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"Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" 1 Peter 2:4-5 |
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“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the Will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:15-20 |
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“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:15-17 |
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The Birkenhead On 26 February 1852, one of the worst naval disasters occurred off the coast of South Africa. Her Majesty's Ship Birkenhead struck a rock shelf and began to sink rapidly. The Birkenhead as carrying the 74th and the 78th Highlander Regiments. These were Scottish and Irish warriors whose regiments had distinguished themselves in every conflict from the Napoleonic Wars to the Crimea. Also on board with these troops were their wives and children. It became apparent that the foundering ship was going to sink. There were very few lifeboats aboard. Nevertheless, calm prevailed. |
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The year was A.D. 155. The persecution against the Christians had swept across the Roman Empire. It had come to the city of Smyrna. The Pro-Consul of Smyrna, swept up into this persecution, put out the order to arrest the Bishop of Smyrna, Polycarp. Polycarp was to be arrested and brought to the local Coliseum, for execution. Polycarp had been warned to flee, but he had decided not to. When the Romans found Polycarp, they asked: “Does Polycarp live here?” He said, “Yes, I am he.” |
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“I will give you two thousand horses – if you are able on your part to put riders on them!” Isaiah 36:8 This challenge was made by one of Sennacherib’s generals, Rabshakeh, during his speech demanding the surrender of Jerusalem. |
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“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is Light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and no not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the Blood of Jesus Christ, His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His Word is not in us.” 1 John 1:5-10 |
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Creation Ordinance It is God’s Creation ordinance that man begins his week by submitting to God and humbly listening to His Word. Before the Fall of Adam and Eve into sin, mankind was to start his week with a Sabbath rest and worship. |
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God has promised “I will give water to the thirsty land, I will pour out My power on your children.” Isaiah 44:3 “Here is My servant, whom I uphold, My chosen One in whom I delight; I will put My Spirit on Him and He will bring justice to the nations.” Isaiah 42:1 |
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Oscar Wilde claimed that suffering proved that a good God does not govern the world. If God cannot stop the suffering, then He is not all powerful. If God will not stop the suffering then He cannot be good and loving. |
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Rob Bell’s no hell teaching has brought the subject up for international discussion. There is no doubt that the doctrine of Eternal Judgment is the most unpopular subject in the world. Whatever we say on the subject is bound to be misunderstood and misconstrued. |
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The betrayal, arrest, trial and execution of Jesus of Nazareth was unique. It was not His actions that were in question, but His identity. The charge laid against Christ by the Jewish Sanhedrin was blasphemy. The testimony on which He was convicted was concerned with His identity as the Messiah. The interrogation by the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, and the inscription and proclamation placed on His Cross at the execution, dealt with the identity of Christ as the Messiah, the Son of God, the King of kings and Lord of lords. |
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Dealing with the devil and his disciples is serious business. The evil spirits declared: “Jesus I know!” The Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, was, and is, certainly well known in hell. It was this Jesus whom satan tried to have killed as an infant in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:18-18). It was Jesus whom satan personally tempted in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-13). It was Jesus Christ whom the devil attempted to have thrown off a cliff at the beginning of his earthly ministry (Luke 4:28-30). It was satan who prompted Judas to betray Christ into the hands of the chief priests to have Him put to death (John 13:27-30; 18:1-3). |
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Anger flows out of perceived injustice. We are angry when we are mistreated, or when somebody we care about is wronged. The Scripture tells us not to let the sun go down on our wrath. To be careful that we do not allow our anger to lead us into sin. It is possible to be angry without sin, but it is all too easy to sin in our anger. |
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“I would never become a Christian! Look at all the hypocrites in the church! Look at all the scandals of tele-evangelists, the Health and Wealth preachers, the Name it! Claim it! Frame it! Hyper-faith prosperity preachers, two-faced frauds and conmen! I don’t want to be part of hypocrisy!” |
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The earthquake and tsunami in Japan has sparked numerous articles and programmes alternately blaming God for the disasters, or claiming that these disasters prove that God does not exist. Similarly with the AIDS plague. “A man’s own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the Lord.” Proverbs 19:3 |
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There is nothing wrong with being cautious and careful when it comes to eternal matters. Indeed there is much in the world that we should be skeptical about. We should not be gullible. There is far too much superstition and ignorance in the world. We should carefully investigate and establish what the facts are. We need to have the courage to face the facts. |
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God gives the very best to those who leave the choice to Him. The Lord came that we may have life, and life in all its abundance. But the devil comes to steal, to kill and to destroy. One of the fruit of the Spirit is self-control (Galatians 6:8). A person who has no self control is like a city that is without walls, defenceless and easily plundered (Proverbs 25:28). |
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“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, 'where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him…' When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshipped Him. When they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense and myrrh.” Matthew 2: 1-11 |
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The question of why there is evil in the world was never discussed by the ancient philosophers of Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece or Rome. They were polytheists who had a pantheon of gods. Evil was the result of conflicts between the gods. For example, the historical account of the war on Troy was reported by the Greeks as the result of jealously and rivalry between three goddesses. |
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“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Martin Luther observed that we exhibit a degree of thankfulness in life in reverse proportion to the amount of blessing we’ve received. In Tabletalk, Martin Luther wrote: “The greater God’s gifts and works, the less they are regarded.” The blessings of life, health, freedom and food are not really appreciated unless they are lost or threatened. Because sunrises and sunsets occur daily, they are taken for granted. |
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“Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. „For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways?, says the Lord. „For as the Heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts?.” Isaiah 55:6-11 How can you tell the difference between real guilt and false guilt? Corporate Guilt or Personal Responsibility? We live in an age of guilt manipulation, where many reject the concept of an objective standard of right and wrong. Yet, while denying personal responsibility, many will accuse whole nations of corporate guilt. |
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“And declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of Holiness, by the Resurrection from the dead.” Romans 1:4 |
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A Travesty of Justice The trial of Jesus was a travesty of justice. It is a terrifying thing to be judged by a mob. Can you imagine being judged by your worst enemies? |
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Discerning the Voice of God In order to understand the Will of God, it is essential that we recognise the Voice of God. We cannot do His Will if we cannot discern His Voice from the clamour of peer pressure, the noise of the world and the cacophony of our emotions. Our Duty to Hear One of the persistent commands in Scripture is for us to listen to God and to hear His Word: “Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the Lord, the God of your fathers has promised you…” Deuteronomy 6:3 |
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