Lord, give us strength to “stand firm in our faith.”

Isaiah 7:1-25

We thank You, Lord, that Jesus, Your Son, is “Immanuel” – “God with us” (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23). We look forward to the Second Coming of Immanuel: “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them” (Revelation 21:3). When our thoughts turn to the Return of Christ, may we think of His urgent call to faith: “When the Son of man comes, will He find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8). Lord, give us strength to “stand firm in our faith”, to “believe and be saved” (Isaiah 7:9; Hebrews 10:37-39).

Lord, Your Word challenges us to think seriously about ourselves ...

Jeremiah 13:1-27

‘These wicked people, who refuse to listen to My words, who follow the stubbornness of their hearts and go after other gods to serve and worship them will be… completely useless’ (Jeremiah 13:10). Lord, Your Word challenges us to think seriously about ourselves: Am I on the way to becoming ‘completely useless’? Each of us must think about what’s been happening in our lives – ‘Where is the blessedness I knew when first I saw the Lord? Where is the soul-refreshing view of Jesus and His Word? What peaceful hours I once enjoyed! How sweet their memory still! But they have left an aching void the world can never fill.’ Teach us, Lord, to pray for real change – for ‘a closer walk’ with You: ‘Return, O Holy Dove!… The dearest idol I have known… Help me to tear it from Thy throne, and worship only Thee. So shall my walk be close with God…’

Problems - from outside of ourselves, problems - from within our own hearts

Jeremiah 15:1-21

Lord, some of our problems come from outside of ourselves. Other people cause problems for us – ‘This people will fight against you’ (Jeremiah 15:20). Some of our problems come from within our own hearts. Our own sins cause problems for us. There are ‘fightings and fears within’. We are ‘tossed about with many a conflict, many a doubt.’ Help us to tell You all about it – how it really is. ‘Just as I am’ – This is how we must come to You, Lord. Our ‘fightings and fears’ do not simply disappear the moment we pray, ‘O Lamb of God, I come.’ We do, however, have Your promise: ‘They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you’ (Jeremiah 15:20). We thank You, Lord, that You will lead us in the way of victory (Colossians 2:8-10).

A Great Purpose - And A Great Place

Jeremiah 27:1-22

‘They will be taken to Babylon and there they will remain until the day I come for them. Then I will bring them and restore them to this place’ (Jeremiah 27:22). Lord, You had a great purpose for Your people - but they had to wait for Your time. You have a great purpose for us. Christ is preparing a great ‘place’ for us: ‘In My Father’s House are many mansions... I am going there to prepare a place for you’.  We thank You that Christ has promised that He will return to take us to that great ‘place’: ‘I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also’ (John 14:2-3). We rejoice in this: Christ is coming. Help us to wait patiently for Him. Teach us to wait for His time, the time of His Coming, the Day when He comes for us. We thank You, Lord, that You have not forgotten Your promise. He will come ‘to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him’ (Hebrews 9:28).

We thank You, Lord, that Jesus is ‘the Way, the True Way, the Living Way’ - our Guide and our Saviour.

Jeremiah 31:21-40

‘Set up road signs; put up guideposts. Take note of the highway, the road that you take’ (Jeremiah 31:21). Lord, it’s so easy, for us, to take a wrong turning. We lose our sense of direction. We get confused. We're not sure which way to go. We get lost. We're getting more and more lost all the time. We can’t find our way back home again. We need someone who knows the way to come and be our guide. We wonder, "Is there someone who can get us on the right road again? Is there someone who can guide us safely home?" We thank You, Lord, that You have answered our question. Your answer is "Yes!" We thank You that Jesus is ‘the Way, the True Way, the Living Way’ (John 14:6). We thank You for Jesus - our Guide and our Saviour.

Help us, Lord, to rise above the sarcasm of those who have no time for Your Word.

Jeremiah 40:1-16

‘The Lord your God pronounced this evil against this place; the Lord has brought it about, and has done as He said. Because you sinned against the Lord, and did not obey His voice, this thing has come upon you’ (Jeremiah 40:3). Lord, we hear a great deal today about ‘the feel good factor.’People need to get a good feeling: ‘Give them a pat on the back. Make them feel good about themselves.’There’s not much of a ‘feel good factor’ in Jeremiah’s preaching! The people must have been wondering, ‘Where did they dig him up from? He has nothing good to say about anyone or anything.’ Help us, Lord, to rise above the sarcasm of those who have no time for Your Word. May we ask, ‘Where did Jeremiah’s message really come from?’ - and may we hear Your answer: ‘The Word came to Jeremiah from the Lord’ (Jeremiah 40:1).

Lord, You’re calling us on to Your future, a glorious future, a future full of heavenly and eternal glory.

Jeremiah 49:23-39

‘I will restore the fortunes... in days to come’ (Jeremiah 49:39). Lord, You’re calling us on to Your future, a glorious future, a future full of heavenly and eternal glory. We look ahead to ‘days to come.’We look ahead to the greatest Day of all - the Day of Christ’s Return. It will be a glorious Day - ‘the Day He comes to be glorified... in all who have believed.’What a glorious Day it will be - the Day of ‘the Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ’, the Day of ‘our being gathered to Him’: ‘The Lord Himself will come down from heaven... We will be with the Lord for ever.’ Help us, Lord, to get ready for Christ’s Return. May we not be like those who ‘perish.’They ‘do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus.’They ‘refuse to love the truth and be saved.’May we have ‘faith’ in Christ and be ‘saved’ (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; 2:1,10,13-14; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).

“Thoughts in the Night”: An Evening Psalm – Psalm 4

“In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for Thou alone, O Lord, makest me dwell in safety” (v.8). Here, in its closing verse, we find the central theme of Psalm 4 – peace, the peace of God. This Psalm can be divided into four sections: v. 1 - prayer for help; vs. 2-3 - reproof of his enemies; vs. 4-5 - exhortation of his enemies; vs. 6-8 - confidence in God.
 It is in the closing section (vs. 6-8) that we come to the heart of this Psalm’s message for us – the peace of God and confidence in God. The Psalm points us to the peace of God so that we might have confidence in God. Before we come to the Psalmist’s confident affirmation of the peace of God, we must first take a look at his struggle to cope with the opposition that comes from those who mock him (v. 2). He is able to cope with this opposition because he has come to rejoice in God as a prayer-answering God (v. 1).
v.1 : prayer for help The Psalmist had learned that his own experience of the divine mercy was the strongest support on which he could always rely in times of trouble. On many occasions, the Psalmist had experienced this divine mercy. God had heard his prayer. God had answered his prayer. God had helped him. This was the firm foundation on which he was able to take his stand in the face of fierce opposition.
vs. 2-3 : reproof of his enemies
v. 2 – From his faith in the divine mercy, the Psalmist derived spiritual authority with which he was able, with clarity and conviction, to reprove the doubts and reproaches of his opponents. His directness of speech comes from his realization that when anyone slanders the man of God, they are also slandering God. Note that reproof opens the door for return. He is calling upon them to return to the Lord. By asking the questions, “How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?”, he is saying, “Is it not time that you stopped slandering God and started worshipping Him?”
v.3 – Here, the Psalmist is giving his testimony. He’s no longer reproving. He’s evangelizing. To his backslidden friends, he has asked the question, “How long will you ignore God’s grace?” Now, he is saying to them, “God has been gracious to me. Can you not see this? He is my Saviour. He can also be your Saviour.”
vs. 4-5 : exhortation of his enemies
v. 4 – Here, the Psalmist offers some pastoral advice to his backslidden friends. They have made themselves his enemies. He says to them, “Tremble, and sin not!” (v. 4a). They are to tremble before God. They are to fear God. They are to stand in awe of God. With a wholesome fear of God and a true reverence of God, these men are to turn from sin. God is calling them to repentance. When they are in the quietness of their own beds, they are to think seriously about their relation to God (v. 4b). Why does he specify the night time? He knows that our thoughts are easily distracted when we are out and about among people. He knows that, when we are on our own in the quietness of the night, we can think more seriously about the things that really matter. These men are being called to get alone with God so that they might examine themselves with true honesty.
v. 5 – God is not looking only for outward ceremonies. He’s looking for pure sacrifices, offered in a spirit of faith, humility, sincerity and heartfelt repentance. There’s something more important that the outward sacrifice. It’s the state of the heart before God. The Psalmist is urging his backslidden friends to return to the Lord. He’s calling them to get to know the love of God in their hearts and lives.
vs. 6-8 - confidence in God
v. 6 – Many are content with material prosperity. They enjoy the worldly blessings, which they have received from God. They never think of giving thanks to God. The Psalmist prays that the light of God’s countenance may shine upon us. He prays that God may look upon us with a Father’s love. Those who put their trust in prosperity have a form of happiness. It is not, however, true joy. Those who seek happiness in a worldly way of living need to be reminded that true joy is found in God alone.
v. 7 - “I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold; I’d rather have Jesus than riches untold.” “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” The joy of the Lord is the believer’s most priceless possession. The Psalmist speaks of light, joy and peace. We will only know the joy of the Lord when when the Father’s love shines upon us. We will only know the peace of God when we have the joy of the Lord, lifting our hearts.
v. 8 : We have received the Psalmist’s testimony concerning the grace of God in his life. Let’s turn to the Lord with sincerity of heart. Let’s come to Him and enter into the joy of His favour. Let’s receive the gift of His peace into our hearts. God’s peace in our hearts – What a wonderful blessing this is. This blessing can be ours through faith in Christ. May God grant that His peace will be given to each one of us.

A Spiritual Autobiography (Psalm 3)

Here, we have David's spiritual autobiography. God is saying to us, "What about you? Do you have a spiritual autobiography?" Here, we learn about David's distress and David's deliverance. God is saying to us, "Come to Me in your distress. Come to Me and receive your deliverance." This Psalm can be subdivided into four two-verse sections. 
vs. 1-2 - his complaint; vs. 3-4 - his confidence; vs. 5-6 - his security; vs. 7-8 - his prayer and his rejoicing. 
The Psalm begins with David's distress. Every one of us knows what this is like. We have been where David was. As we look at this Psalm, let's note how David handled his experience of distress. He took it out of his own hands. He placed it in the hands of God. 
vs. 1-2 : David's complaint was not addressed to man. He brought his complaint to God. It was not a bitter complaint, spoken against God. It was a humble and honest plea for understanding and help. In the context of worship, he offered his prayer to God. Forsaken by men, he clung all the more firmly to God. This Psalm became very meaningful to me at a time of complaint. I was wondering whether it was really worth continuing as a Christian. Unless I heard the voice of God, reassuring me, there and then, I felt that I was on the verge of turning back. My complaint was addressed to God. I spoke to God about my feelings. He spoke to me about His faithfulness. I read the first two Psalms. It seemed to me, at that time, that they had nothing to say to me. I read Psalm 3. I was given the grace to keep on going in the way of faith. What is God teaching us? - Let's be humble before God and honest with Him. Let's not take our complaints about God to men. Rather, let's take our complaints about men to God.Let's not speak against God. Let's speak to Him. Let's not allow our complaints to drive us away from worship. Let's keep on worshipping the Lord. Let's bring our complaint to the Lord. Let's bring it to Him as a plea for understanding and help.
vs. 3-4 : David's confidence can be summed-up in one three-letter word: GOD. God is his shield. God is protecting him from danger. God is his glory. God gives him true honour. David is convinced that the Lord will "lift his head." He didn't just turn to God because he was in dire straits. His whole life was rich in prayer and faith. - He had trusted God in the past. - He trusted God in the present. - He would trust God in the future. In my own time of testing, when I first came across this Psalm, I needed to be directed to God. I knew all about my own weakness. I didn't need to be reminded of that. I needed to be pointed away from myself to the Lord - my shield, my glory and the lifter of my head. That was what kept me going. He kept me going. "'Twas grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace shall lead me home." What is God teaching us? - Let's be constant, in faith and prayer. We're not to turn to God only when we face times of great difficulty. - Let's recognize our weakness. Let's turn to God and find our true strength in Him. 
vs. 5-6 : David's security lay in the assurance that God is greater than all his enemies. Remember the words of Scripture - "Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4). "If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31). With such a faith, David was able to exchange his own weakness for God's strength. He was able to exchange his own fear for God's courage. The words of Psalm 3 lifted me. Just when I needed them most, these words were given to me by God. My response was to offer my praise and thanksgiving to God. What is God teaching us? - God is greater than all our enemies. God is greater than all our circumstances. 
vs. 7-8 : David's Prayer and Rejoicing - It's so important to note David's response to life's trials. He prayed. "What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer." Note the character of David's prayer. He prays for deliverance. He prays for salvation. His prayer is a personal prayer - "Help me, O my God." He prayed with assurance - "Deliverance belongs to the Lord." He prays for others - "Thy blessing be upon Thy people!" In my own time of testing, it was my reading of Scripture that sent me to my knees to pray with joy. What is God teaching us? Pray for salvation. Make it a personal prayer. Pray with assurance. Pray for others.

Burdensome Religion And Joyous Faith (Psalm 1:1-2)

Burdensome religion and joyous faith are worlds apart. They are exact opposites.

“I have to” – How shallow and superficial is “I have to” religion. The man or woman who thinks like this hasn’t even begun to appreciate the great love of Jesus Christ.What a far cry this is from a truly heartfelt and joyful Christian faith!
When someone is really interested in something, it’s never a matter of “I have to.”
- Does a young man, desperately in love, “have to” meet his sweetheart?
- Does a football fanatic “have to” travel miles to watch his team?
- Does a music lover “have to” buy the CDs and go the concerts of his favourite band?
- Does a keen golfer “have to” play golf?
Do you get the point?
The real question is not “Do I have to?” It’s “Do I want to?”
It’s much better to do something good because you want to – not just because you have to!
Have you begun to appreciate something of the great love of God, which is revealed in His Son, our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ? If you have, you will count it your great privilege and wonderful pleasure to come to His Table and remember His love for you, with joyful and heartfelt thanksgiving.
There are times when even the strongest of Christians don’t feel on top of the world. There are times when attendance at worship seems to be more of a duty than a delight.
When we feel like this, we need to be reminded of the facts of the Gospel. Jesus died for us. Jesus was raised again for us. As we remember these great facts, our feelings will, once again, be stirred to worship our Saviour with our whole heart.
When you don’t feel like worshipping the Lord, that’s the time when you most need to come and join the people of God as they offer their thanksgiving to the Lord.
- Come to Church when you want to because you want to.
- Come to Church when you don’t want to, because you need to.
When you don’t feel like worshipping the Lord, you will find all kinds of excuses for yourself.
When I was married, the minister said that both prosperity and adversity can lead to marital breakdown.
In times of adversity, a man may forget his wife. He may say, “I can’t afford to keep a wife.”
In times of prosperity, a man may forget about his wife. as he becomes more prosperous, he may become fed-up with the wife he loved when he wasn’t so well-off.
Prosperity and adversity can lead a man away from his God.
Prosperity may make a man say, “I have no need of God.”
Adversity may make a man say, “It’s all God’s fault.”
Prosperity and adversity provide us with tests which can either make us or break us.
The man whose real interest is Christ will grow into a deeper sense of heartfelt gratitude to his Saviour. The man whose interests centre on other things will, perhaps gradually yet nonetheless definitely, forget about his Saviour.
The contrast between religion as an tedious burden and Christ as a source of joy is brought out well in Psalm 1.
In the first Psalm, we learn about happiness. We learn about the way to find happiness. The basic message is this: the man who finds happiness is the man who loves the Lord. The man for whom religion is a tedious burden will know nothing of true happiness. He hasn’t found true happiness because he hasn’t learned to trust and obey.
This is the lesson we must learn: “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”
A striking contrast is drawn between the happy man and the unspiritual man who doesn’t take God seriously.
When the Psalmist draws this contrast, there’s no suggestion of a “holier-than-thou” attitude. We’re not to look down on other people. We’re not to consider ourselves superior. Such religious arrogance has no places has no place in the hearts of those who have tasted the goodness of the Lord. We are sinners. We have been saved by God’s grace. What right have we to despise others? The Good News of Christ’s love has brought great blessing into our hearts and lives. we dare not keep this blessing to ourselves. We are called to live a holy life – but we must never forget that our holiness comes from the Lord. It comes from His love. This is the love which is always reaching out to others, inviting them to receive God’s forgiveness and calling them to walk in the pathway of holiness.
In Psalm 1, we learn about (a) the habits of the man of God (vs. 1-2); (b) the stability of the man of God (vs. 3-4); and (c) the future of the man of God (vs. 5-6). At each point, a contrast is drawn between the man of God and the worldly man.
The aim of the first Psalm is to press for a decision. The Psalmist doesn’t say, “Here’s an interesting contrast between two different ways of thinking about life.” He wants his readers to stop walking in the world’s way and start walking in the Lord’s way. He wants us to say, “From now on, I will walk in the way of the Lord.”
(a) the habits of the man of God (vs. 1-2)
The Psalmist emphasizes the importance of right conduct.
In verse 1, he does this negatively – “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly … “
In verse 2, he does this positively – “his delight is in the law of the Lord … “
The way of disobedience is a way that gets progressively worse (v. 1).
First, there is “walking in the counsel of the wicked”, which means letting oneself be guided by the advice of the evildoers.
Next, there is “standing in the way of sinners”, which means conforming to the example of sinners.
Thirdly, there “sitting in the seat of the scoffers”, which means actively participating in the mocking of sacred things.
The way of obedience is directly related to the revealed will of God in the Word of God – Hear, Read, Study, Memorize, Meditate (v.2).
(b) the stability of the man of God and the instability of the worldly man(vs. 3-4)
Which describes your life?

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Here, the Psalmist uses the language of biology (v. 3). He shares with us the fundamental law of the divine biology- A good tree cannot bear bad fruit. A bad tree cannot bear good fruit. He uses the language of the harvest to show us that the life that is lived apart from God is empty, meaningless and worthless. This is so different from the meaningful and valuable life of faith.
(c) the future (vs. 5-6)
The Psalmist states quite categorically that those whose lives haven’t been built on Christ will not stand in the judgment. The godless man’s meaningless existence will be seen in its complete futility. On that Day, the things that really matter will be seen as the ultimate meaning of life. These things are faith and obedience.
Sow a thought, reap an action. Sow an action, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a destiny.
We’ve only one life to live. Only what’s done for Jesus will last.
Where do you stand in relation to all that Psalm 1 says to us?
May God grant that you will stand with Christ – to trust Him, to obey Him, to serve Him, to love Him and to live for Him. May this be the desire of your heart, the conviction of your mind, the resolve of your will, the words of your mouth and the actions of your life.

Exalted

In Philippians 2:8, we read of Jesus going into “the far country” (Luke 15:13) – “He humbled Himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!” – so that we might have an even greatest Homecoming of all – Christ has been “exalted … to the highest place.” He has been given “the Name that is above every name.” What a day it will be when “at the Name of Jesus every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).

Lord, there is always something more to be done for You.

2 Kings 1:1-2:13 

Lord, there is always something more to be done for You. Help us never to say, “I’ll leave it to someone else” or “I’ll leave it until tomorrow.” The things that are left to someone else or left until tomorrow often end up becoming the things that never get done. Help us, Lord, to be less casual and more committed in our attitude to Your work.

Lord, we need Your wisdom. We need Jesus – He is Your wisdom.

2 Chronicles 1:1-2:18

Lord, we need Your wisdom (2 Chronicles 1:10). We need Jesus – He is Your wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:30). Without Jesus, we’re fools. We may think that we’re wise – but we’re not. Jesus makes us wise. True wisdom comes from Him. When we build our lives on Jesus, we are truly wise (Matthew 7:24-27). Lord, give us Your wisdom – the wisdom that knows the most important thing: Jesus is our Saviour.

The Suffering and Glory of Christ (Psalm 22)

 * The suffering of Christ - "My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Psalm 22:1).

These words lie at the heart of Christ's suffering. He suffered for us. He died for our salvation. He is our Substitute and our Saviour: "He died that we might go to heaven, saved by His precious blood." He went in obedience to the Cross so that we might be called to obedience from the Cross. He was forsaken by God so that we might be forgiven by God.

 * The glory of Christ - "I will declare Your name to My brothers; in the congregation I will praise You" (Psalm 21:22).

Christ's prayer was answered. God raised Him from the dead. Apparent defeat was turned into glorious victory. The cloud of darkness was removed. The glorious light shone through. death is a defeated enemy. Resurrection to eternal life - this is our glorious hope.

As we look at the death and resurrection of Christ, let us give all the glory to God for all that He has done for us.

Those who fear You, Lord, have no need to live in fear of man.

Psalms 111:1-112:10 

'Praise the Lord... To Him belong eternal praise... Blessed is the man who fears the Lord... His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes...'(Psalm 111:1,10; Psalm 112:1,8). Those who 'fear' You, Lord, have no need to live in fear of man. Those who know that ‘eternal praise’ belongs to You, Lord, can face their enemies with confidence. Our confidence is not in ourselves. Our confidence is You. We know how good You have been to us - ‘He provided redemption for His people’. We thank You that we have heard and believed the Good News of Christ. We need not ‘fear’ any ‘bad news’ which the devil sends our way. We 'trust' in You, Lord, confident that the ‘light ‘will triumph over the ‘darkness’. We thank You that the Good News of Christ will triumph over the devil’s bad news (Psalm 111:9; Psalm 112:4,7).

Lord, living for You isn’t easy ...

Genesis 16:1-16

Lord, living for You isn’t easy – Satan makes sure of that!

We try to escape his evil clutches – but he’s always there, and he’s up to no good!

Satan is such a determined enemy. Help us to remind him that he’s a defeated enemy.

We’re often tempted – and we feel so weak.

Help us to tell Satan that Jesus is Lord – and we belong to Jesus!

Satan wins some battles with us. He gives us a hard time. Often, he gets the better of us.

Help us to remind him that the final triumph belongs to Jesus.

Beyond our present conflict, there is His final triumph; “This day the noise of battle, the next the victor’s song” (from “Stand up, stand up for Jesus”).

Lord, the spirit of rebellion against You is very powerful ... Help us to take our stand against this attitude.

Jeremiah 46:1-28

‘Egypt rises like the Nile, like rivers whose waters surge. He said, “I will rise, I will cover the earth, I will destroy cities and their inhabitants”’ (Jeremiah 46:8). Lord, the spirit of rebellion against You is very powerful. Many lives have been destroyed by the attitude of proud unbelief: ‘Who is the Lord, that I should obey Him...?’ (Exodus 5:2). Help us to take our stand against this attitude. Help us, Lord, to stand up for You. We see the world going from bad to worse. Help us to keep on believing Your Word. When, Lord, we are filled with fear, You come to us with Your Word, ‘Do not fear... Do not be dismayed...’When we feel the spirit of rebellion sweeping over us, You come to us with Your promise: ‘I will surely save you out of a distant place.’ You give us ‘peace and security’ - ‘Do not fear... I am with you’ (Jeremiah 46:27-28).

God's Love - Reaching Out To Us

"God's love endures for ever" (Psalm 136:1).
God loves us. He’s always reaching out to us. He’s calling us to return to Him. He’s inviting us to come and be blessed by Him. When we resist His call and rebel against Him, we miss out on His blessings – the forgiveness of our sins and new life in Christ. We receive these blessings through faith in Christ. Our rebellion against God doesn’t mean that God stops loving us – He keeps on reaching out to us. He keeps on calling us to return to Him – but it does mean that we miss out on the enjoyment of the blessings He’s calling us to receive through faith in Christ.

The search for wisdom

The search for wisdom may begin for us with the question, “What does the book of Proverbs teach us about wisdom?”, but it must not end there. While it is important to learn what the Old Testament has to say to us, we should not allow ourselves to get trapped in the Old Testament so that we fail to look beyond the first stage of God’s revelation and see the fullness of God’s revelation – our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ: “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by His Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2).

The book of Proverbs encourages us to search for wisdom. In our search for wisdom, we find that we are led beyond the book of Proverbs. We read what the New Testament says to us – “you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). We are to led to “Christ” who is “the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24). Christ leads us beyond “man’s wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:25). Whatever else may be said about wisdom, there is one thing that we must always say, “Christ Jesus … has become for us wisdom from God” (1 Corinthians 1:30).

We do learn about wisdom as we read the book of Proverbs – but there is more to learn than the book of Proverbs, on its own, is able to teach us. In the book of Proverbs, we read of “Wisdom” calling out to us (Proverbs 1:20-21). In the Gospels, Jesus speaks to us. He tells us that He is “the Truth” (John 14:6). He tells us that He is “the Light” (John 8:12). We seek understanding. We seek enlightenment. We find these things in Jesus. We are truly wise when we build our life on Christ (Matthew 7:24-27).

When, in the book of Proverbs, we read the words, “Get wisdom” (Proverbs 4:7), we must follow where our search for wisdom leads us. For us, “Get wisdom” means more than it meant for the writer of the book of Proverbs. It means, “Come to Christ and receive salvation.”

Whatever we may learn about wisdom from the book of Proverbs, this is only the beginning of our search. From there, we look to Jesus and we see that in Him are “‘all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge’ (Colossians 2:3) – all that we need for salvation, sanctification and service.

If We Want To Serve God, We Must Learn To Worship Him.

1 Peter 3:1-4:6
The world is preoccupied with outward appearances. As Christians, we should be more concerned with our inward attitude. ‘In your hearts reverence Christ as Lord’. Pray for His ‘attitude’- ‘a tender heart and a humble mind’(8,15; 4:1). We believe the Gospel - ‘Christ died for our sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God’. Let’s share the Gospel - ‘Be always ready to give...a reason for the hope that is in you’. How are we to share the Gospel? - ‘with gentleness and respect’(18,15). We must get the attitude right - ‘so that nothing will hinder our prayers’(7). We need more than the ‘right’ prayers - words that sound good. We need the right attitude. The blessing will not come because our words sound good. It will only come when our attitude is right.

1 Peter 4:7-5:14
In all the service we offer to God, there is to be the offering of worship: ‘To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever’(4:11; 5:11). We will not learn to serve God unless we are learning to worship Him. There is a ‘form of religion’ which ‘denies the power’ of God - ‘These people honour Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me’(2 Timothy 3:5; Matthew 15:8). They go through the motions - but their hearts are not in it! We must pray that God will deliver us from this kind of thing: ‘O for a heart to praise my God! A heart from sin set free; A heart that always feels Thy blood, so freely shed for me’(Church Hymnary, 85). ‘Religion’ is about respectability. Salvation is about renewal: ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me’(Psalm 51:10).

How Great Is Our God!

"Who can speak about all the mighty things the Lord has done? Who can announce all the things for which He is worthy of praise?" (Psalm 106:2).

There is always more to be said about the Lord than we can ever say. When we have said all that we can say, we have not said enough. The Lord is always greater than all our words about Him. How great is our God! How great is His mighty work of salvation! Praise be to His Name - the Name of our salvation.

The Joy Of The Lord

"Let the righteous rejoice in the Lord" (Psalm 64:10). 

Lord, You give us joy - true joy, lasting joy. This is Your joy. It's not just a passing emotion. It's more than a feeling that doesn't last very long. Your joy changes us. It gives us the strength to live as "a new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Jesus' Death Was Not The End Of His Story.

‘It is finished’ (John 19:30). These are not words of despair. They are words of triumph.

At an early stage in His public ministry, Jesus said, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me to finish His work’ (John 4:34). Even then, He was looking ahead to the Cross, to the completion of the work of redemption.

In one sense, ‘it is finished’- on the Cross. In another sense, there is more to be done - by the Father. The Cross is followed by the resurrection - ‘God raised Him from the dead’(Acts 2:24; Romans 10:9).

To come to the words, ‘It is finished’ is not to reach the end of the story.

Jesus was laid in the tomb (John 19:42). This was not the end of His story.

He was raised on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:4)!

"Barabbas was a robber" ...

Looking back to Christ’s crucifixion, looking forward to His return

We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19). We are to live as those who are awaiting the Day of the Lord’s return (Hebrews 10:25).

We look back to what Christ has done for us. We look forward to what He will do for us.

Looking back and looking forward: These are both found in Hebrews 9:28 - ‘Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him’.

We remember our Saviour. We remember what He has done for us: ‘the Son of God loved us and gave Himself for us’(Galatians 2:20).

We eat bread and drink wine, giving thanks that our Saviour went to the Cross for us - His body broken for us and His blood shed for us.

We are not only looking back. We are also looking forward: ‘As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes’ (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

Remember - and pray, ‘Come, Lord Jesus!’(Revelation 22:20).

As we remember our Lord Jesus Christ, we see how sinful we really are and we pray for ‘mercy’ and ‘grace’ (Hebrews 4:15-16). It is through His grace and mercy that we are able to look forward to ‘eternal salvation’ (Hebrews 5:9).

“It is finished”. The work of redemption is completed. Jesus is the risen Lord.

The story continues. Jesus is betrayed. Jesus is arrested (John 18:1-11). He stands before the Jewish authorities (John 18:12-14, 19-24).

‘Barabbas was a robber’. He was released (John 18:39-40). There was ‘no crime’in Jesus. He was ‘crucified’ (John 18:38; 19:4, 6, 16).

Was Jesus no more than the innocent victim of a shameful and tragic miscarriage of justice? No! Jesus, the King of kings, chose to die.

Looking ahead to the Cross, He said, ‘For this I was born...’ (John 18:36-37). In love, He chose death on the Cross.

As truly as Barabbas, each of us can say, ‘He took my place and died for me’. In His death, Jesus did not only take the place of one sinner, Barabbas - ‘He took the place of many sinners’. He did not simply bear the punishment deserved by one sinner, Barabbas - ‘The Lord made the punishment fall on Him, the punishment all of us deserved’ (Isaiah 53:12, 6).

Christ died "not for our sins only but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2) ...

Christ died "not for our sins only but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2). This is something which we, in the church, must never forget.

When we are tempted to shut out 'the big, bad world', we must remember - Christ died "not for our sins only but also for the sins of the whole world."

In this world, we face many temptations.Not all of these temptations come from the world out there, the world outside of these four walls. There are some temptations that come to us precisely because we have stepped into the place of worship, precisely because we have chosen to worship God.

Jesus was very aware of the dangers that face religious people, especially those who are very religious. The more religious we are, the more we are tempted to take pride in ourselves, in our own religion. Jesus was a storyteller. He told stories. They were stories with a difference, stories with a message, stories full of spiritual truth. One of his stories was the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. It is a story about two men - two men who went to the temple to pray. One of them - the Pharisee - was very religious, and didn't he know it? He was full of himself. The other man - the tax collector - was a worldly man, deeply involved in the affairs of the world.

Why does Jesus tell us about these two men?

Luke makes it quite clear why Jesus tells this story - "He ... told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others" (Luke 18:9).

What was Jesus saying to them? What is he saying to us? - Don't trust in yourselves! Don't despise others! We could put that more positively - Trust in Jesus Christ, your Saviour. Love others with the love of Christ.

How are we to trust in Jesus Christ? How are we to love others with the love of Christ?

 * Do you want to learn to trust Christ? - Then, remember this - Christ died for your sins.

 * Do yo want to learn to love others? Then, remember this - Christ died not for our sins only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Whenever you have two groups of people - one group, religious, like the Pharisee; the other group, worldly, like the tax collector, there is always the danger of a proud 'us and them' attitude, creeping in and distorting our whole outlook.

We take pride in ourselves. we become far too conscious of our own religion and our own morality. We look down upon others. We see a great difference 'us and them.'

This kind of thinking is very dangerous. Whenever we start thinking like this, it becomes difficult for us to hear what Christ is saying to us.

What is Jesus saying to us? - To hear his voice, we must come to the cross, At the cross, we learn about ourselves, and we learn about others.

 - We look at ourselves, and we say, "I am the sinner for whom Christ died."

 - We look at others, and we say, "They are the sinners for whom Christ died."

We do not say, "I am the sinner for whom Christ died" and, then, forget about the world out there.

We do not say, "They are the sinners for whom Christ died", and, then, imagine that we, religious people, are not really sinners, that we religious people do not really need to trust the Saviour.

Perhaps, you are asking, "Is there no difference between the church and the world? Yes. There is a difference, but it's not a difference which gives the church any reason for becoming proud and arrogant. we dare not become like the Pharisee - "I am not like other men" (Luke 18:11).

What, then, is the difference between the church and the world?

 * It is a difference which is grounded in God's mercy - "Once you were no people but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy but now you have received mercy" (1 Peter 2:10. 

 * It is a difference which calls us to be Christ's witnesses in the world - "You are ... God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of Him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light" (1 Peter 2:9).

We are to be Christ's witnesses in the world. This is something we must not forget when we gather together for worship. Our worship concerns the world. Can we forget the world, when the Bible tells us that Christ died "not for our sins only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2).

We belong to the community of faith. We also belong to a wider community - local, national, international. Our praise, our prayer, our preaching - they are all directed toward the world.

(1) We praise God in this place, but God is concerned with something much bigger. Here are some Bible verses which emphasize the mighty work of God is seeking to do when his people praise him.

   (a) "O God ... your praises reach to the ends of the earth" (Psalm 48:10). This is God's purpose.

   (b) "He establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth" (Isaiah 62:7). God fulfils his purpose through his people.

   (c) "He is the one you praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes. Your ancestors who went down into Egypt were seventy in all, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky" (Deuteronomy 10:21-22). The increase of his people - this is the purpose of God.

   (d) "It is written:‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God’" (Romans 14:11). As we offer our praise to God, we must remember this; "Christ died not for our sins but for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2).

(2) What are we doing when we pray? Are we just looking for a good feeling? No! There is much more than that. We are to pray for others. We are to pray for the world. Jesus taught us to pray, "Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."

Prayer, which is self-centred, is shallow and superficial. Prayer for others is an integral part of mature prayer. Why, in our praying, are we so preoccupied  with ourselves and have so little interest in others. a preoccupation with ourselves is a sign of childishness. It is something which we must grow out of as we grow in Christ. We must learn to say, with John the Baptist, "Christ must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). As Christ grows in us, as he increases in our lives, there will be a greater commitment to praying for others, praying for the world, for which Christ died.

(3) What is happening when the Word of God is preached? Is this preaching addressed only to the church, those who have gathered to hear it? No! It is also addressed to the wider community. It is addressed to the local community, the nation, the international situation.

How can the Word , which is heard by a small number of people, affect the wider community?

   (a) When the Word of God changes us, it changes the way we live in the local community.

   (b) When the Word of God teaches the individual, it creates a concern for the nation. 

   (c) When the Word of God reaches our hearts, it creates in us the heart of a missionary, one who longs for Christ to be known by people of every nation.

What we are talking about now is sharing. We are to be a sharing people. An excellent model of sharing is found in Jesus' parable of the good Samaritan. In this parable, the are three very different ways of thinking and living.

  (i) The attitude of the thieves - "What's yours is mine. I'll take it."

  (ii) The attitude of the priest and the Levite - "What's mine is mine. I'll keep it."

  (iii) The attitude of the good Samaritan - "What's mine is yours. I'll give it."

We are to share, never forgetting that Christ died "not for our sins but for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2).

Out Of The Curse And Into The Blessing

“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). 

 * What do we mean when we say, "Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world"?

"Christ, our Passover Lamb has been sacrificed" (1 Corinthians 5:7).

To understand this description of Christ - "our Passover Lamb", we need to go back to Exodus 12. 

  -  A lamb was to be taken for each household (Exodus 12:3).

  - The lamb was to be "without blemish" (Exodus 12:5).

  - The lamb was to be killed (Exodus 12:6).

  - The blood was to be put on the doorposts of the house (Exodus 12:7).

  - "When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Exodus 12:13).

Jesus Christ is "the lamb without blemish" (1 Peter 1:19). He is "the Lamb, who was slain" (Revelation 5:12). He is "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).

 * What was happening when Jesus Christ died? How are we to understand the death of Jesus Christ?

"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit" (Galatians 3:13-14).

Paul teaches us that we must think in terms of curse and blessing. Jesus Christ took upon himself the curse of our sin so that we might receive the blessing of his salvation. We were living under "the curse of the law" (Galatians 3:13). The law had been given by God. The law had been broken by us, The law had been given to us for our blessing. Now, the law highlights our condemnation. Paul puts it like this: "the very commandment which promised life proved to be death to us" (Romans 7:10).

What is Paul saying here? What does he mean, when he speaks of "the curse of the law"? Is he suggesting that the law is no longer the law of God? No! He's not saying anything like this. The law is still God's law. Paul makes this clear when he writes, "The law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good" (Romans 7:12). How, then, can he speak of "the curse of the law"?  There is nothing wrong with God's law, but there's a great deal wrong with us. We are sinners who have broken God's law. This is what Paul is saying when he writes, " (Romans 7:11). 

 * We are under "the curse of the law" because of our sin. 

  (a) What has God done about it? - "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law" (Galatians 3:13).

  (b) How did he do this for us? He became a curse for us by being crucified for us - "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree."

  (c) Why did he do this for us? - "that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit."

  (d) How do we receive this blessing, the promise of the Spirit? - "through faith" 

 * "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law." What does this mean? "Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God" (1 Peter 3:18). The righteous for the unrighteous - In this phrase, we have a great description of the meaning and purpose of Christ's death. He is "the righteous." On our behalf, he took upon himself the penalty for our failure to keep God's law. Why did he do this? - "to bring us to God"

Why Did Christ Die?

In the death of Jesus Christ, we see both the holiness and the love of God.
God hates sin. God loves sinners. Both are true - not one without the other but both together.
Why did Christ die? - so that sin might be punished, so that sinners might be saved.
God hates sin. The Bible tells us that God is so perfectly holy that he cannot look upon sin (Habakkuk 1:13). Christ died so that sin might be punished.
God loves sinners. The Bible makes this perfectly clear - "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
Why did Christ die? - "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him" (John 3:17). 
When we look at the cross of Christ, we are to see both  - the love of God for the sinner and the holy (or righteous) anger of God, directed against sin. That is what we are to see when we look at the cross of Christ - the holiness of God and the love of God.
What did God see when he looked down upon the cross of Christ? What did God see when, in holiness and love, when he looked down upon the crucified Christ.
At Christ's baptism and his transfiguration, God made a declaration - "This is my beloved Son - with whom I am well pleased / hear him (listen to him)! (Matthew 3:17; Matthew 17:5).
At the cross, God looked down from heaven and saw his beloved Son, but he, also, saw something else. He saw our sin laid upon Jesus.
Many years ago, when I first discovered the words of 2 Corinthians 5:21, I wrote in the margin of my Bible, the words, What a gospel!" What are the words of 2 Corinthians 5:21? -
"God made him (Christ) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him (Christ) we might become the righteousness of God."
It's wonderful for us - "in him we ... become the righteousness of God." what about Christ? How did he feel when our sin was laid upon him? How did he experience this - our sin being laid upon him?
He experienced it as God-forsakenness: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46).  
When Jesus took our sin upon himself, was he mistaken in feeling that he had been forsaken by God? or Was he really forsaken by God, when our sin was laid upon him? The Bible tells us that it was real. When Christ took our sin himself, he really was forsaken by God. 
Why was he forsaken by God? - so that we might be redeemed for God. He took our punishment so that we might receive his salvation. 
When Christ died, he was dying for us. Look at him, and say, "It should have been me." he received the wages of our sin - death, so that we might receive the gift of God - eternal life (Romans 6:23). Only Christ, the sinless Son of God, earned the right to eternal life. For the rest of us, the story is "the wages of sin is death." Now, here is the good news. Christ shares eternal life with us. He gives it to us. This is grace - the wonderful grace of Jesus. 

Jesus Christ – forsaken by God and pierced for our transgressions

Read of the Psalmist’s sufferings. Think of the Saviour, suffering for you (Psalm 22:7-8, 18; Matthew 27:39 ,43, 35).

We highlight two statements: ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’, ‘They have pierced my hands and my feet’ (Psalm 22:1, 16).

Jesus Christ was ‘crucified and killed by the hands of the lawless men’ (Acts 2:23). There is, however, more to His story than this: ‘The Lord has laid all our sins on Him’ (Isaiah 53:6).

When we read of Jesus Christ, ‘pierced for our transgressions’, we see Him ‘pierced’ by men and forsaken by God (Isaiah 53:5; Zechariah 12:10; John 19:34; Matthew 27:46).

Looking on to Jesus Christ, risen, exalted and returning, we see Him still bearing the marks of His suffering - ‘the mark of the nails’, ‘a Lamb standing as though it had been slain’, ‘pierced’ (John 20:25; Revelation 5:6; 1:7).

Jesus Christ has ‘tasted death for everyone’ (Hebrews 2:9). Now, through Him, salvation is proclaimed to ‘the congregation’, to ‘the ends of the earth’ to ‘future generations’ (Psalm 22:22, 27, 30). Jesus Christ, ‘the same yesterday, today and for ever’, proclaims salvation to the great ‘congregation’, drawn from ‘every tribe and language and people and nation’ (Hebrews 13:8; 2:12; Revelation 5:9).

Guidance From "A Man Of Macedonia", Guidance From God

“During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the Gospel to them” (Acts 16:9-10).

Paul’s guidance came through ” a man of Macedonia.” His guidance came from “God.” We look at the human situation. We ask the Lord, “What do You want me to do?”

Glory To God? or Praise From People?

Great things can happen …
Great things can happen when ‘earnest prayer’ is ‘made to God by the church’ – God ‘is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think’ (Acts 12:5-7; Ephesians 3:20). Give all the glory to God.

Herod ‘did not give God the glory’. He accepted the praise of the people – ‘This is the voice of a god, not of a man’. Herod’s sudden death – ‘an angel of the Lord struck him down’ – is a warning (Acts 12:22-23; Proverbs 29:1).

‘Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows that he will also reap’. ‘Walk humbly with your God’ (Galatians 6:7; Micah 6:8).

A Triumphant Entry Into God's Etenal Kingdom

“Look,” Stephen said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56).

Immediately after this great  vision of his Saviour, Stephen prayed two prayers

- “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (Acts 7:59);

- “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60).

Stephen’s death wasn’t a sad exit from this world. It was a triumphant entry into God’s eternal Kingdom.

Through faith in Christ, we can die triumphantly.

Jesus is “the light of the world” (John 8:12).

Life without Christ is very different from life with Christ. He is “the Light of the world” (John 8:12). When Christ shines His light into our hearts, the whole of life is so much brighter than it could ever be without Him. We could compare the world to a jigsaw. We don’t see the complete picture until we have all the pieces in place. For many people, Christ is “the missing piece.” He’s not just one small missing piece that doesn’t really matter very much if it’s not there. He is the Centre of everything. Take Him away, and everything else looks very different. Put Him in His proper place, at the centre of our life, and we begin to see the complete picture. Everything is centred on Him. When we see the whole of life in relation to Christ, our whole life starts to make sense in a way that it doesn’t when Christ is taken out of the picture.