They won't fool Jesus.(Matthew 7 v 15 - 23)

 In  Titus 1 v 16,we read 'They claim to know God,but by their actions they deny Him',this again tells us clearly of the importance of showing the evidence of being a Christian.No matter what people say if  their lives are sinful ,it is obvious they are  not Christians. Our Saviour said in Matthew 7 v22-23,'Many will say to me on that day,''Lord,Lord,did we not prophesy in your name and in you name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly,''I never knew you.Away from me,you evildoers!'An extreme example of this is Judas  we read that he ,'he shared in the ministry Acts 1 v17,he fooled everyone but not the Lord.People can hide a lot of wrongful doings under a cloak of religiosity.Think of the atrocities have been perpetrated by very religious people, There are those who name Christ as their Saviour,claiming miracles,casting out so called demons.one day,yes one day,they will be shown for what they are,evildorers.Our Saviour said 'Watch out  for false prophets. They come to in sheep's clothing,but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognise them.( Matthew 7 v15-16)

Anger ( Ephesians 6 v 10)

One of the first things that happened after the fall, was a murder most foul,between two brothers(Gen 4),Cain  and Abel, the problem began when the two brothers brought offerings to God,Cains offering was rejected by God,  Abel's  offered was  accepted. It was God's choice ,it is His prerogative after all he is God,Cain should have accepted that but instead he became angry not with God but with his brother,God knew how he felt ,God sought to reassure him that if he did that which was right he would be accepted, and warned him of where his anger would lead,God told him to rule over his anger.Think of the many evil's that have come out of uncontrolled anger.There are scriptures warning about the danger and consequences of uncontrolled anger. Psalm  37 v8 tells us,'Refrain from anger,and forsake wrath', Ephesians 4 v27 ,tells us our anger gives the devil a foothold ,Cain destroyed his own brother,Remember what Peter tells us about our Lord,'When He was reviled,He did not revile in turn,when He suffered He did not threaten,but continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly' ( 1 Peter 2 v23)

Don't forget ( Joshua 9 v14)

 In 1642 Sir Jacob Astley was commander of King Charles the firsts army,(they were known as the Royalist)against the Parliamentarians,Just as he left for battle he prayed a prayer,'O Lord,Thou knowest how busy I must be this day.If I forget Thee,do not forget me.'A simple but profound prayer,and yet the fact is God never has memory loss,His eye is always on His children,in whatever battles we are in His eye is upon us,He is watching over His children 24/7.We can understand what that man said, we  often forget  God in our busyness, God knows,but we are often lax as regards praying,our Lords disciples fell asleep at a very crucial time. Our Saviour was just about to be arrested,he would be tried ,and then crucified,but they were asleep.Jesus said this to them,'  Couldn't you men  keep watch with me for one hour?' He was  reproaching them ,for not supporting Him when He needed them the most.How many times have we  forgotten to pray?, we rush into things,and fall flat on our face.I know  we have prayed  and it hasn't work out,because is was not in God's will(1 John 5 v 14)that is not to discourage us from praying ,our Saviour taught us to pray, ( Matthew 6 v 9ff) and not to give up praying ( Luke 18 v 1ff) Charlie Pride sung a song about prayer here are some verses from it.

                                                        ' Hey,you left your room this morning                                           

                                                          Did you think to pray?

                                                          In the name of Christ our Saviour

                                                          Did you seek for loving favour as a shield today?    

                                                          Oh, how praying helps the weary

                                                          Prayer will change the night to day

                                                          So when life seems dark and dreary

                                                           Don't forget to pray.'      

                                                       

   

                                                              

Hardness of the heart. (Matthew 11 v 28-30)

What do I want when I minister, and so this thought came to me,I want what I say or publish, to be from God's heart to my heart and then to your heart. There is a medical mission in Malawi called Lifeline and one patient said ,'At Lifeline, they treat my body and my heart', Christianity is  all about helping people but it's  also about touching people's heart ,what we mean is the core of their being.that which no one can see, but God.In Mark 3 we read of our Saviour he is in the synagogue,and there was present of a man with a withered hand.There were Pharisees present and they were not watching him in prayerful hope that He would heal that dear man,no they were looking to see if He would heal him,so they could accuse him of  breaking the sabbath.Jesus knew that they were out to destroy him.So Jesus  said to the man, stand up. .Before he performed the miracle he said the following,'Which is lawful on the sabbath: to do good or to do evil,to save life or to kill? but they remained silent.'And  when he looked at them it was with anger,being grieved  for the hardness of their hearts',then he healed the man.   Our Saviour did not speak well of the Pharisees, their religion put burdens unto  people, (Read Matthew 23) whereas Jesus said he had come to help the weary and the burdened ,and give them rest,may God give us grace to be more like Jesus.

Good works ( (Matthew 6 v25ff)

 Let's consider further Matthew 6 v 19ff It is not wrong to have money,but it is wrong that money should  have us. God is not telling us ,to give all our money away.I remember reading about C T.Studd ,he came from a wealthy family,he and his brother ,played cricket for England. When the Lord saved him he  felt God was calling him to be a missionary,and I believe he gave most of his money away. He said many quotable sayings,here is one of them,'Some wish to live within the sound of chapel bell,I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of Hell'. So much for CT , Ephesians 2 v10 tells us'For we are God's handiwork,created in Christ Jesus to do good works,which God prepared us in advance, for us to do'.It is not all about money but money is included ,there are many societies that are involved in helping people, they need financial support,And as we give ,give as on to God,Jesus speaks of treasures in heaven CP  1 Cor 1 v 8ff,yes there will be rewards in heaven one person describes them as not physical but spiritual. Our security is not our bank balance.our security is God.

Money,Money,Money, ( 1 Timothy 6 v 10)

 In  Matthew 6 v 19ff our Saviour  instructs us as regards money and how we should manage it,He  reminds us of the uncertainty of wealth,After the confederacy (USA) was defeated their currency was worth  nothing,In the 1920 Germany suffered from hyperinflation their currency was practically nothing.In these days, the scammers are robbing people blind. When one hears of the very rich, one wonders why do they need so much money?But our Saviour is speaking to everyone, telling us to 'store your treasures in heaven'.He warns us we can't love God and money,in v 22-23, He warns us of that which clouds our vision in this case money  and that has adverse consequences that are very serious.The rich young man mentioned in Matthew 19 ,choose His money, rather than trusting and following Jesus.In Matthew 16 v26 Our Saviour said,'And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? It was George Beverly Shea who sang a lovely song ,here is the verse.  

                                             'I'd rather have Jesus than silver and gold ,

                                              I'd rather be His than have riches untold;

                                              I'd rather have Jesus than houses or  lands,

                                              I'd rather be led by His nail pierced hand

                                              Than to be the king of a vast do-main

                                               And be held in sin's dread sway.'

                                                              Words Rhea F. Miller

                                                                                                  

                                              

                                             

A man with a mission.( John 10 v 11)

The words of the song,'The impossible Dream' from 'Man of La Mancha'are very inspiring so much in it that challenges one,it is to say the least overwhelming ,'To beat the unbeatable foe,to run where the brave dare not go,to follow that star, no matter how hopeless,to be willing to march into hell,for a heavenly cause'. The  last part of the song reads,'And the world will be better for this,that one man ,scorned and covered in scars,Still  strove with his last ounce of courage,to reach the unreachable star' I know someone who did not have an impossible dream,he had something more than that,he had a mission that no one else could perform ,it was a mission of love,He was rich but he became poor,so many would be rich,oh no, not in worldly wealth,which passes away.He touched many lives for the better,filling them with hope,and joy,a hope ,not in that which is seen,but in that which was everlasting.a sure and certain hope that went beyond the grave,to a eternal home in heaven.This world is a better place for His coming, but there was a price to be paid . Scorned and covered in scars He paid the ultimate price that our sins may be forgiven by dying on a cross at a place called Calvary.