A good attitude

1 Peter 5:5 to 9

These are practical exhortations – how we are to live as Christians. What we have here is a series of imperatives that come one right after the other to remind of us of the basic attitude for our maturity. Not so much how we act but our motives.

ATTITUDE NUMBER ONE IS THAT OF SUBMISSION
We could be young in years or in the faith. Why is this addressed to young men in part? They often challenge authority. Experience in life under the Holy Spirit gives us maturity, wisdom and balance. They have known perseverance. The generation gap was not invented in our century, and the church has not been immune to it in any century. Today the young have grown up with computers. Older ones who have not can feel left behind. The young should benefit from the wisdom of the old. Submission is primarily an attitude of respect and recognition of rank. The young can be wiser than the old, when the older ones have not grown in maturity. The can have a clearer light on the word. They can have a clearer grasp of the word in relation to their own generation. The young should always respect the older ones but it is the truth that matters. We need to put the old truth in new suits for each generation. This is broadened out to include everyone so we follow the leadership bestowed on the church. The leader’s responsibility is to God.
ATTITUDE NUMBER TWO IS THAT IF HUMILITY
Submission opposes pride, humility attacks self love.
a) Peter says be humble to each other so that you can know the grace of God. That word ‘clothe’ means to tie something on like a work apron such as that used by a slave. Philippians 2:3 to 5. You are going to do humble service. You are not above doing an unskilled menial task. He was alluding to the Lord Jesus who washed the disciples feet and put a towel around his waist. Nothing is too unpleasant for us to do for the Lord. Think others are more important than you are. Moody said ‘Lord make me humble but do not let me know it.’ We should be careful that it is not false humility – we have been redeemed by God. Humility means not thinking of ourselves at all or conscious of ourselves.
b) Peter says be humble toward God if you want His blessing.
(i) Humility recognises what we are is by the grace of God. What have we to be proud about? 1 Corinthians 4:7 Luke 18:9 to 14. We need to admit to God that we are unworthy and He will lift us up. Pride is the root sin of all sin. Humility is the first precept of the Christian faith – so said Augustine and Calvin. Humility recognises what we are – we are believers because of what Christ has done.
(ii) Humility is not a false humility that thinks too lowly. It is not humility to pretend to be less than God has redeemed, commissioned and equipped us to be. Micah 6:8
(iii) Humility submits to God because the same hand will lift up. God brings trials to teach us lessons, when we have humbled ourselves under God’s hand he will lift us up in due time.
ATTITUDE NUMBER THREE IS THAT OF TRUST – verse 7.
In stressful days cast your cares on Him and trust Him.
a) What we have is anxiety – worries distract us from the productive things God wants us to do and consume us by diverting all our thoughts into these channels of fear. These anxieties often come from a spirit of independence like being on a ship when the storm hits the ship and we start to become anxious. When we cast our cares on Christ we can rest from anxieties.
b) What we are to do – Meyer ‘Treat cares as you treat sins. Hand them over to Jesus one by one as the occur’. It is like putting a blanket on a horse. We unload our load on Jesus. We take it to Him and leave it on Him. We hand over anxieties as we hand over our sins to the Lord Jesus. It can be hard to do this but it is the only solution.
c) Why we should do this. Here is the genius of biblical Christianity: God cares for me. He proved it by sending his own Son. Any God who would sacrifice his own Son must care for me. If he cares that much everything else is mine. He will hear my prayers and answer them. We can place our load on Him. Jesus tells us to cast our burdens on Him. He was given freely for his people so we can cast our cares freely on him.
ATTITUDE NUMBER FOUR IS WATCHFULNESS. Verses 8 to 9
We are to cast our cares on the Lord but we are not to be careless. We cannot become careless because Satan prowls around trying to get to Christians who are fallible and weak. We are vulnerable to Satan’s attacks – he is not omnipresent, resist him and he will flee. There is a tow fold strategy for defeating Satan’s attacks: we must resist him by standing firm in the faith. We must remember our brothers and sisters who at this very moment are standing firm in the face of satanic attack around the world. Some are having a lot harder time than we are in China and the Islamic world. We need to learn lessons form the difficulties of our lives. Stand firm and be alert.

Jesus at Jerusalem

John 5:16-30 Luke 2:41-52
This sermon is part of the places and events in the life of Jesus. 1/3 of the Gospel is concerned with the last 7 days before the crucifixion. Only ten verses deal with the first 30 years.
WHAT WAS IMPORTANT TO JESUS’ PARENTS? – verse 41
Joseph and Mary belonged to the people of God. They sought to follow the law of God. Jewish men were commanded to go to three feasts: The Feast of Unleavened bread (Passover), The Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) and the Feast of Booths. By the time of Jesus, after the return from exile, the men only had to go up to Jerusalem for the Passover. They came from all over Israel and the Roman world. It was important that they obeyed God’s commands, for their spiritual good. That Mary came showed that was very devoted. It was tiring and costly and needed careful organisation to be away for two weeks. They knew there was blessing in obedience. As a family they sought to please God together. Cousins and other relations gathered together, for the only time in the year. We are commanded to gather together regularly and on the Lord’s day. There is great blessing in coming together. We are keeping a command by doing this today. To Joseph and Mary this really mattered. It is good to get together and there is great reward in doing this. Do we encourage our children and other family members to come? We should want to join in and not miss out. It trains us for eternity and what is after death.
WHAT WAS IMPORTANT TO JESUS? – verses 43 to 48
He was only twelve years old, a child, very young. He went willingly with his mum and dad. He stayed longer than anyone else because he so loved the Bible. He may have undergone his Bar Mitzvah as he was twelve, an initiation, a coming of age, the age of responsibility. You could not make excuses – I do not know or understand. People travelled in groups called caravans, people often gathered in age groups. At the end of the first day his parents could not find him. They had to go back to Jerusalem to find him. That they had not looked in the day showed they had absolute trust in him, that he would not do anything wrong. When they could not find him they probably felt panic. After 3 days they found him in the temple courts discussing things with the teachers. They told him they were out of their minds with worry. He was showing a maturity far beyond his years. These men spent all their lives studying God’s word. It was important for Jesus to go to the temple in a thirst for truth, to learn from the Word and engage in spiritual discussions with other believers. He chose not to go to the market or seek out entertainment.
WHAT WAS IMPORTANT TO GOD THE FATHER? Verse 49
Jesus was not being insubordinate but asking them why they did not come straight to the temple. Often parents underestimate their children’s spiritual growth. He was not being careless or disrespectful. We all need a relationship with God. Jesus draw a distinction between Joseph, his earthly father and God, his heavenly father and his heavenly father’s will was most important. He wanted to serve God.
a) It is important His child learns of Him. Jesus’ motive in staying behind was not carelessness or disrespect but love of God.
b) It is important His child relates to Him. Jesus’ answer reveals his sense of self-identity, Jesus draws a gentle, but distinct, line between Joseph as His earthly father and God as His true father. He shows that the latter relationship has priority over the former.
c) It is important His child obeys Him. Jesus understands his unique calling requires devotion that takes precedence over all.
d) It is important His people understand. His parents do not comprehend what God is doing. We can forget God’s promises, time can dull the memory of what God has said to us. We need to please God but we do need to be dutiful to our earthly parents in all that we do. His parents needed to remember Jesus’ divine calling – they had forgotten what the angels had told them about Jesus.
WE LEARN WHAT IS IMPORTANT FOR US – verse 51
a) Jesus the Son of God, set us an example in dutifulness. His heavenly sonship didn’t excuse him from his earthly sonship. He fulfilled in learning from the teachers at the temple. You would think he had wanted to stay there but he has to go back to Nazareth. He bided God’s time, the God who might also make us wait. Joseph and Mary were humble but faithful in following God. We may have a lowly calling in life but we need to be faithful and excel in our ordinary life and please God.
b) Jesus reminds us that if Mary could lose him then we must all face the possibility that we might lose touch with the Lord Jesus Christ. In a place with believers, singing, the reading of scripture and things to remind them of God, they were unaware that Jesus was not with them. It is possible for you to go worship, come from a Christian home, have Christian friends and not be with the Saviour. They assumed all was well but there was no contact. They forgot that every relationship is two way. They did a lot of right things but lost closeness to Him. Eventually they found him in God’s house. That’s the most likely place you will meet him. Here He will speak to you as you reach out to Him.
We can know all about him and yet not know him. We can take it for granted all is well but we are responsible for making sure that we keep in touch. Yesterday’s blessings are past blessings. We can grow cold very easily. Joseph and Mary renewed their contact by getting worried and seeking out the Lord Jesus as we should if we have lost contact with him.

The Servants of the Church - deacons

Acts 6:1-7 1 Timothy 3:8-13

Deacons and elders are the only two permanent offices in the church. The names signify what their office. Elders guide the Church and exercise oversight. Elders delegate to deacons the office of serving the people. They both develop the character of the Church.
THE NATURE OF THE DEACON’S OFFICE
The term diakonos signifies in general ‘one who serves.’ The work of a deacon is serving. Deacons can be seen as like waiters. Acts 6:1-7. They served food to poor people. They visited them. They were appointed to assist the elders in serving the church. In the early church many new converts were very poor. The apostles were overwhelmed by their needs. Moses likewise felt overwhelmed by the needs of the people, elders were appointed to assist. Today we may not have such social needs but we do have many single parents who need care, Practically, food needed buying and carrying to people. They administered money and prepared the communion feast as well as the ‘love feasts’ in 1 Corinthians. The people were asked to look out suitable men in Acts 6. They were chosen by the people under the auspices of the elders. It is not clear how long they were chosen for. Voting for 1-3 years allows for a rotation of officers, it allows for the effects of sickness and for electing younger men, as people can be reluctant to stand down. We can get proud about our officers. Both officers overlap – deacons and elders, there is a cross over., some deacons preach the word of God.
THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE DEACON 1 Timothy 3:8-13
a) The deacons spiritual qualifications. Acts 6:3.
(i) ‘Full of the Holy Spirit’. Every Christian has the Spirit. The first deacons were radiant as the result of being full of the Spirit. They think spiritually. Seen in prayer meetings and in holiness. They take meetings and give book reviews.
(ii) ‘Full of wisdom’. Seen in meetings and balanced attitudes.
(iii) ‘Full of faith’. Seen in undying hope and loyalty. They shared the Gospel in the early church – see Phillip and Stephen.
b) The deacon’s moral qualifications - 1 Timothy 3:8.
(i) The deacon is to have a seriousness of mind. They should be joyful but not shallow
(ii) The deacon is to be transparently open and honest. He must not say things just to suit the occasion. He must not resort to smooth talking.
(iii) The deacon must not have an addiction to wine. In the early church water was often polluted. He must avoid dependency on wine.
(iv) The deacon must not be covetous. He must resist the temptation to embezzle money.
c) The deacon’s doctrinal qualifications 3:9
(i) The deacons must also possess a sound spiritual understanding. Romans16:25-26. He need not be apt to teach, he does need to understand and grasp the fundamentals of the revealed Gospel. The mystery of the Gospel has been revealed to us. These are at the heart of our faith. At the centre is that the Bible is infallible and inerrant. If there is the slightest suspicion that he is not clear in his grasp of the fundamentals, such a person has no place in office. He must wait if he does show lack of clarity. Deacons must have this because they are so influential.
(ii) Deacons are to believe with utter sincerity without reservation.
(iii) Deacons are to be tested or proved. They should be seen to be suitable – verse 10. He should be seen to live a gracious life. The Bible does not set a test but we must use discernment in our choice. Men should not be unduly disappointed if they are not proposed or elected.
d) The deacon’s personal qualifications. 3:12
(i) He is to be a man of one woman and manage his family well. He had to be a faithful husband and this ruled out polygamy. He is to be a good husband to his wife. If he is single he should demonstrate a faithful attitude to other men’s wives and single women
(ii) He is to manage his household in an excellent manner. He should be a good family man.
THE QUALIFICATIONS OF A DEACON’S WIFE 1 Timothy
Wives of deacons are a big factor in their husband’s usefulness. She will share in his sharing and caring work. She should not have a loose tongue and be temperate and trustworthy. They are a real asset to the deacon and the church.
THE INCENTIVES FOR A DEACON’S WORK 1 Timothy 3:13
It is often demanding and time consuming. Much is done after a long day’s work. Much is done in private but seen by God.
a) He obtains a good standing. He wins respect and gratitude from the entire congregation. He is loved and appreciated by all as well as the elders. Deacons can be the rock and foundation of the stability of the Church.
b) He obtains confidence in the faith and boldness in prayer. When you serve the Lord Jesus you gain deeper and fuller assurance in your faith. There is boldness in prayer. People who are not deacons or are women are still serving the church as indicated here by visiting and serving people. Finally we can see it is a guide for churches when seeking nominations for deacons. In this church we have many men qualified to serve. It also shows candidates what is expected of them. Not perfection but willingness.
Finally, these qualifications show us that the diaconate is the office which most closely resembles the servant-hood of Jesus Christ. Matthew 20: 26. Happy the church that has godly deacons for that church will be filled with the servant-spirit of Jesus. Let us pray that God will continue to raise up a succession of such men.

Jesus in Nazareth

Luke 4:14-30 2:49-52
THE BACKGROUND OF JESUS – 2:39
These are all the verses we have from his birth to his public baptism. We might wish for more detail, but there is little related of him to gratify our curiosity, but enough to regulate our conduct.
a) This tells us about the village, he was not cloistered. We know it was called Nazareth and was held in contempt – ‘can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ said Nathanael. It had a bad name, possibly due to laxed morals. In chapter 4 people rejected him and tried to kill him by throwing him down a hill. He was not cloistered, some people who knew him well loved him. He was surrounded by unbelieving neighbours. It can be very tough for us now when we conduct ourselves in God’s ways when others reject it.
b) This tells us about the family, Jesus was a member of a large family. Mark 6:l3 tells us Jesus’ family had at least 8 children. He grew up with younger brothers and sisters. He knew of having to share, setting a good example to younger siblings and his siblings arguing. The passages do not speak of his earthly father, he had probably passed away. At his death on the cross, Jesus committed his mother Mary to John. He was the responsible leader of the family, he probably also ran the family business. He knew what it was to care for people.
c) This tells us about the humanity of the Lord Jesus. Jesus was the God man. He was fully God and fully man. Two distinct natures united in the Lord Jesus. This shows us he grew as a human. He was fully human save for our sin. Jesus cried as a baby, not as a tantrum but to signal hunger. He was a perfect child, adolescent and adult. If Jesus was not fully human, then we do not have a Saviour, nor do we have a Saviour who can identify with our weaknesses. It needed someone truly human to take our place.
d) This tells us about the perfection of the Lord Jesus. Why did he come into the world? To be the perfect sacrifice for sin. He lived a perfect life pleasing to God. He was yielding to all authority – his parents, scripture and tutors. In his humanity, Jesus had the same limitations as all humans except He was without sin. He was the perfect mediator. God was well pleased with him at his baptism. We get an insight into his true humanity and absolute sinlessness of the Lord Jesus.
JESUS INCREASED IN STATURE – verse 39.
His boyhood was an actual normal boyhood. His development was like that of all children. He came amongst men to learn all the features of our development, learnt from his family.
a) His development came from a healthy life style. Childhood needs respect for the body God has given so it will be useful. He would have ran and played with children of his age but without sin. We should keep our bodies fit and healthy.
b) His development came from using hands to get proficiency. Every Jewish child learned a trade. Saul learnt to use his hands to make tents to support himself so he would not depend on others Jesus learnt the trade of a carpenter. He was fit and healthy, he needed the physical stamina during those years of his ministry. Jesus walked for miles and spoke publicly for hours. He needed to be physically fit. Today we have lost the benefits of manual skills. It is important to develop manual skills in those who best suited for them.
JESUS GREW IN WISDOM – verse 39 and 52
Jesus’ mind grew. He learned about his family and country, about God, about languages – he spoke Greek, Aramaic and Hebrew. Nazareth was a back water. He was home taught, this is why people were amazed at him. He questioned, his parents explained, he retained and he applied it. He absorbed much from hearing people at the synagogue. Jesus was wise in the sight of God.
JESUS GREW IN HIS SOCIAL SKILL.
He grew in favour with men. Our Lord got on with people; he was interested in them; he had a good attitude to people. He was a sociable person. People liked him, his kindness. We often overlook this. Many Christians lack these skills. Jesus was in complete contrast to his cousin John who was stern and harsh. Joyless and stern faces have no place in our dealings with people. Jesus was a well rounded person. Why did people hate him? Why did they want to crucify him? Because they hated the way he exposed sin. We need to help our children to develop social skills - to be kind and generous without compromising with sin..
JESUS INCREASED IN FAVOUR WITH GOD – verse 52
Jesus was fully God, yet as a man he had to grow spiritually. As his wisdom grew, so his life became more lovely in the sight of God and man. Our Lord as man, increased in understanding what his father required, how he should live, what he should behave. The great difference between Jesus and ourselves, is that he never had to say ‘Sorry father for the sins pf today. Forgive me through the Lord Jesus.’ This is where we begin, knowing our need of being right with God. We need to remember that a child has a child’s faith, and that they need to grow in faith as the Lord Jesus did.
CONCLUSION
He went through every stage of life that we do. He’s been a baby, in the classroom, in the work shop, he’s seen siblings disagree, he’s seen lies and unkindness and it hurt his holy soul and grieved his holy heart. He is now our saviour in Heaven, an understanding and powerful friend who is still with us if we belong to him.
He still loved children who the disciples tried to drive them away in Luke l8. He wants us to bring little children to him. Children need to come to him and put their faith in him. Jesus never had to say sorry to God as we have to, to begin our relationship with him.

A word for Shepherds

1 Timothy 3 and Ezekiel 34 1 Peter
Peter moves towards the end of his letter by sharing a personal word with those in positions of leadership in the churches. In the light of the pressure the church will face, it must be right at the top and so he humbly addresses the leaders. A nation needs good leadership like Churchill in the war. In any human organisation you need wise heads and steady hands. Some church leaders play a national role like Martin Lloyd Jones and Spurgeon who were greatly respected by all. The future of the church depends on Biblically qualified leaders being raised. This passage is addressed to elders and the led – what to expect of them and ourselves in relation to them. Peter had had a hard time getting to grips with leadership of a Biblical kind.
WHO ARE ELDERS – verse 1
Elder focuses on that he is a mature man of God. Under Moses elders were selected for each tribe, they were mature men. In the 400 years between the Old Testament and New Testament church synagogues were led by elders. When the early New Testament began, the church was led by elders – see Acts 14. Paul and Barnabas appointed elders in each church. In Acts 21 he called the elders of Ephesus and gave them a charge. There are 3 interchangeable terms. Elders – understand the truth and apply it. Overseer or bishop, exercise oversight, their function is to superintend matters. Pastor, this means shepherd, focuses on the tasks of providing care and feeding. They give leadership to and provide food for the flock. This office is constant. They are called bishop, minister, elder etc. The congregation needs leadership. It is a mark of a true Christian church. It is led by faithful men. A strong church needs committed leadership. It needs a continual supply of men being raised. Unless the leadership is strong, the church will crumble when it is under pressure. In the New Testament, there is always a plurality of elders, and some elders were financially supported by their members. Paul and Barnabas appointed elders. Paul told Titus to appoint elders in every city. 1 Timothy 5:17 – some were paid. The leadership is reserved for men. This matters today, there are various types of church government such as the catholic church that has pope-cardinal-bishop-priest, this is unbiblical. The New Testament model is one of local churches led by elders, it is not a democracy run by a committee.
WHY DOES PETER APPEAL TO ELDERS?
a) Peter appeals as a fellow elder. Notice the sensitive address. He does not pull rank by saying ‘I am speaking as an apostle’, no, he is speaking as one of them, under pressure as they are, in partnership with them.
b) Peter is also a witness of Christ’s sufferings. He had heard and seen Jesus. He had seen miracles, but he speaks of his suffering because he knows the believers were suffering, especially the elders. As Christ suffered serving others, so will they. Peter wrote out of experience, and as a student of the apostolic witness in Scripture.
c) Peter is looking forward to the Christian’s blessed hope. Peter shared in sufferings so he will share in Christ’s glory.
d) Peter’s exhortations are related to his teaching on suffering. He knew how slow he had been to learn from the Lord. He knows people often backslid and elders’ decisions were sometimes rejected. God chose ordinary mortals to be elders, we should not expect perfection. They have a burden. The corrective actions of elders need privacy, which means that all facts are not public knowledge. People do not understand why they have acted as they did, misunderstandings may result. Peter understands all of that and knows there is a sufficiency of grace to help.
WHAT IS THE CALLING OF ELDERS?
He interchanges the 3 words. He shepherds the flock, bears them on his heart, seeks them when they stray, defends from harm, comforts them in pain, and feeds them with the truth. His first charge is to shepherd the flock – when Peter was restored this was Jesus’ first charge ‘take care of my sheep’. He gave him a heart fir it and a willingness to do it. It is not learnt in a seminary. The pastor/shepherd looks out for the needs of the people and gets to know them. In a large congregation, a plurality of elders are needed.
WHAT SHOULD CHARACTERISE THE ELDERS WORK?
Each of them begins with a negative. Elders are respected and trusted by people but it opens up a minefield.
a) Their oversight must be willing service as a true expression of Christian love. They must have a good attitude to their work. He does this because he wants to not because he has got to. Who wants a reluctant leader? 1 Timothy 3:5 – men should aspire to the work so it can grow and be blessed. It should never be done grudgingly.
b) Their oversight must exhibit a good attitude towards compensation. God’s servant should never be covetous. Temptation of money has been the downfall of many. Those who do it for money are called hirelings – this means it is a wrong motive.
c) Their oversight must demonstrate a good attitude towards people’ ‘Elders are to be ‘overseers’ not ‘over-lords,’ – says Wiersbe. Elders must not be bossy but show people the way. Some pastors/ministers have become petty tyrants. ‘Heavy shepherding’ is a form of this where a heavy hand goes onto those who are unconventional. People end up being driven away. In the church there is room for differences of conscience. All sheep are different as are all Christians.
d) Their oversight must exhibit a good example to people. Nothing will ever affect people more than example. Nothing inspires confidence more than a Christ like example. ‘Like pastor, like people.’ The flock will follow the example – listen and follow. Elders command respect rather than demand it.
WHAT IS THE ELDERS REWARD? Verse 4.
There is an earthly reward, to be able to devote yourself full time to the ministry. The greatest reward will come when the Great Shepherd returns and rewards leaders. Leaders are often unappreciated but the slightest deed done in Jesus’ name in the remotest corner of the earth will be remembered because God writes it down in His book. This is preached to the elders and what they should do, they are flawed men, all of them. They need the prayers, support and encouragement of their people. This will lead to the congregation being blessed. We need to pray that churches – small and large – will have the leadership that they need.

Why Babel had to stop

Acts 2:1-18 Genesis 11:1-9
THE CONDITIONS PRIOR TO THE BUILDING OF BABEL
Genesis is a book of beginnings. The world is being repopulated after the flood. Men have a common language. There are over 3000 languages and dialects now, they have a common root, a common language, linguistic experts agree on this. A common language is a cause of unity before God A common language helped life but can also promote disobedience. It was misused before God.
THE CONCERTED EFFORTS OF MAN
Nimrod was a leader of this. A ziggurat or temple was at the centre of it. It was a technological marvel – all such pyramids are. Ziggurats were built of brick because there was no stone. They used tar because of a lack of mortar. Archaeologists have uncovered these, the base of one was 90 square metres. When humanity works together great goals can be achieved. Great good can arise but great evil also. What was wrong with it?
a) Settling in the valley of Shinar was an act of disobedience. They had been commanded to spread out not collect in cities. They would be blessed as they scattered. Babel would become Babylon. They thought collected life together was safest, life on their own terms. It was a settlement of disobedience. You won’t find security in people and buildings but in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no short cut to security.
b) Starting to build a monument to themselves was without God. The world is filled with people who wish to achieve something. It was for themselves not God. People still mark out achievements with high buildings – people are trying to build higher and higher buildings. There is nothing wrong with high buildings but Babel was for themselves. People have a deep seated desire to achieve for themselves. God wants us to achieve for Him.
c) Central to this was the aim to create a religious centre. Nimrod knew people needed religious motivation to overcome the scattering of people. The Bible traces all false religions to Babylon. Revelation sees it as the parent of all false religion. ‘The tower that reaches to the heavens’. It was a symbol of religions. The project was presented as true spirituality, whilst really directing away from the true God. Astrology and the signs of the zodiac come from here, it replaces submission to the living God with submission to chance. Today people believe in this idea of fate, it is satanic, it is false, it is a dead end and it brings people to despair. From this arose a whole system of idolatry based on astrology and occultism.
THE CONTROL OF GOD – verses 5 to 8
The tower was but a dot on the ground to God. God was going to destroy it. God performed a miracle in the minds and vocal cords of the builders. He confused their language so that now, and brought confusion and an inevitable scattering. It was a catastrophe for the world overnight. It was impossible for people to work together. People called it Babel (later Babylon) – confusion city. God’s will came to pass, we cannot defy God’s will. Men lose because God’s will will be done.
THE CONCERNS OF GOD – verse 9.
a) Mankind needs God to intervene and expose human folly. Resistance ends in frustration. If God did not, rebellion would become confusion. Man wants to achieve independently of God. We try to fix problems such as AIDS without reference to God. We have the philosophy of Babel today, unbelief and godlessness. The law of God is proved by the misery that eventuates when it is disobeyed. See the misery that comes from permissive sexuality. We need to be right with God.
b) Mankind would have great potential for evil if they finished this. If they went ahead with their plans for one world government, one man-made religion and one centralized system of information and technology, they would be capable of anything no matter how terrible. To limit human power, language was confused and people scattered. People have been kept in tribes and nations. God limits technological progress to limit damage. Centralised power has done great harm in the hands of Mao, Stalin and Hitler. Louis XIV (‘Louis the Great’) believed in one king, one law and one church and he inflicted great harm on the evangelical church.
c) Mankind needs to see religious unity without truth is dangerous. Unity is not the highest good, but purity and obedience to the Word. You cannot have a false imposed unity in the name of making peace. Biblical religion is based on obedience to Biblical truth.
d) Mankind will face the same danger that faced the early world. Revelation describes the final Babylon as in opposition to God. Human power is kept in check, it will be given free reign in the last days under the one called the Anti-Christ. it will collapse under the weight of its own sin and God’s power.
e) Mankind’s only hope is to find the Enduring City. Feddes says: ‘Only God can rescue us from ourselves. Our hope for transformation is in Christ not human effort. Only God’s city can save the world or transform a human soul forever. That city draws people together in Christ. God sent his Spirit on Pentecost, and a spiritual reversal of Babel began. Since then God’s kingdom has continued to unite people in Jesus. One day every tribe will be united in speech. Build your life on Christ and never be disappointed. The blunders of history are valuable only if we learn from them. Do we put our trust in each other and human progress as the men of Shinar did? Or do we put our faith in the Lord Jesus as God commands. Acts 2 describes a true unity based on the work of the Lord Jesus. Trust in this.

Our reconcilliation

Colossians 1:1-23
Sometimes there is a general focus in the Bible and we can use this to hide from its implications. Sometimes it is very personal and the words ‘you’ and ‘yours’ are used. In verses 15 to 20 the focus is general, how Christians are reconciled to God. Verses 21 to 23 focus this in a very personal way to the individual so it could not be avoided. No one in Colosse could avoid it and no here today can either. Everyone is covered in these 3 verses.
People have a personal problem – verse 21. No punches are pulled, it is not soft pedalled. It is bold and forthright. Every single one of us began here – alienated from God. Everyone of us was it that state as unbelievers – young or old. It is a total breakdown, there is no effective relationship. In Ephesians 2: 12 he expands upon this. We were excluded from Heaven, without hope in the world. God excluded you from a proper relationship with Him. We are excluded from God’s house until we are in a fit state to go into it. In our natural state we do not deserve God’s blessing, we are not worthy to go in because of the state we are in, it is a very serious state to be, it is the most serious state to be in. we are without hope and without God in the world. This is not a wish, this hope in the Bible is the certainty of Heaven. We know when we have Heaven. We may enjoy what the world has to offer – entertainment and pleasures, but it does not last or ultimately satisfy. In this state we do not understand what we are missing. They know nothing of the joys of Heaven, they are barred from these blessings as they are for God’s people only.
They are enemies in their minds of God. They are hostile to God and their desire is to do evil. People do not do the most evil deeds such as we see in the press, but everyone who is not a Christian is a state of hostility towards God. People do not want to obey God. People’s judgement and standards and not ours. We are naturally disposed to reject God. We enjoy doing what God says is wrong. It may seem harsh, but as non-Christians we are not just sinners but we wilfully reject his standards. It is not apathy, but it is wilful.
We are not just hostile to God but God is hostile and angry with us. He has every right to be angry with us. This describes God as actively hostile. It is not just bad news, we do not have to stay this way, we can (verse 22) be personally reconciled to God by the death of Christ. in Colosse false teachers had said that believers needed more but they did not. Paul explained the fullness of the personal reconciliation enjoyed by every Christian. It is true of Christians now. Relationships break down in human society and we can move so far apart that we can see how we can’t see how we can be reconciled. The problem with God is far more extreme. It is all the more amazing that we have been reconciled to God. When we try to restore a broken human relationship we may use a human mediator, this does not work with God.
a) He has reconciled you – God brings it about. On our own we could not do it. God has the desire. It is due to his great love, he will not leave us in that state.
b) It is achieved by Christ’s physical body in death. He acquired a human body as a man. It could not be achieved by a sinless angel, they are perfect, but he could not be a representative as if he had been just God. It had to be God and man – see verse 20. In verse 22 it is done for you, individually and personally, not mankind in general. If we are a Christian.
c) What is the outcome? We are presented without blemish and free from accusation. We are pure, holy and blameless. We have been transformed. We may sin but we will be perfected in Heaven. There will be no lingering trace of sin when we enter glory. We will not smell of sin or corruption. This is wonderful. We will be utterly pure, holy and blameless. No one will be able to accuse us ever again. This reconciliation is far beyond anything than any human being can ever do. It can never be broken. All traces of sin will be removed and we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ – it belongs to us forever.
What of the present? Jesus does not have to do anything else. We do not have to come before Christ again. We must not be careless about how we live, we should learn to hate sin as God hates sin. We must battle to overcome sin as we anticipate our future lives. We have a personal responsibility .
a) We must continue in our faith and not throw it back in God’s face. God will not let us reject what he has given us – see John 6:39, Jesus will lose not of those God has given him. John 10: 28-9, no one can snatch them out of the Father’s hands. Jesus had borne the punishment for our sin, God will not allow this to be wasted. No true believer will be lost. No true believer will reject it because they wouldn’t want to give it up. We will do all we can to persevere to the end. We had God’s preservation and our perseverance – they are two sides of the same coin. We need to continue in our faith. A response is needed from us, we need to cling to it. In verses 3 to 5 Paul expresses confidence in the faith they had. Faith is a not a one off event, it is a continuous activity, it needed to be established, built on solid ground. Jesus Christ, our rock. Without Jesus we are on sand which crumbles and fails. We must remain founded in Christ and rooted in the Gospel.
b) We can be taken deeper into the mysteries of what Christ has done but if it adds to what the gospel has said we need to reject it and anything that adds to it. Hebrews 10:12 – the sacrifice is complete, Christ sat down. It is a personal gospel but it is not unique, every true Christian comes to faith the same way. It is not a different gospel for each person or country, it is the same gospel for each and every country. We can only know this reconciliation if we come to this gospel which is for all mankind to hear.
Paul is a servant to it. As every true Christian is. Not all of us are called to be a preacher but we are to be obedient to it and share it with others. We have an obligation to use opportunities to share it as they arise.
Conclusions. It needs to be personal because we will be judged personally as to how we have responded to it and how we live our lives here on earth right now. We have our certain hope that cannot be taken away. We will give priority to our spiritual life. If we are not Christians we still have this personal problem that we began with. We must repent now. It can happen, that is the wonder of what Christ did. The Bible speaks to us right now.

Paul in Miletus

Acts 20:13-38
Paul is travelling from Greece to Jerusalem. He stopped at Troas, now he has stopped at Miletus where he meets the Ephesian elders for the last time, they will never meet him again. What he says is important, there are no trivialities, it is of the utmost importance. It is addressed to the elders but it is important for all Christians and non-Christians.
It is prophetic – revealing the future via the Holy Spirit. This is not common in the New Testament. No one likes to be a prophet, they lived miserable lives because what they said was usually hard to hear. What Paul says is very sad. In verse 22 he says he was compelled by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem, prison and hardship awaited him – see verse 25. He knows none of them will ever see him again. They had come to rely on him, his preaching and healing, sorting them out and teaching them, it was a great blow to them. In verses 29 and 30 he said the future held trouble for the church. On the one hand savage wolves would come among them – there would be physical persecution which would spare none and come from Jews and Romans alike. There would also be trouble from within the church. Men would arise who would distort the truth, false apostles and leader of sects and cults. They would draw away disciples after themselves. Paul served the Lord with great humility, these men put themselves first. They did this by distorting the truth, the Bible. This still happens today. Man call people after themselves. The elders were expected to discern this, men who preached themselves. They had to avoid such people.
Paul’s example. How he had lived among them, they knew this and this is what they had to follow. He served them with great humility and with tears. Generally, we should not believe men who speak of their own humility – unless they are inspired like Paul.
a) He served the Lord – his first motivation was not himself or the people but God. He never held himself up. He was intelligent, educated and brilliant, but he spoke to everyone from the lowest to the highest.
b) He spoke with tears. For 3 years he spoke with tears, this meant sincerity. He really desired the best for them. He felt for people in their sin who were heading for eternal death. This challenges in the 21st century. How many of us are moved to tears because of spiritual things – our own sin and the fate of the lost – hell. Is anyone moved to tears by spiritual things today? No.
c) He persevered in serving God and men.
d) His work was thorough. He went from house to house. He preached anything that was helpful. He preached publicly every day, then in people’s homes. He told everyone who would listen. This was centred on a central truth, people must turn in repentance to God through the Lord Jesus. This recognises that we are in rebellion to God and we must turn to God and walk in his ways and obey his will.
e) He did not care whether he lived or died. He was set on serving God. We must be single minded in our service of God.
f) He was innocent of the blood of all men – see Ezekiel. The image is of a watch man who sees the enemies coming, if he does nothing and people are killed he is guilty of their blood. If he gives a warning and they do nothing and they die he is not guilty. Paul told everyone everything he could, if they rejected it then their blood was on their own heads. If we come to church Sunday by Sunday and do not act on what we hear then we will have no excuse on Judgement day.
g) Paul was not a lover of money – verses 33 to 35. False apostles love money and tend to become very rich. We should question such people. Spurgeon earned vast sums of money from his writing but he gave most it away to the work of God. He left his wife £2,000. Paul gave away his money.
Paul instructed the elders.
a) Keep watch over themselves – their lives and doctrines. Also over one another.
b) Keep watch over the flock of God. To shepherd and care for them, preach and teach with all care, the Holy Spirit who calls them. Some are false elders, however, most are called by the Holy Spirit. It is not for their church but God’s, bought with the blood of Christ. In God’s eyes every believer is vastly precious.
Paul was leaving – verse 32
He committed them to God. We get over reliant on men, it is why cult leaders get a following. When churches get an outstanding leader, like Spurgeon, they are very blessed, but when the church loses them it often experiences great problems. Paul knew this, he committed them to God. They had their Bible and this was better than Paul. They did not need miracles or signs or wonders as they had God and His word. It was all they needed.
Applying all of this.How does our life and our ways compare to this? Do we trust God, do we persevere, have we given up our love of money, do we strive to serve others? Do we truly want to serve God with feeling and passion? How do we measure up to this?

Hard times lead to examination

Acts 27: 21-44 1 Peter 4:12-19
Nobody likes hard times, especially when you’ve done right. You may lead a healthy life style, but become ill, you may do the right thing at work but get blamed for failure. Hard times are not out of the will of God. He forewarns of persecution that comes by God’s will. Persevering can be costly. We must persevere in the face of hardship and suffering. It is relevant for us today.
HARD TIMES DEVELOP OUR CHARACTER – verse 12.
We are in a spiritual battle and Satan is our foe. Our principles are different from unbelievers. We must deal with the sin in our lives. Peter calls his readers ‘dear friends’, he has affection for them. We may say ‘why does he allow this to happen if he loves us?’ Adversity is the diamond dust that shapes character. Those who dive into the sea of affliction bring up rare pearls says Spurgeon. If we wish to grow in grace we will pass through affliction and difficulties. Swindoll says ‘if we view life as a school and God as the instructor, it should be no surprise when we face examinations. Faith knows in its trials that character is built, why should we escape this?
HARD TIMES BRING US CLOSER TO GOD – verse 13
It is very hard to rejoice in trials but good comes out of it.
a) Participation. We share in the sufferings of Christ. Nothing moves us closer to Christ. Think of footprints in the sand. If we are believers we love fellowship with Christ. Suffering draws us closer to Christ if it is for his sake. Christ suffered emotionally and physically, as we grow closer to him, so shall we. Our union with him is closer. We share in his suffering when we suffer. Suffering leads to patience, patience leads to perseverance etc. Seed Romans 5.
b) We experience the inpouring of the Holy Spirit. It takes God’s Spirit to make us shine and cope with our trials. When they stoned Stephen, they saw that his face shone. This is God shining through him.
c) We will rejoice more when we see Christ. Trials will lead us to a deeper level of joy at his coming.
HARD TIMES SHOULD LEAD TO EXAMINATION – verse 14
When things are going badly we often ask why? Are we going astray or have we done wrong?
a) If you do wrong, you should expect to suffer. If I’m reaping the consequences, I need to repent for making Christ unpopular. A father disciplines his children when they go astray. God will not allow us to continue to dishonour him. Crimes invite retribution from the state. Also we may suffer because we meddle in the affairs of others. These people bring disgrace on God’s name, this should not be known among us.
b) Some suffering is worthwhile. It glorifies Christ. We should not be ashamed if our lives are more difficult than those of unbelievers. We should see it as an honour to be associated with Christ..
c) Consider the depth of sin and the eternal perspective in trials. Let the examination begin with us.
(i) Jeremiah 25:29 If the righteous need disciplinary judgement, how much more will the unrighteous need eternal judgement? So we will not be judged with the world.
(ii) If it starts with us, it won’t end with us. Unbelievers are in big trouble. This life is the only Hell God’s people will know. Hell is 10,000 times worse than this life.
It’s hard to be saved because you are misunderstood, people may give you a hard time for being a sincere Christian, Matthew 7:14. We don’t like being different.
It’s hard because people don’t like the Gospel message itself. People are told they are not good enough for Heaven. People have to be humble to come to God for salvation.
It’s hard for people to see conversion as the only way – Romans 10:9. People are very proud.
It’s hard to accept that a true Christian must pray – Acts 2:21. Paul was seen to be a believer because he prayed. This is a sign we have lost our independence and need to rely upon God.
HARD TIMES TEACH US TO TRUST GOD IN NEW WAYS.
We entrust ourselves to God in trials, verse 19. ‘Entrust’ means to deposit one’s valuables to another for safe keeping. 2 Timothy 1:12. It was the word Jesus uttered from the cross when he died – Luke 23:46. Jesus said ‘I commit myself into your hands.’ Have we committed ourselves to our creator? If you are discouraged and distressed, put your life in God’s hands. He is a good banker. He will take care of his own. He will sustain you. He will see you through. It is God’s desire that we deposit our trials to His care and charge, Isaiah 43:2. The occupants of the ship in Acts 27 had to commit themselves into God’s hands as we do spiritually, if we want to land safely on the shores of Heaven. We must grasp the Lord Jesus and never let him go. Have you done that?

Noah and his family

Ephesians 2 Genesis 9: 20-29
We have already discussed alcohol and its effects on people. We should not be filled with wine but with the Holy Spirit, we should turn to God. The Bible is relevant for all time and it is there to instruct us. There are basic lessons and warnings for our lives. The basic building block for human society is the family. Our world needs a structured life and authority. Today we have a lack of structure and authority in the home.
A FATHER’S SHAME – verse 22
Alcohol makes us feel ‘warm’, it doesn’t really, but Noah stripped off and lay naked. It makes us lose our inhibitions. Nakedness leads us to vice of all kinds. Naturism purports to be natural and innocent, it is not, for hearts are sinful. The Lord warns against exposing our nakedness in worship. We should wear a covering over our lower bodies. Noah, who had set a good example was found in a shameful condition, out of character. It was done privately not publicly which would have been even worse. We need to be consistent, especially in our own homes. Christian parents are often ashamed of what they have said and done. Children can be very forgiving, Noah was a forgiven man. He was good man, this action was out of character. Noah was covered eternally by the righteousness of God.
A SON’S SHAMEFUL RESPONSE – verse 22
Noah dishonours himself, and then he is dishonoured by his son. Why was he condemned?
a) The sin was in the way he reacted, no grief but gossip. He may have leered and made fun of his father. The text suggests this. It was an unnecessary sharing of shame. It we point a finger at someone else, three still point back at us. He had probably been affected by the sexual sin of the old world that had been destroyed. A prisoner gets used to the stench of a prison. We get used to the stench of sin. The popular press thrives on reporting sin, especially those of fallen preachers. We need to avoid needless exposure to the world.
b) There was a lack of proper respect. He did not protect his father. Ham took advantage of his father’s weakness. He did not honour his father, see the 5th commandment. It was the first command with a promise. Respect for parents undergirds society. It is a command of God, if we cross that line there will be consequences – curses. There are consequences in our society. Society is under a curse and it suffers for it. It is hard, especially when parents have been neglectful or abusive. Jesus honoured and obeyed his flawed, sinful parents, he was the perfect child. He is called the everlasting father and we can show respect for him.
c) He did not value his father’s religion. He mocked Noah when he saw he had fallen. If it hadn’t been for Noah, Ham would have drowned. Ham helped build the ark, and outwardly he went along with his father’s faith. But in his heart he was really with the world, not with his father’s God. He had seen the horrors of God’s judgement but he was smug when he saw his father’s sin. Children need to know the Lord personally and not rely on someone else’s faith.
TWO SONS RESPECTFUL RESPONSE – verse 23.
They were shocked and amazed at their father had done. They took the garment, possibly a treasured robe. They did not want to look. They honoured him, they grieved over his fall. They knew that it was not typical. We must turn away from sin and turn away and cover the failings of those who are our parents. God covered Adam and Eve’s nakedness – i.e., shame.
A FATHER’S RESPONSE – verse 24
a) A curse for Canaan – verse 25.
(i) Maybe he was involved in sinful disrespect. Maybe the son was a party to Ham’s disrespect.
(ii) It showed the mercy of God. He sinned as a son, he was punished as a son.
(iii) Ham reaped as he sowed.
(iv) It was more of prophecy than a curse. Israel conquered Canaan and made slaved of the Canaanites.
(v) The sins of parents affect their children sometimes for Generations – see Exodus 20:5. It went into Sodom and Gomorra. Also see Exodus 20:5, families are affected by the sins of parents. Families are hurt by the sins of their parents. Children suffer because of parents’ self-centred, sinful lives. Some children are loved, some abused. Only when you put God in the picture do children have a chance. If Canaan and his family continue in sexual deviancy, they will suffer.
This was used to justify slavery and apartheid, enslaving humans is wrong and never justified in the Bible.
b) A blessing for Shem – verse 26. He has a personal relationship with the Lord and God is going to make his line a special race – see Luke 3:35. Abraham was one of his descendants as was David, Joseph and Mary who gave birth to Jesus. The God of Shem is the God of the Lord Jesus.
c) A blessing for Japheth – verse 27. His descendants will be numerous and dominant in the World, Indo-European people. Japheth will come under Shem’s shelter, they will be brought into God’s family, as in the Day of Pentecost. If we are Christians today, it is because of Shem’s blessing and belief in his God. One day people of all races will know the God of Shem and become his offspring in a spiritual sense. Is this true for you today?
CONCLUSIONS
a) Always be careful not to allow other’s sin to trigger sin in you. It is easier to copy others than to follow God.
b) Always remember sin has consequences. Shouldn’t Noah have been punished? He was, he suffered shame for the rest of his life. It is the last thing we know of Noah.
c) Always remember the important thing is not background. Rahab was a Canaanite who was saved. The Canaanite woman in Matthew l5 found her great faith was rewarded.
d) Always remember we experience blessing in obedience. We must obey and pay the price.
e) Always remember every sin can be forgiven, if you repent. Henry says ‘we never read that Noah was drunk again.’ Even if we lapse, the grace of God covers, restores, teaches and renews. If we fail God will forgive us and set us on the road again – see Peter and David who were restored. We need to heed the warnings and encouragements of the Word.

Stewarding gifts

Romans 12:1-13 1 Peter 4:10-11
In the last 30 to 40 years there has been much confusion and discussion about spiritual gifts. A church is only healthy when its members exercise their gifts.
SPIRITUAL GIFTS MEAN STEWARDSHIP
Paul speaks the most about gifts, Peter takes it up. God’s grace and gifts are multicoloured. Nothing is too small for God to use. God will ask: how have you used the gift I gave you?
a) Some gifts all have and some have particular ones. To be a real Christian you must have received the Holy Spirit – the gift of grace.
b) All gifts, whether continuing or temporary are spiritual gifts. All the gifts that God gives come from the same source – the Holy Spirit. Some were temporary –signs and wonders. Others continue.
c) The lists of gifts found are not exhaustive or perfectly organised. Paul lists by authority.
d) Some of the gifts overlap in function with other gifts mentioned. The gift of service embraces many activities as does showing mercy, do not put gifts into air tight containers.
e) Not every gift is supernaturally bestowed in a moment of time. Some are given like that, some develop over time as the believer exercises them. People are prepared for a life of service before they are converted. Pastors and elders have often been leaders in business.
f) Spiritual gifts empower saints to perform spiritual ministry. They are not natural abilities, they are supernatural given to each believer.
g) Spiritual gifts are given to every Christian 1 Corinthians 12:7. Each one should use whatever gift he has received. No believer has been excluded. We all have at least one.
h) Spiritual gifts are ‘gracious’ in nature. 1 Corinthians 4:7. They are undeserved and unasked for. What do we have that we have not received? It is a donation of God himself.
i) Spiritual gifts are given to Christians as a stewardship. They are entrusted to us. We need to discern what gift he has given to us.
j) Spiritual gifts are given to us as the means of edifying others. Edifying means to build others up.
k) Spiritual gifts are to be exercised in love – see 1 Corinthians 13. It is placed between the other two chapters on gifts, acts have no value without love.
l) Spiritual gifts should be exercised to the glory of God 1 Corinthians 10:31. Do all to the glory of God, not for recognition or reward but for God’s glory, there are two basic divisions – speaking and serving.
SPIRITUAL GIFTS ARE SOMETIMES SPEAKING GIFTS.
Verse ll – these are verbal – privately and publicly.
a) Peter is urging those who teach to speak scripturally – see verse 11. No diluting or adulterating the word of God. God will help us to remember what he has said.
b) Peter is urging those who speak to communicate authority. It is God’s authority – the prophets said ‘this is what God has said - we bring people face to face with God’s authority – see Mark 7:28. The rabbis often had opinions and did not speak what God had said – see Deuteronomy 29:29.
c) Peter recognizes different speaking gifts – see Romans 12:6. God has always had someone speaking his word, sometimes people foretold, usually they forth told. Prophets usually told what was in God’s word as did the apostles. When the Bible was completed, so was God’s word. This is not given to many who proclaim.
(i) Prophecy - Romans 12:6. It is the gift of proclaiming publicly.
(ii) Teaching - Romans 12:6. The ability to pass on the truth in a systematic way. It is like a choir director, so the music proceeds in an orderly way. The teacher should be organised.
(iii) Exhortation - Romans 12:8. The ability to motivate others to respond to the truth, the ability to get alongside , build and encourage. See Acts 4:36. It can be private or public. It is good to have people who can do this.
(iv) Knowledge - 1 Corinthians 12:8, the ability to discover and understand biblically. To observe Biblical facts and conclusions. Knowledge of the original languages and the background of the Bible – ie Biblical commentators.
(v) Wisdom - 1 Corinthians 12:8, the ability to apply principles practically. It is applying knowledge, to use well what has been learnt. An experienced Christian counsellor does this.
SPIRITUAL GIFTS ARE SOMETIMES SERVING GIFTS
a) Leadership – the ability to make decisions and determine direction. They will be good at delegating and steering the ship. Some are good leaders and are well fitted for this.
b) Service - Romans 12:7 – the ability to identify and care for needs and helps. The word ‘deacon’ and ‘ministry’ come from it. It is practical and designed to help people to take a burden off someone and bear it yourself. It is perhaps the most common gift and it is often unsung – nothing gets done without it.
c) Mercy - Romans 12:7 – the ability to empathize and show compassion. It is a heart that cares for physical and emotional and mental distress. God cares for us in the mess we are in. Proverbs 14:31, also see the parable of the Good Samaritan. The Samaritan got nothing back – he did it out of compassion. Sometimes we have nothing to give but a merciful and compassionate heart. To cry with the bereaved is to give all we can sometimes.
d) Giving - Romans 12:7 – the ability to be super givers, beyond the normal. Down the years there have been remarkable givers, they give away their fortunes.
e) Faith - 1 Corinthians 12:8, this gift was the watchdog of the church. It was often connected to remarkable events such as Hudson Taylor, George Muller and other who acted in the face of great obstacles.
f) Discernment - this was especially so before the written word was given. Today we still need people to discern impure doctrine and false teachers, who can see dangers. We need to ask for this gift.
Let’s use the gifts as good stewards, ask for wisdom to know how best to serve, and then do so in the strength God supplies. As a church we need to discern our gift so we can be part of a believing community.

Life in the New World

Proverbs 23:29-35 Ephesians 5:15-21 Genesis 9:18-21

IT’S A WORLD WHERE GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISE
Seedtime and harvest are not failing; God is keeping his word.He did as he said to Noah. Noah was a farmer or gardener. The soil and climate were good for growing grapes. Humanity to this day prove God’s faithfulness. Crops flourish today and poverty and malnourishment have dropped from 84% to 20% in the last 200 years. This coincides with the spread of the Gospel. Life expectancy has gone up from 22 in medieval times to 36 in the 18th century to 78 now. This has come about because of the spread of the gospel and its transference of medical care. As the gospel declines, so hope declines.
IT’S A WORLD WHERE WINE CAN BE MADE Genesis 14:14
God gave us fruit, and any fruit juice has the capacity for fermentation. There is no harm in this. Wine means fermented fruit juice. God gave fermentation, the word is used 135 times. Wine gives us feelings of relaxation. Rich alcohol drinks were unknown in Biblical times, they are made by distilling. They arrived in medieval times.
IT’S A WORLD WHERE TEMPTATION ABOUNDS Hebrews 2:15
God gave every encouragement to obey him. He warned about the dangers of sin. Like many of God’s gifts, wine has potential to bring cheer or ruin. This incident probably occurred 5 years after the flood. He drank too much and was badly affected.
a) A mature believer sinned against God. Noah had walked with God for over 600 years amid wickedness. He had been saved from destruction. He had seen God’s justice against sin. You would think he would be so careful to avoid sin. We expect people to grow in grace and to mature. How could he fall into such shameful outer sin? Was it a sudden lapse or a gradual slide? He adjusted to the new world. He was not a young man, he grew tired more quickly. It is not easy to be old, he battled against new sins of old age. He may have had more time on his hands and an easier life as he sampled the fruits of the vine.in2 Chronicles 32:25 Hezekiah sinned in old age. In 2 Chronicles 16 so did Asa who would not seek God. Sin crouches at the door and Satan wants to trap us. No one is immune from temptation until we reach glory.
b) A knowledgeable believer sinned. He knew the strength and danger of too much wine and he sinned knowing the danger. 1 Corinthians 8:1. He sinned when he knew the danger. Knowledge of the truth does not keep us from sin. Knowledge can puff us up. It does not guarantee holiness of life.
c) A blessed believer sinned. When he had to be determined, he kept going building the ark. When the pressure is off, the guard come down. This happened to King David and when he became king he sinned. When life becomes easy we become careless, there is no immunity from sin. We all stumble in many ways, even the best of us. We fail in our lips and in our lives. God is faithful and just to forgive us when we repent. There is forgiveness and cleansing when we fail. Constant vigilance is the price of victory over sin.
IT’S A WORLD WHERE DRUNKENESS IS COMMON
At the very beginning of the life after the flood we have this record of drunkenness. The Bible hides nothing – good or bad. This was not an unknown result of drunkenness. The Bible condemns drunkenness and drinking to excess. Excessive drinking has become almost fashionable among the young.
a) The health consequences of excessive drinking are dreadful. Long term damage of the liver and heart grow from excessive drinking. It impairs judgement and is addictive and ruinous. The first result is a lightened mood. Next comes reduced inhibition, then impaired vision etc. Then comes vomiting and a lapse into a coma. Finally can come death due to alcohol poisoning.
b) The moral consequences of excessive drinking are horrendous. It is disgusting, shameful and sinful. This is sad and embarrassing. In the Bible drunkenness is associated with sexual sin and immorality. Proverbs 25. It is an expensive and serious social disorder. Costs to society run to £20 billion per year. We are told in 1 Timothy 3 that no drunkard can be a church officer or inherit the kingdom of God.
IT’S A WORLD WHERE BELIEVERS EXCHEW IT
There are two reactions to this problem of excessive drinking.
a) The response of total abstinence. Total abstinence is the preferred route of many believers. Scripture warns it does untold damage. God’s woes are pronounced on those who indulge. The Bible supports drinking grape juice, not wine. Priests were forbidden to drink alcohol in Leviticus 10:9. It helps prevent hindrances in our spiritual life – Romans 14:21. It is best to abstain. We must never press a drink on a weaker brother or sister. We can get through life without alcohol.
b) The response of strict moderation. Excess is clearly prohibited but the use of alcohol is not in itself a sin.
(i) Wine is represented as a blessing from God – Genesis 27:28 Deuteronomy 14:26 Psalm104:13. These scriptures tell us wine in moderation is a blessing.
(ii) Wine is used to prefigure spiritual blessings – Isaiah 25:6. Can it be inherently evil? No.
(iii) Wine has beneficial properties – Proverbs 31:6 1 Timothy 5:23. Before modern medicine, wine had medicinal benefit. It can purify water.
(iv) Our Lord himself drank wine on occasions – Luke 7:33. He drank wine, he turned water into wine and instituted the Lord’s supper with wine as part of it. It is a matter of individual conscience. We must settle the matter in the face of God. Why do many people drink heavily? It makes them feel good. Many drink to dull sorrow, to dull the pain and get a temporary lift. It is no cure. They need the God of all comfort, peace with God and the joy of the Lord. To be filled with the Spirit is the real answer, not to be filled with alcohol – Ephesians 5:18. We can get peace from God alone when we turn to him through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Everything is coming to an end …so….

Hebrews 13
1Peter 4:7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.
[1] KEEP YOURSELF IN MIND OF THE END OF ALL THINGS - 7 The end of all things is near. Peter has encouraged and counselled in several different ways. Now he takes up a new thought.
The suffering they are now experiencing is limited for everyone, because it will soon be ended by death or by the return of Christ. However we do not know when either of these things will happen. We are all living on the edge of eternity.
A]The first fact is that Jesus Christ is coming again one day. 7 The end of all things is near. Most people associate such a statement with a man holding a placard. They view such a person with amusement thinking he is slightly nutty or eccentric. Few today take such a person or their message seriously. However that message is lifted straight out of the NT and is a word to Christians of all times.
Today many will say, it’s been almost 2,000 years and life goes on. How can anyone say that the end of all things has come near? Peter answers that charge in 2 Peter 3:3-10. What such scoffers don’t realize is that God’s view of time and ours are significantly different. A thousand years with the Lord is as one day.
We must understand the difference between saying “the end of all things is near,” and “the end of all things is here.” Peter is speaking of the consummation of all of God’s plans. The end is not just one event but the converging of all things to draw to a close the eternal purposes of God. The prophets spoke of future events relating to the first and second coming of our Lord as though they were one event. It is all a part of one big plan, a plan God is bringing to a close.
Our Lord taught that He was going to return to the earth one day visibly and powerfully, the angels confirmed it, the apostles affirmed it, we are called to live expecting it. Matt 25:31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. Acts 1:11 "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." 1Thess 4:16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Every now and again a religious group will become convinced that the Lord’s coming is imminent an will try and persuade others this is the case, some even have sold up and gone out to sit on a hilltop and await His coming. Lots of Pseudo-Christian cults have made the same mistake, the JW’s have and then smothered their failed prophesies with lies.
In 1988, thousands of pastors in America received a booklet sent by a man who claimed to have 88 reasons why he knew Christ was returning in 1988. Other booklets saying the same followed.
Such attempts at dating the return of the Lord are doomed to failure. However in some ways they are good because they keep us on our toes, and remind us that our Lord is coming. That does not hurt us because a great danger is that we get sleepy and stop living in the expectancy of the end of all things.
Peter uses a word translated “at hand” or “approaching.” In other words we are to be in a state of readiness. We don’t have the date, we do have the instruction to be ready, we do know that it gets nearer every moment, we “The night is nearly over; the day is almost here” Romans 13:12. “The Lord is at hand” Philippians 4:5. “The Lord's coming is near” James 5:8.
Let me illustrate. Some years ago we took our young family on a train from Ashford to London for the first time. Every time the train stopped, one of them asked, are we there yet, or do we get off here? The answer was the same each time: “No, we’re not there yet, but we’re on the way, and it’s not far now.” You aren’t there yet, you’re on the way, and it’s not that far. And every moment you spend in travelling brings you closer to your destination.
So we all need to live in light of the fact that the end of all things is near. Lu 12:36 be like men waiting for their master to return. Does that mean that we make no plans for the future? No, of course not! Reader’s Digest 5/82 had an article that said this – “The art of living successfully consists of being able to hold two opposite ideas in tension at the same time: first, to make long-term plans as if we were going to live forever; and second, to conduct ourselves daily as if we were going to die tomorrow”.
B] The second fact is that our own time on earth is limited.
Death will eventually touch our circle of friends and family.
In days when life expectancy was very short and illness could strike suddenly and irreversibly parents would often teach their children to say this prayer … “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray thee, Lord, my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray thee, Lord, my soul to take.” Children grew up knowing premature death was very possible and this prayer helped them be prepared for it.
What if that bedtime prayer finally came true? What if you knew that this would be your final day on earth? What would you do? How would you live?
Knowing that eternity is just around the corner should affect the way we live.
Some want to shut such thoughts out - A pastor was asked by a friend to visit his dying relative, when he arrived her husband opened the door just far enough to say that his wife was “not up to a visit” at the time. Through the opening in the door, the pastor could see the wife sitting up in bed reading magazines. Here was a woman who knew she was dying but rather than deal with eternal issues, she chose to live in the make believe world of Hollywood.
Others face up to it and are ready - Certain monks of the Middle Ages had human skulls in their cells, inscribed with the Latin expression, "memento mon" (remember your death). It was a morbid practice not the sort of thing likely to catch on today - but it served a useful purpose at that time. It was to remind these people of the transiency of life and the need to establish the right priorities.
How would we change, if we knew we had only a brief time to live? A young person in the prime of life might try to crowd an entire lifetime into a few months. An older person hopefully would ensure the family is properly provided for. What about a believer? A young Christian might be ready but first want to get married and have children. A mature believer might feel they need to prepare those around them? Many of us might have things we need to share or do!
However, there are other priorities which are far more important in God's sight, and these are what Peter calls to our attention here. He singles out things that are important knowing our days are numbered. We must bear in mind what awaits believers is far better than the best this life can offer. We must make sure our relationship with God is right and our relationship to others is healthy as well.
We can’t take the world with us, the Pharaohs toys are still in their tombs after thousands of years. What we can take with us, and what is lasting and satisfying is what is in our heart.
[2] KEEP YOUR EMOTIONS UNDER CONTROL SO YOU CAN PRAY. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.
Prayer acknowledges our weakness and dependence on God. Not to pray is to assert our own sufficiency. As we recognize our own inadequacy and God’s total sufficiency, we should be driven to prayer.
Peter mentions two somewhat synonymous qualities which will help us to be people of prayer: clear minded and self-controlled.
Clear minded is to think sanely, realistically, to make judgments based upon truth and reality rather than on distorted perception. It is the same word used for the man with the legion of demons in Mark 5:1-20 after Christ had healed him he was literally in his “right mind.” The same word is used as a qualification for elders and means level-headed, not impulsive, not swayed by fluctuating emotions. Sound judgment concerning ourselves will move us to prayer as we recognize our own weakness, but also, God’s strength.
Self-controlled also deals with a sober state of mind capable of perceiving and reasoning accurately and in accordance with reality. The term describes a state of emotional control so that under pressure, you don’t give in to anger or fear or depression or otherwise lose your composure. Peter slept in the garden with Jesus when he should have been alert, sober, and in prayer. As a result he fell into temptation and sin.
Peter is not saying we have got to calculating and clinical to be fit to pray. He is warning against becoming distracted, bothered, and controlled totally by your circumstances. When that happens you can’t pray. When we are wound up, we can’t slow down or focus long enough to pray.
The pressures and emotional turmoil that often comes into our lives is very powerful, and for Christians to survive they need to be clear-minded so they can see things in their proper perspective
The Christian can also get so controlled by the spirit of the world and with the things of the present and they fail to make heavenly things their priority and the prayer life becomes negligible.
How can you pray without thinking? Prayer is not a mindless utterance of a meaningless noise, nor is it the mindless repetition of memorised phrases. Prayer involves heart and mind. How can you pray without thinking?
Maintaining a healthy prayer life is one of the hardest things for the Christian. It is much easier to be activists.
Pritchard- the only advice I can add is to start praying early in the day—as soon as you wake up—before the pressure of the day wraps its arms around you. Start the day with prayer and you’re likely to remain cool, calm and collected all day long.
As we begin this New Year let us seek to be more prayerful. Listen to Paul - 1Th 5:17 pray continually; 1Th 5:25 Brothers, pray for us.
Prayer is the forerunner of blessing. It is the God-ordained means for our spiritual development and the progress of His church.
[3] KEEP YOURSELF FULL OF FORGIVING LOVE 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
“Above all” does not pit love against prayer; rather, Peter is calling our attention to the priority of love for fellow Christians as a central part of the Christian faith. Jesus said that love for one another is His new commandment, the mark by which the world will know that we are His followers. Loving our neighbour is second only to loving God, and is a tangible evidence that we do love God. Paul told the Corinthians that without love he would be nothing.
Peter didn’t doubt that his readers were practicing love, but he knew that in hard times it’s easy to start taking out our frustrations on those closest to us.
So he writes, love each other deeply. This word was used of an athlete straining his muscles, or a horse running at full gallop. It means “stretched-out love.” It’s love that goes on and on and on.
This implies that love is not a warm, fuzzy feeling, it takes sustained, strenuous effort. The fact that love can be commanded shows that it is primarily an action, not an emotion, although often there will be an emotional element involved.
Often biblical love is more sweat than sweet. It involves effort! It costs something. In his book ‘The Four Loves’, C. S. Lewis describes it this way:
‘To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one. Wrap it carefully with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in a casket of your own selfishness. There it will not be broken.’
It’s fairly easy to love people who don’t sin against you. Biblical love extends even to those who wrong you. The phrase comes from Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs. Similarly Proverbs 17:9 He who covers over an offence promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends. Peter seems to have in mind the fact that love is ready to forgive and careful to protect the offender from needless exposure. The fact is people do offend, they can speak hastily, unpleasantly, they can accuse, and bully to get their own way, they can make unwarranted insinuations, and allegations.
What do we do them? One hopes they will be humble and gracious and confess their faults, but if there is no confession and repentance? R. T. K. says that if you wait for some people to repent, most of the time you’ll wait forever. Sometimes people who hurt you don’t know it. If you try to convince them they did wrong, you’ll start an argument. So forgive and pray for them.
Every time someone wrongs me I have two choices. I can forgive it, and move on, or I can stir up conflict. Deep love expects others to fail, expects to be hurt and expects to be used unfairly. Love has a short memory.
SC - The meaning is—love tries to find a way to treat a sinner discreetly. It is exactly the opposite of hatred that exposes weakness and humiliates someone else, love deals with sin publicly only as a last resort.
We need to hear this word because others will fail us a “multitude” of times. Love isn’t surprised when close friends fail, isn’t surprised when promises aren’t kept, isn’t surprised when others write unkind letters, and isn’t surprised when we are criticized unfairly.
If your marriage is going to succeed, love will have to cover a multitude of sins. The same is true where you work and where you live. No church can survive very long unless love covers a multitude of sins. Because sin is everywhere, love must stretch out to cover sin. Without that we will never be able to live together. Someone once said there are too many touchy people in the church.
That love covers sin does not mean that love condones sin. Scripture is clear that love often confronts sin. Church discipline, which is sometimes necessary as an expression of love, exposes rather than covers sin. So how do we know whether to cover someone’s sin or to confront it?
There is no easy formula other than study how Jesus dealt with the disciples and how God deals with His people and seek to do likewise.
The sin of the unruly and belligerent need confrontation, not covering, but others are weak and need encouragement so cover their sin.
Most offenses are too trivial to confront but if it is creating a barrier to relationships, then it needs to be cleared up in a way that will bring healing.
If a person has a sin that is hindering God’s glory in his life or that may result in his falling into worse sin, it needs to be confronted, not covered.
So lets begin the Year with this principle love each other deeply, embedded in us.
[4] KEEP YOURSELF SHARING WITHOUT GRUMBLING -9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.
The word hospitality means kindness shown to strangers. It was vitally important in the early church because travelling speakers or the displaced or those who had suffered a misfortune had nowhere else to go. Plato called innkeepers--"pirates who held their guests to ransom." The early Christian church depended on open homes. In those days, to welcome other believers into the home was an honour.
By being hospitable, they gave evidence of their own faith, and did what was pleasing to their Lord. The may even have entertained an angel!
The bad news is that they drew attention to themselves and may have been arrested and even put to death for “harbouring a criminal.”
So it was a test of faith to be seen entertaining other believers. Since then believers today in China, Islamic countries and other places are marked out when they show hospitality to Christians.
Peter does not mention the repercussions or the blessings from showing hospitality. Instead, he exhorts us to be hospitable, without grumbling. He was a realist. He had experienced hospitality but knew from experience it doesn’t always remain easy after an extended period of time. When we tell people, make yourself at home, that's exactly what they may do and we may regret saying that.
But let us be careful to see that hospitality is no less important in the church today. We still have visiting missionaries. We have newcomers to our church who would greatly profit from hospitality.
Hospitality does not come naturally these days; our culture holds privacy so dear. Our high fences isolate us from our neighbours. But the kind of hospitality Jesus and the apostles spoke of is not natural—it is supernatural it is but one more way in which servant-hood is expressed. Open homes, of course, are a result of open hearts, for example the home of Lydia and the home of Gaius.
The early Christians understood that God had given them a place to live not just to get away from the world but also a means for ministering to others.
Home may be a refuge and a castle but can be a tool for evangelism and ministry. When you read the NT notice how often Christians were in homes. Jesus spent three years in someone else’s house. And He had twelve men with Him!
What is striking about these instructions is that they are the sort of things any believer can engage in - alertness, prayerfulness, forgiving love, sharing. God wants us to venture ourselves and start with what we have - as humble as it may be. Lets us look forward to another year of joyful, fruitful service.

The Message of the Rainbow

Genesis 9:8 to 17 and Isaiah 54
It is good to begin a new year with the message of the rainbow. They are seen as symbolic of the flood, a bridge to heaven, a symbol of love. Its real meaning is that it is a sign of a faithful God. Faith is depending on what God has promised. We can build our faith on his promises. To grow in faith we must believe in his promises.
WHEN DID THE RAINBOW FIRST APPEAR?
Everything was lost, friends, homes all gone. It was all the start of a new and uncertain one. Noah knew little of what would grow, what animals would prosper etc. The rainbow was a sign that God still cared. This year may bring challenges, we have no idea of what is to come. A new year brings new challenges – we do not know what lies ahead for us, family etc. It is kindly and wisely hidden from us. Like Noah we face lots of unknowns. We do not know what is to come.
WHAT WAS THE COVENANT OF THE RAINBOW?
It was a sign of a covenant that promises. The flood had lasted for a year and ten days. God had disrupted the natural cycle of seasons. The world had become chaotic again. God promises never again to interrupt the seasons. Now we know the seasons will come. There may be localised floods and natural disasters but with planning and care they can be overcome. In the Old Testament and New Testament we read of famines. We may have catastrophes, even nuclear ones, but God will limit them. God will not allow man to destroy the world. He will protect the world until the end of time. God promise was made a covenant with Noah and creation. The big things of life are governed by contracts such as mortgages, insurances etc. They are time limited. A covenant is more binding than a contract, it is binding and solemn.
a) It is a unilateral covenant. God is the initiator ‘God said’. He imposes it on Noah and the world.
b) It is an unconditional covenant. It is not dependent upon men. There were no conditions to be met such as obedience, sacrifices etc. It was despite anything – any sin people committed. It is the same between a parent and child. It still matters no matter what the child does.
c) It is a universal covenant. It’s for everybody in the world. It is between God and every creature no matter where they are – desert, arctic or the depths of the sea. All benefit. We can depend on God to send the seasons in their designated order. It does not mean everyone is safe or saved or that they recognise God’s goodness but people still experience it.
d) It is an unending covenant. Perpetual generations will benefit. Even our 21st century with its global warning.
THE SIGN OF THE COVENANT WAS THE RAINBOW
God placed a rainbow in the sky. Before the flood it had not rained. Rain was a sign that God was angry. When it rained again it would cause a new anxiety, it came against a background of judgement. Rainbows are caused by light being bent and refracted. Rainbows are beautiful and occur all over the world, thus making the sign available to the same extent as the flood itself. Did you notice, God says ‘I want you to look at that rainbow in the cloud and I want you to remember that I remember my covenant. God says he sees it and remembers Noah. Noah is being told when you see a rainbow remember that God remembers. God has given many signs – the blood on the doorposts at Passover, circumcision and the breaking of bread. These are signs of Christ’s love to us.
WHAT DID THE RAINBOW TELL US ABOUT GOD?
The things somebody does ‘shows their true colours’. What are God’s true colours? Ezekiel described God’s beauty in Ezekiel 1:28 and Revelation 4:3. The Rainbow represents God’s glorious nature. His multiple attributes, his faithfulness, love etc. it demonstrates God’s glory breaking into the views of nature. Dark clouds of judgement breaking into love and compassion. We have a God who is just, pure and holy, yes. But a God who is full of grace and mercy towards those he loves.
THE RAINBOW GAVE HOPE FOR THE FUTURE
In the mind of Noah and his family rain meant judgement. God comforted Noah with the rainbow. Need came first, then God gave evidence of his mercy and grace. It was not a compensation package to restore the world. It was a harsher world. God reassured Noah of his love and care. God is always there. Clouds can overshadow us at times. All that the world can say is that there is a silver lining in every cloud. But we need God’s rainbow of promise – the knowledge that whatever darkness covers our sky, God is able to keep us safe within the embrace of his eternal purposes of grace. God’s way is to reassure people of the reality of his love and care. God’s way is to give a sign of hope – a bright reminder of better things to come, a promise that reaffirms a relationship of covenant. Hope and reassurance are things we all need. May we be people of the rainbow covenant, under the multi coloured grace of God, reflecting God’s hues.
God is always merciful even when he chastens us. In wrath he remembers mercy. We live in days of clouds and darkness. Society rejects the Bible and its teachings. Under Noah’s covenant we have no need to fear the future if we trust in the Lord Jesus. God has reached down to us in the Lord Jesus Christ so we can know how to live. The rainbow cries out that he can be trusted. Are we a believer under a cloud, have they drawn our hearts away from his love? We need to look to the rainbow and now be troubled by our fears.

The New Year

John 10:1 to 21 and Psalm 23

The scriptures encourage us to reflect on the passing of time – to number our days aright as Moses says in Psalm 90. Psalm 23 is appropriate for this. It used to be very well known, it was learnt in schools, this is not so now. Some people say that there are problems with it – it is too bright and cheerful. It is not the only one of David’s psalms that is cheerful. Often he is crying for help or for forgiveness because of sin, was he rejecting what he wrote in Psalm 23 then? No, Psalm 23 is about the life of a child of God, in the end that is cheerful, bright and glorious. It is an overview. It is an overview. It is a picture of a shepherd and his sheep. David had been a shepherd. This was natural.
1. God is his shepherd. It is natural for us. The Lord Jesus accepted and applied it to himself – see John 10. We think of the Lord Jesus in Psalm 23 and accept it as David did. It delights us for this reason. He was also saying ‘I am one of the Lord’s sheep. He knew they were not bright animals, David accepted that there was a lot wrong with him as there is with us. In those days they had to be taken out to find food and water. They needed leading and protecting from wolves, lions and thieves. This only worked if the sheep followed the shepherd. This applies to us or we get into trouble – if we do not follow God’s word and commands. The picture applies to us all.
2. The shepherd provides for the sheep – verse 2. The shepherd provides rest and plenty. David knew this – he began as a shepherd and God showered him with plenty. He had much to thank God for. God has lavished much on us. God has given us an abundance of food, medicine, education and much more which our forefathers and poor nations do not have. Our shepherd has given us rest – peace and freedom.
3. He restores us and guides – verse 3. as in the parable of the lost sheep, he seeks out the lost sheep who has strayed from the fold. He restores our souls when we are born again and he took us from death to eternal life. He guides us in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. His name and character and honour are at stake here. If he had lost sheep David would have been in trouble. If Jesus fails to bring his sheep home for their eternal rest he would be blameworthy. David knows his shepherd will never fail. David says this for our encouragement. Jesus will never abandon us. He is the good shepherd who gives his life for the sheep. Our salvation is certain.
4. We are kept in troubles – verse 4a. The sheep had to be moved about, there was travelling to do in what was often deep, narrow valleys and ravines where wild animals and robbers could hide. This led to doubts and could end in death. It was not always death, but all Christians know difficulties, trials and tribulations. We will have to through the final valley – death. We shall fear no evil because God is with us. It is the only sure help in time of trouble and trial. The shepherd use his weapons – the rod and staff to protect his sheep. God has infinite power to do this.
5. the shepherd has guests – verse 5. the shepherd treats the guests abundantly and lavishly. He anoints and cools his guests and he fills their cups to overflowing. He does this in the face of our enemies. David had many – Goliath, Saul, nations and even his own family. God treats us generously.
6. He is good to us all the days of our lives – verse 6a. This is based on the character of the good shepherd. We know he us good to us. All good things come from our loving father.
7. We have something more – Heaven – verse 6b. The house of the Lord is the shepherd’s house where we shall spend eternity. In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul says we have hope for eternity, not just for this life. Thomas Charmers was a minister even before he was converted, it was only the deaths in his family and his own illness that kept him confined for 5 months in bed that led to this. He wrote of the magnitude of eternity – how life without eternity was nothing. It was meaningless and futile. Even having billions without the hope of eternal life was a sorry farce. Psalm 23 tells us our life leads to eternal life if we know the Lord Jesus. The world and its pleasures wither away when we die. David says we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever if we trust in Him. We live now in the house of Adam. God only visited the house of Adam and then went, it was secured on the righteousness of Adam. When he fell, it was ruined. God’s house is based on God’s righteousness and will stand forever. We are saved by Christ’s righteousness forever if we trust in him. We are secure for all eternity.

New Year/Old Year

2 Timothy 4:6 to 8

Paul was in prison with little chance of release, he knew he was likely to die a martyr’s death. This letter was written to Timothy and the church for all time. He had been a believer for over 30 years since his encounter with Christ on the Damascus road. He was reflecting on 30 years of walking with Christ. Are we look back on life like this? Are we on the same road as Paul, seeking God’s glory? Paul wants Timothy to take up the baton from Paul.
It is good to reflect on the past. We tend to reflect too little. Reflection and meditation is good for us, it keeps us humble.
What do we remember about 2007? Iraq, Pakistan, Global warming, the rise of China as a global superpower, murders, the McCanns? At home there has been bird flu, foot and mouth, murders, a new prime minister, a run on a bank, the woes of youth – binge drinking, drugs, violent attacks, increases in sexually transmitted diseases and abortions, family breakdown.
In the wider Christian scene we have seen Tony Blair convert to Catholicism despite there being no repentance for his support of anti-catholic laws. Catholic attendance now exceeds Anglican. However, William Wilberforce and John Newton were publicly remembered – this is good, but there is a shortage of younger pastors and there aging congregations in many churches. Churches have grown, people have been faithful to Him, new churches have been planted. Our local church, this church, has maintained its numbers, finances have improved, we have seen new faces and spiritual growth. We have seen answered prayers in the face of ongoing problems. We hope and believe that some have come to faith in the Lord Jesus.
What about us as people? Do we remember blessings we have had? New relationships, jobs etc, pains, disappointments, strains and stresses as well?
Paul was able to do all of this when he looked back. He could be practical in his faith. He looked back over a whole life time and what God had done through him.
1. His life was like a sacrificial drink offering – verse 6. Wine would be poured onto an offering. He willingly offered his life to bring glory to God. He was coming to the end of his life. ‘Departure’ means ‘unlocking’ in Greek. It is a prisoner word, being released. His time in the dungeon would soon be over. He would leave the physical body. It is also a farmer’s word – loosing the ox after it was free from the yolk. He has rest to look forward to. It is a soldier’s word – the tent was let down and he could go home. It is a sailor’s word – the ship had been tied up and the ropes were loosed and the ship sails away. It is an athlete’s word – the race is over. Paul is now coming to the end. We do not know how long we have to live. Tragedy strikes at an hour we do not know. We should not fret over how long we have, we should have peace.
2. Paul has fought the good fight of faith – verse 7a. He had many relatives who opposed him in the Jewish faith. He lived in a pagan world of immorality, abortion and family breakdown as we do. He fought for the truth, for the light for those who live in darkness. He showed people the way to God. It is a good fight. Sin debases people, they need the light of the truth, so they come back to the living God. So we uphold the values of the light and truth of God that gives true hope in the world. We should not judge by appearances. We should fight for the gospel, not the things of this world. We should be in the army of the Lord. Are we engaged in the battle or just a bystander? If we do not oppose Islam and other unchristian beliefs we will give in to them and they will triumph. Christianity changed the pagan world which was rife with ungodly beliefs and practices. We are in a good fight.
3. He had finished the race – verse 7b. Noticed, he had not won it, but he had pressed on, he had kept the weight down and he did not think of himself, he was slowed down by some dominant sin but he fixed his eyes on Jesus. An expert athlete ignores the crowd and all its distractions and concentrates on performing to their best.
4. He kept the faith – verse 7c. Paul passed onto others what he received from others. Paul speaks later of Demas who deserted him. Some people’s love grew cold and their love died away. Some turned away to other religions and left the faith. Today we see some people do this including some in our own family who break our hearts. We need to keep the faith. Paul wanted to pass his faith onto Timothy. It is not an artefact, it is a treasure that should not be neglected, it is a truth to share and pass onto others. We must think of how we can share this precious truth. We may value our precious truth but we must pass it on and evangelise others. We MUST engage in evangelistic endeavours.
5. Conclusion. Paul kept the faith, he kept going and there was a prize – verse 8, it was waiting for Paul on the last day. In the ancient Olympics the victor got a crown on the last day. What we work for now is rewarded later, it is a crown for righteous people who had lived righteous lives. Nero was an unrighteous judge who would judge Paul. We will have an unbelievably righteous judge. Who will get the crown? Those who have longed for his appearing and have loved him. Have we loved God?