Israel ( Ephesians 2 v 8 - 9 )

Lets continue looking at Israel at the time of the Judges ,Consider what Michael Wilcock writes,  ''There is one aspect of the gospel message as Judge conveys it, that Israel cannot save herself'',  No they could not save themselves ,God provided Judges to do it,and they always did. This is a vital point to all the people of the world,we cannot save ourselves, salvation in total is of the Lord CP Jonah 2 v 9 . It means what it says, we cannot save ourselves, no so called natural goodness , can save us,no  religion can save us, no good works can save us CP , Ephesians 2 v 8 - 9.No matter how well meaning you are, sincere you are, whatever,it will not change the truth ,God saves, and Him alone, what does that mean,well first of all we come empty handed to a holy God,with one cry on our lips, mercy,we must also recognise that mercy is received at the cross on which Jesus died.For Jesus work of salvation is the only work that can save us,nothing else .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             When I survey the wondrous Cross                                                                                                           On which the Prince of Glory died,                                                                                                            My richest gain I count but loss,                                                                                                                And pour contempt on all my pride.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Forbid it Lord that I should boast,                                                                                                              Save in the Cross of Christ my God;                                                                                                          All the vain things that charm me most,                                                                                                    I sacrifice them to His blood.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         See from His head, His hands, His feet,                                                                                                     Sorrow and love flow mingled down;                                                                                                        Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,                                                                                                          Or thorns compose so rich a crown?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Were the whole realm of nature mine,                                                                                                       That were an offering  far to small;                                                                                                           Love so amazing, so divine,                                                                                                                       Demands my soul, my life, my all.                                                                                                              ( Words ..... Isaac  Watts   )                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Learning from history. ( Psalm 139 v 23 - 24 )

Someone has said,'' Those who will not learn from history ,are doomed to repeat it'',and no where is this seen than in the book of Judges. Here is the theme right through this book, by  M Wilcock.                                                                  Israel sins ( 3 v 7)                                                                                                                                      Israel angers the Lord   ( 3 v 8 a )                                                                                                              Israel is subjected to an oppressor  ( 3 v 9 b )                                                                                            Israel cries to the Lord     ( 3 v 9 a )                                                                                                          A deliverer is raised up    ( 3 v 9 b )                                                    M W points out that the title Judges refer to twelve successive characters in the book, some are not actually called Judges. As one reads this book, and the continual repetition  ,one is tempted to ask, why ?,yes why?,they did not get together and stop repeating the same mistakes ,at no time did they break free from this cycle of events,it did not have to be like this. But let us stop there and and ask the question are we as individuals any different from Israel?.  Most of us have failings, and we have besetting sins, and we keep repeating them causing us trouble, and yet we never learn from our history ,is it not time we stopped repeating those same sins,and stopped bringing havoc into our lives We look further at this tomorrow, here  is a prayer.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Dear Lord help us to take a good look at ourselves,                                                                                 and stop  making excuses, or blaming others for                                                                                       the way we act, in Jesus name Amen                                                                                .                                                                                                                                                                   .                       

He will not change ( Hebrews 13 v 5 - 6 )

 A line from a well known song goes,''The times they are changing'', yes we appear to be world of change,as a man aged 74 ,I can testify to the changes I have witnessed in my short life,from the home I lived in as child to the home I live in now.From using a pen with a nib which one dipped in ink, to write with, trying not to cause the ink to blot as one wrote,to using a computer to write to people. There so many change have and are taking place,one could fill book with them. On the moral front there are changes , in the area of sex, divorce,and in so many other aspects of modern life. And yet we are told that there is nothing new under the sun,oh yes there are many new things ,but for  us all life is repetitive. Yes the times are changing ,but man is still a sinner, that never changes, and never will, and thankfully Gods love never changes, the gospel never changes,these will never change. His promises never change.Mankind can still be changed in a positive good way.and when we put our trust in Jesus,we discover one who will never change.Come what may in Jesus we will be safe and secure,we read that He is bringing many saints to glory,the question is will you be one of them?                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Jesus the same yesterday,  today,                                                                                                                 and forever. Hallelujah.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

In a corner ( James 1 v 5 )

I  heard someone say as to their Pastor how he boxed himself into a corner, by his attitude  and what he had said. Like that Pastor I have been there myself , and it is difficult to get out of it,Winston  Churchill's father Lord Randolph  was Chancellor of the Exchequer ,he was a very able politician,but he was opposed to certain things in the government,so he sent a letter a letter of resignation ,hoping it would force change,but his letter of resignation was accepted.and that was the end of his political career. Of course there are things we must take a stand on,truth,holiness, but there are things we must be careful with, and not assume that we can force our ideas on others. We would do well to heed the words of Solomon in Proverbs 15 v 22..''Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed''.Now of course we do not want as Charles Bridges says,to be carried away with every person's opinion,But there are mature godly men or women we could go to,and listen prayerfully to what they have to say.

Job ( James 5 v 11)

''The book of Job is about the unchanging human realities - war, destitution, sickness,humiliation,         bereavement,depression.Also the unchanging goodness of God , who transforms our human agony into justice, kindness,love and joy. It is about the 'terror of the Lord'( 2 Cor 5 v 11 ) and His great  tenderness  ( Jas  5 v 11). It is the story of one man who held on to his life in God with a faith that  survived the torments of utter loss and expanded into new wonders and delight.'' These are word by  Francis I . Anderson in the  preface of his book on Job,the book of Job is one of deep meaning and is helpful to all of us,it challenges all who look to God for a quick fix,and helps us to see that when we loose everything, God remains with us, our  Rock.

Living in sin ( 1 John 1 v 5 v 10 )

Michael Wilcock writes,  '' Never in Life can the Lord's servant claim immunity from Satan's attacks on a heart which is not yet sinless and a body which is still mortal''.I often pray and ask God why some unclean thought comes into my mind?,why are my thoughts not always pure, and I have to raise a prayer and ask God to create in me a clean heart.In Romans 7 we read of the godly apostle  Pauls concern for that law of sin which is within him and indeed in every believer.In Galatians 5 v 16 ff  he writes of the sinful nature which besets him, and every believer, he stresses the different aspects of that fallen nature,'' sexual immorality,impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft,hatred , discord,jealousy, fits of rage,selfish ambition,dissensions,factions,and envy,; drunkenness,orgies, and the like''Then he gives a solemn warning,''that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God''.Now he is not writing about the normal Christian life,where we may be tempted and even as David  did and fall into sin,I believe that one of  the evidence that we are a  Christian is we do not live in sin.As John writes in 1 John 5 v 18 ,''Anyone born of God does not continue in sin''John Stott  writes the following on these words, ''The new birth results in new behaviour. Sin and the child of God are incompatible. They may occasionally meet; they cannot live together in harmony''

Am I a Saint?. ( Romans 1 v 7 / 1 Timothy 2 v 5 )

I was watching an old movie,the main actor was William Powell,it  was a nice movie, and it touched on something that many dear Roman Catholics, would have appreciated, Sainthood.It involved the thief who was crucified with Jesus,and who confessed the wrongs he had done, and asked Christ to save him,which He did,and the moment he died he went to heaven.And that's it nothing more is said about Him. Now there is no record that He performed any miracle, he was just like the rest of us, a sinner saved by Gods grace,yet in the movie he is classed as a saint , one who we can pray to. Why  attribute to him things he cannot do? he does not hear our prayers and cries for help..If he or anyone else did , then they would be taking Jesus place,and He alone is able to take on board  all that we bring to Him. We cannot make Jesus redundant,oh no,He is our great high priest,the one who saves  us,when we call upon Him like that thief on the cross,and the who ever lives to make intercession for us. The one who is touched with all our weaknesses, the one who alone can help us.Dear  Catholic friend look to Jesus and Him alone,for salvation ,remembering that His saving work on Calvary alone saves us .And keep looking to Him every moment of every day, and here is something that may surprise you ,every true Christian is a saint, C P  Ephesians 1 v 1/ 2 Corinthians 1 v 2. Adrian Rogers said,there are two kinds of people on earth ,''There are saints, and there are ain'ts''