Honour the Lord’s Name
“You shall not take the Name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His Name in vain.” Exodus 20:7
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“And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” Malachi 4:6
Warning The Book of Malachi begins with a blessing and ends with this warning of a curse. Repentance and Faith in Christ will be seen in the restoration of family relationships. Certainly that was my experience. Restoration Shamefully, I clashed with my Father frequently. I argued over many issues. However, my conversion to Christ brought conviction of sin. The first sin I repented of was lack of gratitude. The second, disrespect for my parents, particularly seen in my argumentative relationship to my Father. Regeneration led to a radical transformation of my relationship with my parents. In time this led to both my parents turning to Christ. Although, in my Father’s case, it took eight long years. By God's grace my Father experienced the life transformation that comes with repentance and Faith in Christ. God turned my heart to truly love, honour and respect my Father and God graciously turned my Father’s heart to me. Before he died on Christmas Eve, 1986, I heard my Father say, for the first time in my life: “Son, I am proud of you.”  To listen to an audio presentation of this message, click here
To see a video presentation of this message, click here “…Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel.’” Mark 1:14-15 Jesus Preached the Gospel of the Kingdom The word Church occurs only three times in the Gospels. Yet the terms Kingdom and Kingdom of God occur over 120 times in the Gospels. The overwhelming emphasis of the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ was a Kingdom message. We read that our Lord Jesus Christ preached the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, yet today it is generally the Gospel of Salvation which is preached. The Therapeutic Gospel The Gospel of Salvation, as preached in all too many churches and through much of the mainstream Christian media is mostly about me and how I can be blessed, healed, prospered, enriched, improved, saved from all the negative consequences of my bad choices and ultimately end up in Heaven. The way the gospel is preached by all too many today, is something of a therapeutic self-help message where the emphasis is on me, with God playing a supporting role in how I can fulfill my dreams and attain my desires.  Comparison or Contrast
Imagine if churches were as energetic in Evangelism and as observant of the Great Commission as they are in repeating the Covid narrative and in observing the WHO Covid protocol! Sidelined, Silenced and Shut Down Even as churches worldwide were sidelined, silenced and shut down, in the name of fighting a virus, many church leaders became vocal and visible promoters of the sanitise your hands, take your temperature, practice social distancing, wear your mask protocols demanded by the World Health Organisation. A New Gospel More recently, many ministers have demanded that it is “a Christian duty” to “get vaccinated now!” Many equated it with “loving your neighbour.” Some pastors were photographed in their clerical collar, for billboards proclaiming: “This vaccine will save your life!” Blasphemous Banner The Methodist Church in downtown Cape Town, off Greenmarket Square, unfurled a large banner from their tower declaring: “The blood of Jesus will not save you from Covid-19 – get vaccinated now!” Quite aside from the fact that over 99% of those who contract Covid-19 recover, that statement is blasphemous. 
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” Romans 5:1-9 Strong Faith for Hard Times What makes a strong person able to withstand hard times? How can one remain steadfast in spite of suffering? How was it possible that Lenora could evidence peace in the midst of pain? Eleven years fighting the curse of cancer, yet, Lenora was an example of rejoicing in spite of suffering. Victorious faith. Overcoming faith. Steadfast faith. An Example of Excellence Lenora was an example of excellence in hospitality, service, creativity and industry. Lenora was an example of joyful sacrificial service, energetic sports, wholehearted worship and enthusiastic encouragement of others. She strove to live life to the full. To fill her time with productivity, service and creativity. Firm, Faithful and Fruitful Lenora was a loyal friend. A faithful family member, especially to her parents. She felt deeply and was hurt by cancer, by cowards and by compromise. Despite being deeply hurt by friends and family who deserted us in times of difficulty, Lenora was fiercely loyal and was offended by disloyalty. Lenora was a faithful friend and grieved by betrayal and backstabbing from people we had poured heart and soul into helping. This passage in Romans 5 gives us some insights as to how it was that Lenora was able to remain firm, faithful and fruitful, in spite of fearful suffering, pain and failing health. Perseverance, Character and Hope Lenora knew what it was to be justified by faith. She had peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Suffering can produce perseverance. Perseverance develops character. Character produces hope.  To listen to an audio of this message, click here.
“For the grace of God that brings Salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” Titus 2:11-14 Salvation, Service and Sanctification We leave the old life to live the new life. Looking forward to the glorious return of the King of kings and Lord of lords. God’s grace leads to godliness. We are saved to serve. Hope should lead to holiness. Salvation is by the grace of God alone. Christ alone is the Head of the Church. Salvation is by the sacrificial Atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ. He saved us, redeemed us and purified us to be His peculiar people, zealous for good works. Wholehearted Zealous Enthusiasm Our Lord deserves our very best. Nothing less than wholeheartedness is acceptable in the service of the Lord. In Revelation 3, we read that lukewarm Christians make God sick. The Lord requires us to be zealous, enthusiastic and wholehearted.  To listen to a From the Frontline radio podcast on Thanksgiving, click here.
"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18. Taking God's Blessings for Granted Dr. Martin Luther observed that we exhibit a degree of thankfulness in life in reverse proportion to the amount of blessing we have received. In Tabletalk, Dr. 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. Consider the Stars Ralph Waldo Emerson observed that "If the constellations appeared only once in a thousand years, imagine what an exciting event it would be. But because they are there every night, we barely give them a look." The Blessings of Being Hungry and Lonely Similarly, the blessings of rain are barely appreciated unless one has been through a drought. A hungry man is more thankful for his morsel than a rich man for his heavily laden table. A lonely woman in a nursing home will appreciate a visit more than a popular person who has a party thrown in their honour. A Christian who has suffered under persecution for decades and receives his first copy of the Holy Scriptures will be more thankful for this one book than we are for all the Christian books, Bible translations and magazines that overflow our shelves.  To listen to the audio of this message, click here.
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Plainly it is God's will for us to be joyful, prayerful and thankful! Taking God's Blessings for Granted Dr. Martin Luther observed that we exhibit a degree of thankfulness in life in reverse proportion to the amount of blessing we have received. In Tabletalk, Dr. Martin Luther declared: "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. Consider the Stars Ralph Waldo Emerson observed that "If the constellations appeared only once in a thousand years, imagine what an exciting event it would be. But because they are there every night, we barely give them a look." The Blessings of Being Hungry and Lonely Similarly, the blessings of rain are barely appreciated unless one has been through a drought. We in Cape Town barely noticed what a blessing rain is until we were placed under severe water restrictions. A hungry man is more thankful for his morsel than a rich man for his heavily laden table. A lonely woman in a nursing home will appreciate a visit more than a popular person who has a party thrown in their honour. A Christian who has suffered under persecution for decades and receives his first copy of the Holy Scriptures, will be more thankful for this one Book than we are for all the Christian books, Bible translations and magazines that overflow our shelves. As we have heard in the field. “This is the greatest gift anyone could ever ask for – the Word of God in my own language!”  To listen to the audio of this lecture, click here.
Horses to Those Who Can Ride Them “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. A Message of Intimidation The Assyrians had come down upon Judah, “like a wolf on the fold.” Rabshakeh presented a powerful piece of propaganda, laced with lies, half-truths, boasting and blasphemy. His speech was designed to demoralise and discourage God’s people and persuade them to give up all hope and surrender to the Assyrians. In his speech, he insulted and taunted the representatives of King Hezekiah. One of his memorable taunts was: How could they possible resist the overwhelming military might of Assyria. Even if he, Rabshakeh, were to give them two thousand horses, it could do them no good for they had no trained cavalry to ride them. A Message of Inspiration However, the Word of the Lord came through the prophet Isaiah: “Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. Surely I will send a spirit upon him and he shall hear a rumour and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.” Isaiah 37:6-7 The Hand of God “Then the Angel of the Lord went out and killed in the camp of the Assyrians, 185,000; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses, all dead. So, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, departed and went away, returned home and remained at Nineveh. Now it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch, his god, that his sons… struck him down with a sword…” Isaiah 37:36-38 An Important Insight However, amidst the remarkable propaganda speech by Rabshakeh, is a gem of wisdom and insight. Horses for those who are able to ride them.  To listen to the audio of this message, click here.
Throughout the Bible commandments and warnings against idolatry are the most repeated of all. There are more denunciations of idolatry than any other sin in the Bible. "You shall not make for yourself a carved image... you shall not bow down to then nor serve them." Exodus 20:4-6 "Do not turn to idols, nor make for yourselves moulded gods; I am the Lord your God." Leviticus 19:4 "Thus says the Lord God: repent and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations. For everyone... which sets up his idols in his heart... I the Lord will answer him by Myself." Ezekiel 14:6-7 "The works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissention, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries and the like... those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God." Galatians 5:19-21 The Apostle John beseeches us: "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." 1 John 5:21 |
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