Going through the motions. ( Jude v 20 - 21 )

There is a modern song that has this line in it ,it reads,' I'm sorry when I just go through the motions '. Driving is a bit like that, so easy in a comfortable car, to not concentrate, just go through the motions, or when we read something  and we realise that we cannot remember what we have read. Many sing hymns with out really thinking about what they are singing ,likewise  prayer, there is an old saying which goes, 'I often say my  prayers, but do I pray?. Going through the motions, we are all guilty  of it, The preacher saw a man sleeping ,so he said to the man next to him,  '' Wake him up'', and the man replied,'' You put him asleep ,you wake him up''.  It could be that the preacher was  going through the motions. Lets consider Jude v 20 -21,two things we read in these verses ( 1) 'praying in the Holy Spirit', John Calvin wrote, 'Such is the coldness of our make-up that none can succeed in praying without the prompting of the Holy Spirit'. We need the Holy Spirit, so pray to that end. ( 2 ) 'Keep yourselves in God's love'.  Moffatt  writes ,'God's love has its own terms of  communion' One writer explains it like this, 'If we desire to remain in close communion with God , we must give to God the perfect love and the perfect obedience, which goes hand in hand'.

                                                   Come, Holy Spirit, come,

                                                   Let  Thy bright beams arise;

                                                   Dispel the sorrow from our minds, 

                                                   The darkness from our eyes.

                                                   Revive our drooping faith,

                                                   Our doubts and fears remove,

                                                   And kindle in our breasts the flame

                                                   Of never dying love.

                                                     

God is Sovereign ( 1 ). ( Isaiah 40 v 10 - 31 )

 I just want to say, that God is Sovereign, He is in control, now I know that this subject is immense ,so much has been written about it, I can only touch on it here. What I would say? , if He is not sovereign  He is not God. It is important to say we are not sovereign, it was reputed that Napoleon told his generals, ''to take care of the battle and he would take care of the weather''. The great King of Babylon appeared to claim sovereignty, but God taught him a lesson, by humiliating him, and to make him confess that God ruled and did what He pleases CP ,Daniel 4 .Have we a free will ?, I do not believe we have ,our fallen sinful nature ,has robbed us of that. Our Saviour said,'' everyone who sins is a slave to sin'' ( John 8 v 34 ) . Romans 3 v 11 tells us , 'There is no one who  understands God; there is no one who seeks after God'. We are God's enemies Romans (5 v 10), yet God has granted us the freedom to choose, and yet our Saviour said to His disciples ,''you did not choose me, but I chose you''. ( John 15 v 16). I am thankful for the sovereignty of God ,for in my bondage and blindness , I would never have chosen Him, and nor would you. You may ask how do I know that I am chosen if I am not a Christian ? ,you don't, no one does. What we do know  is this, when Christ is presented to us ,as the one who forgives, sets free ,through His death on the cross, we have a decision to make.

                                                                   Jesus said.

                                            ''Come to me, all of you who are weary

                                             and carry heavy burdens, and I will give

                                             you rest''.  Matthew 11 v 28. 

Hope instead of. ( Romans 8 v 28 - 36 )

 Hopeful  instead of  fearful, is it possible?, now of course there are those who are naturally  optimistic , to them the glass appears to be always half full. But  I am sure even the optimistic, has moments when despair creeps in. We read how the prophet Jeremiah, wrote a letter to his fellow Israelites who were being held captive in the Babylon. If we turn to Psalm 137 we  see  what they were experiencing  and how they felt, their captors tormented them, mocked them  ,and they lamented over their situation, they said how can we sing the Lords song in a strange land?. So here is the word of the Lord through his servant Jeremiah,( chap 29 v 11). ''For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope''. Dear child of God , the times are dark, your situation may seem hopeless, lift your eyes up to the  God who says ,that you have a future and a hope.

                                        May the God of hope, fill you with all joy

                                        and peace, as you trust in Him, so that you

                                        may overflow with hope by the power of

                                        of the Holy Spirit.

                                                     ( Romans 15 v 13 )

Laughing at impossibilities. ( 3 ) (Jeremiah 32 v 17 )

 So Abraham was promised a son but he had to wait, and wait, and wait, for it to happen, about 25 years, most of us would have given up, but not Abraham. Abraham was a man of  faith, his wife Sarah was also a person of faith, she was 90,he was a 100.  Romans 4 v 18, reads, 'Even when  there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept  hoping....... v 20 'Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise.'....  v21,'  He was fully  convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises'. Abraham did not ignore the facts , he faced them, how? with faith in God's word, that is all he had to go on ,for Abraham that was enough.           J. Stott  writes,' Abraham reflected on the promise, and on the character of the God who had made them. And as his mind played on the promises, the problems shrank accordingly,  for he was fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised''

                                                 In hope against all human hope,

                                                 Self - desperate, I believe....

                                                 Faith , mighty faith, the promise sees,

                                                 And  looks to that alone;

                                                 Laughs at impossibilities 

                                                 And cries; it shall be done.    ( Words  C. Wesley )

A reason for trials. ( 2 ) ( Psalm 40 )

 So Abraham was promised a son, a special son, the promise was given, but nothing happening, so Abraham and Sarah decided that they could have a child through there slave girl Hagar. And so a child was born , but this child was not the promised child , no they would have to wait ,their faith would be tried. In 1 Peter 1 v 7, we read ,'That the trial of your faith, being much more precious  than of gold that perisheth , though  it be tried by fire, might be  found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ'. Edmund Glowney writes ,' Our faith ,like gold must pass through the furnace , trials should not surprise us, or cause us to doubt God's faithfulness. Rather, we should actually be glad for them. God sends trials to strengthen  our trust  in Him so that our faith will not fail. Our trials keep us trusting they burn away our self - confidence, and drive us to our Saviour'. 

                                        'But let patience have its perfect work,

                                         that you may be perfect and complete

                                         lacking nothing.'

                                                      James 1 v 4

So simple ( 1 ) ( John 3 v 16 )

 God promised Abraham that he would have a son (Genesis 15 v 4,) and that through his offspring all the earth would be blessed. (Gen 22 v 18). Abraham believed ,and God credited  to him as righteousness, This great statement, is the  foundation of how we get right with God, 'Faith', but not just  faith, but faith in Jesus. He is the object of our faith . faith in Him and his finished work on Calvary. That is were it starts and finishes, for only the work of Christ, and that alone saves. This rules out good works, religious activities, or any thing else you can name.  The scripture tells of a man who cried out, ''what must I do to be saved ?'', the reply came back, ''Believe in the Lord Jesus , and you will be saved'', and he did just that, ( Acts 16 v 30 - 31 ). It is not complicated , a child can do it, you can do it ,anyone can do it, just simply trust Jesus as your Saviour. Then you may never fear  death, for Jesus said, ''I give unto my sheep eternal life and they shall never perish'' ( John 10 v 28 ).

                                                    Jesus, I will trust Thee,

                                                    Trust Thee with my soul,

                                                    Guilty, lost, and helpless,

                                                    Thou canst  make me whole;

                                                    There is none in heaven

                                                     Or on earth like Thee;

                                                     Thou hast died for sinners,

                                                     Therefore , Lord, for me.  ( Words M. J. Walker )

                                                  

Humility ( Luke 22 v 26 )

 It was coming close to when Christ would be arrested, he knew his hour had come, knew Judas was going to betray him,  knew the terrible suffering that awaited him. C. Swindoll writes,' He knew He would face agony on a cosmic scale, far more than the physical pain of  crucifixion'. Before that would happen he had many things to teach them, He was in an upper room , with his 12 disciples. Suddenly he arose ,took of one of His garment, got a towel, filled a basin with water, and then began to wash the disciples feet. No one said anything except Peter, who objected  to Christ washing his feet. When He finished he explained to them the reason he had washed their feet. We read this in John 13 v  1- 17, so what was he teaching them?, the answer  was simple but profound ,and challenging for them and for us who are his present day disciples, 'Humility'. Basically it boiled down to this, as He had washed their feet, so they must be willing to  wash each others feet. The  act of washing a persons feet was the action of a servant, Jesus their Master had become their servant.so they must become servants to each other. Their idea of a conquering  Messiah, were they ruled over their enemies, was not to be, instead they were being called to serve. W .Barclay writes,' When we  are tempted to think of our dignity, our prestige, our rights, let us see again the picture of the Son of God, girding a towel, and kneeling at His disciples feet'.