Son of man...

Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest?”

- Eze_15:2

These words are for the humbling of God’s people; they are called God’s vine, but what are they by nature more than others? They, by God’s goodness, have become fruitful, having been planted in a good soil; the Lord hath trained them upon the walls of the sanctuary, and they bring forth fruit to his glory; but what are they without their God? What are they without the continual influence of the Spirit, begetting fruitfulness in them? O believer, learn to reject pride, seeing that thou hast no ground for it. Whatever thou art, thou hast nothing to make thee proud. The more thou hast, the more thou art in debt to God; and thou shouldst not be proud of that which renders thee a debtor. Consider thine origin; look back to what thou wast. Consider what thou wouldst have been but for divine grace. Look upon thyself as thou art now. Doth not thy conscience reproach thee? Do not thy thousand wanderings stand before thee, and tell thee that thou art unworthy to be called his son? And if he hath made thee anything, art thou not taught thereby that it is grace which hath made thee to differ? Great believer, thou wouldst have been a great sinner if God had not made thee to differ. O thou who art valiant for truth, thou wouldst have been as valiant for error if grace had not laid hold upon thee. Therefore, be not proud, though thou hast a large estate-a wide domain of grace, thou hadst not once a single thing to call thine own except thy sin and misery. Oh! strange infatuation, that thou, who hast borrowed everything, shouldst think of exalting thyself; a poor dependent pensioner upon the bounty of thy Saviour, one who hath a life which dies without fresh streams of life from Jesus, and yet proud! Fie on thee, O silly heart!

 “Doth Job fear God for nought?”

- Job_1:9

This was the wicked question of Satan concerning that upright man of old, but there are many in the present day concerning whom it might be asked with justice, for they love God after a fashion because he prospers them; but if things went ill with them, they would give up all their boasted faith in God. If they can clearly see that since the time of their supposed conversion the world has gone prosperously with them, then they will love God in their poor carnal way; but if they endure adversity, they rebel against the Lord. Their love is the love of the table, not of the host; a love to the cupboard, not to the master of the house. As for the true Christian, he expects to have his reward in the next life, and to endure hardness in this. The promise of the old covenant is adversity. Remember Christ’s words-”Every branch in me that beareth not fruit”-What? “He purgeth it, that it may bring forth fruit.” If you bring forth fruit, you will have to endure affliction. “Alas!” you say, “that is a terrible prospect.” But this affliction works out such precious results, that the Christian who is the subject of it must learn to rejoice in tribulations, because as his tribulations abound, so his consolations abound by Christ Jesus. Rest assured, if you are a child of God, you will be no stranger to the rod. Sooner or later every bar of gold must pass through the fire. Fear not, but rather rejoice that such fruitful times are in store for you, for in them you will be weaned from earth and made meet for heaven; you will be delivered from clinging to the present, and made to long for those eternal things which are so soon to be revealed to you. When you feel that as regards the present you do serve God for nought, you will then rejoice in the infinite reward of the future. 

(Charles Spurgeon)

I AM THAT I AM!

(Exodus 3:14) “And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM:”

Entrapment a serious predicament to get caught in and yet we all have had no choice in the matter as “there is none righteous no not one”. Sin has ensnared us into slavery and it’s the slavery of Israel that I look to explore this morn. Their story has a wealth of useful information that we can draw sustenance from for our very own lives.

But first let us look at Joseph’s example and learn from it.

Joseph was the man God used to bring a great revival to those of “the promise”. There was a famine in the land and people were desperate to survive, it got so torrid that people were selling off their livestock and land for food as their money was long gone because of a sizzling drought that lasted for seven years. God was with Joseph and had shown him what He was about to do, God prepared him for battle. However, I would remind you that prior to Joseph’s reign as governor of this foreign land, Egypt, he firstly was required by God to serve a prison sentence for a crime he never committed. This verse comes to mind; “For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:” (1Peter 3:17-18)

Let us not be hook-winked into doubting our current predicament even if the screws are being tightened, God has a plan, and it is a glorious masterpiece outplaying His command. This is what Joseph had to say to those who had meant him harm, and I will remind you they were his brothers; “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” (Genesis 50:20) 

Talk about from “rags to riches”, one day he was in a prison and then he found himself second in charge to pharaoh in Egypt, the then ruling nation of the world. We must learn to never second guess our God even if we cannot put the puzzle pieces together; our God shall work it out according to His good pleasure. He will get all His children home!

A day came were a new pharaoh began to rule who knew not Joseph. He put all of the Israelites into slavery as jealousy had its need to supress this greater nation. He was a hard task-master and their cries were heard by God. Moses was then summoned by God to free His people. I want us to consider a particular incident that they all faced from the least to the greatest.

Imagine the scene, the promise by Moses from God to all the Israelites that they would be set free with a Promised Land as their final destination. It was hard going as their number was great, woman and children amongst them and then they hit a very large obstacle, the Red Sea. How were they to cross over? Not only that, looking behind them they saw a large cloud of dust approaching at a rapid pace, the Egyptian army were on their way! Life at times takes on a similar appearance for each of us. Sure there are different measures for all, but all will hit obstacles along the way.

It was when there seemed to be no hope that God stepped in, He parted the Red Sea and they all (and I mean all) crossed over on dry land. The enemy thought they could use the exact same means to cross but were very mistaken, they all drowned (and I mean all). God is for His people and not for those who oppose His plan and purpose. Nevertheless both are needed to accomplish His will, He has so ordained it. Praise to our God, the only true God, the God who is, “I AM THAT I AM”!

“Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.” (Jeremiah 42:11) – Come what may our hope is in His promise and we will believe it by the grace of God with all our hearts, come what may let us remember to look to the author and finisher of our faith, our blessed Redeemer will get us home. All we need do alone the way is obey, even if it costs us our life, as it must. We are new creature in Christ, may we begin to live as such.

God give us the resolve to abhor that which is evil and to cling to that which is good.

Signing off

Tyrone

     

When reviled, we bless...

(1 Corinthians 4:12) “When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure;”

Humility before God should be the goal of all creation; it has only ever been about Him and His foreordained plan. The Plan that He instituted prior to creation as we know it and the scripture often makes reference to as “before the foundation of the world” gives me immense joy as it infiltrates my mind. To know that nothing is random, let’s face it if we think it could be then we are candidates for the “soup theory”. The “big bang theory” leaves people chasing creation at a frantic pace, at the exclusion of our God and Creator.

What a dismal position; believing that by recycling our glass bottles and plastic containers we are doing our bit to save our planet. In fact even different colour bins help us with the separation and when we play our part we feel justified. With God not even an afterthought in the minds of so many. The world population is so self-centered that “self” has blinded them; in fact, to be more precise, God has blinded them. “And claiming to be wise they have become fools”. For this very reason God gave them over to the debauchery and the snares of sin. But as the clock ticks and as wickedness abounds the day of His appearing draws nigh.

What then will gives us resolve to be about our God’s business; yesterday, this came to me with some vigour; humility is what is needed because it is the grace of God we need to get through our daily trials. Without humility we will battle to find God’s grace, without it God will resist us. So then, what am I to do? On a practical level, I must learn to eat humble pie even when I am right. It is no longer about winning the round but rather the fight.

May God help all who battle with this facet to their lives, I am amongst the number.  Humility is foreign to our “bodies of death”, without the Spirit taking control we will remain proud and fall every time. Without humility as our banner we will become very frustrated not following our Lord’s and Paul’s example, which was this; “When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure;”

Please sit up and take note, without humility as a key ingredient in Christ, we will forever clutch at straws. There must come a time when we begin to put off childish things. By that I mean, meat is meant for those who are capable of digesting it, whilst milk is for babies. We are quick to point out the errors of others when they apply misguided doctrine, which we all must do in some measure; “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” (2Timothy 4:2) – “And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,” (2Timothy 2:24)

Humility is a partner to patience! But we tend to miss so many areas of our lives; "it's just the way it is”, we use excuses like I am a hot blooded man; it is not my fault I am European, I was born like this. Or God made me with a temper. Not so! All who have the Spirit of Christ have become new creations in Him and Old things have passed away. We are without excuse! Therefore let us see things for what they are.

I love the way God uses the exact man who was school in Judaism with his application to the law impeccable. In as much as it is possible for a sinner to apply himself to God’s law. It is the very same man who would become the expert on grace. How great is our God? Paul ends up teaching us this; “When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure;”    

To bless someone who reviles us is so foreign to our natural understanding, which without grace it will be an impossible task, humility is a must in our lives if we are to find grace. I pray this truth sinks deep and we not only eat from its tree but we learn to digest it.

Signing off

Tyrone.

   

Grace and Humility!

(Romans 11:6) “But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.”

I am rather excited about today’s blog and with it, I hope, will come a clearer understanding on what is needed to walk victoriously as Christians. It is the Apostle Paul who will teach us these valuable lessons. It has taken me a lifetime to get my head around this truth but just a little. I realize I know only in part, but what I have seen and is now coming into fruition is glorious. My disobedience to this truth has taken its toll on my body and with it I have had to deal with serve consequences, with many of life’s scars still evident in my body.

Grace is the weapon needed; call it the magic ingredient for daily living. We should all understand what I am about to share but do we really? If we did we wouldn’t actually miss the mark so often, which is, to walk more victorious as Christians than the day before. Our daily sanctification would be evident to all, in fact we would share Jobs testimony; “His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, "It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts." Thus Job did continually.” (Job 1:4-5) – He lived an unselfish life! Do we rise early and pray for our lost ones?   

From the beginning even grace saved Noah, grace is the enabling catalyst through faith. Grace and faith lock hands in order for us to enjoy their strength and walk as faithful stewards with the measure of Christ we have been given. “God is for His children and not against them”, it is the wiles of the devil that looks to deceive and trip us up, and how does he do this? He shows us his very own character, which is “full of pride” and this is what brought him tumbling down from the portals of heaven and it is what will bring us crashing to the dirt if we linger here too long. No! Even if we flirt with it! God most certainly resists the proud, who then will find favour? It is the humble that our glorious Father reaches out too.

What is it that is needed from God to overcome? Grace is needed! Therefore; “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Without humility we will not find grace in time of need!

Grace is needed for us to be more “Christ minded” and to walk as He once walked. This is a daunting proposition if we understand what that means. Yes, we may flippantly rattle of words and cliché’s like "to die is gain" and yet give it no real thought once it has left our lips. To die… is gain! Self-denial is what is needed from all, but it is impossible to do it through our flesh “this body of death”, it is grace we must seek out in order to overcome. It may appear that some may walk more victoriously than others as we glance across the congregation, but the light of Christ cannot be hidden, darkness must flee from it. It is this light we are after and not man-centered patch work.

“O, when will all professors, and especially all professed ministers of Christ, learn the difference between the law and the gospel? Most of them make a mingle-mangle, and serve out deadly potions to the people, often containing but one ounce of gospel to a pound of law, whereas, but even a grain of law is enough to spoil the whole thing.
It must be gospel, and gospel only. "If it be of grace, it is not of works, otherwise grace is no more grace; and if it be of works, then it is not of grace, otherwise work is no more work." (C.H.Spurgeon)

With that said, look at Paul’s emphasis throughout his writing and remember where he came from prior to salvation, roots of arrogance; “Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I.” (2Corinthians 11:22) - But look how he concludes his deliberation to those who were boasting against his doctrine; “Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” (2Corinthians 11:29-30)   

 

May God now show us the importance of this understanding and may we learn from probably one of the greatest teachers that ever lived; grace high on his agenda! But it wasn’t always like that in fact; the exact opposite seemed to be His guise. Pride filled his life as he persecuted the Christian in his unbelief.

And then he came face to face with the Lord Jesus Christ…

In the ESV translation he uses the word grace 86 times if we account the book of Hebrews to Timothy, if not 94 times. And in his concluding sendoffs, he almost always ends with grace and the Lord Jesus as his focal point…

“The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.” (1Corinthians 16:23)

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” (1Corinthians 13:14)

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.” (Galatians 6:18)   

 “Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.” (Ephesians 6:24)

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.” (Philippians 4:23)

 “I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.” (Colossians 4:18)

The list goes on, may we make it of utmost importance to make this truth our very own. God give us the strength to find grace through humility, to be about his service and not our own agendas.

Signing off

Tyrone        

  

  

Blessed be the Name of our God!

(Daniel 2:20) "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever…”

Have you ever wondered why Daniel says this? “Daniel answered and said: "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might.”” (Daniel 2:20)

That question will only ever be understood by those who belong to Him and those who have tasted of His glorious grace. The world will soon begin to apparently fall apart around us, I do not mean the fusing of world coalitions as people across the globe unify with “peace and safety” as their slogan. What I do mean is the creation; God’s creation will begin to groan with what people will refer to as natural phenomenon. Earthquakes, floods and tsunamis will be on the up and it will all be attributed to Mother Nature instead of God’s judgment. Man will continue to frantically save the planet with their global initiatives, but will ultimately fail. Who can resist the will of God? “You will say to me then, "Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?"” (Romans 9:19)

Whatever God has so willed will without question come to pass no matter what or who tries to change it. The potter has total control over His creation, which includes the will of man. And there is a day coming that He will bring His judgment on the earth and all those who live on it. I assure you, this is not a figment of my imagination but the scripture is very clear and this is what it has to say; “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.” (Matthew 24:21)

We read about how God destroyed the world by water in the days of Noah. Why? The answer is found in the text in Genesis chapter 6; “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)

Debauchery will be high on the agenda through the lifestyles of people living on the earth and very little place will be given to the true Creator, a false prophet will arise and deceive many and then a false christ will  arise and claim to be God. Millions will receive him as such, no billions!

To think that this time is not far off as we examine the “times and the seasons” and then God will pour out HIS great tribulation, such has never been witness up until this time. And yet, there will be those crying out O blessed be His name. Go figure! O come and taste and see that the Lord is good, His love and mercies endure forever. Praise His glorious name! Jesus has made the way for all who call on Him to escape such a time without any hope. All of God’s children have this hope; that one day we will be with Him in heaven and we shall be like Him. I am not saying that we will not partake of this time of His judgment, but I am saying just as in the days of Noah although he witnessed the great flood with people perishing around Him that he was kept safe in the Ark. God will look out for His own! It is up to us as Christians to ensure that we store up treasures of grace for this time; we must have His oil in our lamp for this dark double-crossing time. How will we do this, we must vex our soul against all that is evil, we must constantly put on the mind of Christ and just as Lot was saved out of Sodom and Gomorrah so too will we be saved.

For all who hope in Him, this then is our instruction; “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (James 4:7-8) 

“We are taught to submit ourselves entirely to God: Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you, Jam_4:7. Christians should forsake the friendship of the world, and watch against that envy and pride which they see prevailing in natural men, and should by grace learn to glory in their submissions to God. “Submit yourselves to him as subjects to their prince, in duty, and as one friend to another, in love and interest. Submit your understandings to the truths of God; submit your wills to the will of God, the will of his precept, the will of his providence.” We are subjects, and as such must be submissive; not only through fear, but through love; not only for wrath, but also for conscience' sake. “Submit yourselves to God, as considering how many ways you are bound to this, and as considering what advantage you will gain by it; for God will not hurt you by his dominion over you, but will do you good.” Now, as this subjection and submission to God are what the devil most industriously strives to hinder, so we ought with great care and steadiness to resist his suggestions. If he would represent a tame yielding to the will and providence of God as what will bring calamities, and expose to contempt and misery, we must resist these suggestions of fear. If he would represent submission to God as a hindrance to our outward ease, or worldly preferments, we must resist these suggestions of pride and sloth. If he would tempt us to lay any of our miseries, and crosses, and afflictions, to the charge of Providence, so that we might avoid them by following his directions instead of God's, we must resist these provocations to anger, not fretting ourselves in any wise to do evil. “Let not the devil, in these or the like attempts, prevail upon you; but resist him and he will flee from you.” If we basely yield to temptations, the devil will continually follow us; but if we put on the whole armour of God, and stand it out against him, he will be gone from us. Resolution shuts and bolts the door against temptation.

We are directed how to act towards God, in our becoming submissive to him, Jam_4:8-10. 1. Draw nigh to God. The heart that has rebelled must be brought to the foot of God; the spirit that was distant and estranged from a life of communion and converse with God must become acquainted with him: “Draw nigh to God, in his worship and institutions, and in every duty he requires of you.” 2. Cleanse your hands. He who comes unto God must have clean hands. Paul therefore directs to lift up holy hands without wrath and doubting (1Ti_2:8), hands free from blood, and bribes, and every thing that is unjust or cruel, and free from every defilement of sin: he is not subject to God who is a servant of sin. The hands must be cleansed by faith, repentance, and reformation, or it will be in vain for us to draw nigh to God in prayer, or in any of the exercises of devotion. 3. The hearts of the double-minded must be purified. Those who halt between God and the world are here meant by the double-minded. To purify the heart is to be sincere, and to act upon this single aim and principle, rather to please God than to seek after any thing in this world: hypocrisy is heart-impurity; but those who submit themselves to God aright will purify their hearts as well as cleanse their hands. 4. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep. “What afflictions God sends take them as he would have you, and by duly sensible of them. Be afflicted when afflictions are sent upon you, and do not despise them; or be afflicted in your sympathies with those who are so, and in laying to heart the calamities of the church of God. Mourn and weep for your own sins and the sins of others; times of contention and division are times to mourn in, and the sins that occasion wars and fightings should be mourned for. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to heaviness.” This may be taken either as a prediction of sorrow or a prescription of seriousness. Let men think to set grief at defiance, yet God can bring it upon them; none laugh so heartily but he can turn their laughter into mourning; and this the unconcerned Christians James wrote to are threatened should be their case. They are therefore directed, before things come to the worst, to lay aside their vain mirth and their sensual pleasures, that they might indulge godly sorrow and penitential tears. 5. “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord. Let the inward acts of the would be suitable to all those outward expressions of grief, affliction, and sorrow, before mentioned.” Humility of spirit is here required, as in the sight of him who looks principally at the spirits of men. “Let there be a thorough humiliation in bewailing every thing that is evil; let there be great humility in doing that which is good: Humble yourselves.” (Matthew Henry)

What will be shall be as God has so willed it; let us learn to look to Him in time of need.

Signing off

Tyrone

Faith in Christ!

(Romans 5:20)  “…but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.”

“To shake that snake off in the fire”, as if it was but a flea, the vipers poison of no result to our beloved brother Paul, but while he was Saul there would have been serious consequences, outside the protection of our beloved Father’s covering in and through the blood of the Lamb. To be class as a son of God through faith, we now all have the safe-guards of what will be ours in heaven. Obviously we do not have our actual spiritual bodies as yet but we are one with Christ, if we have His Spirit; no differently to a man and a woman becoming one flesh through canal intercourse; and so illicit sex a very serious offence in the eyes of God. Why? The two become one flesh!

This truth cuts deep and I have had nightmares with some of my very own behaviors through time. But praise belongs to Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, His forgiveness never ceasing, thank you Father God for your mercy. Where sin abounded… “Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” (Romans 5:20)

Nevertheless all of these truths we uncover through scripture are worthless to us as individuals if they are not mixed with faith. Faith is the binding agent that helps us believe them to be truth and thus in turn gets us to live different lives to those who do not believe. Even with our many mistakes alone the celestial road; it is faith in Christ that gets us to seek out His forgiveness. Of course it all hinges on the goodness of God! “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) 

Repentance then is something that becomes a daily habit as much as we need food to sustain our carnal bodies, without it we die! It is what we learn to do in our closet that become of crucial importance, we can hide nothing from our God. He sees all! But without faith feeding our hope, that one day we shall be like our glorious Saviour, why even bother? If there is no resurrection of the death our faith would be pointless. NO! It is of the utmost importance because just as Christ rose from the dead so shall we; for those who put their trust in His finished work shall also be raised from the dead to receive their glorified bodies and so ever walk with our God in the New Jerusalem. What a hope the believer has. This then is our hope, that one day we shall be like Him in every aspect of our lives. Even so come quickly Lord Jesus!

Heaven a place that takes our imagination to a domicile of absolute awe, how do we reconcile what John witnesses? It is too wonderful to conceive and yet it is a place as real as the desk I type from.

This is some of what John saw, but it was Christ who grabbed his attention…

“And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion.”

- Rev_14:1

“The apostle John was privileged to look within the gates of heaven, and in describing what he saw, he begins by saying, “I looked, and, lo, a Lamb!” This teaches us that the chief object of contemplation in the heavenly state is “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world.” Nothing else attracted the apostle’s attention so much as the person of that Divine Being, who hath redeemed us by his blood. He is the theme of the songs of all glorified spirits and holy angels. Christian, here is joy for thee; thou hast looked, and thou hast seen the Lamb. Through thy tears thine eyes have seen the Lamb of God taking away thy sins. Rejoice, then. In a little while, when thine eyes shall have been wiped from tears, thou wilt see the same Lamb exalted on his throne. It is the joy of thy heart to hold daily fellowship with Jesus; thou shalt have the same joy to a higher degree in heaven; thou shalt enjoy the constant vision of his presence; thou shalt dwell with him for ever. “I looked, and, lo, a Lamb!” Why, that Lamb is heaven itself; for as good Rutherford says, “Heaven and Christ are the same thing;” to be with Christ is to be in heaven, and to be in heaven is to be with Christ. That prisoner of the Lord very sweetly writes in one of his glowing letters-”O my Lord Jesus Christ, if I could be in heaven without thee, it would be a hell; and if I could be in hell, and have thee still, it would be a heaven to me, for thou art all the heaven I want.” It is true, is it not, Christian? Does not thy soul say so?”

“Not all the harps above

Can make a heavenly place,

If God his residence remove,

Or but conceal his face.”

All thou needest to make thee blessed, supremely blessed, is “to be with Christ.””

(C.H.Spurgeon)

And yet by faith we already have Him as our greatest treasure, praise His name! Thank you Father for sending your Son to die for me…

Let us therefore remember this valuable lesson for our live as we endeavour to walk with God, to teach others along the way in whatever small measure we have been given and not to mix the law with the gospel.

“O, when will all professors, and especially all professed ministers of Christ, learn the difference between the law and the gospel? Most of them make a mingle-mangle, and serve out deadly potions to the people, often containing but one ounce of gospel to a pound of law, whereas, but even a grain of law is enough to spoil the whole thing.

It must be gospel, and gospel only. "If it be of grace, it is not of works, otherwise grace is no more grace; and if it be of works, then it is not of grace, otherwise work is no more work." (C.H.Spurgeon) – (posted by pyromaniacs) http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2012/01/dont-mix-law-with-gospel.html )

Signing off

Tyrone

Time to clean house!

With the love of many about to wax cold just over the horizon, one should be asking this question, why will the love of many wax cold? The answer is precise and it does not cut corners, “because iniquity shall abound.” We then see that sin has a direct effect on our affections to rather hate than to love and the deeper we as individuals and a nation begin to gravitate toward sin the greater we will err as we find ourselves under God’s judgment and Satan’s trap. What I find rather amazing is that the worlds message is love, tolerance, acceptance to whatever trickles their own fancy and yet with a voice that cries out to the nations that love will conquer all. It is in direct opposition to what the bible teaches! True love will conquer all, but not as the world understands it; God is love but if one is to understand the depths of love we must also understand the depths of hate.

Satan is full of hate! Why? Without spending too much time on the topic, let me say that He was created by God and his appearance was perfect, nothing could be added to him to enhance his beauty. He was also created full of wisdom; I do not speak as a man who sees only in part, Lucifer was full of spiritual wisdom. He is a spirit and lives in another dimension, he lived where God lived. We must understand the wisdom he received in context. When the angels in heaven needed advice they could with assurance approach Lucifer as he was full of wisdom and whatever he told them to do would have been the right advice. God would have condoned it! God had given Him godly wisdom, until deceit was found in his heart.

The attention must have somehow gone to his head as he noticed that his beauty was something to behold and the angles in heaven began to worship his appearance. They also understood that he was full of wisdom and could give those who asked for it, sound advice. Therefore, some began to worship the creature (Lucifer) over the creator.

Exactly the same pattern unfolded with the angels in heaven as with man; “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.” (Romans 1:20-23)

This then resulted in Satan’s demise and not only his but with his tail he drew one third of the angels that were in heaven with him as God cast them out of heaven. Condemned to hell for eternity with no second chance… Imagine the hate they now feel for the human race as they witness us who are Christian allowed failing time and again and then through repentance to find forgiveness through the perfect working of Calvary, bless the glorious name of our God and Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ, our Redeemer lives! Hate must drive them like I think we could never understand and with that in mind this verse then enlightens our understanding to the warfare we are involved in as believers; “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.” (2Corinthians 10:3)

We are at war with demonic forces that have such a hate for Christ and what he achieved on our behalf that they are so driven to see us fail that they use lures of every nature to see us plummet. “And because lawlessness (iniquity, sin) will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.” (Matthew 24:12)

Do not be fooled into believing that the unseen realm is not very real in our lives; “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” (Ephesians 6:12-13)

Now back to my opening statement, “with the love of many about to wax cold.” Let us therefore learn this valuable lesson;” Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” (Romans 12:9)

It is essential we look to live here…

For us not to be affected by the hate that will possess the nations let our love be genuine and for that to happen we must seek out God’s grace to abhor all that is evil and cling to what is good. It is time for a “spring clean” that is if we do not want to be swept away with hate. Let us remember that this must be viewed with the mind of Christ, it must be done from the inside out and not the other way around. We must find grace to abhor all that is evil in our lives; it is the fruits of the flesh that looks to hold on to all that opposes God, it knows no better. Did you know? “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:8)   

We will only ever find victory in these areas if we rely on God’s grace to get us through, something the angels will never understand, we have experienced it, they haven't. 

We must seek it out with confidence…

God will reward all those who diligently seek out this truth; “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

Therefore; “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)   

   

Signing off

Tyrone

   

   

   

His will for our lives!

(1John 3:2) “…but we know that when he appears we shall be like him…”

I would like to consider the reality of the future, for all those who believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and for those who now confess Him as Lord…

Just as He received His glorified body so too will we receive our glorified bodies, what a delightful consideration. To think that one day we shall be like Him is almost beyond my imagination and yet I know it to be true, praise the name of Jesus!

This is the hope for every true born again believer; I mention this fact, as we know that the day preceding this great event will come as a thief in the night and there will first come a falling away amongst apparent believers, and the love of many will wax cold. And then Satan will have his allotted reign for a short time as he will look to destroy all those who confess Jesus as Lord. It will be a time of his wrath.

Most of us have from childhood been taught that our true dreams will never come easily, it will take effort and sacrifice but it will be sweet when we reach our goal. There will be nothing sweeter than receiving our glorified bodies as we become in “type” like the Lord Jesus, where we will receive a body that knows no pain, that does not age and a vessel capable of coming into the presents of our almighty God without it disintegrating.

Although we understand very clearly that salvation is a gift of God and we could do nothing to receive it, but once it was ours, it brought with it true repentance and even with the many mistakes along the way it now still carries with it daily repentance. My life is constantly surrounded by self-examination in the light of this verse; “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2)

Each day I test must actions and my thoughts in light of God’s will for my life; I often fail dismally but it has by God’s grace become a lifestyle, and so should it be for every believer who has the Spirit of Christ. The enemy will always look to rob us of the truth; “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) 

Everything in our lives hinges on the finished work of Calvary; it is all about Jesus Christ our Lord. It started with Him and it will end with Him and for those who will not love His appearing will curse the day they were born, but for us who believe what a day that shall be.

Our eventual hope will be that we will forever be called the children of God, we will live as one of His sons, mind-blowing stuff and we will be able to recognise one another for who we were and now are. Even the eleven Apostles could hardly believe their eyes; “Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.” (Mark 16:14)

Do you know that there is a day coming when people will ask this question? “But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed,” (Matthew 24:48): - times will get tough for the believer, but why shouldn’t they if we look at all our brothers and sister throughout biblical history, for us to receive this wonderful promise we must also suffer with them; “Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” (1John 3:2)

We too must endure hardship as they did, for in so doing we bring glory to our glorious heavenly Father. Obviously the measure will vary from individual to individual, but we will all need to suffer in our “bodies of death” to attain to the resurrection. And for those who preach this message; that we will never suffer or be sick and that there is no hell, they are liars and they do the work of the devil. We must suffer to learn obedience, it is the way of our Lord; “Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.” (Hebrews 5:8): - we need to therefore arm ourselves with this understanding as it will be very confusing to expect a certain outcome and to receive the opposite.

This is what sound doctrine teachers us; it arms us with correct understanding for service. But why must it be this way? Anything that comes to easily is never really appreciated. May God give us the strength to endure whatever this year holds for us as believers, may our lives glorify His name like never before, Amen!

Remember our hope; that one day we shall be like Him and we will be named amongst the sons of God, what a glorious opportunity we as God’s children now have. Let us therefore remember this; “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:10-14)

Let us leave behind all our failure as there is nothing now to be done about them, today is a new day with new hope, let us therefore find grace in time of need as we call out unto our God for His mercy, as we work out His will for our lives.

Signing off

Tyrone  

  

  

We are what we eat...

“We are what we eat”; I have heard someone say somewhere and I think it carries with it at least time for a thought. We are told that if we want to keep our bodies in shape we must not starve them but eat small healthy meals regularly. I’ve tried it over the last three days and already I am noticing a difference. If only we would learn these simple valuable lessons that we are taught through the flesh and then convert the principle back into our Spiritual reasoning, when we do, I believe by God’s grace we will see results. It is one think to talk about being overweight and to do nothing about it. A person may moan about their bulk with a greasy hamburger in their hand, but all that will ever achieve is talk and no action, it carries with it the pattern of the hypocrite.

I am aware that my example and its reasoning is all about the flesh and even its reasoning comes from the medical research profession. What then does that have to do with me growing spiritually? We must learn to be sensitive to the lessons receive in our daily walks. That includes our wrongdoing; they are also there to teach us obedience.

I am persuasively encouraged not to walk in the flesh for if I do I will sure die; If I eat unhealthily and only when I am hungry, I will put on unhealthy mass, that ends with my body disproportional and unpleasing to the eye. But is I walk in the Spirit I will live; if I eat regular healthy small meals I will see physical results. If it is then that simple when it comes to our natural bodies, will it be any different in principle spiritually? No! We must put our hand to the plough to see results and probably more importantly for others around us to notice the change as they see the light of Christ shining through. Five small healthy meals a day is a good place to start; It will be of no use if we say to ourselves, this must change in my life because I know that it does not bring honour to my God and Father. So then we look to put it off by starving ourselves and we think we will have the victory, wrong! If we are to put off the “old man” we must with the same action put on the “new man”. This is the area where I make my mistakes and I do not believe I stand alone.

Carry this thought into today, “put off-put on”. Put off sin not through will power of man centered intuition but rather by feeding the Spirit regularly throughout each day. I am speaking of walking in the Spirit; simply put; wake up and eat a meal, by 10 am it is time for a snack, then lunch, at 3pm another snack and finally dinner. These meals must consist of these ingredients and with no preservatives added; prayer, fellowship with the household of God, biblical study through reading and an specific time set aside to remember the shedding of the Lord Jesus’ blood on Calvary for your sins. We must focus on our God’s achievements and on His Gospel as it will take our eyes off ourselves and our failures, we all struggle with something, it is part of God’s design to keep us focus on Him; even the Apostle Paul was given a thorn in the flesh to buffet him so that he did not end up a boaster. It was to keep him humble!

If we stick to God’s diet we will see results!

Now let us prove this theory and now eat breakfast with a beloved brother this morning and witness how when we ponder on his encouragement we find our hope kindled and new life begins to show, “get up and go is now our slogan!”

“Mighty to save.”

- Isa_63:1

“By the words “to save” we understand the whole of the great work of salvation, from the first holy desire onward to complete sanctification. The words are multum in parro: indeed, here is all mercy in one word. Christ is not only “mighty to save” those who repent, but he is able to make men repent. He will carry those to heaven who believe; but he is, moreover, mighty to give men new hearts and to work faith in them. He is mighty to make the man who hates holiness love it, and to constrain the despiser of his name to bend the knee before him. Nay, this is not all the meaning, for the divine power is equally seen in the after-work. The life of a believer is a series of miracles wrought by “the Mighty God.” The bush burns, but is not consumed. He is mighty to keep his people holy after he has made them so, and to preserve them in his fear and love until he consummates their spiritual existence in heaven. Christ’s might doth not lie in making a believer and then leaving him to shift for himself; but he who begins the good work carries it on; he who imparts the first germ of life in the dead soul, prolongs the divine existence, and strengthens it until it bursts asunder every bond of sin, and the soul leaps from earth, perfected in glory. Believer, here is encouragement. Art thou praying for some beloved one? Oh, give not up thy prayers, for Christ is “mighty to save.” You are powerless to reclaim the rebel, but your Lord is Almighty. Lay hold on that mighty arm, and rouse it to put forth its strength. Does your own case trouble you? Fear not, for his strength is sufficient for you. Whether to begin with others, or to carry on the work in you, Jesus is “mighty to save;” the best proof of which lies in the fact that he has saved you. What a thousand mercies that you have not found him mighty to destroy!” (C.H.Spurgeon)

May the peace of God’s Spirit rest upon all who eat from Him, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

  

We must die to live!

(John 8:37)  “… Because my word hath no place in you.”

In light of yesterday’s post and trying to understand where we stand with our glorious Father’s call upon our lives, I suppose that there must come a time in every believers life where we all settle on this truth; “not my while but thine be done”. With it comes pain, heartache, confusing, resistance from the will, that is the will of the flesh (our bodies of death) and much more? Why does it have to be this way? Unless a seed fall to the ground and dies it will abide alone, it will never bear fruit. Life teachers us that death is often associated with pain.

Whilst in Plettenberg Bay over the holidays the life guards on two occasions summonsed the bathers out of the water with sharp blasts on their whistles with a flag raised high and clear for most to see, with its warning, shark! Why do we take special note of such a warning, the fear of death jolts our reaction time into gear and before long the masses that once where swimming in the sea now all stood on the shore looking to see it they could spot the dreary creature? Comments like, “I never want to die like that”, “and I’m scared of sharks”. No one wants to die and yet it is the will of the Father that all His children must die! If we chose to reject His instruction through His Word, how will we ever be any different to those who look to serve Him for self-gain, it’s all about their life now and what they can get for their own stomachs? Are we any different? If not, I pray we will sit up and take note.

To help us with our reasoning, let us look at those who have gone before us, how do you think we will stand shoulder to shoulder with them in God’s kingdom, having wandered the desert in sheep skin while we lived a life of luxury with never a want and yet full of complaints? God forgive us! Or those persecuted for their faith; “Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 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 11:36-38): - It was these people that where noticed by God as He inspires the writer of Hebrews to pen those words.

Let me make it personal; what about the man who made himself a eunuch for the kingdom of heaven sake? If I was to stand next to him in heaven, I would shudder as I would think on his example. Two failed marriages and why? My “body of death” not willing to die! A sad thought indeed! This man must have seen the call of God clearly, it would be a sacrifice, it would cause pain, and loneliness would also play its part. And yet for those, whom it has been given, will be able to accept it as they make it their own... Not to speak of their passion, that would need to be dealt with as he would forfeit his God given right to sexual association with a wife. It appears that Paul was such a man and look what he achieved. Once again the Word teachers; that this in itself is a gift from God. It is all about grace, but we must seek this treasure out. We cannot sit on our laurels and pretend all is well when it is not.     

“His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.”” (Matthew 19:10-12)

There must come a time in a believer’s life where we realise that there is no other way but to die and to hang onto that which is dead is actually ridiculous, we must accept the fact that we need to keep dying through our on-going sanctification. We must all learn to say, “Not my will but thine be done”. We will wrestle and one should be surprised if we don’t have a daily battle with our flesh. But we must all eventually arrive at the same place and that is once we have repeatedly asked for the cup to pass and it remains, then we need to understand that it is grace that is needed to get us through the temptation.

This then is our example; “And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” (Luke 22:41-33)

Our biggest enemy is when we will not accept that fact that we need to die. May God open our eyes to His truth and not our wants and may His will become our will in every area of our lives. Father we pray for understanding in accordance of your will and then the grace to get through whatever we need to, for the glory of your namesake, our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, the One whom you rose from the dead and will likewise do the same for all who endure unto the end, Amen!  

Signing off

Tyrone

Is it I?

(Matthew 10:38)  “And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”

My thoughts are extremely somber this morning. I suppose I take so much for granted. There is a fine line between taking things for granted and being sincerely thankful. Take salvation as the pinnacle in a believers life; a person was once blind and dead in their trespasses and sins and then they by the grace of God find life. Some think that they chose God, but this would be impossible; prior to salvation we are all DEAD in out trespasses and our sins. Salvation is a gift from God! It is a Spiritual gift! He gives us life and only then can we live and see spiritual things.

It has always been about God’s choice; “God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord." (1Corinthians 1:28-31)   

Consider the twelve disciples how they left what they were doing and immediately followed the Lord. Now who in his right mind would drop a net in the middle of the day without any explanation to his employer or family and follow the Lord? That in itself on the surface seems rather rude! “Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men." And immediately they left their nets and followed him.” (Mark 1:16-18) 

There were other fishermen in the boat and yet the Lord chose Andrew and Simon, it was His choice! What about Judas Iscariot did God also chose Him? We know He did; “For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!" (Luke 22:22): - Someone needed to betray the Lord and He knew it before hand; it was part of God’s script! “When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve. And as they were eating, he said, "Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me." And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, "Is it I, Lord?" He answered, "He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born." Judas, who would betray him, answered, "Is it I, Rabbi?" He said to him, "You have said so."” (Matthew 26:20-25) 

Why would a man aware of the fact that he was about to betray the Lord ask the question, “is it I?” Was he so blinded by sin that he was unaware of what he was about to do, did he really believe he was acting in the Lord’s best interest in his mind’s eye. Had deception blinded him so badly? We know that he was motivated by money, which proves he was in it for his bellies sake, the same pattern we see with the warning Paul gives us about the enemies of the cross; “For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” (Philippians 3:18-21)

I must then conclude that Judas was never a citizen of heaven and so too is it today with many who claim to be and are not! When I look at the destruction at play in my life and the evil intent my mind still looks to conjure up for the sake of satisfying my own “body of death”, I must ask the question, “is it I Lord?” I do not sit at my desk with over confidence this morning but there is seriousness to “my standing” before my great heavenly Father. Please continue to work with me and help me put off what should no longer remain and help me to find grace to put on the Lord Jesus. How I need you my great God and King. O how I need you!

Signing off

Tyrone