J O H N   20  v19

The Gospel passage for this Sunday comes from John’s gospel in Chapter 20, and is the story of Jesus appearance to His Apostles in the Upper Room on the evening of the first Easter Sunday. 

The Apostles were in the Upper Room, terrified in fear for their lives.  This was because rumours had been spread around Jerusalem that they must have stolen the body of Jesus, and they feared the authorities might take action against them.  The doors were firmly shut, yet Jesus appeared in the room to their amazement, but also joy.   This suggests that His body was a supernatural body, and so if we are to be like Him in heaven, our future bodies will also be supernatural.   Jesus was giving a demonstration in confirmation He was alive.   This was no animation of a corpse; it was Jesus in a new form of being which could pass through doors.

You can imagine the reaction of the Apostles who must have thought they were hallucinating, for most people do at some time have visions, especially if you are longing for someone whom you never expected to see.  The Apostles were delighted to see the Lord however.

Jesus greeted them with the traditional Jewish greeting Shalom, words which mean not only ‘peace be with you’, but every kind of blessing.  He then showed them His hands and side, to prove that it was the same Jesus they had known when they were with Him, but by showing His wounds it verified that this was the Jesus who had been on the Cross and was now an alive person,

The Apostle Thomas was not present, but would not believe when he was told they had seen the Lord, and refused util he could examine the body of the Lord.  When Jesus returned the next week, he was challenged to touch on the body of Jesus, but he declined and answered  my Lord and my God.  Jesus was not impressed, and praised those whobelieved by faith not by seeing proof.

We have to sympathize with Thomas who just a natural fellow responding as most people would not accept a dead man was alive.

Then Jesus gave them command saying, just as God had sent Him He was now sending them out to preach the gospel in His name.  This is essentially and fundamentally what the Church should and must be doing, preaching the gospel that He left us and abandoning all the modern fancy ideas aimed at pleasing society.  We don’t go out saying the Bible says…,but, I’ve got a better idea, we go in His name saying what  He said. 

Jesus then when parting He again said ‘peace be with you’ as a form of good-bye, and then breathed on them.  At His baptism, the Holy Spirit was poured out on Jesus, and He now tells the Apostles as God had given Him the Holy Spirit, He (Jesus) was giving them the power of the Holy Spirit to go out and tell the world about His offer of eternal  salvation for all who accepted and believed in Him.  If anyone did not, they were condemned eternally.

Jesus has passed on this mission to the Church all down the ages, to go out and speak for His message, so that when people hear that message from us, they are indirectly hearing the words of our Lord.

Jesus also said He was giving them the Holy Spirit in which they could forgive people’s sins, or if necessary to refuse to do so.  It is from this passage that the Churches of Catholic persuasion, Roman or Anglican, claim authority to pronounce absolution.  This is contrary to Scripture, which teaches that only God can give forgiveness, and there is nothing in the Bible that I can find which supports priestly absolution.

Every Christian can seek forgiveness from God directly, but if we are considering wanting to make a confession of sins, and seeking assurance, then for good order and discipline, one could reasonably state a priest is the person to approach rather than just any member of the Church.  I have known instances, where people have met for study groups and during the meeting been invited and encouraged to speak out on personal troubles, which is quite seriously unwise as there is no moral demands on friends to keep confidentiality.  There is no doubt that by talking out a worrying matter, it can ease one’s mind, but a priest (or ordained minister) is the one who should be approached, bound as he is not to reveal any confidence. 

What Jesus is meaning, is that when the Apostles were convinced a person had truly repented o their sins and accepted Jesus as Saviour, they could be assured God had forgiven them; but if as on a later occasion when Peter was not assured of a person’s sincerity, they could not be given assurance of forgiveness.

The Church has to a large degree lost its purpose for being; we are here to preach the gospel, but there is a greater desire in many places to be more busy in social activities as well as political.  Bishops were very active in advising how to vote in the Brexit referendum, and some are now participating with advice how to vote in elections.  If they were as active in advising how to fill the Churches, which are emptying at an alarming rate, they would be fulfilling their proper day job.

God wants us to be out into the world doing what Jesus did. At His baptism, God sent the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove on to Jesus so that He could go in the name of God and make disciples.  Now Jesus is sending us out in the power of the Holy Spirit to be His hands and feet and voice.

This chapter will not be fully explained in some Churches today, as there will be a problem, namely that there are clergy who do not believe in the physical resurrection. A man who had challenged the resurrection was some years ago, being consecrated into his Office as a Bishop in York Minster. Later the same night a bolt of lightning struck and blew out the rose window of the Cathedral.  When this was suggested to be God venting His anger, that was mocked and ridiculed by the liberal establishment, yet there was no such experience in any other part of the city. People will say about a passage you can’t expect me to believe that, it is now 2025.  Yet they will believe many things even harder to understand.

A team of meteorologists, studied weather maps of the whole county area at the time of the incident, and those experts unanimously declared the only answer can be, it was an act of God.

If I press 13 buttons on my mobile phone I will within seconds speak to my son in China, the words flying across thousands of miles across millions of other messages being transmitted.  Explain that.  You drink white milk taken from a black cow, which eats green grass without working it out. Why do people limit the power of God?  But they do.

 

You hold meetings in your Churches, a function of the PCC is to promote mission in the parish.  Without a fixed spiritual leader this is a difficult task, but we hope it will soon be resolved and the function can be exercised.  One essential for every Church I have always believed, is to emulate business.  Firms spend millions on advertising their product; we are in the Lord’s business, and have what no other business can offer, yet we fail to circulate any message. 

I published my Church magazine for 17 years, and so have had an interest in Church magazines. I find articles about past events, articles of much interest to members, but little or nothing for the outsider; never a gospel message   We hold Church fetes to which locals attend, and what a great effort is made to make cakes and collect items all for sale, and work hard in the process.  Yet how much effort is made to get people inside the main building; in most events little, if any, effort is made in advertising our Sunday Services.   Compare with the publicity political parties use, and little of it is true. We are to be equally vibrant with our unique message, which makes an offer no other party or institution can.

We have just come out of Easter, and most Churches had large attendances, responding to glorious hymns and preaching about Jesus, This proves people do still have a need and desire to worship if they are offered such similar services,  Obviously we can’t offer Carols, but Our hymn books are filled with delightful spiritual hymns and music of Charles Wesley.

When you receive Communion this Sunday, you are part of a tradition which has been passed down from that Upper Room.  Many people have tried, and are now trying harder than  ever to take Christianity out of public life, but while empires have come and gone, the Christian Church has survived, and millions and millions of people have found their lives enriched by their faith, and the words of Jesus are still relevant, ‘the gates of hell will not prevail against it’.    There may be resistance in this and other Western nations, but in Africa, China and beyond there is massive turning to the Lord Jesus; devoted Christians face opposition in countries where Christianity is not the main faith, and yet are leading others to hear of Jesus.

The Church in England has adopted the false doctrine of accepting same sex marriage, and cannot therefore expect God’s blessing, but there are still many Churches who have rejected that doctrine. 

When Jesus was first seen after His resurrection by Mary Magdelene, He told her to go and tell His Apostles.  Such a challenge is laid on all Churches and Christians, go and tell you have found Jesus.

If you are looking for a Church to attend, choose where the Bible is at the heart of the service; where you can find salvation which leads to a future life with Jesus in heaven.

I hope you all enjoyed your Easter days, and pray that you will continue to worship and serve the Lord Jesus.

 

May God be glorified and His Holy Name be ever Praised

Acts of the Apostles 5 v 27=32

The Epistle for the coming Sunday is the passage from Acts.

 The Apostles had been preaching and performing wonders, to the annoyance of the Pharisees. They were consequently arrested, and the High Priest called a whole Council to which the Apostles faced.

The High Priest opened the proceedings by reminding the apostles of the prohibition of their preaching, which had been addressed to Peter and John, but it was obviously directed to the whole Church..  Further, they were accused of lying the guilt, for the death of this man, the High Priest refusing to name the man, Jesus. 

By accusing the Jewish leaders of murdering the Messiah, whom God had raised from the dead, the Christians were in effect calling for divine retribution upon them.  The Jewish leaders regarded the death of Jesus, as a result of the legal trial of a malefactor; the Christians were making it out to be murder; and then claiming that the Jewish leaders were guilty men.

Peter’s reaction to the accusation, was a plainer and more direct reaffirmation of what he said previously, that they could not obey such an order.  The orders of God take precedence over human commands.  It is the price of being a Christian, that we must obey God rather than man, and bear the cost of doing so.

Peter reaffirmed the statement meaning the Jewish leaders were guilty.  He again mentioned that God raised Jesus from the dead. He was in fact alleging that it was the ancestral God of the Jews who had done this. For the Jewish leaders to have killed Jesus, was an act against the God they claimed to worship,

This crucified man, was however the One God had called to sit at God’s right hand.

Peter said they were obeying God not men.  God had risen Jesus from death and exalted Him as Leader and Savior; they were witnesses and had been led by the Holy Spirit, which was given to them by God.

We pray that God be glorified 

 

Jesus Is Mocked

27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman [m]cohort around Him. 28 They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. 29 And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a [n]reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 They spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head. 31 After they had mocked Him, they took the scarlet robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.

32 As they were coming out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon, [o]whom they pressed into service to bear His cross.

 

The Crucifixion

33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull, 34 they gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink.

3

5 And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves by casting [p]lots. 36 And sitting down, they began to keep watch over Him there. 37 And above His head they put up the charge against Him [q]which read, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

 

38 At that time two robbers *were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those passing by were [r]hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

 

 41 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, 42 “He saved others; [s]He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. 43 He trusts in God; let God rescue Him now, if He [t]delights in Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words.

45 Jesus Is Buried

 

57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. 58 This man took the body and wrapped in clean linen cloth

 

Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very                                                      

frightened and said, Truly this was the Son of God!”

 

 A prophecy from Isaiah 53 long before the death of the Lord Jesus

He was despised and forsaken of men,

A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;

And like one from whom men hide their face

He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

 

Surely our griefs He Himself bore,

And our sorrows He carried;

Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,

Smitten of God, and afflicted.

 

But He was pierced through for our transgressions,

He was crushed for our iniquities;

The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,

And by His scourging we are healed.

 

ll of us like sheep have gone astray,

Each of us has turned to his own way;

But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all

To fall on Him.

 

He was oppressed and He was afflicted,

Yet He did not open His mouth;

Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,

And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,

So He did not open His mouth.

 

By oppression and judgment He was taken away;

And as for His generation, who considered

That He was cut off out of the land of the living

For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?

 

All Scriptural verses are taken from New American Standard Bible

 Easter Sunday

This Sunday we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, as countless millions have done so over the centuries, but we face a battle to proclaim our message as secular extremists try to create a spiritual vacuum. Our message is, that Jesus Christ is the One who died on a Cross for the forgiveness of our sins, and rose again on the third day. That is unique miracle, which no other religion could perform

The story begins with Mary Magdelene, the one who loved Jesus dearly because of the help He had given her, being last at the Cross and first at the tomb, crying bitterly. She ran for Peter, who with John ran to the tomb, and John being the younger got their first, but he let Peter enter the tomb being the stronger character. They realised Jesus must have risen as He had foretold, for there were no clothes present.

We notice here two believers, one gentle and reserved as John, whilst Peter was always more impulsive and decisive, each revealing their devotion in different ways. There is room for all characters in the Church.

The men left the scene, but Mary stayed, she loved Jesus when He was alive and then was too grieved to leave. Mary was the last person to stay with Jesus at the Cross, and first to go to His tomb. This was a testimony to her loyalty for none of the men stayed. She remained sobbing, but she was rewarded when she became the first person to meet the risen Lord. We see that those who are loyal to Christ are honoured by Him, and those who are most true will have most communion with Him

As she wept, she saw two angels in white, and they asked why she was weeping. She said it was because they had taken away the Lord, and she did not know where they had laid him. She then turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.

Jesus asked her, why she was weeping, and who was she looking for. Supposing him to be the gardener, she told him she was looking for the Lord and wanted to find his body so she could take it away. It was rather optimistic and unrealistic, for to expect herself, a frail woman, to carry a dead man’s body any distance. Jesus the identified Himself, and told her to go and tell His disciples, so making her to become the first Christian witness.

According to the other gospel accounts, other women besides Mary went to the tomb early that morning. It is sometimes claimed that the Bible accounts cannot be true because of variations in the gospels; that in fact only offers credibility. If everyone here this morning was given a piece of paper, and told to go home and write an account of what happened from the beginning of the service until the time you left, I guarantee when you later compared all the writings, no two would be the same, yet no one could doubt you were here. Any lawyer will confirm that when two witnesses offer an identical statement, there is an immediate suspicion they have colluded.

This is what Easter is all about, the real spiritual message that Jesus rose from the dead, not the money making enterprise it has become. Easter is celebrated to remind us, that when our days on this earth are over, we have the assurance we shall live with our Lord; if we have accepted Him as Savior. The resurrection is the foundation of Christianity.

Whilst there is much about our faith that is respected by people who are not practising Christians, such as being forgiven of sin, hearing that God is love (very popular), but they think that is a free for all without any commitment. They will come to Church for a baptism, and make all sorts of promises simply because it is a necessary requirement, but they don’t take things seriously or literally. Things are not made any easier by the irresponsible liberals within the Church, who themselves question much of the faith.

If someone had said a hundred years ago, that we could sit in our homes and by watching a box in the corner of the room show events then happening on the other side of the world; or that by taking a small handset pressing a few buttons you could speak to someone in any part of the world, they would have been deemed to be insane. Yet it happens every day by man’s efforts, and people accept although they do not understand, and yet still question what the Almighty God who created and controls this world can achieve.

If Easter had not happened; if Jesus had not been raised from the dead, then we have no faith. Christianity rises and falls on the resurrection of Jesus. This has been proclaimed down the ages, and if not true, the Bible writers would have lied and millions of people would have made great sacrifices in the cause of the faith in vain. Why would educated men like Paul, and down to earth fishermen, lie when they had nothing to gain by doing so? Paul had a brilliant mind, one of the finest minds of his day, and was a determined opponent of Christianity, yet God convinced him and in consequence Paul suffered very much for the sake of the gospel.

Through centuries that have followed, brilliant men and women have experienced the same fellowship and power in their lives, in addition to peace of mind. They were not simple minded people, but some of the greatest scholars of their day who have forsaken the chance of earning great wealth in other professions, in order to serve God and His Church.

If Jesus had not been raised there would be nor forgiveness, we would have no future, but the evidence is overwhelming in favour. First century witnesses and documents tell. We have testimony from men present at that time that the resurrection of Jesus was real, objective and physical, This is what the Church has always believed in over two thousand years of Christian witness that has sustained the hearts of millions.

The Apostles Creed does not say I believe in the forgiveness of sins and the spiritual resurrection of Jesus, it says I believed in the resurrection of the body.   The deniers who deny the resurrection, will recite the Creed week after week, and which requires people to say they believe in the Virgin Birth, the death and burial  and resurrection of Jesus.

After the resurrection we find the Apostles preaching openly and fearlessly, and suffering violently for doing so. Men do not invent stories to be put in prison, and get beaten up, or hung on a cross like Peter.

When the stone was rolled away, it let not only Jesus out, but let Him into our hearts. The resurrection happened 2,000 years ago, but the risen Lord Jesus has continued to meet with those who seek him ever since

Let us always remember that Jesus never changes, He is the same yesterday to today for ever, and will take care of all who believe and put their trust in Him.  If you have not believed nor accepted Jesus as Savior, this Sunday is a perfect time to do so.

 

We Glorify God and acknowledge His gift of sending Jesus to Easter Sunday

 L U K E  22  V1-23

his chapter opens to begin Luke’s account of our Lord’s suffering and death. The events take place at the last supper Jesus had with His Apostles.  In a few hours He would be betrayed, and taken away to be beaten and put on trial, and then taken to the Cross,

 None of this would come as a surprise to Him, it was all part of the divine plan which had been foretold.  The chief priests and scribes wanted desperately to have Jesus killed.  The very ones who should have welcomed Him as the Messiah, were the men who conspired to end His life.  They were supposed to be godly men, some of them in direct line of succession to Aaron. 

  The second step towards our Lord’s crucifixion was the treachery of Judas, one of His own twelve Apostles.  He had been with the Lord during His ministry, heard Him teach, and seen Him perform miracles, and yet he turned out to be a hypocrite betraying his Master. 

 The Jewish authorities were anxious to arrest Jesus, but as there was only a small detachment of troops stationed in Jerusalem, they were afraid that if they tried to arrest Jesus there would be a riot.  Their problem therefore was solved by Judas. 

  Just as God is looking for people to be His servants, so also is the devil.  A person can be an instrument for good or evil, but it needs us to open up a way for the devil.  There is no handle on the outside of the door of the human heart, it must be opened from the inside.  We all have to ask God as the psalmist did, to search us try us and know our hearts. 

The lengths people will go to in religion and yet be without grace and sincerity, is far greater than many others will recognise. 

  We see the love and lure of money;  Judas did it all for cash.  For love of money, Judas was willing to betray His Lord. 

 This passage however, is closely associated with the Passover feast.  It was for this feast that Jesus went to Jerusalem.  The death of our Lord took place at the time of the Passover, in accordance with God’s plan to show Jesus was the true sacrifice.  What the sacrifice of a lamb had been to Israel in Egypt, Jesus sacrifice would be to sinners all over the world.  He would be the atonement for all our transgressions.

 The feast of Unleavened bread lasted for a week in April, and the Passover meal was held on the first day.  It commemorated the deliverance of the Jews, from the tyranny of Egyptian slavery.  Pharaoh had refused to let the Jews leave, despite Moses pleas, and after God had delivered nine plagues. 

  Finally after the tenth, the first born son in all Egyptian families died, but the angel of death passed over all the Jewish houses, which as a sign had the blood of a lamb sprayed on, and the Jewish boys were spared. On that night, they left so quickly there was no time to bake the bread with leaven, so it was unleavened bread they ate. 

  Every male Jew living within fifteen miles of Jerusalem was expected to attend the celebrations, but it was the ambition of every Jew, to attend at least once in their lifetime.

 This feast, one of the most important in the Jewish calendar, was one which every Jewish family would come together to celebrate as one  It was a solemn remembrance for God bringing Israel out of slavery.  .    

The family would eat bread which was without leaven,  the head of the household retells the Passover story, and prayers of thanksgiving are made and four cups of wine are drunk.   Still, the Jews keep the Passover and they pray that next year they will do so in Jerusalem. 

It is estimated that there were two million people in the city, when the last days of Jesus were played out.  Jesus knew what He must do.  The better class houses had two rooms, one on top of the other, and it was common for a Rabbi to meet with his followers to talk things over with them.  Jesus sent Peter and John to look for a man He described, to book an upper room. 

The feast went on, and Jesus used the ancient symbols of bread and wine, to give them a whole new meaning and significance.  He took the bread and said ‘this is my body’.  This is what is meant by a sacrament.  It is something which is normally a very ordinary thing,, which has acquired a meaning far beyond itself. 

 In all our lives, there are things which have a special significance for us, but to nobody else, because they bring back to us a special person or occasion, bringing a meaning beyond ourselves.  This is often some article, which belonged to a loved one no longer with us. 

The bread which we eat at the Communion service is just common bread, but to the Christian who understands, it represents the very body of Christ. 

Jesus said the cup, is the new covenant made at the price of His blood.  Jesus is saying the ancient Jewish festival will be fulfilled in Him.  His blood will be shed on the Cross, and He will die in our place, and figuratively the angel of death passes over all our lives.   

This is a gift of God, because of God’s amazing grace.  He offers this gift to all, but to benefit and be saved, we have to accept that gift.    

The Jewish system of sacrifice, was meant to restore that relationship between man and God, by the offering of animal sacrifice to atone for sin.  Jesus offered us an alternative relationship, between us and God through His death.  It cost Jesus His life to restore that relationship.     

 The main object of the Lord’s Supper was to remind Christians of Christ’s death for sinners.  Jesus specifically told His Apostles that they were to do what they did in remembrance of Him.  So when we take the bread and wine, we are not taking part in a sacrificial offering, but are commemorating what Jesus did. 

The bread is to remind us of Jesus body, given on the Cross.  The wine we drink, is to remind us of the blood shed. They are to appeal to our minds, to keep afresh the Jesus once and for all sacrifice.  We are to do this in faith, and our faith is increased by receiving the bread and wine.   

Jesus however, knew how easily the human mind forgets, so He commanded we do this to remember Him.  He calls us to enter in to the reverence and peace of His house, and do it with other followers of Him.        

 The message of the Cross is the focal point of Christianity.  Billy Graham stated every sermon he ever preached, would contain reference to the Cross, but it is not one that every preacher adopts.  In fact, I cannot recall hearing such a sermon

  The observance of Holy Communion, or Eucharist or Mass, is a duty binding on all Christians.  Jesus was quite emphatic on this point, and we are called to obey.

    

I sincerely believe the Lord will exonerate us at the present time in this country, for all the main Church denominations have adopted services in contravention of Scripture, which oblige Christians to attend Apostate places of worship.

Paul said every time we come to take the sacrament, we are proclaiming the Lord’s death, and we are to take it worthily.  As we come, we are acknowledging our faith, that He is our Lord and Savior, and accept that He died for each one of us.

Since the service of Holy Communion has become the normal main service of the Churches ,there is always the danger that it is taken too casually or automatically, without recognising it as something very significant.

Often people in a Church, will use the time that is being taken for others to come forward, as a time to chat with others about events in their lives, whereas it should be used as a time for meditation on what is being celebrated.

We should not consider all who commemorate, are true believers.  Judas at the first service obviously wasn’t, yet Jesus accepted him.

What has often saddened me, is that I have seen devoted people, (mainly women I have to say) coming to the Communion rail only for a blessing, because they have not been confirmed.  I know many priests and churches support this action, and whilst I respect that view, I cannot ever imagine Jesus would question whether a person of such faith was confirmed or not.  Neither do I.

If a person has such faith and belief, which motivates them to come forward, and all I have spoken, to say they would have liked to take the sacrament, then I have no hesitation whatsoever in offering it to them.   

Confirmation is desirable and important within the Church, but I believe should not preclude sincere faith being manifested.

When you take Communion, remember the Cross and its message for you, and resolve to keep trusting in its power.

We praise God and seek to Glorify His Holy Name

 M A R K  11 v 1-11

      VSunday is Palm Sunday the beginning of the most holy week in the Church’s calendar. All four gospel writers tell the story of that first momentous week.

The Chapter opens where Jesus is about to make the final stage of His life’s journey, which will end at the Cross, and He plans it with great detail, sending two of His Apostles to arrange for the donkey on which He will ride into Jerusalem. In the course of the next few days, He would celebrate the Last Supper with His Apostles, see one of them betray Him, face a mock trial and be sentenced to death, led to the Cross and crucified.

During His earthly ministry, Jesus sought to withdraw from public attention and did what He had to do quietly, often asking people He helped not to tell; now He is deliberately seeking attention as He rides into the city at the greatest public festival of the Jewish year to proclaim Himself to be the Messiah. This was the feast of the Passover, so revered as a memory of when God led the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt, and when most people would be in the city. Jesus will fulfil the purpose for which He came, when He will surrender His life in order that we may have eternal life.

His works had become well known, and the crowds greeted Him with shouts of Hosanna, which means ‘save us’, seeing Him as the one who would lead them to glory in world conquest. When they realised this was not His mission, the same crowds would later in the week shout’ ‘crucify Him’.

As with every Bible passage, there is a meaning and a message for us to-day. Just as the Jews then rejected Jesus, so do so many people now. But God allows us free will to make a decision, to be with Jesus or not. Even those who claim to be Christians, can be lukewarm and allow their commitment to grow cold. It is not enough to pay the odd visit to nod to the Almighty at Christmas, Easter or to a baptism service. Everyone has to take responsibility for the way they respond to the Lord.

There is an American story about a young man, who painted a portrait of his friend shortly before the friend died. The young man took the portrait to his friend’s father, a rich man, who offered him a huge sum of money, which the young man refused.  Some time later  the father died, and all his priceless possessions were auctioned. The first item up for auction was the portrait, which no one showed any interest in except the father’s old black servant. He offered a few dollars, all he had, and got the painting. The auctioneer to everyone's surprise closed the auction. The father’s will said ‘he who accepts the son has everything’. We can reject the Son as they did at Jerusalem all those years ago, and in doing so reject our eternal future with Him in heaven.

I read a story of a Minister counselling a couple with married difficulties. At one point the husband said in anger to his wife, ‘I have given you a new home, new car , …and so the list went on.’ The wife answered, ‘yes that is true, you have given me everything but yourself.’ The greatest gift you can give for another is yourself, and that is what Jesus did, gave Himself.

The action of our Lord demands a response, and we all need to ask ourselves, if we stood before the Lord today and we were asked why we should be allowed into heaven, what would we say. It is easy to say I am a Christian, 95% of the population believe as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others you have a passport to heaven. It can be very hard to be a Christian when so many organisations, government and public busybodies try to suppress your faith under pain of some sanction. How Jesus would weep over society today as He wept over Jerusalem. Jesus Christ lovingly and finally kept God’s law, and voluntarily paid sin’s price at Calvary, and He did it for you and for me.

A famous actor attended a meeting and was asked to recite a piece of literary art. He offered to say the 23rd Psalm, if an elderly preacher present would do so after he had finished. The actor recited the psalm with much dramatic emphasis, as you see those actors doing so on religious programmes on television. The preacher then recited in a rough broken voice, and when he had finished received prolonged applause. When someone asked the actor why he thought that was so, the actor said, ‘I know the psalm, he knew the shepherd’. Do you know the shepherd ?For so many people the Cross has little relevance beyond being a fashion accessory.

They may make an odd mistake, but at heart are good and to suggest they are sinful and need forgiving is a step too far. The message of the cross is that we must humble ourselves and surrender to God, which is an affront to many people.

There is a little limerick which reads
Next time I pass my Parish Church
I'll pay a little visit.
So when at last I'm carried in,
The Lord won't say who is it?

We learn from this account of history, that we have to do more than just pay a passing visit. When we appear before Christ on the last day He will not ask if we had occasional thoughts about Him. The question will be, did we accept Him as our Lord and Savior.

 

Thank you Lord for your Holy Word. May God’s Holy Name ne Praised and He be  Glorified

 

              2 Corinthians 5 v 20.to 6 v 10

 

In this Epistle, the words of Paul are particularly relevant, be reconciled to God.’

The passage begins telling us we are ambassadors for Christ, and an ambassador is someone who represents their Sovereign in a foreign nation. As Christians, we are citizens of two nations; our national one in which we observe our country’s rules, but also in the Kingdom of God whose rules we are committed to obey. Wherever we reside, we are to represent God faithfully and devotedly, living according to his Word, and being a credit to him

We have the awesome duty of bringing people back into a living relationship with God; that is what we are here for, to lead people to God.  We are the hands, feet and mouth of God on earth.  Jesus said He would build His Church and He meant He would do this through His followers. 

We are living in a world which is hostile to Christians, materialism and hedonism are big factors in people’s lives, and God is seen as a restrictive force. But there is a need for a spiritual dimension in every person’s life, and the Church is the only body which can provide that need.

When God looks at our world, He sees the hurt in people's lives, the misery they are going through. He sees all the hatred, violence and bitterness.

This is a troubled world; so many people with problems, financial, moral, domestic, spiritual, and breakdowns.  There are people in our towns and cities, living lives isolated from family and friends, victims of broken marriages or romances, or just lonely people.  Some have become prisoners of alcohol, drugs, or some other addiction, and long to break free from that addiction and find freedom.  The Bible gives a simple answer, turn to God.

There can only be liberty and freedom when the Holy Spirit is present, and that means turning to God.  There is a need for them, and indeed for all of us to turn to God.

There is a very widely held belief that everyone, irrespective of lifestyle, will end up in heaven when their life here is over.   I have taken many hundreds of funerals over many years, and I imagine barely 100 have been Church members.  Yet in everyone, relatives have assured me their deceased will be in heaven.  One lady told me her niece didn’t believe in God, but was a lovely Christian girl.  (I am still trying to work that one out)  Another asked me not to make the service too religious.

The Bible states that people turn away from God at their peril, and the greatest need to day is for reconciliation with God. Jesus Christ died on the Cross for that.  He held out two arms, one reaching out to us, and the other reaching out to God to bring us closer together.  His message was that all could be reconciled to God.

God seeks reconciliation, bringing together those separated for any reason.  It is because we have turned away from God and decided to our own way, that so many have become separated from Him.  Nothing could be sadder than to be estranged from God who made us; but we have the assurance that God has found a means of reconciliation, and it is our duty to declare it to those willing to hear.

In the Epistle,  Paul writes, ‘God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them’. This does not mean that God is not concerned about our sins; He knows that we cannot be free until something is done about them.

The Bible states we have all fallen short of the glory of God because we are sinners, but what God wants us clearly to understand, is that our sins do not keep us from coming to him. We can come to God, knowing we will be received and forgiven.

The New Testament never speaks of man seeking reconciliation with God, God is the One who takes the initiative and provides the means by which we can be reconciled, by sending Jesus to the Cross to accept the punishment we deserve, so restoring our relationship with Him.  That means that the cross of Jesus Christ was substitution. Christ stood in our in order, that our sins were placed upon the head of Christ.

But we have a part to play. We have to respond to God’s call for repentance, which means to turn around and adopt a new way of living.  It means putting God and Jesus first in our lives, to let God be God, and not be forced out by other things.  We may have to admit we have fallen short of what God expects from us.    Only when we have submitted ourselves to Him, will God grant us forgiveness, and we will be reconciled to God. 

The apostle Paul was very anxious that the truth of what God has done in reconciling us, His people unto Himself through the work of Christ, be declared through preachers. This great fact, he says, must be proclaimed.

God has called on His Church to witness that He has reconciled the world to Himself, and given us the privilege and responsibility to proclaim the gospel, and it is important we do so because of the eternal consequences that depend on what we say; and let it be known that all who hear it may be drawn to Him, because of the work of Christ upon the Cross.

The Church is the body of Christ, and belief in the Church is essential.   The doctrine of the Church however, must be based on the teaching of the Apostles, which has been passed down to us in the New Testament. 

Many of us here, will remember when the Church was held in much greater respect that it commands today.  It was seen as a place set apart from the ways of the world; a place seen as holy, with something special to offer, something spiritual and supernatural.  This is no longer the case, which means our task is much harder.   We can only truly perform the task God has set us, when we preach the doctrine handed down to us by the Apostles, and we have to be careful, that we do not wander away from the true gospel in order to achieve the approval of society.

The Church at large in the Western nations, has not been united in proclaiming the gospel as handed down by the Apostles, partly because it is something people do not want to hear, and partly because many preachers don’t want to tell it, fearing unpopularity, if in fact they really believe it themselves.  I doubt you will hear many messages in the pulpits of our land, of that nature.

Some may say I am a good Church going person, and this call to be reconciled is really for other people.  If anyone thinks all Church going people are good, they are living in a world of make believe.  People go to Church for various reasons, not all worthy; business advantage, giving a false appearance of being holy.  I have seen Ministers driven from their Church by embittered people, who were upset at not being given the attention they felt they deserved.

Charles and John Wesley were religious men, Ministers of the Church, but it was some years later when first Charles and a few days later John, after a meeting realised there had to be a complete realisation of salvation in Christ alone.

This is not just a call for so-called ‘bad people’.  The Epistle calls on us all to come to God with all our hearts. But all this is done through the action of Jesus on the Cross.

The Bible states, ‘salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to man by which we must be saved’.  Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.’ 

These are not welcome statements to make these days, being seen as politically incorrect. It is more popular to say all religions lead to God, and there is only one God, both of which are incorrect.  They are false statements and not biblically correct.  We worship the God of Israel, other faiths do not.  Islam states God has no son, and worships Allah, and would not recognise any God of Israel.  So, whilst we must accept other faiths, and the fact that some good moral precepts are held, we cannot depart from Apostolic teaching.  There is only one way to God.

The Bible states, ‘ by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing, it is a gift from God’ God in His gracious spirit had mercy on us, and gave His Son as a sacrifice, so that all who believe on Him shall not perish but have eternal life.  We have to accept, there is nothing we can do to earn our salvation; we have to depend on Jesus for that.  Our only hope of salvation, is based on a total and whole hearted faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.

The Cross is at the very heart of our faith, but not of any other faith, and it is all about judgement on human life, which many may not like, but that should not stop us from preaching about it. There is a reluctance to speak of judgement; of heaven or hell, yet Jesus spoke about such 46 times.

The Cross makes a judgement upon human life. Jesus taught this when He gave the parables of the sheep and goats; the tares and wheat; of  two roads, giving warning of our eternal future.

We cannot preach any credible message without the Cross being at the centre, it has been the standard for God’s people, and the Church.  The Cross is displayed outside and inside Churches, to remind people of its importance.

There are people in our Churches who are dissatisfied with life, and don’t know why this is.  The reason is, they are trying to please God and mankind, to serve God, and the world at the same time. Their conscience tells them what they should do, but their mind is calling them to do something different.

 

.We thank God for is Holy Word.    May God be for ever Glorified

 

JOHN 12 v 1-8 

This Chapter brings the talks of Jesus to the end, in future only his private conversations will be mentioned in the gospel of John.  It also has a story of love and devotion to the Lord..

Jesus is at the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, having been called by Martha and Mary following the death of their brother Lazarus.  Jesus attended with his Apostles, and raised Lazarus to life, after he had been in the grave for four days.

The time was drawing near the end for Jesus. He knew the authorities were waiting for an opportunity to kill him, yet he was on his way to Jerusalem for the Passover festival, so stayed at the home in Bethany, which He was most fond of. Bethany was less than a mile from Jerusalem on the slope of the Mount of Olives.

Martha was as usual looking after the house and preparing dinner,  she was a practical woman who gave her best, and she showed her love for Jesus by her busy hands, and was committed to follow him.

The proof of the miracle of Jesus in raising Lazarus from the grave, is at the table, where he is seen eating and drinking; no longer can it be said this was just an optical illusion . This preceded the raising of Jesus, which would take place a short time later, when the Apostles would find him by the lake cooking fish for them to join him.

This story, is also a story of much love and devotion. Mary was the one above all who loved Jesus, she took the one precious thing she owned and gave it to him. 

 Jesus had helped Mary and she never ceased to be grateful, loving him with utter devotion, On his visit to  their home, she produced a precious bottle of perfumed ointment which she took, and anointed the head and feet of Jesus, not randomly, but with personal care. We are told there was a pound of ointment, which would mean a large jar.  Pure nard was imported from India, and kept in an alabaster jar.

The house became filled the perfume, administered with full loving gratitude by a woman whose heart was filled with admiration of her friend, and Lord, and for all his attention.

A great preacher once stated, while faith makes all things possible, love makes all things easy.  Fellowships in Churches may be happier if there was even just a little of the commitment of Mary.

Mary showed she thought that nothing was too great or too good to bestow on such a Savior, at whose feet she had sat in past  days, hearing words that had given her peace for her conscience, and forgiveness for her sins.  Her brother Lazarus was also in the room, and she would show added gratitude for what Jesus did for him- much had been given, and much given in return.

Mary released her braided hair, something Jewish women would never do in public, and with her hair wiped the feet of Jesus. There were people present who thought she had gone too far, and wasted money which could have been given to the poor by selling the ointment, which would have been almost equal to a year’s wages instead of placing it over Jesus.  She wasn’t concerned what people thought of her.

We are told the room was filled with the perfume of the ointment, it meant the lovely deed created many memories. Love stories are world stories immortalized.

There have been writers whose minds were obviously perverse, who have sought to suggest  a sexual relationship between Jesus and Mary. Such writers are those who can never understand, even at the present time, that it is perfectly normal for a man and woman to be friends, who enjoy the company of each other ,without a need for any sexuality to occur.  We are normal human beings created in the image of God, and we respect God’s teaching.

The extent of love’s giving is shown by the cost of giving. Love does not think how little do I need to spend when giving a present for someone dear to them, but how much will be enough to show one’s feelings. Love is not love if it counts the cost. Love is willing to give all, and how often do we reflect it wasn’t enough.

How much do we men think of the love of our wives and mothers must have, in the way they do so much without grudge or complaint. In the majority, freely because of their love for us, which is not always reciprocated.

One of the prominent objectors was Judas, who had been an Apostle, who by his action showed how little he thought of Jesus. He displayed his character, but Jesus knew of the traitor, and had given him a chance to redeem himself. Jesus had let him be the treasurer for he had a gift in handling money, but he became a thief and pilfered from the funds.

Judas saw the loveliness of Mary, but saw it as an act of extravagance. A person can see what they want to see, and hope to see.

There is still a mass of people who do not believe in the resurrection of Jesus,  and a previous Archbishop of Wales was once quoted as saying, we cannot expect people to believe in the resurrection story.

In 1984, an unbelieving cleric was to be consecrated as a bishop at York Minster, without the approval of many evangelical Christians because of his extreme liberal views, and especially after mocking the resurrection story as being like a bag of tricks.

The Minster at that time had just gone under a refurbishment with new fire sprinklers and fire protection system. After the service had ended, there was  a lightning storm, without being accompanied with rain in the city of York, and serious damage was caused to the Minster with the popular rose window being blown out.  The cause was investigated by a collection of meteorologists who were in possession of meteorological maps, which, showed the sky above the Minster was the only place across the Yorkshire county where lightning was revealed. They unanimously concluded it was an act of God, yet the then Archbishop of York rejected that decision as being ridiculous.  I wonder often how such clergy can even be in the Church.

In an age of unbelief, we shall continue to find doubt, although that should not be within the Church, but eminent lawyers have stated the evidence for the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ was so strong, that any modern Court would have no difficulty in finding the case proved. The rising of our Lord is there for our faith to accept, all the Lord’s true followers will also be raised, as he has promised.

There are professing Christians today, who are ready to fail to display sufficient respect for Jesus, they have other things they allow to take precedence.  If you tell of the need to spread the gospel, you will find little if any response. There are many Church members who will not even disclose they attend Church, lest they be frowned upon.

We hold what are called (falsely) services of baptism on demand for babies and children, without the parents having any belief, yet no one seems to think that necessary. We then let them make vows they have not the slightest attention of keeping, and we know so. They then put coppers on a collection plate as a payment.

Those who have much to say about the failing of the Church doing things for the poor, are those who do nothing themselves, and fail to recognize it is usually mostly Christians are who are helping the poor.

A day will come when those who have done things for others, whether a bottle of perfumed ointment or anything else, will have their names recorded in he heavenly books and will be well rewarded

We lastly see the bitter hardness in the hearts of men.  The Chief priests wanted in their unbelief, to put Lazarus back to death again after his  rising. They could not bear to see him alive, giving proof after being in a grave for four days, which they could not accept and were ready to commit murder.  Jesus marveled at such unbelief, and the refusal, to accept proof by the presence of Lazarus.

The bitterness of Judas has been shown in every age, and will continue to be shown. Judas lived with Jesus and fellow Apostles, saw the miraculous deeds of Jesus, his ready compassion to all, the teaching of Jesus personally, and all he could offer in return was a bitter heart and betrayal.  We still see the hard heartedness of people, who reject all Jesus suffered on the Cross on their behalf, by a cruel death.

In life there are things we can do at any time, and there are things we can never do.  So often we mean to do them, but put off doing so and they then never get done.  Later, a time comes when it is too late to do them, and we are full of regret.  Judas who spoke of giving to the poor, could have done so himself, but in fact was a thief.  People will always be poor, but won’t always have Jesus.

In all the way of life, we should pause and ask, are we doing all we should do for the faith, for the Church, for God; are we doing all we could for our husbands wives and families, for it will be too late if they die before us, and you will bitterly regret your omissions.

Let this passage inspire you in your faith, and to be true to all those for whom you have love.  Make sure no one is waiting in vain to hear from you.

Let all who claim to have faith, thank God with all our hearts, even if we feel a sense of weakness.  Pray for your faith to be true and genuine , sincere and not just a temporary impression.

Especially, pray you will not be touched by the way of the world, or the words of false preachers.  Think instead of the words of the Apostle Paul, ‘if you are feeling strong, mind you don’t fall’.

May God bless his Holy Word to us. May we always seek to glorify him.