

 There is always consequences when one disobeys God,and the consequence affects others,just think how Adam and Eve's disobedience,has effected all of mankind,Think of the suffering brought about as regards unfaithfulness in marriage,or how a sons criminal act effects a family. The storm brought about by Jonah's disobedience was putting the whole ships company in danger.If you are tempted by whatever,be it in  financial,or the sexual realm,think of the consequences on others, especially those neatest and dearest to you. When Jonah revealed the true nature of why things were happening,they were really frightened out of their minds.Why did you do it they groaned?,for the storm was getting worse, and then they asked him what can they do to stop the storm?.Then Jonah tells them ,'throw me overboard into the sea and the storm will stop'.Very heroic,no it wasn't,all Jonah had to do was to get on his knees and pray a prayer of repentance,and obey God.It would have saved him the horror of ending up in the belly of a great fish. But no ,he was determined to  die rather than give into God's will,I will leave you with the words of a hymn by Mrs .C.H.Morris.

                                                 'My stubborn will at last hath yielded;

                                                  I would be Thine, and Thine alone;

                                                  And this my prayer my lips are bringing,

                                                  Lord,let in me Thy will be done.

                                                  Sweet will of God,still fold me closer,

                                                  Till I am wholly lost in Thee;

                                                  Sweet will of God, still fold me closer,

                                                  Till I am wholly lost in Thee'

Don't forget to pray. ( Mark 14 v 37 - 38 ) 4

So Jonah started on his journey, not to Nineveh ,but in the opposite direction to  a place called Joppa were.he found a boat that would take him Tarshish. He paid the fare and so started out on his journey. then things began to happen, the Lord sent a storm, that was threatening to sink the ship.As someone puts it, this storm was an agent of the divine will,it was aimed at Jonah ,and it would have a divine purpose for all on that ship.The people on the ship were religious and they each prayed to their god, but to no avail, there is only one God   Jehovah (Isaiah 44 v 6). The prophet of the only one God, was asleep, why was he asleep? he was wakened up and told to pray to his God.Then the question arose who among them caused this terrible storm, so they cast lots,and the lot fell on Jonah. The bible says be sure your sin will find you out,and so it came to pass,Rosemary Nixon writes,' God does not always address us through saints; he is just as free to use sinners as vehicles of His call. Surely Jonah must have been stung into remembrance'. Never once do we read in all this of Jonah praying to God,but there will come a time in which he will pray ,as we will see..

                                            'Could it be that it is time you prayed 

                                             to God?.'

He is everywhere . ( Psalm 139 )3

 When Moses received his call from God,he replied to God in negative terms ,and God patiently listened and reassured him.When Jeremiah was called he also replied in negative terms,likewise God listened reassured him.But when it came to Jonah,he did not want to speak to God,did not want to hear what God had to say.He had heard enough ,it was not what He wanted to hear,so he took up running,not as an exercise ,but to get away from  God. How absurd it was a race he could not hope to win,read Psalm 139,which clearly tells us that God  is omnipresent,He is everywhere.Later Jonah would say that he worshipped the God of heaven,who made the sea and the lamb (1 v 9).So why did he think he could run away from God?, sheer blind abstemious, but this would not be the end of the story,God would have the last word,and he would bring Jonah back into line. God will always have the last word,be it with his rebellious children,or with the ungodly.

                                                    'There is no escape from God'

Jonah went AWOL. ( Mark 5 v 1 - 15 ) 2

 As a young lad of fifteen I joined the army, as a boy soldier,I must confess I did not like it,and  I remember going AWOL,that means absent without official leave,well that's what Jonah did, he went AWOL.He was not prepared to do what God wanted him to do, there was a reason for this,Nineveh was the capitol of Assyria. Rosemary Nixon writes,' It is quite possible that we are meant to understand Nineveh as that which constitutes the very opposite of everything that Israel held dear. This view is vividly spelt out by the Jewish writer Hayyim Lewis.' The Assyrians were the Nazi storm- troopers of the ancient world. They were the pitiless  power crazed foe. They showed no quarter in battle, uprooting entire peoples in their fury for conquest. They extinguished the Northern Kingdom of Israel. For Jonah, Nineveh  was no ordinary city ; it carried doom - laden , tragic memories, it stood as a symbol, of  evil incarnate'. One other person writes,'To go to Nineveh means,for Jonah, to go to hell'.There are many people whom have felt the call of God to the most ungodly places,and may have said  ,'I cant go there'. 

                                                               William Booth.

                                           'Go straight for souls, and go for the worst.'

Jonah.( Acts 26 v 19 ) 1

 Not all godly people act godly,one thinks of Jonah who was a prophet,he was supposed to do what God said,just do it , oh yes the prophets could ask questions,the prophet Habakkuk did.It is alright to ask questions , but it is not alright to be disobedient,disobedience to God is never right. One commentator says  his name means,' Jonah the son of faithfulness', but unfortunately,he did not live up to his name. As Christians do we live up to that name?,the Lord declared to the  at church at Sardis,' you  have the name of being alive,and you are dead.'( Revelation 3 v 1 )Matthew Henry writes,'This church was not really what it was reputed to be. There was a form of godliness but not  the power,a name to live,but not a principle of life'. The book starts,' Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah',in 2 kings 14 v 25, Jonah had a word of deliverance from God to Israel,who were oppressed,and it was fulfilled,under king Jeroboam.That was fine,but when  it came to delivering the word of the Lord  to Nineveh that was another matter.As regards proclaiming the word of the Lord we are not to discriminate.The gospel is for the whosoever.no matter what race they are,no matter what colour they are,no matter what gender they are,we are to be faithful.

                                       For the next 11 days we will be looking at the book 

                                      of  Jonah,I hope it will be helpful.

We will get there. ( John 14 v 1-6 )

 Recently we  looked at Psalm 107 and at those sailors who were delivered from certain death,due to a terrible storm.When the storm had died down we read,'He guided them to their desired haven' v 30. Like those sailors we as Christians will face many storms in life,some life threatening,you know your life's history,and I know mine,and we know how God has brought us through . Like the saints of old we are foreigners and strangers on earth,this world is not our final home,we are looking for something better a heavenly one. CP Hebrews 11 v  13 - 16.This world and all that dwells in it are,are temporal,it will all pass away,we fix our eyes our on an eternal home CP 2 Corinthians 4 v 18./ 2 Peter 3 v 10 .Many of the saints of old when they were singing about heaven,had an eternal look upon their face.As Christians we all have to overcome so many obstacles in on our journey to our heavenly home where our Saviour is. Bruce Milne writes ,'God has claimed us from the beginning; the Son will raise us up at the end,' 

                                            'Long before time began you were part of His plan.

                                             Let no fear cloud your brow; He will not forsake you now'.

                                                       'He will guide us to our desired haven'

The only true security ( John 10 v 27 - 30 )

Where does true security lie ?, in riches  ,that's a false security, in 1 Timothy 6 v 17, we are commanded not to put our hope in wealth, which is so uncertain,but to put our hope in God.What about the fitness regime, good health,well even the strongest gets a cold, and grows old.From a basic human  point of view there is nothing absolutely secure,nothing,all our assumed breaches can soon be destroyed.Goliath in his pride laughed and boasted, and mocked God,but a young lad defeated him.Now there are many religions in the world,but will they bring eternal security?, no they won't,they are false securities,which those who follow them  will unfortunately find out ,alas to late.One of the good things we read in the book of Jonah ,is when everyone was saved from  drowning,the men in the boat stopped praying to their false gods, and prayed to the only God. Bruce Milne writes the following,'The only true security is in having no security except the  mercy of God. To believe is  to be brought to the place where one knows, that one has to rely  completely on Jesus,and on Jesus alone'.

                                                  'My hope is built on nothing less,

                                                   Than Jesus blood and righteousness;

                                                   I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

                                                   But wholly lean on Jesus name,

                                                   On Christ the solid rock ,I stand;

                                                   All other ground is sinking sand'.

Eternal glory. ( Philippians 3 v 7 - 14 )

 When I was young  we played a game  called,'follow the leader',it meant, were the leader went you went,simple. It is recorded in the gospels, how Jesus,said to certain people,'follow Me', and most of then did just that.It was not a new thing for Rabbi's had disciples,people who followed them,they listened to what the Rabbi said,wrote it down or memorise it, so the followers of Jesus did the same.Follow me He said ,nobody else,Peter had to be reminded of that, when he got distracted (John 21 v 20 -21).There are many charlatan's in life,especially in the religious field, Elmer Gantries there are in plenty,they are in it to fleece people.Unlike Jesus, he made it clear that there was a cost in following Him . It was a way of denial,of suffering,of cross bearing,even martyrdom, and that there would be a reward in the future.Let me say if we are not prepared for that ,then don't follow Jesus.Initially  the disciples had thoughts that Jesus was an earthly Messiah, in which He would rule an earthly kingdom,but early on he showed that this was not so. (John 6 v 15). Before Pilate the Roman governor, He made a clear statement of the nature of His kingdom (John 18 v 36 ). Following Jesus means not going for earthly glory, but for eternal glory.