Not disposable . ( Jonah 3 )

         Years ago when things broke down, we took it to someone to fix it,I have a little drill,
         which shortly after I bought it, needed repaired. So the people I purchased it from
         fixed it.that's over 40 years ago,I have used that little drill many time ,I am glad I got
         it repaired. Many things do not get repaired now, sometimes it is to dear to repair,so we
         dispose  of whatever it is.In fact we live at a time when many things are disposed off.
         All these items are good for ,is the local dump ,somethings they are recycled,  the
         fact is ,that's life . The question is what about humanity ?, looking through history
         and scanning through the news ,it seems so very often,political ,and religious movements
         often appear to class people  as disposable,so millions and millions have
         been disposed of in the most awful ways. In Gods eyes no one is disposable, not one,
         every soul that ever lived,all were precious in His sight,even those whom He judged .
       

                                              For God so loved the world,
                                              that gave His only begotten
                                              son, that whosoever believeth
                                              in Him should not perish ,but
                                              have everlasting life.

                                                    (  John 3 v 16 )

The beast in us. ( Romans 3 v 9 - 23 )

              I wonder how you would describe humanity , it was Robert L. Stevenson who wrote
              about Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde,two names but one person. They stand for a person who
              turned into a wicked destructive beast, oh yes he was not a beast in the literal sense,
              but from being a reasonable person, to being a wicked person. Yet it fully describes
              humanity,all humanity,many nice people belonged to the Nazi party,and did awful .
              things.Hitler liked dogs,Stalin liked roses.These two may be two extreme examples,
              but they had a multitude who followed and obeyed them.Those who professed to be
              Christian have committed awful things,now it is the Moslem's  turn,whose turn will
              it be next ?.There is a fallenness in mankind  something waiting to happen,a beast
              no one can cure,that can manifest itself in so many ways. Even though I am a
              Christian I know there is inside me,that which could take over, with dire consequences.
              David the king of Israel discovered it,the road rage person shows it,the abuser shows
              the beast ,they all do and so do we.In a moment we can as Oscar Wilde wrote,kill
              the thing we love ,he wrote while in jail, and observed a man who was going to be hung
              for murdering the one he loved. It is a wonderful poem,here are a few verses from it.
                                   
                                                    Yet each man kills the thing he loves
                                                     By this let this be heard,
                                                     Some do it with a bitter look,
                                                     Some with a flattering word.
                                                     The coward does it with a kiss
                                                     The brave man with a sword.

                                                    Some kill their love when they are young,
                                                    Some when they are old.
                                                    Some strangle with the hands of lust
                                                    Some with the hands of gold.
                                                    The kindest use a knife, because
                                                    The dead so soon grow cold.

                                                    Some love too little, some too long,
                                                    Some sell, and others buy;
                                                    Some do the deed with many tears,
                                                    And some without a sigh;
                                                    For each man kills the thing he loves,
                                                    Yet  each man does not die.

                                           For all have sinned and come short of the glory
                                           of God
                                                                     ( Romans 3 v 23 )

                                          Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners

                                                                     ( 1 Timothy 1 v 15 )
                                                   

5 Sola's ( 2 Timothy 3 v 15 - 17 )

                       This year is the 500th year from when the reformation began,led by Martin Luther,
                       the monk who found Christ,through studying the word of God. Although I have
                       read Luther's  life,I do not remember Luthers '' five Sola's'' ,so here they are,.
                       Sola means alone..

                                                      ( 1 )  Sola scriptura   meaning  Scripture alone.
                                                      ( 2 )  Sola  Fide              :          Faith       alone
                                                      ( 3 )  Sola  Gratia           :          Grace      alone
                                                      ( 4 )  Sola  Christo         :          Christ      alone
                                                      ( 5 )  Sola  Gloria           :          The  Glory of
                                                                                                         God alone.
 
                       Luther used these five phrase's to emphasise  the differences  between the reformers
                       and the Roman Catholic Church..
                                                                                                 
     

Onward and upward. ( Luke 9 v 62 )

                 It was budget time ,when the chancellor of the exchequer  tells Parliament his
                 spending plans for the country.Summing up he said ,''we are looking forward, not
                 backward''. This reminds me of what the apostle Paul wrote ,' Forgetting what is
                 behind and straining toward  what is ahead'. ( Philippians 3 v 13 )Life  for the
                 Christian is about going forward, indeed life is about going forward.. I enjoy
                 watching football on the TV,and one thing no team can do is be satisfied with
                 yesterdays success. It is not that we do not take pleasure or totally forget our
                 yesterdays,no but we must not let the past imprison us. The challenge is forward
                 and upward ,pushing forward with all our might, towards  our heavenly goal.
                 past successes,failures,disappointments,hurts,sins, must not hold us back.
                 Our Saviour say to all of us today follow me, let nothing distract  us  from
                 doing just that.

                                                  Onward and upward
               

               
         

Our greatest need. (Luke 5 v 1 - 26 )

               As  a minister was boarding a plane, he noticed a lady  who appeared to have a
              problem with one of her legs,it was partially sticking out in isle.He thought
              should he pray for her, but he didn't. Yet  when the plane took off,he felt he
              would,so he went down the isle, and asked her could he pray for her.
              She agreed ,so he prayed,when he asked her if things where better,no she replied
              it still hurt.. So he prayed again, a bit louder ,but the lady said no change. So
              he prayed again much louder, people began to look down the isle,when he
              finished praying, still no change, her leg still hurt, so back to his seat he went
              feeling  embarrassed,  After the plane landed he went to collect his luggage
              and the lady was there smiling,she beckoned him to come over,oh he thought
              she was healed. But no it had not happened  instead she said '' I would love to
              have your faith,so he had joy of telling her about Jesus,and leading her to the
              Lord. Remember the man a paralytic , was lowered down through a hole in the
              roof,the first thing Jesus said to him was,''Friend ,your sins are forgiven''.That
              took priority over his sickness.,for our greatest need,let me repeat this ,our greatest,
              need, is  to have our sins forgiven,no matter what the sickness is.

                                                  Only Jesus can meet your
                                                  deepest need.
           

Boasting excluded . ( Romans 5 v 1 )

                   ''By the 1500s the gospel of salvation by faith alone apart from works  was buried
                   under the mountainous ,monolithic power of the Roman Catholic Church and its
                   man made traditions. Then came the Protestant Reformation. The Reformation was
                   all  about recovering the truth that salvation is by faith alone and not by faith plus
                   works, as the Catholic system continues to claim'' So writes John MacArthur.

                                                                 Ephesians 2 v 8 - 9.
                                                 
                                                For by grace you have been saved through
                                                faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the
                                                gift of God , not of works,lest anyone should
                                                boast.

A sure guide. ( Exodus 23 v 20 )

                    Now let us consider Proverbs 3 v 6,'' In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He
                     shall direct thy paths.'' Gods word tell us we know not what a day may bring forth''
                     (Proverbs 27 v 1 ),but God does. It is strange that people at funerals have the song
                     ,' My Way', played ,as if  is an achievement  to boast about,and if we think of the
                      eternal  consequences, if that person has never trusted Jesus as Saviour.Again
                      Gods tells us, 'There is a way that seems right unto a man ,but in the end it leads to
                      death.' ( Proverbs  16 v 25 ) Charles Bridges writes ''The end tests the safety of the
                      path''. Oh the transcendent[meaning going beyond ourselves to God) mercy of the
                      eyes opened to see the awful danger of our own way,and our ears opened to hear
                      the voice behind us saying ,this is the way ,walk ye in it'' (Isaiah 30 v 21 ).
                      Consider the open part of this verse ,'' In all thy ways acknowledge Him'', How
                      inclusive these words are, '' we need to bring God into all things,everyday, we are
                      are no longer doing things our way,the worlds way, but Gods way. Next consider
                        acknowledging God ,He will respond ,and He will direct our paths. Again
                      Charles Bridges writes, ''No step well prayed over will bring ultimate regret,He will
                      lead us forth in the right way, (  Psalm 107 v 7 )''

                                                           He led them on safely.
                                                                ( Psalm 78 v 53 )















































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