God is merciful ( Psalm 103 v 8)

It truly was the worst of times for Israel,their world had crashed down upon them, sad to say it was self afflicted. Consider the following words spoken by the prophet Jeremiah from the Lord   2 v 5,'They followed worthless idols,the 'leaders  rebelled against me',// ' the prophets prophesied by Baal,following worthless idols'.( v8) .Then a question arises,'Has a nation ever changed its gods?(Yet they are not gods at all)'  But my people  have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols.'(v11)There is so much more one could say of the state of the people of Judah spiritually.Jeremiah would prophesy for 40yrs or more,but things didn't get any better,rather it got worse.God tells them how he continually exhorted them to turn from their evil ways,but they refused (Jer 35 v15)When God offers mercy and you reject it,then mercy will be withdrawn,and so it came about,the result was that an awful judgement  came in the shape of the Babylonian war machine,and they decimated the country slaying most of the inhabitants , a small number who survived were taken into captivity in the land of Babylon.It was truly the worst of times,but it would not be permanent .God is merciful in  Psalm103 v9,we read that God does not retain His anger forever,their captivity would last for 70yrs (Daniel 9 v 24/ Jeremiah 25 v 11 -12) and so it came to pass (2 Chronicles36 v22-23) Inspite of all their wickedness and evil ways ,God showed mercy and grace to Israel,and returned to their land.As it was for the Jews so it can it be for any nation and any individual,if they but  turn from their sinful ways,and seek the Lord  Jesus ,mercy will be shown to them,for God is  full of mercy

The least we can do. ( John 21 v15)

Some people are driven,George Mallory climbed mountians , but one mountain above all else was his obsession,'Everest',no one had done it before ,he and another friend on the 9th of June 1924 set out to conquer it,but they both died ,failing in their attempt.George Mallory was once asked ,why did he climb mountains,his reply was .''because they are there''.Is that worth loosing one's life ? Many Christians throughout history have suffered greatly,often laying down their lives,why?and the answer is very simple ,because of love, not just love but the love of Jesus. In 1John 4 v19 we read .'We love Him because He first loved us'When our Saviour spoke to Peter the one who denied Him ,he said to Peter three times,'Do you love me ?',in the end he showed that he did,  when he died a matyers death. Polycarp was Bishop of Smyrua (120AD) .He like many Christians refused to accept Caesar as a god,The authorites said if he would acknowledge Casear was Lord ,he would be spared ,but he refused,saying,'For 86  years I have served Him,and He has done me no wrong.How can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour'.  1 John 4v19 reminds us that that before we came to Christ we were ungodly and enemies of God. In that state He showed love to us by giving Christ to die for us.(Romans 5 v 6-8)We often sing ,'love so amazing so divine demands my soul,my life my all'.Peter,Paul ,Polycarp,and mulitude of others led down their lives for love of their Saviour,it is the least we can do.

                                                       'And can it be that I should gain

                                                       An interest in the Saviour's blood?

                                                       Died He for me,who caused His pain?

                                                       For me , who Him to death pursude?

                                                       Amazing love! how can it be

                                                      That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?'

                                                                    Charles Wesley

                                                       

 

Are you sleeping?( Matthew 25 v 1- 13)

In Washington  Irving's Rip Van Wnkle, he slept for 20 yrs,the story goes that he escaped to the mountains to get away from his wife,who wanted him to do work on their farm. In Romans 13 v 11 ,Paul gives a wake up call to the Christians  and so he declares  the possible of the coming of Christ at any moment.he is not saying that Jesus is coming  at that time, for no one knows when He is coming (Mark 13 v 32).The main thing is to be ready,our Saviour said about His coming,' Do not let Him find you sleeping when He arrives without warning,I say to you ,what I say I say to everyone; Watch for Him'.  (Mark 13 v36)Yes He is coming 'soon' 'We must be watchful and alert, because we do not know the time.' It is as John Stott says,' as regards the coming of Christ,that there is a tension between the' now already' of Christ's first coming and 'not yet ' of His second.' Our  Saviour said,' The night cometh ,when no one can work',(John 9 v4) Until that day comes we must be up and doing ,somone said,'The Christian life is not a sleep, but a battle.' 

                                                   'Waiting for our Lord 's returning,

                                                    Be it ours His word to keep;

                                                    May  our lamps be always burning;

                                                    May we watch while others sleep.

                                                    We are children of the light.'

                                                                Thomas Kelly.

What think ye of Christ? ( John 20 v24 -28)

D L.Moody asked this question in a sermon He preached,'I want to ask you not  what you think of this or that church,nor what you think of this creed ,nor what you think of this denomination or that denonomination.The question is not what you think of this belief or that belief,but,''What think ye of Christ?''. So much depends on how you answer that question,if you get it wrong that's very serious. John Newton wrote the following in one of his hymns,

                                                       'What think ye of Christ? is the test

                                                        To try both your state and your scheme;

                                                        Ye cannot be right in the rest

                                                        Unless you think rightly of Him,'

Jesus asked His disciples.....'Who do men people say I am? they replied,''Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others,one of the prophets.'  But what about you?' he asked.'Who do you say I am?' Peter answered ,' You are the Messiah''(Mark 8 v 27 -29 ) Who do you thing Christ is,a good man ? yes He was that,a prophet,yes he was that,a teacher, yes he was,Many believe that's all He was, they relegate Him to be just like one of us,they do not see him as God which He was,or as Saviour which He was,or as one who died so our sins would be forgiven,they take exception to the fact when He said,' I am the Way,the Truth,and the Life,and that no can come unto the Father but by Him( John 14 v6 ). So who do you say Christ is?

                                                                

                                                           

                                                       

Just imagine. ( Hebrews 13 v 3)

  As a Christian I have never  experienced persecution for my faith,but in many countries they do, most of them are law abiding people.Imagine going to bed and you fall asleep,then you are awakened by someone banging on your door.So you  get up and go to your front door opening it,and you are faced with the police,they rough handle you and then they take you and push you into a vehicle,and take you to their headquarters.When you arrive there you are interrogated for the rest of the night,they  might use violence, but  whatever,it will be unremitting, When morning comes they  bring you before a judge, and you will be  charged by whatever they can drum up out of their own inventions, and then sentence is passed you have been found guilty,and so you are going to prison for 10yrs.  This is going on continually in so many countries,by  religious authorites ,or political authorites, they do it out of fear, fear of being overthrown. Oh yes it can happen,we have witnessed,many cruel leader being overthrown.Although we do not encourage rebellion, we do need to pray for those who are suffering,or we can write to  them and encourage them.Prayer will make a difference, so keep praying for our dear brothers and sisters,that God will strengthen them, and that they may be released, if  that does not happen pray that God may help them to  be faithful even unto death (Revelation 2 v10)

                                         'Blest be the tie that binds our heats in Christian love;

                                         The  fellowship of kindred minds is like that above.

                                         We share our mutual woes,our burdens bear,

                                         And often for each other flows the sympathising tear'

                                                              John Fawcett.

God the Son. ( John 5 v 16-18)

The promise had been given ,and the promise had now been fulfilled,the Messiah had come,for the next 33 yrs the Messiah would make his journey to His destiny.Most of his life was hidden from us ,we have a brief glimpes of his childhood when at the age of 12 he went to Jerusalem  with his parents for the festival of Passover.(Luke 2 v 41ff) We read how He was left behind ,his parents assumed that He was with his other relatives and friends.When they discovered he wasn't, they went back  to Jerusalem to find him,they did eventually find Him in the temple courts sitting among the teachers listening to them,and asking them questions.They were amazed at His understanding and his answers, his parents were upset and his mother said to him,'your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.All Jesus would say to them was this,' why were you searching  for me?' 'Didn't you know that I had to be in my Fathers house?,but his parents did not understand what He was saying'.Let us remember Joseph was not Jesus father,He was reminding them that he was the Son of God and so it was natural to Him that he would be in His Fathers house.There was a sense that Israel would have considered God as their Father in a general sense, but when Jesus spoke of God being His Father,He was claiming to be divine John 5 v17,He was not just a child prodigy or a child of Joseph , He was the Son of God, God manifest in the flesh.

                                                                                 

                                               'Who is He in yonder stall,

                                               At whose feet the shepherds fall?

                                                 

                                               'Tis the Lord !O ,wondrous story!

                                                'Tis the Lord,the King of Glory!

                                                 At  His feet we humbly fall-

                                                 Crown Him!Crown Him,Lord of all!

                                                          Words B R. Hanby

                                               

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What we owe to God ( John 3 v16)

So it has come,Christmas day,and we rejoice in all it means,love manifest to humanity,a love that's beyond our comprehension. This world has so much pain in it, so much suffering,and into this world a child is born,a child called Jesus,it is God showing us that He loves this fallen sinful world,a world that is broken and full of so much pain. The hymn writer wrote,'There is no place where earth's sorrows are more felt,than up in heaven',and God's answer is love, a love of that's beyond words in it's fullness. Again as the poet wrote,'The love of God is greater far,than tongue or pen can ever tell.It goes beyond the highest star, and reaches to the lowest hell'. It is a love offered to all,to the best of men and the worst of men,a love that will show mercy to those who come  in all their need,and if they do,mercy they will receive .That mercy involves the forgiveness of our sins,let us never underestimate the awfulness of our sinful condition,and its consequences.That babe in the manger came for a purpose,and it would involve so much pain,beyond words.That little babe would have the shadow of the cross hanging over Him all his life,he marched to it despising it's shame ,and terrible pain ,and paid the price for our salvation.

                                                     'Tis not all we owe to Jesus

                                                      It is something more than all;

                                                      Greater good because of evil,

                                                      Larger mercy through the fall.

                                                                  F W. Faber