Who is the guilty one? ( Ephesians 2 v 1-10)

 Darius became the King of Babylon and during his first year ,Daniel reads from the scrptures,and the words from the prophet Jeremiah that the captivity in Babylon,they would return to Israel after 70yrs,and so he prays to God .  (Chap 9) It is a prayer of repentance for Israels past sins that brought God's judgement upon them.He puts the blame on Israel for what has happened and he includes himself ,continually he says,'We have sinned', he does not blame God,nor should we ,God is not guilty of doing anything wrong. Verse 7 he says,'Lord ,you are righteous,but this day we are covered with shame',yes God is not guilty,look out at the world,is God guilty of all the wickedness that mankind is doing?,of course not, we are , I mean all of us,we all are without exception guilty,Romans 3 v23 'For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God'.  A minister once said to a young lady,this is what you must pray;''God be merciful to me a sinner'' 'I'm not a sinner',she shot back ,and added,'And if you knew me you'd know I wasn't' People are spiritually blind,blind to their condition,blind as to the great danger they are in,for after death  they will be judged by a holy God.

                                                             ' God is not guilty

                                                               but we are,that is

                                                               why we need Jesus'  

                                                         

Blockages ( Psalm 51 )

 I am sure many have had blocked drains,the drain needs the blockage to be removed,in the puplic drainage systems there is often  a big problem with fatbergs,they can be very large,but they need to be removed. The Bible tells us about something that can be seen as a blockage, in our relationship with God.In Isaiah 59v 1-2 ,God speaks to Israel reasuring them how that he can deliver them from their enemies,yes he can,but v2 tells there was a problem that is hindering that,here is how it reads,'But your iniquities have seperated you from your God.; your sins have hidden his face from you,so that he will not hear.'It is as serious as that, shut out from the presence of God.If we want our prayers to be answered then the blokage of sin will have to be removed,no ifs or buts,we must face up to this.Sin is not meant to be our companion, if it is  the very thing that we treasure it will be like chasim that we cannot cross,only till we deal with the blockage of sin,can we regain our relationship with God. When Hudsons Tailors wife was dying,her name was Marie,she said this as regards her relationship with God,there was no clouds between her and God.

A everlasting kingdom. (Daniel 7 v 27)

One of the most important doctrine we must hold unto like grim death,is the Sovereignty of God,because I believe that things in this world are going to get worse.I mean on a world wide scale. Cp Daniel 7 v24-25 /2 Thessaloians 2 v 3-4.Daniel was a man whom God  revealed so much to,one that stands out it involved  a  king of Greece ,Dan 8 v 21./ 10 v20/ 11v3. This was none other than Alexander the Great,he came 200yrs after this prophecy. It has been more than 2000yrs  since Daniel and Paul prophesied of as Paul called him,'The man of lawlessness',make no mistake about it ,it will came to pass.He will be powerful but not more powerful than God,in Daniel 7 v 26 we read,'His power will be taken away and completely destroyed for ever',by our sovereign God (Dan7 v27)When he comes he will manifest great power it will be a challenging time for even the children of God, but again God is sovereign,the kingdoms of this world come and go,but not the kingdom of God it is an everlasting kingdom,ruled by King Jesus.

Praying Hyde ( Mark 16 v15)

 Suddenly a name popped into my head  ,'Praying Hyde',so much locked  away in our memories,here was one.He was an American and served as a missionary in India. He was totally given to  prayer and evangelisim,it was said of him that he was consumed  by praying,he listened to God, pleaded with God, he wept before God.That is why he is remembered as the Apostle of prayer,from weakened by food -less days and sleepless nights,with sobs as he pleaded ,'O ,God give me souls or I die'.He knew the awful consequences that awaited  the lost in eternity,in other words he knew the value of a soul,do you? ,do I?.

                                                                   'Rescue the perishing

                                                                    Care for the dying.

                                                                    Snatch in them in pity

                                                                     from sin and the grave;

                                                                     Weep o'er the erring one,

                                                                      Tell them of Jesus the

                                                                           mighty to save'

Elijah ( James 5 v 13ff)

   I like Elijah that great prophet ,he prayed and rain stopped for three and a half years,and then he prayed again,and the rain fell.Then the great event on mount Carmel ,where he withstood against  450 false prophets,and challenged Israel to follow God. ( 1 Kings 18 v16ff)What a man, a great prophet, yes he was ,but listen he was a man,as James points out he was ,'Just like you and I' ,( James 5 v17) In 1Kings 19  we see the mighty prophet full of fear,lying under a bush wanting to die,here is what he prays,' I have had enough,Lord,take my life'.Is that you today? ,well God understood how he felt,and prepared a meal for him,and give him rest.Later on God spoke to him quietly,softly,and he assured him that there was still  a faithful remnant in Israel. God renewed Elijah,and still continued to use  him,until he took him home to glory.Don't put anyone on a pedestal,honour those who should be honoured,but remembering that they are imperfect human beings as you are, and I am. 'Keep in touch with God',Elijah kept praying to God,and God brought him through,he will do the same for you, and for me.

Lift them up ( Luke 10 v25ff)

 I recently watch a movie about President Roosevelt and his struggle with polio,it was a very lovely movie,I enjoyed it very much. PR went to a particular place where polio were being treated.,there he met other people who had polio,one could say they bonded together.There came a day when left the place he was being treated,but before he left he said this to the residents,''Do what you do best,lift one another up''I think that is a challenge to us all,how do we do that?.Their are many ways,by showing kindness,love, ,and going the extra mile.A man in Angola walked 200 kilometres to a hospital in Zambia,he was asked why he did that ?,he said,'The people here show patients love and respect'.It is a Christian hospital,surely every Christian should show respect and love,,to everyone.Dont always preach at people,but offer to pray with them,and if thay need help ,help them.But do witness to them when you have an opportunity,everyone needs Jesus,never forget that,think of the words of David in Psalm 40,speaking of God's goodness,'He lifted me out of a slimy pit,out the a mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock,and gave me a firm place to stand'.Yes that's what the gospel does ,it lifts people up.

Only Him.(1 Kings11 v 9 ff)

 It was said of the king of the Hungarians,when he became a Christian,was reproached by a monk for continuing to offer sacrifice ,'to various false god's', he cheerily  acknowledged that he was hedging his bets', When Paul visited Athens a place of many god's,he became distressed that the city was full of idols,he found out later that one idol was dedicated to the unknown god.they were hedging their bets,in other word they were  hedging there bets.in case they got it wrong.When Assyria conquered the 10 tribes (called Israel) they brought in people from other lands to repopulate Israel,and we read  that they worshipped the Lord,but they also served their own God's.  (2 Kings 17 v 33)Of course this goes against what God said in Exodus 20v 3,which reads .'You shall have no other God's before me' in Isaiah 45 v5 ,God declares ,'I am the Lord ,and there is no other; apart from me there is no God'. We  cannot hedge out bets,we cannot worship football ,money,clothes, sex,pop stars,film stars,political leaders,other religions etc.

                                                           'The dearest idol I have known,

                                                            Whatever that idol be,

                                                             Help me to tear it from Thy throne'

                                                             And worship only Thee'

                                                                           W. Cowper.

He cares (John 11 v 35)

 Most of us know what the book of  Job is about, a man who suffered greatly,a man who lost all his ten children,all his possessions,and his health. The book of Job tells us about the man,this is what it says,'This man was blameless,and upright (he was not sinless,/these are my words) he feared God and shunned evil' My what a godly man  he was,what a testimony he had.So why did he suffer? it's a good question,what's the answer,for God permitted him to go through this.If you read the book of Job ,the main charactors are ,first God,then his friends,the devil, his three fiends. There is one other person mentioned his wife ,it is interesting as to her reaction.remember she is hurting,she is grieving,someone has said this,'good people can and do get angry'.pray for people who are grieving,  yes Christians get angry,even with God. One writer comments,' Job's  desperate plight provokes his to wife cry out,'Are you still holding  unto your integrity? Curse God  and die! (2 v 9) Yes Job was hurting dreadfully, and he rebuked his wife for saying that,'He replied ,'You foolish woman . Shall we accept good from God,and not trouble?'. Job a very spiritual man recognises that God has allowed these things to come into his life,for God is sovereign,there are no second causes,the hymn writer wrote ,'Every joy or trial falleth from above'whatever God permits painful things to come into our lives,He has a purpose,and it is loving purpose.There was moment in a storm ,and Jesus was asleep,and to the disciples it appeared that he didn't care, and so they woke him,with these words,'Master , carest thou not that we perish'( Mk 4 v 38ff) Believe me he cares (1 Peter 5 v7)

He will lead (Exodus 13 v 21- 22)

 I went to visit someone recently,I thought I knew where she lived,but I was wrong,I hadn't brought my sat nav,so I got out of  my car  to ask someone,she couldn't speak English. I asked someone else and they used the google map.so off I went and still couldn't find it. I wearily walked back to my car, I spoke to God and said where is the cloud(The one that led Israel in the wilderness),and the monent I said that, I saw the place I was looking for. Was that a coincidence, some would say it was,let us remember there are no coincidences with God,possibly He was reminding me that He is my guide, not was,He is my guide now,and will be my guide tomorrow and all my tomorrows, God guarantees that for all His children, the hymn writer say's . Can I doubt His tender mercy,who through life has been my guide?

                                                      'I will insruct you and teach

                                                      you in the way you should go'

                                                                 Psalm32 v8

The word of God ( 2 Timothy 3 v 14-17)

 In the autumn of 1526, Cuthbert Tunstall ,the Bishop of London had a large bonfire in which he burned as many copies of   William Tyndale's NT as he could ccontain.It appears a strange thing to do,why did he do that ?,well there were a number of reasons,such as a 'Fear of heresy  and misinterpretation: Catholic authorities believed that putting the Bible directly into the hands of ordinary people without clerical guidance would lead to false  teachings'.The Catholic Church has until recently discoursged people from reading the Bible.An elderly friend of mine who was a Catholic asked his priest why RC's were forbidden  to read the Bible,he replied ,'When people read the Bible they become  Protestants'.   One may smile at this but there is a degree of truth in those words.  Psalm 119 v130 reads,' The entrance of your words;it gives understanding to the simple',one person comments,'  It makes deep wisdom and guidance to ordinary,teachable,or humble people,regardless of human status or high scholarship'.

                                                         'Read and understand God's word   

                                                          it brings great reward'                                                                                   

The unchaging one (Hebrews 13 v8)

I opened a little book I  had, and read,'God is not the great I was',no he's not,he is the same yesterday ,today and tomorrow.The greatest people are yesterdays people,they are just a memory,we can rattle of their names,their greed, deeds,but they are gone,we can look at their graves, but they are gone, as one day we will be.Let us think about God,In Exodus 3 where Moses had an encounter with God,who spoke to him from a bush,God was sending him. to bring his people out of Egypt.Moses asked God what his name and he replied,'I Am ,who I Am'Tell the people,''I am has sent me to you.'' I  Am' has the meaning of being eternal and unchanging.Yes he is not the great ''I was''.I remember listening on Utube to a Muslim  who challenged those present to tell him when did Christ say he was God. I would like to give you an answer,in John 8 v 53 Jesus was asked by the Jews,'Who do you think you are?',in v 56ff' 'Jesus said,'Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.'they replied,'You are not yet fifty years old,'....And you have seen  Abraham!,and Jesus replied,' Very truly I tell you ,before Abraham was born,I am'.

The Bible ( Psalm 119 v105 )

 There are people who have great knowledge and understanding,now I am not in that catagoria,I could read from an early age ,and we were taught the times tables example,=5and 5 equals 10.I do not remember in having interest in much that was taught in school. I remained through my school days in the lower levels.The result being, it didn't help one in to get a decent job,many were like that in those days, becoming a Christian did change my Life,I found something that gripped me, it was the Bible. As I went on  in my Christian life l studed the Bible,going to Bible college helped a great deal. godly men taught us,and one bought commentaries on the books of the  Bible ,which I still use.My advice to you is, read your Bible, get to know it ,and to understand it. Don't just rely on preachers,good and all as they are, one sermon a week is not enough,get all the helps you can on the books of the Bible,and if you do you will grow in  knowledge of  the Bible,but don't make just a head knowledge,let it touch your heart,and you will grow spiritually.

                                                                  ' The word of God'

                                                               'Read it ,study it,obey it'

Never alone ( Psalm 22)

 The Christian is never alone,but as regards human companionship we can be alone,human companionship is important,God said it is not good for man to be alone Gen2 v18.We need human companionship ,but it  is not  always so.But the good news is God is always with us,from the moment you are a Christian God the Holy Spirit dwells within us, we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. ( 1 Cor 6 v19) So we are alone but not alone,it must have very painful for our Lord when his disciples left him.It reminds us what is written in Hebrews 4 v14ff  of Jesus our great high priest.'For we do not have a high priest  who is unable to feel sympathy for our weaknesses,but we have one who has been tempted in every way,just as we are- yet he did not sin'.Also remember  his cry of desolation, 'My God, my God,why have you forsken me?'(Mark 15 v 34,these words are a fulfillment of Psalm 22 v1We understand that Christ was a man but in his humanity he endured the forsakeness we merit because of our sin.So he knows what the depth of lonliness feels like. so when we come to him in our lonliness,he understands how we feel , Our Saviour and great high priest  will grant us in his mercy the grace we need in our times of lonliness.  (Hebrews 4 vc16)

Very important words ( Proverbs 4 v 20 -21)

 It was a wonderful wedding,the biggest one I've ever been at,one of my grandsons was getting married,they are  both Christians,After they became man and wife we all sat down for a meal,and then people were called to give a speech.It was lovely to listen to the speeches,many nice things were said,mixed with humour.I was not called to contribute,but if I had I would have said something of very great importance to my dear grandson and his dear wife,in fact it is of utmost importance for every Christian to hear,'Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths' (Proverbs 3 v 5-6 )

The importance of prayer ( Luke 18 v1ff)

How important is prayer to you? is it only an emergence service?,lets turn to the book of Daniel,Daniel was in exile,but he and his three friends were promoted to high office.Let us think about Daniel,after King Belshazzar was overthrown by King Darius,Daniel was promoted to high office ,other ministers sought to  remove him from power.They could find no fault with him,so this is what they did,they went to the King and convinced him to pass a law that forbid anyone to to pray to any god except to the king,for thirty days,it also stipulated that if anyone disobeyed, they would be thrown into a den of lions. When Daniel learned about it, he went to his room,got down on his knees  and prayed, it was his custom to pray three times a day.The other ministers reported to the king how Daniel was praying,and he should be executed, the king could do nothing about it,and reluctantly agreed to it.So let us come back to the question I asked at the beginning,'How important is prayer to you?.

                                                          'We perish if we cease from prayer

                                                           O grant us power to pray'

My way or God's way? ( Psalm 118 v 14)

 Frank Sinatra most popular song was ,'I did it my way',I did read once he was fed up singing it,it is and was a very popular song, it is played at funerals a lot.It could be seen as the national anthem of unbelievers,it is a statement of man's independance from God.It rings very hollow when you hear it often enough,as a Christian I acknowledge my dependance on God,the more we  rest in God the better for us. Jesus said apart from me you can do nothing.  (John 15 v 5) It was the apostle Paul who said,I can do all things through him who gives me strength (Phil 4 v 13)It was God's grace that sustained him in all his weakness,we read these words that God spoke to him ,' My grace is sufficient for you,for my power is made perfect in weakness.' (2 Cor 12 v 9).Think of what he  accomplished in his life time,how ? by relying on God ,he was a man of great learning,but he still depended on God,and so must we,and whatever are calling in life may be,he will be with us, in the fulfillment of it.

Home truths. ( James 3 v 1 -12)

 I'm sure we all have heard the saying ,'Home truths'.it means simply telling someone something they are blind to,or do not want to hear.Some people do it to hurt someone,or destroy them,they don't speak in love to that person,more that likely to humilitate them,it is not the Christian way.In Colossians 4 v6  we read, Let your speech always be with with grace,seasoned with salt,' One comment on these words goes,' Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation,nor put them down, not cut them out'.Someone I admire is John Lennox,who publicly speaks with Richard Dawkins,and Christopher Hitchens in defence of Christianity,he is always very gracious ,not in anyway seeking to humiliate them.It is important to remembering we are not there to win the argument at all costs.The greatest example of gracious speaking was Jesus. They said of Jesus,'No one ever spoke like this man,'( John 7 v 46).And in Luke 4 v22 we read,'So all bore witness to Him,and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded  out of  His mouth'.May we be given grace to be more like Jesus,when we speak.

Love ( 1John 3 v1-3)

John Denver wrote a lovely song,called ,'Perhaps Love',three of the verses start as follows,'Perhaps love is like a resting place,A shelter from the storm/ Perhaps love is like a window,Perhaps an open door/ Perhaps love is like the ocean,Full of conflict ,full of pain'.It is a nice to listen to,but it is a bit ambiguous,in other words it is not very clear,nothing challenging.Much in all as I like the song it leaves much more to be said,so where do we turn to? and the answer is the Bible,do you know that God is love,(1 John 4 v 8) what a profound statement.Not only is he love. he loves in the most wonderful way,one just has to look at the cross,that is the greatest manifestation of love one can imagine,as the hymn writer puts it,'The love of God is greater far,than tongue or pen can ever tell; it goes beyond the highest star,And reaches to the lowest hell; Could we with ink the ocean fill,and were the skies of parchment made;Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade; To write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry,Nor could the scroll contain the whole,Tho stretched from sky to sky.'Yes it is beyond our comprehension,it is a love that reaches out to the world,but it is a personal love,as the apostle declared,'I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me' (Galatians 2 v 20)

Misfortune ( Psalm 30 v 5)

A Russian composer wrote a piece of music ,and called it,'I carried my misfortune',I'm sure many people could say that, it reminds me of words from Les Miserables ,'There's a grief that can't be spoken, There's a pain that goes on and on'.I was talking to a lady whose brothers wife had died,she was 91,they had been married 61 years,and he is struggling to cope.Yes there are so many people carrying misfortunes around with them, the Christian  is no different,and yet there is a difference,there is one who walks with us, his name is Jesus I like what he said to his disciples and to us also,'Lo I am with you always' (Matthew 28 v 20)  and he really cares for us,in all our misfortunes,all our sorrows,all all our losses. Though we walk through the darkest valley he is with us,we are not alone.May he grant unto us in our times of misfortune a abuntant measure of his grace,peace and love.

                                                            'In every pang that rends the heart

                                                             The man of sorrows has a part,

                                                             He sympathizes  with our grief,

                                                             And to the sufferer sends relief'

The will of God ( 2 Corinthians 12 v 7-10)

 Have you ever hoped and prayed for a miracle?at this time a dear friend of mine needs a miracle,I  do pray  for him,asking God ,and this is the most important point ,if it is God's will that he would heal him,John 5 v14-15 reads 'This is the confidence we have  in approaching God:that if we ask anything in 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'.William Barclay wrote the following,'We are so apt to think that prayer is asking God  for what we want,whereas true prayer is asking  God for what He wants'.There is a great deal of wisdom in these words, remember what our Saviour  prayed in the garden just before he was betrayed,'My Father if it is possible,may this cup be taken from me',here was Jesus overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death'.and in his humanity he was not just asking  that he would he would not have to go through the terrible suffering he was going to experience,no he went on to pray,'Yet not as I will,but as you will' ( Matthew 26 v39)No human being would want to suffer what Jesus  suffered,remember he was truly a man and all that means,Paul writes in 2 Cor 13 v 4,'He was crucified in weakness'. Jesus came with the sole purpose of doing the will of God in all his weakness, but he triunphed over his weakness and boldly went on to fulfill his calling to be the Lamb of God ,that taketh away the sins of the world

                                                                'Thy will be done'

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'

                                                          

Get understanding (Psalm 119 v 14-16)

Psalm 119 v 34  reads ,'Give me understanding,so that I may keep your  law,and obey it with all my heart'. Not just the ten commandments,what about the sermon on the mount, there is so much we need to learn and understand.We read how God give to Solomon a wise and understanding heart; (1 Kings 3 v12),so as to rule his people.There are so who attend church have very little understanding of the word of God.When I started Bible college I had very little understanding of the word of God,but I hungered for an under- standing of it.We can learn much from our ministers,but it is also important that we personally get an understanding of God's word. Ps 119 v 16 reads ,'I will not neglect your word',don't let dust gather on your Bible,I'm afraid many do.So the Psalmist desire is for God to give him understanding of  His word,but he goes on to say, 'and obey it with all my heart'. If obedence is just words it is not obedience,if obedience is not sincere it is not obedience,if obedience is not total it is not obedience.

Risky ( Luke 12 v13 -21)

Gordon Bridger  tells  of a Bishop called Sandy Millar and an elderly lady aged 101 who had just become a Christian, she said to the Bishop,'Don't you think it's wonderful that I've come to Christ at my age'The Bishop  thought for a moment,and then said ,'It's wonderful- but risky'.Yes in a sense it was risky,going all those years without him,we can never presume on the mercy and grace of God,it is a dangerous thing to leave it so long.I remember working with an elderly man who used go and hear Ian Paisley speaking,and how moved he was with the message, even shedding tears,but he never made a decision for Christ.Again I remember a member of my church who had witnessed to someone and the person put it off,and she thought of the words of a hymn by D.W.Whittle,'Room for pleasure ,room for business,But for Christ the crucified, Not a place that he can enter,In your heart for which he died'.If you are not a Christian and you die without him that it is very serious,it is very risky thing to do, hell is real,don't put it off,trust him now.

Read. (Psalm 119 v33ff)

 Let us consider words from Psalm 119v 33ff ,the 119th Psalm has 176 verses ,the theme of it ,is the word of  God. Verse 33 begins ,'Teach me your decrees,O Lord;I will keep them to the end'.It is Spurgeon who writes,'Alas for those who will never taught', especially in relation to the word of God. Sad to say many Christians  do not read the word of God, even though the word of God tells us,'Man shall not live by bread alone, but on  every word that comes from the mouth of God' (Dt 8 v 3/Mt 4 v 4)King Henry V111, ordered that a Bible would be placed in every church,for the use of the people.After he died ,his daughter Queen Mary became  Queen,she was stern Roman Catholic,ordered that the Bible was not allowed to be read in English. A young man William Hunter was found reading the Bible,he said he was just reading for comfort,but he was thrown into prison,and later he was burnt at the stake.In many countries having or even reading a Bible, could end up with you being put in prison or even being put to death'.

                                                        'How much do you value God's word?'

Opinions ( Psalm 42 v 1-5)

 We are bombarded with all sorts of opinions daily especially on  You Tube, I  have a son who holds opinions on so many things,I try to avoid getting into a conversation with him on certain things.Just recently someone voiced an opinion that in ten years  AI will destroy the whole human race.Many are voiceing opinions  on AI  ,and then on a lighter level if you follow football everyone has an opinion.We have people say,'If you want my opinion',of course you may not,but  they will still give it.So many opinions can be very unsettling,as  Christians remember this vital truth, God is sovereign, He rules over all things,yes there will be wars and rumours of wars,there will be distasters,catastrophes, and mulitudes of other things.In peoples own personal lives,marriage breakdowns,deaths,I will stop there I don't want to depress you,and yet we cannot escape the fact that is the way life is.Frederick Langbridge wrote a poem with the following words in it,'Two men looked out through prison bars,one saw the mud the other saw the stars'.Which one are you?or which one am I?Where are you at this time ,what's going on in your life ?is it frightening? difficult,dangerous,overwhelming?,change your vocus,don't look at the mud,or even the stars. look to your God ,as the Psalmist reminds us,'God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.' (Ps 46 v1 ) and v10 tells us ,'Be still,and know that I am God;'

                                                       'Replace your feelings ,with 

                                                        faith in the living God'