Preaching with a purpose

If you want to know about God and what He requires in your life and how you should live, you must make the Bible absolutely central to your everyday reading.  There is no where else that can tell you what you need to know.  You cannot afford to listen to someone else's ideas, you need the Bible only.  If you have a good pastor he or she will be feeding the word to you, but you still need to search the sciptures to make sure he has got it right.  You must not be a lazy christian depending on some else, having a second hand faith. You must energetically search the sciptures for yourself.  The Holy Spirit will help you if you ask. You must also been prepared to have dearly held views challenged.  The Bible is no ordinary book, if you approach it sincerely it will change your life and that may be painful. Often our lives need drastic measures to bring us into the light. But it will be worth it.

This applies to all who have put their trust in Jesus Christ and His finished work on Calvary.  The Christian cannot be separated from God's love in Christ,(Romans 8 35 - 39.  This is a wonderful thing to tell yourself.  Nothing and nobody can separate you from the love of God. No matter what problems you are going through they cannot separate you from the love of God.  They may be difficulties in your marriage, or health problems.  You may have cancer but it cannot separate you from the love of God.  Your children may have become estranged from you, even this cannot separate you from God's love. You  may have lost a dear one to death.  This will be hard to bear, but it cannot separate you from the love of God. This is a strong fact of our salvation, nothing can separate us from the love of God. Hold on to this fact and it will begin to pull you out of the depression your troubles bring you into.

As Christians this is our position in Christ.  What an amazing thing to take in, that we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.  Jesus puts us on a level footing with Himself before God.  An heir receives everything the Father has. In Jesus we are made equal with Jesus.  Not only are these riches for later on but they are ours now.  No matter what our status in this life, whether we are poor or rich, in Jesus we are the heirs to all God has.  In Jesus He gives us Himself. So do not worry about your status here;in the eternal realm you are the son of a king. Not just any king, but the King of kings.

Recently I'm seeing Chinese people here reading my posts.I know that there are probably millions of Chinese Christians.  You have been through so many difficulties that you are now strong.  After the missionaries left you became strong because you had only the Lord to rely on.  This was God's plan for you.  We in the West pray for you, but really it is us who need your prayers.  Please pray for us we are so flabby and ineffective. Our churches are not keeping to Jesus only, but bringing the tactics of the world into our church life.  We are letting the true doctrines slip away.  We need your prayers more than you need ours.

The christian has the peace of God that passes all understanding.  We read this in Philippians 4:7.Why does this peace pass all understanding?  It is because God gives it to us when we are at our most threatened.  To the non-christian it doesn't make sense to be at peace in turmoil. We know that we are safe in Jesus, no matter what gets thrown at us. Enter into this peace today.  The problems you face are already dealt with by God.  The solution is already waiting in the future.  We are passing through difficult terrain but our destination is sure.  I pray that you may be able to receive this peace wherever you are in the world today.

In John 17 verse 23 we see that we are loved by God just as He has loved Jesus.  How amazing this is that God loves us just as He loves Jesus.  This love is strong and will work all things for our good.  But we only receive it if we are trusting in Jesus.  This love will carry us through any thing that comes our way. If we are sure of His love nothing that comes our way will shake us. We are strong when we rest in this truth.  Did you ever realize before how much God loves His children?

I was recently given a long list of many things that apply to the Christian who has put his trust entirely in the Lord Jesus Christ, to put him right with God. Such a person is accepted in the Beloved.  Who is this "beloved"?  It is Jesus.  At His baptism God said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." When we are in Jesus, God is also well pleased with us. Isn't this just amazing.  Poor sinful humans who put their trust in Jesus are accepted by the Holy Almighty God.  There is no other way to be accepted by God.  Jesus is the only way to God.What a lovely fact to be able to share with you all, whether you come from China or Russia, or the U.S.A.

In Britain we have very little persecution and consequently many of us are flabby Christians.  We pray for our brethren who are suffering but take our own position for granted.   We need to hear what our persecuted brethren are saying to us.  They are growing stronger while we take the easy way out and are led like sheep by many who do not seem to know the Good Shepherd they are supposed to represent.   Be encouraged if you are persecuted.  In James we read "Consider it pure joy, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because.. the testing of your faith develops perseverance. "  That perseverance makes you mature and complete, lacking nothing.  None of us like persecution, but the result is wonderful.  Really we should welcome it with open arms because of what it does for us.     

An Australian couple went to Thailand and arranged for a 21-year-old surrogate mother to have a baby for them.  The baby turned out to be twins, a boy and a girl. Unfortunately the boy had Down's Syndrome and the Australian couple rejected him but took the girl.  I wonder what happens if the girl developes a problem? The boy needs medical treatment for a heart condition which is often the way with Down's Syndrome, but on the T.V. he looks very bright and adorable. The surrogate mother is looking after the boy.  She needed the money to give her older children a better life.   At present Thailand has no laws which relate to being a surrogate mother.  It seems to me that as we make laws for things once thought unthinkable we make life more and more difficult for ourselves. No laws can put this right but laws can mitigate the situation and make provision for those who are suffering.   One of the problems highlighted here is that people today want to have perfectly healthy babie

That line comes from an old chorus.  God is still in control, no matter how terrible things are on this earth.  If  we have put our trust in Jesus to save us from god's wrath against sin then we have nothing to fear in this world.  We should be afraid to displease God but be afraid of nothing else.  But we do have to face our fears and this is not pleasant.  But once we have fought through this initial fear we will know the peace of God that passes understanding. Remember one person with God is a majority. If we are His, God will not forget us.  There may be all sorts of trials to go through but we will eventually arrive in heaven and all our troubles will melt away. Hang on to God and when you can no longer hang on to Him, He will hang on to you and bring you safely to Him 

When we say God is Almighty what do we mean? Recently I heard a minister say that there is randomness and accident and that God gets alongside us and weeps with us in our sorrow.  Now I have no doubt that God comes along side us and comforts us in our grief but I utterly refute that He is taken unawares by randomness.  God is God almighty in perfect control of what happens in this world.  There is a spiritual battle going on but God is in control. He ordains everything for His glory and the good of His children.  We cannot understand this but we can believe it and put our trust in God. In 1 Peter 4 verse 12 we read,"Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy." There is a purpose to everything and it is God's purpose. The world is a mess but God'