The Story of Christmas - No 9

This is the story of an old man who God spoke to. He knew the Messiah was coming and he knew he could only die after he had seen Jesus with his own eyes. 

No one should die without seeing Jesus (by faith). To recognise Jesus as the Son of God and to trust him for salvation is the only way to prepare for death. 

Are you ready to die?

Luke 2:21-35

And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;

(As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)

The Story of Christmas - No 7

Today's Christmas episode deals with the arrival of the wise men from the east. They had probably travelled for around 900 miles. The guidance they had was the star. They knew they had come to see a new King, the King of the Jews. 

Their problem was they were looking in the wrong place. I wonder if you are looking in the right place when it comes to meeting God, finding the meaning of life and knowing the peace of God within your soul. The right place is not church nor religion. You can approach God directly by prayer and know the forgiveness of sins when you turn from your sins (repent) and confess them to the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible promises 'the blood of Jesus Christ his Son (God's) cleanses us from all sin,' 1 John 1:7. 

Read this passage to discover how these wise men made their journey and finally discovered Jesus Christ, the Son of God

The Story of Christmas - No 5

Matthew 1:18-25 Joseph's Discovery

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.

But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus.

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The Story of Christmas - No 4

Luke 1:39-56 Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth

And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah;

And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.

And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:

And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.

And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.

And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.

He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.

He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.

He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;

As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.

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The Story of Christmas - No 3

Luke 1:26-38 The Angel Gabriel is sent to Nazareth to Mary

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

The Story of Christmas - No 2

Luke 1:1-25 - The Forerunner (John Baptist) of the Messiah (The Lord Jesus Christ)

Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, 

Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;

It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,

That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.

#StormGertrude and Safety

The current trend of naming storms really amuses me. So far this winter we’ve been hit by Storms, Amy, Bram, Chandra, Dave, Eddie, Fionnuala, Gerard, Hannah, Isla, Janna, Kasia, Lilith, Marty, Nico, Oscar, Patrick, Ruby, Stevie, Tadhg, Violet, and Wubbo. Now Claudia is here. Storm Desmond landed in the UK in early December 2016 and will likely go down as one of the most devastating storms to ever hit the North West, with its effects still being felt long after the winds had subsided. Now it is the turn of Storm Gertrude, bringing - at the time of writing - at least one red weather warning and leaving thousands without power across Scotland and Ireland.

In 2015 the Met Office and its Irish counterpart Met Eireann launched a project to name severe winter storms, much in the same way that hurricanes are named. The official statement said “Working together it is hoped that naming winter storms will help raise public awareness of severe weather and ensure greater public safety”. Storms are never good news! They devastate and damage: you never expect to come out the other side of a storm in better condition than you entered it. 

The bible uses the imagery of a storm to explain various ideas. In Job 21:17,18 the picture of a storm is used to explain how severely God views wickedness and evil. It says ‘God distributes sorrows in his anger. They (the wicked) are as stubble before the wind, and as chaff that the storm carries away’. Wickedness in the bible covers a spectrum of behaviour all of which actively disagrees with what God, in his Word, says is right.

Most of us face storms in life from time to time. These are hard and tough experiences. God, is keenly interested and indeed involved in the storms we face even if we are not aware of his presence. Once when Jesus’ disciples faced a weather storm they discovered Jesus sleeping in the boat - he was not frightened as he faced the trauma’s of life! They shouted at Jesus  - do you not care that we perish? Little did they realise he how deeply he was interested! That day he rose from sleep and did what the impossible - he calmed the storm. Jesus still does that in individual lives today. That is if we ask!

As I close let me point you to two beautiful passages of scripture. In Isaiah 25:4 God states, among other things, that he is ‘a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat’. Again in the same book, Isaiah 32:2 we are told ‘a man shall be a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest’.The truth is that ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’ and on this basis he is the one who can protect us in the storms of this life and from the storm of God’s judgement in the next life. 

The question is will we take advantage of his protection?

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

Why do we hurt?

It’s our aim in this blog post to address some of the questions that people ask in life and to discover what the Word of God (the Bible) has to say about it. We place real confidence in the Bible because we have become convinced that the Bible is God’s communication to men and women and we wish people to benefit from what God has said.

I’m sure that most would agree that life hurts! That hurt can be caused by the normal progression from youth to old age and all the problems that come with ageing. Sickness also brings its heartaches! Natural disasters are devastating and destructive! To say nothing of the dreadful treatment that people endure at the hands of their fellow man. War and acts of terror produce unimaginable horrors. I’m sure that at times we all question why life is such a difficult and a hurtful experience.

Is it wrong to question why? No it isn't. Even the Lord Jesus asked the question - why? 

The first thing I’d like to say is that “it's not personal”. What I mean is that we do not usually suffer as individuals because of something specific we have done. Before I go any further let me qualify that statement.  There are times in life when we do reap what we sow. There actually are consequences to our actions! But all the awful things that happen in the world are not usually the direct result of our personal actions.

My main thought when I say it’s not personal is this: ;people don’t die as a result of some sinful thing that they have done; old age doesn’t come because you did something wrong. The fact that we die, that we have sickness, that we grow old is explained to us in the Bible. The Bible states that all of these conditions and circumstances exist because sin came into the world. As a result of Adam, the first man, disobeying God the floodgates to all that was evil were opened. The fact that all of this is the result of the first man’s rebellion to God is explained by the biblical statement “by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin,” Romans 5:12.

The Bible clearly teaches that God gave man a choice:

Obey Him,

Enjoy His presence,

Enjoy all that He created for him….

But, there is a but, God warned him that the day he ate of the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that he would die. And that is what happened! Adam didn’t die physically but he died as far as his relationship with God was concerned. He was dead spiritually. Sin, death, pain and suffering became the normal experience of life. He had to work by the sweat of his brow for everything. Childbirth became a painful experience for the woman and the earth was cursed. So life hurts as a result; a fact that we know only too well.

However, what is quite incredible about the biblical story of salvation is that God had already a plan in place. God’s plan to provide forgiveness and to offer salvation to men and women was devised long before time began, 1 Peter 1: 19, 20.

God had always planned to send His ‘Son to be the Saviour of the world’. He made sure in the writings of the Old Testament, the first half of the Bible, that we would know Him when he visited earth. In the Old Testament, God told the prophets how to identify His Son. There were specific facts such as what family He would be born into, His distinctive and sinless lifestyle and His mode of death. Normally how people will die is an unknown fact but God was making a point in defining how Jesus would die in advance. Psalm 22:16 and Zechariah 12:10 speak of the death penalty as crucifixion and of the piercing of the hands and feet of the Lord Jesus which at the time was unknown. All of this information was so that when He came we would know Him.

To me the greatest and most amazing thing about this whole thing is that God came to earth in person. He was a real but sinless man. He suffered, He hurt and He endured death to pay for our sin. God wants us to be forgiven therefore the price and the legal penalty for our sin was dealt with by the Lord Jesus Christ when He died upon the cross.

The Bible explains it like this:  “Christ died for our sins.”, 1 Corinthians 15:3, “He was despised and rejected of men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief”, Isaiah 53:3.

Today God offers us not hurt but forgiveness;

Today God offers us love.

The Bible tells us, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life”, John 3:16. The greatest proof of the love of God is that, “God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”, Romans 5:8.

I want to point you to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, if you pray to God, today, confessing your sins He will forgive you.

I trust that you will do this.

May God bless you!

For more information or to get in touch visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

Are you affected by the weather?

What was the first thing you noticed this morning when you got up? Maybe I should reword that. I am not thinking about your beautiful spouse or children. My question really is – did you notice if it was sunny or rainy? Did the weather annoy you or concern you?

Passed By

Some summers are really a bit of a non-event. I’ll not go into the precise statistics but it seems that often summers come and go with little evidence that we actually had one.

Life is like that for a lot of us. Some people feel that it has passed them by. The dreams of yesterday never quite became the reality of today. The wish list remained just that – a wish list. If only.  Life need not be like that. I believe that God’s desire for humanity is to lift our gaze from the mundane things of life and to give us hope; but more of that in a moment.

How to avoid a guilt trip!

Most of us feel guilty from time to time. We often wish that we could turn the clock back and do things differently!

There are times when it is right to feel guilty. If we have genuinely wronged someone guilt is the God given mechanism that warns us that ‘action needs to be taken’. Sometimes we can rectify the problem and make amends. Other times it is outside of our power to reverse the effect of our actions. It is only right that we should fix the problems that we have caused where possible.

Having said this, many mistakes in life are not really significant in the general scheme of things and will not make a big difference in our lives. Courtesy and true friendship, decency and honesty will however ensure that we behave in ways that are commendable.

A more worrying aspect of life is that of human beings and their relationship with God. In our current society we are in danger of being unaware that we have disobeyed our Creator (and therefore owner) and that he does not tolerate people who break his law. I was aware from childhood of the fact that God had stated his principles (the 10 commandments in the Bible) and that I was incapable of living up to them. The passage in the Bible that explains God’s standards is Exodus 20. The New Testament passage that states that we are not capable of living up to these standards is Romans 3:23 ‘For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God’.

Now, contrary to public opinion God gave his Law to make us feel guilty and not to make us feel good. The Bible says ‘Now we know that what things so ever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God’. The reality is that when you and I hear the Bible preached and become aware that God is holy and has his standards; we then realise that we cannot live up to his standards and get feelings of guilt. I lied, I lusted, I took something that did not belong to me (time, emotions, things etc) and as a result I am guilty and am limited as to what I can do to rectify the situation. My offence is firstly against God (Psalm 51:4) and will also often be against a fellow human being.

So we all need to go on a guilt trip – but not for long. When the awareness of our wrong living is heightened and guilt is triggered we will be forced do something about it. That is God’s plan.

What can we do? Again God in the Bible tells us what there is no point in doing! God says in Romans 3:20 that no action on our part will satisfy him because our problem is one we were born with (Psalm 51:5). The problem is reflected in our actions and behaviours but it is deeper than that. God says rather bluntly in the Old Testament that all the right things we do are like filthy clothes. We can never be good enough for God, ‘There is none righteous, no not one’.

I say again ‘what can we do’? The answer again comes from God. He says ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved’. The Lord Jesus says ‘I am the way, the truth and the life’. The early Christian preachers preached ‘neither is their salvation in any other for there is no other name under heaven, given among men whereby we must be saved’. God’s Son (The Lord Jesus) came to earth, lived and then was put to death on a cross. God was punishing him for sin, sin that he did not commit (for he is God and perfect) but that sin that he was prepared to atone for. He paid the price God demanded to put away sin and to provide forgiveness for us.

Go on a guilt trip? No way - admit your guilt to God and then accept his offer of salvation through trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ. You will experience inexplicable joy.

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

#Time's Up it's Friday - The Daily Diary of a Bible Blogger

What a week this has been! 

Life is so unpredictable! 

You think you have everything planned out, but nothing goes according to the plan!

You try to make allowances for interruptions, but you still run out of time!

I won't bore you with the details, but I am sure you will know what I'm talking about. 

Why is it so impossible to control our time? For years, I attended business courses and seminars about time management. Eventually, I gave some lectures about the same subject, but I still struggled to manage my time. I can schedule tasks, arrange meetings, and draw up lists, but controlling time is ultimately impossible. 

Now, don't get me wrong; I'm quite efficient. My desk is uncluttered, and I work my way through lists. I get a lot done in a day, but time beats me. 

I think the question really is, is it possible to control time? You can manage what you do with your time, but time never stops. It marches on relentlessly. 

This is true in every aspect of life. Minutes tick away, growing into hours. Hours grow into days. Days turn into weeks. Weeks turn into months. Months turn into years, and before you know it, middle age has crept up on you. Old age is not a lifetime away, and you think, where has it all gone?

In Ecclesiastes chapter three, Solomon reminds us there is a time to be born and a time to die. 

The scriptures warn us of the end of life creeping up on us rapidly in Psalm 90:9-11 - 'For all our days have declined in Your fury; we have finished our years like a sigh. As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years,

yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; for soon it is gone and we fly away. Who understands the power of Your anger and Your fury, according to the fear that is due You?

In light of the brevity of time and the suddenness of death, it would be wise to prepare to meet God. 

Have you prepared? You can do this by repenting of your sins and turning to God for forgiveness. The Bible summarises the final stage of conversion in these words: 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved' (Acts 16:31). 

As always, please let me know if I can help you further. You can reach me at www.seekthetruth.org.uk. 

A Christmas Poem - The Meaning of Christmas.

CHRISTMAS POEM

In heaven above 

Before time had begun

The will of the Father 

Concerning the Son

Was to send Him from heaven 

To this world below

So that people from this earth

To heaven might go

Now you might be wondering

The reason and why

We preach about Jesus 

And heaven when you die

It's because we've a problem 

It's common to all 

It started with Adam, his sin and the fall 

For in the beginning

God, Adam did form

The world was quite perfect 

No wrong was the norm

But sadly we know now

This all was to go

In Adam's rebellion

Our death he did sow

But in the word Christmas

Does the name Christ appear

It's something you can't miss

At this time of the year

It's all about Jesus 

And His birth long ago

So that you off to heaven

At some stage might go

But it's not just the birthday

Of Jesus that's good

It's His suffering in death

And His shedding of blood

That purchased salvation 

So that you could be free

And enjoy great salvation 

Like many others and me

So as you reflect on

This message of grace

Will you consider the offer

That God brings to this place 

Your soul is important 

And life is not long 

So turn from your sin

And trust in God's Son

New York Times Opinionator column

The New York Times Opinionator column for a period carried a five-part essay by Errol Morris entitled ‘The Anosognosic’s Dilemma: Something’s Wrong but You’ll Never Know What It Is’. He leads with a story of a bank robber named McArthur Wheeler in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he was told that if he rubbed lemon juice on his face, he need not use a mask to avoid detection, because his face would be invisible to the cameras. He bought a Polaroid camera and a couple of lemons, squeezed them and applied the juice to his face. Pointed the camera at his face and clicked, rotated the camera and clicked. What he finished up with was a photo of the ceiling but no image of his face and fully believed that the lemon juice did the trick.

The Radical Claims of Jesus

All photos courtesy of Unsplash

As you survey the New Testament, it’s easy to see that Jesus made history’s most radical claims (John 6:35,John 8:46, John 8:58, John 10:27-28, John 14:6, 9, Matthew 9:2, John 14:15). Even a cursory reading of the four Gospels reveals that Jesus claimed to be a whole lot more than a “good teacher,” “spiritual leader,” or a “prophet.”

Search the writings of the world’s religions, and you’ll never read anything like Jesus' claims on the lips of Buddha, Muhammad, Confucius, Joseph Smith, or you name the leader. But anyone could say the things Jesus said. Saying those things doesn’t necessarily mean they are true. And Jesus knew that. So, Jesus didn’t just make the claims. He proved that what He said was true by…

• Fulfilling dozens of Old Testament prophecies
• Living a sinless life for which we even have the eyewitness testimonies of his enemies
• Opening the eyes of the blind
• Healing lepers
• Opening the ears of the deaf
• Causing the lame to walk
• Casting out demons

• Feeding 5,000 people with two fish and five loaves of bread

Why do we need so much #security?

© Christian De Grandmaison | Dreamstime Stock Photos

We live in a highly security-conscious age with security guards, security fences, security lights, security cameras, security alarms, etc. etc. We are increasingly aware of more and more threats to our security and by all means we endeavour to minimise the risks and dangers and eliminate the threats.

However, there is one area where there is an alarming neglect and carelessness on our part; that is in relation to our eternal security. We secure our homes, our cars, our computers but we leave our undying soul exposed to all forms of danger. We are so obsessed with the physical, the temporal, the external that we have failed to protect our most precious asset, our soul. We can replace the car, we can have viruses removed, we can repair damage to our homes but we cannot undo the irreparable damage that will be sustained if we lose our soul. The old hymn says:

To lose your wealth is much,

To lose your health is more;

To lose your soul is such a loss,

That nothing can restore.

I ask you then, my friend, have you ensured the eternal security of your immortal soul; are you saved? Have you, until now, fallen into the same trap as the ‘rich farmer’ of Luke chapter 12? Have your priorities been your career, your finances, your health, your family, etc. so much so that your precious soul has been neglected? Have you been so preoccupied with the years ahead; making provision for retirement and the other contingencies of life that the consideration of your invaluable soul has been buried under all the other encumbrances that have filled your life hitherto?

Thankfully God has made provision for our eternal security. The Lord Jesus said, "I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish" John 10.28. He also affirmed, "… those that Thou gavest Me I have kept, and none of them is lost …" John 17.12. The life that we receive when we trust Christ is "eternal life" John 3.15; "everlasting life" John 3.16. In Hebrews 7.25 we read, "He is able also to save them to the uttermost [evermore, completely] that come unto God by Him …" Paul wrote, "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" Romans 8.38,39. These rock-solid, iron-clad, inviolable guarantees ought to reassure us; we need not fear to trust Christ; we should not hesitate for one moment to rely on Him alone for our eternal security.

Dear reader, is all well for eternity? If you died today, are you sure that you would be in heaven? If your answer to these questions is ‘No’, please do not rest until you have guaranteed your eternal security by trusting the Lord Jesus Christ Who died for your sins and rose again, thereby providing an eternal salvation for us. When you trust Christ, He assumes full responsibility for your salvation and it is utterly impossible for a soul trusting Him to perish. You can have that unshakable peace, that unwavering confidence today if you "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ" Acts 16.31. Let me quote, in closing, another hymn:

O, what can equal joy divine or what can sweeter be,

Than knowing that the soul is safe for all eternity?

The content of today's blog was provided courtesy of Assembly Testimony

To get in touch or for more information visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk