Times long past.( James 2 v 26 )

 In Belfast were I was brought up,I remember my mother and others going out on old years night,to a monument called the Albert clock,to celebrate the end of another year.I suppose on the final stroke of the old year ,everyone would start singing, 'Auld Lang Syne' that famous song written by Robert Burns.Most  people who will be singing that song,will not know the meaning of that song. The title gives us a clue,' 'Times Long Past', it is reminding us not to forget the good old times,and the companionship during that year. A worthy celebration,I do thank God for the good things in the year that's gone by,I have not  gone hungry, I am not in debt,I have enough to live on,and so one could go on,I thank God also for friendships. and family. But many are not as fortunate as me,I appreciate that,I hope in the year that is gone I have helped someone,by a word,deed or even just a smile,the following song sums it up.

               'If I can help somebody as I pass along,if I can cheer somebody with a word or a song,

               If I can show somebody he is travelling wrong, Then my living shall not be in vain.

               If I can do my duty as Christian oft,If I can bring back beauty to a world up wrought,

               If I can spread love's message that the Master taught,Then my living shall not be in vain.

                                                   'Then my living shall not be in vain

                                                   Then my living shall not be in vain!

                                                    If I can help somebody as I pass along,

                                                    Then my living shall not be in vain'

He is coming again. ( 1 Thessalonians 4 v 13 - 18 )

 Our  Saviour told his disciples that He was going to prepare a place for them,and of course that includes all Christians,but He also said  He was coming back to take them ,and all Christians to be with Him in glory. (John 14 v 3) All Christians believe that Jesus is coming again, how do you feel about that? It is Peter writing to believers,tells them that in the last days ,there would be those whom he calls scoffers ,who will say,'where is this coming?',( Read 2 Peter 3 )On the second coming Alec Motyer writes ,'We do not gaze into the future in order to satisfy the, 'horoscope' mentality.The promise of His coming is given without date so that we may live daily preparing to meet our Lord.( Luke 12 v 35 - 48)Life in the present is motivated by awareness of the future. Indeed,Paul opens his discussion of the future coming with a present tense',for we are told that our citizenship is in heaven, (Philippians 3 v 20).Christians are even, now ,citizens of the commonwealth of heaven, and this  is our status as we wait for our Saviour. We belong  to a far of homeland and wait for the King of that land to come and fetch us.Our names are on the citizenship  roll there ,and our place  is secure, but while we wait  here we must live as if we were there .'

                                                 'He's coming soon,He's coming soon,

                                                 With joy we welcome His returning;

                                                  It may be morn,it may be night or noon,

                                                  We know He's coming soon'

                                                       Words Joshua Aaron

                                                                      

Brain washed. ( Titus 3 v 3 -7 )

A man got saved,and he spoke to his mother about Christ,and she said to him,'' you  are brain washed'',and he replied ,'mother ,if you knew what was in my brain,you would be glad that it has been washed'.Our brains are wonderful,I remember one of the characters from the ,'Wizard of Oz', and he hadn't got a brain.Well we all have a brain,it is a marvel.Recently I was having a conversation with a friend,we were trying to remember the name of a famous sports person but we couldn't so we left it, at that.We continued our conversation,then suddenly the name came into my mind,I was unaware that my mind searched,and found that name.It is a amazing thing that our brains have this memory box,stores so much. Our brain takes in so much,it does not decipher what is good or bad,and of course when its in our mind ,we can't get rid of it.So much uncleanness ,the prophet Jeremiah  said that our nature is deceitful and desperately wicked.This is not an exaggeration ,it is a fact,so often we don't recognise this.That person who was accused of being brain washed,did recognise this,and he trusted Jesus,and he received a cleansing.even of his mind.There should be a change when one trusts Jesus,we will by God's grace not run with the evil that's within, and we will resist the evil that is within.

                                                   'If anyone becomes a Christian

                                                    they will become a new person.'

The school of unlearning. ( Proverbs 3 v 5- 6 )

 There is a very popular book called,'The Boy,the Mole,the Fox,and the Horse',written by  Charlie Mackesy', it is full of many meaningful quotations,here is one ,''I wonder if there is a school of unlearning''. As a Christian I have had to unlearn many things,in relation to sex,money ,violence,forgiveness,love and obedience.There are many other things one could mentions,' leaning on one's own understanding'.As a non - Christian so often that's what I did,like most people, unfortunately our own understanding is very flawed,and causes us to be judgemental critical,and make wrong decisions. The word of God tells us to,' Trust in the Lord with all our heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding'.( Proverbs 3 v 5 ) These words are very important, it is not telling us to stop thinking,but submit our thinking to God.Before we came to the Lord ,it was all us ,King 'I' reigned,we did it our way,but it should not be that way now.The verse starts were we all should start,'Trust in the Lord',the American dollar has the words,'We trust in God',on it,but how many Americans do?, .those words means nothing to them they trust in so many things, other than the Lord. Words are not enough,we must go beyond words,and exercise trust in God,that's what we are  told to do,are we prepared do do that?,yes we all have a lot of unlearning to do if we are honest.

Seize the moment. ( Isaiah 1 v18 )

 It is W. Barclay who highlights the following,'The tragedy of the unseized moment',consider how many people heard Jesus speak,saw the miracles,felt moved,but that is as far as it went.I worked with an old man,I used to talk to him,he used to go to church were Ian Paisley was the minister, Ian was a great gospel preacher,many came to Christ under his ministry.That old man told me that he was in tears as he listened to the gospel,but he never seized the moment.He was almost persuaded,almost,the gospel must be acted upon,everything depends on that,we have to seize the moment. Many are in hell who heard the gospel yet never responded,I wonder do they ever think ,'if only',if only I had seized the moment,,and trusted Christ. Life at best is very brief,and very uncertain,none of us known when we are going to die,even though we know that everyone is going die,there are no exceptions,none. Seize the moment, if you re not a Christian, your greatest need is Christ,to die without him is to go to a Christless eternity, don't believe that there is no hell,don't wait to find out.I can assure you there is a heaven and there is a hell,where will you spend eternity, seize the moment trust Jesus as your Saviour ,now.

He lives. ( Acts 9 v1 - 18)

So that's it ,the long promised child had come,and for Mary,Joseph,life would never be the same, a young man met a friend one day,and he said to him ,'you've changed',and his friend replied,yes,I know,'I have met Jesus'. You cannot but be changed when you meet Jesus,and that change will always be for the better, Christmas cannot change anybodies life, only Christ can do that,it is nice to receive gifts ,but the greatest gift one can ever receive is the gift of God which is eternal life,through our Lord Jesus. (Romans 6 v23 ).His coming has changed millions of lives,and so it goes on,and on, and on, it will never stop, how is that possible?, because He lives in the power of an endless life.The great religious leaders ,they all died, their teaching has influenced many people,likewise powerful leaders,Lenin's body has been preserved ,but he is dead, nothing can change that,but Jesus is alive,

                                             'I serve a living Saviour, He's in the world today;                                          

                                              I know that He is living , whatever men may say;

                                             I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of Cheer,

                                             And just the time I need Him He's always near.

                                             He lives,He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!

                                             He walks with me, and talks with me,along life's narrow way,

                                             He lives,He lives, salvation to impart!

                                             You ask me how I know He lives,He lives within my heart'

                                                              Words  A.H. Ackley.

Don't miss the meaning. ( John 3 v16 )

So this is Christmas, a time to rejoice  and praise God, like the angels all those many years ago,for Jesus,the gift beyond words. From the moment He was born, He would have one thing in view,fulfilling the will of God. It is was William Holman Hunt who painted a pictured which is called ,The shadow of death', it depicts Christ as a carpenter in His workshop,He is shown stretching His arms after sawing some wood,the sun is shining on Him. The shadow of His outstretched arms fall on a wooden spar on which carpentry tools hang,creating a shadow of death, prefiguring the crucifixion. His mother  Mary is depicted behind Him kneeling,gazing at the shadow.The cross was always there, His journey began as it were in a cradle and would end on a cross,that's why He came.An old friend recently died, she was a Christian,after the funeral,family and friends gathered at  a local church ,most of them are not Christians.One of the hymns we sung was about the cross,I have ministered in song during my life ,I put all my heart into singing this hymn, it is called ,'Beneath the cross of Jesus', here is a verse from that hymn.

                                       'Upon that cross of Jesus, mine eyes at times can see,

                                       The very dying form of one,who suffered there for me;

                                       And from my smitten heart with tears,two wonders I confess;

                                       The wonders of His glorious love,and my own worthlessness.'