The Church. ( Hebrews 10 v 19 - 25 )

John Stott states the following,'Some people construct a Christianity which consists entirely of a personal relationship to Jesus Christ and has virtually nothing to do with Church. Others make a grudging concession to the need for church membership, but add that they have given up the ecclesiastical institution as hopeless'. In Ephesians 5 v 25 we read,'Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her'.Paul who  wrote those words writes in 2 Corinthians 11 of the great trials he had experienced,but then he adds,'Beside everything else,I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches'. Often those who leave the church are very critical of the church they have left,as they no longer identify with the Church.There are many people who stop meeting  with their local church,it is Philip Yancey who has written a book  called ,'Soul Survivor', He writes,'How my faith survived the Church'.We may have differences within the church but it does not give us the right to forsake the church.Jesus our Saviour tells the church  that He will not forsake them,so we should not forsake the Church in fact we are clearly told that we are not to give up meeting together (Hebrews 10 v25 ) We are all individuals, but we are all part of the body of Christ,the church needs us and we need the Church.  John Stott says three things about the church.

                                                 

                                             The church is central to history.

                                             The church is central to the gospel.

                                             The church is central to Christian living.

He will take care of you. ( Psalm 23)

 Often when preparing a word an old hymn comes flooding back to me,such was the case recently,I was  studying Psalm 37, a Psalm by David,it starts with these words,'Do not fret because of evildoers',the word fret has a meaning of anger , David was angry , displeased with wrongdoers.So what does he say we should do? bring God into the situation,God will deal with them. He also seeks to reassure the believers that God would look after them and provide for them and their families.Verse 25 reads,'I have been young and now I am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken , or his descendants  begging bread.So I return to that hymn that came flooding back to me,words by C.D.Martin.

                               Be not dismayed what'er betide ,God will take care of you!

                               Beneath His wings of love abide,God will take care of you!

                               Though days of toil when heart doth fail, God will take care of you!

                               All you may need He will provide,God will take care of you!

                               Trust Him,and you will be satisfied,God will take care of you!

                               Lonely or sad,from friends apart,God will take care of you!

                               He will give peace to your aching heart,God will take care of you!

                               No matter what may be the test,God will take care of you!

                               Lean weary on upon His breast,God will take care of you!

Hoarded resources. ( James 4 v 6 )

A couple in the church I attend have just lost their son,he was in his forties,I have known the family for a long time.The thing a the lad Simon at an early age had to have a kidney transplant,was also a special needs person. So his parents had to give him a lot of care and at times that was challenging but they loved him dearly,the couple had a daughter,and she supported her parents as best she could.  I would just say that Simon held down a part time job for a number of years and even learned to drive a car,but he still needed a lot of looking after.This death will affect them for a long time, death has that effect on many people, loss of a loved one can be exceedingly heartbreaking, the question is how does one cope?,human resources can only go so far in helping. So what is the answer?, the grace of God,Romans 16 v 20. speaks of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.We are saved by God's grace,but it does not stop there, He grants us grace everyday.God granted Paul grace with his affliction,that meant the strength to endure it. In 2 Corinthians 12 v 9, we read these words ,'My grace is sufficient for you',yes for you,what ever trial you are going through,He will by His grace ,grant you the strength to help you through.Annie Johnson Flint wrote the following,'

                                      'He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater,

                                       He sendeth more strength as our labours increase;

                                       To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,

                                       To multiplied trials He multiplies peace.

                                       When we have exhausted our store of endurance,

                                       When our strength has failed ere the day has half done,

                                        When we reach the end of our hoarded resources

                                         Our Father's full giving is only begun.'

                                        

                                                                

                                       

                              

He makes all the difference.( Romans 8 v 31 - 39 )

 Writing on  Psalm 44 Scroggie  declares ,'Deity makes all the difference in a difficulty',just  think that as we face today we are not on our own.As Moses faced the challenge of leading Israel God assured him that His presence would go with them. ( Exodus 33 v 14).When David faced  Goliath,he declared the Lord was with him (1 Samuel 17 v 46.When Paul was a prisoner he tells us that everyone deserted him but then he adds,'But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength', the Lord was with him. (2 Timothy 4 v16 -17)The Lord being with them made a difference to them ,and it will make a difference to us,one could say they were special people,so they received preferential treatment, not so,their status is our status we are children of God .The Lord is with us as He was with them, oh yes they had greater gifts than us,God used them in mighty ways,but that does not make us nobodies or inferior in God's eyes.Everyday we can rejoice that God is with  us, and means everything,you and I are the apple of God's eye.So let us be strong and courageous, let us not be afraid,let us not be discouraged,never forget that the Lord is with us wherever we go.( Joshua1v9.)

                                           'Behold what manner of love the

                                            Father has bestowed on us, that

                                            we should be called children of

                                            God.' (1 John3 v 1)

                                               

 

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Amazing. (Ephesians 2 v 8)

 There is one song I never get tired of hearing, its a song that touches many people,more than we realise, its 'Amazing Grace',written by John Newton,He wrote it out of his own experience ,he lived a very sinful life,and was bought to his senses by God,in the midst of a storm,when all seemed lost,it appeared a watery grave awaited him,and in desperation he cried unto God,and was delivered,not only from  dying but without Christ and going to a lost eternity. Just before he died,a friend saw that he was struggling to say something,He leaned over to catch it,this is what he said,''My memory is almost gone, but I remember two things'',he whispered,feebly. ''That I am great sinner''. He paused to summon up his last breath, before finishing the sentence, .... And Christ is a great Saviour!'' Every believer can identify with John's experience, because we are all sinners ,and we all have a great Saviour, and we have all experienced the amazing grace of God.

                                               'Amazing grace ! how sweet the sound

                                                That saved a wretch like me!

                                                 I once was lost,but now am found;

                                                 Was blind but now I see.'

                                                             John Newton

He will answer. ( Isaiah 30 v19 )

 In Psalm 65 v 2 we read ' O you who hear prayer',the NIV puts it this way,'You who answers prayer', no problem they compliment each other, CP 1 John 5 v 14-15.Scoggie writes ,'God heads and answers prayer,whether it be the silent supplication,or the vocal  vow'.Take confidence from these words, God does answer prayer,so pray believing,trust Him as regards that problem,that need ,that decision, whatever, Isaiah 65 v 24 ,reads,'Before they call I will answer, while they are still speaking I will hear', Matthew Henry writes,'God will anticipate their prayers with the blessings of His goodness' .He may also delay ,we cannot dictate to God,but rest assured He will answer,in His time.William Cowper wrote the following.

                               'What various hindrances we meet in coming to the mercy seat!

                                Yet who that knows the worth of prayer, but wishes to be often there.

                                 Prayer makes the darkened cloud withdraw; prayer climbs the ladder

                                 Jacob saw;

                                 Gives exercise to faith and love,brings every blessing from above;

                                 Restraining prayer,we cease to fight;prayer makes the Christians 

                                  armour bright;

                                  And Satan trembles when he sees,the weakest saint upon his knees;

Two Extremes. ( Matthew 1 v 21- 22)

When I think of God and humanity I see two extremes,in Psalm  8  David asks this question,'When I consider the heavens  the work of your fingers,the moon and the stars,which you have set in place, what is  mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them .William Macdonald writes the following,'Relatively speaking,the planet earth is a speck of dust in the universe. If this is so,what is a single man perched upon this planet? Yet God is interested in every individual!He has a personal, intimate concern for every human being'.It is amazing to think that,yet it is true,these two extremes exist,on one hand you have the being of God and in the other hand you have  man. In Isaiah 40 v 18 we read,' With whom, then will you compare God?',the fact is there is no being that you compare with God ,no one.God in His fulness is beyond our power to comprehend,humanity in their foolishness make idols and say this my God,poor blind wretched creatures that we are.God's ways are past finding out,His thoughts are beyond our thoughts.No wonder the Psalmist declares ,'What is human kind that you are mindful of Him?,but He is,that's the wonderful thing He is mindful of humanity, and that means you and me,it was Hagar who declared ,'You are the God who sees me'.(Gen 16 v 13).He has not forsake humanity, even though humanity has forsaken Him.(Romans 3 v 11-12).Our dear Lord Jesus who is truly God and truly Man came into this world to seek and save you and me,but there was at a great cost ,that involved Him dying on a cross that our sins might be forgiven,that's a great mystery . In that act on Calvary He was declaring,that He not only sees us,and cares for us,He loves us personally.