Worship (1 ) ( 1 Chronicles 16 v 29 -)

What do you think of worship? I was witnessing to someone recently, he mentioned a problem  ,he said it was a bit confusing,so many religions.Yes there are ,but there is only one God Isaiah 46 v 9,that God is the one revealed  in the bible,He alone is to be worshipped, and we can only do that through Jesus,because God is holy we need to have our sins forgiven,and that happen when Jesus becomes our Saviour, the barrier is removed.The Bible tells us to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness ( 1Chronicles 16 v 29). Although we have been forgiveness,and excess into  the presence of God, unconfessed  sin must be confessed,it will not effect our standing with God, but it will affect God responding to our prayers.When we think of worship we relate to meeting with Gods children,were we sing hymns ,and songs to God,but we must not limit our worship to a church building, yes that is one aspect of worship.Remember many cannot meet with others ,but they can meet with God.We will consider look at this , next time.

If only. ( Psalm 81)

Psalm 81 begins by reminding Israel of God 's past deliverance,and with that reminder God warns them of the importance of listening to what he says.He mentions that they should not worship any other god's, warnings are so important, we ignore them to our cost ,especially if it is a warning from God. God is not to be trifled with.The people He brought out of Egypt did not listen to Him ,time after time, and they paid the price for their disobedience.God punished that generation ,with the result they had to wander in the wilderness for forty years,until all that generation would die off.In v 11- 12, we read ,'But my people would not listen to me, Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their own stubborn hearts to follow their own devices'.They wanted their own way ,so God let them have it, In Romans 1 we read how God gave people people up to their own ways,with dire consequences. Spurgeon said,'Be careful what you want, because you're sure to get it'.Listen to what God said to Israel,and indeed to us,''If my people would only listen to me,if Israel would only follow my ways, how quickly I would subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes' v 13 - 14.Don't end up by saying ',if only I had listen to God'.

Perfection is it possible?. ( Philippians 3 v 12 - 14 )

Someone said ,'  In this world the ideal does not correspond to reality,and he who acts from amiable motives is nothing but a fool'.The person who said this was a Pope, he said this in answer to a man who pointed to him a better way,he knew what the man was saying was right,but he was not willing to put it into practice,he was to afraid of loosing out financially. Our Saviour said,'Be perfect, therefore , as your heavenly Father is perfect'. Matthew 5 v 48.The Pope in fact was ruling this out, even calling those who try to follow what  Jesus said as being fools. I know as a Christian .that as long as I live ,there will always be distance between what I should be,and what I am. So should we give up trying, just throw in towel?, of course not ,we must take what Jesus said  seriously, and put it into practice.We are to fight the good fight of faith, and always choose the right way,the Pope chose the wrong way.I don't judge him  I leave that with God, may God grant us that we will follow the right way. 

If. ( 1 Corinthians 3 v 13 - 16 )

I hope God has enabled me in my life to have done some good, of course we have in the last analysis to leave that in Gods have. Martin Luther King, JR was a great man, not a perfect man, he said many meaningful things and he asked himself,as to what he would want said when he died,so this is what he said.

           'I'd like somebody to mention on that day, that he had tried to give his life in serving others,

           that he tried to love somebody,that he tried to be right on the war question, 

           That he did try to feed the hungry,that he did try to clothe those who were naked,that he did try 

           to visit those in prison

           that he did try to love and serve humanity'

There is a song that comes to mind,written  by Alma Bazel Anderson that carries on the same theme .

                                         ' If I can help somebody as I pass along,

                                          If I can cheer somebody with a word or song.

                                          IF I can show somebody he's traveling  wrong,

                                          Them my living will not be in vain.

                                           If I can do my duty as a Christian ought,

                                           If I can bring salvation to a world once wrought.                                     

                                           If I can spread the message as the Master taught,

                                           Then my living will not be in vain'.

                                           

                                            

             

It's a secret. ( Isaiah 55 v 8-9 )

 Who was John the Baptist? he was related to Jesus, when he grew up he became a prophet,our Saviour called him great (Matthew 11 v 11) ,and his message  was great,his ministry  was a fulfillment of OT prophecies ,Isaiah 40 v 3/ Malachi 4 v5.That ministry was to prepare the way of the Lord,he called the people unto repentance,He was very popular and he was acknowledged by the people as a prophet Matthew 21 v26. He made it clear that he was not the Messiah ,John 1 v20.He had his disciples, and when Jesus became popular, they were concerned, but John said,'A man can receive nothing, except it be given  him from heaven John 3v27. Leon Morris says this,'John sees the hand of the Father in everything'. This struck me as a very interesting and challenging statement.What to you see when you think of Ukraine?, Putin,is not our sovereign God,got a purpose in this awful war?.At this stage I must confess I don't know what that purpose is ,what I would say is He is not guilty of the evil perpetrated in it. Most of us don't know as regards why so many things happen in this world,because we are not God, the greatest thinkers,when it comes to it,know very little. One of the most interesting verses in the bible is to be found in  Deuteronomy 29 v 29,which reads ,'The secret things belong unto the Lord our God,' God is not obliged to tells us everything, nothing will change that, may God grant us the grace,to leave it at that,and to trust Him.

                                                

Here I stand. ( Jude v 3 )

Things have not change as often we are confronted with a choice,time after time,do we hold to scripture alone or accept those who have other authorities .The Mormons would say that they believe in the Bible ,the AV translation, but they also have their book of Mormons and other authorities .  The Roman Catholic church hold to the bible, but also holds unto church authority,and church tradition.The liberal theologians would have the Bible,but accepting only what appears to them as rational.Taking his life in his hands,while standing before church authorities, Martin Luther declared,' Unless I  am convinced by Scripture and plain reason....I cannot and will not recant anything'. He went on to say,' Here I  stand; I can do no other. God , help me.Amen.'  As a Christian minister I believe in disciplining myself, to stay within the confines of the word of God,to do other than that, is a very dangerous path to take.Many are doing it these days,especially those who are ministers,their liberalism can lead so many astray.We do not burn heretics,and rightly so, but we must challenge their unbiblical beliefs,and we must hold fast to the truth of the word of God.

                                                    'Here I stand ,I can do no other'

Down memory lane. ( 1 John 3 v1 - 3 )

The memory is a wonderful thing,of course there are things from the past ,we would rather not remember, and all I can say to that is,don't dwell on them. There are very good memories , I recall some of my early  spiritual memories,one was when I very young I was lying in bed,and I talked to God,it was time when my mother and father separated,and I said to God about not having a father,then I said you are my Father. God is a father to the fatherless,but he is not father to those who do not know Christ, Christ is the key to all things spiritual.The word of God declares ,' To all who receive Him ,(Jesus) to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become Children of God'. ( John 1 v 12)  My son and his wife adopted two children,before they were adopted they could not call my son father.Adoption was not common among the Jews, but it was common among the Romans ,and when they adopted a child,all the rights of a natural born child became theirs. We read in Ephesians 1 v 5,'In love He predestined us for adoption to son-ship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will' . What a blessing this adoption has brought us into ,we have been forgiven though Jesus,we are now connected to our loving heavenly Father, that means we have come under  .This means you and I are not nobodies, no we have a special status, we are children of  God.

                                                        ' I'm accepted,I'm forgiven,

                                                         I am Fathered by the true and living God.

                                                         I'm accepted, no condemnation,

                                                         I am love by the true and living God.

                                                         There's no guilt or fear as I draw near

                                                         to the Saviour and creator of the world,

                                                         There is Joy and peace as I release

                                                         my worship to you ,O Lord.'

                                                                 Rob  Hayward.