Overwhelmed? ( Psalm 55 )

 Psalm 55 was written by King David, now it was David who killed a lion and a bear, also a  giant, and defeated the enemies of Israel. He was very brave and courageous, but even brave and courageous people can feel fear.  In this Psalm he writes of being troubled and distraught, filled with anguish, terror, horror, thank goodness for honest people. He also mentions of being betrayed by a close friend, were all these feelings sinful?. The old hymn goes with Christ in the vessel we can smile at the storm, we may, or we may be like the disciples of old who were very , very afraid in a storm , and thought they were   going to perish ( Mark 4 v 35 -41 ) David felt like running away, but instead we read  ,'But I call to God and the Lord saves me, evening ,morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice. He ransoms me unharmed from the battle waged against me, even though many oppose me'.( v 16 - 18 ) Out of this experience he gives us this instruction,' Cast your cares upon the Lord and He will sustain you, he will never let the  righteous fall'.( v 22) His closing words  are , 'But as for me, I will trust in you''.

The good shepherd. ( John 10 v 10 - 18 )

 A  group of people were dining together, after dinner it was agreed that each should recite something. A well known actor rose and,  with all the  resources  of elocution and  dramatic art, he declaimed the twenty  third psalm and sat down to tremendous applause. A quite man followed him. He to, began to recite the  twenty third psalm , and at first there was rather a titter. But before he had ended there was a stillness that was more eloquent than any applause. When he had spoken the last words there was silence, and then the actor leant across and said,'' Sir, I know the psalm, but you know the shepherd''. Who is shepherd the the psalm is speaking of ?.it is Jesus, who declared in John 10 v 11, ''I am the good shepherd''.  Often the shepherd would have to defend his sheep from wild animals, or even from thieves and robbers, at the cost of his own life. So Jesus said I lay down my life for the sheep, He done that on the cross ,his death on the cross, was the cost He had pay, to save us. To know him personally we must trust Him, then it can be said of us ,that we know the shepherd.

Something beyond. ( 2 Corinthians 5 v 1 )

 Robert Louis Stevenson tells of  an old byreman.( A man who worked with cows ) Someone was sympathizing with him about his daily work amidst the muck of the byre and asking him how he could go on doing it day in and day out, and the old man answered, ''He that has  something beyond need never worry''. The black slaves in America  often had a hard time, work was hard, their masters could be cruel, they had no rights. Yet strangely enough many of them became Christians, and they often sung songs about heaven. The word of God continually  encourage us to look beyond this world with it sorrows ,trials and difficulties ,to a greater reality. Consider the following,' Therefore  we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory, that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen , since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.  (2 Corinthians 4 v 16 - 18 ) Paul wrote ,' For me to live is Christ and to die is gain'....... I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better'. ( Philippians 1 v 21/ 23.)

                                 I have a hope that will surely endure

                                 after the passing of time

Horrible ( Galatians 5 v 13 - 16 )

 My favourite football team ,beat a weakened team 9 nil , it was what was said by a commentator after the football match, that I took exception to ,he said sometimes you have to be horrible. To be beaten 9 nil is a very humiliating experience  for any team, and yet we know that professional sport is about winning.  As a supporter I want my team to win every match, when they get beat , I am not happy, but I do not thing any team, or any sports person should be horrible to their opponents. I do not think my team were seeking to be horrible to their opponents, they were just trying to win a match, and of course goal difference can be important. I am reminded of a friend  when  he was young ,was playing football, there came a moment when he had the ball at his feet, with just the goal keeper to beat, instead of  scoring he picked up the ball and give it to the keeper. My friend is a very kind person, I suppose he felt that he was being kind, I am not sure what his team mates thought of him, I am sure their thoughts were far from being kind. Sad to say that sometime as Christians, we can say things and do things to  people that can be described as horrible.. It seems at times we forget that we are called to love our enemies (Luke 6 v 27) and to love our fellow Christians ( John 13 v 34 ). Let us pick up the ball and give it to the goal keeper.

A world of chance? ( 2 ) ( Romans 11 v 33 - 36 )

I  have touched on the sovereignty of  God, which is a vital truth, for the non Christian they do not have an answer as to the question of  how things came into blame. Darwen  wrote,' I  cannot look at the universe as a result of blind chance'. The fact is chance can do nothing ,as R. C. Sproul  wrote,' chance is  deaf, dumb,  and impotent'.   A doctor who was an atheist ,started questioning life and its meaning, when it struck him that he was delivering a miracle everyday in the shape of a baby. No this not a world of chance ,there must be a cause, and that cause is a sovereign  God, one who created  all things. But not only  did He create all things ,he sustains, and upholds all things, sees all things, knows all things, directs all things, He rules over all things. God is directly involved in all of life. If all these things were not true He would not be God. His providence flows from his  sovereignty , one writer speaks of the providence of  God, as the invisible hand of God. If one reads the book of Esther we see the providence of God in action, but  God is not mentioned. As I view my life I can see the invisible  hand of God has been very evident in so many ways. God in His providential workings has brought me through sad times and bad   times, the main thing in that statement, is the fact ,He has brought me through ,and assures me that everything is working together for my good.  Romans 8 v28 . So many coincidences have happened in my life , which I put down to the providence of God, He has made a way were there was no way.

                                              Have confidence in your sovereign God

                                              in all things, to lead, protect ,provide,

                                              and comfort.

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.