I owe Him everything. ( Psalm 100 )

Looking back on my life I realise I owe a lot of people thanks  , like the man who saved me from drowning, or my mother who did her best under difficult circumstances. For my primary school teachers, who did their best with a very difficult lad. For my friend Raymond who has passed on, to his parents, who were kind to me, I spent a lot of time in their home, they had  a TV. And so we could on , and on ,of people I feel indebted to. As a Christian one realises that God is sovereign, that not only has he  had a say in those things , but  has been  actively involved, in all the affairs of my life. As the hymn John Ryland wrote,

                                                    His decree who formed the earth

                                                    Fixed my first and second birth;

                                                    Parents, native place , and  time,

                                                    All appointed were by Him.

                                                    He that formed me in the womb,

                                                    He shall guide me to the tomb

                                                    All my times shall ever be

                                                    Ordered by His wise decree.

The fact is I owe Him  everything,  He owes me nothing,' nothing good have I done to deserve such love, When I think of all He's done ,and for me the guilty one, can you wonder why it is  I love Him so,' yes I owe Him everything, as do you.

The seasons. ( John 4 v 35 - 38 )

 So it did  finally happen, we  had snow, I say this because its been a  while since it snowed , one should not be surprised, after all it is winter.  The seasons come and the seasons go, soon it will be spring ,then summer ,then  autumn ,and back again to winter. Each season is different, I wonder what you think of as regards the seasons?. Well winter reminds me of  trees without leaves , spring reminds me of  daffodils, and this also reminds me of William Wordsworth's poem ,' Daffodils', the opening verse goes,' I wandered lonely as a cloud, That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at at once I saw a crowd, A host ,of golden daffodils'. .Well that's spring, then we move unto summer, it reminds me of summer holidays, and years ago getting sunburned. Then last but not least, autumn, this reminds me that it is  harvest time, and also  that old hymn, 'We plough the fields and scatter, the good seed on the ground'. The word of God, has a lot to say about the harvest, in John 4 v 35 , our Saviour said,'' open you eyes and look at the fields !  They are ripe  for harvest''. Jesus saw more that a harvest of wheat, but  a harvest of precious souls. and he is challenging his disciples to get involved  , and us ,to be harvesters ,of precious souls. Let us remember that the most valuable think in all the world, in Gods eyes ,is the souls of men and women, and children, just look to Calvary, that says it all, so again I ask the question, will you be a harvester?.

                                                He that winneth  souls is wise,

                                                In the home beyond the skies,

                                                There's a crown of  glory, 

                                                 O the wondrous prize,

                                                 He that winneth souls is wise  ( Words  E.E. Hewitt ) 

Adoption ( 1 John 3 v 1 - 3 )

Romans 8 v 15  - 16,reads, '' The Spirit you received  does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, 'Abba , Father''. The Spirit himself  testifies with our  spirit that we are God's children'.  F. F. Bruce writes,' The  term '' adoption'' may have a somewhat artificial sound in our ears; but  in the Roman world of the first century AD an adopted son was a son deliberately chosen by his adoptive father to perpetuate his name  and inherit his estate; he was in no sense inferior in status to a son born in the ordinary  course of nature , and might well enjoy the fathers affection more fully an reproduce  the father's character more worthily'. Commenting on this  John Stott writes, 'It is evident then  that the popular  notion of 'the universal fatherhood of God' is not true'. Every person born is God's offspring by creation, but it is only when one is born again by God's Spirit ,  are we adopted into God's family . John 1 v 12. reads,' Yet to all who receive Him ( Jesus)  , to those who believe in His name, he gave the right  to become children of God'.

A challenging question ( John 21 v 15 -33 )

 I am going to try something different, I want to tell you about an old rich man , who  married a very beautiful young girl. After a while the old man began to wonder, did she marry for my money ?, or did she marry me ,because she loved me?. So one day he spoke to her, and asked her a question. He said, ''darling if  I lost all my money, and you had to get rid of all your jewels, your Mercedes- Benz, our home in the south of France,  would you still love me''?. She took his hand in hers ,look into his eyes and said, ''of  course I would still love you'', he breathed a sigh of relief, but then she added,'' but I'd miss you''. I hope that makes you laugh, but lets hit on the serious aspect of this, I want to take you to a beach beside the sea of Galilee,  some fisher men were standing around a fire were a  man was preparing them something to eat,  The man was none other than Jesus, and he asked Peter one of the fishermen, a very challenging question, he said ,'' do you truly love me more than these?''.  Now let us put ourselves in Peters place, and Jesus asks us the same question,'' do you truly love me more than these?''.  In other words if  you lost everything , if I lost everything ,would we still love Him ,and follow Him?.

                                                     Will you come and follow Me

                                                     If I but call your name?

                                                     Will you go where you don't know

                                                     And never be the same?

                                                     Will you let My love be shown,

                                                     Will you let My name be known, 

                                                     Will you let My life be grown in you,

                                                      And you in Me?.  ( Words . G. Maule/ J.L .Bell)

He didn't die. ( Genesis 5 v 24 )

 I like going out for a walk each day, and of course I  don't go out on my own, no, the Lord is with me, imagine that, the God of all the universe, the one  who holds the whole world in His hands goes with me. Yes little old me, he walks with me, and I walk with Him. Did He not say, that He is with us always, yes He did, is that not a wonderful thing, I remember an old song, the first line went, 'my God and I go in the fields together', and so we do. Of course I am reminded of a man who walked with God, his name was Enoch, he did not die ,the N LT. puts it like this,' It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying.' ( Hebrews 11 v 5.) Now all who put their faith in the Lord  Jesus, will go to heaven, one day, for most of us it will mean ,going through the valley of shadow of death, but let us not be afraid ,for the Lord will be with us, as in life, so in death.( Psalm 23 v 4 ) But here is a wonderful truth, one day it may be soon, many like Enoch will go to heaven without dying. ( 1 Thessalonians 4 v 13 - 18 )For we have a blessed hope that Jesus is coming back again, to call from the world His own.

                                                 'Come Lord Jesus ,come'

Only a phone call. ( 3 ) ( John 3 v16 )

 We started by saying how trusting Christ changes ones life, but also ones eternal destiny, let us not fudge the issues, there is heaven and there is hell. Yes it is as serious as that, Christ coming was God's rescue mission, to save people from going to Hell and to take them eventually to heaven. Consider the words of John 3 v 16, For God so loved the world that He gave his only  begotten Son ,that whoever believes in Him should not perish  but have eternal life'. This verse stresses the awesomeness of Gods love, as the answer to the awful plight of humanity .God can do no more, to save humanity, from perishing, it is William Hendriksen who points out that the word perish does not mean, ceasing to exist or  annihilation, it means an existence of total banishment from the presence of God to dwell forever under  His wrath. As I have said it is as serious as that, we can escape such a dreadful existence ,if we respond to God's invitation and believe in Jesus, there is no other way you can be saved,' BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST ,AND BE  SAVED.

Only a phone call . ( 2 ) ( Luke 14 v 25 - 33 )

 Following on from yesterday let us consider the cost of following Jesus, now salvation is free, absolutely . The Bible clearly states that no actions on our behalf can save us, no works  can save,  ( Ephesians 2 v 8 - 9 ). False religious often stress that their followers, must do certain things to merit salvation, ( Galatians 3 v 10 - 11 ), Jesus paid it all. So we come by faith and trust in Jesus finished work, for salvation, that is how we become a Christian. But there is a cost in being  a  follower of Christ, there are moral standards we are expected to live by, sinful habits must be forsaken, the society we live in may see no harm in certain practices, but if  they are contrary to Gods moral standard we must not accept them. When President Trump was leaving office they played  the music to that popular song,' I done it my way', as a Christian it can no longer be my way but God's way. Everyday I pray for Christians who live with the threat of death hanging over them, there are Christians in prison on trumped up charges, simple because they are Christians. Remember what Jesus said, '' If  anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross  and follow me'' ( Matthew 16 v 24 )  Yes it is a big challenge  but God in the person of the Holy Spirit  will be in  us, and will help us, all the way .  We will continue on this next time.