Who is my brother? ( Matthew 15 v 32 )

In a book by J. B. Priestly, called ,'An Inspector Calls', a man calls at the home of a wealthy family ,he tells them  he is a police inspector. He  goes on to tell them about a girl who committed suicide,  his purpose is to show each of the people present, that they had part in her tragic death. There are five people the wealthy businessman who had sacked her ,another visitor  the son of a lord had taken her for his mistress, then left her. The daughter of the wealthy businessman, had caused her to be dismissed from her job in a store, the son of the wealthy couple who had got her pregnant, and finally the wife  of the businessman who served on a charity that helped the needy, decided not to help her ,leaving her destitute. The result being , she committed suicide by drinking bleach, and died a horrible death .This is what the inspector said to them before he left,  ''We don't live alone in this world, we are responsible for each other''. When Cain murdered his brother Abel ,God came to him , and asked him, ''Where is your brother Abel?, he replied,'' Am I my brothers keeper?'. the answer to that question is simple, yes ,he was, as we are.

What God has promised. ( 1 Timothy 4 v 6 - 8 )

 Peter Lewis wrote the following in his grand book, 'The  message of the Living God'. ''God is our deliverer but he is not  a good luck charm; he gives us protection, but not immunity; hope in trouble, but not freedom from trouble'. There are so many people teaching a imbalanced Christianity, paradise has not been regained, planted earth will never an be an earthly paradise, never. Paradise comes later, that new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Here we are to fulfil  God's will,  in the task he gives us to ,and the life he calls us to live, to glorify him, in everything. Everyday I read of  Christian experiencing dreadful things, I would not like to be in their position, no one enjoys suffering,  ,no one likes having an incurable illness, or losing a love one. Jesus said ,''take up your cross and follow me'' ( Matt 16 v 24). Yes He will deliver us, He will protect us, that's a reality, He has promised to do that and more.

                                                 God hath not promised skies always blue,

                                                 Flower strewn path-ways , all our lives thro',

                                                 God hath not promised sun with-out rain,

                                                  Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

                                                  God hath not promised  we shall not know

                                                  Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;

                                                   He hath not told us we shall not bear

                                                   Many a burden, many a care.

                                                   But God has promised strength for the day,

                                                   Rest for the labour, light for the way,

                                                  Grace for the trials, help from above,

                                                    Unfailing kindness, undying love.  ( Words A. J. Flint )

Woe ( Romans 1 v 18. / 2 v 16 )

 In Isaiah 6 the prophet has a vision 0f God, and he hears the angels calling out,'' Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty'' ,and he is overwhelmed, and he cries out, ''Woe is me,.... I  am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips''. Leupold  makes the following comments', 'He felt sin as we would feel it if our insight were not so blurred and dulled'. Valerie Hervo runs Les Chandelles ,the infamous  sex club in Paris, it is interesting how she speaks of and how it is described, saying it is a group sex club. It is visited by the country's political, economic and cultural elites to live out their sexual fantasies ,the word  libertinage is used to describe what takes place ,meaning freedom from  moral  restraint, in the area of sex. The badly dressed , the ugly, vulgar, have no hope of getting in, no only the beautiful, intelligent and well educated are welcome. Ordinary mortals are not welcomed, the club itself is bathed in  lambent red light. ,Someone described her visit there as beautiful, alas it is anything but beautiful, it is far from what God's gift of sex is meant to be , and no matter how one would tries to sanitize such a place and what takes place in it, it is wrong morally. It reminds me of what Isaiah wrote ,'Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.'  Isa 5 v 20.

We are all in it together( 2 ) ( Revelation 20 v 11 - 15 )

 Yes we are all in it together, life and death, but we don't have the same destiny, for there is existence after death. Death is not the end ,it brings us into the eternal realms, it is hard for us to grasp  the idea of the term eternal.it means simple no beginning and no  ending, it will go on and on ,and on. The most important question we need to ask ourselves is, where and how shall we spend eternity?. The first thing we will face ,is God,  the one we thought did not exist, or the one we never give much thought to, occasionally we may have given him a thought. But we just got on with our lives, shutting him out, living as if he had no place in our lives, to busy to give him a second thought. On that day you will be held accountable  for all the sins you have ever committed, by  the one the you ignored  and rejected ,you will face your judge, Jesus. The one you heard about in Sunday school, or from godly parents, or a workmate, or from a minister at a funeral service. On that day forgiveness will not be an option, only judgement from which there will be no escape. Many talk about change ,but God is not in their reckoning, forsaking their sin is not in their reckoning, Christ is not in their reckoning. I want to finish  with words from a hymn by Hank Williams, called ,'The great judgment morning'.

                                              I dreamed that the great judgment morning,

                                              Had dawned, and the trumpet had blown;

                                              I dreamed that the nations had gathered,

                                              To judgment before  the white throne.

                                               And, oh, what a weeping and wailing,

                                               As the lost were told of their fate,

                                                They cried for the rocks and the mountains,

                                                They prayed but their prayer was to late.

Let Him choose. ( Psalm 18 v 30 )

 Many years ago when my then wife and I felt the call to full time Christian service, feeling it was to some missionary work in some foreign country. We found ourselves  on a journey, initially we applied to a particular mission ,but it did not happen. We  then sought advice, and were advised to go to Bible college, which we did. When that finished we applied to another mission, it didn't happen. So a very challenging time in our lives began, knocking seeking, an occasional door would open. At times we were very disappointed but God kept leading us on, it goes  without saying we continually sought God's guidance, one verse meant a lot to me in those days, it was Psalm 47 v 4 ,it reads,' He shall choose our inheritance for us'. In God's providence He has been our faithful guide, his way has been perfect, and I praise him, a very godly man called Horatius Bonar wrote a hymn, I will leave you with a few verses from that hymn.

                                          Thy way ,not mine ,O Lord, However dark it be;

                                          Lead me by Thine own hand, choose Thou the path for me.

                                          I dare not choose my lot; I would not if I might;

                                          Choose  Thou for me, my God, so shall I walk aright.

                                          Not mine, not mine the choice, in things or great or small;

                                          Be Thou my guide, my strength, my wisdom and my all.

My Hero. (2 ) ( Isaiah 53 )

Last time we declared Christ was God ,in every way ,now there is only one God, and it is hard to grasp the being of  God ,he is so awesome, He created all things, sustains all things, upholds all things, he cannot be compared to anyone else, in Isaiah 40  v 25 we read,' To whom will you compare Me?' Or who is my equal?' says the Holy one'. Alec Motyer wrote the following on these words,' It is not only His power, wisdom, dignity, sovereignty, authority, that put Him beyond compare . Of far more significance is His unattainable, unassailable moral perfection, he is the Holy one'. Yet the unimaginable happen  that divine being the Son of God became a man, entered into into this world. Each  step was a step down, from where he was, and who he was, and what he became.  He always knew ,who he was, and why he came, and knew what it would  cost him. He knew that Herod would try and kill him, that those he called his own would hate him, and that their battle cry would be ,'Crucify him'. Yet in spite of this  he marched boldly to a death on a cross. That horrible yet glorious death would enable people to have their sins forgiven, to became children of God and receive eternal life, to all who put their faith in him. My wonderful Saviour and my hero.

Heroes. ( Philippians 2 v 5 - 11 )

 There is used to be song about me in the song charts (well not really),it was called, 'Billy don't be a Hero'. of course it was not about me. I wonder if you have a hero?, or if you have been a hero?. There are all kinds of heroes in life, you have your sporting heroes, great explorers, civil right heroes, military  heroes ,and so the list goes on. Often they get medals awarded for acts of bravery, or achievements ,then there are the unsung heroes, who  are not mentioned in dispatches. What does it take to be a hero, the first word that comes to mind is courage, not just on the battle field, once in the troubles ,in  N. Ireland,  my and mother and sister  stood against a crowd of people who wanted to get their hands on a dear  Catholic, they managed to get him away, I suppose that made them heroes. I consider my wife a hero ,and I am serious about that .well as I said, many things make a person a hero .Now who is my greatest hero?, the answer is very simple, Jesus ,in fact I would say he was the greatest hero, who ever lived.  Why do I say that ? ,well consider who he was ,and what he became, who was he?, as Christians we believe in one God, but that God is a triune being, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, this is a great mystery. Each are co equal, we are told that Christ was in very nature God, and equal with God.  Philippians 2 v 6.We will continue to look at this next time.