WHY?

(James 1:3) “for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”

Why is it that this truth which I will explore plays such havoc with our commitment to Christ? At times we find ourselves asking, “How and why?” I most certainly have wrestled with this for a long time in my Christian life and I still find it looking to rob me in so many different ways regarding my “standing” in Christ Jesus my Lord! Nevertheless regardless of us, it is impossible to take away from the Lord Jesus’ accomplishments. Irrespective of our hypocrisy, denial, unbelief or even disobedience; His accomplishments have been recorded, what Christ achieved here on earth shall stand the test of time and beyond the curtains of eternity His works will be chronicled throughout the ages to come, praise His glorious name!

Men may one day praise the name of Jesus and sadly the next freely curse, or find themselves unashamedly standing on a street corner calling sinners to repentance and soon after eating and drinking with the drunkard; no differently to “a dog returning to his vomit!” I would confess the above analogies most certainly, sadly, have played a part in my life, guilty as charged! This proves but one thing, my volatility… however it has no actual bearing per say to what Christ achieved here on earth. It certainly gives opportunity for the gainsayer to point his finger. Yet does this in any way undermine what the Lord Jesus achieved? Most certainly NOT! He alone died on Calvary and He alone paid the price to set sinners free. No matter what anyone else does or does not do, it can’t nor ever will take away from the majestic victory Christ consummated whilst on earth. Galaxy after galaxy and throughout the ages Christians will be telling others about Christ’s effectuated victories and how He was able though His own sacrifice to find and free those who were once lost, those clueless with regard to who God is and yet to give them a hope, to open their eyes, correctly resetting their compass, heaven now their destination with hell fading in the backburner, where it once welcomed them with open arms; for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12) 

    

With this in mind, my question then, “why has God left us with the ability as His children to still so easily make so many wrong choices”? If we have received his Spirit, if we have truly been born again this should not happen, or should it? It certainly shouldn’t! However we have not been taken out of this sinful world and this is by design. God has so willed it! Our own hearts need to be tested along life’s journey…

Once we are alive in Christ, the age varying for all those whom are called, depending on when we respond to the wonderful message of the gospel. Some earlier on in life while others close to their death beds; regardless of age, we all have a road in front of us that will teach us to become dependent upon the finished work of Calvary. Just as the Lord had to be tried and tested so too shall we be tried and tested. No believer will escape this truth! But many shall be found wanting when tested. Even our failure (disobedience) will work together for our good, so long as we love God and have been called in accordance with His purpose.

God’s goodness is most certainly beyond measurement, for those whom he loves, it is too wonderful to describe. He is able to change ones perception about so many things. He alone is wise, kind, merciful and patient. Many may have given up on you, but not God! “Whilst you have breath you have hope”! Callout and you shall be heard! Why? Because the Lord Jesus Christ has opened the door and paved the way! But be watchful of the thieves along the way, those who come with another message, those who speak of an easier way, they are liars! By Christ alone, through grace alone, shall we only ever be able to enter heaven. Find Him and find life!

Now back to my question, why do we make so many wrong decisions? Or rather why have we been left with the ability to make so many wrong choices? It’s simply the way God the Father has chosen to equip His children for the ages to come. The Lord Jesus was constantly bombarded with having to make choices; thankfully He never made a wrong one. Life in Christ is here to teach us to find grace to make the right choices regardless of how many times we may have failed in a particular area. However we cannot accept failure as permission to carry on as we once did, this is deception luring us into error, and we are to have no part with anything that is false.

If we remain within the boundaries of grace we shall have peace with God, move outside of those boundaries and we will soon be no different to dogs returning to their vomit or like pigs having been washed returning to the mire and rolling in it.

God help us to understand “that we will be happiest when we remain within the bounds of his grace”.

Signing off

Tyrone

Wherever you are...call out!

(Romans 10:13) For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Many stumble and fall; not all find themselves on a runway in Milan or Paris. Many a young girl dreams of being a ballet dancer, but how many end up gracing a famous stage in some grand production where a standing ovation becomes a way of life?  Or do all great athletes win the gold medal at the Olympics? So too is it with many a Christian, but only a handful shine like Moses, Paul the Apostle, John Bunyan, Charles Spurgeon or today the likes of John Mac Arthur; those who seem to faithfully plod along with consistency and great fortitude; those who regardless of the opposition, to the onlooker they always seems to do the right thing before the eyes of God. However there are millions of professing Christians throughout the world who most certainly will never be amongst that number and I most certainly fall into this category. But am I alone? I think not!

The thought I have this morning is as clear as the rising of the sun. Yes we do stumble and often make the wrong choices or find ourselves in the wrong place where we allow ourselves to compromise the call to our Christian walk. It ought not to be, but these are the facts! The Children of Israel were freed by God with Moses as their leader; their goal; - from slavery into freedom. However it was not an easy journey; nevertheless with it came a promise; their own country! But first they had to endure the passage. Sadly none of the original starting out crowd, except Joshua and Caleb made it. Why we must ask ourselves so that we too may learn from their example. It would be a travesty to fall by the wayside, to see heaven on the horizon and then for the gate to close just in front of us. Almost will never be good enough! Think on the poor Comrade runner, those who find themselves after 12 hours and having not yet reached the finish line hearing the sharp distinctive pitch of a gunshot whistling through the air signaling the end of the race. “Almost or if only” would be their cry! No medal for them!

This then is the message I have clearly received this fine winters morning; regardless of where we find ourselves, if we have ears to hear, we will be left with one of two choices, to heed to God’s instruction or to disobey!  Mercy you have given us our gracious heavenly Father, but I pray that we find the grace to act upon your mercy as it is freely available to the believer.

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. (Hebrews 3:7-9)

Therefore it’s not about now many mistakes you have made or keep making but rather to find repentance seeking out God’s forgiveness for the mistakes we may keep making, we are not alone, others share in your grief, sorrow and the like; in fact the Lord Jesus is touched with the feelings of our infirmities and He is the master builder. I therefore urge you to call as I now find myself calling upon the name of the Lord and with that call comes a promise; “For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."” Praise the glorious name of our Lord and Saviour, our King, the King of kings, ever our Master, Jesus Christ the Lord!

Signing off

Tyrone   

A sobering thought...

“Art thou become like unto us?”

- Isa_14:10

“What must be the apostate professor’s doom when his naked soul appears before God? How will he bear that voice, “Depart, ye cursed; thou hast rejected me, and I reject thee; thou hast played the harlot, and departed from me: I also have banished thee for ever from my presence, and will not have mercy upon thee.” What will be this wretch’s shame at the last great day when, before assembled multitudes, the apostate shall be unmasked? See the profane, and sinners who never professed religion, lifting themselves up from their beds of fire to point at him. “There he is,” says one, “will he preach the gospel in hell?” “There he is,” says another, “he rebuked me for cursing, and was a hypocrite himself!” “Aha!” says another, “here comes a psalm-singing Methodist-one who was always at his meeting; he is the man who boasted of his being sure of everlasting life; and here he is!” No greater eagerness will ever be seen among Satanic tormentors, than in that day when devils drag the hypocrite’s soul down to perdition. Bunyan pictures this with massive but awful grandeur of poetry when he speaks of the back-way to hell. Seven devils bound the wretch with nine cords, and dragged him from the road to heaven, in which he had professed to walk, and thrust him through the back-door into hell. Mind that back-way to hell, professors! “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith.” Look well to your state; see whether you be in Christ or not. It is the easiest thing in the world to give a lenient verdict when oneself is to be tried; but O, be just and true here. Be just to all, but be rigorous to yourself. Remember if it be not a rock on which you build, when the house shall fall, great will be the fall of it. O may the Lord give you sincerity, constancy, and firmness; and in no day, however evil, may you be led to turn aside.” (C.H.Spurgeon)

“God resists (opposes) the proud but gives grace to the humble” – (1Peter 5:5), is a verse I have emphatically quoted many times throughout my life; it is sweet on the ear, but I wonder how deceitful my heart has been with its actual meaning? How often have I quoted it as a way of escape excusing my sin and looking for justification? When I examine the mirror a little closer I know I am guilty as charged! Please forgive me Father God and continue in your mercy to renew a right spirit in me. There is a day coming when your wrath will have it’s vengeance, a day coming when the hypocrite will be cast into outer darkness for all eternity, a day coming when your judgment must begin with your household, the household of God will be judged! “For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?”

Will I be judged faithful to the Lord, will others be judged faithful? The truth of it all is there will certainly be men and women found in both camps; The Holy Bible so declares it! God has spoken and His Word carries amongst so many intricate facets immense power but only can ever declare truth!

O how I long to hear those words; “And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.” (Luke 19:17)

Although I do hold firmly to the five points of Calvinism, which are; Original sin, unconditional predestination, invincible grace in conversion, particular redemption, and perseverance of saints. Nevertheless, one would be foolish to bury ones head in the sand ignoring the warnings throughout scripture about how we as Christians ort to live our lives!  There is a day coming of reckoning, not the reckoning of men but of God; “On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” (Matthew 7:22-23)

Many will stand as if they belonged to the household of God and yet they would have been nothing more than deserters or hypocrites. Where do I fit into the equation? Is it enough to be seated with the congregation; I think not! One must be part of the body of Christ (His church) or certainly be doomed for all eternity!

The writer of Hebrews makes a point of getting this exact argument across to the reader; “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:1-3) 

To enter Gods rest our lives must declare Christ and not depict who we once were those enslaved to sin! Now once again I look a little closer at my mirror and I am found wanting! O what is a man to do? “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, (Ephesians 2:4) has been rich in mercy and has once again come through for those who have never deserved it, I cannot find words to exalt His glorious name but to say I serve a great and mighty God. Wherever you may find yourself, whether it be in trial or in the mire with the pigs if God who is rich in mercy chooses to reveal himself to you, call out unto him for he has been merciful to you. With that now as our foundation let us strive in His goodness to find grace in times of need and lift our heads from the sand if need be and to once again run the race that has been set before us.

“But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief. (Hebrews 3:13-19) 

“Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.” (Hebrews 4:11)

Signing off

Tyrone

Breastplate of righteouness

(Ephesians 6:14)  “… put on the breastplate of righteousness.”

Putting on the breast plate of righteousness (it originates from the Greek word which sounds like “dik-ah-yos-oo’-nay” equity - of character or act; specifically for the Christian it means to be justified = righteousness). There is another danger many are lured to when reasoning with the old mind; we often feel justified in what we do and how we conduct ourselves; this does not mean I am now excused from finding obedience to the call God has placed on my life; we all have a responsibility and will be judged on our obedience; but not to mistake that with Christ’s accomplishments; it is not what I do that justifies me, allowing me to put on the breastplate of righteousness, that merit belongs to another, praise the mighty name of Jesus. He alone conquered death, hell and the grave. He has allowed all that find repentance in and through Him to wear His righteousness. Why? He alone paid the price for our sins; we could never repay that debt. Why then once we have been saved do we at times forget this truth? We go back to our own “self-worth” as we look for acceptance from God. It will and can never happen, history has taught us that… (Read the Old Testament and the introduction of the law and follow the pattern of men)

For those who have never truly repented but like the idea of morality the Christian and the Bible holds to; they will always play in this field and their lives will be full of accusing or excusing. Why? They use their own works to justify themselves before God and excuse others and visa-versa, whereby the Christian understands that we can never justify ourselves before God. Why? Because of our own sin, we all deserved judgment and hell should be our eternal punishment. BUT GOD… who is rich in mercy, and was not only able to free some of His enemies, but had it in his power and chose to do exactly that. What a merciful God!

It nevertheless cost Him dearly in order to free so many sinners, His only begotten Son came to earth, leaving all the pomp He was entitled too in heaven, became a man and live as a nomad, a man with no home and yet He did it for his Father, as it was his will. He bled and died to relinquish the punishment required by the only true and righteous God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Sin is no light issue and will always be judged, it therefore needed to be enormously dealt with; in fact it was such a heart wrenching experience we could almost conclude that God the Father caught his Son Jesus of guard; “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"” – Do you hear surprise in his cry? I most certainly do! Yet we know that God will never forsake those who belong to Him. We all know the end of the story; “Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you." (Matthew 28:1-7)

So then the breast plate of righteousness has nothing to do with us per say (our achievements) and all to do with what Christ achieved on our behalf. We must always be ready to give an answer to the gainsayer but be careful not to get caught up with “straw men” topics; our own justification in what we do as opposed to what Christ actually did do. For those who repent and call upon the name of Jesus, all these individuals are entitled to put on the breast plate of righteousness. No, rather had been trained to put on the breast plate of righteousness, it is a more of a command than a request.

Signing off

Tyrone

  

The Belt of Truth...

(Ephesians 6:14) “Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth…”

When I used to ride my motorbike it was judicious to consider not only some of the protective clothing, but all. So too would it be prudent for us to give thought to the entire arsenal of God’s armour. Obviously wearing some protection is better than nothing, but who in their right mind would dress sluggishly when going into an area full of hazards. I am yet to witness a “motor-crosser” riding with boots, shoulder pads, elbow and knee guards but then deciding not to wear his helmet. All it takes for a serious injury is just one exposed body part. My helmet has most certainly saved my life. Protective clothing has been carefully thought out and does exactly what it should do, and that is to protect! With that in mind and with the minds of men behind its design imagine how well thought out Gods armour is, not designed by men but God through the Apostle Paul designed it for men and women. Let us therefore not take this portion of scripture lightly…

Let us diligently dress for battle; our instruction is to take up the “whole armour of God”, and once dressed, our instruction is not to aggressively run into battle, but rather to stand. Nothing else is needed; think on this if our armour is in place there is no weapon that could possibly penetrate our defense, our Saviour the Lord Jesus has tested the very armour we are now instructed to wear.  However, if slipshod when dressing, we will be an easy target and never be able to stand as the blows strike us on our unprotected areas. A verse that springs to mind, probably because it has been so real in my life is the following; “for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.” (Proverbs 24:16) – There is two sides to this verse and both ring true; a righteous man falls and rises again, why? Because of the Lord Jesus’ work on Calvary, he is covered by the blood of the Lamb. The wicked stumble when the pressure is on and embrace an attitude of worldly sorrow, why me! But to be fair and honest even the Christian falls, no in fact he falls every time if not dressed for battle. The only difference is that the grace of God allows him to stand up again. Are you not tired of the yo-yo experience? I know I am! Let us then learn to dress for battle!

I suppose we will need to see the advantages of each piece of God’s armour before we rush off to dress. When the knights were protecting their king and country they would dress with metal armour; “cumbersome” is a word that under describes what a hindrance it was for them to not only dress for battle and accompanied many difficulties, it was time consuming, but to then have to fight like that was tough. Nimbleness was not a word we could use to describe their agility in battle and yet they all dressed for battle. Why? It was that heavy cumbersome armour that would save some of their lives. “Armour up or die” may well of been the slogan.

God uses an example about the advantage of well thought out armour when addressing his faithful servant Job about one of His creations, Leviathan a dragon type beast; this is the question He poses to Job; “Can you fill his skin with harpoons or his head with fishing spears?” (Job 41:7) – Who in their right mind will take a knife to a gun battle? Who in the right mind will look to take on demonic forces while being naked and exposed and yet we do it all the time. REMEMBER TO DRESS FOR BATTLE!

The Lord Jesus as a man has tested each piece of God’s armour and He has conquered. His instruction is for us is to follow His example, for when we chart it to the letter; we will also savour the sweet taste of victory.

Here then is the armour we have been called to use; “Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel.” (Ephesians 6:14-19)

We must firstly learn to stand on the truth (belt of truth); what help will a liar aid in us winning the battle? It won’t! Therefore as we stand, the first item we must attend to is the “belt of truth”, why? It was a lie that caused separation between God and man; the Garden of Eden; “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die.” (Genesis 3:1-4)

Is Adam alive today in the flesh? We must learn and yes with gentleness to never tolerate any lie that takes our eyes off our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. Deception will always lead us down a rocky road. It is the “belt of truth” that keeps us looking for the truth. Tolerance to a lie is simple foolishness and nothing more. Here then is an example of truth; “Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”” There is no other way to get to heaven but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Neither Buddha, Mohammed nor any other idle will get you to the Father and heaven. Why? It was only the Lord Jesus, who is God and yet He lived as a man without sin, conquering sin once and for all so that all those who truly repent for their own sin may now have access to the Father and the hope of heaven now becomes a reality. Anything outside of this truth is a lie and has nothing to do with the “belt of truth”! Now when I am found wanting with my Christian walk, which certainly happens for time to time, I may well be accused by some as a hypocrite, and there may well be justification by the accusation, but one thing I cannot be accused of when dressed with the “belt of truth” is that I am a liar. Jesus is the only way, the only truth pertaining to us as mankind finding a way into heaven and into the “afterlife”. Every other idea or notion that excludes sinners needing to repent in and through Him is a lie and will send you straight to hell.

As we stand let us remember the first item for dress is the “BELT OF TRUTH”. Do you see the importance of the item of clothing as it leaves no wiggle room; a decision is forced from the reader/listener.

Signing off

Tyrone    

 

     

God's Armour part 2

Part 2

I must take what I am now about to say a lot more seriously than I have over time, I think we all should. Why? Our design fills our minds with so much of today’s appetites that we have to dig deep in order to appropriate the truth of eternity as our reality. We live for today with possibly some thought for eternity. We give a lot of thought about tomorrow, but for the wrong reasons; "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34) – Our concern should then be for today and how we will combat the trouble of the day, tomorrow will arrive when it arrives and then we must learn to combat its troubles. The KJV translation of the bible is a lot more specific with what we need to battle; “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” – So then it must be about each and every one of us learning to combat the evil we will all face today, tomorrow will come for some and it may come for others but we will address that tomorrow.

What must I do today? “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:10-11) - I will confess this is not part of my daily routine, most days I will give some thought to the work of the Lord Jesus in my life, but I am certainly not vigilant when it comes to the wearing of God’s armour. I ask all who read this and have it upon their hearts to pray for me about seriously dressing for battle; I certainly need your prayers. As Christians we are all part of the same army, God’s army, we all wear His coat of arms, with Jesus Christ as the Admiral. We are our “brother’s keeper” and we must look out for one another. I am weak in this regard and I pray that the Lord would reignite a new spirit in me, I once was a watchmen but have now become somewhat complacent, which is simply unacceptable, please pray for me to once again be more than vigilant in this area of my life.

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:16) – it is the work of your prayers that I seek out, not that I may spend their powers on my lusts but rather it would cause the name of our great God to be praise and exalted.

So it should be clear by now that we are influenced by the evil forces in the unseen realm; “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12) 

To combat them efficiently we must follow the Apostle Paul’s instruction to the letter, which is; “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” (Ephesians 6:13-20)

There is much to discuss with regards to the specific apparel mentioned here in this portion of scripture. To give it the attention needed to help us with the effectual working of each part I think it would be prudent to spend more time studying the value of each and every part; “the belt of truth”, “breastplate of righteousness”, “as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace”, “shield of faith”, “helmet of salvation”, and “the sword of the Spirit”, “praying at all times in the Spirit”, this will keep us alert and we will not be like the foolish virgin that fell asleep and if we have fallen asleep, we will wake up.

Until the next time,

Signing off

Tyrone

   

    

Our Armour

Part 1 of 2

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11)   

Following on from yesterday’s thoughts it would be prudent to look at the amour of God in detail as to how we should use it profitably. Firstly what is the amour of God? It is the provision given to every believer to equip them for battle. It is obvious that if we have been instructed to put on the whole amour of God as we are at war. Let no one fool you into believing that we are not in a fierce battle. Who then is the enemy? We have enemies within as well as without; “Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.” (James 1:13-17) – A recognizable reality in the lives of all, both young and old, rich and poor; there is no exception! A continuous barrage of fierce struggles that we all face on a daily basis; the Apostle John explains it like this; “For all that is in the world--the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions--is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (1John 2:16-17)

So it is then clear why we need the “amour of God”; it is a help that allows us, when used to its fullest potential to do the will of God. Self with all its pitiful will is placed on the backburner while God is glorified in and through our example. We place Him first and ourselves second. Look no further than our great Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ and see His example and we will soon get the idea. To what extent should we take this seriously? We must all make up our own minds before God our Father. However this was the extent whereby the Lord Jesus laid down His life for us in obedience to the will of His Father; “And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head."” (Luke 9:58)

Not only are we our greatest enemies; let me explain; the way our lust looks to lure us in the oppose direction to the call that God has placed on us. And there is also an external force, a fierce enemy that has but one objective to get the child of God to walk in disobedience. To undermine their God and Fathers will and ultimately curse God; before the creation of mankind there was a conflict in heaven, Satan opposed God and convinced one third of the angels to side with him. Their punishment, they were banished from the presence of God. So then what do they do now? Here is some insight to Satan’s objective; “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. The LORD said to Satan, "From where have you come?" Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it." And the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?" Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face." (Job 1:6-11) – Note: Satan is seen on the earth, going to and fro and walking up and down on it. Why? It is obvious that he looks for those whom God has favoured and then looks for permission to bring trial against them which in turn will hopefully get them to “curse God”.

There is a fierce enemy that patrols the earth looking to trip all those who walk by faith. Do not be deceived, this then is our reality; “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)

With this understanding we must conclude that we are in a fierce battle, there seems to be so much against us, and realistically what chance do we have? Nay, let the truth be told, we have victory in and through the One who has already overcome, praise the wonderful name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.

Who then is entitled to God’s armoury and all the wonderful equipment available for battle? Those who are born of the Spirit, those born again, those who believe in their hearts that God rose Jesus from the dead and confess Him as Lord with their mouths. Where so many of us go wrong is we only look to put on some of the amour at any given time, instead of putting on the whole armour of God; “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11)

Until next time then...

Signing off

Tyrone  

   

Reconciliation

(2Corinthians 5: 18) “…who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation…”

We all need to have our say on most topics; I suppose that is the way we are. A very good friend of mine has recently been diagnosed with cancer and he has notice, although people have good intentions while knowing very little on the subject, his summation is that everyone is a doctor, or at least thinks it. I cogitate it is because we care when we see someone withering away. We all have a tendency to want to save those who need saving. We want to do our little bit, which in itself has its place when guided with precision. Take a marksman as an example, he may well buy the best telescopic sights for his rifle, but he does not simply bolt it into place prior to a competition. He carefully works with it and once he is satisfied, only then can he confidentially go about his business.

Did you know that as Christian we have all been given the responsibility from God to share the gospel with this dying generation; “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2Corinthians 5:18-21)

Why is it then that most of us, would rather look for reasons to hold our peace on these eternal issues but on the advice about life, where we actually know very little, we will have a lot to say? I include myself amongst the number of having an opinion when it really doesn’t hold water and then when the opportunity arises to declare my Lord’s faithfulness I hold my peace. This is not the pattern we have been called to follow. “We are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us.”

It is obvious for some why we hold our peace, for once we publically declare our allegiance to our great God, in and through His Son our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ we expose all our flaws to those watching, Hypocrite is often the accusation and yes we are often found wanting, need I say more! Then it is the sin in our lives that the Lord Jesus has already conquered that entangles us in our ability to be the example we have been called to be. But before we run away with ourselves and give too much place to the devil and his hold on the world, let us rather focus on our Saviour’s achievements and what it took for Him to overcome its power so that we could go free.

Buckle up…

“The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) – How can that be one may ask? We see so much sin in the world today. He is the one who conquered sin, how? He live a life in a world full of sinners who had one simple objective, knowingly to some and unknowingly to other, to get him to nosedive just once, to sin just once and he would have failed. He lived on earth for 33 years and experience everything we experienced and yet He overcame, He never ever sinned, for if He had we, every Christian would be without hope and separated from God for all eternity. Hell would have been our final destination. But no, it is heaven and all its glory that is where every believing Christian will end up. You may say then, why do so many Christians sin? The Lord Jesus’ sacrifice allows men and women to be washed by his blood when true confession is made seeking out the forgiveness of their sin.

“This ground of hope we have - Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God. [1.] He takes away sin. He, being Mediator between God and man, takes away that which is, above any thing, offensive to the holiness of God, and destructive to the happiness of man. He came, First, To take away the guilt of sin by the merit of his death, to vacate the judgment, and reverse the attainder, which mankind lay under, by an act of indemnity, of which all penitent obedient believers may claim the benefit. Secondly, To take away the power of sin by the Spirit of his grace, so that it shall not have dominion, Rom_6:14. Christ, as the Lamb of God, washes us from our sins in his own blood; that is, he both justifies and sanctifies us: he takes away sin. He is ho airōn - he is taking away the sin of the world, which denotes it not a single but a continued act; it is his constant work and office to take away sin, which is such a work of time that it will never be completed till time shall be no more. He is always taking away sin, by the continual intercession of his blood in heaven, and the continual influence of his grace on earth. [2.] He takes away the sin of the world; purchases pardon for all those that repent, and believe the gospel, of what country, nation, or language, soever they be. The legal sacrifices had reference only to the sins of Israel, to make atonement for them; but the Lamb of God was offered to be a propitiation for the sin of the whole world; see 1Jo_2:2. This is encouraging to our faith; if Christ takes away the sin of the world, then why not my sin? Christ levelled his force at the main body of sin's army, struck at the root, and aimed at the overthrow, of that wickedness which the whole world lay in. God was in him reconciling the world to himself. [3.] He does this by taking it upon himself. He is the Lamb of God, that bears the sin of the world; so the margin reads it. He bore sin for us, and so bears it from us; he bore the sin of many, as the scape-goat had the sins of Israel put upon his head, Lev_16:21. God could have taken away the sin by taking away the sinner, as he took away the sin of the old world; but he has found out a way of abolishing the sin, and yet sparing the sinner, by making his Son sin for us.” (Matthew Henry)

What a God we serve, if He has done so much for us and if we reject His offer, what chance do you really think we will have when the Day of Judgment finally arrives, and be sure it shall arrive. We all have a responsibility to gently share our hope with those who are perishing. If it is our own sin that is keeping us silent, then let us seek out God’s provision to combat whatever we need to walk as victorious Christians. We have an enemy that seeks to stop us from sharing with others, he cannot bite only roar, but God has given us amour for the battle and just like a trained marksman depends on his sights, so too let us learn to use Gods amour skilfully; we must practise with it if we are to be effectual witnesses.

Signing off

Tyrone

         

Pearl of great price

(Matthew 13:46)  “Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.”

This is probably one of the better parables we can use to truly examine our hearts and see exactly when we stand in our relationship with our Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ; how we view Him, will be easily seen in our commitment to Him. To what extent have we sold all we have to win Him? Throughout life we have all experienced some form of sacrifice when love has knocked. But the greatest love of all was our Saviour’s love for us, those who have realised His sacrifice, the way He sold all, how He left heaven and became a man, laying aside His powers as God and committing them to another, His Father. If that is not the greatest example of “selling all”, then I don’t know what is. Laying down His life for a people who had lost their view of God; Dying on a cruel Roman cross to free so many from the clutches of hell; how many is many? “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:9-10) – His sacrifice will in turn save more people (sinners) than can be numbered by a man. And here is another reason for His sacrifice; “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.” (Revelation 21:2)

When one makes a sacrifice it always has an objective behind it. Don’t most work hard through life so when the time arrives for retirement they can withdraw without to many financial worries? Don’t people take out life insurance policies which would force certain sacrifices throughout life as those monies are put aside into a policy for those left behind when death eventually knocks.

The Lord Jesus did not make His sacrifice without an objective, although He suffered more than any other man, it was worth it all, and if He didn’t believe that He would never have done it. His Father’s plan is an ingenious plan and is shut from those who chose to reject His sacrifice. This was why the Lord Jesus spoke to the multitudes in parables; they who could understand would and those who couldn’t wouldn’t.  Without understanding the parable, they would never be able to understand the greater truths of God’s kingdom; “And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?”

Our Husband the lord Jesus has proved His love to us, for Him who knew no sin to free those full of sin is almost an unbelievable concept and yet it holds true. This is how He chose to seek out his bride and there will be a wedding feast in heaven in the not too distant future. Will I be part of that ceremony, will you? Time will tell! However today is the day of salvation, call out to Him and you will be heard, do not wait until tomorrow, as tomorrow may elude you.

Back to our parable; to what extent have we sold all to convince our Saviour of our dedication and love for Him? Have we obtained the “pearl of great price”? I know I am way off the mark when it comes to my example, I also know that there is a lot more “selling off” that needs to take place in my life but by the grace of God I shall endeavour to pursue Him as I search out the pearl of great price, whatever the cost.

Today is the day of salvation, what will you do with Him?

Signing off

Tyrone Arthur   

  

Which well will we drink from?

(John 7:38) “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”

If any man thirst let Him come unto the one who has the capacity to quench our thirst. All of us at some point in our lives have been thirsty; most should be able to relate on how, way back when, they longed for something to drink. I know what it means to desperately need water, the marines helped with that lesson. Another year has passed, which seemed but a fleeting moment and it is now time of reflection; seated in front of my computer, I feel somewhat disappointed with my achievements throughout this past year. Although I have had my own challenges with regards to daily provisions, I have not had the best spiritual year of my life, in fact far from it, why? I have not come to the source of living water often enough, to have my thirst satisfied and we all need water to survive, from which well do we drink, the “well of lusts” or “the well of everlasting life”? The tricky part is that both wells sit side by side and they are freely available to all wherever one may be throughout the world. As Christians we know which well we should drink from, but how often do we comply? Tonight is the biggest celebration the world over, people will drink in abundance from the “well of lusts”, not paying much mind to God and His well, the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are told from the Holy Scriptures that the Lord will come like a thief in the night to call those who belong to Him home. What better time to come, if wanting to catch many off guard, than to come on a night like tonight. Mind altering substances, both legal and illegal freely available for all who would dare venture there. I hate so much about my own weaknesses. How is it that I still struggle with so many things that I had once by the grace of God laid aside? The answer is in my own question, the grace of God! If we are not in the place we should be in our relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord, we then have neglected to find His grace in time of need. But without a craving for spiritual water, we will unfortunately always drink from the wrong well. Jesus Christ not only has the capability, to quench our thirst, but has sent out a decree; “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.” (John 7:37)

Tonight is an opportunity for us all; it is a time of reflection, to be rid of the negative influences in our lives; my guess for the most quoted statement of the day, worldwide, will be “My new year’s resolution is…” We all have a willingness to be better. What “well” will I drink from tonight? I wonder! Will I go with the flow or will I seek out God’s grace in time of need?

God has been very patient with so many of us, I wonder at times how He as the capability of being so merciful? We know the answer to that, but my mind boggles in considering His abundant love for us. “Patience had her perfect work in the Lord Jesus, and until the last day of the feast he pleaded with the Jews, even as on this last day of the year he pleads with us, and waits to be gracious to us. Admirable indeed is the longsuffering of the Saviour in bearing with some of us year after year, notwithstanding our provocations, rebellions, and resistance of his Holy Spirit. Wonder of wonders that we are still in the land of mercy!” (C.H.Spurgeon)

This is a fact; “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” If this is not true for you, then it is time for a change, let us all start to drink more frequently from the well of living water.

Signing off

Tyrone

    

God's Call

(Exodus 3:4) “…God called to him out of the bush…”

Regardless of race, colour or creed we all have our quirks. Different traditions for different nationalities, the Greeks break plates when celebrating; Italians could never live without olive oil, Cuba makes arguably the best Cigars and the Turkish are known for Turkish delight. But the Apostle Paul sums us up in two categories, Jews and Gentiles. Jews would fall under the offspring of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. While the Gentiles would be the rest of us, in other words the Greeks would by implication also mean Gentiles and these words where often interchanged when the Apostle would want to highlight two different nationalities in view of God’s perspective. The Greeks/Gentiles were never classed amongst God’s people as a nation. Nevertheless, provision for the individual has always been available, even as far back as Abraham God made provision for the Gentile to be counted amongst the number; “He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant.

Traditionally the Jews have always had the Torah (the five books of Moses- the first books in the Old Testament). Historically God had a relationship with Adam and Eve, but once sin became a way of life for them he withdrew His hand of fellowship. He separated Himself from them as an intimate Fatherly figure as they were no longer friends but enemies. Yes the power of sin is the catalyst which separates us from God! Hence why the law was firstly introduced and then the reason for Christ dying in our stead, to pay the ultimate once and for all time sacrifice as He conquered sin.

However after Adam as time progressed God connected with men on a deeper level once again; “Enoch walked with God…” (Genesis 5:22) – But it wasn’t until the covenant with Abraham, where God introduce His plan to single out a nation whom He could call His own and visa-versa, the Jewish Nation as God’s people at long last established; “No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God."” (Genesis 17:5-8)

The Jews have always believed in the only true God but rejected God’s Son, their true Messiah. If this had not happened we as the Gentile race would not of have had any chance in finding salvation and escaping God’s Judgment for our sin. Some individuals yes, but never as a nation; “That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear.” (Romans 11:20) - We see it today, some Jews are being saved but as a Nation they reject the Lord Jesus as their Messiah. But the day is soon approaching when God’s mercy will once again open the eyes of Israel and as a country they will look upon the One their forefathers rejected and weep, and through it they will find Repentance.

When will these events happen may be in the forefront of our minds? Here then is the answer; “And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.” (Zechariah 12:9-10)   

What is it that the Gentiles/Greeks are in search of? Proof is needed to prove that God exist. They seek wisdom, the Jews do not doubt His existence but they seek a sign.

Here is God’s answer to this apparent dilemma; God has chosen the foolishness of preaching to save those who have been called…

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart." Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1Corinthians 1:18-24)   

Here is the good news regardless of where you find yourself, you are either in the Jewish or the Gentile camp; to those who have been called Jesus Christ the Lord is both the power of God and the wisdom of God, ONLY BELIEVE!

Signing off

Tyrone

  

   

The spotless bride

(The song of Solomon 4:7) “There is no spot in thee.”

For those who have a relationship with the Lord Jesus the way He chooses to view us in the light of whom we are in Him is often hard for us to accept. But for those who stand on the outside looking in, will most certainly grapple to understand His undying love for His own; let us remember that God’s way are most certainly not our ways; “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord." (Corinthians 1:27-31)

My boast this morning is most certainly in Him…   

All are familiar with the concept of marriage; some are married, others divorced and some dream about marriage. The story of Cinderella and the like have weathered the test of time; the idea of romantically living “ever after” is a dream for many and let’s faces it who in their right mind wouldn’t want a happy life? Whether we fall in to the category of those requiring tender affection or those that pretend it isn’t that important; when we strip away all our very own complexities we all arrive at the same conclusion and we all want to live “happily ever after”, this is most certainly a priority for all.

Why then are we surrounded by so much of the opposite? Heartache, conflict, divorce and sadness; The underlying answer is an obvious one, sin taking control and working itself out can only produce death. Just as the serpent deceived Eve in the garden, so too, does he and his band of reprobates, although unseen, look to fill our lives with misery. Satan wilfully looks for permission to do harm. (See the story of Job…) This I understand and have no problem with the concepts of his objective and the mayhem I witness in the world because of sin; all are effect by it, but what about the Christian? Look at my life, divorced twice with what I thought was an apparent understanding of the responsibility of marriage. No matter how I look to slice my very own cake with the “knife of justification” I always come to the same conclusion, FAILED! How then was it that I failed? Although there is an enemy that goes around like a roaring lion seeking to devour those in the faith, it does not now totally excuse me. Here are the facts, I did not love my spouse as I should; I did not lay my life down for her; I was selfish and quick to highlight her blemishes while excusing my own. I did not heed God’s instruction in and through His Word, which is, “husbands love your wife like Christ loves the church”, in other words lay your life down for your spouse.

An impossible task if one is always finding fault!

However there is still very good news for all those who call upon the Lord Jesus…

Realistically we all have a lot more than spots and blemishes and yet the Lord Jesus sees none of them in the negative per say; let me explain… Even though His spouse often wanders from Him; grieves His Holy Spirit and the like, He never quarrels with her and He never lets her faults influence His love for her. He may even reprimand at times but always with tender affection and with the kindest of intentions. Amazingly even in our darkest times it is even then that He whispers, “my love”. There is no repeated remembrance in the future of our follies, which are many, innumerable for some (guilty as charged). He does not apprize ill thoughts of us, although He created the elephant; often referring to them and we quote, “he has a memory like an elephant”. He does not hold onto retentions that tarnish. He pardons us with His love after as well as before the transgression, an amazing husband with no comparison! Imagine if the Lord Jesus was as mindful of our offenses as we are with our partners, how could He ever commune with some of us? And yet even with my many felonies He still loves me. What a wonderful God I serve. NO! Rather, what a gracious, merciful, stupendous, loving and wonderful God I serve.

Many a time we often convince ourselves that we are unworthy, and realistically on face of it we most certainly are, with hypocrisy having its way in our lives, but even this does not hinder our husband, our Saviour, our God the Lord Jesus Christ from loving us with pureness and with no quarrel. Even our silly hearts are no match for His love. When He looks at His bride, even though we look at each other and see many spots, He sees neither spot nor blemish. He pronounces His Church full of beauty. Moles and beauty spots are often surgically removed to enhance ones beauty. What of the deadly ulcers and the cancerous sin that captivates so many of us? The Lord does not even venture there; He sees no spot or even the slightest blemish. Who then wouldn’t want a husband like that, praise His glorious name.

True love will always win the victory; come what may…

Signing off

Tyrone