Jesus the only hope ( Revelation 2 v1 - 8)

Raymond Brown in his book on Hebrews writes ,' Jesus has come into the world into the world to show us what man is like in God's original purpose and what man can be through Christ's effective work'. As we look at this world as it is,we see how far we have deteriated from God's original creation.The deluded evolutionist tells us that we have evolved from a lower to a higher species.No ,man was created as perfect human beings, but the sad fact is ,we are not improving as human beings, one would think that we some how would have learned that if we keep on the way we are going, it will be disasterous.From hopelessness to a message of hope,think of what Raymond Brown said,that 'what humanity can be through Christ's effective work'.God's purpose in Jesus coming is good news for us sinners,.His death on the cross, means our sins can be forgiven,and our lives can be transformed.and we can live eternally.no longer are we headig for hell,no we are heading for a new heaven and a new earth and we will be with Jesus,and we will be like Jesus,perfect.

                                                              'Despair not ,hope in Jesus'

Healings ( Luke 18 v 27)

 I was visiting a friend,who struggles with life,even more so .as he grows older, he has been a Christian a long time. He often says why do we not see miracles now,I'm sure there are reasons ,there are who believe that the miracles we read in scripture ,have ceased.I'm reluctant to say that,but it is true that we don't see miracles ,and I don't have an answer.I am very reluctant to give people false hope,but it is obvious that God can heal .As I write this I remember a friend who had an illness,that no one survives from,he was healed,and showed me the before and after x-rays,the before showed how the illness had affected his lungs,and the after  showed that it was all clear. All I can say if it is God's will He will heal,he will answer our prayers and even heal people.1 John 5 v14-15 reads,''This is the confidence we have in approaching God;that if we ask anything according to His will,he hears us.And if  we know that he hears us,whatever we ask,we know that we have what we asked of Him.''

Why oh why? ( Philippians 2 v5-11)

No one likes being humiliated ,when I was in the army as a boy soldier,there was an occasion when a certain corporal was giving us drill and he called one of the young lads out.And he berated him saying this is what we have to face the Russians with, the cold war was still a reality.That young lad must have felt humiliated ,it is not nice to be humiliated,no one likes it,one feels a sense of shame.The word of God tells us this about our Saviour,that before he came into this world He had equality with God, In other words the angels worshipped Him (Hebrews 1 v 6),by Him all things were made (Hebrews 1 v2),just to remind you that God is a triune being,Father,Son,and Holy Spirit, they are not three gods,they are one, and they work in harmony with each other.But this is what God the Son did,He left aside the trappings of His deity, and  did something incredible,he took up the humble  position of a slave and became human.And then He humbled Himself in obedience to God,by dying on a cross. Those who put Him on that cross hated Him, during his three and a half years of ministry,they hated him with a vehemence that reached a transcendo of viciousness and cruelty,when they arrested Him they sought to totally humiliate Him. Why oh why did He go through all that?,the answer is simple but profound ,to bring salvation to a lost world,to save you, and to save me.

There is hope ( Luke 23 v 39- 43)

I heard these words recently ,' You may not know it ,your not beyond redemption'.the apostle Paul called himself the chief of sinners,and then he added,''Of whom I am worse''.  ( 1 Timothy 1 v 15) In Romans 5 v  6 we read ,'Christ died for the ungodly'.In the Gospels the religious people appeared not to offer any hope of salvation to those they thought were sinners,inspite of the fact that their greatest king sinned greatly and was forgiven,we speak of David who committed adultery and murder.Many people today are a bit like the Pharisees they don't hold out much hope for people being forgiven. The reason Christ came was to save sinner,no matter how sinful they  are,no matter how wicked they have been. The nation of Israel so often in their history sinned against God who is holy,yet God said to them,''Come now,let us reason together,''Says the Lord,''Though your sins are like scarlet,they shall be as white as snow; Though they are red as crimson,they shall be as wool'.(Isaiah 1 v18) Forgiveness is offered no matter if you are a deep died sinner,you can be forgiven if you turn to Jesus in repentance and seek forgiveness you will be saved.

         

                                                     'The vilest offender who truly believes,

                                                      That moment from Jesus a pardon receives,'

                                                                   Word F J.Crosby

He knows what He's doing ( 1Corinthians 1 v26-29) 4Gideon

Lets consider another lesson from Gideon when he was he was faced with an army of many thousands and he had only three hundred soldiers, to the natural eye,it was absurd ,and yet those three hundred won the victory.Remember David and the giant,in 1Samuel 17,and how David little more than a boy won the victory over that giant,God knows what He is doing.His ways are not our ways,in  Isaiah 55v  8-9 we read,'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts' God chooses nobodies and make them somebodies,that's God way ,He knows what He is doing,so trust Him and obey Him.

Trust (Psalm 37)

Someone wrote as regards something that happened ,'That it was not a coincidence but a God-incidence'. a very insightful statement.David as an old man wrote the 37th Psalm and in verse 23,we read ,'The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord',it was very appoberiate that this godly old man wrote those words.As an old man myself I look back on my life I can trace God's hand in all my life. Of course it is sometimes hard to see that at the time,if only we could it would save us a lot of worries,a lot of pain. Out of his experance  he wrote this Psalm , in three verses we have the word trust, what are you facing today? difficulties , disappointments ,'discouragements,dangers,'Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding'.Think upon  those words ,That it was not a coincidence but a God-incidence', do you doubt that?,why not replace doubt with ,'Trust'.David experienced so many difficulties ,he lost two sons,and his dearest friend,King Saul hunted him like a wild amimal,but his God who is our God brought him through ,the poet wrote,

                                                           Sovereign Ruler of the skies,

                                                            Ever gracious ever wise;

                                                            All my times are in Thy hand,

                                                            All events at Thy command,   (Words John Ryland)

To God be the glory. ( Titus 3 v5-7)3

 Let's consider a lesson that Gideon had to learn,in Judges chap7 Gideon prepares for war with an army of  thirty two thousand. But God speaks and tells him to reduce the army ,why ? the reason being  Israel would boast that they got the victory, and would rob God of the glory.The army was reduced to ten thousand,but God was not finished, He reduced the army to three hundred.Israel had to learn the lesson that we  also need to learn,He must have all the glory.When it comes to salvation the apostle Paul writes,' For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves,it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast'. ( Ephesians 2 v 8-9)Likewise in Romans 11 v 6  we read,' And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would be no longer grace.So in relation to salvation and all things we must give God all the glory. 

                                            'To God be the glory! Great things He hath done!

                                            So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,

                                            Who yielded His life an atonement for sin

                                            And opened the life-gate that we may go in.'