Stop stumbling. ( Acts 4 v12 )

 When in Athens Paul came into contact with Epicurean and Stoic philosophers,one may ask what good comes out of philosophy? Epicurean believed that the universe  was self -creating  and self-destroying,it began by a  chance combination of atoms.of course chance can not do anything.Modern day thinking on the universe and how it began,is similar to Epicurism,it just all happenened which is impossible. The center of Philosophy was Athens the great thinkers came from there and yet Athens was full of idols one writer says it was smothered or swamped by idols and as John Stott says it was a veritable forest of idols.,and just in case they missed a god they had an altar to a'unknown god'.Spititual blindness was the name of the day for they knew not God they fumbled about in the darkness.Blinded by the god of this world,and their own darkened nature,the wisdom of man will never lead anyone to a knowledge of the only one, and true God. And as for the Gospel it is foolishness to them, but that foolishness is in fact the wisdom of God.Paul writes, that the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles. ( 1 Corinthians 1 v18/23)But to us who are being saved it is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1 v16) all mankind need a saviour,that Saviour is none other than Jesus Christ.

                                                    'Stop stumbling about in the darkness and turn to 

                                                     Jesus, the Light of the world'

We are to blame.( Romans 3 v10 - 18)

 It may not be obivious but God is still there,yes He is,and he is aware of everything that is going on ,He knows every persons  thoughts,there is nothing hidden from our sovereign God .As one looks at this world it appears as if so much is out of control,if that is so how is He sovereign?.In Romans 11 v 33 we read 'How impossible it is for us to understand His  decisions and His ways'!.Humanity may know  a lot of things,but when it comes to God and His ways,we are very limited,His ways are past finding  out,as one commentator says,'we will never figure out God fully ,or His ways. Habakkuk the prophet struggled as regards His ways,twice he asks ,'Why?' 1v 13,like Habakkuk we have all wondered why,as we look at so much evil,and pain in the world.We must bear in mind that we are all part of  this fallen human race,that means that at some leval we are acting contrary to God's will.It is no use crying and blaming God,when Adam sinned he blamed his wife and then she blamed the serpent,who are we to blame God?, as regards the mess the world is in.In spite of our rebellion against our holy God,He is merciful and forgiving, and He has gone to great lengths to bring us back to Himself,for in spite of our sinfulness He loves us, an Easter hymn comes to mind, written by Cecil F. Alexander.

                                    'There is a green hill far away,outside a city wall,

                                    Where the dear Lord was crucifed,who died to save us all.

                                    We may not know,we cannot tell,what pain He had to bear;

                                    But we believe it was us for us He hung and suffered there.

                                    He died that we may be forgiven,He died to make us good,

                                    That we might go at last to heaven ,Saved by His precious blood.

                                    There was no other good enough topay the price of sin;

                                     He only could unlock the gate,of heaven and let us in.

                                     O dearly,dearly has He loved!and we must Him too,

                                      And trust in His redeeming blood and try His works to do.'

                                      

                                   

                                     

                                               

Beware of Novelty. ( Ephesians 4 v11 - 16 )

Someone I know who is not a Christian has been going round different churches with his partner and daughter I believe he is seeking to grasp what Christianty is about,I have witnessed to him,and have given him a Bible. He has never attended any church and is completly ignorant as regards spiritual things.He told me of one church he attended,he said it was like a cult, and said he was not going back there but thankfully he will continue to look for a church that will preach the word. While we don't want a dead lifeless church the word of God is vital in helping the church grow spiritually,we all need to be instructed in the things of  God,instructed as to walking in the paths of righteousness.there is no substitute for sound Biblical teaching.John Stott wrote the following,' The refomers were accused by the Roman Catholic Church of teaching novelties.But they denied it.'We teach no new thing',Luther claimed.'but we repeat  and establish old things, which the apostles and all godly teachers have taught  before us'. Or as Lancelot Andrews was to say a century later, 'we are renovators not innovators'.

                                                           'Preach the Word'

His kingdom ( Daniel 6 v 7-8)

 When our Saviour stood before Pilate,he asked him,''Are you king of the Jews''? why did he ask Him that?.' well it was simple enough,because he knew that the Jews wanted to overthrow the rule of Rome.When Paul was arrested he was asked was he an Egyptian who had started a revolt?,( Acts 21 v38)of course he wasn't.So as I have pointed out the Romans were always aware that a revolt could happen any time.But our Saviour put him at his ease,and replied,'My kingdom was not of this world' (John 18 v36).Our Saviour never came to set up an earthly kingdom by force of arms.Because the kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom. filled with spiritual people, by the new birth (John 3 v 7) That kingdom can never be destroyed,can never be overthrown, (Daniel 6 v 26).many are trying to do that,by murdering the citizens of God's kingdom.That will not work  ,God's kingdom will not only survive but it will continue to grow, those who are persecuting citizens of  God's kingdom  are fighting against King Jesus ( Acts 9 v 4).King Jesus cannot be overthrown no matter how much they try. In  Deuteronomy 32 v4 and Psalm 89 v26  God is called a Rock, likewise in 1 Corinthians 10 v 4 Christ is called a Rock, He is that Rock upon which the Church is built upon,and none other.

                                                 'On Christ the solid Rock, I stand;

                                                 All other ground is sinking sand'

                                                            'Edward Mote'

                                                 

 

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Habits. ( Ephesians 4 v 17 - 24)

 Old habits die hard,so it goes,and its true,this was borne in a upon me recently,I have stopped wearing a wrist watch,but I have started to wear a bracelet,with a cross displayed.But here's the thing, I keep looking at it, to see what time it is.it makes me smile.But I know that there are many habits that many people have that don't bring a smile,or cause them to be happy,there are good habits and there are bad habits.If one is a Christian then we should ,read our Bible,pray,witness ,attend a fellowship with fellow believers,also we should do good works,when we let these things slip then we are slipping up.Those habits should not be done unthinkingly but with earnestness and sincerity,all this will help one grow spiritually. Reading the Bible regularly is like spiritual food,it is food for your very soul.Prayer is vital to our relationship with our triune God,we will gain strength from it, opening up many pathways,that are all good,neglect it to your cost.We are all called to be witnesses,by our lives and our words,to a lost world,ask the dear holy Spirit to empower you to witness to others.Not attending a fellowship with other believers,we are neglecting our Christian  family,lets not neglect our family, remember they need you and you need then.Then do good works ,not to be saved,not out of legalisim but out of love for others,and as we do that, we are glorifying our heavenly Father  (Matthew 5 v 16 )

                                                 ' Let our lives be filled with good habits'

The have's, and the have nots. ( Luke 10 v 25 -37 )

 In 2017 their was a major fire in a block of high rise flats ,72 people died.223 escaped,I watched it on TV, it was awful. Then  there was fire in a block of flats in East London thankfully the 100 residents escaped. One of the residents was complaining that she lost her wedding dress, now I know a wedding dress is important,or is it?,after all she didn't loose her life.So often we get things out of proportion , I believe that is so ,like the case of the young lady who lost her wedding dress. We need to look out of our comfort zone , to the have not's in the world.There is so much suffering going on ,think of the homeless,hungry, persecuted,in Mozambique there are approximately one million people who live as Internally Displaced People.If you are one of the have's,be grateful,be thankful, keep things in proportion, let us remember the have not's, in our prayers,and in our giving, or in anyway we can help them.

                                                    'It is more blessed to give than to receive'

                                                                        Galatians 6 v 10

John the Baptist (Matthew 6 v13)

 Before Christ was born John the Baptist was born,John's birth was in answer to  prayer, it would have seen that his parents had missed the boat,we do not know what age they were,only that they were very old(Luke 1 v 7).If it is God's will our request will be granted, even if everything appears to the contrary.I love those words written about Abraham how against all hope,in hope he believed the promise by God that Sarah and Abraham would have a child,even though Sarah was 90 and Abraham was a 100,and so it came to pass. If God gives a promise He will always fulfill it,and so Abraham had a son called Isaac.When John's father heard that his wife would have a child ,he did not believe,Luke 1 v19,and was struck dumb,which continued  till after John was born,the fact is ,that even the most godly of people,can fall into unbelief, and usually God wil deal with us,whoever we are.The sciptures foretold of one who would prepare the way of the Lord,(Isaiah 40 3),in Malachi 4 v5,he is called Elijah ,our Saviour said that John was Elijah,in that he miistered in the Spirit and power of Elijah. (Matthew 17 v 12) . In Luke 7 v28 our Saviour said of  John , 'among those born of women there was no greater than John',but then He adds this,'Yet the one who is least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he'John foretold of Christ's coming,and prepared the way for Christ coming ,so that they could enter His kingdom,but we as Christian's have not only seen the kingdom of God come we have entered into it through faith in Christ,such is our privelege.The kingdom of God has come , but we are told that we are to pray for God's kingdom to come (Matthew 6 v12),that means that through the proclaiming of gospel, people may by accepting Christ' be rescued from the kingdom of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of His dear Son'. (Colossians 1 v 13)

Love is ( 1 Corinthians 13v 7) 10

 Verse seven tells us ,'Love always protects', The word means covering,or concealing  the faults and imperfections of others( Barns)When Joseph heard that Mary was expecting a child,he thought she had been unfaithful we read,'Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law,and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace,he had in mind to divorce her quietly'.Not like the Pharisees who appeared to take pleasure in exposing the faults of others (John 8 v 53ff). Then we read ,'Love always trusts',it has with it the idea of always believing the best about someone,There is a song called,'After the Ball' by Charles Elmer Szabe, about a man who attended a ball and when he arrived,he saw the girl he was going to marry kissing someone,filled with anger he left,and that was the end of that,he never did marry,and as an old man he discovered it was her brother she had kissed. Let us not jump to the wrong conclusions, believe the best about people, and do not make a rash judgement. 'Love always hopes', when things are difficult beyond words,and the difficulties don't go away,it is easy to give up, but as one translation puts it ,'Love is always hopeful',We can be hopeful in spite of all the difficulties we may be facing, because our God is sovereign,and nothing can seperate us from the love of God,and that He will cause all things to work together for our good.Last but not  least ,'Love always persevers', or as the Ampilified Bible puts it,'Remaining steadfast during difficult times'.which we all will experience in some measure.The hymn writer wrote,'Nor death nor life,nor earth nor hell,nor time's destroy sway,can e'er  efface us from His heart,or make His love decay'.

Love is ( 1 Corinthians 13v 6) 9

Love rejoices with the truth v 6. From not delighting in evil,to 'rejoicing  with the truth', the reformation came about because the truth of God's word  was being underminded,not only was it was undermined  ,it was withheld from God's people. Christianity is built upon truth,personified in the person of Jesus Christ who is ,'the Way,the Truth,and the Life'.We rejoice in that truth,and many are suffering and dying for that truth. The problem with fallen mankind they will believe a life rather than embrace the truth of the word of God.It was Joseph Goebbels the propaganda minister under Adolf Hitler, said,'If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe in it,and it becomes the truth' Of course it does not become a truth,for a lie dressed up,still remains a lie.Psalm 119 v 160 declares , 'All your words are true ',we cannot say that of humanity our words are often far removed from the truth.In so many areas of life truth is is distorted,evil is called good and good is called evil.Many people lives are built on lies,and no matter how a lie is dressed up,it is a lie for all that,when people tell  a so called half truth it becomes a total lie.Many people swear on the Bible to tell the whole truth,and nothing but the truth,with no intention of being truthful.

                                                        'The Lord detests lying lip

                                                         but He delights in people

                                                          who are trustworthy.'

Love is ( 1Corinthians 13 v 6 )8

Love does not rejoice in evil but rejoices with the truth v 6,There is a perverseness in humanity that actually rejoices in evil, and even delights in evil,there are endless examples of that. Evil must be seen for what it is,and not to be laughed at ,we pray that the Lord will deliver us from evil.'In ancient Rome people took a delight in the gladiatorial games where for entertainment people fought to to the death.The story is told that a monk called Telemachus from Asia,heard an inner voice telling him to go to Rome,he ended up in the colosseum,where  to his horror  he saw two gladiators fighting,he ran between them calling out ,'in the name of Christ stop'.The result was he was run through with a sword,as he lay dead,the crowds left  the stadium.it had an affect and eventually the games came to an end.' In these days when moral values are being eroded by people who delight in evil practices,may we not go along with evil doers but be like that dear monk who stood against the evil which he witnessed.

Love is ( 1 Corinthians 13 v 5 ) 7

 Love keeps no record of wrongs  v 5 ,I wonder if you every got your own back on someone? the movies are full of people who kept a record of the wrongs done to them and took vengence on them.In the Bible  Joab  and Absalom both kept a record of wrong  done to them and likewise took vengence. Stalin was a very wicked person anyone who harmed or opposed him would be dealt with,he nursed that memory kept it warm.and at a chosen moment he had them put to death. Here we have very challenging words,'Love  keeps no record of wrongs.Two OT saints lived that out in their own lives,the first one was Joseph who forgave his brothers all the wrong they did to him,he not only forgive them but was very kind to them. ( Genesis 50 v 15-21) David was  treated very badly by King Saul,but when Saul died David showed great kindness to his son. (2 Samuel 9)In November 8th 1987,at a rememberance service,the IRA  planted a bomb killing a number of people.one of the people injured was Gordon Wilson, I believe he was a Christian,his daughter was seriously injured,and eventually she died.Before she died she took hold of her fathers hand held it very tightly,and said,'Daddy I love'.Painful beyond words,but when Gordon was interviewed by the BBC he said,'' I bear no ill ,no grudge''.

                                             ' Love forgets as well as forgives

                                               and does not keep a record of

                                               things said or done against them'

Love is ( 1 Corinthians 13 v 4 ) 6

Love is not easily angered v 5,I have friend and he tells me when  his wife gets annoyed with him,she gets even more annoyed,because he stays calm.Oh, how I wish I was more like my friend, I have always had a short fuse,all my life, William Barclay translates ,'Love is not easily angered',as 'Love never flies into a temper'that I'm sure is  an aspect of it,and he makes the following comments,'Exasperation is always a sign of defeat;When we loose our temper we loose everything.Kipling said it was a test of a man if he could keep his head when everyone else was loosing his and blaming it on him,and if he was hated he did not give way to hating' .I know someone personally who let his emotions get the better of him and the result was he lost his job. Anger got the better of Cain and he murdered his brother,in spite of what God had said to him (Genesis 4 v 6 -8 ). How many murders have been committed since then,by people who ran with their anger.Many murders have been committed,over triflies,by people letting their emotions run away with them. Not all anger is sinful in Ephesians 4 v26 we read of righteous anger, that anger will not manifest itself  in a sinful way. How can we overcome sinful anger,yes recognise it for it is ,confess it to God and seek God to help us to  know victory over that spirit of anger ,that can cause so much harm to ourselves and to others.

                                                      

                                                          'Dark passions subdue,

                                                           look ever to Jesus ,He'll

                                                           carry you through.

                                                             Words H R .Palmer.

                                                   

Love is ( 1 Corinthians 13 v 5)5

 Love does not dishonour others v 5. We dishonour others when we speak wrongfully of them,it is often the case that we pass are bad opinion of someone to others. We have been hurt by a certain person so in order to hurt  that person we spread rumours,we are not  to speak ill of no man. Vindictiveness should have no place in the child of God's heart, it is very easy to ruin someone by what  what we say,We may try to justify our attitude , but it will not wash, the God of love says it is wrong. Next we consider, 'Love is not self seeking',someone said,'Love is the very antithesis of self seeking',it does not push itself to the front of the queue,it is not ,'me first'. Thats self seeking,and someone has added,'I've  been there'.

                                                                     A prayer.

                                        'Dear lord help me to watch how I speak about other's.

                                        and help me to put You first,others second ,and myself

                                         last ,Amen.

                                         

                                                           

Love is ( 1 Corinthians 13 v4 ) 4

'Love is not proud' v 4,one translation reads,'Love is not inflated with its own importance', Winston Churchill said of a politician who had inflated  an opinion of himself,'There but by the grace of God goes God',Napoleon said of himself,''I am not a man like other men,the laws of morality do not apply to me''. So we could go on giving examples,we all at time let pride creep in one way or the other,our Saviour taught us many things,that when we pray,and give we should do it anonymously ( Matthew 6 v 1-6).It is nice to receive a compliment,but we need to be careful that it does not cause pride to rise in our heart,give us a big head. Our dear Saviour more than any one else personified humility,oh that we were more like him. One of the greatest examples of pride was King Nebuchadnezzar, who boasted of all the great things he had done,and God dealt with him .( Daniel 6 v 28 ff) Just before our Lord was betrayed the disciples were arguing  with each other as to which one of them would be considered the greatest,and Jesus replied that the one who served will be considered the greatest.Dear John Bunyan wrote a poem here is a verse from it'

                                                   'He that is down needs fear no fall,

                                                    He that is low no pride;

                                                    He that is humble ever shall

                                                     Have God to be his guide.'

Love is (1 Corinthians 13 v 4 (3)

We have considered that love is kind , now the writer goes on to highlight seven things that are contrary to love,the first one ,'It does not envy', (v4)  the 10th commandment tells we are not to covet (Exodus 20 v17) envy is similar but it has a malignant aspect to it,it can be spiteful, hostile,malicious,evil intentioned,full of hate,vicious,cruel. We read in Matthew 27 v18,that Pilate knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy. This blinded them and filled them with hatred,that bordered on madness and manifested itself in outragious wickedness towards our blessed Saviour,it is far from love.Next we consider, 'that love does not boast', it does not brag,it does it to be heard,it does it to humiliate people.a person I know personally boasted how he prayed and studied the Bible in order to humiliate someone.Jesus told about two men who went up to the temple to pray,one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.The Pharisee stood away from the tax collector,and he prayed,''God, I thank you that I am not like other people,robbers,evildoers,adulterers,or even this tax collector.I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get',(Luke 18 v9ff) Now that's a boaster, one filled with pride,one who despised others.I read recently about a remark made about a certain politician,that she looked down on people.

                                                'Naught have I gotten ,but what I received,

                                                 Grace hath bestowed it since I have believed,

                                                 Boasting excluded pride I abase,

                                                 I'm only a sinner saved by grace'

                                                      'Words James Martin Gray'

                                     

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Love is ( 1 Corinthians 13 v 4) 2

Love is kind v 4 ,the world needs a lot of things,it diffently needs more kindness,Max Hastings book  on the second world war,tells us of the awful things that took place,the unrestrained brutality by conquering armies,but it also tells us of the handships soldiers had to cope with,which Hollywood leaves out. We know it involved  defeating an enemy,but it cost.Many soldiers were scared stiff,and it manifested itself in different ways,some had breakdowns,as the allies pushed towards Germany as the winter set in, so it was tough going.Max tells about one soldier who was struggling in the wet and the cold,and a little French girl came out and handed him two pillows. I'm sure that soldier would never forget that simple act of kindness by that child.I look back on my life especially when I was at Bible college and had no money,and I received many kindnesses from people.I hightlight one man who every Sunday gave me two pounds, they called him Jackie,and I will be always grateful for what he did. Glen Camlbell wrote a song called,'Show a little kindness',here are some of the words from it.

                                                'If you see your brother  standing by the road  

                                                With a heavy load from the seed he has sown.

                                                 And if you see your sister fallen by the way,

                                                 Just stop and say,''Your going the wrong way''

                                                 Don't walk around the down and out

                                                 Lend a helping hand instead of doubt,

                                                 And the kindness you have shown everyday,

                                                 Will help someone along the way'

                                                

                                                   

Love is. ( 1 Corinthians 13v 4) 1

 We can read 1 Corinthians 13 many times as regards  the qualities of love,and fail to live them out in our lives, the first quality mentioned is ,'Patience' it is William Barclay who writes,'this word always describes patience with people and not patience with circumstances'.If one is married ,and have children you will I guarantee ,have to exercise patience.why? because you love the one you married,and the children you have.Christ exercised this loving quality with his disciples,espcially with Peter the betrayer.I often think how patient God is with me, I'm sure we would all testify to that,but are we willing to be like Him with those who are unkind and hurt us,those who get on our nerves?. William Barclay tells the story of Abraham Lincoln who  had to endure insults from a fellow politician called  Stanton, he called him a low cunning clown,the ''original gorilla''. Yet when war came he made him his war minister, because he was the best man for the job.Abe always treated him with courtesy, and when the president was assassinated, Stanton wept,and said''There lies the greatest ruler  of men the world has ever known''.W B comments 'The patience of love had conquered'.

Invite Him in. ( Luke 18 v 35- 43)

One of my sons told me of a married couple who recently came to Lord,and  that the lady had died suuddenly from an brain aneurysm,she was in her fifties. It is sad and one feels for the love ones, but mingled with the sorrow there is the joy of knowing that the lady is in heaven not in hell.So many people are so careless as regards to their eternal destiny,that lady by the grace of God is now safely in heaven rejoicing in the presence of  Christ her Saviour. What a comfort that is to her husband and family,and it appears that it has been a wake up call to her daughter who wants to become a Christian. The word of God tells us to seek the Lord while he may be found to call on Him while He is near (Isaiah 55 v6) The living translation puts it like this,'Seek the Lord while you can find Him'.In the Song of Solomon in chapter 5 we have the groom coming to go into his bride,the bride is in her bed and she hears him coming, and calling to be let in,but she replies, how she had taken of her robe and was in bed,did he expect her to get dressed again and washed again,Her lover kept on knocking and asking to get in.His knocking created in her a desire to have  him ,so she rose to let him in,but he had got tired of waiting and left. In Luke 24 v 13ff we read of how our Lord met up with two people, walking home, He ministered to them,and it really touched their hearts, and when they came to where they lived , He acted as if He was going further,but they urged Him strongly,saying,'stay with us'. Someone has said that He did not force Himself on them,He waited tell they invited Him to stay.

                                                    ' Pass me not,O gracious Saviour,

                                                      Hear my humble cry;

                                                      While on others Thou art calling,

                                                       Do not pass me by'

                                                             Fanny J.Crosby

Our loving heavenly Father.( John 1 v 12 )

 The Lord's Prayer '.( Matthew 6 v 9-13 )When our young Pastor came,he had us praying the Lord's prayer in an up to date translation,nothing wrong with that,but most of us love the AV version,so  he now leads us in  praying  from the AV ,a wise decision. Some see it as the disciples prayer ,one writer says Luke's version was written to Gentiles who needed to know how to pray, (Luke 11 v1) were as Matthews version was directed toward Jewish people who needed to know how to pray correctly.  It starts ,'Our Father which art in heaven',the word Father has an intimacy about it,for its translated from the  word,'Abba',Jesus often used that word ,it was the word a child would use of their daddy ,my sons usually call me dad.Winston Churchill loved  his father,but he was a very distant father,hardly ever spoke to him,very rarely saw him,and was very critical of him,no affection was shown to him.Humam fathers can often be a pure reflection of what a father should be. Not so our Father in heaven ,He is the perfect Father,who loves us so very much, though He is a heavenly Father He is not distant, we can reach Him instantly in our prayers,He is all a Father should be,and more,yes He will chastise us,rebuke us,but He will also care for us and stick up for us.We must never be familar with Him, friendly but never familar ,we must regard Him as holy and sacred.

                                                       'Great God! and wilt Thou condescend

                                                       To be my Father and my friend?

                                                        I, a poor child,and Thou so high,

                                                        The Lord of earth and air and sky.'

                                                                    'The answer is yes

                                                                     when we trust Jesus

                                                                      as our Saviour'

Lost. ( Luke 19 v 10)

When I was very  young a church held  a meeting  in which  the children sung a song,I suppose I remember it because I started crying,but I do remember the song we sung,It was written by Jim Ed Brown,here are some of the words to it,''W'e poor little lambs who have lost  their way,Baa,baa,baa, Doomed from here to eternity,Lord have mercy on such as we'.It is in Isaiah 53 v 6 we read,' All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way'. That scripture tells us something very important, that we all are like sheep that are lost , consider the word all ,that encludes everyone, and that means everyone  is not going God's way, but our own way.just consider the state of  humanity,and ask yourself why.? From the moment our first parents sinned we started to go away from God,and so it continues.But the good news is this that Jesus has come to seek and to save that which is lost. (Luke15 v3-7 )The fact is God loves the lost so much so that He sent Jesus into this world to seek and to save that which was lost,but it cost Jesus everything,when He died on the cross for sinners like you and me.

                                             'I would not do without you, O Saviour  of the Lost,

                                              Whose precious blood redeemed me,at such 

                                               tremendous cost,

                                               Thy righteousness my pardon,Thy precious blood 

                                                must be,

                                                 My only hope and comfort,my glory and my plea.

                                                              Words  Frances Ridley .Havergale'

Be still. ( Psalm 46) 3

 One last look at Psalm 46 and verses 8-11, over verse 8 we could put the words,' Consider and tremble',  When God moves against a nation ,there is no hiding place,Sodom and Gomorrah is a witness to that,(Genesis 19)God is to be feared,when  Nineveh heard that God's judgement was coming upon them ,fear filled their hearts,they took it very very serious,and rightly so.God has not changed,the nations of the world should take note.From God the great and awesome one who judges and destroys,to the God who can make wars to cease,yes he can, it's sad when we hear people say,I can stop the wars,as if they are God,it is all about them,what they can do,the pride of man ,is the folly of man,Hitler made the boast that the Third Reich would last a thousand years,it lasted 12 years. We are told that God opposes the proud,but shows favour to the humble (1 Peter 5 v 5). Next we move on to v10 ,it starts with two words,'Be still ',unlike the ungodly whose hearts are failing them for fear,the children of God must look beyond the natural,to the spiritual, to our God who is sovereign who brings princes to naught,and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing(Isaiah 40 v 23)So last but not least we come to verse11,  which reads,'The  Lord Almighty  is with us,the God of Jacob is our fortress' .Just before John Wesley died he was heard  to say these words,'The best of all is God is with us', and he repeated it again'.

                                                       'Be still and know that I am God'

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Gods Word.( Hebrews 4 v12 ) 2

 Let us consider v 4-7,of Psalm 46.He speaks of a river that makes glad the city of God. There was no river in Jerusalem,but it represents an image of God who is with God's children,and is a source of peace and calmness,a picture of security amidst all the conflicts and turmoil that is in the world.I remember many years ago a missionary from Nigeria shared the following,'It was a time of great conflict,and he was very afraid for his life,he had a severe headache,that was when God spoke to him from Psalm 34 v7,'The angel of the Lord encamps around  those who fear Him;and He delivers  them'When he read that he lay down and went asleep. Commenting on v6 'He lifts His voice,the earth mealts,' Spurgeon says,'How mighty is the word of God! How mighty the Incarnate Word! O that such a word would come from the excellent glory to even now melt all hearts in love to Jesus, and to end for ever all persecutions, wars, and rebellions of men!

Therefore. ( Psalm 46 ) 1

Psalm 46 was known as Luthers Psalm, he lived in dangerous times,and often when times were difficult and dark he would sing this Psalm. Likewise when the friends of the reformation were dispirited ,Luther would say ''Come let us sing the 46th Psalm'.I think sometimes in our desire to make eveything up to date,with our modern songs,which I don't mind,but in so doing we miss out the blessing of singing the Psalms.This Psalm was not written by David but by the Sons of Korah.It is divided into 3 parts v1-3/4-7/8-11.  Verse 1 reads ,'God is our refuge ,and strength,an ever-present help in trouble.' We live in a troubled world ,but  in all our troubles we have God whom we can call on,in all our times of trouble.Then you have one of those 'Therefore's'because our God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble,we should not fear,even though the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the sea,though the waters roar and foam and the mountains quake (shake)with their surging'.

                                                   'Troubles there are many,some our very great,

                                                    but our God is greater'

Look ( Luke 23 v 26 -43)

 Charles Hadden Spurgeon  was  born June 19 , 1834,he was born into a godly family,his grandfather,and father we're both ministers, so was he a Christian?. No he wasn't, when he was about fifty  he wrote ,'Grace does not run in the blood'.Everyone needs to trust Jesus as their Saviour, everyone ,yes even children. It wasn't until he was 16 that he became a Christian, he struggled against becoming a Christian, and then he struggled as how he could become a Christian,then by the grace of God things changed.One Sunday he was hindered from going to his fathers church,and he found himself in a Primitive Methodist Chapel were an unlearned Methodist rose to give a brief message on Isaiah 45 v22''Look unto to me and be ye saved,all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is none else''. He addressed Spurgeon personally.to look to Christ and to obey the text....It wasn't a matter of lifting a finger,or a foot,or going to college or being rich,Look,Look,Look,the man said,look to Christ and live.'Spurgeon did just that and trusted Jesus as his Saviour.'

                                                 'Have you looked to Jesus to be your Saviour?'

Deep darkness ( Psalm 27 v1 )

                                                 'Who among you fears the Lord

                                                  and obeys the word of his servant?

                                                  Let the one who walks in the dark,

                                                  who has no light, trust in the name

                                                   of the Lord and rely on their God.'

                                                                 'Isaiah 50 v10'

The most godly people have experienced very dark times or as one person put it ,they find themselves in situations of '' deep darkness'',even to the point where ''not even a glimmer of light guides them''.William Cowper was a very lovely Christian,yet for most of his life he suffered from mental illness,(always remember it is an illness,so don't  judge Christians who are mentally ill') There was one period that lasted for 5 years without a glimmer of sunshine.But he wrote a hymn with the following words,' Sometimes a light surprises,the Christian when he sings; It is Lord who rises with healing in His wings; When comforts are declining,He grants the soul again, A season of clear shining,To cheer it after rain'.The book ,'The Hiding Place',tells the story of the Ten-boom family who were imprisoned for helping Jews, Corrie and Betsie were together during that time. All their possessions were taken from them,but Corrie managed to keep a Bible, in the midst of all their suffering  Corrie said,'The blacker the night around us grew,the brighter and truer and more beautiful burned the word of God'.

                                                  'May God's word sustain us in our 

                                                                darkest night'

                                         

The will of God. ( Romans 12 v1 - 2)

 A dear child of God became very ill to the point of death ,said 'that he had no fear of death,for Christ had died.but he prayed for recovery,if it was God's will'. When our dear Lord took that tremendous step to come from the glories of heaven to a sin cursed earth, it was to do the will of God,He would let nothing stand in the way of that,be it family, friends, foes,or whatever. He knew why he had come and He knew what it would cost him,yes the price He would have to pay, a death on cross,a shameful death,an horrendous death.Horrendous in the physical suffering,but it went much further than that ,He would 'drink the cup' the Father had given Him(  John 18 v11) what is our Lord referring to? we find the answer in the following scriptures ,Isaiah 51 v 18 , Jeremiah 25 v 15-28 , which speaks of a 'cup of wrath.' Consider that ever human being dwells under the wrath of God  (John 3 v 36) ,we all face the wrath of God when we die,hell is real,but in drinking that cup Christ would suffer the wrath of God,so that those who trust Jesus would escape God's wrath.All this was involved in Christ  doing the will of God,whatever you and I as Christians face,we must follow in the footsteps of our Saviour submitting  to the will of God,it may mean a recovery from illness,it may not,it may mean that God will open doors ,but it may not,we can apply it to so many areas of life.

                                        Jesus prayed,'Father ,if  you are willing,

                                        take this cup from Me; yet not my will,

                                        but yours be done'.

                                                        Luke 22 v 42

He knows best ( Psalm 47 v4)

 Our Lord said before He was taken back to heaven, 'You shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem,and in all Judea and Samaria and the ends of the earth' Acts 1 v 8.These words indicate a steady progression outward to the ends of earth,in other words the church would longer be a Jewish church.It is significant fot there were  those who felt that the Gentiles should have to be circumcised and obey the law,and this caused a lot of problems.(Acts 15 v 5 )In Galatians 2 v 11ff  Paul had to challenge Peter and Barnabas who sided with these people,and thankfully they retuned to the fold. Many Jews  wanted to keep the status quo to accept the fact that old convenant was now null and void,like circumcision,temple worship,food laws ,clothing laws, tithing laws,and so many other things.the Christian is not under any of these laws,The gospel liberated us from the Jewish swaddling clothes,and points us away from Jerusalem to a church where Jew and Gentile are one,a people saved only by the grace of God.Under Peter we have an ingathering of Jews 3-4v5,  under Philip we have ingathering of Samaraitans (Acts 8) ,and then we have Peter who  opened the door for the Gentiles (Acts 10) Then we have the conversion of Paul who became the apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 11 v13),and it is interesting that Peter is not mentioned after Acts 15 v 7, from then on he disappears,and as John Stott mentions Paul replaces Peter,and Paul who pushes on beyond Asia and into Europe.One the reasons  that this happened was , Paul who was born inTarsus a Roman city, was very familiar with Gentiles,God places us where  we are best suited to serve Him.

Total Depravity ( Roman 3 v 10 - 26)

 There are many people who are not Christians,in other religions,and in the secular world,who do good, this was borne in upon me as I watched a TV program.A retired top footballer is doing an awful lot to raise money for a certain charity,a young girl appeared on the show,who suffers greatly from a terrible condition,the ex-footballer had befriended her and helped her greatly.I was moved as I watched the program.,Now let me ask you a question, that I asked myself, are people like that lost? ,are they going to be excluded from heaven?, and will they be going to hell?.What is the answer?.From a human point of veiw many would say,if there is a heaven,they'll be there,but will they?.The answer is no ,for no matter how much good one does ,there is that other aspect of humanity,our sinful nature,you can't balance them against the other,God doesn't. He declares very clearly that there is no one who is righteous,and there is no one that does good,not even one ( Romans 3 v 10 /v 12) John Stott ,'mentions the doctrine of 'total depravity'It has never meant that all human beings are as depraved as they could possible be.Such a notion is manifestly absurd and untrue,and is contradicted by our everyday obervation.No,the 'totality' of our corruption refers to its extent,not to its degree.In other words as JS says ,'every part of our humanist,is twisted and tainted.'Dr J.I.Packer puts it like this,'No one is as bad as he or she might be, while on the other hand'no actions of ours is as good as it should be'.We all fall short of the glory of God, without Christ that short fall will take us to a lost eternity. If one is to be saved and go to heaven we must acknowledge our sinfulness,and throw ourselves on the mercy of a holy God.

Buried Treasure. ( Mark 10 v 17-23)

 You often hear of people finding treasure by using metal detectors,and one of my favourite stories is Treasure Island,written by Robert Louis Stevenson, every child should read Treasure Island.Well in the Bible our Saviour tells about someone who found treasure in a field.( Matthew 13 v44)But the field wasn't his ,so what did he do? he hid the treasure then sold all that he had and bought the field,and so the treasure became his. Was he ethically wrong in doing that?,no by Jewish law,the rabbis said,'If a man finds scattered money,it belongs  to the  finder'.Tell me what is the greatest treasure in all the world? Jesus ,the following scriptures describe Him as being king. ( Matt 2 v2/2v 15/ 27v 37/Rev 17v 14/ 19 v16) J.C.Ryle comments,'That the purpose of v44 and 45 is to stress of the importance of salvation  to the point that we are willing to give everything up to win Christ and eternal life, or you can put it like this,'that it's worth any sacrifice to enter God's kingdom'(W.Barclay)and to come under the authority of King Jesus.

                                                  'I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold,

                                                   I'd rather be His than have riches untold;

                                                   I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands,

                                                   I'd rather be led by His nail pierced hand.

                                                   Than to be a king of a vast domain,

                                                    And be held in sin's dread sway;

                                                    I'd rather have Jesus than anything,

                                                    This world affords today. ( Words Beverly Shea)

                                                

Witnessing. ( 1Peter 3 v15 )

 The times they are a changing, over my 80 years I have seen many changes,especially in relation to church atendance.Unlike years ago when the churches had two services on a Sunday,and a Sunday school in the afternoon,that has changed,most churches have one service on a Sunday, attended mainly by believers  ,but what about the unbelievers?.For they need to hear the gospel, they need Christ,that is the challenge to Christians everywhere to reach out to the unsaved. The Alpha course has been reasonally successful in reaching people with the gospel.But there is still a vast amount of people who are unreached with gospel, we all need to prayerfully ask God how we personally can  witness to people, if you  pray then be prepared for the answer to your prayer by God.If you know of an evangelist see if you can, invite them to your church, so you can get some ideas as to how to evangelise. Remember Jesus did not always speak to multitudes,he spoke to individuals,I can here some people say I would find that to hard, with God's help it can be done.One way which will help you to get talking to someone about Christ ,is to offer to pray for them, some may say no ,don't worry about that, move on to the next person. let us do what we can to reach others for Christ,things have changed  but people still need Christ that will never change.

An adventurous step of faith, ( Hebrews 11 v 8 )

 I read these words to by a writer on the book of Acts,'An adventurous step of faith', and indeed the book of Acts,is about people who took an advenurous step of faith .They didn't go to discover new lands but to establish a Kingdom different from all the kingdoms of this world,a spiritual kingdom called the Kingdom of God. For it to be established ,it would come at a cost,Paul and his fellow travellers, would suffer many hardships and difficulties,and many would pay with their lives,the list is endless it continues to this day. It often means going where others do not want to go,it means often moving out of your comfort ,read the lives of those of those who took that adventurous step of  faith,not just the biblical characters.David Livingston the Christian explorer mission, his wife died,he was attacked by a lion,suffered many illnesses,but was faithful to the gospel,and he died praying on His knees.Read the lives of so many servants of God not through tinted glasses,but what  often they had to endure.This adventurous step of faith is not a walk in the park but a walk with God,on a road less travelled.On that road your only security is God,that's the important thing,that is important thing for all of us called Christians,He is our only security,not our bank account,not our jobs or whatever.The life of following Christ is an adventurous step of faith,that means whatever it throws at us we must carry on,Have faith in Him,and you will find Him faithful,wherever we go He will be with us.Fanny Crosby  at 6wks became blind by a doctors using the wrong ointment, but she grew to be an amazingly independent person,but she wrote a hymn acknowledging her dependance on Christ,

                                                   'I must have the Saviour with me,

                                                    For I dare not walk alone.

                                                     I must feel His presence near me,

                                                     And His arms around me thrown.

                                                     Then my soul shall fear no ill,

                                                      Let Him lead me where He will,

                                                      I will go without a murmer,

                                                      And His footsteps follow still.'

                                                     

                                                    

He cares ( Hebrews 4 v14-16 )

During the second world war the cities in England were bombed, a few days into the Blitz  Churchill visited the docklands in the East End of London . 'Fires were still raging all over the place', some of the larger buildings were mere  skeletons,and many of the smaller house had been reduced to rubble.Churchill stopped at an aid -raid shelter where 40 people had been killed. Near by was a crowd of people,all seemingly very poor,one would have been resentful at what was happening and even blamed Churchill,but as he got out of the his car,they mobbed him,and were heard to cry,'Good old Winnie' they cried.' we thought you'd come and see us.We can take it.Give it'em back.' Churchill broke down,and some old lady was heard to say'You see,he really cares;he's crying'.Yes he cared,yes it is very touching when someone cares.The shortest verse in the  Bible reads,'He wept' (John 11 v 35) it is speaking of Jesus who stood outside the tomb of a dear friend who had died, why did He weep? because He cared, He showed His  care in the feeding of the hungry,the healing of the sick,and most of all His death on Calvary.He still cares us,and we are told in 1Peter 5 v7,to cast all our cares upon Him,for He cares for us '

                                                     'Does Jesus care when my way is dark

                                                      With a name-less dread and fear?

                                                      As the daylight fades into deep nightshades,

                                                      Does He care enough to be near?

                                                      O yes He cares; I know He cares, 

                                                      His heart is touched with my grief;

                                                      When the  days are weary,the long nights

                                                      dreary,I know my Saviour cares'.

We are secure if. ( Revelation19 v 6)

 It was Napoleon who said,'What a slender thread the greatest of things can hang by'I wonder why he said that?,it could have been as regards his last great battle were he was defeated at Waterloo.When victory seemed secured until Marshall Blucher came back to support Wellingtons army. There is proverb that goes,

                                                   'For want of a nail the shoe was lost,

                                                    For want of a shoe the horse was lost,

                                                    For want of a rider the message was lost,

                                                    For want of a message the battle was lost.'

                                                               'All for want of a nail.

It reminds us that a seemingly unimportat acts can have grave consequences, Leave God out of ones  life and what are we left with ,'silver threads',bring God into your life and one can proclaim that your times are in His hands,( Psalms 31 v 15)No man can pluck us out of His hands,when we trust Christ as Saviour then we are safe and secure.So let us look beyond Napoleon's 'slender thread',to our great  God and Saviour who has the whole world in His hands.'

Go. ( Romans 10 v 13- 15)

After the Sunday service at the church I attend,a number of us go out for meal, not just for a meal, but for a time of fellowship,and we usally all enjoy it.I arrived first at  the resturant ,and went to the table we were going to have our meal.There was a married couple there and I struck up a conversation with them and I witnessed to them for a short period,I could see that the lady was not interested,but I managed to briefly tell them about trusting Christ ,and left it at that,not entirely I have brought it to God in prayer.My experience in wittnessing to people is that not many are seeking after God, on the whole in our modern societies the words of Romans 3 v 11 are appropriate ,'that no one seeks after God'. Our Saviour said  that 'He had come to seek and to save',  (Luke 19 v 10 )and that is what we have to do,it is a challenge ,that we can't ignor. Remember we are dealing with fallen humanity no matter how nice they may appear,they are held captive by satan,they are lost and they don't even know it.Now think about it, that's the way you and I were,we are in a struggle for the souls of men,women,and young people. It is a life and death  situation that we are faced with,the barricades are up,they won't come down easily.We must pray,and witness faithfully,and not give up, it appears to me that I have been a sower,but that's important,hopefully there will be those who will reap what I have sown,and that the Lord will give the increase. Our dear Saviour said in Mark 16 v 15.

                                               'Go into all the world and preach the gospel'

Ask ( Matthew 6 v33)

 In the Matthew 6 v 11 we read,'Give us this day our daily bread', I remember many years ago my dear Pastor said that prayer was not for now,simply because in the West we have all we need . I didn't say anything to him, but I didn't agree with Him. For it is obivious that there are many people who have very little,and when my wife and I attended Bible college we had very little money,and often we had no food in the house,and that prayer was very appropiate,and God did answer our prayers.We are told that in Philippians 4 v19  that our God shall supply all our need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus'. Let's face it our needs may go further than a loaf of bread,we need to pay our mortgage or the rent, we need to run a car, maybe it needs repaired,we need to pay the energy bills,and so we could go on. We are told 'Ask , and it will be given to you',(Matthew 7 v7) that's the promise from God ,someone has written ''He will not renege on the promise'' He will definitely keep His word and will not go back on what he has promised'.Remember your heavenly Father knows all that you have need of, and we can be assured that God will undertake for us.One source may dry up,but God will supply our need from another source .( 1 Kings 17 v7 -9)

                                                        'Great is Thy faithfulness'

Selfishness ( Philippians 2 v 3 - 5 )

 Corrie-ten-Boom said,'Selfishness had a life of its own', I supposed most of us at times are selfish,it may be blatant,a certain politician said ,'it is my country first'.I understand the love of ones country,and the love of ones family, But as a Christian I know that we are not encouraged to be selfish,our Saviour said ,'Love your neighbour as yourself',(Mark 12 v 31) In Luke 17 v33 our Saviour also said,'Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it,and whoever loses their life will preserve it',one commentator said this,'If you prioritize your own self interest,above all else you will ultimately lose out'. Most dictators are self engrossed people,anyone whom they percieve as a threat,will be eliminated. I know of Christian minister who was called to a certain church,and in that church there was a godly man who was on the leadership of that church. He saw him as threat to his position ,he wasn't.Before that minister came to the church, that godly man could have been the leader of that church,but he turned it down,he was no threat to that minister.Yet that minister did everything he could to get rid of that man,the man eventually left. It reminds me of the words the apostle John wrote to a certain church ,' Diotrephes who loves to be first,will not welcome us'. ( 3John v 9)Eventually I believe God removed that minister, selfishness has its own reward .In Rom15 v 3 we read.

                                                     'Christ did not please Himself'

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Small things. ( Zechariah 4 v 10)

 Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsie were in a Holocaust concentration campand the story is told how Corrie wanted a handkerchief,she told her sister.Well said Betsie we will pray about it,Corrie laughed at the idea of praying to God for a handkerchieh,but Betsie never the less prayed. A short time after this a lady who worked in the laundy,knocked on their hut,and said to them,that she had been making handkerchiehs out of old sheets,and she felt that Corrie would want one. There is nothing we can't pray to God about,God does not despise our small request,in fact I believe that He is pleased when we do.  Often I pray for a parking space,or were did I leave my glasses, or some other things.Some  people would say don't bother God with such trivia,oh He is too busy to be bothered with that,but not so.The verse of a song written by Cathy Viljoen wrote the folllowing.

                                                   ' Oh, He never will say I'm to busy today

                                                    Every tear,everycare, He's promised He will share.

                                                    And although He's the Lord of all glory.

                                                    Yet He's only a prayer away'

                                                          'Carry everything to God in prayer '

He is my Shepherd (Psalm 23)

 There are two scriptures that most people know, the first is the 23rd Psalm,and the Lord's prayer (Matthew 6 v9-13/Luke 11 v2 -4 ) The two start with  the relatonship that a saint has with God, in Psalm 23 v1 we read,'The Lord is my Shepherd',the Lord's prayer commences.'Our Father',becoming a Christian brings one into a wonderful close relationship,He is not a far of distant diety,unfeeling and uncaring.the 23rd Psalm highlights Davids confidence that all his needs will be provided,He will experience the Lord's refreshing and restoring care. He will guide him along right paths,bringing honour to His name.That the valley of death which he will  have to go through,will hold no fears,because the Lord will be with him.He will also know God's comfort and protection from his enemies ,for the Lord will  pour out His abundant care and provision upon him.He is assured that the Lord's goodness and mercy is life long. When his life is over he will go as Matthew Henry writes,' to a better country, where there are many mansions'. ( John 14 v 2)

                                                             'Jesus is that good Shepherd'

                                                                        John 10 v11.

The Giraffe Women ( John 14 v16 )

 The Giraffe women live in Myanmar and also live in  Thailand,when they are young they have brass coils put round their necks,and each year another one is added,and so gradually the neck is  stretched,hence the name Giraffe women.It is very detrimental to the body,it is very heavy,and can be very painful,the rings cannot be removed as it would lead to suffocation.It is banned in Myanmar but not in Thialand,They are mainly animists a belief that  plants rocks trees indeed everything is spiritual ,but some of these people have a little of Roman Catholicism in them.Some of them consult chicken bones as regards making decisions. In Romans 1 v 21-23 we read, 'of those whose minds became dark and confused.Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshipping the glorious,ever living God.They worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles'.It is very sad when one reads such things, John Stott writes 'That the culural  idolatry of the West is no better. To exchange the worship of the living God for the modern onbsession with wealth, fame and power is equally foolish and equally  blameworthy'. In Isaiah 45 v 21 we read,'There is no God apart from Me, a righteous God and a Saviour,there is none but Me'. Christ came ,because of humanities  darkness,the word of God tells us that they love darkness more that light,in fact they hate the light, and they sought to extinguish Him who is the light of the world,by klling Him on a cross.But praise God they didn't succeed, for He rose from the dead and lives to today in an endless life,and He declares.

                                                       'Whoever follows Me will not

                                                        walk in darkness, but will have

                                                        the light of life'

                                                                ( John 8 v 12)

                                                      

He implanted a song. ( 1Peter 1 v6-7)

Just think when Paul became a Christian he was told how much he would suffer by our Lord, (Acts 9 v16) I wonder how we would feel, if we knew that trusting Jesus would mean suffering ,would we want to become a Christian? Why are we surprised at this,our Saviour never promised any of us that we wouldn't suffer ,he said these words, ''Whoever wants to be my disciple must deney themselves and take up their cross and follow Me'' (Matthew 16 v24) There are many in this world who know that if they trusted  Jesus there would be a heavy cost ,we can name so many countries that is a grim reality. As regards Paul and his suffering,one has said,'Jesus sacrifice and suffered providing the way of salvation.Paul's will ensure the offer of salvation reaches the people'.  The apostle Paul during his life ,experienced a great deal of sufferring( 2 Corinthians 11 v 23-29) I want to highlight an occassion on which he suffered,we read it about in Acts 16,in the city of Philippi,Paul and Silas were arrested and severely flogged and then thrown into prison with their feet in the stocks.Then we read that at midnight they were praying and singing,they were not singing in the rain ,they were singing in their pain.They were singing praises to God ,what they did is a challenge to all of us,anyone can sing when the sun is shining bright, but what about when we are experencing pain and difficulties ,I will leave some words from the following  song.

                                       'There is never a night so dreary ,there is never a night so long

                                        But the soul that is trusting in Jesus,will somewhere find a song.

                                        There is never a care or burden,there's never a grief or a loss,

                                        But Jesus in love will lighten, when carried to the cross.

                                        Wonderful,wonderful,Jesus,In the heart He implanted a song,

                                         A song of deliverance, of courage of strength;

                                         In the heart He implanted a song.    ( Words Annie B. Russel)

The Kingdom of God. ( Matthew 6 v 10)

 I heard a person speak at a service on the Kingdom of God,and he defined it as being a party, I have given it a bit of thought to what he said,and I think it was a strange thing to say.There is a couple who attended the service and it didn't help them,they are still grieving the death of a son,to them I can assure you that descibing the Kingdom of God as having a party is very imbalanced.As indeed the prosperity gospel is  for it ignors the realtiy of what many Christians experience. I pray every day for many Christians who are suffering greatly,to describe the Kingdom of God as being a party, seems to me as being out of place,and insensitive.Of course our Saviour spoke of being blessed ( Matthew 5 v3-12),and 1Peter 1 v8 speaks of joy unspeakable and full of Glory.The blessedness comes because God's favour that rests upon us, the 'joy unspeaskable and full of Glory ( 1 Peter 1 v 8) comes from the fact that we have Christ, and all the blessings that brings to us . Betsie Ten Boom who died in a Nazi concentration camp ,said this before she died,'There is no pit so deep ,that God's love is not deeper'. I cannot honestly sing the words of a song 'Now I'm happy all the day', but I can say I am truly blest because of God's abiding presence with me,and that nothing can seperate me from His love'. 

                                                   ' For the Kingdom of God is not a matter

                                                     of eating and drinking,but of righteousness,

                                                     peace and joy in the Holy Spirit'.

                                                                 Romans 14 v 17.

Hope. ( Romasns 15 v 12 - 13)

During the 2nd world  war many people in the countries occupied by the Nazis listened to Churchill's broadcasts over the radio even though it was forbidden, and if they were caught ,the punishment was death. The reason being he could provide that one thing these tortured populations needed more than anything else;'hope'. Without hope you have only despair,I read recently that biggest killer of men under 50 in the UK is suicide,it seems to me that they are people who have lost hope. In a particular movie one of the character's said,' Hope is a good thing,maybe the best of things,and no good thing ever dies'. Of course there is false hope,I remember when I was young lad chasing the girls,and I arranged to this young girl, I waited hopefully at the arranged venue,but alas she never turned up, a false hope.On a more serious side many are building their eternal hopes on false hopes,I build my hope for eternity on Him who said He was the way ,the truth ,and the life,  His name is Jesus, He is not a false hope.And while I'm here on planet earth ,facing all the uncertainies that brings,that same Jesus is with me,and that brings into my heart a sweet message of hope.His words of hope bless me and encourage me in all the experiences of life.He will be our light in the darkness,our strength in our weakness,our helper in times of trouble,our guide on the pathway of life.

                                                     ' Jesus is a Rock in a weary land'

Kept from.(Genesis 20 v 6)

In Acts 16 v31 we read,'Believe in the Lord  Jesus, and you will be saved', the man who said this was the  Apostle Paul,formerly known as Saul. He was a very religious person and he really hated Christians to the point that he persecuted them and would have murdered them ( Acts 9 v1-3 /  22 v 3 ff/ 26 v 4ff).But this all changed  when on a journey to Damascus to arrest Christians ,he had a dramatic experience,Christ revealed Himself to him,and he became a Christian. Everyone's experience of becoming a Christian is different,not only that ,before they become a Christian they may not have been drunkards murderers, thieves,and so on,but of course they were still sinners and needed Christ,Their testimony may not be dramatic,but it is real,but they make think that they may not have much of testimony to give.I heard of a girl who was brought up in a Christian home and believed in Christ all her life.So at a large Christian gathering she gave her testimony,she had a paper in front of her and she started to read from it,praising God for preserving her from alcohol,and so followed a list of things that God had kept her from. Even in my own life I have been preserved from things that could have destroyed me.We all have  a testimony how God in His mercy saved us out of sin,but also how he saved us from sinning, both are valid evidence of God's saving grace .

No ( 1 Peter 1 v 15-16 )

 Winston Churchill  quoted Alexander the Great who remarked,'that the people of Asia were slaves because they had not learned to pronounce the word ,'No'. A song in musical has these words in it,'I'm just a girl who can't say no'.No is a very powerful word, which children often don't like, in supermarkets,you will hear a screech like a banshee, no its not, it comes from a child who has been told no,you can't have that.We can smile at that,but in the greater schemes of things ,saying no is very important for all of us to learn. People take to much on at times and have breakdowns because  of the pressure that they have put themselves under,or they have been put under.If only Eve had said no to the devil's temptation ,things for humanity would have been so different for all of us.It is interesting what Alexander the Great said that the people of Asia were slaves because they had not learned to say no ,for our dear Saviour said,' everyone who sins is a slave to sin'(John 8 v34 ) Christ told us that her he had come to set us free from the power of sin, that we should no longer be slaves of sin(Romans 6 v6 )Yes there will be times in which we will not say no to sin, because if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves ( 1 John 1v8- 9)We will only be sinless when we get to heaven, but as John puts it 'No one who is born of God  will continue to sin'(1 Jn3 v6/9) we are not able to sin habitually,in other words  we don't walk in sin.

How much do we care? ( Matthew 12 v26)

So Jonah survived the belly of the fish experience,so God  speaks to him again,isn'it it amazing how patient God is with Jonah,and of course with all of us.Then God speaks ,'Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclam to it the message I gave you'. So off went Jonah, he walked through the city proclaiming 'f'orty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown'.And a wonderful thing happened in modern times it would be called the biggest revival of all time Nineveh repented,surely Jonah would have been praising God,but alas he wasn't,to the point that he asked God  to take his life.So he went of in an angry huff and sat down.Again we see the patients of God for He make a leafy plant to,to shade him from the sun.But God wasn't finished with him, for God caused the plant to die,the result  was the sun beat down upon him and God sent a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah who grew faint.The result was he wished to die.God challenged him as regards his anger. He pointed out to him that he had more concern for the plant, than the people and the animals in Nineveh. This brings a big challenge  to all of us,how much do we value the souls of  men and women,I read recently of a large leper colony in South Africa in the 19th century.Those who entered that colony were never allowed out again.Two Moravian missionaries entered knowing they would not return.As soon as they died others were prepared to go in their place. I share with you a prayer I read'

                                        'O Lord teach us the lostness of the lost,the hopelessness of 

                                         those without  Christ.  And enable us to go out and share in

                                         your work of redeeming for yourself a people .Amen'

                                         

                                        

Never to late. ( Isaiah 55 v 6-7)

What more can we say about Jonah,well if he had repented and did what God told him to do everything would have changed,but he didn't,that's all he had do. It appears that he was prepared to die rather change his ways, no one need to go to hell God has made a way for anyone to escape it,if they simply  repent of their sins and believe in Christ.We all have a choice,the question is, will we make the right choice?.Now consider Jonah he is in the belly of a great fish,yes he was still alive, humanly speaking his number was up, no one could save him,he was totally helpless. That's the place we have to come to if we are to be saved, we have to forget about our works ,our religious activities,the religious family that we were born into,or that we were a good father ,or a good mother,or even a good neighbour,none of that can save us,  salvation is of the Lord .So there was Jonah in the belly of a large fish, death was eminent,three days entombed in his slimley prison,but then he does something he should have done sooner,he prays a prayer of repentance. The result was God saved him,it is never to late to call upon God,there is verse that goes, 'Between the stirrup and the ground,I mercy sought ,and mercy found'. We will continue to look at Jonah next time.

The runaway.( 1 Samuel 15 v 22 - 23 ) 2

Last time we onsidered how Jonah looked for loopholes, and it appeared to that him he should run away from the Lord, here is a prophet ,surely he knew that one cannot get away from God.He knew  Psalms 139,in that Psalm David asks the question ,'Where can I go from your Spirit? and the answer was,its impossible to get away from God (v 8-12 ). There is an old song which goes,'I go to church on Sunday,the vows that I make ,I break them on Monday.The rest of the week I live as I please,come Sunday morning I'm down on my knees'.Often religion is confined to a church building.It may appear obivious that one cannot escape from God's presence, but that does not stop peopel acting as if you can,our parents did a Jonah when they sinned (Genesis 3 v 8) Jonah sought a hiding place from God, and in doing that he was putting himself in great danger,for he was being disobedient. God does not look kindly on disobedience.  Disobedience to God is a sin even if you are Christian, even if you are a man or woman after God's own heart,God makes no exceptions.The word of God says' be sure your sin will find you out' ,and one will suffer the consquences,as Jonah was to find out.Thinking of King David and his sins of adultery and murder,he must have thought he had got away with it,until that moment when the prophet declared,'You are the man.' a cold chill must have run down his spine.Think of the horror Jonah must have felt when he ended up in the belly of a great fish,Who knows where disobedience will lead us , but be assured it won't be pretty. We will cotinue next time looking  at the disobedient prophet.

Looking for loopholes.( Luke 14 v 15 - 23)

 There was a man who thought he could escape from doing God's will ,hoping that God would let him go his own way. Well it all began when God spoke very clearly to him as to what he wanted him to do ,it was simple but challenging he had to speak to a certain people,ah not just a certain people ,but a  people that were very wicked.He didn't appear to like them, in fact he may have hated them.Now this man knew his God and that knew He would forgive this people,if they forsook  their evil ways.God's like that.It appeared to that man that God was wrong,not only wrong but very wrong,if He let that people of the Hook,after all God is a just God ,one who hates evil,like those wicked people ,they should get what's coming to them,even if they repented.To that man it was beyond a joke what God was asking him to do,and although he didn't say anything to God,he was really thinking ,how can I get out this?,I don't want to do this,and its not right that should God should ask him do this,WC. Fields was a famous entertainer,and had many mistresses,he was ill in hospital and a friend visited him,and he saw that he was reading a Bible,and he asked him why was he reading a Bible,WC answered ,'I'm looking for loopholes'. the man whom God was speaking to ,was looking for loopholes, his name was Jonah.We are all a bit like Jonah, when God speaks to us to do something we don't like, we look for loopholes,like Moses we say,''Please send someone else'.! Well we will finish there , we may turn to it again tomorrow.