Jesus paid it all. ( Hebrews 7 v 25 )

 When Patricia Gearing's daughter died of Batten's disease in 1998,her grave in a cemetery in the small   Lincolnshire seaside  town of Mablethorpe was marked by a simple cross. The local authority informed them to remove it. Their rules said;'Crosses are discouraged,as excessive use of the supreme Christian symbol is undesirable'. The family was given permission to erect a headstone featuring Mickey  Mouse   instead'. (From the Message of Cross by Derek Tidball) The cross  of course was a terrible  means of putting people to death,and from the very beginning a crucified Saviour was seen as foolishness,a stumbling block,and an offence.But Paul declares,'For the message of  the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,but to those who are being saved it is the power of  God'.Only God could have thought up the cross as a means of our salvation,The cross became the alter on which the Lamb of God,Jesus would bear the punishment for sin,it satisfied the justice of God ,for the penalty of  sin ,so Christ paid that penalty,( Hebrews 9 v 15)  The price of redeeming sinners was not silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ' 1Peter 1 v  18-19 ) Through that one time offering on the cross the work of salvation was complete,it cannot be added to or taken away  from,Jesus paid it all.

                                                 'Therefore He is able to save completely

                                                  those who come to God through Him.

                                                                 Hebrews 9 v25.

                                                

Look in the mirror . ( Luke 18 v 9 -14 )

We are all to some extent different,and yet we are in one sense all the same,for we all have a fallen nature , as we look at David and his adultery he is mirror of everyone who commits adultery.Take Judas he loved money ,so much so that he was a thief,and as all fellow thieves ,they see a mirror of themselves in Judas.Our Lord knows what we are truly like ,when a woman was caught in the act of adultery,and brought before Jesus,to pass judgement on her,the penalty was that she should be stoned to death. Our Saviour said,'Let anyone of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her,and they all left',they saw in that women a mirror of themselves (John 8 v 2-11).We are all potential adulterers ,thieves,liars,and so on.I read of a Jewish man who lived through the Holocaust  and he was brought as a witness at the trial of a Nazi war criminal. As he looked at the man,it suddenly struck him that this war criminal looked a very ordinary person just like him,and then another thought struck him,that he had potential to commit the evil that,that man had  done.In a sense he saw in that man a mirror of himself, Shakespeare wrote these very meaningful words,'Man know thyself'.We often say no one is perfect,and that's true,but the word of God tells us the whole truth,'That the heart is deceitful above all things ', (Jeremiah 17 v 9 )people speak of the inherent goodness of humanity that human nature is essentially good ,not so,oh yes we do good,but we still sin.If it was otherwise then Jesus need not have come,but in order to save us sinners He was prepared to die on the cross ,that we may be forgiven .

                                              'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners

                                               that means you and that means me'.

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The unexpected. ( Mark 11 v22 )

Life often presents us  with the unexpected, this week I had a scam email in fact they sent me three emails,I didn't reply to them,but the last threw me a bit when they said they had taken money out of our account,but they hadn't. As regards emails,if in doubt do nothing,thankfully we didn't. The next  unexpected thing that happened,my wife was driving in a car park,and a young girl ran into the side of my wife's car,damaging the wing mirror,but fortunately that girl was not seriously injured.The word of God tells us that in everything give thanks, (1 Thessalonians 5 v 18)another translation puts it like this,'Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.We also are told that all things work together for good to those who love God ( Romans 8 v28) Our lives are in God's hand,so there is a purpose in all that happens to us,sometimes we know, sometimes we  don't,as a child of God I am assured that he is watching over me and indeed over you,we are never out of  His sight or care.Our part is to trust Him and obey Him,whatever we may be going through.I am amazed and humbled by what Joseph said to his wicked brothers,'You intended it to harm me, but God intended it for good,' (Genesis 50 v 20)Frederick William. Faber wrote.

                                                           'I'll that He blesses is our good

                                                           And unblest  good is ill;

                                                           And all is right that seems most wrong

                                                           If it be His sweet will'

There is an answer. ( John 1 v 1 - 13 )

In 1977 Voyager 1 was lunched into space,it was equipped to send back data.,it has now travelled billions of miles.From a far of distant point it sent back a picture of our planet. Earth looked so very small and insignificant,but in God's eyes it is the most significant planet in the whole universe. Scroggie  writes the following,'Earth ,this speck in space , is the home of the human race,and is the focus of all interest, divine, angelic, and demonic, as well as human;it is the theatre in which  the Redeemer has manifested Himself and has brought the offer of salvation to a ruined race'.The word of God tells us that God loves this world and everybody in it,he knows every individual in this world ,and knows everything about them.If we leave God out of the picture there is no meaning to life,no purpose,  we are just a freak accident, if that is the case then what value can we put on human life,the answer is none,where do we get our moral value's from?.Every year we celebrate Christmas ,well some of us do, but many fail to appreciate, that God who created this world ,stepped into His world in the person of His Son Jesus. He exercised powers beyond  mans power,healing the sick,raising the dead,controlling nature itself.His teaching has touched untold millions.The greatest problem mankind has,is a nature that is sinful,and there is nothing man can do to change that.Only God is preserving this planet,and only God provides an answer , for on the cross our sin can be forgiven when we accept Jesus as our Saviour, and when that happens,all things are changed, for the better,we find new life,we feel valued and loved,and have a purpose,that goes beyond this life into a glorious future. 

Preserved ( Psalm 118 )

 Psalm 118 is described as,''apples of gold in a basket of silver',it is a Psalm praising God for His deliverance, here are a few verses from it,

                                           ' The Lord is on my side;I will not fear

                                             It is better to trust in the Lord,

                                            Than put confidence in man,

                                             It is better to trust in the Lord

                                             Than to put trust in princes

                                             The Lord helped me

                                             The right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly

                                              I shall not die,but live, and declare the works of the Lord.

 This Psalm was Luther's favourite, he said, '' It had saved me from many a pressing danger, from which nor emperor, nor kings, nor sages,nor saints,could have saved me''. he wrote a wonderful hymn,here are the opening words,'A safe stronghold our God is still, a trusty  shield  and weapon; He'll help us clear from all the ill,that hath us now o'ertaken .' Martin Luther in standing for the truth put himself in great danger,but God in his mercy delivered him.

                          

Have courage.( 2 Timothy 4 v 1 -5)

 When one is a preacher of the gospel one must show a certain amount of courage, to speak the truth without fear or favour .I have attended funerals were the minister has miserable failed to be faithful to  their calling.It was the apostle Paul who was about to appear before Caesar asked the saints at Ephesus to pray for him,'That whenever I speak ,words may be given to me so that I will fearlessly make known   the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly ,as I should'. (Eph 6 v 19-20 )  Thomas Brooks a  renowned Puritan wrote the following.' Faithful ministers have a need to cry aloud,they have need to be courageous and zealous, to awaken sinners,that none may go sleeping  to hell. Cowardice in a minister is cruelty; if he fears the faces of men, he is a murderer of souls.'

Losses and Crosses. ( John 21 v 20 -22 )

 Just recently a friend told me that he met his ex--Pastor  and his wife,they told him they no longer believed in God, they said that people had hurt them in the church. I know from experience that one will receive hurts yes even from Christians,especially if you are a leader. The greatest leader who ever lived  was our Saviour , he experienced  many hurts,even from his own disciples,in fact it was a battle all the way for Him,but He just kept going on,likewise the apostle Paul had more than his fair share of troubles from Christians CP Philippians 1 v 15- 17. I personally had hurts in the church that I pastored, whatever the rights or wrongs ,one should still carry on in the faith,wherever the hurts come from. Not only should we carry on ,we are to have a spirit of forgiveness, our Saviour taught us to love our enemies and pray for them .Matthew 5 v 44.Let not hate for your fellow Christians fill your heart ,if a fellow Christian hurts you, remember.'Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother or sister is still in darkness 1 John 2v9. Let me stress, hurts come to us from many directions, from fellow Christians, from non Christians, from painful experiences,from losses to crosses. That last word is important,for remember what our dear Saviour said ,'take up your cross and follow me'. Matthew 10 v 38.

                                'I traveled down a lonely road, and no one seemed to care,

                                The burden on my weary back,had bowed me to despair;

                                 I oft complained to Jesus how folks were treating me,

                                 And then I heard Him  say so tenderly,My feet were also weary

                                 Upon the Calvary road,The cross became so heavy,

                                  I fell beneath the load,Be faithful ,weary pilgrim,

                                  The morning I can see- Just lift  your cross,

                                                and follow close to Me.'             (Words Ira F . Stanphill)