Rescue!

(Revelation 7:10) …"Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"

Salvation (redemption, deliverance, rescue, escape) belongs to our God alone and no one else. The masses throughout history have always conjured up some new thing that people have gravitated towards just so long as it was fashionable. And as time has gone on with the Digital Age in full flight, marketing has never been easier. But every fad runs its course, except for the Word of God which never changes; it has stood the test of time, with the only true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the One who sits upon His throne and the Lamb seated to His right has secured the rescue for all who call upon Him. Both Jew and Gentile will of a certainty find their rescue in Him, so long as they call out unto Him, the only true Messiah, praise His name, Jesus Christ the Lord who is, was and lives forever more, Amen! Miss this truth and devastation awaits the gainsayer, your days are numbered.

This morning my thoughts are with all those who have found deliverance in Christ; the Lamb of God who has given them His mind and not allowed them to be swayed by the voices they needed to navigate though history; nevertheless they live with victory as their monumental banner to life. Every one of these individuals has had their own trials that they needed to face. Trials are tailor made, one size does not fit all, praise the name of Jesus. However the beauty of God’s provision and His rescue has always resulted in them having the final say. Will you be amongst that number? Will I? As long as I have breath and I am covered by the good graces of my Lord and Saviour I can with a certainty cry, Amen!

When I consider the greats of faith, Job, Noah and Daniel but to name a few. It is beautiful to see how their journeys ended. We serve a great God, even though the trial of life looks to suffocate us at times it will ultimately be well with our souls when we have learnt our lessons in and through it all, we must all find a tenacity to press through the probationary periods of these times in our lives for it will be worth it all; eternity will be filled with unspeakable blessing for God’s faithful.

Today I stand amazed when I consider the fortitude God provides the struggling saint, the ones who has failed dismally and yet God has not cut them off, wow! The one who is initially dull of hearing with a little more nurturing needed than most; they can be compared to a struggling tree in a farmers field  but with a little foster when that particular tree eventually brings forth its fruit in its season, how sweet the fruit! I was certainly amongst the number of what I would call a “slow learner”, never oblivious to the love of God through it all but hoodwinked by my sin as I looked to twist it and skirt as close to the borders of the Promised Land. Thankfully by the good graces of my God, those days are behind me. It is time to march on with perseverance and face the new challenges that God has for me as I hope to bring Him glory through it all. I cannot claim to have conquered like our beloved brother Paul, in fact my testimony has been diabolical in comparison, of which, I at times was almost cast to the wolves and yet by the grace of God I am still able to testify that "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" He has remained faithful even whilst I was ensnared by so many traps along life’s journey. My Christian exploits have been somewhat extreme, with amazing highs and destructive lows attached to my excursion. At times I lost my way but Jesus my beloved Saviour permitted those times in my life to play out for me to learn many vital lessons; sin in any form promises the world but it all ends in the same way with destruction and devastation running riot.

Sin in any form will never be tolerated as the norm. It is beyond the reach of God’s character, HE IS RIGHTEOUS! If you believe that God will tolerate your sin as the norm you have been deceived. Sadly and yet thankfully some of us have to learn the hard way with destruction apart of our lives in order to find deliverance. I thank God for His mercy! If we have strayed from the Shepherds green pastures just a fraction, we will all need to arrive at the place of repentance and just like the prodigal son come to our senses if we are to be welcomed into our Fathers loving arms without to much discipline attached. He is merciful and patient with all His children. Having come to that realisation and having that play out in my life is too marvellous for me to express with words and the appreciation which He has ignited in my soul. I suppose the best way I can describe the way I feel is to quote a verse of scripture that in principle I understand; “Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven--for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little." – Father God I do not take lightly the forgiveness that you have bestowed upon me, thank you! And for all those times in my life were I took you forgiveness for granted and made light of it I am truly sorrow.   

Youthful lusts and passions most certainly war against the soul and it is those passions that bring with them a wave of havoc into a believer’s life. Paul warns against such passions; “So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.” (2Timothy 2:22-26)  

I thank God for His forgiveness and I will always be indebted to him for His love. I am humbled by the mistakes I have encountered along the path of life, but forever thankful. My testimony has not been above reproach, but God who is rich in mercy has restored that which the canker-worm has devoured and I am in the processes of God now restoring a right spirit in me. Who else would offer such mercy? We could look across the universe and beyond and never find such kindness. I love you Father God because you first loved me; you sent you’re only begotten Son the Lord Jesus to die for me, even with the foreknowledge of all my blunders, and yet you have been willing to discipline me along the way for me to learn your precepts, thank you my God and King; the love of God who can fathom the depths of it?   

God is able to save from the uttermost to the utmost, trust and believe in Him and it will be well with your soul.

Peace and grace to all abroad who call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

"your faith"

(1Corinthians 2:5) “That your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”

Although this is a quote from Paul I want us to consider Peter’s commitment to Christ in the background and he is often the first to act when we study the gospels. He was a man of action with his faith in Christ. We see his hope in the Lord Jesus Christ and the finished work of Calvary; which in turn feed his faith in God and when we apply a similar type of reasoning it will feed our faith in God. Although faith is a gift from God it is still often accredited to the individual as “your faith”; “that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” (1Corinthians 2:5) - Any gift starts out as a gift form the individual who supplies it; it is not earned or worked for. But once it is in someone’s possession they are now the rightful owner, it is theirs. The outcome of an individual’s faith results in the saving of their souls when executed correctly. But we must never forget that we in ourselves had nothing to do with our salvation, for it is a gift from God; “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8-10) – Everything about our salvation hinges upon that fact, it defines us. However we must never neglect our responsibility in applying ourselves to the “good works” that have been created in Jesus Christ for us to walk in. We need to find them out and then commit. The question than needs to be uncovered is how do we fittingly benefit from the gift of faith which God has imparted in some measure to every believer? We simply need to obey His voice and I have just been reminded about Peter and his fishing expedition, bless the name of Jesus now and forever more, Amen!

“After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, "Children, do you have any fish?" They answered him, "No." He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.” (John 21:1-7)   

The Lord Jesus often makes his entry on the back of faith, it is a marvellous revelation; in other words He is most glorified when we as Christians are in our deepest need and He come to our rescue with a display of grandeur. Here we see that they simple obey His commandment "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." When applying human reasoning to this request it could be viewed as ridiculous, but faith in Christ drove them to obey Him, which resulted in an act of mercy that left absolutely no doubt that He alone had come to their aid. I see no boast in their fishing ability even though they were skilled fishermen but the abundance supply was all the Lords, He knew were their nets needed to be. God is sovereign and all knowing, we are not!  

It is a terrible thing for a man to become dependent upon others when it could be avoided, it destroys his self-esteem. Needless to say pride is never welcome in the Christians survival; it will always be resisted by God. However we have a responsibility to work in order to eat, this has been the sentenced past down as a consequence of sin from the beginning. The question I need answered with a clearer understanding is how I reconcile the need to work as a man and my application of faith in this area of my life. How do I correctly marry the two?

I desperately need to understand the difference between trusting God for my provision and my responsibility as a man to work in order to provide. The Lord Jesus taught his followers who seemed to be going through rough times a very valuable lesson; “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:31-34) – I was once a gentile (my old mans nature) and I am instructed to rather stop thinking with that mind and to put on the mind of Christ with an emphasis place on “the kingdom of God and his righteousness”. Therefore is it enough just to live by faith in my application to that commitment and wait for God to lead the way regarding work coming across my path or is there still a need for me to strive for employment? This is my dilemma!

Obviously an easy blanket conclusion can be arrived at when viewing the topic with the mind of Christ; “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:8)   

I am convinced about some truths that we receive from the Bibles teachings, which need to be worked into the equation in order to find the correct solution. The love of money is the root of all evil and therefore it should have very little bearing in what motivates us; it is obvious that we mustn’t be driven to store up treasures in this life, but we must work in order to eat. We must also be content with what we have and not covet another mans goods. I am also instructed to apply faith into the provision that will be mine when I trust and obey my God. But when I see a potential lack of the necessities required for daily survival the lines get blurred and this is where I need to find grace to be strengthened. Just like the disciples toiled all night to be blessed with a net of fish, I too have toiled in differing areas of my life to be blessed and have struggled, but I realise that my faith in God my Father is all I need to be victorious. And yet this is the trial that I now face. Please help me understand the difference between my needs and my wants for I am at a loss in this area of my life, I need your help, I cry out unto you. Opened my ears so that I may obey the commands of your voice, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone   

The suffering Christian

(1Peter 4:16)  “Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.”

If a man is found blameless and righteous in his own standings what profit would calamity bring to his life? Job was such a man.

Lawbreakers when caught face the penalty for their crimes with time spent in jail as their sentence or worse, death by execution. Therefore when we view hardships in people’s lives around us, when we become privy to them we often conclude whether the sentence is deserved or not. We demand justice! It is a default switch that cannot be avoided, at least in some measure.

Very few of us like to accept injustice as we understand it. But the view of calamity in the paths of Christians has a far greater purpose than that type of understanding. It serves a far greater resolve, and that is to silence the arch-enemy, the devil. I suppose if I was to be truthful, there are not many accounts where this is in plain view. However the story of Job depicts such a wonderful illustration when viewed correctly, when witnessed with the mind of Christ.

We must understand God’s role in these events in our lives to reap the required prize. If not we will continue to grumble and show that in fact we prove only one truth, that we lack faith towards our God. Wherever He leads will we follow? I understand that growth in Christ happens over time no differently to the growth of a child into adulthood. Maturity in Christ is never instantaneous; it is the trial of life that brings it about.

People (Christians) have concluded that God brings no evil upon a person as they use these verses to justify their thoughts; “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 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 1:12-16) – Note, look at the context in which this verse is unpacked; it begins with a believer remaining steadfast under trial. God can never be blame for us falling into sin for he is not privy to such temptations; they have no bearing on His existence. It is impossible for God to be tempted, it is beyond Him. The Lord Jesus felt the pressure of this when he was a man, finding himself in a body of flesh we see the way temptation played out in his life; “And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."” (Matthew 26:39) – Although the Lord Jesus’ directive was very clear, the pressure he faced in the Garden of Gethsemane brought about a request to avoid the cup that he was required to drink, but only up to a point.

God did not bring the temptation upon Job or His Son but He most certainly allowed it. Why? Well we know the end of Jobs life; he was doubly blessed once he came through the trial on the other side; “And the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. He had also seven sons and three daughters.” (Job 42:12-13) – As for the Lord Jesus what he endured for our sake entitled Him to not only be our Saviour but also our high priest; “And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, "You are my Son, today I have begotten you"; as he says also in another place, "You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek." In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 5:4-10)

Therefore it cannot be any different for the believer; every struggle we face throughout our life times serves a purpose and the sooner we accept our realities the sooner I believe God will allow us to go onto perfection.

In conclusion, Job’s examples eventually silenced the devil and revealed God’s brilliance in showing up the Satan as inferior; God is not subject to anything evil but allows calamity to cross a believer’s life so that His name would be glorified through it all.

The Bible is clear on the subject and even the trials that befell Job are penned in this way; “Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold.” (Job 42:11) – Note; we see that the evil that Job had to face was accounted to the Lord and yet we know the way in which this played out, Satan requesting the hardships to befall Jobs life and only once permission was given by God did that actually materialise. – See Job chapter 2…

We must not be so focus on this life and the trial of it all to cloud our judgments but rather look to eternity where we will receive our reward if and when we have been found faithful to the call God has placed upon our lives, for that epoch for the Christian will engulf infinity.

Signing off

Tyrone

   

God is in control

(Romans 8:31) “… If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Idolatry (excessive admiration shown to someone or something) is a word we like to bracket in the category of extremes. At least this is often the way I have view it. But I believe the trap of it goes a lot deeper than that as it proves a lack of faith when anything is substituted in any measure above the Word of God. When or where there is a shift from sound doctrine and God’s clear instruction towards any other application I believe it must be categorized as Idolatry. My conduct in any given situation will soon prove where I stand at any given point in my life. It’s only once I’m standing on the edge of the cliff that it will truly become apparent where my loyalties lie. Tests of our faith must come across our paths, to help us understand the necessity we have with our God and Fathers call upon our lives. Instinctively in our natural capacity we view it as something foreign, when in fact it should just be understood as another opportunity to help build up our faith towards God.

Throughout our schooling careers how many dreaded exams? It normal was the one who was not prepared, but for the one who has studied and applied themselves to the task at hand normally where the ones that reaped the reward of a good result; however without the test you never really new the measure of your ability.

Life is filled with these types of endurance tests, an athlete trains for an event and it soon becomes apparent how hard they have trained when put to the trial. Of course gifting has its part to play and not everyone can be a great athlete and this is why we are not all tarred with the same brush. And yet every born again believer has receive this gift, a measure of the mind of Christ. Paul the Apostle pens these truths; “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. "For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.” (1Corinthians 2:12-16)

Not all will have to endure tortured for the sake of the gospel, but some have and some will still be required to travel this road, whilst others will be tested in other arenas but all of us are required to live by faith in some measure. As it is part of our passages in this life.

There was the outcome of those save out of the land of Egypt and sadly most of them fell in the Wilderness not overcoming the required obstacles. Lots wife was another who hankered after the pleasures of this life and although she was freed from the dangers of Sodom and Gomorrah she look back and was turned into a pillar of salt. The sooner we learn to leave our old lives behind the better off we will be. It’s not about how close we can skirt to the borders of what we have been saved from but rather our mind-sets should be freed from that rational as we look to the Word of God to escape entrapment.

“And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:30-31)

Anything and everything that overshadows this truth is an entrapment to the throes of idolatry. God is just in character and will never leave any of his children to the voracity of the wolves when they put their trust in Him. He has an eye for His children of this I am persuaded. Although at times we may be hard pressed by the trial of life He will never leave nor forsake us. Everything we face in life has its purpose. Believe it we must!

The Apostle peter was a founding pillar of the Christian faith and the Lord Jesus made this statement to Him; “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."” (Matthew 16:18-19) - “Peter, in the name of the church, had confessed Christ, and to him therefore the promise intended for the church is directed. Note, There is nothing lost by being forward to confess Christ; for those who honour him, he will honour.” (Matthew Henry)

There is a time coming where the goats and the sheep will be separated by God. They look similar in design but when examine it is easy to tell the difference. The trial of life will soon separate the true believer from the false and without it we will never know where we stand. God help us to find grace in time of need; He will supply all our needs and not our carnal wants.

We must all arrive at this place in our lives and share the sentiment of our beloved brother Paul; “Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.” (1Timothy 6:6-8) – Anything above this truth hinges on Idolatry and it will lure us into entrapment.  

Signing off

Tyrone

   

     

         

Maturity

(1Corinthians 13:11) “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.”

“God is good”, which is obviously true but the phrase seems to lack intensity on how brilliant God actually is; His character, is filled with goodness, Wow! Sadly mankind knows so little about Him and are often quick to arrive at many differing false conclusions. Satan and sin has taken care of that and yet our abilities to still find repentance was not completely removed, God had a plan that has come into fruition, Jesus Christ the Messiah dying in my stead. It was always apart of His plan, He was never caught off guard. He allowed his only begotten Son to be captured by wicked hands and then to be crucified so that sinners could go free and escape the penalty of the second death, where the judgement of God will sentence the guilty parties for all eternity.

Can you not see, do you not understand the measure and the depths of Gods grace that He has offered all and which still stands today? Currently the cry goes out “Clemency” for all the perpetrators, with no conditions attached, save the acknowledgment of ones sins. Admitting that we are in breech of God’s law and unable to live by it, no matter how hard we have tried.

This was the Apostle Pauls conclusion regarding his efforts in trying to live under the strain of it all; “For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.” (Romans 7:11) – We all need to arrive at the same conclusion that sin is the killer and seeing that we all have fallen victim to it, the sooner we relinquish our part in it the sooner we can face our realities and then it will be plain to see HOW GOOD GOD IS!

Satan and sin looks to keep a person in denial when it comes to their sin. It is part of their design. On the other hand God’s goodness leads a man to repentance; “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4) – This is what we all need in our lives to receive our pardons from God for our own sin and not the sins of another.”   

Therefore whilst I am still under the power of sins spell, this will always be my outcome; “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.” (Romans 7:18-21)

The goodness of God sent His son to die in my place and to free me from that bondage. But for that to materialise I needed to be born again. There is a requisite to be freed from the burden of the weight of my sin. God has afford me this privilege and I am not alone, there are many who have apprehended this; in fact the Apostle John saw the number whilst imprisoned on the Isle of Patmos as he was teleported into the future; “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"” (Revelation 7:9-10)

This is where our spiritual journey BEGINS; our new birth experience is where our eyes are opened to this truth. Please note that there is an emphasis place on “begins”, it is where we realise the merits that we thought we once had outside of God’s forgiveness was nothing but a lie. Trickery and deceit enslaving us to the hope that one day we would escape God’s judgments on our own virtues. Jesus has paid that price and no one else, bless His name now and forever more Amen!  

As babes in Christ we are protected by God and when I revisit that time in my life I am astounded by the change that God afforded me. My life did an about turn. The things that once drove me to my sinful behaviour miraculously vanished and it soon became apparent that I had been changed by the goodness of God. But like a child I began to grow and it was then that I needed to begin to learn the lessons every Christian needs to learn, which is to learn to stand on their feet and begin to walk as men in Christ. Blows taken and which I am still taking through life is preparing me for eternity. In hindsight I have now begun to understand the importance of it all. Without the trial of life pressing in upon me I will never arrive at my vocation. Which is, to be armed with the mind of Christ; “But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.” (Hebrews 2:9-10)

We must all learn this vital lesson; “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.” (1Peter 4:1-2) – Without suffering playing it roles in our lives we will never learn to obey the voice of our Father as we ort. It is part of His design; “Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.” (Hebrews 5:8-9)   

“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.” (1Corinthians 13:11)

Repentance is where our journey begins, but as we travel through life it will become apparent that without obedience we will never see our God as his children. We must learn to obey His voice in spite of the trials of life. This is the way for the Christian.

Our sufferings through life are not randomly selected but carefully designated events that draw us closer to our God and make us more like our Saviour, praise the name of Jesus and His brilliant design and this is why God is GOOD! His ingenuity is far beyond the understanding of those who reject his goodness.

Bless his name now and forever more Amen and Amen!

    

Signing off

Tyrone  

  

    

      

Our inheritance

The hope the Christian has in Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour… one day it will come into fruition and what a day that will be…

“Him hath God exalted.”

- Act_5:31

“Jesus, our Lord, once crucified, dead and buried, now sits upon the throne of glory. The highest place that heaven affords is his by undisputed right. It is sweet to remember that the exaltation of Christ in heaven is a representative exaltation. He is exalted at the Father’s right hand, and though as Jehovah he had eminent glories, in which finite creatures cannot share, yet as the Mediator, the honours which Jesus wears in heaven are the heritage of all the saints. It is delightful to reflect how close is Christ’s union with his people. We are actually one with him; we are members of his body; and his exaltation is our exaltation. He will give us to sit upon his throne, even as he has overcome, and is set down with his Father on his throne; he has a crown, and he gives us crowns too; he has a throne, but he is not content with having a throne to himself, on his right hand there must be his queen, arrayed in “gold of Ophir.” He cannot be glorified without his bride. Look up, believer, to Jesus now; let the eye of your faith behold him with many crowns upon his head; and remember that you will one day be like him, when you shall see him as he is; you shall not be so great as he is, you shall not be so divine, but still you shall, in a measure, share the same honours, and enjoy the same happiness and the same dignity which he possesses. Be content to live unknown for a little while, and to walk your weary way through the fields of poverty, or up the hills of affliction; for by-and-by you shall reign with Christ, for he has “made us kings and priests unto God, and we shall reign for ever and ever.” Oh!, wonderful thought for the children of God! We have Christ for our glorious representative in heaven’s courts now, and soon he will come and receive us to himself, to be with him there, to behold his glory, and to share his joy.” (Charles Spurgeon)

True knowledge that saves

Folly is filled with many misconstrued perceptions, when evaluated it is easy to see this with certainty. It is all about a skewed perception of what in fact is an accurate analogy of righteousness. Proverbs is a book filled with snippets that helps with our skewed perceptions on what is actual righteousness in action. It is a book that unearths many precious gems and it is life-changing when applied into our lives. There is something for everyone and once one truth is realised another soon follows – It is a book filled with inexhaustible trinkets of wisdom…

However it is crucial that we do not look to the First Covenant as the final authority in our lives, as the Second Covenant is alive and well and in fact nullified the first and it calls us to service in a more excellent way; “But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.” (Hebrews 8:6-7) 

If the work of the cross, “Jesus in my place” is the hinge pin on where I actually stand before a Holy God then I need to find my rest in that reality. This in itself is an unnatural response that I look by default to resist; surely there is something I can do to add to the equation continual flickers through my mind. That type of reasoning nullifies the complete work of the cross and I then find myself looking for reward just as the children of Israel expected their remuneration once they sacrificed an animal as part of the First Covenant’s commandment.

They were taught that if they sacrificed a particular animal they would be forgiven for their sin. It was a perpetual lifestyle of continual sacrifice, the sinner always had to live by the Law of Moses to find acceptance from God as well as society (those chosen by God). It was up to the individual to work for their salvation. However with Christs sacrifice there now remains no more need for any other sacrifice, the penalty for sin has finally been paid for in full; “And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:10) – The Fist Covenant was filled with instructions which exposed mankind’s sinful nature and highlighted that they needed a Saviour; “So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.” Galatians (3:22-26)   

Understanding this, the first building blocks that needs to be recognised and established in our lives is “repentance from dead works and faith towards God”. However, this can be easily forgotten when life and its challenges present themselves. Nothing changes for Joe Soap, but for the true born again Christian a new set of laws are now in play; “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9) – These are the basic fundamentals to the Christian faith, however the more I delve into this truth with it playing out in my life and those around me the more concerned I become. How many actually understand this as the pillar to our existence? There is much work to be accomplished.

If a designer finds a flaw in his invention will he not rectify whatever needs remedying in order to accomplish the desire result? Likewise it may be time to re-examine our commitment as Christians. I believe the book of Hebrews was written with that in mind. It is a book filled with many warnings to those saved out of the Land of Egypt; the reality for those saved out of slavery results with a sobering and an obvious conclusion; “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.'" 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. 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 3:10-19) – How so? Did they not continually offer up sacrifices as the law commanded? And yet the majority of them never entered the Promised Land. There is much to be learnt from their grumblings.    

The wisdom found in the book of Proverbs is truly filled with wonderful insight to any given situation, but if we disregard the work of the cross as foundational it will never produce the intended fruit required. A potter may mould a wonderful piece of pottery but without a keel it wont last very long when handled or expose to the elements. It needs heat to cure it, no differently to the Christian needing trials to produce the desired result. In other words without faith mingled together with God’s instruction into our lives we will miss the mark. This is very important for us to understand. It’s all about applying ourselves to the promises the Christian has in the finished work of the cross.       

It would be impossible to lose something you never had. These are very sobering thoughts but needful for us understand. Examine yourselves, is the instruction. Have we armed ourselves with this understanding; “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.” (1Peter 4:1-2)

Peace to all who have been washed in the blood of the Lamb  

Signing off

Tyrone 

Measuring Faith

Precision is never frowned upon by those drawn to it. When we consider faith and our faithfulness towards God how do we accurately evaluate it? Some may feel that the one more visibly gifted lives closer to the edge of “faith towards God” than one who isn’t. There may be a hint of truth attached to that thought; unless someone faithfully applied themselves to their calling and God given gifts they could be classed as the ones squandering their talents. See the parable of the talents in Matthew chapter 25.

There is however a misconstrued perceptions of individuals with their “vain imaginations” running riot, which seems to be bantered around various churches across the globe bringing mockery to the Christian faith; this wave of scorn seemed to begin to flourish in the eighties with many having the gifts of “prophecy” and the like. People speaking into each others lives outside of the written Word. All this really proves is a lack of faith as men and women looked to step in and give God a hand with superstition running riot, no differently to individuals depending on the horoscope to find direction for their lives. It’s God’s voice we must pay careful attention too and nothing else!

I am aware that in most cases people have been caught up in the hype of wanting to be accepted and noticed whilst deception has been at play. We have a coherent nature that drives us towards wanting to be in control. The clay never has power over the potter. Because we may not like the look of our kidneys under a microscope it does not mean that we don’t need them to survive. However we do not measure one another by our gifts and callings, election and gifts have nothing to do with the one who is singled out, it is God who singles them out and not the other way around; He choses whom He wills; “though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad--in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—“ (Romans 9; 11) - Nevertheless once we have been made aware of our calling and been given various measures of Christ (gifts) it is then up to us to use them wisely and faithfully which will bring comfort to the whole body (the church); “Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.” (2Peter 1:10)   

Its not as if we are expected to be amongst the number of those blessed with a measure of healings or miracles to prove that we are living by faith. Is the shoulder not attached to the chest, the chest to the torso and so on; which are all part of the same body. Because we do not see the heart pumping blood does that mean it doesn’t have its own function, on the contrary it’s the parts of the body that are normally in the background that play the most crucial part in keeping it alive.

Regardless of our growth in Christ, whether a babe or someone who is going onto maturity we can always measure our faith towards God. A babe will always desire the sincere milk of the Word, no differently to a babe seeking out their mother’s teat. “Nan” (man made baby formula) will never cut it for those individuals; “So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation-- if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious.” (1Peter 2:1-4)

In today’s day and age with humanism and equal rights high up on people agendas; let me go straight for the jugular to drive my point home; we can measure our faith towards God on how accurately we apply ourselves to His voice through the written Word of God, the Bible. It’s not complicated! As soon as we second guess His Word and listen to the others voices around us we prove one thing, our lack of faith. Without singling out any examples, let me say this, men and woman have their varying roles to play in accordance with Gods instructions. My prayer is that we will all find a resolve to devour the Bible so that it will soon become apparent where we all fit in; each member in the body has its particular function. The hand was never designed to do the work off the foot. God’s voice is the finally authority on all things whether people want to accept that or not, which will never change and continue to ring true. God’s character does not change; “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)   

Simply put believe God at his Word regardless of the surrounding voices that speak to the contrary. For us to be precise with our callings it must all revolve around the One who has called, God has His purpose and we need to find our roles within His will. Move outside God’s parameters and the eye of the tornado with soon arrive.

To my beloved sisters in Christ wherever you may be please do not be drawn into the trickery of this age where the voices of this world speak in total contradiction to God’s voice with your roles within society and the body of Christ. We all have our specific roles which God has set in place. When we settle into that mind-set it will be well with our souls.   

Signing off

Tyrone      

Seeing is believing

Herein is love amazing, love divine, yes, love beyond degree, my voice cries out to the Jesus who died for me. If all could see what I can see your voice would ring out praises over land and sea. Why do so many laugh Him to scorn? Oh my wounded soul feels for thee. There are none so blind who do not wish to see.

The Sovereign King who has had mercy on me, my plea is for you to set them free. Regardless men if only you would want to see, if only you could see God’s “shalls” across the seas, I’m sure you would see what I can see. What God has blessed is blessed indeed. How do the flowers flourish it should be plain to see. Look to Jesus and you will be set free.

Signing off

Tyrone      

A plea for prayer

(Proverbs 18:14)  “The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?”

The condition of our hearts can grow weary as the pressures of life certainly want to take their toll on us at times. The trial of life tears away at our strength but only when our faith is misdirected. However with this truth surrounding our everyday circumstance it is almost impossible at times to walk victoriously when overshadowed with doubt. Everything in our lives must be fed with our hope in Christ, if not we will soon become very despondent. That is why it is imperative to daily set time aside to seek out God’s counsel for our lives. Miss a day or two and we will be swallowed up with so many unwelcomed thoughts that depression will seem to be in the driving seat and who can in themselves handle such torment?

God has shown all of mankind (both the saved and the heathen) that creation and all in it, hinges on seasons; “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

There was a time where the Lord Jesus lived as a man on earth, where he died a cruel death being punished for someone else’s crime (the sins of mankind) but now that time has run its course, that season is over and our glorious Jesus is now alive and well risen from the dead and seated with His Father, our Father in heavenly places. Where His enemies will be made His footstool (still to happen) and where every knee will bow and confess Jesus as Lord, bless and praise His name now and forevermore, Amen!  

We all need to follow in His example and the throes of life will map that out for us. As for me I am hard pressed at present, understanding the obvious mistakes I have made along the way. But as God has mercy upon His children and teaches us right from wrong I am at a place where I see the importance of confession and the power of prayer working in cohesion. The Apostle James teaches us this very important lesson and it would be good for me to call upon his instruction at this time in my life; “And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 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. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. ” (James 5:15-18)

We always need to pay the price for our folly and at other times we will find the trial of life pressing in on us just because we need to grow in the good graces of our Lord. We must learn to trust and obey our Saviour as the wise Master Builder in our lives. But within the lessons of life we are also instructed to appropriate scripture into our lives. Therefore I call upon my brothers and sisters across the globe to please pray for me as the pressures of life begin to wear away at my spirit. I have been without permanent employment for many years now, not that I have suffered want in the form of food and shelter but times have been tough and I know if God my heavenly Father says “enough is enough” that the trial will pass, however not my will but His be done and yet I know that if I call upon you to pray for me at this time in my life with regards to a more perpetual job I would be extremely thankful. I confess my fault to my Christian family and the way in which I have squandered my monies over time I now need to right my wrongs and would appreciate an opportunity to find full time employment. Please pray for God to open a door that would in turn bring Him glory in this area of my life.

“Outward grievances are tolerable as long as the mind enjoys itself and is at ease. Many infirmities, many calamities, we are liable to in this world, in body, name, and estate, which a man may bear, and bear up under, if he have but good conduct and courage, and be able to act with reason and resolution, especially if he have a good conscience, and the testimony of that be for him; and, if the spirit of a man will sustain the infirmity, much more will the spirit of a Christian, or rather the Spirit of God witnessing and working with our spirits in a day of trouble. It is therefore wisdom to keep conscience void of offence.” (Matthew Henry) – I have been hard pressed with regard to the worries of unemployment for some time now, not that I have lost faith in my God, He has always remained faithful, bless His name now and forever more, Amen and Amen!

The pressure on my responsibilities as a Christian in this regard is reaching an almost unbearable point in my life, this season of uncertainty weighs heavy on my shoulders. I am persuaded all that is needed is for God to say “enough” and I will once again be able to play my part in this area of my life as a good steward. My cry is Father God please have mercy on me.

(Psalms 22:14)  “My heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.”

Our blessed Lord experienced a terrible sinking and melting of soul. “The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity, but a wounded spirit who can bear?” Deep depression of spirit is the most grievous of all trials; all besides is as nothing. Well might the suffering Saviour cry to his God, “Be not far from me,” for above all other seasons a man needs his God when his heart is melted within him because of heaviness. Believer, come near the cross this morning, and humbly adore the King of glory as having once been brought far lower, in mental distress and inward anguish, than any one among us; and mark his fitness to become a faithful High Priest, who can be touched with a feeling of our infirmities. Especially let those of us whose sadness springs directly from the withdrawal of a present sense of our Father’s love, enter into near and intimate communion with Jesus. Let us not give way to despair, since through this dark room the Master has passed before us. Our souls may sometimes long and faint, and thirst even to anguish, to behold the light of the Lord’s countenance: at such times let us stay ourselves with the sweet fact of the sympathy of our great High Priest. Our drops of sorrow may well be forgotten in the ocean of his griefs; but how high ought our love to rise! Come in, O strong and deep love of Jesus, like the sea at the flood in spring tides, cover all my powers, drown all my sins, wash out all my cares, lift up my earth-bound soul, and float it right up to my Lord’s feet, and there let me lie, a poor broken shell, washed up by his love, having no virtue or value; and only venturing to whisper to him that if he will put his ear to me, he will hear within my heart faint echoes of the vast waves of his own love which have brought me where it is my delight to lie, even at his feet for ever.” (Charles Spurgeon)

“Peace to all of you who are in Christ.”

Signing off

Tyrone

     

  

     

Testings must come

What is the imperative that the Christian needs to appropriate into their environments to be favoured by God? No one can take honour unto himself, even the Lord Jesus did not do that, but God exalted Him above everyone else and this is why He is now seated at right hand of God. It was God the Fathers call; He alone is the One who has it in His power to exalt another. Regardless of the honour we may receive throughout our lives; honour, degrees, awards and so on, they all have their place with their reward but those things are all temporal and they will eventually run their course; However if we are looking beyond the temporal veil of carnality and into eternity our convictions most certainly begin to take on a different appeal. It will soon become evident on how serious we are in finding God’s help.

For any of these truths to become our reality we must believe God at His Word; the seas do not have a choice in the matter; God says halt and they stay! This is the test we will all have to confront in our lives. The greatest example is what our Saviour had to endure on the cross just before he died. What was going through His mind? We get some insight into the emotions that the Lord Jesus Christ faced; “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?"” (Matthew 27:46) – It is obvious that the Lord Jesus felt that he had been abandoned by His Father, even if it was for a fleeting moment. We also know that the Lord Jesus had it in his power to call thousands of angels to annihilate all of his oppressors and yet he chose not too; his entire life was about the will of His Father. He trusted His Father to such an extent that he knew he would be raised from the dead and therefore was committed to the hardships he needed to endure along the way. God had said that on the third day he would rise again; Jesus believed God the Father and proved it by dying upon a cruel Roman cross. He was punished for our sin even though He had no sin. God had a plan for his life just as He has a plan for our lives; it is obviously meniscal in comparison but it has its place in God economy and we will be given varying opportunities to make good on that call, praise the name of Jesus!   

We see that most of the Children of Israel didn’t reach the Promised Land; they lacked faith; God said that He would give them new lands and we know that it is impossible for God to lie because we have been taught this truth in and through the Word of God. Why? Because they murmured and grumbled; therefore it was only Joshua and Caleb who entered the Promised Land. Just think about how many tens of thousands left Egypt at the time and for only two of the original liberation to receive the promise is rather mind blowing. How do we stack up with our commitment to the rescue God has given us?   

We have all been called to trust and obey our God even to the point of death, this is the ultimate test of our faith and we are to find grace along the way as it is available to every born again believer; we must not grumble, but rely on the grace of God to get us through whatever challenge we face. Christianity is about our faith towards God as individuals and we will all be tested through real living experiences. Lets us not be fooled into believe that we will get a pass. Christ has lead by example and now we must follow in his footsteps, all hail King Jesus, Amen!

Abraham believed God; we are not given too much insight into the unfolding of this explanation, at least in the Bible, there is however some historical writings (found in the Book of Jasher referred to in Joshua and Second Samuel) that gives us some insight to Abrams (Abraham) struggle against his father’s foreign gods and how he tested their worth, eventually smashing them. It just about cost him his life, BUT GOD! However seeing that those entries are not part of the Bibles writing I will refer only to what is written in the Holy Bible as I know that these writing are accurate and when we commit to them as intended we will be blessed by our God. “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” (Hebrews 11:8) – We must trust to the same extent if we are to come out on the other side purely refined. Sadly the wolves have run riot amongst the sheep folds of God across the globe with their cunning lies, with their false application of faith and how it should be exercised. However this should never detract from our duties with our faith towards our God. Do not let the enemy leave us with a watered down application towards true faith; sadly amongst so many denominations we tend to want to over correct when we see error and therefore we do not reap the intended benefit. Faith is a pivotal ingredient for us to find God’s favour in our lives.

By the grace of God I have reach a place where I will look to my Father to begin to apply scripture with a greater commitment, regardless of the gonging cymbals that look to make so much noise without any doctrinal truth attached to it. “Let God be true and every man a liar!” Everything for this life and our eternities in the future hinges on this very important fact, which is to trust and obey our God as we receive instruction from His Word, the Bible! The written Word is a treasure map filled with palatable delicacies which will help us find our way to heaven.

In conclusion let us spend more time on our knees even the more as we see that day approaching.

Signing off

Tyrone