Priorities ( Matthew 6 v 33 ) 3

 We continue to look at the anointing  of  Jesus by  Mary  ( Mark 14 v 1-10/ John 12 v1 - 8 ) ,to the main person in this account,Jesus.Now our dear Saviour doesn't say much, until they started harassing Mary,then our Saviour speaks,while they thought that she actually did a bad thing,Jesus said it was a beautiful thing and that she would be remembered for what she had done. Jesus our Savior went about doing good,not just good but amazingly good,yet there were those who wanted to kill Him.What you do may not be appreciated, don't worry Jesus knows how you feel, remember it is His estimation of what we have done that counts .Jesus saw the depth of meaning in her gift,it was in relation to His death.People send flowers to the dead, in one sense the dead know nothing as regards life on planet earth.Would it not be more appropriate to send a person a nice gift before they die. Likewise when people die people say nice things about them ,would it not have been better to say nice things about them when they are alive.Last but not least ,He mentions that this was the proper time for what Mary did,a sort of farewell gift,which he much appreciated.and after He had gone ,he reminded His disciples there would be plenty of time to help the poor, 

                                                       'Jesus be the centre

                                             Be my source,be my light,Jesus.

                                                         Jesus be the centre

                                              Be my hope,Be my song, Jesus

                                                           Michael Fyre

                                                              

Judas (1 Timothy 6 v 10 )2

  Let us continue to consider the events in Lazarus home,and think a bit more as regards Judas,the one who laid a double life, the question is why did he follow Jesus? Well like many Jews he thought of Jesus as an earthly Messiah,who would reign on earth,and he may have considered the rewards that would come with that to him. I am not sure why he followed Jesus,but the fact is he did.,very imperfectly,but he wanted his rewards now.So he took advantage of his position  as treasurer and lined his pocket with  ill gotten gains. I imagine he was always looking for a a way to get money.So when he saw Mary pouring that very  expensive perfume over Jesus feet, he saw an opportunity to get hold of the  money from selling the ointment ,he pretended  that the money from the sale of perfume would have been better given to the poor and needy..The other disciples were taken in by Judas,and they joined in and rebuked Mary harshly.When this happened I am sure ,Judas was very angry at Jesus,at not being able to get hold of the money, so he went out to make a deal  with the religious leaders,to betray Him.He wanted money ,he got his wish,but he got more than he bargained for. Let us learn from this that if we give in to our sinful nature we will get more than we bargain for.

Mary. ( Mark 14 v 1- 10 / John 12 v 1- 8 ) 1

 It is six days before Passover ,Jesus was staying in a friends home called Lazarus whom he had raised from the dead,it was also the home of his two sisters,Mary and Martha. His disciples were there also and among them was Judas the thief,and he was the one who would betray Jesus ,for the love of his life ,money.(This account is in John 12 v 1-8 )  They were all sitting down to a meal, in which Martha was serving ,and as they reclined there, Mary came up to Jesus and poured very expensive  perfume on Jesus feet and wiping his feet with her hair..The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume,but it was also filled with  the voice of the lover of money,he made what seemed a valid point,why was the perfume not sold and the money given to the poor . It  would have  been an opportunity for him to get his hands on some of it,he didn't care for the poor. Sadly the other disciples joined in the criticism,and they rebuked her harshly. It was at that point our dear Saviour intervened, 'leave her alone' He said,'why are you bothering her?,She has done a beautiful thing to me.Jesus reminds them that she did this deed with his death in mind. J. C .Ryle wrote the following,' Let us not heed what men say or think of us because of our religion. The praise of Christ,at the last day, will more than compensate for all we suffer in this world from unkind tongues'.

                                                  

                                                 

Hope ( 1 Corinthians 15 )

 'I wrote this down recently,'This old world keeps going from one crises after another,like so many peoples lives.' I sense that so many people  underestimate the awfulness of mankind's history, take the 20th century,it was a century of absolute horror,yes even that word horror is not strong enough  to describe that century. I look with great concern on the century we live  in ,and wonder if it is going to be worse than 20th, it may be. Because of man's fallenness  the future is not  very bright,of course we have the so called natural  disasters,they are bad enough. I do not paint a very optimistic picture as regard this world, but history bears it out,things will not change. One could ask this old prophet of doom,me,is their no hope for this old world?,no,that's my final answer.In all the gloom and doom ,we are told there is going to be a new heaven and a new earth,whose inhabitants will be those who have been  made new in everyway. Those who have been made completely new with a new nature sinless and perfect (2 Corinthians 5 v17 ) They will have new bodies it will be a spiritual body,and Christ image will be stamped upon them from being a perishable body we will have an imperishable body,and we will be immortal, death will be no longer,life eternal with all it's glories will come into being,and it is all because of Jesus ,you can be part of it, if you trust Him as your Saviour.

We are not god's. { Exodus 20 v 2- 6 )

 A worldwide famous chef is opening a restaurant in London ,his name is Yannick Alleno, and he said the following,'I want my guests to feel like god's'.It is an interesting statement when the devil tempted Eve as regards eating the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He said if you eat it you would be like God ( Genesis 3 v 5) One writer says the following,'It wasn't wrong for Eve to be like God. To become more like God is humanities goal, it is what we are supposed to do.But Satan  mislead Eve concerning the right way to accomplish this goal. He told her that she could more like God by defying  God's  authority, by taking God's place and deciding for herself what was best for her life. In effect, he told her  to become her own god'. There was a very pompous politician ,and it was Winston Churchill who said,'there but by the grace of God, goes God'. Nothing has changed,we may not be pompous ,and yet we may be,but like Eve of old our first mother, we have chosen not God or His way,but our way.That great chef may want to make his guests feel like God,but feelings don't change anything,we are human and we will die,and then we will face the one who is God,are you ready?, better get ready,by trusting Jesus as your Saviour.

I'm going to live for ever. ( Romans 8 v 35 - 39 )

 My Saviour said,' My sheep listen to my voice, I know them,and they follow Me. I  give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, no one will snatch them out of my hand.My Father, who has given them to me,is greater than all, no one can snatch  them out of my Father's hand, I and my Father are one'. (John 10 v 28-30 ). John Stott declares,'' No profounder security is conceivable for the follower of  Jesus'' 

                                              'The stars shine over the earth,

                                               The stars shine over the sea,

                                               The stars look up to the Mighty God,

                                               The stars look down on me;

                                               The stars will live for a million years,

                                                For  a million years and a day!

                                                But Christ and I shall live and love

                                                When the stars have passed away.'

                                                                   Anon

'

                                       

Ungodly ministers .( Acts 20 v 25 - 31 )

 Dale Ralph Davis tells the story about a minister called Thomas Hogg who ministered in a place called Kiltearn ,Scotland,who charged his congregation to dig his  grave at the threshold of the church building where  he might act as a silent sentinel against any unworthy minister coming into the charge. The inscription on Hog's tombstone read;

                                            'This stone shall bear witness against the

                                             parishioners of Kiltearn if they bring an 

                                            ungodly minister in here'

The forefathers of the church that I attend,put into the constitution that any minister who came to the church must be an evangelical.Why did they do it?because they realised that all ministers do not hold fast to the truths in the Bible. The gospel will not be preached,many precious truths will be denied or neglected and God 's people will suffer and God will not be honoured it will cause havoc in the church.