Doing good ( Matthew 5 v 16)

I take an interest in the work of 'The missionary aviation fellowship',they work in 24 countries,and have about 124 airplanes operating in those countries.They are a Christian humanitarian organization,they do so much good,but they also work with churches,and seek to spread the gospel.Papua New Guinea is their largest programine with a fleet of 14 aircraft.I just read an article how the power of the gospel transformed two waring tribes,that today former enemies are running  a church -run   health service work. The gospel means good news to a very needy world,people come to know Christ as their Saviour,and become new creations,they are better people.As Christians we are told that we should do good works,(Ephesians 2 v 10) That's what MAF are doing,and many other organizations are doing,and if we are Christians that's what we should be doing.

A new world coming. ( Revelation 21 v 1 )

 In Romans 8 v 22- 27 we have the word groaning mentioned three times,the first one relates to creation as it where groaning like a woman in child -birth for the new creation.When sin entered into this world everything  changed for the worst.W .Hendriksen writes,'Creation is subject to arrested development and constant decay,though it aspires,it is not able fully to achieve'. Paul writes of it being frustrated,but in verse 21 he writes of creation being liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.Again as WH writes ,'Natures destiny is intimately linked up with that of''the sons of God''A great day is coming  when all that is wrong with creation will be totally changed.Calvin says these groans are birth-pangs,not death panges' Our Saviour in Rev21 v5 proclaims ,'I am making everything new' that includes creation.

                                                           'There is an new world coming'

I will follow Him. ( Matthew 7 v13-14)

I was being shown the way to my bedroom in the hotel in which I was staying and the young lady said,'Follow me', it was then quietly ,I sung a few lines from the 'I will follow Him' song. I then asked her was she following Jesus?,she  said she wasn't,and then I said ,you should be.This may sound strange to some people but everybody should follow him. The question is why?firstly if you are not following Jesus,you are on the broad road to destruction,it is a broad road,many choose that road,it appears an easy road,but its not,it's a road where there are so many pitfalls,so many dangers,The end of that road leads to destruction, that does not mean we cease to exsist,no, our soul never dies,so for ever and ever our soul continues to exsist in a a state of awfulness,there is no escape,no way out ,no hope,no happiness,no joy,. only a weeping and wailing,intense grief and unending sorrow.I don't want anyone to go there,God dosen't either.and so He sent Jesus into the world to save them,but alas so few follow him,so few,so why don't you trust him to be your Saviour.

Are you listening? (Hebrews 12 v 25)

 I'm sure you have said,or you have heard how people in frustration say,'Your not listening',let us lift it to a higher level,God knows all about people not listening,his people,time after time he spoke to them and they did not listen.God continually spoke to His people,and unfortionately they refused to  listen,he pleaded with them,beseeching them to listen ,but they would not listen. Here is an example,from the prophet Zechariah he had returned from exile in Babylon,and ministered to the people in Jerusalem. In 7 v8ff it starts with him receiving a word from God  to his people,God exhorted his people to 'Administer true justice,show mercy and compassion to one another.Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless,the foreigner or the poor.Do not plot evil against one another'.Very reasonable but here is God's reply,'But they refused to pay attention,stubbornly they turned their backs and covered their ears'.These words were spoken to Israel before the exile,time after time still they would not listen.So God says,'When they called, I would not listen.'Not only would he would not listen,he poured out judgement upon them,very servere judgement.Just recently I have witnessed to a number of people,one in particular,a man who has turned away from God.I did not say much to him,other than he had a choice,like him we all have a choice,if we turn away God ,won't listen to him,there is consquences,so if today you hear his voice ,harden not your heart.

Only one God.( John 10 v 30)

 What can we say about God ?in Psalm 103 v 8  reads,'The Lord is compassionate and gracious,slow to anger,abounding in love'.People appear to ignor these words,and indeed reject what they would call the God of the OT,as if the NT is proclaiming a different God,and of course that's not true.There is only one God  there is none other cp Isaiah 45  v5-6 ,/14/18/21/22. chap 46 v9,47 v10.There is not two god's ,there is only one God,his nature is the same in the NT as it is in the OT.The God who is compassionate in the OT,was compassionate in the person of Jesus who was God manifest in the flesh '1 Timothy 3 v 16/ John 1 v1/v14'.These words were written by John,who also recorded the confession by Thomas ,who called Jesus God and Lord ( John 20 v28.) As for Jesus the writers of the gospels ,wrote how compassionate he was Cp Matthew 9 v36-38/Mark 6 v34/ Luke 7 v13/ John 11 v35.As God in the OT is gracious we read in John 1 v17 we read ,'Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.We leave it at that,what I have written ,hopefully will show you that there is only one God  in the whole of the Bible.

Pride ( Micah 6 v 8)

I was watching an old movie on Henry 8th ,and they have Henry saying,'I'm the King of England,when I pray God answers'.What a proud statement that is,so very opposed to what the word of God teaches.James 4 v6 reads,'God opposes the proud,but shows favour to the humble.This verse tells us a very important thing about a proud person ,God opposes such a person,he detests such a person,Goliath was such a person and we know what happened to him (2 Samuel 16).Nebuchadnezzar was full of pride and made a boast,as he look out over Babylon,he said,'Is this not great Babylon I have built as the royal residence,by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?' What followed God judged him by driving him out to the  fields ,to live with the wild animals and to eat grass' (Daniel 4 v28 ff.) Herod sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people.The people shouted out,'This is the voice of a god, not of a man,and immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down,and he was eaten by worms and died' Because he did not give glory to God(Acts 12 v19 -24) We see in all this the sin of pride and it's consquences

The day of the Lord (Acts 17 v 31)

Zephaniah is speaking God's word,most of it is about the day of the Lord, a day of judgment that was  coming.chap 1 v 10 - 13 .Gordon Bridger writes that  what is being said was a word of judgement to the  business community.they were going to loose everything,even there own lives.God does not ignor sin wherever it is found.Often in history fortunes were made from exploiting those they employed,it still goes on,especially in poor countries.The industrial revolution brought great changes and prosperity for some,but for many they were exploited, even children.Verse 12 reads,'At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are complacent'. Nothing is hid from a holy God. They were thinking ,''The Lord will do nothing good or bad''. Alec Motyer describes what they say as practical atheism,they were saying what we do, does not matter to God'' Isaiah the great prophet spoke of those who were religious but their religion,was but a sham. 'They were very religious read Isa 1 v 10- 17,to an onlooker they were doing all the right things,but there was an onlooker who saw beyond all their false religion,saw the evil things they were doing,their religion was a sham religion,and God the onlooker was going to judge them,  but first of all he pleads with them to repent ,God does not delight in Judging people,but he will if he has to.

                                                                'Read Isaiah 1 v 18-20'