The human factor. ( Romans 3 v 23/ 6 v 23)

 I love watching sport on TV,I watch golf if Rory Mcllroy is playing,it is wonderful how skilled the top golfer are,yet it amazes me to see them missing a very short put.The next sport I like is snooker ,I used to play it many years ago,now I just watch it on ,yes TV, you see tremendous skill in players potting the balls,but again as in golf,they miss the easiest of balls.Last one is football ,I used to play that when I was young now I'm a couch potato watching it on TV,and like the two previous sports we see players making big mistakes,missing open goals. It raises the question why?,my answer is it's the human factor,that's why those things happen. So it is we are not capable of not sinning,no matter how much we try,there are no sinless people living on planet earth.The nicest people sin ,the most holy people sin,it's the human factor,that is why we need a Saviour,everyone needs a Saviour ,and that Saviour is Jesus,He is the one exception he never sinned,and that is very important,for on the cross he died that our sins could be forgiven,the sinless one dying for sinners.

                                                           'He took my sins and my sorrows,

                                                           He made them His very own;

                                                          He bore the burden to Calvary,

                                                          And suffered ,and died alone. (Words C.H.Gabriel)

Coveting. (Exodus 20 v 3-17)

We don't hear much about the commandments,so it ws good that our pastor chose to speak on one,the last one, 'You shall not covet your neighbour's house.You shall not covet your neighbour's wife,or his mail or female servant,his ox or donkey,or anything that belongs to your neighbour' (Ex 20 v17) I thought I don't want anyone's donkey of course not,but to the people in biblical times a donkey would have been a valuable asset,it still is in some countries.The word anything is in that commandment,so it involves anything that belongs to someone else,it is not only wrong it is a sin,David coveted his neighbours wife and run with that ,and committed adultery, ( 2 Samuel 11),that was two sins Ex 20 v14,and then he had the womens husband murdered ,that's three sin's he committed Ex20 v 13.You may think I can understand adultery,and murder being a sin,but coveting it's only a thought,yes but it's a sinful thought,and that is a sin.Jesus said in Mt 5 v 28,'But I tell you that anyone who  looks on  a woman lustfully has already committed  a adultery in his heart  . Because these commandment are in the OT doesn't mean they don't apply now, they do, all of them,and that is why we need our sins forgiven, and that's why we need Jesus,that our sins may be forgiven.

A crossless Christ ( Galatians 6 v 14)

Every year at  a football final they sing the hymn ,'Abide with Me',it was written by an Anglican minister called H.F.Lyte. He lived in the 19th century,most of his life he suffered from ill health,before he died he wrote that hymn.It is a solemn hymn  emphasising the abiding presence of the Lord through life and into death. Im surprised some hymn books leave a particular verse out which reads,

                                                 'Hold Thou thy cross before my closing eyes

                                                  Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies,

                                                  Heaven's morning break and earth's vain shadows flee

                                                  In life,in death,O Lord, abide with me'.

There are millions of people who believe in a crossless Christ, their Christ is but a prophet, they don't have a Saviour,they are taught that they don't need a Saviour,all they have do is to be obedient to their God. It is a tragedy of monmental proportion ,in doing that they shut themselves out of an eternal place in heaven and condemn thenselves to an eternal place in hell.Over 700yrs before Christ came the prophet Isaiah wrote of one who would bear the sin of many,that means he would suffer the wrath of God,so that if we trust Him we would not bear the wrath of God.Do read Isaiah 52 v 13-15/53.and if you trust Him,your sins will be forgiven,your life will be changed,and your destination will be changed,for the better.

                                                  

A sudden death ( Proverbs 27 v1 )

A young girl suddenly died who attended our church,I had a conversation with her the Sunday before  she died,there was no indication that she was suffering from any serious illness.So there was a degree of shock and sadness when I heard of her death .She was a fine Christian and was involved in the church,and was well liked one can't imagine the loss and pain her parents are feeling.A Dr Morey has written a number of things about death,' Science may make many discoveries,but it will never conquer death'. When God created man and woman they were sinless and perfect and that meant they would never die.They were told not to eat the fruit of certain a tree,if they did they would die,they disobeyed,and so death came into being CP Romans 5v12'Therefore just as sin entered the world through one man,and death through sin,and in this way death came to all people ,because all sinned.' Dr Morey writes that death is not natural, normal or human,death is terrible and unnatural ripping the soul out of man's body.Man was made to live not to die'.But thats not the end, our soul will never die,and the question is this, where will we spend eternity?, will it be heaven or will it be hell?.That young girl is in heaven not hell because she trusted Jesus to be her Saviour , John 3 v 15 reads,'That who believeth in Him should not perish ,but have etrrnal life'.

Are you listening?. ( Romans 1 v 18-20)

In Simon and Garfunkel's song there is a line that reads,'People hearing without listening',  psalm 19  commences,'The heavens declare the glory of God,and the skies proclaim the work of his hands',it goes on to say,'Day after day they pour forth their speech, they use no words,no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into the ends of the earth,' Yes there are many many things that don't literally speak to us that don't have an actual voice.like creation and yet it speaks to us of our creator God,unfortionately people can look at creation admire it,and there it stops,they rob God of His glory,attributing to it just all happened,they are deaf to the voice of creation.Not only that they are looking and not seeing,in doing that they give evidence as to their blindness and their deafness spiritually.Paul says it has severe consequences spiritually,in fact they are with out excuse (Romans 1 v 20),and will be judged accordingly.

                                                         ' Only God can make a tree'  

God first ( John 21 v 15)

This famous quote is from Shakespeare's Henry V111 play spoken by Cardinal Wolsey after falling from the King's favour,'It expresses regret for dedicating his life to political power rather than God admitting: 'Had I but served my God with half the zeal,I served my King,he would not in mine age,have left me naked to mine enemies'.The king became first in Wolsey's life and he served him well,but the king had a short memory,so he fell out of favour,and he was summoned to appear before the king,and more than likely the king was have him executed,but before that happened he died a natural death,in a way that could be seen as a mercy.Sad to say many people yes even children of God, and their lament will be,'if only I had put  God first,if only.If we put God first then everything will fall in place. Here is what our Saviour said,'Seek first his kingdom  and His righteousness,and all things will be given to you as well' (Matt 6 v 33)

We are not worthless ( Ephesians 2 v 1- 10)

 We are told that we were made in God's image, Dr Morey writes as regards this, 'that it simply means that man reflects his creator in certain capacities and capabilities which separate him from the rest of the creation'.Thay may be part of it,John Calvin takes it to mean,'that the chief seat of the Divine image was in his mind and heart,where it was eminent'.But now although some obscure lineaments of that image are found remaining in us; yet are they so reduced and mained,that they may truly be said to be destroyed'. Be that as it may there is something in man,that tells us that although we are not worthy, we are not worthless,in God's eyes. Yes we are siinners with a fallen nature,that manifests itself  in so many awful ways,the list is endless,all of us are ungodly sinners indeed enemies of a holy God. Yet inspite of our sinfulness God concieved a plan,a redemptive plan,to save us( Ephesians 1 v4) ,it was a plan of love ( John 3 v16) for a world that didn't love Him.Jesus the Saviour of the world died on a cross taking the punishment for our sins,He offers us salvation,if we but turn to Him and accept Jesus and we will be forgiven all of our sins.

                                                      'Amazing grace! how sweet the sound

                                                       That saved a wretch like me!

                                                       I once was lost,but now am found:

                                                       Was blind but now I see.'  ( John Newton)

Let us ( Genesis 1 v 26-27)

I often wonder what God meant when He said ,'Let us make mankind in our image,in our likeness' (Genesis 1 v 26),notice that God  says,'Let us' and,'in our image, in our likeness',he is not speaking to angels,for they are created beings,only God can create .It is Leupold in the Barns commentaries who gives a satisfactry answer,'Behind such speaking lies the truth of the Holy Trinity'.There are those even Christians who challenge this veiw,with  human logic,but the fact God is is a triune being ,'Father,Son, and Holy Spirit'. Louis Berkhof writes ,'the OT contains some  indications of more than one person in God,Gen 1 v26,11v7; the Angel of Jehovah is represented as a divine Person.Gen 16v7-13;18: 1-21;19: 1-22.The Spirit is spoken of as a distinct Person,Isa.48 v16; 63v10.In Isa48 v16;61;63:9,10.Due to the progress of Revelation,the NT contains clearer proffs, I end with the following statement ,'The strongest proff is found in the facts of redemption.The Father sends the Son into the world,and the Son sends the Holy Spirit'.( Statements from LBerkhof,book 'Christian Doctrine)

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Prepare for hardship.( Matthew 16v 21 - 26)

If  we are followers of Jesus we must be prepared for whatever,when I was a young man with a wife and children,we felt called to serve God wherever He wanted to go. We applied to the ,'New Tribes mission' to work in New Guinea,and were accepted,this was about 50yrs ago, if you know anything about NG the terrain to say the least is very challenging,we had to go to Austrlia for training,but we were not able to raise the funding .The next place we applied for was  to work in Brazil with the Acre gospel mission,in the interior they called it the green hell,again that door shut.Looking back I'm sure it was for the best but we were prepared to go. That is two examples of being prepared to follow Jesus whatever the cost, but let's look beyond missionary work,to lands where totalitarian goverments rule,like communist countries,or the lands where Islam rules.To become a Christian in those sort of countries brings with it severe consquences,there are people in Eritrea who have been in prision for 20yrs for following Christ,Iran puts many Christians in prision, and the sentences can be very severe for men and women. 2 Timothy 2 v12 reads,'If we endure with Him,we shall also reing with Him'.

Shoplifting. ( Exodus 20 v15 )

 Shoplifting is on the increase in the UK ,its got out of control,seemingly if they steal something under a certain amount ,they don't get prosecutedand the police will not take any action. I feel very strongly against what is happening I heard a discussion on TV,someone said how good honest people will be doing it.Those who steal are not good honest people, they are thieves,and should be ashamed of themselves.The bigger question is this why are they not being prosecuted?,we have laws that deal with all sorts of things.I know that on a human level their are good honest people,but  humanities fallen nature needs to be restrained,the fact is, if they know that they can get away with something they will do it,that is from a minor thing to a major thing.There are evil goverments  that are doing awful things,because they can,don't be under any allusion as regards fallen human nature,it is capable of unbelieveable evil,if it is not restrained

                                                        'Today  shoplifting, tomorrow?'

Everyone. ( Proverbs 22 v 6)

Do you remember ther first time you sinned ? I do, I don't remember what age I was but I was young,at that time I didn't see it as a sin,but it was.Yes even very young children sin,we should not be surprised at that,after all we are born with a fallen nature,and the evidence of that fallen nature can manifested itself in very young children.That is why we should evangilise children,they need to be saved, I prayed for my children even before they were born and every day after that for their salvation.Thanks be to God they all know Christ as their Saviour,Likewise I pray for  my grandchildren and my great grandchildren.Just reently two of my grandchildren have come to know the Lord.I'm praying that they all may come to Christ,prayer is vital ,but teaching them the scriptures is also important. (2 Timothy 3 v15)

                                                                'Everyone needs Jesus,

                                                                 and I mean everyone'

Serving God ( James 1 v 27)

 How can we serve God?that's s good question,there are so many ways we can do that, it is important for all of us to find out,but not only find out but to do it.what would be an indication of some work,if you can't sing then don't join the choir.One of my sons job is an organizer of a group of a Christian churches,another one is the international director of a prayer ministry,he loves doing.What do you like to do?what can you do?.If you have children that's a wonderful ministry,I believe we all have some degree of gifting, in which we can serve God.There are many needy people all around us,pastors don't seem to visit like they use to,there could be valid reasons,lets not be to harsh on them.Maybe God is calling you to fill the gap,in so doing you would be helping your Pastor There is a man I know who lives on his own,I  heard him say he was lonely,his daughter does her best to support him.But she can't be there all the time,so he does'nt see anybody for a whole week.Serving God takes many forms but they are all important.

Meaning ( Romans 1 v 20 )

 In the book of Ecclesiastes 3 v11 we read,'   He (God) has also set eternity in the human heart'. some translations have world instead of eternity,Matthew Henry chooses world, but let us consider, 'that God has set eternity in the human hearts'.Why are  vast sums of money spent in the exploration of space.I believe it can be summed up in one word,'meaning'. They hope they will find the meaning of our exsistence,there is a want within the human heart,that won't go away.The evolutionist has not solved this want,and never will,they cannot answer satisfactory mankinds existence.To say it just all happened is an absurdity that is beyond words,could be that mankind is afraid of the real answer,that there is an eternal God who has placed in our hearts a sense of eternity/,that won't go away.We do try to make it go away in our blindness ,it is a spiritual blindness,that can look up into the heavens and see only the stars.They look at a new born baby and see only a baby, look at the beauty of this would,and only see the beauty.

                                                         'In the beginning God created the 

                                                          heavens and the earth'

                                    

Doing good ( Galatians 6 v 9-10)

It may sound trivial ,but I don't think so,I believe it's very important to do good,I could relate to you the many blessing I have every day,and yet I remenber the many who have very little of anything.Remember faith without works is dead,I can't help remembering my childhood  my mother who had left my father and she was left to bring four of us  ,how difficult it was for her, the difficult times leave their mark on you.but you do recall the kindness of people who helped one through the difficult times. God touched their heart ,I will always remember their kindness,and so does God.We read in Proverbs 19 v17,'Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord and He will reward them for what they have done'.

                                                                'So let us do good'

                                                         

Hell ( Matthew 25 v 41 )

It is a long time since I have heard any preacher mention hell in their sermons ,most evangelials believe that hell is taught in the Bible,why do they not mention it?Dr Morey writes,'Since no one is told why he should believe that there really is a hell,doubts begin to creep into people's minds.It becomes unfashionable to speak of the doctrine of hell as being''unkind'',unloving'', or ''negative''. As one is called to the ministry it brings with it a imperative challenge to preach the whole counsel of God,heaven also hell,But people have said to me we are not to frighten people into become Christians,is that valid, I would say no,the fact is people should be afraid ,they should surely flee from the wrath to come. (Matthew 3 v7) Let us be very clear ,all non Christians are children of God's wrath ,so wrote the apostle of love,John 3v 36.Hell is not preached because we hate non Christians,it is because we love them,and weep for them.No one wants anyone to go to hell no matter how wicked they have been.Hell is not just for the worst of people.A friend of mine said one sin unforgiven  will take a person to hell, but the fact is the nicest of people  have committed many sins.I know many nice people who do a lot of good,but it is not the good we do that is the problem,it is the sins we commit,that's the rub. Jesus frequently spoke  about hell and judgement,as a place of,''unquenchable fire'' outer darkness ,and weeping and gnashing of teeth. If your are not a Christian flee from the wrath of God , turn to Jesus,before it is to late.

Hope ( Romans 4 v18ff)

 Alexander Pope said,''Hope springs eternal in the human heart'',I wonder what you think of those words,during the second world war a lady called Vera Lyn sung a song with the following words,'  We'll meet again,don't know when ,don't know where.But I know we'll meet again some sunny day''.Two aspects of hope,one hopes for many things that may happen ,but then again it may not,there are no guarantees.A elderly Christian lady I know who lives on her own, feels lonely and isolated,claims the promise in Hebrews 13 v 5,'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you',those words are what God has promised to her and to every believer,they give us hope.a sure and certain hope.There are Christians who are in prison cells for their faith,they are not forsaken or forgotten by God ,He is with them.and He is with you.They say that there are two things that are cetain in life,'death and taxes',but that's not true,if we know God we have hope,hope beyond the grave. Our Saviour said that even though we die we shall live again (John 11 v25),and when I have taken funeral services, of a person who is a Christian here are the words I would say as I commit that person to the ground,'earth to earth,ashes to ashes ,dust to dust; in sure and certain hope to eternal life,through our Lord Jesus Christ'.Do you have that hope?

Special ( Mark 3 v7-12)

Himmler's world view removed any notion of the inherent ''specialness''or sancity of human life for those outside his racial definition of Germanic people' The Nazies hated Christianity ,when our Saviour said ,'Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth, (Matthew 5 v 5)he pored scorn on,He stood for Darwins theory,the survival of the fittiest,which led to the destruction of all those  Nazies considered weak. To me humanity is special,whatever their condition or disability,why do I believe that?the answer is God.Nietzsche who is remembered ,for his 'God is dead',belief loathed Christianty and saw that concern for the lowly was a form of poison.He admired the Greeks  not dispite,but because of their cruelty'. Nietzsche would have have seen Christianity as a monster that needed to be destroyed,but those who walked in His footsteps created a monster,in nazism.In spite of humanities sinful condition,and behaviour,our great creator  see's us as special,that He loved us so much that whoever believes in Jesus (the crucified one)shall not perish,but have everlasting life'.  ( John 3 v16),I would just add that our Saviour manifested a loving concern towards the weak ,and disabled,he saw them as important.

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Lonliness ( John 15 v14 )

 It ws the Beatles who sang a song called ''Eleanor Rigby''one the verses went,All the lonely people,where do they all come from? ,All the lonely people,where do they all belong?When I was a young boy,we knew our neighbours,there were those who came into our house,they were very friendly.And one knew most of the children in the street,we played  marbles,or kick the tin,we even played football in the street,there was not to much traffic then,different now.I suppose they were happy days,people were friendly,very few people owned their own homes,rents were not to dear.Things have changed people are better off materially,one of the things that many people suffer from is lonliness.I have felt lonliness at times, particulary when I came back to the Lord but God brought people into my life who befriended me.I believe God can meet our needs,and provide friends for us,he has done it for me all through my life.My best  friend is my Saviour Jesus,he is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother,I am conscious of His presence with me everyday.I talk to Him all the time,and He listens.

                                             'What a friend we have in Jesus'

                                              

                                              

                                             

Suffering ( Habakkuk 3 v16-19)

A friend of mine said this,'Can't help wondering about the purposes of God,but still we must surrender to His wisdom'.Yes we all must wonder at times,why many of God's children are suffering terrible things by evil regimes and evil people. It hits a person hard when something evil happens to someone you love,I do not know how I would react if it happened to me,would I curse God and die? .It is easy to mouth words ,the fact is we do not know how we would react.In the daily devotional,Our Daily Bread, one of the contributors wrote the  following,'' You deceived me,Lord''the prophet Jeremiah cried (20 v7) ''Will you forget me forever?'' David wrote ( Psalm13 v1) ''God has wronged me'' Job said (19 v 6) The writer said, God never rebuked them.Those three men were not perfect but they were honest as to how they felt,I believe God wants honesty from us, for he loves us,and understands why we are angry at him,in that darkest place He is there with us,yes standing somewhere in shadows is Jesus,who by His grace will bring us through this trial of our faith to a brigther day.

                                                                         A prayer

                                                        'Let no incident of life,pleasing or

                                                         painful,injure the prosperity of my

                                                         soul'. Amen.

                                                             From Valley of Vision.

                                                             

It is no secret ( Ephesians 3 v 20)

 One evening Stuart Hamble visted John Wayne,and they were discussing how people solved problems, Stuart said,'It is no secret what God can do in a man's life'.As he was leaving John  said,'Stuart you should write a song abou that',and he did just that,and it became a very popular song,Here are the words he wrote.

                                                    'The chimes of time ring out the new's,

                                                     Someone slipped and fell, was that someone you.

                                                    You may have longed for  added strength

                                                     Your courage to renew

                                                     Do not be dicouraged,for I bring news forbyou.

                                                     It is no secret what God can do,

                                                     What He's done for others,He'll do for  you,

                                                     With arms wide open He'll pardon you,

                                                      It is no secret what God can do.

                                          'Look up to our God ,who can do the impossible'

                                                  

Unique. (Genesis 1 v26-27)

I read recently how certain people before they make important decisions consult chicken bones, why do they do that?, simply because they are Animist, who believe that animals,plants,rocks,rivers and weather systems possess a distinct spiritual essence.Hinduism incorporates signifcant elements of animism. I suppose that's why they turn to chicken bones.I remember reading of a man shouting at a rock,wanting a response.There was an song with the following words,'I spesk to the trees but they don't listen to me,of course they don't,because they are trees. Only man was made in the imsge of God,only man exsits after death,only man or humanity can have a relationship with God.But the question is this,where will we exsist after death ?,will it be heaven or hell?,that depends if they we  have come to a right relationship with God,that comes about when we come to know Jesus as our Saviour, that is why He came into this sinful world,to save sinners.

                                                          'In loving kindness Jesus came,

                                                          My soul in mercy to reclaim

                                                          And from the depths of sin and shame

                                                          Through grace He lifted me'