How many days are left until Christmas 2016

As I write there are 68 days left until Christmas 2016 - Oh no!!!

It could be the onset of years but Christmas seems to come around quicker every year. It is probably the early appearance of adverts and the Christmas commercial juggernaut appearing on the horizon which gives the impression that Christmas is coming.

For a Christian, the event which is celebrated at Christmas is not confined to December or even November. It is not even restricted to being about the Saviour’s infancy; it is actually about more about His deity and that is a truth which bears consideration all year round.

I don’t suppose anyone can ever fathom what it means for God to be born in a manger. How does one explain the Almighty stooping to become a tiny infant? It was the greatest condescension the world has ever known or will ever know. Our minds cannot begin to understand what was involved in God becoming a man. We will never comprehend why He who was infinitely rich would become poor, assume a human nature, and enter into a world He knew would reject Him and kill Him.

Nor can anyone explain how God could become a baby. Yet He did. Without forsaking His divine nature or diminishing His deity in any sense, He was born into our world as a tiny infant. How can both things be true?

Humanity and Deity

For nearly two thousand years, debate has been raging about who Jesus really is. Some say He is one of many gods, a created being, a high angel, a good teacher, a prophet, and so on. The common thread of all such theories is that they make Jesus less than God.

But let the Bible speak for itself. John’s gospel begins with a clear statement that Jesus is God: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:1-3). Who is “the Word” spoken of in these verses? John 1:14 removes any doubt: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth”.

The biblical evidence is overwhelming that this child in the manger was the incarnation of God. For one thing, He was omniscient (knew all things). John 2:24-25 says that, “But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.” Nathanael was shocked to discover that Jesus knew all about him before they ever met. It was enough to persuade him that Jesus was the Messiah (John 1:48-50). John 4 describes Jesus’ meeting with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. He knew everything about her (John 4:17-19, 29).

Jesus also did the works of God, saying, “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves” (John 14:11). Jesus’ works are convincing proof that He is God. He began His miraculous ministry with a simple act—He created wine at a wedding in Cana (John 2:1-11). Only God can create. Moreover, He healed people who were hopelessly ill. He gave a blind man eyes. He opened ears that had never heard. He restored withered limbs. He created enough fish and bread to feed thousands. He raised the dead simply by a command.

This child was God

Why would God become a man and be born in such a lowly manner and let men treat Him the way they did?

“It was the Father’s good pleasure . . . through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross” (Colossians 1:19-20).

He did it to make peace between God and humanity. All of us have sinned, and we sin repeatedly: “There is none righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10). “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 2:23). God hates sin and must respond with His wrath. He is a righteous judge who “is angry with the wicked every day” (Psalm 7:11). Humanity reacts with more hatred, rebellion, or indifference toward God: “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Romans 3:18). The only possible response of a holy God to our sin is more than we can bear, for “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

Only Jesus, because He alone is both God and man, could ever resolve the conflict.

He takes the hand of a repentant, yielding sinner and the outstretched hand of a holy yet loving God, and He joins the two. He can forgive our sins, reconcile us to God, and thus make “peace through the blood of His cross” (Colossians 1:20). And God is not reluctant for that to occur; rather it is the very reason He sent Christ into the world.

God is justifiably angry with our sin. Yet He loves us enough that He gave His own Son to live on earth, die on a cross, suffering the full weight of God’s wrath, which should have been our lot. He paid the penalty for sin and can bring peace between us and God. It could not have been done any other way.

Will you hear the voice of God in His word, the Bible and trust His Son, Jesus, for salvation. Our prayer is that you will.

To access podcasts and videos explaining the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

This site will give you access to Bible Teaching Audio's and Video's as well.

Written for STT by a guest blogger

Two reasons why Jesus lived and died! - 1 John 3:4-10

1 John 3:4-10

4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

And so.......

The bible verses we have posted today tell us two major reasons why the Lord Jesus Christ came into this world:

1. To take away our sins (writing to people who have trusted Christ for salvation)

2. To destroy the works of the devil.

The coming of Christ was for two very specific reasons - to saved 'people from their sins' and to reverse the works of the devil. All other 'side effects' of the presence of the Lord Jesus in the world are additional benefits but not the main reason for him being here. 

As is always the case with God the side effects in themselves are quite outstanding. The love of God was seen in the life of Christ, he was a great moral example, he showed us what it was to like to live a sinless life, he displayed compassion and care like no one else who ever lived and so the list goes on. BUT this was not the central reason for his being in the world. 

The central reason is expressed in the following verses:

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - 1 Timothy 1:15

The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world - 1 John 4:14

I am come that they might have life - John 10:10

How is it possible:

Only because of one thing - the death of Jesus on the cross. Hebrews 2:14 tells me that the Son of God took a body (flesh and blood) 'that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil and deliver them who fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage'. It is the death of Jesus on the cross that paid the price and laid the foundation for salvation. His death was the act that meant that the devil is a condemned foe who will ultimately face eternal judgement in the Lake of Fire. His death made it possible that we could be forgiven and our sins taken away.

So what do I need to do?

The response to that question is given in many places in the New Testament:

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ - Acts 16:31

Repent and be converted - Acts 3:19

Call upon the name of the Lord - Romans 10:13

Will you come, call, believe and be saved?

To access podcasts and videos explaining the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

this site will give you access to Bible Teaching Audio's and Video's as well.

3D Vision

Three views of the same part of town. All from a slightly different angle. That's what was happening when the gospel writers wrote their parts of the New Testament. They were all guided by the Holy Spirit to record slightly different angles of the birth, life, death and resurrection of The Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew writes consistently the phrase 'that it might be fulfilled' so that we would understand that Jesus is the promised Messiah who was fulfilling ancient predictions. Mark records 'and straightway' emphasising the constant and urgent service of the Son of God. Luke in his orderly account records the compassion and care of the man who was God as he visits his people on earth. John tells us in no uncertain terms why he is writing: 'but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name' (John 20.31).

You would find great blessing in reading these records for yourself. Buy a bible in your local book shop or read that copy that has been collecting dust on your bookshelf for a long time.

#it'sliverpool
#the bible
#peace
#liverpoolone

All posts have the aim of pointing people to Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour or to aid Christian growth and development.

For more information and further explanations of the message of the bible via videos, blogs and podcasts please visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

Location:Liverpool One, Liverpool City Centre

Before you come to a conclusion - check the evidence!

Not so long ago I read a piece on ‘The Bible Society’s debt to Arthur C Clarke' in the Independent Newspaper. The author had obviously carried out some good research about the society and highlighted some key statistics which would be very interesting to a number of people.

I was then quite amazed that the writer then chose to violently misrepresent the teaching of the very book that the society has spent so long translating and making available to the world. For example he chose to ignore that the Bible and Christianity had developed more education programs, opened more hospitals and changed more societies for the good than the current world atheistic belief has ever done. 

Societies that have been successful (in theory) in establishing an atheistic state have generally produced as corrupt societies as capitalist ones but they have neither been ultimately successful or survived in the long run. All of this however only looks at the outcomes of the opposing world views without actually discussing the validity or plausibility of the views. 

Consider for a moment the genuineness of the biblical documents; the writer called them ‘stories, myths, legends etc. I would have imagined that any intelligent person would accept the validity and historicity of the Bible. Even Professor Dawkins accepts the validity of the record and recommends that every child should read it (“Richard Dawkins, the atheist author of The God Delusion, believes that children should grow up reading the Bible”. The Times May 10th 2007) despite the fact that he does not like what it says. The biblical record has been consistently proven to be accurate in terms of history, archaeology and even in the realm of science despite the fact that the modern scientific world view is split between evolutionary belief and the biblical record of Creation (see The Genesis Enigma: Why The Bible Is Scientifically Accurate by Dr Andrew Parker, published by Doubleday). 

In terms of the New Testament record, especially regarding the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth and the claims to his resurrection, there is clear evidence and logic that it speaks the truth even if many do not wish to follow through with the logical question that ‘if this actually happened what does it mean for me?’ Many clever people have attempted to discredit and disprove the historical accuracy of the account of the resurrection of Jesus Christ but have been persuaded by the evidence that he must have risen from the dead (A couple of examples come to mind; see the end of this article for details). How an individual responds to that information is up to them but I believe that the evidence is there to be found. 

As far as the conclusions regarding the Old Testament I do understand the concerns and issues unbelievers have with what seems to be the severity of the God of the Bible. I am not sure if you have read the whole biblical record and sought to understand the complete picture before coming to a conclusion. A careful analysis of the Bible will show that among many things God is both holy (just, righteous and morally pure) and loving. One characteristic does not cancel out the other; in fact his goodness and love of what is right demands that he deals justly with acts of sin and wrongdoing. 

Where people assume that God is acting out of order a careful analysis of the facts will persuade them that he was acting to maintain what is right. If a judge in our times was confronted with evil behaviour, child abuse, rape or one of a whole range of anti-social behaviours that were illegal and detrimental to the good of society we would not question his ‘goodness’ when he passed sentence and 

enforced a punishment that met the severity of the crimes. But when facing the examples of God’s judgment on nations who engaged in the very same activities we question his goodness because he acts justly and righteously to deal with behaviour which breaks his laws and damages society. I am not sure if we are being consistent in our approach to the issues.

Ultimately God has revealed Himself in the Bible and is warning us that we are in danger of his coming justice and judgment as a result of our moral defection and sin (all of us). He has made provision for us all to flee from his coming judgement through the sacrifice of His own dear Son, Jesus. His offer to clear the legal case against us and to offer us pardon, forgiveness and salvation is 

still on the table. That doesn’t sound like a vengeful, demanding, capricious, merciless and tyrannical God to me. 

This is the alternative argument to the atheistic viewpoint: people should know what it is so that they can decide for themselves where the truth lies. 

Note referred to: examples of legal minds who set out to disprove the resurrection and were convinced that it must be true – this is a limited list, there are many more examples. 

Dr. Greenleaf, Royal Professor of Law at Harvard University, was one of the greatest legal minds that ever lived. He wrote the famous legal volume entitled, A Treatise on the Law of Evidence, considered by many the greatest legal volume ever written. Dr. Simon Greenleaf believed the Resurrection of 

Jesus Christ was a hoax. And he determined, once and for all, to expose the "myth" of the Resurrection. After thoroughly examining the evidence for the resurrection — Dr. Greenleaf came to the exact opposite conclusion! He wrote a book entitled, An Examination of the Testimony of the Four Evangelists by the Rules of Evidence Administered in the Courts of Justice. In which he 

emphatically stated: "it was IMPOSSIBLE that the apostles could have persisted in affirming the 

truths they had narrated, had not JESUS CHRIST ACTUALLY RISE  FROM THE DEAD , . . ." 

(Simon Greenleaf, An Examination of the Testimony of the Four Evangelists by the Rules of Evidence Administered in the Courts of Justice, p.29). 

Dr. Greenleaf concluded that according to the jurisdiction of legal evidence the resurrection of Jesus Christ was the best supported event in all of history! And not only that, Dr. Greenleaf was so convinced by the overwhelming evidence, he committed his life to Jesus Christ!). 

Dr. Benjamin Gilbert-West and Lord Littleton were from Cambridge. They were so fed up with Christianity they wanted to destroy it, they took leave of absence to study and write books to refute both the resurrection and the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. As a result of their study, they too became ardent believers and wrote: "Reject not, until you have examined the evidence." 

Dr. Frank Morrison, a lawyer and engineer, was brought up in a rationalistic background. He liked Jesus, but thought the resurrection was a myth that was tacked on. He, too, wanted to write a book to refute it, but in the process of writing, he like the others committed his life to Christ. His findings are in the book "Who Moved the Stone"? 

Would a loving God send people to hell?

Would a loving God send people to hell?

Is this the right question or at least does it ignore some of the other issues of justice, choice and righteousness?

To start with let's look at what the bible says about life after death

No 1 - You are not just a body, you are made up of body, soul and spirit.

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thess 5.23

No 2 - You are dead in sin (no relationship with God) long before your body dies. That's the result of Adam's sin.

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned - Romans 5:12

No 3 - You can have eternal life long before you leave this life.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life - John 3.16

No 4 - You will never cease to exist, only your body will die temporarily. You will be raised to go to either heaven or the Lake of fire.

And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt - Daniel 12:2

But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days - Daniel 12:13

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire Revelation 20:13-15

In regard to why a loving God would punish people, I recently heard one homeless man wisely tell another, “You wouldn’t want to live in a world where God didn’t punish injustices and just freely forgave sin—without any request for someone to choose the salvation He offers back. Imagine a place where injustice was never punished and people never recognized their sin and need for salvation. That would be terrible and painful.”

We all want justice to reign. For a good God to be truly good, injustice must be punished. This is why it makes complete sense that Jesus had to die. There must be a payment for the evil we inflict on the world and one another. Jesus’ death epitomizes God’s mercy and justice—and it all happened in one act.

Let me leave you with a couple of quotes that help as we consider good and evil, right and wrong and heaven and hell.

"Right is Right even if nobody does it. Wrong is wrong even if everybody is wrong about it."—G.K. Chesterton

“There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, in the end, "Thy will be done." All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. Those who knock it is opened.” 
― C S Lewis, The Great Divorce

J B Phillips said "God is indeed all goodness and light but he will show no more compunction towards the evil things that we have allowed to grow in our hearts than a human surgeon would to a malignant growth'. 

C. S. Lewis: "The Christian does not think that God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because he loves us."

Have a think about these things; they are too important to ignore

For more information and further explanations of the message of the bible via videos, blogs and podcasts please visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

Proven Relief for a Troubled Mind

A large number of people read this blog every day and I am sure that they are all quite different. People were just the same when Jesus was around. For some reason we imagine that people in Bible times where a bit simple and not quite as civilised as we are - I beg to differ. I think they were much the same if not sometimes more intelligent. We have the benefit of accumulated knowledge i.e. 6,000 plus years of learning to draw upon, which they did not have yet they managed to accomplish some amazing feats of engineering and creativity.

If you are looking for relief for a troubled mind you will find that Jesus Christ is the only real answer. He said 'come unto me' to those who are weary and troubled and He promises to give them rest.

You may be a cynic and very doubtful about the claims of Jesus, the Bible and Christians. Read this chapter; Christ will remove your doubt if you are prepared to trust Him. The scriptures teach that 'faith comes by hearing the word of God'. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen - the Christian believes because he has come to understand that God can trusted.

Maybe you feel that you don't belong. Family relationships have long since faded and you feel alone. May I remind you again of what the Bible says - 'but to as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,' John 1;12. God welcomes you into His family when you receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. 

One last point - all of these blessings only come when a person has a change in their thinking about themselves and about God. The Bible calls it repentance. This change of thinking will change the direction of your life for ever. It is summarised in a statement found in Acts 20:21 which says become a Christian involves 'repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ'. Put simply you need to turn from your sin to God - this involves more than regret and sorrow but a permanent change in your thinking about God, your sin and your life. Secondly you must trust Jesus Christ, who died to pay for your sins and rose from the dead, if you want to be forgiven and saved.

I would encourage you to read the Bible. The scriptures are 'able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.'

As always for more information visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

Are you being duped?

People love being fooled! Illusionists like Harry Houdini was a star a century ago, and even today his successors such as David Copperfield, David Blaine, Steven Frayne, etc., fascinate millions. People know that they are being deceived by these entertainers, but they adore it!

When I was a teenager, we had a neighbour called Mr. Tolly, a retired electrician. He was originally a Londoner, who as a young man worked in the very theatre in London where Harry Houdini performed. Mr. Tolly took a keen interest in how Houdini constructed and prepared his props, with all their secret compartments and hidden escape devices. Then, years later, he entertained our village by doing his own escapes from locked boxes; escaping from handcuffs, etc., at the local miners’ galas. 

Harry ‘Handcuffs’ Houdini was a Hungarian-American illusionist and stunt performer, who had originally come to fame for his escapes from police handcuffs. Actually the illusionist had studied locks all his life and had an encyclopedic knowledge of handcuffs. When challenged he looked at the cuffs and knew exactly what kind of key he needed to open them. His assistant then got the necessary key from Houdini’s huge collection and passed it to Houdini who hid it on his person, usually in his mouth. Having distracted the onlookers, he got the key out and opened the handcuffs – simple! As time went on he extended his repertoire to include chains; ropes slung from skyscrapers; straitjackets under water, and having to escape from and hold his breath inside a sealed milk churn.

One of Houdini’s famous deceptions was ‘The Hanging Straitjacket Escape’. Houdini usually performed this out on the street in front of the venue where he was performing, suspended from a crane above the gathered crowd. He had previously been tightly strapped into a straitjacket in front of the crowd and also had his ankles bound. A crane lifted him up so that the audience could see what he did, re-enforcing the impression that there was no trick to the feat and he escaped by magic. Houdini himself revealed how he escaped from such straitjackets in his 1910 book called Handcuff Escapes. The secret was creating plenty of slack in the jacket as it was strapped on. As the jacket was brought around the back, Houdini moved his arms outwards to loosen material around his chest. Houdini then held on to this slackened material, and as the jacket was buckled at the back, Houdini took a huge breath to expand his chest. Once the jacket was in place, Houdini had plenty of wiggle room. He trained and trained at this trick until he became so proficient that he reduced his escape time from half an hour to three minutes. 

All his other tricks had similar explanations, even the one where he appeared to move through a solid brick wall. What he himself called ‘the best escape that I have ever invented’ was getting out of a padlocked milk churn filled with water. Of course the churn was tampered with on the inside, so that he could easily escape! Read more at http://listverse.com/2014/11/02/10-secrets-to-harry-houdinis-greatest-illusions/.

For more information and further explanations of the message of the bible via videos, blogs and podcasts please visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

Did Jesus really sweat drops of blood? - Sunday - The Daily Diary of a Bible Blogger

Q. The New Testament says Jesus sweat drops of blood when he was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane or is that just a figure of speech?

A. Many skeptics just think that this is a figure of speech. But let's read the story of Lee Strobel who found out otherwise!

"I was a sceptic once but then I started my research for The Case for Christ. I went to California to interview Dr. Alexander Metherell, a physician, research scientist, and expert on the crucifixion of Jesus.

“This is a known medical condition called hematidrosis. It’s not very common, but it is associated with a high degree of psychological stress,” he told me.

“What happens is that severe anxiety causes the release of chemicals that break down the capillaries in the sweat glands. As a result, there’s a small amount of bleeding into these glands, and the sweat comes out tinged with blood. We’re not talking about a lot of blood; it’s just a very, very small amount.”

Interestingly, it was Luke, a physician, who noted this phenomenon. He said of Jesus in Luke 22:44: “And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”

Jesus’ anguish and passionate prayers over his impending torture and death could certainly have been enough to trigger this medical phenomenon. The Journal of Medicine analyzed seventy-six cases of hematidrosis and concluded that the most common causes were acute fear and intense mental contemplation.

I asked Dr. Metherell what affect this bloody sweat would have had on Jesus. “What this did,” he replied, “was to set up the skin to be extremely fragile so that when Jesus was flogged by the Roman soldier the next day, his skin would have been very, very sensitive.”

What could have prompted Jesus to willingly endure the misery of Gethsemane, the brutality of the flogging, and the unspeakable torment of the cross?

“Well,” said Dr. Metherell, “I suppose the answer can be summed up in one word – and that would be love.”

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8