True love. ( 1 Corinthians 15 v 3)

There must be so many people who don't know what love is,there are many  reasons for that,for some love means lust,for others it means possessions,power and so many other things.But they never really get into the meaning of true love.It is in 1 John 3 v16,we read of such love in it's fullness, here is what it says,'This is how we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us.'Let us consider true love, where do we find true love?,the answer is ,the God who is love  ( 1 John 4 v 8) ,what proof have we of that ?,It is the same John that tells us,'This is how we know what love is:Jesus Christ laid down His life for us,' (1 John 3 v16) that laying down of his life meant death on a cross,the crulety of such a death was terrible ,even before he got to the cross he experienced brute savagery from His captors. Isaiah describes His appearance  on the cross,' His appearance was so disfigured beyond any human being and His form marred beyond human likeness' ( Iaaiah 52 v 14)This was cruelty beyond cruelty, but it did not stop there,He knew what was going to happen next, it would be a suffering more severe than his terrible phyisical suffering,for we read,' It was the Lord's will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer . (Isa 53 v 10)The verse goes on to tell us that it was an offering for sin,whose sin? our sin,why ? because of love,a love that says I will suffer for their sins, that those who trust in me ,will not go to hell but go to heaven , now thats true love.

                                                     'It was for me my Saviour died

                                                      On Calvary's cross was crucifled'

                                                                Words S.L.Long.

                                                               

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Blindness ( Luke 4 v 18- 19)

It was John Newton who wrote the words ,'I once was blind but I now I see',I was speaking to two Jw's recently.I get frustrated talking to them,So this is what I said to them ,'When I say,'And the word was God' (John 1 v1),they reply ,'it doesn't mean that.' When I say Jesus is the mighty God,(Isaiah9 v6) they  reply,'it doesn't mean that'. When I say,'He was equal with God,they reply.,'It doesnt mean that'.When I say ,'For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, (Colossians 1 v 19)they reply,'It doesn't mean that'.When I repeat what Thomas said ,'My Lord and my God,(John 20 v28) they reply ,'it doesn't mean that'.You get the picture,why do they not see the truth of those words?. The reason is they are blind spiritually,and what I say as regards the Jw's,applies also to the Jews.(Romans 11 v 25),in fact it can be applied to every human being (2 Corinthians 4 v4) Along with that blindness the unsaved have a nature that is sinfull,willfull,as one has put it,'There is none so blind, as those who will not see'.  John Newton wrote of experiencing the amazing grace, that changed everything.

                                                      'Long my imprisoned  spirit lay

                                                    Fast bound in sin and natures night;

                                                    Thine eyes  diffused a quickening ray,

                                                    I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;

                                                    My chains fell off, my heart was free;

                                                     I rose,went forth,and followed Thee.'

                                                                       Charles Wesley

God's chosen (1 Corinthians 1 v 26 - 31)

It sometime appears that when a big personality shows interest in Christianity that we make a lot of it, but should we?,the answer is no.Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,Christianity is not a personality cult.There are people who have a following ,and we hold them up as more special than others but are they,no.Many in the church at Corinth  had as one writer says taken their eyes of Christ,and began focusing on personalities,and Paul had to challenge that. Of course we honour those who should be  honoured,but lets not go beyond that.In God's eyes  we are all the same,sinners,and we will receive no preferential treatment from God. Those we consider the best of men,are imperfect,let us never forget that, and let us keep our eyes on Jesus.I know of two very well known personalites,one a best selling Christian author,and yet he denied that Christ was God.The other was a well known authour ,wrote some books,and yet denied the virgin birth.Paul in his effort to challenge the personality cult,wrote the following as regards those who were following Paul,or Apollos,that they were mere human beings,only servants.(1Corinthians3 v 4-5) I read the following,a well know minister ,was asked did he know C.S,Lewis,he replied he did,and the person said can I touch you ,don't put people on a pedestal,they may fall off it.

Our chief end. (John 17 v1 -5 )

 I read the following in ,'Word for Today' one of my devotional readings ,'There is a story about an American tourist's visit to the home of a nineteenth-century Polish rabbi. The tourist was surprised to find it sosparsely and inexpensively furnished. The living area ,a simple room lined with books,contained a table an a bench. When the tourist asked the rabbi,'Where's all your furniture? he replied, 'Where's yours? The man asked,'What do you mean?' I'm a visitor I'm just passing through.' 'Me too!' replied the rabbi This world is not my home,I'm just a passing through', so goes the old gospel song,and of course it's true,Moses the man of God wrote the following,' Our days may come to seventy years,or eighty,if our strength endures;yet  the best of them our trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass,and we fly away'. (Psalm 90 v9-10) Yes life is very brief ,and yet we over focus on it, life is precious,it is a gift from God,and during our brief time here, what should be our aim?,The Westminsters Shorter Catechism tells us that our chief end should be to glorify God,and to enjoy Him for ever',yes we were created to bring glory to God.Our  Saviour's life was short, but everyday of his life He glorified God.(John 17 v 4)In His death the glory of God was manifested in it's fullness.

                                                          'Jesus said follow thou me'

The wrath of God. ( Luke 16 v23)

I have a book about Heaven and Hell written by Bruce Milne its in ,'The Bible Speaks Today' series. I have read part of it and am puzzeled why he quoated a writer,who said we would have sex in heaven,when Jesus taught ,that in the resurrection we will not marry , or be given in marriage,but we will be like the angels.  (Matthew 22 v 30-31) Now lets move on from that and let us consider hell,I beleive in hell,I know its a difficult subject to bring up,but one must be faithful to what the scripture says. It is a painful subject to consider or even preach on,and that's why many  avoid even mention it in their sermons. There are many references in the Bible that speaks of the unsaved  eternal destiny,and none of them  are  very nice,in fact they are awful.We cannot  eradicate ,deny ,or ignor these scriptures ,there are many reasons that we may want to,when we think of are unsaved loved ones.Or we consider some nice people we know. We must put sentiment out of our minds,also flawed human reasoning .People may say that God is a monster,He's not,for God is love(1 John 4 v 8),but as John Stott says ,'it is a holy love.' Here are some scriptures as regard the wrath of God  ( Psam 9 v17/ John 3 v36/  Romans 1 v18 /Revelation  6 v 16-17/,I will mention also scriptures as regards Hell.(Psalm 9 v17/ Daniel22 v2/ Matthew 13 v 42/ 25v 41/ Luke 16 v23/ Revelation21 v8'.If you are not saved,take these scriptures seriously,and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved (Acts 16 v31)

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The holy Spirit. (Matthew 28 v18 - 19)

 As Christians we do not have temples to worship in,why?,because we are a temple in which the Holy Spirit dwells,yes these bodies of ours,are temples.The apostle wrote 'Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives among you.' (1Corinthians3 v16 ) In 1Corinthians 12 v13 we read,'For we were all bapised by one Spirit so as to form one body whether Jews or Gentiles,slave or free and we were all given one Spirit to drink'. This has nothing to do with water baptism ,rather it is that  spiritual experience that occurs whan a person accepts Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Consider the all incllusiveness  what Paul writes there is no hint of an elitist group.The Pentecostal or the Charismatic movement,make Christians feel inferior they say they don't have the Holy Spirit.You cannot be a Christian without the Holy Spirit,it is the Spirit himself who bears witness with our spirit that we are God's children,the fact is ,'if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ' (Romans 8 v 9)So the Holy Spirit dwells in all God's children.Just a footnote the Holy Spirit is not just an influence, I read the following,'He is fully God,and described in scripture as possessing personal attributes like intellect, will, emotions,enabling Him to teach,comfort,guide,empowering followers with spiritual gifts for preaching Christ,and convicting the world of sin'.

Remembering John ( Acts 11 v 24)

In July  14/2025  John Macarthur died aged 86, he was a very godly man, I have a number of his books,he was a man of the word,a  man of Christian character, In Hebrews 11 v 4 we read  ,'And by faith Abel speaks,even though he is dead',that's the testimony that John leaves behind, yes he's  dead,but he continues to speak to us,though his literature,videos,and in our memories. Proverbs 10 v7 reads,'The memory of the righteous is blessed,' so true ,this applies not only to John Macarthur,but to all godly men ,and women,if you have had a godly parent, or a godly friend,their memory is blessed,and you thank God for them,we will never forget them.'.John was a watchman,sounding out a warning to God's people, to stay faithful to His word,He warned us as regards the errors being proclaimed by false prophets and preachers,sad to say there are many of them,millons of people are being led astray by them, our Saviour called them 'thieves and robbers.(John 10 v 1)I would call them soul murderers for that's what they are,clouds without rain,I will finish in the words of of our Lord in Revelation 14 v 13.

                                                Then I heard a voice from heaven say,Write this:

                                                Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from 

                                                now on.' Yes ', says thev Spirit,'they will rest 

                                                From their labour,for their deeds will follow them.'