Category Archives: Doctrinal

Principles and guidelines of the Christian Faith

THE BELIEVER’S STANDING

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THE BELIEVER’S STANDING

This may be defined as the position of an individual or a group before God in Heaven.
There are a total of 7 standings the Believer has as a result of his identification or union with Jesus Christ. This union is accomplished by the Holy Spirit when the individual receives Jesus as a personal Saviour, and it is the purpose of this short study to present a brief survey of these standings together with a concise explanation of each position:

Here are the 7 standings:

  1. Redemption
  2. Regeneration
  3. Justification
  4. Sanctification
  5. Translation
  6. Predestination
  7. Glorification

REDEMPTION: This means to buy back and to set free. It also means to deliver by paying a price and it is linked to our identification with Jesus Christ in His death.
In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. Ephesians 1:7

REGENERATION: Is the impartation of Divine Life and is produced by the Holy Spirit. It is related to our identification with Jesus Christ in His resurrection.
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17

JUSTIFICATION: Is the judicial act of God whereby the believer in Jesus Christ is declared righteous on the basis of the shed blood of Christ and is related to both His death and resurrection.
For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God: Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God. Romans 3:23-25

SANCTIFICATION: Is the setting apart of the believer from sin and unto the service of God. It is the result of our union with Christ in His death.
By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. For by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Hebrews 10:10, 14

TRANSLATION: Is the ascension of the believer into Heaven where Christ is and it is based upon our identification with Christ in His ascension.
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:6

PREDESTINATION: Is the determination beforehand of God for certain classes and people in respect to goals, or destinies and is related to the believer’s identification with Christ in death and resurrection and is consistent with the power of choice. The belief, held by some, that God predestines some for Glory and some for damnation is completely erroneous and untrue. Predestination always and only refers to future Glory, never damnation.
Having predestined us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. Ephesians 1:5

GLORIFICATION: Is the believer’s change from a natural body to a spiritual body, involving also the soul into a state of perfection. It is related especially to our identification with Christ in His resurrection.
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. Colossians 3:1-2

It is my sincere prayer that you will, by the Grace of God, continue in the faith and grow closer to the Saviour day by day.

HE WAS BROKEN FOR US

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HE WAS BROKEN FOR US

He was wounded for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities: the punishment that brought us peace was on Him and by His wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

Jesus suffered five kinds of wounds known to medical science:

  1. contusions – the blows
  2. lacerations – the scourging
  3. penetrating wounds – the crown of thorns
  4. perforating wounds – the nails
  5. incised wounds – the spear

Jesus was broken for our sins, and left to die, whilst everyone looked on.
When one reflects on the inestimable value of broken things, our minds can and should focus on what really matters in life.
The Scriptures give us a wonderful insight into the importance and real worth of things that would ordinarily be dismissed should they be broken.

Broken Lamp Jars – Gave ample light for victory.
In Judges 7:19-21 we read: Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands. The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled. (NIV)

The Broken Bread – Was more than enough for all the hungry.
In Matthew 14:19-21 we read: And Jesus directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. (NIV)

A Broken Alabaster Jar – Gave fragrance to all the world!
In Mark 14:3 we read: While He was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on His head. (NIV)

The Broken Body of our Saviour – Is Salvation to all who believe and receive Him.
In 1 Corinthians 11:23-24 we read: That the Lord Jesus the same night in which He was betrayed took bread: And when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, Take, eat: this is My body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me.
What then are we to do with our broken lives, our broken plans and broken hearts?
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6
We know we are a broken people living in a broken world, so how do we come to Him?
How else, but through a BROKEN HEART, and true repentance may Jesus Christ enter in.

Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find.
Knock and the door will be opened for you.
Luke 11:9

We are given absolute assurance in the Bible that if we carry out these simple tasks with sincerity of heart, the truth will be revealed to us.

Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan!
Oh, the grace that brought it down to man!
Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span
At Calvary!

A CITY GREAT IN SINS

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NINEVEH A CITY GREAT IN SIZE AND GREAT IN SINS

Jonah 1:1-3 – Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. 

Great Sinners need a great Saviour and a great Salvation.
The Scriptures tell of this Great Saviour –

Isaiah 63:1 – Who is this that cometh from Edom with dyed garments of *Bozrah? This that is glorious in His apparel, TRAVELLING IN THE GREATNESS OF HIS STRENGTH? I that speak unto thee in righteousness, mighty to save.

*Bozrah – The ancient capital city of Edom. Isaiah spoke of this city in figurative terms to describe the Messiah’s victory over the pagan nations.

Hebrews 7:24-25 – But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the *uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
*Some have used the words: He is able to save to the guttermost.

Hebrews 2:2-3 – For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect SO GREAT SALVATION…?

NINEVEH a city great in SIZE

Jonah 3:2-3 – Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey.

  • Nineveh was about 60 miles in circumference.
  • Size has always made room for pride and boasting.
  • God has to bring down every Goliath, for pride is parent of all sins.
  • Whether it were a MAN, a FAMILY, a CITY or a NATION, its great size spelled a GREAT SELF-SUFFICIENCY and GREAT SUCCESS.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 –  Let not the WISE MAN glory in his wisdom, neither let the MIGHTY MAN glory in his might. Let not the RICH MAN glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, THAT I AM THE LORD which exercise LOVINGKINDNESS, JUSTICE and RIGHTEOUSNESS IN THE EARTH: for IN THESE THINGS I DELIGHT SAITH THE LORD.

NINEVEH a city great in SOULS

Jonah 4:11 – Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than six score thousand person (120,000 people), that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand, and also much cattle.

Here Jesus answers doubting, disbelieving scribes and Pharisees – always looking for a sign!
Matthew 12: 38-41 – Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
John 7:50-52 – Nicodemus said unto them…Does our law judge any man, before it hears him and knows what he does? They answered and said to him, ‘Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for out of Galilee arises no prophet’.

They were wrong! Jonah came from Gath-he-pher in Galilee, not far from Nazareth.
2 Kings 14:25 – He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gathhepher.
Jonah 1:11 –  What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us?

The lust of the flesh is a consuming desire to do.
The lust of the eyes is a compelling urge to have.
The pride of life is a compelling thrust to be.

The pagans were more concerned for Jonah’s temporal safety than Jonah was for Nineveh’s eternal safety.

Jonah 3:6-10 – For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that He had said that He would do unto them; and He did it not.

The Scriptures tell us that Jonah was not happy, in fact he was angry at the Lord’s compassion. The citizens of Nineveh repented along with their King, but instead of praising and being thankful to God, Jonah sulked. He had hoped that Nineveh would suffer judgement. He refused to shelter in a building, lest it fall down upon him, choosing instead, to shelter amongst trees.

Jonah 4:3-4 – Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live. Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?
Jonah 4:5-8 – So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city. And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered. And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.

He that gave, took away – a lesson for us that we should bless His name in both.

Isaiah 1:18 – Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Note these words: they shall be as wool – THE LAMB WOULD PROVIDE FOR US THE COVERING

The SINS would be FORGIVEN.
The SIZE would be FORGOTTEN.
The SOULS would be FOREVER in remembrance.

(Written by: A.M. Ross and reproduced by permission)

LOVE AND ABRAHAM’S OFFERING

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LOVE AND ABRAHAM’S OFFERING

I have often heard people say that love is 50/50, give and take.
It is an expression widely used and will, without exception, produce nods of approval from all within listening distance when the subject is raised.
Most people have their own recipes and guidelines for obtaining love and staying in love.
Libraries and corner shops are awash with publications and magazines giving readers additional advice on how to love and how to boost and maintain matrimonial bliss. Harmony within these relationships is probably the number one topic. Yet, if the truth be known, most couples do not know how to love. The proliferation of guidance counselling classes bears testimony to this, not to mention divorce and breakups.
Women’s magazines often have short tests for the reader to take, in order to find out if their relationship stands up to modern scrutiny.

The reader ticks or crosses a box at the end of every question, and at the end of the test, there is a score, which tells you if you are compatible or not. Some even offer quick fixes, should your score be on the low side.

I have always had a problem agreeing with those who claim love or marriage is a 50/50 arrangement, simply because the equation is deeply flawed.

  1. Because no-one mentions what the partners do with the remaining 50% they have.
  2. Because it characterises the I, I, I, and me, me, me nature mankind possesses from birth.

It has been said that: of all human passions, love is the strongest, for it attacks simultaneously the head, the heart and the senses.

The Bible tells us that God judges the heart, whilst man judges the outward appearance.

There is no doubt that the subject of love is probably the number one topic in most people’s thoughts, affecting everyone, reaching, as it does, deep down into the very fabric of life itself. Sadly, though the evidence stacks up against those who claim to know all about the subject, as modern methods and cures for all ills lead people away from realising that true love is:

a feeling to be learned.

To put it another way: we are not born to love.

Young children provide ample evidence of this little appreciated fact of life. Watch how they interact with other children when there are toys to be shared!

I want it! You can’t have it! It’s mine!

Sadly, many grown-ups act the same way, with the only give-away, being their age.

Another aspect of life, which incidentally, is inextricably linked with love is the arena of forgiveness.
This is another of life’s lessons that needs to be learned.

How to forgive and when to forgive are questions which mankind struggles with. They go hand in hand with feelings and together play havoc with emotions.

A young boy was asked for his definition of love, and this was his reply:

Love is a feeling that you feel when you feel like you are going to feel a feeling that you have never had before.

Another little boy on being asked what forgiveness was, replied:

It is the scent that flowers give when they are trampled on.

I don’t know if this little boy realised just how profound his answer was.
The scent he speaks about, can be likened to the sweet-smelling savour that went up to God when Jesus Christ was trampled on.

Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour. Ephesians 5:1-2

At this point I would introduce you to an excerpt of the writings of a great Bible scholar, the late Mr A. M. Ross. (Reproduced by permission)

LOVE AND ABRAHAM’S OFFERING

It is impossible for the natural mind to understand or appreciate the meaning of true love. Human love, at its best, is not even a small imitation of true LOVE.

When God created man, He made him in His own image, and His own likeness. Just think of how jealous you and I are of our image, especially if we have reason to think it is above average.

But God made man in His own image, and God sought fellowship with His creature. However, God recognised that it was not good for man to be alone, so determined that He would make a help meet for him.

God knew, that the help meet would be the physical, emotional and mental compliment of man, and would by the nature of things even tend to usurp God’s rights in the realms of love and of the spirit. But such is the love of God that He did not resent Eve’s coming between Him and Adam.

God would continue to work for both their good, and would teach them the place that was rightly His, and look for a reciprocating love in them.

Luke 10:27 – Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

God never found a man who would let Him come between himself and the object of his love until Abraham learned to walk with God.

Then God gave Abraham the promise of a son. And for 25 years Abraham waited for that promise to be realised. When that son came, he was called Isaac, and all God’s other promises to Abraham were wrapped up in this PROMISED CHILD.

Then came God’s master stroke.
How like God was Abraham?
Would he stand the test?

Genesis 22:2 – Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

Then I read these amazing words:

Genesis 22:3 – And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went to the place of which God had told him.

What pathos is in these words.
I see the angels of God straining as they gaze over the ramparts of heaven at this sight.
A MAN HAS, WITHOUT COMPLAINT, WITHOUT QUESTION, RISEN EARLY TO DO THE WILL OF GOD, WHEN THAT WILL COMES BETWEEN HIM AND THE GREATEST OBJECT OF HIS LOVE.

  • Moses couldn’t do that, he talked back to God when he was being sent into Egypt to bring out the children of Israel.
  • Jonah wouldn’t do that, he ran in the opposite direction when God wanted to DELIVER Nineveh and Jonah wanted to DESTROY it.
  • Peter didn’t do that when God was sending him to the Gentiles with the Gospel, he said: Not So Lord.
  • Paul didn’t do it, when God gave him a thorn in the flesh. HE THREE TIMES BESOUGHT THE LORD THAT IT MIGHT BE REMOVED.

Now tell me my friend, would you do it?
All God’s promises were in that son.
All Abraham’s hopes were in that son.
God said Isaac was going to have children, and these children would be the source of universal blessing.
Now God is saying: Slay Isaac!

To Abraham, God could not make a mistake.
If Abraham did not know what God was doing, God did; and He was not making a mistake.
If God could ever make a mistake the whole universe would cease to exist, it was as simple as that.
I think I see the faces of the angels in heaven as Abraham lifts the knife to plunge it into his son Isaac.
They are ecstatic, this is beyond anything they could have conceived:

A MAN LOVING GOD ABOVE ALL ELSE, AND DOING HIS WILL WITHOUT QUESTION.

But that one act did not only reveal the faith and love of Abraham, it revealed:

THE HEART OF GOD

Abraham never drove that knife home, but God drove His point home:

That TRUE LOVE IS COSTLY.
WHAT ABRAHAM DID IN TYPE, GOD DID IN TRUTH.

(A.M. Ross)

THE PARABLE OF THE RICH FOOL

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THE PARABLE OF THE RICH FOOL

This is the story of a man with six “I’s”
And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.  And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?  And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.  And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?  And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
Luke 12:13-19

  1. What shall I do?
    His Problem – Stressing.
  2. I have no room.
    His Place – No Space.
  3. This will I do.
    His Purpose – Settled.
  4. I will pull down my barns and will build greater.
    His Prescription – Spreading.
  5. There will I bestow ALL my fruits and my goods.
    His Prosperity – Soaring.
  6. I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years: take thine ease, eat, drink and be merry.
    His Plan – Selfish.

But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. Luke 12:20-21

This parable is in the Bible as a warning to us. It warns of making the pursuit of worldly goods our goal in life whilst ignoring the very Person who gives everything in abundance to us in the first place. For those of you who think that God has no say in what we do here on earth, think again. Ponder for a moment who gave you the abilities to do the things you do. Think about the strengths and talents you as a person possess and ask yourself where did they come from? If you reply that they came from your parents and that they acquired them from their parents, ask yourself where your Grandparents got them from? It is foolish in the extreme to believe that evolution has the answer. The theory of evolution has no answers at all, simply because it is a hoax and is used by those who have made up their minds to prevent a Divine foot in any door of their lives.

If the truth be known, the foolishness and misery of a worldly man is written on the faces of those who attend his funeral.

There are two types of funerals:

  1. The funeral of a person who has acknowledged the need of the Saviour and has lived a life in service to Jesus Christ.
  2. The funeral of a person who has ignored the message of Salvation throughout life and has pursued the wealth of this world more than the wealth of the next world.
  • The first is one of joy whilst the second is one of great sadness.
  • The first is one of victory, whilst the second is one of defeat.

In this parable, Jesus, who knows what the end of all things will be, has told us what his end will be. It is incomprehensible that man will spend more time researching the make and model of his next new car, than where he will spend eternity. Not believing there is actually an eternity to look forward to, does not in any way lessen the responsibility for FINDING OUT!

We have a body which is for time and we have a soul which is for eternity and one of the greatest errors is to care for the here and now, whilst neglecting the hereafter. Gambling that there is no hereafter is the height of idiocy.

Sadly, many who have abundance in this world are utterly destitute of that which will enrich their souls making them rich toward God and rich for eternity.

Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? James 2:5

Rich in faith – These are the qualities required. These are the qualifications needed to enter into the presence of our Creator.

As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.
Jeremiah 17:11

This highlights the recklessness of laying up treasure in a world we are leaving and not laying them up in the world we are heading for.

Leaving behind all those things which they laboured for, provided for and prepared for with an abundance of sweat and fret. All that they placed their happiness and hope upon must be left behind. They leave behind EVERYTHING!

Naked they came into this world and naked they shall depart this world.

The portion of Scripture we are considering is entitled: The Parable of the Rich Fool and my prayer is that you will not make the same mistakes.

Our life on earth is but for a short while when compared with eternity. Choose to serve the Living God and end up with riches beyond compare.

REASON? WHAT REASON?

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COME LET US REASON TOGETHER

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow….If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured …. Isaiah 1:18-20

From the second verse of the Book of Isaiah we are commanded to hear what God has to say. We are to listen and pay attention. God has spoken. God is the judge. There is an indictment and even though this was directed at the nation of Judah, the Southern Kingdom, it was also directed at Jerusalem and it is directed at us. Notwithstanding the indictment, there was accusation and condemnation because the nation of Judah had drifted into paganism and idolatry. The people had rebelled against God in the worst possible fashion and turned their backs on Him. To illustrate just how far the people had defied their Creator, God compares the gratitude of an ox and an ass having a stable to sleep in to be greater than that showed by the people to whom He had given everything, even their very lives.

In v4 He calls them a sinful nation and a people laden with iniquity who had forsaken the Lord and provoked Him to anger.

In v5 the description of the scale of their wrongdoing is intensified to the extent that their entire heads are described as sick and their hearts hardened and despite God’s crushing punishments they have refused to repent and turn back to Him.

In v7 we read of their land being desolate and their cities burned with foreigners invading and devouring the land. God likens the land to that of Sodom and Gomorrah and had He not spared a small remnant of people, the destruction would have been as complete as that of those two cities.

People have often said that they find great difficulty in accepting God as a God of love when He has allowed armies to wipe out entire populations and destroy towns and cities. I have to admit that this is both hard to understand and difficult to explain, until one comes to the place where we realise that God is utterly Holy and cannot even look at sin, let alone gloss over it. So when the very people He has created and loved show their gratitude by turning their backs on Him and indulging in the most diabolical sins and extreme wickedness, we may, by His grace, begin to understand why. There are plenty of warnings throughout Scripture that His Holiness compels Him to pour out His wrath and judgment on those who choose to ignore His pleading and offer of Salvation. Rebellion and boasting brandished in His face can and will find condemnation of the highest order. We must never forget that He lovingly pleads with all men and offers Salvation to everyone.

The Scriptures are for our learning and we are to take note of how God dealt with sin and idolatry in the days of the Old Testament, because if we don’t we will fall into the same traps as the people of old did.

In v10-15 we learn how much God despises ritual without reality, sacrifices without obedience and gifts without gratitude. We learn that as long as we live in sin our efforts are insulting to His Holy Name and carries a grave and very serious warning for us today that He will hide His eyes when we spread our hands before Him and he will pay no attention to our prayers when we plead for help and guidance, because our hands are full of blood!

As W. E. Vine puts it:

Mere external religion is ever a cloak to cover iniquity. The Lord exposed all that in His strong denunciations in Matthew 23 (please read this chapter). The guilty combination in Judaism has largely developed in Christendom. The conscience of a believer may become so seared that a person can practice religion while yet living in sin.

SO WHAT IS TO BE DONE?

V16-17 gives us the answer:

  • Wash, make yourselves clean by repentance.
  • Put away evil.
  • Cease to do evil.
  • Learn to do well.
  • Practice righteousness and social justice.
  • Note they are things we are to do ourselves – they will NOT be done for us!

v18 – One of the most amazing verses in all of Scripture:

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

If this is not an indication of the depth of love God has towards us then I don’t know what is. In v2 we read that the whole universe and the earth is summoned to stand trial before God because of sin, disobedience and rebellion. God is the Judge. We are the defendants. We are all guilty! And yet God says: Come, let us reason together! How can we even begin to fathom the love He has for all of us?

Note what God expects from us:

  • We are to come to Him.
  • We are to repent.
  • We are to put away evil – in other words we are to STOP it!
  • We are to learn to do what is right and we are to practice it.
  • We are to be willing and obedient.

Note what God will do for us:

  • He will cleanse us from sin.
  • He will take our sin, even though it is the colour of the deepest crimson and make it white as snow.
  • We will know His Love, His Care and His Comfort.
  • We will know His Presence, His Protection, His Pardon and His Peace.
  • He will give us the good things that only He can provide.

Finally, to those who have grieved and dishonored the Holy Spirit, there is that wonderful message that God loves to fill His children with His Spirit. He wants us to rise up and place our sins before Him and to call on Him for mercy. Let us bow our heads in shame and confess and let Him lift us up out of the mire. Let Him take our sins and make them as white as snow. Let us determine in our hearts to live for Him and Him alone, until He comes to take us to be with Him.

The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing.

Zephaniah 3:17

Note the type of God we have!

  • A Mighty God
  • A Saving God
  • A Loving God
  • A Rejoicing God
  • A Resting God
  • A Singing God!

What more could we ask for?

ONE GRAIN OF FAITH

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ONE GRAIN OF FAITH

Much has been written about the word FAITH. Some of it pertaining to life in general and some to faith in Jesus Christ. We exercise faith in a million ways day after day without even thinking about it. For instance:

  • I have faith that when I press the keys on my keyboard the letters I have chosen will appear on the screen.
  • I have faith that the chair I’m sitting on will not collapse.
  • I have faith that when I switch on the kettle, it will leap into life and I can make myself a cup of coffee.
  • I have faith that when I wake up every morning the sun will be shining and that there will be air to breath.
  • I have faith when I turn the key of my car, the engine will start.

In the Bible, however, we learn that FAITH takes on a different meaning:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. (Hebrews 11: 1,3)

This is not really a definition of faith, but rather of what faith does for us. It allows us to understand those unseen things in life for which there is no other explanation. It provides evidence that what our Creator says and does is true. For example, man has gone to extraordinary lengths to try to prove that there is no God and that life on earth came about after a big explosion. Most people, if they are honest, find the life after an explosion bit rather confusing and hard to accept, whereas the Bible tells us that:

Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God.

Faith provides us with the only factual account of creation, simply because God was there, and He tells us how it happened and we believe His Word and as a result we know, because it gives us the evidence of things not seen and we then understand that the world was framed by His Word. The fact of Creation as set out in verse 3 is faultless and unassailable. The big-bang theory believers only believe in their theory because it removes God from the equation. It does away with the conscience and the need to be answerable to a higher being for their actions and lifestyles. It does away with sin and the penalty sin brings with it. It is only by faith we understand, because faith always precedes understanding.

Jesus said to Martha:

Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see?……. (John 11:40)

Man’s view of FAITH is to shout:

  • Seeing is believing! 
  • Only when I see God then, and only then, will I believe.
  • Jesus, come down from the Cross and then we will believe.
  • You saved others, save yourself and then we will believe!

The story of Noah and the Ark always springs to mind when the subject of faith comes up. Every time I read it I marvel at the faith Noah had. Can you imagine the shock he had when God said to him:

The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold I will destroy them with (or from) the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. Genesis 6: 13-14

The story does not end there because it goes on tell us that God gave Noah explicit instructions on what shape and size the ark had to be and who and what was permitted to enter in before the rains came. It is worth reading and re-reading Genesis Chapter 6 because in it you will find a man who had incredible faith, so much so that he laboured day after day for 70+ years in building the ark and in complete contrast, you will also not find a more forcible picture of complete depravity and the overthrow of moral and social restraints, which sadly are very prevalent in today’s world. But note, if you will, what God tells us about Noah:

Noah was a just man and perfect (upright and sincere) in his generations, and Noah walked with God. Genesis 6:9

Having faith bears much fruit. We have peace knowing that God is in control of our lives and as we walk with Him we experience great joy as we practice obedience to His will, no matter what the consequences and we begin to love Him like we never thought possible. One thing we must remember is that faith does not persuade God to do our will but causes us to bow to His. As Jesus said before submitting to the Cross:

And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. And He went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And He said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. Mark 14:34-36

 How many of us can truthfully say our faith is strong and that we walk with God?

One grain of this faith in Christ is worth more than a diamond the size of the world – yes, though you should thread such jewels together, as many as the stars of heaven for number, they would be worth nothing compared with the smallest atom of faith in Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God.  

Charles Spurgeon

BECAUSE

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BECAUSE THEY RECEIVED NOT

“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there be a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition. And with all deceivabless of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved. That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

(2 Thessalonians 2: 1-3,10,12)

Punishment is not a word used much these days, and this is because hardly anyone believes that punishment actually works. The trend is toward a humanistic approach which has permeated just about every aspect of our lives, starting with the Educational System which has long been high-jacked by secularism and philosophy where the young and impressionable minds of our children have been bombarded with doctrines and theories attributed to the ‘great thinkers’ of our day with catastrophic results. I say catastrophic  because it is very plain to see that they are not working!

They are taught that there are no absolutes, when there are. There is little or no respect for authority, when there should be, and there is no moral or spiritual guidance taught when it should be the corner- stone of our whole society. Sadly this aspect of life is foreign and almost an unknown amongst their school teachers, and the young are taught and encouraged to define their own lives, and make their own decisions, just as long as it does not affect others. Mothers and Fathers, who should know better, have thrown aside the Holy Scriptures and are encouraged to find themselves, with self-love, self-esteem and a host of inward looking training courses, books and DVD’s which fill library shelves and book shops, with the result that their newly found knowledge rubs off on their offspring and before long no-one even wants to listen to the truth.

Is it any wonder then that the Word of God is ignored and is it any wonder then that when our Creator speaks of punishment and retribution taking place, it is scorned and ridiculed.

Our portion of Scripture today tells us a different story and we would do well to heed it:

  • Note the word because: They received not the Word of Truth. It was their own choice. It was not because they could not is was because they would not.
  • They believed not the truth: And what’s more, they had pleasure in their unbelief.
  • In verse 8: We are told of Destruction.
  • In verse 10: We are told of Deception.
  • In verse 11: We are told of Delusion.
  • In verse 12: We are told of Damnation.
  • In verse 14: We are told that we are called by the Gospel, which is the Good News of what Jesus did for us on the Cross  and that if we respond to it by accepting and believing, then and only then, are we chosen to Salvation.
  • We choose Salvation by believing.
  • We choose Damnation because of our unbelief.
  • There are two classes marked for retribution:
  1. Those who do not know God because they have rejected the knowledge of the true God as revealed in creation and in the conscience.
  2.  And those who do not obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ, meaning those who have heard the Gospel and have rejected it.

We must remember that the Gospel is not just a list of facts to be believed, it is a Person who is to be obeyed. A very big difference!

The choice is yours.

The result is eternal.

May our Heavenly Father help you to decide, right now, for Jesus. Accept Him into your life and seek His forgiveness for sin, and let Him take control.

If there is any way that I can be of help, or if you don’t understand something, please contact me and I would count it a privilege to assist you.

WHEN JESUS WALKED THIS EARTH

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And His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave (split) in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. Zechariah 14:4

The next time our Saviour’s feet touch the earth, it will be on the mount of Olives and this mount will split from east to west.
The mount will be split in two, half to the north and half to the south, with a very large valley between.

The first time Jesus was on earth it was earth-shaking, and although He did not divide a mountain He did in fact divide Time, Eternity, Heaven and Hell, and it also divided the saved and the lost.
No man has ever changed the world like He has.
He was truly IMMANUEL – God with us!

But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

We need to consider the following:

  • The Time of His coming:
    But when the fullness of time was come God sent forth His Son.

He came at the right time.

  • The Manner of His coming:
    Made of a woman, under the law.

He fulfilled the law so that we could live under Grace.

  • The Purpose of His coming:
    To redeem them that were under the law.

That we might receive the adoption of sons.

In Hebrews 10:5 we are told of His Conception.
Wherefore when He cometh into the world, He saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me.

In Luke 2:49 we are told of His Youth.
….wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?

In John 4:34 we are told of His Ministry.
Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish His work.

In Hebrews 12:2 we are told of His Death.
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right of the throne of God.

In John 17:4 we are told of His Purpose.
I have glorified Thee on earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest Me to do.

Yes indeed our Saviour has finished the work He was sent to do.
He bled and died on a Cross of shame where He bore our sins that we might be made whole.

AT CALVARY

Years I spent in vanity and pride, Caring not my Lord was crucified, Knowing not it was for me He died On Calvary.

Refrain: Mercy there was great, and grace was free; Pardon there was multiplied to me; There my burdened soul found liberty At Calvary.

By God’s Word at last my sin I learned; Then I trembled at the law I’d spurned, Till my guilty soul imploring turned To Calvary.

Now I’ve given to Jesus everything, Now I gladly own Him as my King, Now my raptured soul can only sing Of Calvary!

Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan! Oh, the grace that brought it down to man!

Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span At Calvary!

(William R. Newell 1895)

Make no mistake, what happened at Calvary was for you and me!

WHAT IS TRUTH?

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WHAT IS TRUTH?

With so much dishonesty in the world we would do well to question what truth is. In fact for those who are fed up with being told lies day after day on television, on the radio and in newspapers, we should demand to be told the truth. But the problem we are faced with is who is going to do that and who should we listen to?

Questions we may well ask are:

  • Whose interpretation is correct?
  • Is truth something that is true for me and not necessarily so for you?
  • If so who is right, because if you are right then someone else must be wrong.Continue reading →

PSALM 23

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WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU FOUND OUT THIS PSALM DID NOT APPLY TO YOU?

AUTHOR’S NOTES

If you cannot, in all honesty, say The Lord is my Shepherd, then sadly, this piece of Scripture is not for you.
It only becomes applicable when you know the Shepherd personally.
To become one of His sheep, you need to take a definite step of faith and put your trust in the One who died that you may live.Continue reading →