"The Shaking"

“The shaking” has begun and yet we have heard this phrase from many a pulpit in years gone by. Does that mean that those who made such bold statements were entirely wrong? I do not believe so! For many years now we have seen how sin and the acceptance of it in certain areas of society have been on the increase. Hollywood the forerunners of acceptance; same sex marriages now something of the norm; even some churches supporting these sexual unions! Men married to men and woman to woman, back in the eighties this would most certainly have been frowned upon. Tolerance the order of the day, regardless of the instruction from God’s decree, the Bible!

Let me make it very clear from the outset, that I am not against any one particular sin, sin as a whole is the enemy of the cross, and if I pretended that I was immune to it I would be nothing more than a foolish imbecile. We all have been tainted by sin in one form or another. This is why God needed to send His Son to save us from ourselves. Nevertheless all sin is the enemy of the cross; “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21) – However when society begins to tolerate certain sins as the norm, we must sit up and take note of where we find ourselves.

With that consideration and with the other warning we see in scripture; “And Jesus answered them, "See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.” (Matthew 24:4-8)

God has equipped woman with a safety devise prior to birth, “birth pangs” are the sign for her to make ready. She would not want to be caught off guard. In the same manner these tell-signs are for the Christian to sit up and take note and not to be caught off guard. It is our Father’s way of warning us of what is to come, to make ready and then to be conditioned to face whatever may follow.

What will follow these signs? There will be far less tolerance for the gospel, in fact it will eventually become the enemy for so many! But we have been informed and the Christian must be prepared.  Non-involvement will no longer cut it!  The opposition will become so intense that even families will sadly be split.  Some believe that as Christians we will not have to endure this hardship, I am not convinced! Either way it would be far better to condition the mind for what we as South Africans and Christians through the world might need to endure so that we are not caught by surprise. What could happen? “"But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”” (Mark 13:9-13)

This topic in itself is not a popular message but we would be very foolish to turn a blind eye. Who in their right mind would reject a parachute regardless of its weight and uncomfortableness if we knew for certain that the plane we were in was about to crash? May God salve so that we may see, let us find ourselves associating with the five wise virgins and not the foolish! “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” (2Timothy 3:16-17) 

Signing off

Tyrone

   

Fear Not!

What is fear? Fear is something we have all experienced, it is a God given emotion that instinctively helps to keep one from danger. It is not a feeling easily fabricated. In hindsight if we look back on our lives there should be some vivid memories of fear somewhere along life’s journey. I recall being a young boy of about ten years old when I ventured into a storm water drain and crawled from the one side of the road to the other, the space was so confined that I almost froze believing that I would not get out on the other side. The sudden surge of fear was frightening, “what if I got stuck in here, would I die”? I could not turn around, and yet I can still intensely remember the panic, ultimately it was fear that drove me to keep my eyes fixed on the sunlight that was visible on the other side of the other manhole. It seemed a bridge too far, had I bitten off more than I could chew? Instinctively I began to worm my way to the other side through the tight fit of the concrete pipes, there was no other choice! When I eventually arrived there was such relief! That incident still has a bearing on my life today, I am still claustrophobic! And I have never been near another drain pipe!

My consideration this morning is simply this… Should fear play a role in a believer’s life?

There is much to deliberate on the subject, but once we strip it all down, in my opinion the short answer would have to be certainly not the way most understand the meaning of fear! God said to Abraham, “Fear Not!” Why was he given this instruction? Because God was with him, and He was looking out for Abraham! Although he faced many dangers along his journey!

I must be careful not to only explore one side of the deliberation; we can obviously be foolish in our decisions, just as I was so many years ago, we can thoughtlessly create our own fear; or rather get ourselves into a predicament that will help engage the emotion of fear. But the reality of eminent fear when we walk in obedience to the call that God has placed on the believers life is what I am interested in. The answer to my original question must be an emphatic “No”. We should never allow fear to govern!

David a prime example of how we as Christians ort to conduct ourselves in this area of our lives; remember Goliath! A giant warrior that all of Israel feared, even king Saul was no match for him! “And the Philistine said, "I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together." When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.” (1Samuel 17:10-11) – Fear with all the emotion attached to it was rife throughout Israel!  However, this then was David’s response to Goliath the giant; “And David said to the men who stood by him, "What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?"” (1Samuel 17:26)  - There was absolutely no fear in David’s estimation about this enemy of God; size, weight, weapons nor all his scalps had any bearing on David’s reasoning. Although all of Israel was emotionally charged with fear, David was not! Faith will alleviate fear! Call it a vaccination if you will, just the right amount of faith applied to any given situation and fear will be neutralised. This is what I seek, faith toward my God! Help me actualise this realisation like never before I pray in earnest and with anticipation! Lord Jesus be merciful I pray!

Faith most certainly will drive away all fears that oppose the will of God! “The Law” taught those who opposed it to fear God. We needn’t look far to prove this as we page through the Old Testament. But Love casts out all fear! “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.” (1John 4:18-19)

Did those Christians of old fear? Not the ones who walked in obedience, in fact some even were sawn in half! “They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated-- of whom the world was not worthy--wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.” (Hebrews 11:37-38)   

This is what the Apostle Peter has to say; “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” (1Peter 2:16-17)   

My conclusion then… when we walk in obedience to the will of God in our lives, we have absolutely no reason to fear; however when we are in need of discipline, when we ignore the call of God in our lives, we will most certainly be privy to fear, if not, best we check our birth certificates. But as for the enemies of the cross we needn’t fear, the Lord Jesus Christ has conquered all, even the last of enemies, death, was no match for Him! God raised Him from the dead and He is now seated at the right hand of the Father in Heavenly making intersection for those who believe. Praise His name!

Signing off

Tyrone

Not long now...

(Romans 8:22) “For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.”

In the still of the morning sounds are a lot clearer to ones ear, there seems to be a distinct clarity to the varying noises that filter through the air, all one needs to do is listen. Birds chirp, a motorbike roars not far away and there is a constant hum of motor vehicle activity. But there are other grunts that cannot noticeably be heard and yet they are as real as the rising of the sun! All we need to do is put our ear to the ground and listen. It is faint at first but once we call upon our God to heighten the sensitivity of our ears it will become clear that the creation is starting to groan like never before! Many years ago man fell under a curse, the profanity of sin taking its toll on all. But we who now believe is the redemption of God and His promise fulfilled in and through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who are the first fruits of His master plan. The creature now eagerly awaits the manifestation of the sons of God! The children of God will soon appear in the colours of God! When will this happen? I cannot, nor can anyone else be certain of the date, but the signs of the time are causing a rumble across the planet, God is beginning to stir like never before and that day will soon arrive that we can, of a certainty, be optimistic about!

A day is coming in the not too distant future where the trumpet of God will sound and in the “twinkling of an eye” those who are found faithful to His call will be caught up in the air to ever be with Him, with His promise fulfilled. We will rule and reign with our God with righteousness foreign to the world as it thinks it understands what is pure and holy. There will be no fraud, or backhands reaping unjust rewards for the few, our God will rule in righteousness and with a rod of iron! And eventually the lion will lay down with the lamb! All the profanity and smut that now adhere to the world as we know it shall be done away with and then when those that have suffered with Christ upon earth shall also reign with him upon the earth. The whole creation looks and longs for this day to arrive. Can you hear it stir?

Be of good cheer you saints of God, our God is no slack concerning His promises as is the manner of some. He will eventually bring this promise to fruition! How I long for that day, but until then we must all fight the good fight of faith with the intent that it will lead us home; into eternal life and the culmination of this marvellous promise of God! This our hope must burn bright as frontlets between our eyes. What a marvellous hope the Christian has!

My heart is saddened in a sense for the unbeliever, living in a world of justice as it seems right in their own eyes. Unrighteous judgment on display! Everyone with an opinion and yet that estimation comes from a foundation of sin. How on earth will it ever be righteous? It will always have chinks in its reasoning. But OUR GOD who is righteous will judge with a righteous rod of iron, praise His name! And to think that we will be a part of that process blows my mind. God in His manifold wisdom works out His master plan with sinful, fallen human beings. Obviously we are now no longer categorised as “sinners” even though sin plays its role in our lives on a daily basis. The ultimate price has been paid; God’s very own Son had to die to forgive us of even our future sins. God’s brilliance on display! Time unable to bind the hands of my brilliant Father! This however should not confuse us into thinking that we now have licence to act worse than we once did. God forbid! I too have fallen into this snare, which in time past has caused great suffering and I still bear the marks in my body. Nevertheless, He who has begun a good work, even if through severe discipline, will end that which He starts. Who can stop our God from achieving anything He sets His mind too? NOTHING SEEN OR UNSEEN is any match for the ever true and wise God; He is the great I AM! He is number One and He is my Father, He is my God and He will apply the chastisement needed to get me home. Thank you Father God! One may ask who in their right minds would ever welcome discipline, only those who have understood the mercies behind the discipline. I am truly thankful for God’s chastisement as it is a gracious manifestation of his love.

With that said, let us also remember to pay careful attention to God’s instruction as it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of an angry God! If we need to find repentance in any area of our lives; that nagging sin we so often want to sweep under the carpet and cast a blind eye as if it isn’t really that serious. Let us remember that it is preciously that sin which caused the dead and suffering of our Lord and Saviour! We must learn to pay careful attention to it!

Whatever suffering we will face in this life will most certainly not be worthy of our consideration when we get to heaven and we see our Lord and Saviour face to face, it will be worth it all!

Signing off

Tyrone

Love on display!

Considering life on earth and the short time we all have. My mind never seems to exhaust this thought! Why, why, WHY do I grow so weary of the “trial of life”? It is so foreign to the heart of thankfulness and yet I am eternally thankful for what Christ has done for me. How I long for the day when God will say enough and I will be caught up into the air to ever be with Him and all His heavenly hosts! WE all need the resolve of our suffering King, just a little longer and it will all be over! I wonder was this what motivated the man Jesus Christ? We may all be quick to say that He had seen heaven as He came from Heaven. But that would certainly be a swayed perception, we know that He loved us because of His action; he willingly died for those whom God called from before the foundation of the world! It is imperative to learn from our Master’s example; “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.” (1John 3:16)  - The test of true love is not in word but proved through our actions, it is easy to say we love someone but another thing altogether to show our love with our exploits. How do we know of a certainty that we walk in love? “But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?” (1John 3:17) – We (I) must learn this valuable lesson, I must learn to take this to the next level, may God help me, may I seek His face and search out the riches of His mercies and learn to put others before myself, please pray for me in this area of my life! No matter what we have been given we must learn to share what we have, whether we suffer lack or whether we have an abundance, we must all learn to put our brothers need before our own wants! “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” (1Jonn 3:18) – The lesson the Apostle John wants us to embrace is for us to find reassurance, that we belong to God and that we are known by Him. It is one thing to claim we know God but totally another aspect when we are known of an assurance by HIM!  - “By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him;” (1John 3:19)

I remember when newly saved, signing a song, “If you want joy, real joy wonderful joy let Jesus come into your heart.” As real as that was, I believe the lesson that John now teaches, is this; “if you want joy, real joy, be quick to find reasons to help your brothers who are in need”. We instinctively look for reasons not to help! May God help us!

Here is a truth that the Lord Jesus taught; “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" (Act 20:35)

The snare of life always looking to lead us down the wrong road, may we all learn to trust our God and believe Him, helping to re-right that which society and sin has robbed from us. Our God will supply all our need! However, we must follow His instruction along the way! When we ignore it, it is to our own peril!

Help me Father to help those who are in need, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

"I will remember them no more!"

God’s gift to the poet empowers them to pen words with such apparent ease, their ability to lure the reader into a mystical place as they drift away into a foreign land. The imagination an amazing trait!  Like the taste of honey found in a rock, or terrifying beyond despair or at times pleasing to the mind’s eye. And yet how often do we overlook the source of everything brilliant, may God forgive us for such volatility! To the only wise God be glory in times past, presently and into the realms of eternity be glory now and forevermore. Our God the author and the finisher of our faith! This does not only mean He wrote the book, plotted the scenes to our individual lives but He will also ensure that it plays out in accordance to His will. He will finish each and every chapter! As we flip through the various chapters of the book of our lives, we engulf so many different memories and instinctively we are drawn to the happier moments, but sadly the disappointing events also constantly nag away. Did you know although we remember so many of the bad endeavors to our lives, God with the capacity to forget, will forget them! How He adopts this wonderful trait, I find my mind void of an answer! But we are told why He chooses to forget! All because of the greatest sacrifice ever performed on behalf of sinful man, the sacrificed of the Lamb, Jesus Christ slain for the sin of man! “And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."” (Jeremiah 31:34)

God has presented such a magnificent invitation to all; the message has gone out to the whole world! Some may say what about the Inca, the bushman or the man in a remote part of the world? Some will always look to avoid their own reality, what has that to do with you; have you heard the message of the gospel? If so, then you are without excuse! As for the bushman, they have most certainly heard the proclamation of the gospel; in fact I sit with a hunting bow that a bushman, a brother in Christ primed for me. He is my brother in Christ! I have fond memories of sitting with an interpreter looking into the hard lines of the man’s face and yet softness in his gaze that God alone accomplishes. The Gospel has gone out to the four corners of the earth! I tell you on the authority of God’s Word that the end is near; “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14)

Whose sin will the Lord remember no more? Those who are covered by the blood of the Lamb! What about those who have heard the gospel and have remained indignant to the message? The answer is an obvious one; “For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:14) – What will you choose: forgiveness, or will you remain obstinate?

The offer has gone out to all…

I love my Lord; He has flung the horse, the rider of sin into to the sea of His forgetfulness, praise the glorious name of Jesus Christ my redeemer and my eternal King!

Signing off

Tyrone

  

"My God..."

As I reflect on a certain aspect of my Christian walk, it boggles the mind to think that the only true God is my God. I can with assurance ascribe God’s greatness with all His known brilliance and He is “My God”! However, how often do I actually call on the provision that is mine? How often do I cry out to Jesus Christ my Lord, my King, my Redeemer? Is He not my Saviour? He is, of a certainty, the One who died to save me from my sin and yet He is also a high priest who makes intersession for me, and also, all those who place their trust in Him. He is touched with my infirmities, in other words He feels my pain! That in itself is a phenomenal thought! Why do I take so little advantage of this great privilege that Christ affords me? It must have something to do with a lack of faith; no! I know it has to do with a lack of faith!

How often have I cried out unto my God asking for a certain resolve in a particular area of my life and then once that comes to fruition, why do I then grow weary of the outcome? It is all hinged together with the bonding glue of my faith in Him! “Faith toward God” must be my banner in life, without it I will have very little impact on those around me! With it brings a peace amidst the storms of life. As the wave beats violently down upon the rocks have you ever wondered how a clam is able to withstand the force as it clutches fast with an inexhaustible resolve? The greater the wave the stronger the bind! We must learn to mirror the clam! We will only ever learn this lesson through the trial of life; we must learn to trust our God! Write this truth deep within my heart Father God, my prayer is to have this settled once and for all! I ask because you allow me to ask and I am heard because Christ my great Saviour, your obedient Son, the darling of heaven has opened this door to me, praise His glorious name now and forever more!

When I think of the glories of Jesus and what He has done for me, my very soul cries out “HALELUJA”! Not only does my God reign throughout the universe but He most certainly reigns within my heart! Please add to my faith all the wonderful virtues found in Him! How I long to mirror my Saviour and His perfect example!

Look how our belated brother understood the privilege we have in “Our God”…

It is strange how little use we make of the spiritual blessings which God gives us, but it is stranger still how little use we make of God himself. Though he is “our own God,” we apply ourselves but little to him, and ask but little of him. How seldom do we ask counsel at the hands of the Lord! How often do we go about our business, without seeking his guidance! In our troubles how constantly do we strive to bear our burdens ourselves, instead of casting them upon the Lord, that he may sustain us! This is not because we may not, for the Lord seems to say, “I am thine, soul, come and make use of me as thou wilt; thou mayst freely come to my store, and the oftener the more welcome.” It is our own fault if we make not free with the riches of our God. Then, since thou hast such a friend, and he invites thee, draw from him daily. Never want whilst thou hast a God to go to; never fear or faint whilst thou hast God to help thee; go to thy treasure and take whatever thou needest-there is all that thou canst want. Learn the divine skill of making God all things to thee. He can supply thee with all, or, better still, he can be to thee instead of all. Let me urge thee, then, to make use of thy God. Make use of him in prayer. Go to him often, because he is thy God. O, wilt thou fail to use so great a privilege? Fly to him, tell him all thy wants. Use him constantly by faith at all times. If some dark providence has beclouded thee, use thy God as a “sun;” if some strong enemy has beset thee, find in Jehovah a “shield,” for he is a sun and shield to his people. If thou hast lost thy way in the mazes of life, use him as a “guide,” for he will direct thee. Whatever thou art, and wherever thou art, remember God is just what thou wantest, and just where thou wantest, and that he can do all thou wantest. (Charles Spurgeon)

Signing off

Tyrone

"O foolish Galatians"

How often do we look for strength in the wrong places? I know that I am often guilty as charged! I have often looked for sustenance in what I do instead of who I should look too. When I seem somewhat victorious when looking to conquer a besetting sin, I feel some sort of worth when I, for a time, seem to overcome, however this type of thinking is nothing but foolishness.

Let me explain…

I do realize that I am not alone in my rational, from the early days of Christianity, Christians walked into the same trap! The Apostle Paul is very clear on this topic; do we think that once we were saved by the Spirit it will now somehow be up to us? How could this ever be true? It neither will nor ever can be true! Jesus Christ our Saviour is the author and the finisher of our faith. We were all at one stage in our lives dead in our trespasses and our sins; it took a miracle to save us! We were dead but now we are alive and all because of our “born again” experience. How can a dead man ever bring life to himself? It is impossible! This is why the Lord Jesus had this to say to Nicodemus; “Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."” (John 3:3) – A miraculous event must take place in our lives before we will ever be able to see anything related to heaven. The religious people of the world may think they see things pertaining to heaven, but they will be mistaken. God must do the work, He must give us life! Thank God for Jesus Christ His only begotten Son, the One who paid the price for repenting sinners; without His perfect work we would still be dead in our trespasses! But now we are alive to Him! Our eyes have been opened to spiritual things!

With that now established where do we go wrong? Now because we are alive to Him (we are no longer dead), we think that we now need to somehow establish our worth by what we do, making the work of the cross ineffective. The writer of Hebrews refers to this type of justification as a “dead work”; “Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,” (Hebrews 6:1) – In other words looking for self-justification proving to God that we deserve to make it to heaven! If this is the way you are endeavouring to make it to heaven, repent, turn to Jesus and understand; but take solace in the fact that others before us thought the same way; “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:1-3) -Therefore there is no change in our application to the victory we need to achieve in our Christian walks, having begun in the Spirit we need to end in the Spirit! We need to find grace to overcome, not habitual self-taught applications to put off our besetting sins, and we all have them, in one form or another! If I have a temper and my anger needs to be mortified how do I do it? Did I not come to Jesus just as I was at salvation and did I not trust Him to save me? I must use exactly the same application to kill my anger, I must trust in Him!

“Ordinances are nothing without Christ as a means of mortification. Your prayers, and your repentances, and your tears-the whole of them put together-are worth nothing apart from him. “None but Jesus can do helpless sinners good;” or helpless saints either. You must be conquerors through him who hath loved you, if conquerors at all. Our laurels must grow among his olives in Gethsemane.” (Charles Spurgeon)

Signing off

Tyrone

   

    

   

    

"MY"

“My” is such a self-centered word but it plays such a vital role in all of our lives…

Life is all about “my” wealth or the lack thereof, my car, my wife, my kids, my problems and so on. As I consider my life I am filled at first with many concerns about my current predicament, but when I stop and focus on what is of importance, not that I am saying that being jobless doesn’t way heavy on me, but when I put all things back into perspective all that really matters is that MY REDEEMER lives. That truth brings with it a sense of comfort! Faith and the wellbeing of me and my family are taken care of and all because of my hope in HIM! Without Christ and His sacrifice I would of all men be most miserable!

The consequence and the grind of life would certainly overtake me and although the weight at times can become unbearable, I am able to find solace in my hope of the resurrection. One day, in the not too distant future, I will forever be with my Lord and Saviour in a state of utopia.  I am not sure how some face the day without this living eternal hope, and there are many who have chosen not to bow the knee to the King of kings, for now anyway, but be assured of this one fact that there is a day coming where every knee will bow to the Lord Jesus and every tongue will confess Him as Lord! My God has so declared it!

Perspective is often forgotten, but we needn’t look far to have it re-established in our lives. To and from church yesterday, I must have passed at least 5 or 6 beggars looking for handouts. And yet I suffer a similar quandary as I too am jobless and yet I have food on my table, God being true to His Word; He looks out for His own.

I suppose we all get so caught up with “my” (our) lives that we at times can almost forget who we belong to. This morning I will not forget my Saviour, I will honour Him, for He alone is worthy of at the very least the praises of my lips. Men may conspire against me, they may even withdraw a helping hand, however no one is able to seal up my praise for my glorious King, praise the glorious name of Jesus. Of this one truth I am persuaded, when God decides that enough is enough, nothing can stay the mighty hand of “MY” God. He is the God of the impossible as we understand life with its laws.

I too then will echo the cry of David; “But you, O GOD my Lord, deal on my behalf for your name's sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me!” (Psalms 109:21) and if I am still to learn from the place of testing, give me the resolve to see it through. “My” own wants do not supersede your will for my life. Give me the strength to find the grace to endure sweet Jesus! I will therefore cast my life upon “my” living Lord. I know my redeemer lives! He does not only live out in the heavens somewhere but He surely lives within my heart. He is for me and not against me! “With my mouth I will give great thanks to the LORD; I will praise him in the midst of the throng.” (Psalms 109:30)

Signing off

Tyrone   

   

Trimming the Easter sail...

(1Corinthians 11:24) …Do this in remembrance of me."

No differently to common routine, it’s that time of the year again when society is caught up with another commercial event, the Easter holidays; a time for Easter bunny adventures; the hiding of Easter eggs. A fun time for the kids! Sadly the general emphasis of Christ’s death has been replaced with chocolate bunnies!

At times I suppose we are also prone to make mountains out of molehills, so let me travel with caution, but travel I must! It is imperative that I reach my conclusion about this time of the year. It is time once again to trim the sail, so that we do not veer too far off course and if we have we can once again set the correct course.

When we come together as the body of Christ (the church) in remembrance of Him (the breaking of bread service); WE REMEMBER what the Lord Jesus achieved on our behalf by dying on a cruel Roman cross, an event that happened just over two thousand years ago. Have we not received clear instruction on how to remember Him and more specifically we are instructed to remember His death? “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.” (1Corinthians 11:26)   

So then, why must our emphasis change when we are with family and friends when we deal with exactly the same event? How many of us make a point, and I mean stop the goings-on and explain to the kids what this holiday actually represents. God sending His Son to die in our stead! It has nothing to do with chocolate bunnies! The enemy has introduced that trap and we lap it up like thirsty dogs lapping up water with no real thought given to it, why? I have heard many people, especially mothers, give these type of answers, “because it is fun for the kids”, but how much fun was it dying on a cruel Roman cross? An emphasis shift of what we actually are called to remember, to kids having fun, and us as parents shirking our responsibility to teach our kids. Shame on us!  

You may be thinking that I am being a little harsh…

Let’s strip it down and then you can make your own deduction, I have obviously already made mine.

Let us go back in time, before God sent his Son to live on earth as a man and look at what God’s requirements were for His people. It was the time of rescue, God saved from slavery. And yet to escape death they needed to carry out an instruction. Their journey through the Wilderness was full of detailed instruction which the people needed to pay careful attention to in order to have a relationship with their God. There is much we can learn from God’s Law about His person, if we would just take the time to make a study of it.

Let us look at an event that the Jews still celebrate today, the Passover. Do we realize what a somber time that actually was? It was a time of heart-break for so many! “"Thus says the LORD: About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt, and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle. There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again.” (Exodus 11:5-6) - God gives us a glimpse of time past of what He would do in the future, which has already played out some 2000 years ago, to save sinners. How would He achieve this? He would have His own son killed to set us (believers) free. There was no other way to break the shackles of sin! It was a very solemn time for the God-head! God the Father turning His back on His Son, the Son crying “my God, my God why have you forsaken me”! With God the Holy Spirit crossing the “t’s” and dotting the “I’s”.

If we study the gospels we see the use of bread and wine, no mention of sugary substances, in fact on the contrary, when we study what was required from the early Jews when celebrating the “Passover” they were commanded to stay away from yeast, the bread they needed to bake and eat was unleavened bread. And it is obvious that Easter is linked to the Jewish Passover by much of its symbolism and in fact its position in the calendar; even the words, Easter and Passover have very similar meanings in many languages.

Let us now look at God’s requirement for His people concerning the Passover Feast and then we will look at the Lord Jesus’ requirements to His disciples and then there should be no more confusion regarding this marvellous time for the Christian.

"This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.” (Exodus 12:14) – (Known as the feast of unleavened bread) - Note the instruction; “Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.” (Exodus 12:15), they needed to eat unleavened bread for seven days if not they would be cut off from God. But they were firstly instructed to remove all the leaven out of their houses. It was a time when the law was in full swing, the Catholic faith still practices Lent. However this is not God’s instruction to His church…

The Lord Jesus had this to say at what is commonly known at the “Last Supper”; “Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is my body."” (Matthew 26:26) – It was bread they ate and not dessert! No chocolate and certainly nothing to do with eggs or rabbits!

It may also be time for the Christian to remove the unwanted leaven in our lives…

Why then has this tradition entered the realm of society with such proficiency? Apart from the commercial aspect of greed, people making merchandise from this event. I suppose we can in some form draw a comparison of how they cast lots for His cloths; “so they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be." This was to fulfill the Scripture which says, "They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots." So the soldiers did these things,” (John 19:24)

But the main point of the diversion is to take our eyes off Christ and to focus on something else, Easter eggs and bunnies! You see, Satan has taken the Lord’s teachings and used them to his advantage; all he needs to do is introduce a little leaven; “And he cautioned them, saying, "Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."” (Mark 8:15)

There is much more I could say on this, but I trust I have made my point, what then will you do with this glorious event; today the day the Lord Jesus died for sinners like you and me! Will we be caught up with the hype of Easter eggs hunts and bunnies or will we make our stand for Christ, removing the leaven and remembering Him?

Signing off

Tyrone    

   

  

   

  

The Gospel correctly understood...

How many have heard men or women representing the Gospel, say things like this, “if you want, joy, peace, love and happiness, accept Jesus into your life” or “you've given everything else a try why not try Jesus”? As if they are selling a fashionable item. Sadly the record needs to be straightened and by the grace of God I shall endeavour to do exactly that! It is no wonder the Arminian believes a child of God can fall away into unbelief and lose his salvation. The only one who truly falls away is the one who has a misconception of what the gospel actually is. A person who is told by others that he/she is saved and yet the person being told has not really understood what that means. This in hindsight happened to me when I responded to a salvation call on my life. I was confused and dismayed and didn't understand my action in response to the altar call, for a few days anyway. It was only when I engaged with Almighty God; wrestled as it were on a personal level did the lights go on! I confess I didn't understand it like I do today, but I had understood this one truth that the Lord Jesus Christ had died for my sin, and only then did the flood gates of tears fall from my cheeks and joy flooded my soul in appreciation for what He had done for me.

Over the years I have witnessed many who have been asked to repeat a few words “the sinner’s prayer” and then they are told that they are now part of God’s army, part of His family. Even my brother told me I was saved but I was not willing to accept his word for it, I had to know! And so I believe we all need to make sure! By God’s grace I will endeavour to help with a correct understanding with the true Gospel message and not the popular message of today’s gospel. For many that respond to this favourable gospel message, it initially excites most as they now feel part of something, they have some self-worth but before long the trial of life presents itself and disillusion sets in and the questions begin to fly, “WHY? I don’t understand!” Ray comfort calls this “hell’s best kept secret”. Why a secret, I suppose my deduction on this would be a similar tactic was used in the Garden of Eden by the serpent; like that of a magician using the tactic “sleight of hand”, but rather with a play on words. “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'?"” (Genesis 3:1) – “Play” on the emphasis on what something actually means and it will change the hearers understanding. Resulting in the deceiver’s ultimate goal and that was to deceive! And this is how Eve was deceived and sin entered in!

Courses like the “Alpha Course” do far more damage than good, selling technics used to “close” (get them to sign on the dotted line) into a fashionable frenzy called “the Christian life”, with very little, if any, sound doctrine attached to its core. But before I run away with my finger pointing out the faults of others let me first do some self-examination with these verses in mind; "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.” (Matthew 7:1-5) – I am tired of the falsities people like to throw around as if it is a given without much thought or study behind what is said. I am guilty as a man who has in the past called from a sanction position of the pulpit, beckoning to men/woman to come to Christ without giving them a correct understanding of what the Gospel actually is and what it should mean to them before any decision can or should be made. I have always believed that was the job of God the Holy Spirit, which it is! With that said I am also aware that God can save someone from a bumper sticker if He so chooses. But we as representatives of the Almighty God have an enormous responsibility to present the Gospel accurately and with precision. We must not give potential converts false hope, may God help us!

I confess from the outset that I too have in times past, used those types of catch phrases when looking to steer people to Christ. “If you want joy real joy wonderful joy let Jesus come into your heart.” This is obviously a true statement but only applicable to the one whom understands what that actually means. It does not mean, come to the Lord and all your misery in life will disappear and life will become a “bed of roses”. Nor does it mean if you struggled financially all your monetary problems will now be miraculously arranged.

In order to find Salvation, we must first understand what we need to be saved from. We need to understand that we indeed qualify for salvation, no differently to a sick person searching out a physician’s guidance in finding a cure for their symptoms. Why would a healthy person seek out the advice of a doctor? They wouldn't!

The purpose of the Lord Jesus Christ dying on the cross for sinners was for that exact reason, to pardon them of their sin. But for this to become relevant to us on an individual level we must understand and admit that we qualify, that we are in fact sinners; that we have sinned against God and we need salvation from ourselves.

Our natural instinct is to excuse ourselves from our sin and to justify ourselves in the light of others that we see as worse than ourselves. We use statements like,” but I don’t steal and I’ve never murdered anyone”.

I will use the methodology that Ray Comfort uses to convince all that they are sinners before God; he uses the Ten Commandments to establish how you (we) shape up to God’s requirement: - “Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.” (Romans 3:19)

He goes on to ask a person if he/she has ever lied. The answer is normally, “yes”. He them asks them, “what does that make you”, and they reply “a sinner”. “No”, he says, “That makes you a liar.” The first retort is normal, “I’m not a liar”. Obviously we all qualify as liars if we have told a lie, no matter how we cut it, if we have told a lie regardless of the circumstances it means we have not told the truth making us a liar! As so he moves through the Ten Commandments and we should all do the same exercise with our lives. Sadly we will all come to the same conclusion, that we are sinners and have broken God’s law. Ironically this now then qualifies us to receive the good news; only now are we in a place to repent and call on God to forgive us for our sin against Him.

The Bible is very clear, that if we break God’s law and do not find His forgiveness through repentance, in and through the Lord Jesus Christ we will have to face His judgement!

You might be thinking that God is a good God and because He is good He will overlook your sin. He is good and just, no differently to a judge who finds a person guilty of a crime in our judicial system, because he is honourable and good he must past a sentence on the perpetrator. He/she will be found guilty and be sentenced. Hell will be the ultimate sentence for all those who do not find true repentance in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. God will not overlook sin; it is not possible for Him to do it. We must all come God’s way, acknowledge our own sin, accept the fact that we have sinned against God, and deserve hell as our penalty, but rather thankful that instead of doom and gloom God’s provision is perfect and available to all who believe. He sent His only begotten Son to die in our place, so before some of you run off with statement like, “if God is love, why will he send me to hell, that isn't love!” Well sir, He so loved the world, passed tense, that not only did He vocalize it but in action proved it, He sent His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to die for sinners, He felt their desperate state. Which Father do you know, who has sacrificed his own son for those who hate him? Think on that! “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) – Reject that to your own detriment! God will never, in this life or the life to come, overlook what it cost both Him and His Son to save sinful man from the traps of the devil. If for one minute you thought you could remain neutral and still find God’s favour, you shall be wrong and judgement will be your destiny!

With this almost unbelievable offer on the plate why do some reject the call? “The pride of life” a viscous adversary! So what will it be? A humble plea, save me from my sin oh God or I think I’ll be ok! Our opinions in the larger scheme of things will never change the outcome. What is the definition of a madman? “Someone who tries the same thing time and again and expects a different result”; God has established His plan and regardless of our opinions about it. Be assured of this one fact it will come to pass, regardless of what people think about it!  However He has graciously made a way for all to be saved, so what will you do with that provision? What will you do with the Lord Jesus’ sacrifice? Will you repent and believe or will you bury your head in the sand and hope for the best? If so the worst will surely happen! Hell will be your eternal destiny!

Please remember this; we are all condemned because of one woman’s sin! Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden; what does that have to do with us we may ask ourselves? The long and the short of it is this, because of her sin we have all been tarred with the same brush; we have inherited her sinful nature and therefore from birth doomed and condemned. This is how the Apostle John puts it to us; “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God." (John 3:17-21)

It is simple to understand, but will you believe it is the only question that still needs to be asked?

Signing off

Tyrone

  

The reality of sin...

What causes a person to sin? It would obviously have to be our sinful natures; by nature we are naturally sinful! We were never taught to sin, which person has ever paid for a schooling program or a course headed; “Learn how to sin with more effectiveness”? That would be preposterous! We are born sinners and therefore need to be saved from it! The skin of sin not so easily shed, a snake sheds its skin but under examination the new skin has exactly the same components as its previous layer. We can try as we will to attend courses full of varying ideas or even pay visits to shrink after shrink and we may even learn to cover up our sin with more proficiency as time moves along. For now, sin with all its cunning trappings is here to stay.

Did you know that God shortened the lifespan of man for that exact reason, sin our downfall! “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them." But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.” (Genesis 6:5-8)

Take an alcoholic as our example, with the help of AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) he may well and truly give up drinking for the rest of his life. A marvelous achievement! but will that free him from his sin? It may free him from some of the sins associated with drinking, no differently I suppose to a cocaine addict who now no longer behaves like he once did whilst wired out of his mind. Certain sins will become more controlled. Nevertheless, will that stop him from blaspheming if he was prone to do it whilst drinking, or will he stop lying when in a deadlock, what of his thoughts, will he now never have an improper thought about another woman besides his wife? I think not! In fact I know he will continue to struggle in that area of his life; we all will need to deal with sin and its viciousness on a daily basis as it looks to trip us up in one form or another. Sin an enemy of God and His holiness!

The Apostle Paul teaches us that in Christ we have become new creatures and old things have passed away; “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2Corinthians 5:17)  

Why is it then that those outside of Christ love to coin the phrase, “and you call yourself a Christian”! We as Christians have been called to walk in a certain manner and yet we fail so often, why? What is it that feeds sin and keeps it alive? Well obviously the father of all sin, the devil plays his part, we certainly tend to overlook the unseen and for that exact reason; the spiritual realm can’t nor ever will be seen with the natural eye! Therefore those who are blind to it will never truly understand, that is a given! However this does not excuse our sin, we have been called to walk in Christ’s footsteps. The Apostle Peter gives us this encouragement; “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” (1Peter 2:11-12) – Realistically as hard as this may be to accomplish, we have been called by God to fight for this reality in our lives. Forgive me Father God, how I have failed in this area of my life! Nevertheless when I have breath I have hope, there is still daylight left to rectify the areas of my life I have dismally failed in.

What a great gracious God I serve, A God of forgiveness, a God of loving kindness, a Saviour who saw it through unto the end, costing Him his life and all because I and so many others needed rescuing! How easily we forget His struggles to set us free, forgive us Father God! Whether saved or unsaved we have all received an invisible mechanism called the “conscience” that affects the way we openly live. Call it the “rudder of life”. It steers our lives to live in a certain manner. But once those original boundaries have been severely seared, the person who ignores their conscience will end up shipwrecked. What then are these borders; I am persuaded that the boundary to our conscience is the Ten Commandments.

As children we all in one form or another start with a purer conscience but then we live life, and then some! Who can remember the first time they told a lie? It was a trying time, but for some lying has become a way of life; their conscience has been seared in that area of their life. “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;” (1Timothy 4:1-2)

I know that my conscience has been seared in certain areas of my life and it is my responsibility to wrestle in order to find grace to have the numbness restored. Without it I will remain defeated! But God has conquered all! My trust is in Him to restore what the canker worm has eaten. So fight I must! I can remember being newly saved and being carried by the Lord Jesus, an abundance of grace with very little effect the order of the day; it was a happy go lucky time of my Christian life; very little seemed to get in the way of my commitment to the Lord. But eventually the time of testing arrived, no differently to a toddler having to take their first step. It wasn’t the fall that was the problem; we all stumble and fall along life’s journey, but it was the sweeping of it under the carpet of my conscience that has the decaying effects later on in life, and then before long what once was unacceptable had now become acceptable. Shocking!

I am sure I am not alone with this realisation to the flaws we find in our Christian lives. Nevertheless we must not let these areas get away from us and if they have we must find God’s grace to spool them in. Sin has a natural way of playing itself out. However the Christian has been afforded the opportunity to call upon the great “I AM”, the God who has no beginning nor end as we understand it, the Christian can approach a throne room full of His graces to help them overcome! They alone (Christians) have been afforded this dependable privilege and all because of the wonderful obedience of their Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ!

The reality of it all; when we sin, we place our own lusts (wants) before our remembrance of what it cost the Lord to die for our sins! This is a very painful thought! The Apostle James teaches us this; “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?” (James 4:1) – He then hits home hard with this truth; “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:3-4)

The writer of Hebrews explains it like this and I think once we get a glimpse of the point he wants us to grasp, it will most certainly help us in the days to come with our ongoing struggles. “For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” (Hebrews 2:18)

Sin will continue to tempt us until our dying day!

With those thoughts now in mind what will we do with them? “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. Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, 'They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.' As I swore in my wrath, 'They shall not enter my rest.'"” (Hebrews 3:7-11)  

It is the little foxes in our lives that can easily spoil the vine; they damage the fruit to our lives… “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 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.” (Hebrews 3:12-14)

I am sure that we all have areas in our lives that we are not overjoyed about, thank God for our nagging conscience that keeps at us about the same issues in life. Today then must be a day of reckoning as we sincerely look to straighten that which is crooked, may God help us remember what it cost His Son to set us free from the bondage of sin. It is the dog that returns to his own vomit, and we are certainly not dogs, but children of the Most High! If we are indeed His children! All glory and honour belongs to our King, praise the mighty name of Jesus Christ our Lord, now and forever more, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone