This morning I want to turn with you to Psalm 23.

Written over 3,000 years ago it is still the most known passage in the Bible by believers, non believers and part believers. I have taken hundreds of funerals over the years and I could count on my fingers the number of times this psalm has not been either said or sung. Whilst it is so popular at funerals, it is not meant for death, but rather life, and sometime is more appropriately used at weddings.

The psalm was written by David, the greatest name in Jewish history and their greatest king. When he wrote it he had been overthrown from his throne temporarily by his own son, and had to flee to the wilderness. He never lost trust and faith in God, and was confident of the Lord’s care.

Drawing on his boyhood experience of tending sheep, he pictured himself as a sheep and God as the shepherd, and applied the imagery of both to his human situation.

Although widely used now, most people do not think about, or understand, what it is saying. It is especially helpful to anyone passing through an emotional experience, or personal crisis.

Of course many people don’t feel they need any help, certainly not spiritually, and think they can solver their own problems, not David, nor anyone who has come to know the Lord.

A shepherd in Eastern terms was rather different to what we know as a shepherd; it was a 24 hours job, and as there were not the fields for the sheep to graze in, it meant the shepherd had to walk the sheep many miles to find pasture, and so a close relationship existed between sheep and shepherd, with the sheep being known by name.

It was a dangerous occupation, for the shepherd had to protect the sheep from wild animals roaming, and those trying to steal sheep.

David begins with the word, ‘The LORD is my shepherd’. The original word used was Jehovah, the one true God, the God of the Bible, the God of Israel. Other faiths have their own gods, but in the Judeo/Christian belief there is only one God.

He is the shepherd. I shall not want. If God is our shepherd we shall not want. This does not mean we shall be provided with riches or luxuries, but He will provide what we need. He is claiming a close relationship, and Christianity is a personal relationship which we now have between us and Jesus Christ, for all who accept His death on the Cross was their forgiveness. If we trust God we will lack for nothing; God wants us to depend on Him and feel we need Him.

David then sets out the way our needs are met. He makes me lie down in green pastures beside still waters. The shepherd will know where there are such pastures and will guide the sheep to them where they can eat and drink. Sheep cannot drink from running water so need somewhere where there is still water.

The sheep are pictured being led to an idyllic spot where they will be fed, for the shepherd will have gone ahead to make sure that is the right place. This reminds me of being in the Scottish Highlands with sheep resting on the side of a Loch.

As we feed upon the word of God we see the Lord Jesus there. We draw upon him and our inner man is satisfied. Jesus told His disciples, ‘this is the work of God, that you believe in him whom He has sent.’

The second thing the Good Shepherd does is to give direction in life: He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. The path the sheep would take would in fact be a narrow, well-worn trail. The shepherd knows the trails. He has been there before, and the sheep trust him.

The sheep would be led along a narrow track and be guided by the shepherd so they did not stray. God wants us to guide us, and directs us the road to take. Jesus said the road was narrow and only few would take it. This is because sacrifices must be made; a certain way of life led according to biblical teaching, and restraint of undesirable passions. It is so easy in this secular world to be led astray.

Yea thought I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear not evil for thy rod and staff they comfort me. The third thing David says that a good shepherd does is to provide protection:

The shepherd would lead his sheep back home at evening. As they go down through a narrow gorge it would be dark and dangerous. The sheep, because they are so timid and defenceless, would be frightened by their experience. But they trust the shepherd, and therefore they are at ease.

Sometimes we may be frightened by the evil we see in the world, horrified by the moral depths we see people partaking in, and wonder if the Lord has left the world to its own devices. But God says he never leaves us and is always there. Therefore we have no reason to fear.

‘Your rod and staff they comfort me’. The rod was a heavy wooden club with a knob on the end, which was used to drive off wild animals. It was never used on the sheep, but was a heavy instrument used to protect the sheep from other wild animals. The staff was a slender pole with a little crook on the end. It was used to aid the sheep. The crook could be hooked around the leg of a sheep to pull him from harm. Or it could be used as an instrument to direct, and occasionally to discipline the sheep, with taps on the side of the body.

When we go wandering away he doesn't come with a big club, like a caring father He corrects and shows us how to act righteously. Like sheep we can go astray if left to our own devices, so the heavenly shepherd keeps us on the right path.

In Verses 5 and 6 David changes the tone moving God from the good shepherd to the generous welcoming host. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies; thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

The Lord spreads a sumptuous meal before him, a great banquet, in the presence of his enemies. This embraces all the benefits David has used before. That God feeds and provides, leads and protects.

In the East it was customary to anoint a guest to make them look and smell nice, so they would place perfumed oil over the head and smooth it down. A drink would be poured out in such a way that the wine would overflow the cup so the host would be seen to be giving all he could.

The psalm ends with David his life continuing with God. David says that God's goodness and mercy shall follow him, for the rest of his life and then after death will live in God’s house in the next life. He looks forward to spending all his days in the house of the Lord where he will always have a home.

 Ephesians 3 v 1/13

The reading this morning is Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesian Church.

In every bible study there are three stages; first you hear or read the passage; the fid out what it means; then thirdly consider how relevant it is to us and the Church in the present day.

You have heard the passage read, so let us try to see what Paul was meaning.

He is in a Roman prison awaiting trial by the Emperor Nero, and is writing to the Ephesian Church describing himself as a servant of Christ, and sees himself as a prisoner for Christ. He is in prison because he preached to the Gentiles so upsetting the Jews, who had forced the Roman authorities to act against him.

God had originally chosen the Jews to be the people to whom He sent Jesus to offer salvation, but when they rejected Jesus, God chose Paul to take the Gospel to the Gentiles. The love, mercy and grace of God was now being extended to all mankind. The gospel is for all people, regardless of colour, race or gender.

Paul was proud of the fact that when Christ called him on the Damascus Road he had the revelation that God was going to send him to the Gentiles, giving him the special task of taking the gospel to the non Jews, and it had been revealed to him by God, of the secret plan to reconcile the Jews and non Jews who had hatred between them. Now both would receive all the blessings meant for the Jews alone, and Paul saw himself, having been given the special privilege of discovering the secret of God’s grace.

He points out that previously God never disclosed His intentions, but on this occasion God had told him of the plan to bring the non Jews to share with the Jews all the rich blessings inherited by those who follow Jesus, and which would be given to all who accepted what Christ had done for them on the Cross. In addition God had given to Paul the privilege of telling everyone, and endowed him with special ability to do so.

He admits he had done nothing to deserve this and had been totally unworthy as he did not claim to be much of a Christian, knowing personally of the way he had persecuted non Jews previously before his Damascus Road conversion. He was now able to tell all people of the endless treasures they could have if they turned to see Jesus as their Saviour, which God had planned from the very beginning through Jesus Christ as Lord. Now all the angels in heaven could rejoice that Jews and non Jews alike could share the inheritance.

We now have to consider how it relates to us and the Church in the present times.

This passage ought to be a lesson to those Church leaders in the West who adopt anti-Israel views and express criticism unjustly in any situation, and have unwisely endorsed a boycott of Israel made goods, when in fact they provided employment for non Jewish citizens. The United States Churches have on the other hand have recognised we Christians and Jews worship the same God, and are part of an ancient Judea-Christian tradition.

Paul was an example to all who are allowed to preach for Christ, he always remembered and acknowledged he had been favoured and never claimed credit or showed pride. He never expected others to look at him or seek praise, and was someone quite a few people I have met could learn from. He was never ashamed of the gospel and suffered mightily for preaching it without spirit of timidity, and never ever failed to acknowledge the gospel’s authority as the Word of God, or support any behaviour or action contrary to God’s commands.

Paul understood the grace of God meant it would enable us to face up to any situation in life. He constantly told that in Jesus we have free approach to God as a child to a father; we can turn to God as our heavenly Father, this only through Jesus Christ who had been deemed the only one to give us way to God. He now had the authority to be known as an Apostle along with those previously chosen.

The times of Paul were as decadent and immoral as those we now face, bible literacy at an all time low, whilst immorality has reached new heights; it may reasonably be said that one is consequent on the other.

Despite the evil they faced Paul and the Apostles were following the command of Jesus to make disciples and teach all that He had commanded, and they had much success. They taught that the Bible had the authority and completeness for all things in life; they told of the need for us to be in a proper relationship with God, which was only possible because of the death of Jesus on the Cross so that all who put their faith and trust in Jesus and accepted Him as Saviour would be seen as righteous by God, and the gospel spread quickly without any of the wonderful technological aids we enjoy. Over the years men added unnecessary and false doctrines which changed the message.

There are various ways we come to know Jesus; through a friend telling us; through a poster carrying a message; but primarily through hearing a preacher. Paul was intent that people could only hear and believe if someone told them, and this was the appointed task and duty of the preacher.

We celebrate the Protestant Reformation, perhaps more in the United States than in this country, which motivated Luther to write his theses, one of which states ‘the true treasure of the church is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God.’ This is the message the Church should now be preaching, but instead too many are more concerned with following an equality agenda which is obsessing the country. Luther’s stance was that any issue which tended to overshadow the gospel must be ignored and abandoned. He recalled the Church to follow the gospel.

Figures have just been released for Church attendance and are frightening; it looks as is the Church is falling apart. We desperately need to recall the Church back to the gospel as we see it flagrantly abandoning the teaching our Lord gave. Until we get back to the teaching of the Apostles there will be little improvement.

We have services of baptism in which we encourage people to make false promises; we tell that ways of living which are expressly deemed wrong in Scripture are perfectly acceptable; we hold funeral services which we infer heaven is open to all irrespective of their lack of belief in Jesus as the only way to God.

We have largely replaced God’s law to placate and win favour from the State and its people. Consequently fidelity to Scripture is avoided because preachers are ashamed to preach the Bible.

We live in a very aggressive secular society, one in which there are numerous minority groups who expect and demand consideration above their proportion. If we are to face the challenges of the day, we have to be people of the Bible, which is why sound doctrine has to be given.

The Bible should be the basis for ALL our preaching, it is the foundation of all truth. We cannot just pick and choose which parts we want, and cast out those which are not popular with society. We should all be preaching on the same lines. We have to also accept that the Church exists primarily for one purpose, to proclaim the Christian gospel. All other activities are subsidiary.

People have a right to expect a positive message when they attend Church, a biblical message. This is why Billy Graham became the most successful preacher of all time. His preaching was uncompromisingly based on the Bible, and people flocked in their tens of thousands to hear him, and they respected him for his directness

It is good and helpful to have involvement in social activities, but the primary means of bringing people to Christ is through the preaching of the gospel. If we restrict that then we have no claim to be here; people can get social amenities from many sources, they can only get the gospel from the Church.

The Bible states the gospel is the power of God leading to salvation for all who believe. This means more than just believing there is a God, the devil accepts that. It is not enough to just hear and say you believe, it demands a response. God wants all people to turn to Him.

In conclusion, never be ashamed of the gospel. When Paul wrote to Timothy he told him not to have a spirit of timidity, but be ready to preach the word that God saved us by His grace which He has given us through Christ Jesus.

Let us Christians be as proud of our faith as other faiths are of theirs, remembering there is salvation in no one else than Jesus, for there is no other name under heaven given among men, by which we can be saved.

 

Ephesians 2 v 11 /end

I am turning to the Epistle to the Ephesians.

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 any 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.  It may be significant the Queen has sent two letters of support to the leaders. 

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 heavenly family with one Father, and with Jesus, and we have a common spirit.  T  

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 is still 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.  Two ladies who had not tasted champagne one day decided to try some. It ended with one accusing the other of being drunk.  She said I know you are drunk, I can see you have two noses.  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 bless you. 

 

 

 

 

 

`

 

The appointed reading this morning is Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesian Church, Chapter 1 v 3 to 14.

 In every bible study there are three stages; first you hear or read the passage; then find out what it means; then thirdly consider how relevant it is to us and the Church in the present day.

 You have heard the passage read, so let us try to see what Paul was meaning.

 He is in a Roman prison awaiting trial by the Emperor Nero, and is writing to the Ephesian Church describing himself as a servant of Christ, and sees himself as a prisoner for Christ. He is in prison because he preached to the Gentiles so upsetting the Jews, who had forced the Roman authorities to act against him.

 God had originally chosen the Jews to be the people to whom He sent Jesus to offer salvation, but when they rejected Jesus, God chose Paul to take the Gospel to the Gentiles.   The love, mercy and grace of God was now being extended to all mankind. The gospel is for all people, regardless of colour, race or gender.

 Paul was proud of the fact that when Christ called him on the Damascus Road he had the revelation that God was going to send him to the Gentiles, giving him the special task of taking the gospel to the non Jews, and it had been revealed to him by God, of the secret plan to reconcile the Jews and non Jews who had hatred between them. Now both would receive all the blessings meant for the Jews alone, and Paul saw himself, having been given the special privilege of discovering the secret of God’s grace.

 He points out that previously God never disclosed His intentions, but on this occasion God had told  him of the plan to bring the non Jews to share with the Jews all the rich blessings inherited by those who follow Jesus, and which would be given to all who accepted what Christ had done for them on the Cross.  In addition God had given to Paul the privilege of telling everyone, and endowed him with special ability to do so.

 He admits he had done nothing to deserve this and had been totally unworthy as he did not claim to be much of a Christian, knowing personally of the way he had persecuted non Jews previously before his Damascus Road conversion. He was now able to tell all people of the endless treasures they could have if they turned to see Jesus as their Saviour, which God had planned from the very beginning through Jesus Christ as Lord.  Now all the angels in heaven could rejoice that Jews and non Jews alike, could share the inheritance.

 We now have to consider how it relates to us and the Church in the present times.

 This passage ought to be a lesson to those Church leaders in the West who adopt anti-Israel views and express criticism unjustly in any situation, and have unwisely endorsed a boycott of Israel made goods, when in fact they provided employment for non Jewish citizens. The United States Churches have on the other hand have recognised we Christians and Jews worship the same God, and are part of an ancient Judea-Christian tradition.

 Paul was an example to all who are allowed to preach for Christ, he always remembered and acknowledged he had been favoured and never claimed credit or showed pride.  He never expected others to look at him or seek praise, and was someone quite a few people I have met could learn from.  He was never ashamed of the gospel, and suffered mightily for preaching it without spirit of timidity, and never ever failed to acknowledge the gospel’s authority as the Word of God, or support any behaviour or action contrary to God’s commands.

 Paul understood the grace of God meant it would enable us to face up to any situation in life. He constantly told that in Jesus we have free approach to God as a child to a father; we can turn to God as our heavenly Father, this only through Jesus Christ who had been deemed the only one to give us way to God.  He now had the authority to be known as an Apostle along with those previously chosen.

 The times of Paul were as decadent and immoral as those we now face, bible literacy at an all time low, whilst immorality has reached new heights; it may reasonably be said that one is consequent on the other.  Despite the evil they faced Paul and the Apostles were following the command of Jesus to make disciples and teach all that He had commanded, and they had much success.  

They taught that the Bible had the authority and completeness for all things in life; they told of the need for us to be in a proper relationship with God, which was only possible because of the death of Jesus on the Cross so that all who put their faith and trust in Jesus and accepted Him as Saviour, would be seen as righteous by God, and the gospel spread quickly without any of the wonderful technological aids we enjoy.  Over the years men added unnecessary and false doctrines which changed the message.

 There are various ways we come to know Jesus; through a friend telling us; through a poster carrying a message; but primarily through hearing a preacher. Paul was intent that people could only hear and believe if someone told them, and this was the appointed task and duty of the preacher.

 We yearly celebrate the Protestant Reformation, perhaps more in the United States than in this country, which motivated Luther to write his theses, one of which states ‘the true treasure of the church is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God.’  This is the message the Church should now be preaching, but instead too many are more concerned with following an equality agenda which is obsessing the country. Luther’s stance was that any issue which tended to overshadow the gospel must be ignored and abandoned.  He recalled the Church to follow the gospel.

 Figures have just been released for Church attendance and are frightening; it looks as is the Church is falling apart.  We desperately need to recall the Church back to the gospel as we see it flagrantly abandoning the teaching our Lord gave.  Until we get back to the teaching of the Apostles there will be little improvement.

 We have just found the Methodist Church, that which was founded to take a more biblical message to the world which the established Church was failing to do; and despite being led by John and Charles Wesley, two of the great names of the Church in this country; has now abandoned their heritage, to adopt a doctrine   contrary to God’s Word and plan. 

 We have services of baptism in which we encourage people to make false promises; we tell that ways of living which are expressly deemed wrong in Scripture are perfectly acceptable; we hold funeral services which we infer heaven is open to all, irrespective of their lack of belief in Jesus as the only way to God.

We have largely replaced God’s law to placate and win favour from the State and its people.  Consequently fidelity to Scripture is avoided because preachers are ashamed to preach the Bible.   

 

We live in a very aggressive secular society, one in which there are numerous minority groups who expect and demand consideration above their proportion.  If we are to face the challenges of the day, we have to be people of the Bible, which is why sound doctrine has to be given. 

 The Bible should be the basis for ALL our preaching, it is the foundation of all truth.  We cannot just pick and choose which parts we want, and cast out those which are not popular with society. We should all be preaching on the same lines.  We have to also accept that the Church exists primarily for one purpose, to proclaim the Christian gospel.  All other activities are subsidiary.

 People have a right to expect a positive message when they attend Church, a biblical message.  This is why Billy Graham became the most successful preacher of all time. His preaching was uncompromisingly based on the Bible, and people flocked in their tens of thousands to hear him, and they respected him for his directness

 

It is good and helpful to have involvement in social activities, but the primary means of bringing people to Christ is through the preaching of the gospel. If we restrict that then we have no claim to be here; people can get social amenities from many sources, they can only get the gospel from the Church.

 

The Bible states the gospel is the power of God leading to salvation for all who believe.  This means more than just believing there is a God, the devil accepts that.  It is not enough to just hear and say you believe, it demands a response.  God wants all people to turn to Him.

Paul is telling of the new unity which Christ brings and he speaks of Jews and Gentiles being together.  The Jews had been given a plan by God, they were the first to believe in and to expect, the coming of Jesus.

 

All through their history the Jews hoped for, and dreamed of, the Messiah. They were to be the nation from who God’s chosen on should come from. .Each nation has its place in God’s scheme of things. The Jews taught religion and prepared to receive the Messiah.  But God had plans for other nations to receive the message when Jesus came into the world. The Jews had the privilege of being the first nation to await the coming of the Anointed One.

 

The Gentiles received the Word from Christian preachers. It was the word of truth about God and the world they lived in, and it was good news.  It was the message of the love and grace of God, and they were sealed by the Holy Spirit to indicate it was from God

 

Paul then tells the Holy Spirit is a foretaste in this world of what we may expect in the heavenly place. We are given the guarantee that one day we will enter into the full possession of the blessings of G.  Here is the great truth of Christian peace and joy of what we shall one day enter.  God will give us all.

 

In conclusion, never be ashamed of the gospel. When Paul wrote to Timothy he told him not to have a spirit of timidity, but be ready to preach the word that God saved us by His grace which He has given us through Christ Jesus.

 

Let us Christians be as proud of our faith as other faiths are of theirs, remembering there is salvation in no one else than Jesus, for there is no other name under heaven given among men, by which we can be saved.

    

                                Marriage and the Church.

In the past week the Methodist Church Conference made a momentous decision to change direction of the Church, one which I am sure they will come to regret.

A motion to allow same sex ‘marriages’ in its Churches was overwhelmingly approved.  In addition to going against the teaching of God, it also destroyed the doctrine laid down by the Church’s founder John Wesley, one of the most revered men in Christian history, whose legacy has been betrayed.

Two years past, the same subject arose and a vote across the church was very much against any change, but in a move the European Union would be proud of, they had another try to get their own way. I may have missed it, but I did not notice another around the Church vote being sought.

I have little faith in Church committees, it has always seemed to me the members are often more interested on being on the committee, than being representative of the people and the purpose for which the Church is meant to be and do.  Committees in turn lead to Conferences.  The Roman Catholic Church has none of this and functions well enough.

The Methodist Church was founded by John and Charles Wesley who were both Church of England Ministers, and a main cause was to proclaim in a more vigorous manner an evangelical gospel based on the Holy Scriptures, which the Church of England was not doing. An essential emphasis was placed on preaching a rule of faith and belief, with faithfulness to the fundamental truths of the Bible, leading to redemption by the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the Cross as a substitution for the sins of all believers and the assurance of salvation. It is only in late 20^th century that such evangelicalism gave way to society.

From an early age I heard of the wonderful  ministry of John Wesley, (rightly so) and the glorious hymns of Charles a uniquely gifted writer, and Methodists have been justifiably proud to speak of them. I have been privileged to have ministered in both Anglican and Methodist Churches, and felt more uplifted in Methodism, with its passion for singing as a means of expressing the gospel, and the really friendly people I met, who appreciated solid bible teaching.

How fickle, and selective that gospel commitment seems, when the Church so overwhelmingly voted  to allow same sex ‘marriage’ in its Churches. If two people of the same sex wish to live together in a mutual partnership, that is a personal decision for them to take, and others to accept, but to recognize that as Church  policy is an affront to God, and be a challenge to his clearly defined state of marriage, and which would be a betrayal of the legacy left by the Wesley brothers, who led the greatest revival in this country’s history.

If the preaching and ministry of John Wesley earns so much praise, and the doctrine he established has any validity, why has it been so blatantly ignored?

Consider the words  he spoke in his sermon on Chapter 1 of Romans. These are his exact words, not mine.

God made man male and female is more distinctly related here

  Verse 23. And Adam said, this is now bone of my bones - Probably it was revealed to Adam in a vision, when he was asleep, that this lovely creature, now presented to him, was a piece of himself and was to be his companion, and the wife of his covenant - In token of his acceptance of her, he gave her a name, not peculiar to her, but common to her sex; she shall be called woman, Isha, a She- man, differing from man in sex only, not in nature; made of man, and joined to man.

  Verse 24. The sabbath and marriage were two ordinances instituted in innocence, the former for the preservation of the church, the latter for the preservation of mankind.

 It appears by Matt. xix, 4, 5, that it was God himself who said here, a man must leave all his relations to cleave to his wife;

 It should seem they are the words of Adam in God's name, laying down this law to all his posterity. The virtue of a divine ordinance, and the bonds of it, are stronger even than those of nature. See how necessary it is that children should take their parents consent with them in their marriage; and how unjust they are to their parents, as well as undutiful, if they marry without it; for they rob them of their right to them, and interest in them, and alienate it to another fraudulently and unnaturally.

 

The Methodist Worship Book in its introduction to marriage states, ‘ a marriage service is a formal occasion when a solemn, legal contract is made between a man and a woman.  "Making an open stand against all the ungodliness and unrighteousness which overspreads our land as a flood, is one of the noblest ways of confessing Christ in the face of His enemies." ~ (John Wesley)

Marriage was intended as a sacred religious ceremony to be celebrated before God in Church, men and women giving a promise to live faithfully together until death parted them.  The Bible states, ‘he who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favour from the Lord.’

God made two people, man and woman, Adam and Eve. We must accept that God knows best, and when he wanted man to have a companion, He made a woman as the perfect answer, someone who could complement man in every way, physically and mentally in a way other men could not, and men throughout the ages have appreciated and recognised this. God wanted to supply what was lacking in man’s life, and together they could have children and create the ideal family. He made men and women to have a natural attraction, opposites attracting. God planned the human heart to love, marry and have children. Most men if honest would concede how their wife has been of much help. Woman has been the greatest gift  man could have.

So we have two people, equal yet different, no question of superiority or inferiority. They were not meant to be identical, men are generally stronger physically, more aggressive, women softer and sensitive and caring, specially equipped to be mothers, and usually live longer. In the film ‘my fair lady’ Rex Harrison playing a professor of phonetics asks ‘why can’t a woman be like a man, and gets the answer, ‘because she wasn’t created to be’. We are a mixture that complements one another.

Cleave means glued together, so the two should grow in love through the years, in an exclusive commitment. As they do so they share likes and dislikes, and whilst they will have different strengths and weaknesses, each will help the other. They will find they can know the other’s feelings, and often anticipate what the other is thinking. They need to trust each other, and have no secrets. The wife is now the one in the man’s life who takes precedence over all others.  

When two people appear together at Church for the wedding service, they pledge their faithfulness to each other and there is the giving of a ring(s). The ring has no break, no ending, signifying unending love. The ring is made of gold, precious and for longevity. This is what God intended.

Having become one they were not to look for sexual pleasure elsewhere. In the days of Henry Ford and the Model T, someone asked him to what formula he attributed his successful marriage. He said, "The same formula as the making of a successful car: stick to one model."  

Marriage is the bedrock of society yet now long held beliefs are being challenged. Marriage lends stability to society, and builds a framework which is held in high esteem. It is one of the most important aspects of our culture. Jesus highly valued marriage and performed His first miracle at a wedding.

Marriage is a solid foundation for the bringing up of children, who are a key factor in God’s intention for marriage. I once remarked to a Jewish Rabbi, that I had never known a Jewish boy (or girl) get into trouble for anti-social or violent behaviour. I asked him what he attributed this to, and he said ‘the Jewish Mama, she keeps control of her family.’ I am sure that is true, but there are many Christian mamas too, perhaps not as many as hitherto. 

God intended men and women should have children, which means having a father and mother. Children need both for a balanced upbringing, and to receive the benefit of both characters in their lives. Family meant husband, wife and children. This is the ideal which cannot be attained by two people of the same sex.

We have now reached the stage where the whole of God’s original plan for men and women has been widely abandoned. Just as Malachi described in the Old Testament, there is a spiritual decline with people forsaking God, and an alarming breakdown in family life.    

Politicians have now tried to replace God with their own discredited plans, and decided to redefine marriage on the spurious grounds of supposed equality. People can be perfectly equal without being the same; God did this at the time of creation when he made both man and woman equal in His sight, but for different purposes.

The Bible is unequivocal that marriage is heterosexual; tradition is that marriage is solely man and woman; and reasoned experience has proved that marriage creates a stable structure and is the bedrock of society.

To disagree with same sex marriage is not homophobic or bigotry, such opposition is not based against sexual orientation, but on respect for tradition and biblical teaching. God made man and then made woman to be joined together with the view to producing children. Such is the purpose of marriage. Civil partnerships provide all that marriage can offer in law, there cannot therefore be any reasonable or justifiable cause to create massive disruption, conflict and controversy

The action taken by the Church this week, will overturn a 283 years doctrine, the only cause being to try and make it acceptable to what is thought to be a popular move.  It will have profound effect and will lose many devoted followers,  There are barely 200,000 members now, there will be a few less 000 very soon.

But how can the leaders of the Church, and the Ministers allow this to happen?  A Minister is in the Church to represent Christ, and speak for Jesus.  We are called to preach the gospel that Jesus commanded and ordered his Apostles to teach, not the wishes of society.  Has commitment and integrity been abandoned altogether in the Churches.  There will be a considerable number of Ministers who will not want to accept the decision made, and so may have to move their home,(and family) and  also put their career at risk after years of devotion.

Last week we had a bishop in the Church of England calling for a gender neutral wedding (same sex union). Imagine having to say  God the parent, God the child; it is offensive to God and disgusting to even think of it. Naturally he is in favor of anything linked to change of biblical teaching, having once stated the bible teaching on marriage should be abandoned to avoid causing upset to others.

If we are to be ready to face facts, I don’t think the people holding authority in the Church truly accept the authority of the Bible, which we must remember was God speaking.  This why we have such schism in the Churches, which in turn cause confusion to the faithful, and rejoicing to those who want to see the demise of the Church.

We should all in the Church be singing from the same hymn sheet, And speaking from the same Bible. But some, in order to justify their own actions, will insist on trying to put a different interpretation on to the writings, studied and defined by the best brains in mankind from original manuscripts of the writers,

The Telegraph newspaper recently had an article, asking if the bishops were trying to ruin the Church.  This is now a valid question, for without any exaggeration the Church is falling apart.  If the Archbishops and bishops cannot accept the teachings and authority of Scripture, how can the Church possibly exist?  How can we claim any validity if we cannot agree on the same gospel, which the Apostles gave us on behalf of Jesus?

It is time for those who truly care for the Church and/or the Bible, to stand up and speak up.  In the words of Jude in the Bible, ‘contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

In the Old Testament the Bible tells that God held the priests responsible for teaching God’s laws, but they failed to do so, and as a result the people lacked knowledge of God’s laws.  Therefore God told the priests because they rejected knowledge, he rejected them as priests.  God will not be mocked.

Any Church which rejects to follow the commands of Jesus, has no place in society. And any person who cannot maintain the vows made on ordination, be in ministry

  There is an article just been published on a religious page, which had it not been written by a distinguished writer, I would have taken as some form of spoof, it is so moronic it must surely been formulated without due thought.  The suggestion is to cut down the number of Clergy, and have 10,000 churches led by lay people.  The fact that this unbelievable proposition has been even thought of, must give concern as to the credibility of the people involved in the running of the Church.

I was watching a service from the First Baptist Church in Atlanta, where the celebrated pastor Charles Stanley waved a Bible, and stated every problem we face can be answered by that book. I fully agree with him; there are many editions of the Bible in languages both highly theological, down to the clearest everyday speak.  

I close with the words used by the most distinguished Roman Catholic Archbishop Nichols of Westminster in a pastoral letter, ‘‘we have a duty to married people today, and to those who come after us, to do all we can to ensure that the true meaning of marriage is not lost for future generations.

 

2 Corinthians Chapter `12. V2/10.  Epistle for Sunday 4^th July

This Letter is less used than Paul’s First Letter to the Church at Corinth. In the first he was giving advice on many pastoral matters which is still relevant for us today.

     Now Paul is in despair as the Church has been turned against him by false teachers who had infiltrated the Church and were trying to make an impression on the people there by boasting of their spiritual experiences. They claimed superiority to Paul , and Paul was not very happy. But Christians cannot be happy all the time, there will be joy and suffering as Paul knew only too well. He had been warned by Ananias at the time of his conversion, and experienced it many times.

     Ambition runs wild everywhere and in every occupation, including the Church, and a false cloak of modesty is used to accompany it. The office of bishop is dearly sought, and the competition of women is as great if not greater than among the men.  But it amuses me, and I imagine others too,  when we read so often of man offered such a position stating he had to go for a walk in the park to consider whether he should take the offer, despite the fact he had already had the order for the new vestments prepared.  .

     Paul had much he could have boasted about.  The qualification for an Apostle was to have seen Jesus after his resurrection, but he had been appointed, and given by the direct call of Jesus after his ascension, with his special mission to the Gentiles.  He had held high Office and authority in the Jewish establishment, had  beatings and torture for speaking the gospel , but he only began to boast about his weakness.
     In order to challenge the false teachers Paul decided to tell of his own visionary experience. He had been reluctant to do so, but wanted people to know he had such a thing, but didn’t want to boast so wrote in the third person as if it was someone else. Paul didn’t think it was necessary to tell everybody, and didn’t want to make a big issue of it.
      He wrote that it was fourteen years earlier with a vision of heaven, which made a deep impression upon him. He would have preferred to keep it secret for ever, but now felt it was necessary for him to tell.

     He spoke of the third heaven, but this was not a description of a sort of three storey place, but there were three stages in which the first heaven was the atmosphere where birds fly, a second of the stars, moon and sun, and the third was paradise.. Paradise was a Persian word used to describe a walled garden.

     We all wonder what heaven will be like when we realise we will be leaving this life. Some Minsters are eager to portray a scene which they have drawn from Scripture, but if God had wanted us to know he would have told us.

     I have seen and heard tell stories from people who claim to have been to heaven and returned, talking of a tunnel and finding bright light, but all conjecture I feel. On American television religious programmes, people have appeared describing vivid experiences, and of course this is followed by writing a book.  On one programme a young boy made great claim to a heavenly journey, which although so young wrote a book in a most adult manner for someone his age.

I thought it was convenient his father was so enthusiastic.

     The Jews had a saying ‘the seventh heaven’ meaning the high throne of God, and it is sometimes used by someone expressing great joy saying, it as like being in the seventh heaven.  I am sure I heard a piece of music called seventh heaven  with a glorious tune.
      Paul said he heard things he was not permitted to state. Whilst his opponents may speak of their backgrounds and achievements, he rather wanted to speak of his weakness and suffering, which he stated was the mark of a true Apostle.  He didn’t want people to see him trying to create an impression because of his visionary experience, but to judge him only by what he said, and how he acted in his normal life..

     Paul said he was given a thorn in the flesh, meaning some form of handicap as a form of discipline, to stop him making anything out of what he had seen and heard, but no one has been able to definitively state what that thorn was. Various suggestions have been made such as a fever, disfigurement, epilepsy, but most think it was an eye problem.   He didn’t know the cause, but many things happen to us that we cannot explain, we have to believe God has a higher purpose for us.  

     I appreciate that may not be well received by someone who is suffering or has suffered much. If however God answered every prayer, He would be taken for granted, so for unanswered prayer we have to decide if we are going to trust Him. If you are tempted to give up being a Christian because of unanswered prayer, then that is sad and you will not be any better.
     Paul stated that he prayed three times for God to relieve him of his suffering but his prayers were not answered as he had hoped, as God told him, ‘ my grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness.’   This it is suggested means God allows us to suffer in some way, and by his power heals.

      God allowed Paul to have this thorn with the only explanation ‘I will not do anything about it but I will give you the means of dealing with it’. This is to encourage and challenge us because Jesus promises to give us grace. Whatever the problems may be, physical, spiritual, there is that amazing grace John Newton wrote about in his wonderful hymn ‘Amazing Grace’.

     There was a man who had no belief and was in danger of losing his life, but his prayer was answered, and he was used mightily to serve his Lord not far from Bedford. History is full of stories of men and women with no great academic ability who rose to do great things.
     When things do not go right for us, when we suffer pain, or when some serious event occurs in our life, we invariably ask why. Often the cause may be obvious, if for example a heavy smoker gets lung cancer, or a heavy drinker gets liver damage, but sudden tragedy does come unexpectedly and we ponder why God let it happen.  Paul  said that God’s grace is sufficient for every believer no matter what circumstances may be
     Some Christians would say it is wrong to question God and we should just accept things, but writer after writer in the Bible challenges God. It is perfectly proper for a Christian to approach God in complete honesty and lay our concerns before Him. The Bible tells us we can approach God, and express our pain and frustration with the way we feel. It is good for us to express our feelings to God
     Sometimes we lay awake at night wondering what is going to happen to us. When you are in pain it is awful to spend a long night waiting anxiously for morning when relief may be sought. I am sure you will all have had some situation in your life when you have felt disturbed, so you know how little food or sleep matter.
     A lot of people have well-ordered lives and live comfortably and become totally detached from the wider world. I worked for many years in a big and busy city, where I saw much loveliness, and kindness which strangers from other places had not known, right across the spectrum to utter depravity and cruelty. It is a sad, sad world out there.
     A city has many lonely people living in flats alone, the products of broken marriages or romances; students living away from home for the first time, vulnerable to predators; a hedonistic lifestyle leaves them feeling even more depressed.   It has been a sad part of my ministry to have taken funerals of young men (mainly but the odd woman) who have died under the age of forty because of alcohol or drug dependency.
     Jesus said,’ come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden’, but Jesus is the last person they would turn to, yet their whole life could be turned around if they did. To live without Christ in your life is a great loss, to die without Him is a tragedy.
     Henry Lyte was a clergyman who went under much pain and knew he had not long to live, but knew God would be his helper and support. He wrote the hymn ‘abide with me’. that I must have sung hundreds of times over the years at funeral services, but it was never meant to be for that purpose, but rather as a hymn of triumph. He had confidence in God in life and in death.
     If you are someone who feels your faith is being tested; or you are having a hard time from someone, or any other kind of suffering, you may feel you long to talk to someone. This needs to be someone you can really trust, so do what the Psalmist did and talk to God. If that does not appeal to you, seek the help of a Christian Minister, for most of us would love to help you.

      Do not confide too much to friends(?).  I can assure you, without in any way being cynical, and from experience of a widely varied life, there are so very few people totally trustworthy.  A Minister by his professional code is bound to secrecy, and you redress if he should fail you.
     We will not find out all the answers we would like this side of heaven, but we will one day. We are promised a time will come when all who have accepted the Lord Jesus as Saviour will live with Him in glory; no more pain or suffering; no tears or regrets; all achieved through Christ’s atoning blood shed on the Cross and God’s amazing grace.
     Paul wrote, no eye has seen; no ear has heard; no mind conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.
     May God’s grace be sufficient for you. May God bless you