If only ( Luke 15 v 11- 24)

I wish I could sleep in the midst of a storm, like Jesus did (Matthew 8 v 23-27)but I think I would be just like the disciples,who thought they were going to drown. Fifty eight years following the our dear Lord ,yet one can get anxious about even small things. Yes I know the bible,the promises,the answers to prayer I have had many,God is faithful,in spite of our weakness,why?,yes why?.Well the words in Psalm 103 v 13 -14 tells us something very special,'As a father has compassion on his children,so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him, for He knows how we are formed that we are dust'.I like the words in Deut 7 v7,spoken to Israel ,'The Lord did not set His affection upon you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you'.The Lord knows all about us and wonder of wonders,He still loves us,and He always will.

                                                     'Charles Spurgeon wrote'

                   'Blessed be His holy name for this gentleness towards His frail creatures'

   

A famine. ( Amos 8 v 11)

We looked last time how a priest tried to shut Amos the prophet from declaring God's message to His people and how dangerous that is,it has fearful consequences. In spite of this Amos continued to minister,but sad  to say,the people did not listen,so Amos proclaims a message of judgement and one of the things included ,was a coming famine, not the usual famine,but a famine of hearing the word of God. Such a thing has terrible, terrible consequences, an absence of God's word, If the Word of God is withdrawn or even corrupted,how are people going to be saved,for faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.the word of God (Romans 10 v 17) It is Alec Motyer who writes,' Have we got a Bible still in our hands? Let us prize it,read it and commit its precious truths to heart and mind. It is not an inalienable possession; it may may not be ours for ever. Is the Bible still preached in our church? Let us love to hear the Word of God;let us be urgent to bring others within earshot of it. It is not our guaranteed privilege;the voice of the preacher could be silenced.The truth of God is our only fence against error. In this as in everything else the way of strength is to keep close to God and to fear much, much more the peril of falling out of His power and truth than of  falling into the power and error of Satan'.

A dangerous thing to do. ( Genesis 17-26) 1

 Amos a prophet was sent to Israel and Judah with a message of judgement, to the surrounding nations ,and also a message  judgement. Israel and Judah and those nations could have escaped this judgement  if only they would  have repented of their wicked ways,but alas they didn't. God is a forgiving God,when Nineveh was under judgement for their sinful wickedness,they repented and God forgive them.Anyone no matter how wicked they are,God will forgive if they truly repent and seek forgiveness through Jesus.But alas  neither Judah or Israel would listen to God's servant who proclaimed the word of God to them.Indeed a so called priest tried to shut the prophet  up,and have him removed,but failed.( 7 v 10-17)  It is a very serious and dangerous thing to silence Gods voice, or try to,as we will see next time. 

                                                       ' Today, if you hear His voice,

                                                         do not harden your hearts.'

                                                                  Hebrews 3 v 7-8 .

What is it? ( Genesis 1 v 1}

 Alec Motyer said ,' The life which walks in the truth is impregnable',you cannot destroy truth,Martin Luther writing as  regards ,being justified by faith alone said,'on this I stand I can do no other',Think of all the religions  there are and have been, built upon lies,think about all political systems ,that are built upon lie's.If we have not truth ,we are believing a lie,or living a lie. People say silly unthought out things ,like ',it doesn't matter what you believe as long as your sincere'.That is not true,for it does matter what you believe no matter how sincere you may be.In the courts of law people swear on the Bible,promising', to tell the truth, the whole truth,and nothing but the truth,so help them God'.There is a certain very popular presenter of  wild life and nature  programs ,everybody loves and admires him,he is always mentioning evolution and telling us what he believes it does,but He does not tell us what it is. I forget to mention that he doesn't believe in God, not the God of truth,but the god that is a lie.

                                                   'In the beginning God created

                                                              All things,

                                                And that's the truth ,the whole truth

                                                   

Brokenness. ( Psalm 34 v 18 )

In Psalm 34 v18 we read,'The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit'.I was listening to that song by Leonard Cohen ,'Hallelujah, ' near the end of it ,we have these words, that all he could offer was ,'A cold and broken Hallelujah' ,these words struck a cord with me,in their honesty. God knows how we feel, and He wants us to be honest,and he will respect our sacrifice of praise,even though it may be cold and broken. Life brings many heartaches and often much brokenness, think of  those words ,'A cold and broken hallelujah'and the wonderful words that God is near the broken hearted. Don't  think God expects you be always full of joy and bubbliness, the most  meaningful prayer ever prayed was when our Saviours  heart was full of sorrow ( Matthew 26 v38 ) There is an old gospel song called,'The song of a wounded bird'. Here are the words from it.

                               Once I heard a song of sweetness, as it cleft the morning air,

                               Sounding in its best completeness,like a tender,pleading prayer.

                              And I sought to find the singer. whence the wondrous song was borne;

                              And I found a bird sore wounded,pinioned by a cruel thorn.

                            

                              You are told of one who loved you, of a Saviour crucified

                              You are told of nails that pinioned, and a spear that pierced His side;

                               You are told of cruel scourging,of a Saviour bearing scorn.

                               And He died for your salvation, with his brow against a thorn.

                               You are not above the Master; will you breathe a sweet refrain?

                                And His grace will be sufficient, when your heart is pierced with pain.

                                Will you live to blest His loved ones,Tho' your life is bruised and torn,

                                Like the bird that sang so sweetly, with its heart against a thorn.

We have a choice. ( Luke 12 v 49 - 53)

I want to hammer home why our great triune God choose to send Christ into the world,my  grandmother  used to say about some victim or perpetrator of crime ,'well they are  someones child'.Whose child are you? here is what Jesus called some,' You belong to your father the devil', (John 8 v 44). The apostle wrote to certain believers,before they knew Christ, he said ,that before they trusted Christ they were,' without hope and without God'( Ephesians 2 v 12. ) John writing in his gospel wrote the following,'To all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name,He gave the right to become children of God'.(1 v 12). The question is this ,are you in the devils family or God's family?,is Christ your Saviour or is He not your Saviour?. One writer wrote the following. 'Christs coming would inevitably mean divisions',those who were His and those who are not,no one can stand before the cross without making a decision,to accept Christ or reject Him.To stay as they are,or to become what they could be,children of the Living God,and wonder of all that means. Dear friend it is your choice.

I Wish . ( Revelation 21 v 1 - 5 )

 One of the things that happened when in that earthly paradise our first parents sinned,we lost our innocence,no longer would we look at things perfectly,no longer we would act perfectly.Sometimes I have a deep longing for that innocence we lost in that garden,to look on all things with unsullied eyes.To always have pure thoughts,and right motives,to be colour blind , to be sweet and nice,if only. It  was Louisa Fletcher,who wrote a poem called ,'The land of beginning again', here is one verse from it.

                                              ' I wish that there were some wonderful place,

                                                called the land of Beginning Again,

                                                Where all our mistakes and all our heartaches

                                                 And all our poor selfish grief

                                                 Could be dropped like a shabby old coat at the door,

                                                 And never be put on again'.

Of course we cannot go back, but as Christians we can look forward to the future when we will be part of that new existence we read about in book of Revelation were we have Christ declaring.'  I am making everything new'.21 v 5,in that day all our old sinful tainted nature will' be dropped like a shabby old coat at the door,and never to be put on again'.