I want to speak to you this morning on a verse from Psalm 11. (v3)

‘When the foundations are being destroyed, what shall the righteous do?’

 What are the foundations? The traditional foundations are, of law and order, social cohesion, morality based on biblical values and teaching, Christian education being given in schools, politicians creating legislation based on Christian principles.

 Much of those foundations have now been destroyed, to such an extent that there are now no moral absolutes, all is relative and one does one’s own thing.

 In all our Churches in this country, each Sunday morning there will be people like you who devotedly come week by week to join in worship. After the service, most will return home and probably have little to do with the Church until the following Sunday.  Others may attend a midweek meeting, but even fewer will follow with great interest deeper matters affecting the Church at large.

 I hear people expressing regret at falling attendance, which I share, due mainly to illness preventing attendance, dying or frustration.  I take services in quite a number of Churches of mixed denomination, and particularly notice difference from previous visits. The sad point is, we are just not attracting the younger generation, or even men and women less than 50 years of age, especially in the case of the Church of England, and  from the middle class of society.

 But is it any wonder; for any thinking person would ask themselves, what does the Church stand for?  I don’t know; I know what it should stand for, but there is a marked difference. I doubt if anyone could give a true definition.

 General Synod meets, and when I am reminded of the approaching of a Synod, I shudder and wonder what embarrassment I am likely to suffer for being known as an Anglican clergyman.  I have taken Methodist services, which to some extent is equal or perhaps even worse than the Church of England. Methodism was founded by two brothers Charles and John Wesley, two of the greatest evangelists this country has known, who set out in the clearest of terms, the belief of the Church, which have now been cast aside.

 We have therefore, two of the largest Churches in this country flagrantly preaching and ignoring the Word of God, and celebrating having done so. This is proved well founded, when  the Church upholding and approving what is unequivocally in contradiction as stated in the Bible.  Indeed, in the Church of England senior clergy are describing the statement, that marriage is only between a man and a woman, as hate speech. From the beginning of the first page of the Bible and throughout, God has made that sacrament, and the Lord Jesus confirmed this. (Are they hate speakers?)

 We have God’s order of creation ignored by (largely) men transitioning to women, but also fewer women to men, which eminent medical surgeons have stated is impossible. The Church has accepted this practice and even produced a form of liturgy to enable them to be baptised under their(claimed) new gender.

 Those of us who are privileged to be Ministers in our Churches have passed through Ordination and have vowed before God in a Cathedral service. In that service we accept that we will follow the will of God and not our own; to minister the doctrine and discipline of Christ, and to banish and drive away all doctrine contrary to God’s Word. 

 There is no doubt, not all are holding fast to such vows.  This is due to some being fearful if they do too closely they will upset someone.  Increasingly, others just do not fully believe in what they are called to believe; some want to follow society’s ways.

 So it was with a mixture of alarm, despair, astonishment, and frankly disgust that a motion  calling for Synod to reject an alternative motion, which stated there was ‘a  need for the Bible to be for  the common good’; in other words, rejecting the authority of the Bible. There was also the case of Bishops, the senior Officers of the Church, supporting motions which were in direct contradiction of the Bible’s teaching; in other words what God has called us to follow.

 The government is being pressed into legislating a Bill to banish Conversion therapy. I understand there was a form of therapy that was physically painful, but the new Bill relates to a ban on any clergy responding to people, who changed their sexuality and then regretted having done so, and wish to return to their previous state. Prayers for guidance or conversation to help, will be banned. So Christian teaching is banned. This is totally wrong, and is being pushed forward by activists who say it is wrong to help such people, but it should be noted there was no protests when they were converting the other way.

 If we cannot get clergy believing, supporting and living according to the Bible, we cannot expect God to bless and add to the Church. Remember, the Bible states it is God who builds up the Church.

 In addition, we have an aggressive and forceful secularist and humanist lobby with a fixed and stated agenda to remove Christianity from the public arena, which they are determinedly pursuing, by activists in education, the press and judiciary and parliament, and as you have seen above, even within the Church now, and the Church is not combating them.  Notice too how they do not attack Islam, for they know their followers will challenge them, being more committed to their faith.

 Our language is under attack to change to an idiocy where man and woman is out, Mothers and fathers, and simple words changed for not good reason. Government departments send out instructions to say him and her should not be used, but them and they quoted. Utter madness by a few unbalanced young minds.

 So to the question, ‘what shall the righteous do?’  If a house is to last, it must be built on a strong foundation. Otherwise it will begin to crumble and the house will fall. In the same way, a church whose foundation is weak cannot endure. God’s Word is our true foundation.

Even those who were not Christians, were basing their ideas for a new nation, on those Christian principles that we find in the word of God. In this age of religious pluralism, we are told that no one religion should influence the decisions of those in political power, and the influence of Christian standards will not be considered. This appears to be in contrast to the words of Jesus, ‘that His disciples ‘go therefore and make disciples of all nations’ (Matthew 28 v 19)

We must continue to spread the word of God in a world that is hostile to it, and live what we preach.  We must live in such a way as to show others how right it is to live according to God’s word.    

The righteous are represented by the Church, which is a moral disinfectant for the nation. Therefore the Church should stop embracing, applauding and practising what is deemed to be wrong in Scripture.  If others outside the Church wish to indulge, that is a matter for them and God will one day make a judgement.

There is false teaching being put out, which is being accepted rather than the factual one, that one only has to be a nice honest person to attain a future place in heaven. There is also a marked reluctance to preach the need for repentance and personal acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

We need to be more positive, even aggressive, in giving people a clear vision of what it means to be a Christian and to have a Christian based society.   We now have to proclaim it boldly, and challenge those who try to put us down. We have allowed the absolute authority of the Bible to be challenged, so that people venture more and more away from its teaching.     If Christians lose the shared beliefs, that have held us together, we will begin to fall apart and disintegrate. 

 The Church is beginning to look more influenced by the world rather than the other way round.  The more we try to be relevant, the more irrelevant to our purpose we become.  We should not be blown away by every whim of public opinion, but let our anchor hold in the storms of life.   Let us stand for the old standards, the way Christians once did no matter how difficult that might become, and not go with the trend of the times where the secularists are setting the agenda.

 A great difficulty arises within the Church, in that it does not speak with one voice and message, and therefore lacks credibility..  At present we have those who are theologically conservative trying to be faithful to Scripture, whilst those of liberal persuasion, want to rewrite those parts of Scripture which do not conform to modern morality and social custom.  It is fatuous and irrational, to suppose biblical injunctions, which do not conform to modern attitudes, can be reinterpreted to suit to-day’s requirements.  

The Bible does not need any amendments. We have allowed the absolute authority of the Bible to be challenged, so that people venture more and more away from its teaching.  God will condemn those who challenge His authority

 This can only cause confusion in people’s minds. They can be excused for saying if the Church can’t make its own mind up, how can they expect us to believe and trust them.     No Muslim would ever think of challenging their holy book, the Koran, and look in amazement that even within the Church, there are those who dispute much of our Holy Book.

 The last paragraph in the Bible  warns against anyone who adds words, or takes words away from this book.  The Apostle Paul warned Timothy to preach the Word of God as it was written under the inspiration of God.  When all in the Church observe these warnings, God will richly bless the Church.

The Church in the West is in decline, in stark contrast to Africa, Asia, South America, where the Churches have memberships of thousands.  The reason these Churches are so strong is because of the strong biblical foundation, and they have not been tearing the Bible away as we have in the West.  They still believe it and boldly proclaim it, often suffering much hardship for doing so.    Many Churches in the West have given up on Scriptural teaching and have engaged in dismantling the Bible and re-interpreting to fit in with the morality (or lack of it) they wish to portray and avoid any suggestion of future judgement. 

 A pastor in America was asked a question on a television show which the host knew would be controversial. He was asked to give his opinion as a pastor on homosexuality.  He replied “ I’m not called to give my opinion. I’m called as a pastor to give the scriptural position on it.  It doesn’t mean that I have to agree with you to love you. I don’t dislike anybody. I love everybody.”   “I think that sex between two people of the same sex is condemned in the Scriptures, and as long as it is condemned in the Scriptures, I don’t get to say what I think. I get to say what the Bible says.’

 The Church should be following the example set by the Apostles who were taught by Jesus who sent them out to proclaim His gospel.  They went out across the world telling of the unique and divine Birth of Jesus; His being sent by God to do His work on earth, to die upon the Cross for the forgiveness of all our sins, that we may be made righteous in God’s sight, and was risen from the dead and continued to teach |His Apostles until ascending back to heaven.  God then sent the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles at Pentecost with the message that all who accept Jesus as Saviour will be granted salvation.

    Whilst Christianity has been the faith of this country for centuries, in recent times our Churches have retreated and allowed a secular agenda to exercise undue influence on both society and the Church.  People, I believe, are longing for and wanting spiritual leadership. Our strength is limited only by our faith.

 The House of Lord has a small number of Bishops who are granted the right to sit in that part of Parliament, the purpose meant to be that they could hold the government of the day to  account in moral legislation. Yet some dreadful laws have been made, some of which allows the teaching of sexuality to children of tender years without any protest from the sitting bishops. (or later).

    An occasion arose in the country where such teaching was given with inappropriate books being used, and a group of mothers made a vigorous protest outside the school.  It should have been the Church making the protest to the head teacher.

 When you become a Christian you effectively become like a soldier, there is warfare between what the world wants and what God has laid down, and we enter a battlefield.  The Bible calls on us to stand firm and not yield. 

    Every army needs to attack, and we should be promoting Christianity as vigorously, as other faiths push their faith, armed with the two edged sword of truth.  Our faith is based on the historical and divine Jesus Christ who calls for people to turn back to God.

 Never let us be ashamed to tell the story of a Saviour who gave His life on the Cross, so that all we unworthy people may have our sins forgiven, because He died that we may be made righteous for heaven when our life on this earth is over. May we well remember the sacrifices others made on our behalf that we might be here at this hour?  We must never ever forget the lives of so many gallant young men and women given that we may have peace in our lives, and Christianity in our hearts.

 We need to be more positive, even aggressive, in giving people a clear vision of what it means to be a Christian and to have a Christian based society.   There is a spiritual and moral vacuum, and if we do not fill it, some other philosophy will, which will be much inferior. 

 All who treasure the Christian faith, and the memory of those who gave their lives to preserve a Christian heritage, must work and pray for a spiritual revival of the Christian Church.   The valiant hearts that died to preserve the loveliness of these lands we call Great Britain, will not be failed by God.

   

May the Word of God be always uttermost in our thinking and speaking. And may His Holy Name be glorified.

 

 

Isaiah 6

My message to-day, is from the Old Testament which reminds that it is an essential part of the Bible, to which Jesus often referred.

The story refers to an event which occurred two thousand eight hundred years ago, at a critical period in the history of the land of Judah.

      King Uzziah had died after a reign of 52 years, and the nation waited to    see who would take his place.  For most of his reign, he had ruled wisely, but towards the end had become proud, and felt he could do what he liked, and his pride led to his downfall.   Pleasure and materialism, leading to immorality, so led to a spiritual and moral vacuum, and he contracted leprosy.  He saw evil as good and good as evil, which the Bible warns against. 

     If we look at Western society, we see evil everywhere.  In both Britain and America, newspapers are full of horrific deeds and cruelty.  The older generations here in Britain, will remember when we could allow our children to go to the local park without any concern, knowing they would be reasonably safe; when older folk did not fear being attacked in their own home; when it was safe to leave your front door open and windows at night; when girls and young women could walk the streets without fear of sexual assault.  I think much of this would resonate with American friends.

     We have too, a spiritual and moral crisis,  When you listen or read the newspapers, do you ever wonder if it is you or the world around you that is going mad.  Political correctness is taken to extremes. It is no longer permissible to refer to husband or wife, or even man or woman.  Emergency services personnel cannot go into a pond three feet deep to rescue a stranded person, unless had full life saving training and one man died as a result of such policy,  and so it goes on endlessly all to justify some bureaucrats having a job. 

     Added to all such happenings, we have the Churches deviating from God’s written Word, and His order of creation challenged.

     We have to remove the cross from crematoriums lest it offend a humanist, and not refer to BC and AD to avoid offending non -Christians.  If you stand for biblical morality you are intolerant, and to claim Jesus as the only Saviour is discriminatory.  As Christians, we should not allow ourselves to be turned away from biblical teaching. 

     When we accept and recognise God as the Bible portrays Him, mighty, majestic and sovereign, who rules the whole world, we will feel compelled to strive for the gospel to be made known widely.

Isaiah is led by God’s grace in his commission as a Prophet, after having  a vision.

     The book of Isaiah in the Bible, conveys the lasting impression of the vision of God in His infinite holiness. He heard the voice of God asking ‘who shall I send?’. Isaiah replied, ‘here I am Lord send me.’ (this is the basis for that lovely hymn, I the Lord of sea and sky)

     Isaiah said he saw the Lord, and recognising that no one has ever actually ‘seen’ visibly the Lord, he meant that God reveals Himself to us in a multiplicity of ways.  We are to look up to God, and realise His provision of forgiveness which He makes possible for us through the death of Jesus on the Cross.  Try to see this amazing God of grace, as contained in the words of one of the favourite hymns by John Newton’s ‘Amazing grace’. 

      In v 6-10, God decrees the Prophet’s ministry will have a hardening effect on his own generation. In the midst of a people who were more and more giving themselves over to things, which were not part of God’s desire. And should not be compare with anything holy,  The effect on the prophet was overwhelming, taken together with his own turning from the Lord with his own sins. He could only see himself as a failure. Isaiah felt he had let down his holy Lord.

.       There was a surge of materialism, irresponsible behaviour, and a failing to honour the Lord.   Isaiah preached to the Jews, but they hardened their hearts and rejected God,  and so received God’s judgement.  In the midst of all the unrest and turmoil, Isaiah saw God was looking after His own.

      The message given is one of solemn judgement. It is not for the people to hear the implications of the message. They are to go blinder and their hearts made hard,  and the nation to be destroyed.

     There  is a sense of total devastation, but still there is a promise. As a stump of a tree grows, so shall  they flourish, and the people may gather again with the service ad dominion of the Almighty creator of Israel.

     Today holiness is mocked and replaced by happiness, for we are not to rebuke bad behaviour as it makes people feel guilty and hurts their feelings. Being holy means hating sin.

      There are many today who think they can live as debauched a life as they like, and when things go wrong they start crying why did God allow this, forgetting God is a righteous God.  People need to be reminded that God is not a remote being, having little or nothing to do with everyday affairs, He is involved in all our lives and we offend Him at our peril. 

Another hymn that needs to be considered is Immortal Invisible God only wise, a God that sees all, and is there when we call upon Him.

 

 May God’s Holy Name be Praised and He be glorified

 Ephesians 2 v 11 /end

I am turning to the Epistle to the Ephesians.in Chapter 2

In this passage there are two parts. In verses 11-15 Christ makes peace between Jew and non-Jew (Gentile) to unify one people.  There is only one united people of God.

    Our epistle looks at the hostility that existed between Jew and Gentile in Paul’s time.  The Jews hated the Gentiles, so much so, that if a Gentile woman fell into difficulty during labour, they would not help her, in order to stop another Gentile being born into the world; and the Gentiles were not too fond of the Jews either.

The Jews saw themselves as God’s chosen people, which gave them the right to hate others; they had been promised the Messiah; and they alone had been part of God’s Covenant.  Anyone else did not belong to God’s people, which meant judgement with hell, as the natural consequence.

The Jews had a national home in Palestine, but were scattered around the Mediterranean area.  Wherever they went they took with them a high moral standard, and pure faith in a holy and righteous God in contrast to the Gentile gods.  They did not want to be dragged down morally, by those who lived in a world of moral and spiritual corruption.  For them, the Mosaic law was the solution, for it regulated every aspect of life.  So it was this law which separated Jew and Gentile.  The Jew was determined to maintain this separation, and not let the Gentile have a share in the promise of salvation, unless he accepted and obeyed every line of the law.

The Jews considered the Gentiles had rejected God, which in fact they had, so causing a dividing line of hostility.  In the Temple Courts, there were separate Courts, and there was an inscription on the wall, which stated that any Gentile caught within the Temple area would face death.  The Temple was at the heart of Judaism, and was a symbol of all the law stood for,    

The Gentiles had their own gods. It was a multi-faith society, and like those today who have their own gods of money, property, etc, all of which do not give the spiritual satisfaction of belief in the one true God, they were without hope, for there is no fulfilment in an empty product.

To be separated from Israel was to be separated from Christ, because salvation was from the Jews. God had made his Old Testament redemption and promises by his oath bound covenants with Abrahamic, Davidic and Mosaic covenants, but the new covenants fulfils all the divine promises

The Gentiles had a mixed reaction to the Jews.  Some returned the hatred; others were attracted by the moral outlook of Judaism.  They saw in the Jewish Synagogue, fellowship and brotherhood, that contrasted with the disintegration of their own society.  They saw noble standards.  The barrier was the acceptance of 613 laws, plus any Rabbinic additions.    

The Gentiles felt like many people today, in that they did not seem to belong to anything, and had no clearly defined belief.  They knew there must be something better within their grasp, and wanted to find it.

We can see a parallel situation within the main line Churches to day.  People see clearly defined doctrine being ignored, and re-interpreted, to suit and embrace modern culture, and to make the Church appear worldly friendly, but  which lacks a clear moral basis.  So each year, there is a decrease in the number of members, whilst people go to the small evangelical churches or just drop away, which is extremely sad and very worrying for the future.      

          The evangelical wing, has formed an association called the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, which is campaigning for a return to orthodox doctrine and biblical integrity, yet whilst everyone is entitled to an opinion, some of the remarks from the liberal establishment, you would think they were trying to destroy the Church and deprive people of their liberty.   

Paul was trying to explain the loss of not being Jews. The Gentiles were seen as foreigners, and as such were excluded from all the benefits of Israeli citizens, namely the promises made by God to Moses and David. 

Paul believed that all Gentiles, apart from Christ were unsaved and without God.  This meant there were two classifications, Jews or Gentiles.  To be brought near, meant to have access to God. In Christ’s death, he died not only for Jews, but for all his followers even for those who were far off.

When the word peace is mentioned, it refers to a harmonious friendship between all peoples in the church.  The opposite of peace is hostility which Christ quenched.

Whilst Paul was an Apostle to the Gentiles, he still had great concern for the Jews, and was striving to bring the two together.  He talks of the dividing wall, which prevents them from mixing, and says we all have to get right with God, and until we do so we will not get right with other people.  We get the answer by Jesus death on the Cross, who brings reconciliation for us to be right with God and people. Jew and Gentile can now sit down together as one, and form what became known as the third race, Christians.

In the mention of commandments and ordinances, this referred to the Mosaic law which would separate Israel from other nations.  This created a dividing wall which Christ had abolished, by removing people from the law’s condemnation.  This meant a new man denoting a human race under Christ.

Paul uses illustrations which would be vivid to a Jew, to show hatred can be ended, and unity achieved.  He said those who were far off had been brought near. 

When Rabbis spoke about receiving a convert into Judaism, they said he had been brought near.  He assures the Gentiles and Jews, that they can be followers of Jesus, and end the resentment because of the peace earned for them by His death on the Cross.

You Ephesians, he says, "are no longer strangers and foreigners’. Once you were strangers, says the apostle. You did not know what God could do for you. Now that you have come to Christ you are no more strangers.

And you are no longer foreigners, either. A foreigner is different than a stranger. A foreigner may be very familiar with the country in which he lives. He may have lived there for years, but he has no ultimate rights. He is living on a passport.   

So as we come to Church, perhaps even on a regular basis, we have to be careful, we come not like the foreigner with a passport, but as one who has the full rights of a citizen of the Kingdom of God.          

Paul is writing as a Jew to a largely Gentile people, and wants to show how wonderful it is to be a Christian and to belong to a Church. He sees the Christian as part of a great building, and each Christian a stone built into the Church.  Jesus is the corner stone, and if you take the cornerstone away the building will collapse. A cornerstone, is the main stone in the course of foundation, which ensures the building is square, and in a heavenly family with one Father, and with Jesus, and we have a common spirit.    

 Unity comes from Jesus not from any organisation, ritual or liturgy.   When we are able to understand how God sees the Church, we will want to do all we can to make others want to become part of it.

In verses 16-18 there is Peace with God, which was obtained by the death of Christ on the Cross,  which had done away with the hostility between Israel and other nations.  Two parties were reconciled, brought into a relationship  to satisfy God’s wrath against his enemies. They are now friends in one body, the church

To draw near to God, and to enjoy him forever in the new creation, is both mankind’s greatest good and ultimate accomplishment of Christ’s earthly work of redemption.

Christians have to know and really be convinced, of who they are as members of God’s household if they are to live accordingly as one.  Strangers were deemed to have no connection with God.

We have to accept that our world has divisions, the clashes of interest are real.   Despite all the wonderful advanced technology and aids we have today, we haven’t advanced that much in relationships.  We have wonderful medical operations which perform heart transplants, yet many hearts are without compassion. 

In every walk of life we find hostility, even regrettably within the Church.    We don’t have to go back 2000 years however to find racial or cultural hostility. There was a wall in place in Belfast, erected during the troubles to keep Protestant and Catholic apart. 

Such rivalry in the name of religion was appalling, but even more shameful was the fact that such rivalry could have been cut out, if the Church leaders of both faiths had got together, and told their peoples to stop, for clergy in Northern Ireland have more influence, and are listened to more than here, but on either side there was support for their own factions, one especially so.   

There are differences between people, which God no doubt intended.  We are not, despite the efforts of the equality zealots in Parliament, all equal or the same.  Those inequalities and differences can be an asset.  You don’t have a body which is all hands or heads. If the body of Christ is to be complete and functional, it needs to have various qualities.  And each sex performs some functions in life in a better way than the other, and should be allowed to get on without interference.

Christians should be able to rise above strife. People sometimes see others through their own eyes.  We allow the emotional differences people have, to be given greater significance than what they have in common.

In the concluding verses of our passage, Paul wants to encourage us to come into a living relationship with God.

The final verse speaks of built on the foundation of the Apostles and prophets.  They were thought to be foundational  because they proclaimed the very words of God, which became the books of the New Testament. Since a foundation can be laid only once, there can be no further apostles or prophets to day, and their function has been replaced by the Bible.

The holy temple is where God meets with his people in joyful worship and fellowship.  We are children of God, who cares for us and has a purpose for our life.  As Christians, we belong to the church, this means we meet not with strangers, but as brothers and sisters of God’s family.

 

May God be glorified and His Holy Name be Praised

JOHN 8 v 12-30

 

The Pharisees continue to dispute with Jesus when he claims to be the light of the world, but the Jewish leaders would not accept his claim. Jesus said they were judging him by the flesh, which means by human standards.

The scene of the argument was in the Temple Treasury. This was situated in the Court of Women, so named as women could not proceed further than that, unless they were offering a sacrifice at the altar of the priests. Around the Court was a colonnade or porch, where chests for offerings were placed.

In this passage, Jesus made his claim in a vivid impressive setting. The Feast of Tabernacles was being held, and a ceremony called the Illumination  of the Temple. There were four great candelabra, and when the dark came they were lit up, and ablaze of light shone around Jerusalem, and all the courtyards of the city.  They were lit until dawn, and all kinds of men danced before the Lord, and sang psalms of praise to God whilst people watched.

Jesus was saying you have seen the blaze of light piercing the darkness, I am the light of the world for those who follow me.  There will  be light for only one night , but followers of me will be for life.  The light in the Temple in the end dies, I am then the light that goes on forever.

The phrase light of life, means two things, the light which gives life; Jesus is the very light of God.  Jesus was talking about following him, which means to be a follower who gives body and soul, and one’s spirit to the obedience of the Master. When we walk alone, we are likely to fall or go the wrong way, we need heavenly guidance to walk the right way.

When Jesus made his claim to be the light of the world, the Jewish leaders  reacted with hostility. To them it would be a claim only God. could make.  The Rabbis declared the name of the Messiah is light.

Jesus deals with his right to judge. His coming into the world was for judgment.  His claim was for love, for God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, and all who believe  in him, would have eternal life.

Jesus told the Jewish leaders bluntly, they had no real knowledge of God.  The fact that they did not recognize him for who he was, and what he was, was the proof they did not really know God.  The whole history of Israel was so made they should have recognized the Son of God.

Jesus was told his opponents he was going away, and after he had gone they would realize what they had missed, and will search but not find him.  this is a reminder for us. For everyone there is an opportunity to decide to accept Christ into their life, but the time is limited, and know not when their limit will end.  There is good reason to decide now Just as there is opportunity there is also judgment.

When Jesus spoke about going away, he was talking of his return to his Father and glory, and he could not be followed.  The Jews thought he might mean he would kill himself. Jesus said if they refused him, they would die in their sins.

The one who refuses to accept him as Lord and Savior will die with life frustrated, and life incomplete.  Sin separates us from God,  To refuse Christ, is a stranger to God, to accept him is to be a friend to God.

Jesus went on to draw contrasts.  His opponents belong to earth, he is from heaven. They are of this world, he is not. The world is the opposite of heaven. He came  from heaven

to save this world, he was sent by God.  The world is God’s creation, it was through God’s Word that the world as made. However bad the world is, God would never abandon the world.

But when the creator came into the world, the world did not recognize him,  the world does not know the spirit of  God, and there is hostility to God.  The world is separate from God, yet between God and the world. there is no gulf that cannot be spanned.?

God so loved the world, that He sent His Son into the world.  God would never abandon the world it is His love and the recipient of His greatest gift. But, at the same time there is something wrong with it, there is a blindness, for when the creator of the world came into it, the world did not recognize Him.

The world cannot receive the spirit of truth. There is a terrific blindness which does not recognize God or Jesus, the world is hostile, and the followers of Jesus can only expect trouble.

There is only one conclusion, the world is not what it was meant to be; something went wrong and that was sin. Sin is that which separates God from the world; it blinds the world from God.  Jesus came with a cure; he brings forgiveness. He brings grace and strength for one to live as God meant it to be, but a cure can be ignored.

A doctor may prescribe a cure for a patient to cure some disease, or some operation to restore the patient back to good health and strength.  He could point out that any failure to respect the prescription could lead to death.  This what Jesus was saying; if you don’t believe I am what I say I am, you will die in your sins.  If we do not accept the cure Jesus gave, we die.

Anyone can see the world is evil and there is a loss of peace. The world needs to recognize Jesus as a cure, only disobedience to His wisdom and he acceptance of Him as Savior and Lord can individual souls be cured.

The opponents of Jesus demanded to know who Jesus was, and Jesus replied. ‘I am the One I claimed to be.  I have much to say to you, and much to condemn, but I will not. For I will only say what I gave been told to say from the One who sent me, and He is completely truthful. I always do things that please Him.

The passage closes affirming not only the lack of sin and the avoidance of sin, but that Jesus is doing things which are pleasing to God.

 

May God’s Holy Name be praised and He be glorified.

Matthew 28:18-20

New International Version

¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Following His resurrection, Jesus called His Apostles to meet Him at a mountain in Galilee. He was ready to ascend back to heaven, but gave them the words of Matthew’s Gospel, which has become titled ‘the Great Commission.’ He assured them He would be with them (spiritually) as they sought to make disciples.

They were successful  in doing so, to the countries then existing in their part of the world. Let us remember, they did so, without all the facilities and technology that we now possess. This should be an encouragement to the Church in this age. They taught what every Church should be teaching now, but not all Churches are doing so. The Bible has been cast aside in too many places.

The emphasis was firmly on that which Jesus commanded, making disciples. The early Church was intent on doing this, by teaching all that the Apostles had taught them, and which inspired them, and God blessed their Church which grew daily.  This enabled members to learn the gospel, as it was laid out in the Scriptures, which is in contrast that Church members, as well as those who do not attend, do not have the knowledge that they could have.

We need to consider, how we can complete the task that Jesus gave us, making disciples. In order to do that task, we have to make Christians. It is not possible for people not proper Christians to make disciples, unless they themselves are a disciple. This means we need to decide what a Christian should be, and not just someone who has seized the title.

Jesus was giving His Apostles a commission to go out, and make disciples. This means that the Church must continue to do so through the ages. But this should not mean it applies to all who call themselves Christian. I fully appreciate that it is regrettable to state so, but there are as many who falsely call themselves Christians, as there are who actually are Christians.

People claim to be Christian when they are nice people, honest, helpful to others, even attend Church, yet do not meet the true role as Christian. Millions of people have attended or will attend Revival meetings, where an eloquent preacher will give them an emotional feeling, and will sincerely believe they are Christian.  They are invited at such meetings to answer what is known as an altar call, where they are called to leave their seats, and appear before the place from which the preacher has called them. They leave after confessing their ‘faith’, but when they subsequently attend their local Parish Church, they find the contrast disconcerting, and give up what they thought they had.

This summary may indicate, that being a disciple to go and make disciples, is not an easy task.  We need therefore, to consider a definition of a Christian as taught in the Bible. It is someone who has been called by God, and responds by committing themselves to follow Christ, and pledges your life to living according to His way of life, and accepts that when Jesus gave His life on the Cross, it was to make you righteous before God, through Jesus taking the cost of your forgiveness. You can, by confessing with your mouth that ’Jesus is Lord’  and by believing in your heart, that God raised Him from the dead; you are now ‘saved’, and are granted salvation.  Jesus is your Savior. This is the way to heaven.

 We also have to recognize, that any business company has to influence people to favor their product, and it does so by appointing managers, who strive to increase people by the manner in which they operate; they would never suggest that there goods were containing ingredients which were illegal, or that another business were doing better.  A restaurant would not advertise good food, then serve up junk food or it would be out of business.

 Whilst there is no merit in just aiming to add numbers, as is sometimes the major thought, but the Church obviously, needs to attract people to keep the Church open, instead of seeing them closing because of lack of people.  We are here to promote the   proclaiming the Gospel, and leading them to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. 

 The Church was once a beacon of hope, a place comfort, an honorable place, where people went for help and guidance. People respected the Church and its Ministers, where they could place their trust with confidence. It led people through life from birth to death, and was the center of the community, especially in villages.  Much of that has gone, and we are seen in a lot of places as an unnecessary presence.

 The Church is here to manage the Lord’s business, and if operated as normal business, it would be bankrupt. Let us consider what we can do to lead people to follow Jesus Christ , and a better way of living.

 We can do much better than we are doing. The idea is to open Churches, not close them at the rate we are doing.

First practical ways, by making our services so inspiring, that they will attract the same response that we see at services at Easter and Christmas, or special national events.  Another way is for members to attend regularly, and if possible to persuade a friend or relative to come with them.

If we are to be successful in this task, there will have to be a much greater consideration of how we prepare If our services. In this modern age where the Church has lost the respect it once had, so the task has become more strenuous. we see our congregations become much larger at Easter and Christmas, which shows the gospel does still has an appeal to a lot of people.

People will attend if they are offered true worship.  If you look without prejudice, at the services held in this country by the Billy Graham Crusades, you will find people attended in their tens  of thousands, and the Crusade had to be extended such was its effect on people.

There is no excuse in dismissing this as irrelevant.  Billy Graham was specially gifted by God, but his life began in ordinary manner, but he applied himself with much devotion. The ordinary Church  cannot compare, as there is no one who could ever compare with him, but we can learn from those meetings. Everyone engaged  in those services gave their all.  Believe me, this does not always happen to the normal parish service.

Music is an important factor. Gone are the days when Matins was a service with anthems, and canticles were sung to an uninspiring tunes, people now want hymns with tunes they can easily catch on to.   People like to sing, and Mission Praise gave sacred songs and hymns, to enable them to enjoy singing. This, together with having Bible lessons read, and fully explained in simple terms, made worship mean something to them.

The presentation is an essential part. We have stewards who should welcome people, especially new people, and invite them to stay and speak to the Minister or Pastor of the Church. Most people, if greeted with some polite sincerity, would probably return, but if just given a book, and by some elderly person with a look as if saying why are you here, it was a way of saying another lost soul.

 I attended a service for Remembrance Day, at a Church where a normal service had at its best, thirty people, yet on that day had a full seated people. A service as one of Holy Communion, which was unfortunate for a lot of people could not follow. It would not have been wrong to have a service with reference to the men and women who gave so much to defend their country, a fact largely ignored. In addition, there was a collection made with one steward who held the collecting plate in front of a young man, who obviously did not know he was to pay for attending, and was embarrassingly searching to find something, but she remained holding the plate until he had to say he had no cash.  It is infuriating to think we beg people to attend, and then expect them to pay for coming.

There is always the danger that we get all so busy with other activities, especially on social functions, which is not so strenuous as spiritual that calls us. In fact, some Churches have a profitable  social business, where people cm go for a meal, which helps them financially. It is a way of creating Christian fellowship, but it should be seen as an extra to the main function of preaching the gospel.

A factor we often overlook, is that people will not understand the true form of Christianity unless someone tells them. There are really people within the Church whose Bible knowledge is minimal, and this is partly that some essential words of Scripture are side stepped.

There is a glaring omission, that many people seek to have children or even adults baptized and are accepted without them being told the meaning of baptism and what it calls on people to. There is the misbelief that it is just a christening, which is why they should be corrected.

Baptism is a sacred service for entry into the Christian Church. In the Bible, people first made a repentance for sin, made a confession of faith, which symbolized thr crucifixion of Christ and His resurrection.  A person was lowered into water to cleanse of all unrighteousness, and lifted up to a new state.

It was never the situation which someone told the local pastor by telephone and arranged a time and place where a baby or small child had three drops of water, and being so young the parents made promises they obviously had no intention of keeping.  If they had have meant the vows, we would have needed many more Churches.

It has to be understood we are meeting to worship God, and God responds by giving His blessing and guidance to all who sincerely worshipping Him; some are richly blessed; but all who serve can have confidence that God will be with them.  We respond by faithfully preaching, and all believing only that which is contained in the Bible.  It is sad to have to state, but the Church has wandered so far away from the Word of God.

Jesus told the Apostles that He would be with them in all that they do to the end of the age. This promise is for our sakes as well.  We are able to say that only Jesus can give us the right to approach God, He is the only way.  He is the only one who died on a Cross to save all who call upon Him. Only Jesus can provide forgiveness.

 God loves all people, and wants them to be saved.  He has no desire to see anyone consigned to hell, but people realize they are the ones who make the choice by rejecting God. Paul, writing to the Corinthians stated ‘tell them’ they either choose Jesus or go reject Him and go your own way. The Bible indicates that  when the Holy Spirit comes upon us, and it becomes all to find the lost.

 We are able to say that only Jesus can give us the right to approach God, He is the only way.  He is the only one who died on a Cross to save all who call upon Him. Only Jesus can provide forgiveness.

 The Church is committed to teach the Gospel, without deviation in order to be in harmony with local culture.  Also, to banish any doctrine which contradicts the Word of God.  

 I find it astounding that any member of the Church would state, that one of the foremost evangelical preachers in the world should be ignored, and that members of the Church, should absent themselves from attending his meetings when visiting this country, as he was a hate speaker. His hate speech was stated to be, that he believed that marriage was only between a man and a woman! They have conveniently overlooked the fact that it was God who defined marriage, and Jesus who confirmed God’s definition.

 We also had senior members of The Church calling for weddings and sexuality, to be not according to the Bible as it could upset some people. If this was so, other people could freely make their decisions, for such unions were made lawful outside of the Church, which could be acceptable to both views; we are still (it is said) a free country, but government is doing its best to restrain free speech.

 It was recently stated at the Church Conference that the Church could cause a division, whereby those who chose to reject the Bible, could accept same sex marriage could do so, and those who wish to be faithful to the Bible (and God) could be separate.

This not a judgement on any person(s), people are free to live as they wish. But the Church is bound to abide by the Scriptures, and they are not doing so.

God loves all people, and He wants them to be saved. For that to happen, you have to be a true Christian. You worship God, you accept the teaching of Jesus Christ, you accept that He gave His life so that you can be forgiven for the sins you may have committed, and which by virtue of His death God will grant you salvation and eternal life in heaven.

Business spends thousands of pounds advertising their products, which they would only do so if the advertisements were having an influence by growth. Many Churches have social days for Easter and Chrisman with stalls selling goods made or owned by members, and other attracting articles. But never in some of the churches at least not putting details of Sunday services. We really do need to tell people we are here and active.

There are Church magazines containing details of events, recipes and plants, but miss out what is going to happen. A page of Scripture is a ‘must’. I know from experience people read it and like doing so.

In conclusion, you may not be able to make a disciple, you can be one; it may be something you would find it hard to do.   You can as a Christian be faithful to your Church and do your best to support it, and as the Church at Thessalonica proved when Paul created it from idol worship to Christianity, the most successful of ways of proclaiming the gospel, was of ordinary men and women telling others that they attended Church.

May God open our hearts to receive His Holy Word and may He be glorified 

 

 

 What is truth?

Pilate was questioning Jesus and asked him if He was the King of the Jews

Jesus replied, my Kingdom is not of this world. He went on to say. For this world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice, Pilate then asked, what is the truth.

If someone asked you that question, what is truth, think for a moment, the answer by many people would be not telling lies. But whilst that is correct, there is more than that; there is deception, and mistrust.

There is in to-day’s world a complete lack of truth. In past days not telling truth was considered much more serious an act. There is now a common readiness to cover up something done which should not have been, to deceive people into believing a fact which you have no intention of fulfilling.  Politicians at election times particularly, excel at telling untruths. People lie to avoid telling of a personal embarrassing deed. Newspapers and news programs publish items embellished to attract, which is another minor form of lies. 

There is a lack of respect when you lie to someone. Of truth, first example ever told is in the Bible in Genesis when Adam and Eve had a conversation with the devil, and people have eagerly followed on, and it has become a normal way of life.

Children have copied from their parents, who in many cases have failed to correct the children

The Bible would consider lying to be, that truth is inconsistent with the mind, and a lack of a conscience.

The Old Testament declares the Almighty God of truth reveals Himself in nature. God is the very source of truth.  The Psalmist declared, the heavens declare His glory.  We look at this wonderful world, and we see the creative work of God, with rivers which flow and ebb with regularity, the scenic beauty of lands, with the sun and moon to shine in repeated daily timing. The many other things, which only God could create.  

Most of all  God sent Jesus into the world, and all that believe in Him, shall not perish but have eternal life. Jesus came and gave His life freely, in order that all who evade the truth and commit other sins, can be forgiven by His death on the Cross, making us acceptable to God, who is ready to save every person who accepts Christ as their Savior. God wants to love all people.

Jesus stated He was truth and  had a divine nature, and made it clear He was the brightness of God’s glory. He is truth incarnate, the embodiment of all that is true. He stated that the  written Word of God was truth, when He told the Jewish leaders that the Scriptures cannot be broken.  God inspired men to write His teaching, and all that is written in our Bibles must be accepted.  There will be parts within the Bible that is hard to understand, and we may not be able to clarify, but we should accept in faith.

 

May  God be glorified and His Holy Name be praised

                                1 TIMOTHY 6

Paul in this. his Frist Letter to Timothy, has in the previous Chapters been giving advice on the appointment and care for Elders, the procedures for all those serving in the Church at Ephesus, the care for widows and social relationships. In this last Chapter he gives advice regarding various kinds of people.

First, how to be a slave and a Christian.

Slavery has been described as a monster abomination. This did not refer to the individual case, Jesus called Himself a slave when He washed the Apostles feet.  The principal reason for calling it an abomination, is when a person is ruled and robbed of all freedom, in being owned by another human being, and being subject to the owners authority. In some cases, the master may treat his slave badly and make him work long hours.

   It is dehumanizing, to view a man as being nothing more than a piece of property, who can be bought and sold. Slavery was a form of tyranny, and whilst some were treated kindly, most were treated as a denial of human nature

It may be wondered what did the Church do about it? Slavery was deeply a part of living, which others of wealth took it their right to have slaves, laborers, domestic servants.  If a slave had ability, he could be used as a tradesman.

 In Rome, a third of the population were slaves, and across the Roman Empire there fifty million slaves. Paul acted with a different approach, and eventually it was abolished.  There were slaves who were Christians. In such cases, they were urged to be good and expected to be examples.

 False teachers and False teaching, with their characteristics..

The False teachers were big nuisance, as they are now. The way of living, presented an opportunity, which was rapidly received.  In addition, there were wandering preachers seeking prestige. Who made it their right to speak and were skilled in getting a fee.

Their speeches were unreal.  They would offer to  speak on a subject which was supported by a member of the congregation.  They eagerly sought applause, and asked questions about their performance. They were full of conceit and would engage with discussion.

False teaching was also a disturbance of the peace.  Utterly competitive and suspicious of all who differed, they tended to commercialize religion by profit with the phrase, a man’s worthy of the hire

 The peril of the love of money.

Scripture does not say that money is evil; it says the love of money is the root of all evil.  There is a saying that wealth is like  water, so far from quenching thirst, the more is wanted. Wealth can be sought, after that there never comes a time when enough is said.   The desire for wealth is founded on an illusion, sometimes for security, or when a man has enough of for security, yet still wants more. But ,money cannot buy health.

The desire for money can make a man selfish.  It forces competition, and is something that makes him look down on someone poor. It makes him fix his thoughts only on himself, and turns against anyone who puts an obstacle in his way.

 A challenge for Timothy.

This Letter comes to an end with a challenge for Timothy, one greater and the more solemn, because of the words used. He is addressed as a Man of God, one of the great Old Testament terms. It was the title given to Moses, and is a title of the prophets of God named in the Bible. This is a title of honor. When it is given to Timothy, he is not reminded of his own weakness, and his own helplessness and inadequacy and his own sin; that might have reduced him to pessimistic despair; he is rather challenged by the honor which is his, the honor of being God’s man. It is the Christian way to lift him up by summoning him to be what he has got in him to be. The Christian way is not to fling a man’s humiliating past, and branding him as a lost and helpless sinner. But to be set before him the majestic splendor of his potential future.

 The virtues and noble qualities which are set before Timothy are not just heaped haphazardly together. There is an order  with them. First, there is righteousness, giving both to men and God. This is the most comprehensive and inclusive virtues

The righteous man does his duty to God and men.  Ther comes three virtues, Godliness is he reverence of one who lives his life and never ceases to be aware that all life is lived in the presence of God.  Faith is fidelity, a virtue of a man who

 through all the challenges and changes of life, down to the gates of death is loyal to God.  Agape, is the virtue of a man who is tried, and  cannot forget what God has done for him, and the love of the heart of God to men.

Timothy is challenged to the work and task for the future, as inspired by past memories. He is to remember his baptism and the vows he made there. In those days it was true baptism, when men came from heathenism to Christianity, and a confession of faith to witness to all, he had taken Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. To all Christians there was added the cry, Jesus is Lord.  He is to remember he made the same confession that Jesus made.

Timothy was always witnessed to the Lordship of Christ, When the Christian confesses his faith, he does what his Lord did; when the Christian suffers for his faith, he undergoes  what his Lord has already done.  We can stay here I stand

The last advice of Paul is regarding the rich.

Sometimes it is thought the early Chistian was being compared with the poorest of people and slaves. We see in this passage that the Church had wealthy members; they were not condemned for being wealthy, nor did they have to give  away.  What they were told, is what not to do, but what to do with their riches. They should not be proud or consider themselves better people who could look down on other people. The whole Christian ethic is not that wealth is sin, but carries a responsibility .

 The letter closes with a faith to hand on

It may  well be that the name Timothy is used in the fulness of its meaning. The name comes from two Greek words which mean honor God. The three Pastoral Letters, ( 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus) condemn those who have given themselves to the opposite  of science. The word science in its original sense, was the opposite of what we understand science to be. The word was taken to be knowledge. And has nothing to do with scientific knowledge.

The Church at Ephesus had s congregation with Greeks ,who had a passion for going to law, and saw it as an amusement. The Greek would go to law even with one of the brothers just for the pleasure of going to Courts.  To do that there could be a meaning to make the Church a battleground.

 The last words of this Letter come to a close with a warning which our own generation needs to hear. Clever argument can never be made to be a substitute for action.  The duty of the Christiam is to study in isolation, and to weigh arguments; it is to live the Christian like in the dust and heat of the world.  In the end it is not intellectual cleverness, but conduct and character that count.  And comes the closing blessing; Grace be with you.  The letter ends with the beauty of the grace of God.

 May God’s Holy Name be praised and for ever glorified