He is the only hope. (Romans 1 v16 )

Gradually moral standards are being eroded, why? ,why indeed,not only moral standards ,the secularisation of society is increasing, it is gradual ,within my life time, there has been a steady change.As mankind  turns away from God things will not get better.Paul writing to Romans  in the first chapter, of humanities sinfulness taking  over and a turning from God,and turning to so much wickedness, that we  read, God give them over,in other words He took His restraining common grace away,It is a judgement,as one writer comments,'When God's protection goes,the beasts are ready to maraud.And just as man is powerless to recover the truth,so he is powerless to recognize and to resist error'.I sense very strongly as regards my country of Ireland,who have been betrayed,by awful abuses towards young people ,by those who were their spiritual leaders, that a vacuum now exists, the restraints are being thrown off ,and as Alec Motyer writes,'The vacuum does not remain unfilled', and who knows what will take its place, the moral standards will deteriorate.Like most Western nations ,things that were unacceptable are now not only acceptable,but applauded. So it is, as never before ,we must hold fast to the word of God,and the moral values therein,we must be the light in the darkness,and the salt to hold back the corruptness that is abounding on all sides. And above all else to proclaim without favour or fear ,the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ,for it is He and He alone who is the only hope for this sinful world..

Finished ( Acts 16 v 31 )

 Last time we considered  the evidence that we are saved,in others words the works that we do,it spells  it out in Ephesians 2 v 10,which reads,'For we are God's handiwork,created in Christ Jesus to do good works,which God prepared in advance for us to do'.These are works as Christians we are meant to do, throughout this world their are so many wonderful Christian ministries doing so much good i. We can be part of these ministries by our praying and our giving,but we can also help people  were we live,they may need financial help,they may just need our friendship, our company,so many lonely people, as the old song goes,These works no matter how good and noble they are, cannot save us, the work that saves us is the finished work of Christ. It is sad that there are those  who profess to be Christians and they believe that Christ work is not enough to save them,they must do their bit.in  spite of the fact that the scriptures clearly teach that,'it is by grace you have been saved,through faith, and this is not of yourselves,it is the gift of God. Not by works,so that no one can boast'.  ( Ephesians 2 v 8-9 ). I exhort you to take this very serious,it is not a minor detail.only the sacrifice of  Christ and His shed blood can deal with sin.

                                                    'Nothing in my hand I bring,

                                                    Simply to Thy cross I cling;

                                                    Naked, come to Thee for dress;

                                                    Helpless look to Thee for grace;

                                                    Foul, I to the fountain fly;

                                                   Wash me Saviour, or I die'

                                                       Words by A .M. Toplady.

                                                     

9

Evidence. ( Matthew 5 v 48)

 I would like to share something I read recently by Charles Bridges, hear is what he wrote,by the way he was an 19th century minister,and a evangelical. He  writes,' of the sure connection  between justification and sanctification; the accurate arrangement, by which, while we are not saved by works,we cannot be saved without them'.Often when you tell people that you are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone, they rely does that mean you can do what you want?. It is a fair question,but the fact is if you are a true believer,there must be a reality to your faith,and that's why James says,' show me your faith without deeds, and I will show my faith by my deeds'. ( 2 v 18)In other words there must be an evidence that we are saved, no evidence then  you are not saved. of course we must be careful as regards judging people,we must leave that with God. C. B , writes ,''We must not  presume on an empty profession that we are saved. We must not mistake the beginning for the end of the course. We must not sit down on the entry,and say to our soul-Soul- take thine ease. Christian perfection is this continual  aiming at perfection''. (Philippian 3 v12-16)

Weakness . (Ephesians 6 v 10)

 As I have wrote previously we are all still children of Adam, and the most godly people are no different, David and Solomon are examples of that. I read of people doing awful things ,and I get angry,but then I remember, there but by the grace of God go I.Don't get me wrong  those people who do awful things should be punished,but what I am saying is,if my lower nature had its way,I could be capable of whatever. So we must stay close to God everyday ,prayerfully seeking his grace to help in our time of  need,when  we are tempted to do evil, or to do the wrong.and the devil is trying to get us to yield to that temptation.  The word of God tell us 'If you think you are standing firm,be careful that you don't fall,' (1Corinthians 10 v12). As long as we live we will be vulnerable,but the good news is that God has not left us to our devices,or vices, no,He is with us always to help us, 1 Corinthians 10 v 13 tells us ,'No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so you can endure it,He can deliver us '.Let us remember God is a delivering God,continually we read how He delivered his saints of old,from their enemies,and their sins,He is  still in the business of delivering .We are all familiar of the request in the Lord's prayer Matthew 6 v 19,'Deliver us from evil',whatever is evil He can deliver us ,from falling into sin .likewise He can deliver us from sin ,

                                                ' We are weak,but our Saviour is our strength.'

, 

A prayerful song. ( Psalm 121)

 Every generation of Christians brings with it new hymns,and songs ,there are those who don't want to accept ,the new, feel that they are inferior to the old .It is interesting in our hymn books we do not sing many of the hymns, I wonder why?.In many churches they happily sing both,I prefer that .Recently in the church I attend  we sang a lovely hymn written by Robert Robinson,the scripture that could go with it is 1 Samuel 7 v12, which reads,'Hitherto hath the Lord helped us '.

                            'Come Thou Fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;

                            Streams of mercy, never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise,

                            Teach me some melodious sonnet,Sung by flaming tongues above;

                             Praise the mount I'm  fixed upon it,Mount of God's unchanging love.

                             Here I raise my Ebenezer, Hither by Thine help I'm come,

                             And I hope by Thy good pleasure safely to arrive at home.

                             Jesus sought me when a stranger, Wandering from the fold of God;

                              He, to save my soul from danger, interposed His precious blood,

                             O to grace how great a debtor, daily I'm constrained to be!

                             Let that grace,Lord , like a fetter, Bind my wandering heart to Thee,

                             Prone to wander,Lord I  feel it, Prone to leave the God I love;

                              Here's my heart,Lord ,take and seal it,Seal it for Thy courts above'.

Drink the cup. (John 18 v 11

     When they came to arrest our Saviour in the garden of Gethsemane, His disciples resisted Peter used his sword injuring one of those trying to take Jesus to be tried. Jesus told Peter to put away the sword,,followed by these words,''Shall I  not drink the cup the father has given me?'' L.B.Cowman makes the following comments,' To ''drink the cup'' was a greater thing than calming the sea  or raising the dead.'. In drinking  this cup He would be  fulling God's will perfectly,something no one has done.,or will ever do.He would be the lamb of  God who would take away the sin of the world. L.B.C,goes on to say,' Doing Gods's will and thus experiencing suffering  is still  the highest form of faith, Having your brightest aspirations as a young person for ever crushed; bearing  burdens daily that are always difficult ,  and never see relief, finding yourself worn down by poverty while simply desiring  to do good for others and provide a comfortable living for those you love; being shackled by an incurable physical disability; being completely alone, separated from all those you love, to face trauma of life alone;yet in all these, still being able to say through a difficult  school of discipline,'' Shall I  not drink the cup the Father has given me?''- this is faith at its highest,and spiritual  success at its crowning point'.

                                                   'Strange and difficult indeed

                                                             We may find it,

                                                   But the blessing that we need

                                                               Is behind it.

Chastening. ( 2 Corinthians 12 v 1 - 10 )

 Charles Bridges writes , 'Although we are children of  God,we are still children of Adam; with Adam's will,pride, independence, and waywardness'. The context of this is Proverbs 3 v11-12,'My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of His correction; For whom the Lord  loveth he correcteth; ; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth'.  It is the writer  of Hebrews (12 v 5-6 ) who quotes these verses ,the Hebrew Christians have known times of suffering,and that suffering can be the chastening  of God. Chastening  is one aspect of suffering,Paul's thorn in the flesh caused him much suffering (2 Corinthians 12 ) the reason being ,he had a tremendous experience ,beyond anything we have ever had, the consequences of that was pride,like us Paul was a child of Adam,and so to keep him in check, God sent him an humbling affliction.Lets be honest not many of us see see that often our suffering  can come from our loving  Father who is chastening us.As our earthly father chastens us,so our loving heavenly Father chastens us.Every thing God does  for us ,is for our benefit, God does not spoil us He disciplines us.because that is what we need.The poet wrote,' the very hand that strikes the blow, was wounded once for me'.God has a purpose in it all,accepted aright it will produce godly qualities in our lives (Romans 5 v 3-4)

                             'We ask not,Father,for repose, which comes from outward rest,

                              If we may have through all life's woes,Thy peace within our breast.

                              That peace which suffers and is strong,Trusts where it cannot see,

                              Deems not the trial-way too long, but leaves the end  with Thee;

                              O Father, give our hearts this peace, Whate'er the outward be,

                              Till all life's discipline shall cease,and we go home to Thee'