Do you fear death? (John 11 v25)

  Winston Churchill was asked if he feared death?,he replied,'I am ready to meet my maker,and added, 'whether my maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter'. Death is that intruder that comes into our lives which we often try to ignor, but as we all know its enevitable,it will happen.What would you say if someone asked you,'are you afraid of death?.' You may be a Christian and you may be afraid of dying,when you shouldn't be afraid,I'm not condemning you for that,the wonderful thing is there are many assurances given to the the Christian,that all will be well .Yes you say I know that, but I'm still afraid,think about this,what has helped you live the Christian life?,  the grace of God.So it is when you come to die He will give the grace that will overcome your fears,you will not have to cope in your own strength,our Lord tell's us that His grace is sufficent for us.But not only will He give us his grace to face death,He will also grant unto us a sense of His presence,we will not face it alone,think of those wonderful words from Psalm 23v 4,'Yea,though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,I will fear no evil; for thou art with me'.So even if you die alone you will not be alone ,the good shepherd the Lord Jesus Christ will be with you.

The word of God.( Matthew 4 v4)

There is a little childrens chorus which goes,' Read your Bible pray everyday,if you want to grow',it is Peter in his first epistle 2 v 2, writes to those who were relatively new Christians,'Like new born babies,you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into the full experience of salvation . Cry out for this nourishment.'The AV says ,'as new born babies,desire the pure milk of the word'. Edmund Clowney writes, 'Christians must be addicted to the Bible',and in relation to being like new born babies Peter writes ,'crave the pure milk of the word',what does a baby desire ,it desires to be fed by its mother milk,and as EC says, 'For an infant,milk is not a fringe benefit'. I love reading the pleasure it gives me knowledge and enjoyment,I have favourite authors,but most of all I love reading the word of God.I remember 60 years ago when Lord restored me,one of the first things I did was to buy a Bible,I have worn out many Bibles since then.The word of God has been my daily bread,I memorised it,studied it, preached it, and sought to live it out in my life. We neglect it to our cost, Hank Williams sang a song called ,'Dust on the Bible'. let us follow what that little childrens chorus tells us,read our bible everyday and we will surely grow spiritually. but I would also add study it,and seek with the help the Holy Spirit to understand what you read.

Hollow man ( Hebrews 11 v 24- 26)

 Edmund Clowney writes  the following,'In contrast with the empty life of 'hollow men',Christians are given faith and hope in God'.I like that phrase,'Hollow men',and yet it is a sad description of humanity,it is from a poem by T S.Eliot ,who paints a very dark futile description of humanities existence.One of the top golfers  earned over a period of time 100, million dollars,I don't think that is necessary wrong,but I cannot help thinking of what are Saviour said.'What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world,yet forfeit their soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for their soul' (Matthew16 v26)Can that wealth ,fame and power bring meaning into ones life?, I don't think so,yet there are millions seeking that wealth and all that comes with it.People fill their lives with many things  like power,sport,sex,Read the book of Ecclesiastes there we have a man who had everything,tried everything and in essences he found it all meaningless. E C writes how Chistians are given  faith and hope,money cannot buy those two things,achievement also cannot give you faith and hope,only God can give you those  two precious jewels.Tell me if everything precious that you have was suddenly taken from you,what would that leave you ,mister hollow man,hollow woman?.

0

Yes He can (Ephesians 3 v20 )

 In 2 kings 6 the city of Samaria was under siege ,and food was running out and Elisha declared.'This is what the Lord says; about this time tomorrow,a seah of the finest flour will  sell for a shekel and two seahs of  barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.'An army officer  challenged what the prophet said,this is what he said,'Look even  if the Lord should  open the flood gates  of the heavens,could this happen',but it did. What God says He will do ,He will do it,be it ever so strange,be it every so great,or be it ever so small. If it is really off God it will come to pass ,but alas we let human reasoning take over,and we fail to rise in faith.I believe that God answer's prayer . In Ephesians 3 v20 we read,'Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,according to  His power that is at work  within us'.Let us remember as John Stott says 'God's power is limitless'. Why do we not see more of  what is declared in those words?,it must be lack of faith on our part. It does not mean that God will remove from us suffering but it does mean that He will give us Grace to come through our suffering,you may be saying I can't cope ,God says you can by my grace. In Gods will He can move mountains, He can and will meet your needs, He can open doors,give you success,give you that child you long for,need I go on,have faith in our mighty God to do immeasurably more than all you ask and more than you can imagine,according to the power that is at work within us.

Come ( Ephesians 5 v18)

 Ephesians 3 v  16  is the beginning of a prayer by Paul for the saints of God so it brgins,'I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen  you with power through His Spirit in your inner being' Now while it was meant initially for the Ephesian Christians,it is now a prayer for all Christians. He write of God's  glorious riches,these glorious riches are not silver or gold ,they are spiritual riches. Paul prays that they may  be strengthened with power through the Spirit in their inner being.'If we are going to experience  a growing in Christ it will be by the inner indewlling of the Holy Spirit.(all Chistians have the holy Spirit)But the question is this how much has the Holy Spirit got of us?. In Ephesians 5 v18 we read 'Do not get drunk with wine, which leads to debauchery.Instead be filled with the Spirit'. This is not a word for Pentecostals but for every Christian, and again let me ask the questian,what is filling our lives,is there room for Him to work through us,or are we crowding Him out of our lives?

                                      'Come as wisdom to Children, Come as new sight to the blind;

                                       Come,Lord, as strength to my weakness,Take me soul,body ,

                                       and mind.

                                       Come,Holy Spirit, I need you, Come sweet Spirit I pray;

                                                  Come in your strength and your power ,

                                                     Come in your own gentle way.'

                                                              Words Bill Gaither.

                                                    

My citizenship ( Philippians 1 v 21- 24 )

 I have two passports,one because I'm British,and  because I'm Irish ,so I am a citizen of two countries.Yet here is another  aspect of my citizenship  I am a citizen of heaven.  In Philippians 3 v20, we read,'But our citizenship is in heaven',and in 1 Peter 1 v1 we read,'To Gods's elect strangers in the world'. Elijah T. Cassel wrote 

                                                 'I am a stranger here ,within a foreign land,

                                                 My home is far away,upon a golden Stand'.

I knew a pastor who believed we don't go to heven when we died, in spite of the fact that there are so many  references in telling us that we do.It is baffling also how many people do not accept that the Bible tells us clearly that there is a hell.We are reminded so often to not loose sight of our heavenly home,in Colossians 3 v 1- 6 we are told to set our hearts on things above where Christ is,and to set our mind on things above,not on earthly things,and when Christ appears we shall appear with Him in glory.Paul goes on to say 'Put to death,therefore , whatever belongs to your earthly nature; sexual immoralaty,impurity , lust ,evil desires and greed which is idolatry . Because of these , the wrath of God is coming'.Yes that is a reminder how we should live in the light of coming glory.As Peter tells us we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth,where righteousness dwells,we should make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.(2  Peter 3 v13 - 14)I will leave you with this challenge from 2 Corinthians 5 v 20,that,'We are therefore Christ's ambassadors',so not only are we citizens of heaven,we are called to to represent  heaven,and our Saviour in all that we do.

He is watching over us( Psalm 23)3

Our last look at Psalm 23 v4  ,and  the words ,'Your rod and your staff comfort me' It appears that the rod was a weapon to defend the sheep from wild animals,and the staff was used to gently guide and to rescue the sheep.So when David considers the Lord as his shepherd he sees him as the one who protects and  gently  guides him ,and that's a great comfort to him, as it is to all of us.Im sure if you are a Christian  you can recall how God has protected you,I think of all the miles I have driven my car,only God has protected me.I lived in Northern Ireland I could have been killed by a bomb,or I could have been shot.We may not realise it ,we are all very vulnerable,but God watches over us,He protects us from the devil,'But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one'  (2 Thessalonians 3 v3) He will protect us from the elements 'The sun will not harm you by day nor the moon by night'(Psalm 121v 6) He will keep us from all harm and watch over our lives (Ps 121 v 7)The Lord gently guides His children ( Proverbs 3v 6)and indeed rescues us from going astray(Isaiah30 v 21)

                                                      'All the way my Saviour leads me;

                                                       What have I to ask beside?

                                                        Can I doubt His tender mercy,

                                                         Who through life has been my Guide'

                                                                       Fanny J .Crosby.

Fear no evil, ( Matthew 28 v 20 (b) Ps 23 (2)

 Let us continue  to look at Psalm 23 v4  ,last time we considered ,'The dark night of the soul',next we consider the words ,'I will fear no evil,for you are with me',I don't have to tell you that there is much evil in the world,and its all very frigheningt,with the result that many peoples hearts are failing them for fear. David who wrote these words,was faced with  many fearful challenges,for a great deal part of his life,how did he cope? The answer is very simple his faith was in God, in Psalm 27 it begins ,'The Lord is my light and my salvation,whom shall I fear?,after all he says''The Lord is the stronghold of my life of whom shall I be afraid ''?.A little boy,as he lay in bed  was very frightened because outside a violent storm was raging, and he began to cry,his father heard him crying,so he went into him,and  took him in his arms,and the little boy said,Daddy I'm not afraid now because you are with me'.And that's what David is saying to God ,'I'm not afraid because you are with me.

                                                 'To this I hold,my shepherd will defend  me,

                                                  Through the deepest valley He will lead me on.

                                                   The night has been won,and I shall overcome,

                                                    Yet not I ,but through Christ in me'

                                                 (Words M Farren/R Thompson/ J Robinson)

The dark nigh of the soul. (Psalm 30 v 5) Psalm 23 ( 1)

In that wonderful 23 Psalm v 4, we  read,'Even though I walk  through the valley of the shadow of death,I will fear no evil,for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me'. Let us consider first,

                                                   'Even though I walk through the valley

                                                    of the shadow of death

It was John of the cross who wrote a poem called, 'The dark night of the soul' it reminds us that even for the Christian there will be that dark night of the soul, brought about by different experience,the death of a loved one, being diagnosised as having a life threatening illness,of being rejected,and so many other things,it may last for a long time, It was Bill and Gloria Gather who wrote a song based on the words in Psalm 30 v 5 ,'Weeping may e(ndure for a night,but joy cometh in the morning'.

                                1    'If  you've knelt beside the rubble of an aching broken heart,

                                      When things you gve life to fall apart,

                                      You're not the first to be acquainted with sorrow,grief ,or pain,

                                       But the Master promised sunshine after rain.

                                2    Hold on my child ( Hold my child)

                                      Joy comes in the morning,weeping only lasts for the night,

                                       Hold on my child,(Hold on my child,)

                                      Joy comes in the morning,The darkest hour means dawn is

                                                                  Just in sight'

 

A bright future (Psalm 27)

The first line of a hymn goes, 'Sometimes a light surprises the Christian while he sings',well I  wasn't singing,I was coming out of a shop,after buying a news paper,when the words of Psalm 27 v13  came into my mind by the Holy Spirit ,'I had believed to see the goodness in the land of the living'.David who wrote that lovely Psalm,writes out of a situation were enemies abounded . He mention how cruel  they could be v 2, and how many they were v3 ,yet even if that was all true his confidence was in the Lord v3 .In verse 10 he declares that  even if his nearest and dearest would forsake him,the Lord won't, he could easily have given into despair, but for one thing , faith in His God  and he that he would see God's goodness in the land of the living. I do not know what dark hole you  may be in at this moment but the Lord who is your light will be your  salvation.(Ps 27v 1).No matter how many difficulties you may be facing God is greater than those difficulties. Wait on the Lord ,trust on the Lord,hope in the Lord,and you shall see the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the living.

Jesus is a ( Colossians 1 v 13)

There is a little town in Northern Ireland about 18 mls from Belfast and it's famous for one thing,it has a lighthouse.Lighthouses have always been very important,even now they still important.Most modern lighthouses are not man by people ,technology has taken over.Consider the lives that  have been saved by  having lighthouses .In ancient days many ships  foundered on the rocks because there was no lighthouses.yes the lighthouse beam was a life saver.There is a modern song ,written by Ronnie Hinson  and portrays Jesus as being like a lighthouse,one of the verses reads like this,

                                               'And I thank God I owe my life to Him,

                                                Jesus is the lighthouse, and from the rocks of sin,

                                                He has shown a light around me,that I might clearly see,

                                                If it wasn't for the lighthouse,tell me where would 

                                                                        the ship be?'

The second  verse in Genesis 1 reads, 'Darkness was over the surface of the deep'we can apply that spiritually ,it appears that there is a darkness over all the world, it is in1 John 5 v19,we read,'that the whole world is under the control of the evil one'.Now that is an awful darkness, very scary, to be under the control of that evil being  known as the devil.He blinds people spiritually,he fills people hearts with so many things ,promising them so much that appears good,but he is a liar and the father of lies(John 8 v44) But praise God the Easter message tells of Jesus who came to rescue us and save us from our darkness. yes Jesus is a lighthouse shining brigthly over this world and those who follow Him shall not walk in darkness,but shall have the light of life (John 8 v12)

Friendship ( Proverbs 18 v24)

 Jim Reeves uesd to sing a song with the following words in it,' A stranger is just a friend you do not know',I wonder is that true?,I doubt it.Friendship is important to most people ,I have had a number of good friends during my life .I would also add I've had some that we're not so good,young people can get into  trouble by getting the wrong friends (Proverbs 12 v 26).I know a man who became my friend ,he said he would like like to come round and visit me,and that was it,and we have been friends ever since.He is a very dear Christian brother. We can be friendly with many people,and we should be,but that does not mean that they are our friends,a true friend is someone you have a relationship with, one who will stick with you,and help you  and likewise you will help them. I jokenly said to a friend of mine who had taken me to hospital appointments, 'why do you not become sick so I can take you to hospital oppointments? , he laughed'.One of lovely things Jesus said to the disciples 'You are my friends',imagine Jesus being your friend,now when we are talking about friendship with Jesus,it comes with a proviso, we must keep His commandments,and that we should love our fellow Christians. ( John 15 v12-17) and of course we should love Him.Why is that proviso there?because as Chuck Swindoll says 'Genuine  friendships are founded upon shared values and goals'.Amos 3 v3 tells us, 'Do two walk together unless they agreed to do so' one writer comments, 'At peace with each other'.or as Matthew Henry say's,'Where there is not friendship ,there cannot be no fellowship'.the whole idea is that of harmony. Just to add to this  if you want Jesus to be your friend ,He must first become your Saviour and your Lord.

Not worhy ( Ephesians 1 v 6)

 A friend of mine told me that after he got saved he went to church,but he felt unsettled thinking that he shouldn't be there,because he wasn't good enough,It's understandable as a new Christian one may  think that,but its wrong thinking,the fact is none of us are good enough,we are all without exception sinners saved by grace,we are all flawed, and none should forget,that we are only sinners saved by grace. There is no them and us,yes we are all in different degrees of sanctification,I have never met a perfect Christian oh yes I have known some lovely Christians ,and some not so lovely,but they are all Christians,and we are to love them all. John was known as the apostle of love,and writes very strong words against those who professed  to be Christians and don't love their fellow Christians,here is what he says,'Whoever claims to love God yet hates his brother or sister is a liar. For whoever  does  not love their brother and sister,whom they have seen,cannot love God,whom they have not seen.And He has given us this command; anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister'( 1 John 4 v20- 21)  We are being told very clearly what God expects of us all who profess to be Christians,that none of us are good enough,but we are all loved and accepted by the grace of God,let us not forget that.

Visionaries (Titus 3 v 3- 7)

 Whats a visionary?, well it can cover  lot of things,it can be a person who sees  what others don't see,it was Michael Angelo who said as regards a piece of marble,'I saw an angel in that marble,and I will carve it until I set it free'.I watched an English couple  on TV whom I would call visionaries,they went to live in France and looked for a house to buy,and what they fell in love with was derelict,it was in a terrible state,plus the ground it stood on was on was overgrown with whatever, it was terrible. If was me I would not have bought it, in fact I would have bulldozed it all down.But this couple had a vision of restoring it,from the wreck it was to what it could be.It reminds me what our great God does, He looks at people whom we would say were derelict,beyond recovery,we would just give up on them,but He doesn't ,why? well like that couple who loved that house,He has a great love for us sinners no matter how far we have gone,no matter how squalid we are.The Pharisees despised and shunned sinners they  saw then as being only fit for hell but God saves siiners and then begins to transform their lives into something beautiful,such is the love and mercy of God to us sinners.

                                                     'Christ Jesus came into the world

                                                                  to save sinners'

Remembering ( Lamentations 3 v22 - 23 )

 I am 81,and I often stop and look back,not in a negative was but in God's goodness and faithfulness, David did that, here is what he said,'I  was young and now am old,yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread'  ( Psalm 37 v25) And I can say Amen to that ,and it is important that we do not forget the past mercies,and offer up to our Loving heavenly Father, praise and thanksgiven. David of old had many difficulties in life, but God was faithful and brought him through them.So many things come into our lives, like the loss of a loved one ,difficulties in marriage,financial trials, children who went astray,disappointments that you didn't get that job,and so on. It is said that the providence of God is best understood in looking back,and  its so true.It was George Matheson the blind preacher who wrote,'O love that wilt not let me go'.yes there were times we may have given up ,but His love would not let us go. There is a modern song that blesses me ,here is a verse and the chorus from it.

                                                     'You lead me through the fire

                                                      In the darkest night,

                                                      You are closer than no other.

                                                       I've known You as a Father,

                                                       I've known You as a friend,

                                                       And  I have lived in the goodness of God.

                       All my life You have been faithful,All my life You have been so,so good,

                       With every breath that I am able,Oh I will sing of the goodness of God.'

In Christ alone ( Hebrews 12 v2)

I used to sing solo's mainly in church services,I love singing,but unfortionately age has taken its toil,the vocal cords are not what they used to be, often I struggle trying to sing.But recently while attending a service in the fellowship I attend ,I think I prayed that I would be able sing one song.God heard and answered my prayer.I really felt the Holy Spirit helped me,and the words of the hymn touched my heart it blessed me and I hope it blessed others,here are the words of this hymn.

                      1'In Christ alone my hope is found, He is my light,my strength ,my song;

                        This corner stone,this solid ground,Strong through the fiercest drought,and storm.

                         What heights of love,what depths of grace; When fears are stilled,when striving cease!

                         My comfort,my all, in all,Here in the love of Christ I stand.

                     2  In Christ alone who took on flesh,Fullness of  God in helpless babe.    

                        The gift of love and righteousness, Scorned by the ones He came to save.

                        Till on that cross as Jesus died, The wrath of God was satisfied,

                        For every sin on Him was laid; Here in the death of Christ I live.

                      3 There in the ground His body lay,Light of the world by darkness slain;

                        Then bursting forth in glorious day, Up from the grave He rose again!

                         And as He stands in victory,Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,

                         For I am His and He is mine,Bought by the precious blood of Christ.

                       4 No guilt in life,no fear in death,This is the power of Christ in me;

                          From life's first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny.

                          No power of Hell,no scheme of man,can ever pluck me from His hand,

                          Till He returns or calls me home; Here in the power of Christ  I stand'.

                                                        (Words Stuart Townend)

                                                      

Forgiveness (Ephesians 4 v 31-32)

 The wonderful message of salvation tells us that God is willing to forgive our sins, all of them,but that brings a challenge to us ,are we willing to forgive those who sin against us.A friend of mine told me of a friend of his who received a call to be a minister in a church in America and he told my friend that there were people in the church who were taken reprisals on people they had grudges against.They were spray painting cars,cutting the brake pipes of the cars,and doing a lot of other stuff.I dont know what could have happened to provoke them to act in that way .He did go on to say that things got sorted out.We may not act like those people but speaking for myself I remember old hurts going back many years,and I still get angry,I am very sure that I am not only only one who feels like that,and I confess that it is very hard to come to that place of  forgiven those who have hurt us or hurt our family or friends, think how hard it was for our God to forgive us ,but He did,think of what it cost Him ,we just have to look at Jesus dying on the cross on  Calvary.And so God says to all us, just as I have forgiven you, then you must forgive others unreservedly,Remember confession is good for the soul,and it pleases God our loving heavenly Father.

Double Guidance. ( Revelation 3 v 7-8 )

When Abraham responded to  the call of  God he obeyed and went out ,not knowing where he was going.(Hebrews 11 v 8).When I went to Bible college my wife and I thought we knew where we were going,well we were in for a surprise,it didn't work out that way. We applied to the mission we thought would accept us,but they didn't,but we still  felt the call of God heavy on our hearts.it took another two years before God opened the door,we ended up in England,The day we set off  for our destination ,I read this verse,'Behold ,I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared' (Ex 23 v20) It is A.T.Pierson who writes of 'the double guidance  prohibition and restraint the other being 'permission and constraint',in other words the Spitit says,''go not''; and then He says ''Come''. (CP Acts 16 v6 ff)Here are some examples of 'double guidance'Dr Barnardo believed he was going to China as a missionary,C T.Studd likewise thought he was going to China,instead he went to the Congo.Willian Carey planned to go to Polynesia but God guided him to India. When God calls us,we need not be surprised or disappointed if he shut doors,but if your call is of God He will open the right door.

Glorification( Colossians 3 v 1-4)3

Is this all there is?so many people dismiss an after life,and so they try to focus totally on this life, the very rich will build a little heaven here on earth.When one witnesses to people often they do not want to know, its as if they are saying don't intrude into their little world .But then as a Bishop Blougram writes,'Just when we are safest,there's sunset touch,A fancy from a flower bell,some one's death'.Or as Bruce Milne writes,'Or, as we may add,a terrorist outrage.Something breaks into our lives that cries out against our materialistic complacency,The great questions of existence rise up once again;What is life? Where is it going?What about death and beyond?. Yes ,what about death and beyond?,the Bible gives us the answer,it is not an ambiguous answer,no it is very clear, that answer is to be found in Jesus,who came from heaven to earth for a purpose, that is to rescue humanity.Oh yes we need rescuing,look out on this world and the awful suffering,and wickedness we hear about everyday,why with all our abilities can we not create a perfect world,why?,because we are all imperfect,or as the word of God says we are all sinners,I was witnessing to a person once and he said you always mention about sin. Yes I do ,for unless our sin is forgiven,Hell awaits ,once you cross into eterniy ,all hope of going to Heaven ,and escaping Hell is gone.There will be no glorification for anyone, but for the believer the one who has trusted Jesus glorification awaits.One writer puts it like this,' glorificationis that final stage of salvation where believers are fully transformed to be like Christ, experiencing a state of perfect holiness and glory in the presence of God,free from sin and suffering'

Sanctification ( Jeremiah 18 v 6 )2

 From justification to sanctification, no Christian is perfect,that does not affect our position in Christ,we are saved and we will not perish,our eternal future is secure (Romans 10 v 28).But God did not only predestined as regards salvation(Ephesians 1 v11), He also has predestined us to be conformed to the image of  His Son' (Romans 8v 29),That is sanctifiction,to be like Jesus,we often hear people say ,he gets more like his father everyday,as it is in the natural so it should be in the spiritual,we should be- come like Jesus everyday.that should be our aim and purpose in life.we are all the unfinished artical,unpolished diamonds.This is a work of God in all our lives,the apostle Paul wrote that He was confident that God who has begun a good work in us would carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.(Philippians1v6).We are not passive in this process we have to march to the beat of a different drum,crucifying the flesh with its passions and desires and keeping in step with God's Spirit.[Galatians 5 v22ff) Yielding and accepting God's will in all things including suffering.

                                                    'Have thine own way ,Lord,

                                                     Have thine own way;

                                                     Thou art the potter,I am the clay;

                                                     Mould me and make me after Thy will,

                                                     while I am waiting,yielded and still.'

                                                                  Words  A A Pollard

0 )

Justification (Romans 5 v1)

 There are three tenses in relation to salvation,(1)  Justification (past) (2) Sanctification (present) (3) Glorification (Future) Let us consider them briefly,so let us start at number one Justification ,it is that moment in time when you trust Jesus to be your Saviour.Convicted by the Holy Spirit you came to Christ to forgive you all your sins,we are all sinners and so we all need forgiveness,its as simple as that.In our unsaved state we are all shut out from the presence of God,Justification comes through faith in Christ not by our good works,but by the work  of Christ on the cross.Our sins are all forgiven by simple faith,God no longer sees our sins,and alongside that,God imparts unto us the righteousness of Christ.

                                                        ' Tis God that justifies

                                            Who shall recall the pardon or the grace,

                                         Or who the broken chain replace of guilt replace

                                                          'Tis God  that justifies'

                                                         (Words  Horatius Bonar )

                                                                       

Tears ( Psalm 34 v18)

 I am reading the life of Winstone Churchill and often you read of him crying,and yet he was a manly person,brave and courageous.Tears are very important in our lives they give release as regards sorrow,I remember attending the funeral of my brothers wife,after the commital friends and family met for a time ,and a number of us sat with my brother,and I said something nice about how he felt his dear wife.It appeared to embarrass him ,as if he didn't want to show emotion, It should not embarrass someone if they shed tears at the loss of a loved one.The Bible is full of people who shed tears,Joseph was a man who shed many tears,(  Genesis 42 v24/ 45 v2/14/43v30/50 v1/17)They were not tears of anger or wanting vengance,but  love  for those brothers who had caused him so much pain. King David experience a lot pain in his life ,at a time when he and his men lost everything we read 'that they wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep.' ( 1 Samuel 30 v4)It could have been from that experience he wrote ,'Weeping may stay for the night but rejoicing comes in the morning',( Psalm 30 v5),for he and his men recovered all that they had lost.We can all have that experience when God can turn  our tears into rejoicing.if not in ths world but in heaven, we are told that our God will wipe every tear from our eyes. (Revelation21v4)Last but not least let us consider Peter the one who denied his Lord he was the one who foolishly boasted that he was prepared to go to prison and die with his Lord (Luke 22 v33),but it was not to be,three time he denied Him.Just as he had spoken the third time the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter,and we we read ,'And he went outside and wept bitterly'(v62) From these tears he would learn so many things about himself. Ira F. Stamphill wrote the following ,

                                            'He washed my eyes with tears,that I might see,

                                             The broken heart I had was good for me

                                             He tore it all a part,and looked inside,

                                             And found it full of fear,so much foolish pride.'

                                              'What are you learning through your tears? '

                                             

                                                      

                                                 

1 Samuel 30 

Prayer a need. (James 5 v 17-18 )

 Daniel was a man of prayer,daily he prayed three times (Dan 6 v 10).we do not have to be like Daniel,it would be good if we  were.But one thing for sure we need to pray,it must be a priorty in all our lives,when should one pray,I have set times of prayer,but of course I pray regularly through the day.I very rarely close my eyes when I pray,especially when I'm driving.I love writing about prayer ,there is so much one can say about prayer. First let me say it is not something one  does to impress people,or even God,or even ourselves.Prayer is a very personal thing,not something one should boast about,it is not to gain browie points,no its connecting with God,bringing all things to Him,praise,petition,and personal.Many people live very busy lives,with challenges each day,they may have deadlines to meet.God undersands all about us and the pressures's we are under,but the fact is because of those things we need to pray,and when we do we will receive the help we need,the wisdom we need,the guidance we need ,and the protection we need,and so on.The pressures's we face are not meant to drive us away from God,but to God, and so one must avail oneself to prayer,He will always welcome us into His presence,always. Although our Saviour told us to pray in secret (Matthew 6 v 5-6) understand why in its conext. It is not wrong to tell people you pray for them,it will encourage them,and even offer to pray with people,but don't be pushy.Remember  as a Christian you have the Holy Spirit who will help you in your prayers,

Burdens ( Isaiah 1 v18)

 Life is often filled with burdens,people are burden with debt, and a mulitude of other things,it is the nature of life.This may seem a negative thing to say,yes it would be if I just left it there,but the wonderful thing is ,there is one we can always turn to,God. Consider ,all of us have done wrong in life,we have told lies,yielded to temptation,the list is endless,what secret wrong are you carrying?,you try and push it away,but it comes back to hunt you.You may have tried to justify what you done,but it doesn't work.The fact is no matter how much we try to paper over the things we have done wrong,they don't go away, nor will they,we may try to brazen it out,but it is still there.I am sure as we look around yes even in church,there are those who have hidden secret sins .There are no secret sins when it comes to God, Hebrews 4 v 13 reads,' Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight.Everything is uncovered and laid bear before His eyes of Him to whom we must give account.'My advice is, respond to the voice of conscience for one day you will give an account  before God ,be sure your sin will find you out,on that day.While there is still breath in your body there is hope,for you can turn to Christ and have all your sins forgiven,no matter how great they have been,if you will seriously seek forgiveness He will forgive.  Ignore this to your cost,for on judgment day there will be no place for repentance,on that day if you have not trusted Christ as your Saviour,you will carry those sins into sins into eternity.

                                                         'Burdens are lifted at Calvary'

Why did He come ? (1 Timothy 1 v 12 -17 )

On the tombstone of John Newton we read, 'Once an inifdel and libertine( given to sensual pleasures) a servant of slaves in  Africa,was by the rich mercies of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,preserved ,restored ,pardoned and appointed to preach the faith he had long sought to destroy'. This is something he never forgot and I'm sure  it inspired him to write the hymn ,'Amazing grace reminds me that we should never think anyone is so bad that God won't save them,or can't save them,for Jesus came into the world to save sinners,it is a gospel for the whosoever,that is the bad,the very bad,and the very,very bad,that means you and me. The hymn writer wrote ,' There's a wideness in God's mercy like the wideness of the sea;' Before John Newton died he said''My memory is nearly gone , but I remember two things,that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Saviour''.

                                                      

                                                 'Here is a trustworthy saying that  deserves 

                                                 full  acceptance; Christ Jesus came into the 

                                                 world to save sinners'.

                                                               1 Timothy 1 v 15)

                                                 

                                                 

Obedience ( Psalm 51)

 It was Spurgeon who wrote of  ' the folly which is satisfied  with hearing God's word and neglecting do  what it says'.How imporant it is to be not just a hearer of the word as one translation puts it,'Do not merely listen to the word,and so decive yourselves.Do what it says. (James 1 v22)   Obedience can be costly,but disobedience can be even more costly.The unsaved pay a terrible price by not obeying the gospel,a price so awful, so terrible,let us remind you that hell is real.For us who have obeyed the gospel  we can rejoice in all blessing that has brought us into,forgiveness freedom and the presence of God. But obedience to the gospel brings us into lifetime of obeying God, The days of doing things our way is finished with,everyday brings the challenge of doing it God's way. The days of running with  the crowd are gone,instead we are now under the challenge ,of walking in obedience to our Lord and Saviour. We as Christians have the Holy Spirit within us and when we grieve the Holy Spirit by our disobience,it will affect our relationship with God,the word of God tells us if we have sin in our lives the Lord will not hear us when we pray He will not listen to us (Psalm 66 v18).Your  peace will go ,joy will go,a sense of God's nearness will go, but all is not lost,repent seek forgiveness, and fellowship with God will be restored.(1 John 1 v 9) 

We just don't know. ( 1 Corinthians 13 v12)

A person called Mikail Bakunin was touched by Beethoven's ninth symphony said in praise of that music,''Everything will pass, and the world will perish, but the ninth symphony will remain''.Part of that saying is true but not it all,for according to scripture this world and the things of this world will pass and indeed perish.It is James who spells it out very clearly when he writes ,'But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bear'.(2 Pet 3 v10) CP Matthew 24 v35.We are destroying this world by the things we do to it.but in God's time it will be totally destroyed by God himself. But that is not the end of the story for as Christians we look for a new heaven and a new earth (2 Peter 3 v13),and most wonderful of all , it will be where righteousness dwells.It will be a holy existence and so it will be a happy existence,as regards Beethovens ninth symphony ,well even though its a lovely piece of music,I don't think it will follow us into eternity or into heaven ,some people might want Mozart,or whoever,and that may just disturb the harmony of heaven,so I think not.The word of God tells us ,'No eye has seen,no hear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.( 2 Corinthians 2 v 9)

)

A beautiful thing. ( Mark 14 v3 -9)

 In Mark 14 v3ff we read how our Saviour was in the home of Simon the Leper,it obivious that Jesus must have healed him,for the law as regards leprosy required that they should be be seperated from  society because it is contagious  (Leviticus),it is not a problem now as it can be treated with antibiotics and other medicines. So here we have Jesus in this home and a woman we believe was Mary (John12 v 3),it was Mary's brother Jesus he had raised from the dead(John 11),she had a great devotion for Jesus, which is shown by what she was about to do.She had a flask full of very expensive perfume,and she went to were Jesus was,broke the flask and poured the perfume over Jesus head.Mark tells us that those present became angry at what she did,Judas was the one who led the angry mob. Judas said that it could have been sold and the money given to the poor (John 12) , but Jesus would have none of that,and this is what He said,'Why are you bothering her? she had done a beautiful thing, One writer said the following,'If love is true,there must always be a certain extravagance in it.It does not nicely calculate the less or more. It is not concerned to see how little it can decently give.If it gave all it had,the gift would still be too little. there is a recklessness in love which refuses to count the cost'.