Am I cursed? ( Romans 8 v 31 - 35 )

 In a recent movie released on Netflix called, 'The news of the world', which is  set in the period after the civil war. The main  character played by Tom Hanks is a Capt. Jefferson who fought in the civil war, when he returns home,, he meets up with an old friend, and they speak of Jefferson's wife who died while he  was away at the war. His friend says to him, 'it was just one of those things', but Jefferson disagreed and said it was a curse from God , for the things he had done during the war. Was he under a curse ? ,it is true that  in God's word we have God cursing, the earth, nations, even his own people, our Saviour did curse a fig tree, which had a symbolic meaning in relation to Israel. But as to the hear and now, there is no clear teaching on this ,of  course God does deal with evil hear and now, that  is different than saying what Jefferson said. He may have felt he was under a curse, but he wasn't. So we can all relax, or can we?, in Deuteronomy 27 v 26, we read ,'Cursed is  anyone who does not affirm  the words  of this law, by doing them'. In Galatians 3 v 10,we read,' Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God's book of the law'. No one be it Jew or Gentiles can keep the law perfectly ,we have  all broken Gods law, that makes us sinners. Roman 3 v 23.So we are all under a curse, and unless that curse is removed no one will be saved, we will all go to a lost eternity. So that's very bad ,but the gospel is good news, let me just say the law was not given to save us, it is to teach us that we need to be saved, but how?. In Galatians 3 v 10 - 12, Christ died to rescue us from that curse, by becoming a curse ,when he hung on the cross, it means simple, that when we trust Christ as our Saviour ,the curse upon us is removed.

                                                     Therefore , there is now no condemnation  

                                                      for those who are in Christ  Jesus.  

                                                                         Romans 8 v1 .                                                                                                                                        

Only a phone call. ( 1 ) ( 1 Timothy 1 v 15 )

 A  Christian minister had a phone call, nothing unusual about that , but that phone call would change a persons life, and change their eternal destiny. The person said , they wanted to become a Christian, so the minister spent over an hour on the phone, listening ,answering questions, and explaining  why a person needs to come to Christ. The reason being to have ones sin forgiven ,and the cost of being a Christian, in the end the lady trusted Jesus to be her Saviour.  It is important to realise that we are all sinners ( Romans 3 v 23 ),no one is excluded from the condition of being a sinner. Let me stress this, no one ,no matter how nice they are, is sinless, nothing can change that fact, we are born with a nature ,that is sinful. So our lives reflect that, in one  way or another, and to a greater or lesser extent. All people are not murders, but they could be, who knows the evil any of us could commit . In Jeremiah 19  v 9, we read, 'The human heart is  the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked , who knows had bad it is'. How many people never imagined ,they could have done such and such  a thing, but they did. Only God could provide an  answer, yes only God, and His answer was Christ death on the cross, His death satisfied a just God, so making a way for our salvation, do you want to make that phone call?. We will continue this next time.

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.