Trouble ( Isaiah 41 v10)

The old spiritual goes ,'nobody knows the trouble I've seen '  , if I told you that we live in a trouble world you would agree?.One of Jobs comforters said,' It's human!  Mortals are born and bred for trouble, as certainly  as sparks fly upwards',( Job 5 v 7),he simple is saying that there is an inevitability about it,and I'm sure Job would have agreed with that,considering how he suffered. It is as if he is saying ,trouble hunts us,and dogs our footsteps, our Saviour said the obvious ,but its worth repeating, 'when you hear of wars and rumours of wars,( Luke 21 v 8- 9)  yes we hear plenty of that these days.but He goes unto say, 'do not be terrified'. Following ' Remembrance Sunday ',someone wrote,'Remembrance Sunday was a balm for our trouble soul', So many must feel sad weary, and troubled in these days but God is with the believer always,here is what He said to all His children ,'Do not let your heart be troubled,you believe in God; believe also in Me'. (John 14 v 1)

We can make a difference. ( Matthew 5 v 16)

 Two young girls in Ukraine were playing their guitar and singing in a park,when they were killed by a Russian bomb.The mother of one of the girls said the following,' How is it possible in the 21st century to do something like this'. Cast your mind back  to the last century consider the wars and evil that took place by civilizations,not ignorant savages,and yet such evil manifested itself,in the most cruel behaviour, why?. Well there is only one reason ,our sinful human nature, unrestrained its potential for evil  knows no bounds.Think of what we did to our Saviour, beware of putting man on a pedestal,and I mean any man.So  is it  all bad news? no, there is the good news,we have experienced the grace of God  through Jesus our Saviour , and that should make a difference.We are called the light of the world (Matthew 5 v14 )and we are told to let our light shine(5 v16),and if we do that we can make a difference.Firstly the world needs Jesus and  we are called to tell them about Him,the gospel is good news,it is life changing if it is embraced  people become better people Secondly, live and act like Jesus,after all He was the most loving person who ever lived,the world needs that love, we are called to show it.His was a generous love,he was continually pouring out that love ( John 11 v 36 ) Next His love was a sacrificial love,look on the cross,that speaks for itself.Yes we can make a difference,so let us do just that.

'The church is not' ( Acts 2 v 42 )

It was Pastor Bonhoeffer  whom the Nazis  murdered spoke of religious Christianity, what did he mean by that?.I just read an interesting article as regards those people who do not meet with God's people in the church building.Most of you will realize that the building that Christians meet in is not the church,it is a building in which the church  meets.People say,' I do not have to go to church to pray',they have a mind set that if one examines  does not make sense,it is based on unintentional ignorance. As Christians most of us do our praying outside that building were the church meets.During the times of the Soviet Union when Christians were persecuted they often met in the open air,likewise in some countries the church meets in peoples homes likewise Christians would meet in the catacombs in ancient Rome.The church of  Christ should not be seen as  a building ,but as a people who know Christ as their Saviour. But of course fellowship for the church is important for many good reasons,mutual support,public worship in singing to God's praise,and also hearing the word of God ministered,and many other things.To neglect meeting with Christians in that way is not helpful for your spiritual well- being, of course it is just part of what helps us spiritually, but  it is a very important part,and we neglect it to our cost. Bonhoeffer when he was in prison said  that one the  of things he missed most  was having fellowship with God's people.

                                                           Hebrews 10 v 25 

                                    ' And let us not neglect our meeting together as

                                     some people do'

                                            

A Burden. (Psalm 37 )

 I have been blessed with 5 sons,I spoke  to a  minister  recently,he spoke about his son,and that children our a burden that parents carry with them,so true. So we pray for them before they are born, and every day of their lives, first and foremost for their salvation,and if they should go astray for their restoration.We pray for them as they attend school,and when they leave school,for their employment,for their future wives,and so it goes on.There are times like all of us they have problems,financially struggling, needing work. Recently one of my sons  shared with me the difficulties he was having,I assured him of my prayers, so I have been praying. Now in my own personal life when I have problems, I pray,but I also look for  assurance from God's word. so I was looking for a word from God, and as I was reading a daily reading,I read this word from Psalm37 v 25,which reads,'I have  been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,nor his descendants begging bread'.I have been following the Lord for nearly 60 years ,and can testify to Gods care and provision.But what encouraged me was  the testimony how God had cared and provided for Davids children.This gave me the assurance that God will care and provide for my children,and indeed for your children. Yes our children are a burden that we carry with us all the days of our lives,and it is a burden we can cast upon the Lord,to care and to provide for them.

Other remedies. ( 1 John 4 v 1 )

 'In these days of deteriorate Church doctrine, when other remedies  than that of the gospel are applied to the wounded spirit,'so wrote a 19th century preacher.As we look back we see that nothing has changed as in our present times,many are applying other remedies to wounded spirits, likewise the charge against so called prophets ,who were false prophets prophesying lies, at the time of  Jeremiah ,God  declared,'They have healed the heart of my people slightly,saying ,'Peace,Peace', when there is no peace.' The people needed to hear the truth,because the nation had turned away from God,and judgement was coming,and eventually did  come  when the Babylonians came and devastated the nation,most of the population would die,and those who were spared went into captivity. Alas as I have pointed out there are many false prophets today, who are betraying their calling, refusing to warn people that judgement  is coming.The gospel is the only remedy for sinful humanity. it is God's remedy, and if people do not hear it they will not be saved from the wrath to come. If they continue in their sin there is no hope, all  that awaits them is   judgement,from which there will be no escape.

                                                      'O God ,in wrath ,remember mercy'

The end of the beginning ( 2 Corinthians 4 v 13 -18 )

Every year I have to take my car in for its yearly MOT,that is a compulsory check to see if my car is roadworthy .We are all growing old, most of us have to have regular tests for our eyes,test for blood pressure,diabetes,and so many things, I think I'm fighting a losing battle,in a sense we all are.I'm in no way saying we should give up on life for it is a gift from God and it is precious,so we well take the pills, watch our diet,and keep getting those regular MOT's. It is the apostle Paul who writes,'Therefore we do not loose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away,'  (2 Corinthians 4 v16)  It is so easy to loose heart yes even as Christians,say what's the point?, well the context in which Paul wrote those words is very positive, that there is a work of the Spirit going on within us renewing  us everyday,one writer puts it like this,'Even though on the outside, it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside,where God is making new life, not a day goes by without His unfolding grace'.Yes outwardly we are perishing, Denny writes,' The decay of the outward msn in the Godless is a melancholy spectacle, for it is the decay of everything'.Paul encourages us to not focus on that which is temporal,he especially emphasises troubles,whatever they are , their is a better day coming for every child of God.a new body,a new eternal home,a new eternal existence

                                'Bruce Milne writes,'What is life?Where is it going?What about death?

                                 and the beyond ? The sun of conviction breaks through our chronic

                                 unbelief , and in that instant we know that we are more than dust, that

                                  life is larger than the boundaries of this terrestrial, and that our death

                                  will not be the end of us,but merely the end of the beginning.'

                                 

The whole Truth. (Ephesians 2 v 19- 20)

 John Stott wrote the following,' The well-being of the church, depends on our listening to Jesus Christ and obeying Him  as His word comes to us through  His apostles in the New Testament'. I agree with that, but I would go further,for it seems that he is excluding  the Old Testament.There is a book called ,'Christ in all the scriptures',consider what Jesus said to the  religious leaders of his day in John 5 v 39 ,'You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them  you have eternal life.These are the very Scriptures that testify about Me'. It is only in the Old testament we have foretold of His birth,life teaching that we get the full picture .Without the Old Testament we would struggle to  understanding  the person of Christ,His birth, death , resurrection ,and his teaching.   J C.Ryle  writes ,' Christ is not merely in the Gospels and Epistles,Christ is to be found directly and indirectly in the Law,the Psalms,and the Prophets...... Jesus , the Messiah,is everywhere to be found in the Old Testament'. Let us remember that our well -being,depends on our listening to Jesus Christ and obeying Him,as His word comes to us through all the Word of God,in the Old and New Testament.