Author: Penuel Baptist Roch

November 19th 2023: Dan King

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1 Peter 1:3-12

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There are many different types of authors in the Bible. Paul is the theologian, the smart one. He will write a bit, make his point, then he’ll lead into a crescendo into an even bigger point. Moses is a great storyteller. I really like Peter’s writing. He is a bit of a working-class man. When you try to read the Bible and unlock a passage, depending on who the author is, there is always a key that opens everything up. Here, it is 1 Peter 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” According to His great mercy – as long as we keep that in mind, reading the rest of the passage will make complete sense.

“To an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,” (v4). How does this inheritance come to you? Because of His great mercy. We think of 40, 50, 60, 70 years. We’ve got nothing in terms of what His plan is for us for eons to come. Beautiful. It is all kept in heaven by God’s power. In his great mercy, you are loved! God wants you. He lived, He died, He rose again, went through death for you. My days, you are loved! There is an inheritance for you.

“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (verse 6-7). We live in a wilderness. As human beings, we were meant for a garden but we live in a wilderness. We are designed for things to go right, that’s why we get annoyed when things go wrong. It hurts. Looking at the big picture, I know of four wars going on in the world right now. In each of these places, what are our Christian brothers and sisters in these countries praying for? What are they hoping for? How are we praying for them and equipping them?

Currently, we live in trying economic times. There are political problems as well as social problems. What about internally? Within our families there is always something that isn’t quite right. There is always something in work, a way of doing things that always annoys you. Maybe it’s having a fall-out with your friends, even your church. We are all internally very sinful folk.

We can look at things in terms of what the world offers and what God offers. The world offers secularism – your identity makes you. The world encourages us to express ourselves, then everything will be joyous. We see that in all types of advertisements and marketing. God has given the world a bit of a shaking: Covid 19, Ukraine, different governments. We can come to church on Sunday and go to work on Monday morning feeling great after the sermon. Then, later in the day it becomes a hard day. As the week goes on it becomes harder. There is a different way to what the world offers. We don’t have to earn the respect of God. True Christianity is a gift given to you because you are loved.

The greatest outpouring of all is the beauty that comes from the Lord Jesus Christ. In His great mercy He looked at us and wanted us. He loves you. He came down in human form at Christmas, lived a perfectly sinless life and died for you because he loved you.

Here is a spiritual MOT for you:

  1. When was the last time we said thank you to God in prayer? He has helped us in the past. When a problem comes along we need to look up.
  2. When was the last time we sang when we are on our own? Give thanks for the fact He is God, for all His love for us.
  3. When was the last time we read our Bible? For so many, holding a bible means prison, even death. When was the last time we went actively reading the Bible? Start at Genesis, then move to reading John chapters 1 to 3.

When was the last time you met up with someone for coffee and a Bible study? We so easily go to other things that keep us entertained such as the TV or the Internet. God is high and sovereign over all. He wants you in everything. He loves you. It is amazing what God can offer you. He loves you so.

  • When do we pray? C. H. Spurgeon had an amazing quote, “I never pray for more than 5 minutes at a time, but I am never more than 5 minutes out of prayer.” What a place to get to with the Lord – continuous dialogue! What if, every time we had a problem, we turned to the Lord? If the Lord does not answer immediately, the world says He is not listening. He will answer in His time.

“So that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:7). If you are struggling with something today, you are not on your own. God understands, God loves you. Glorify Jesus by coming to Him. Hallelujah, what a saviour!

“Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,” (1 Peter 1:8). Yes!

“Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or timethe Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.” (1 Peter 1:10-12).

All of the Jewish texts in the Old Testament do not have the same knowledge as we do, the Saviour was coming. They tried to see what Jesus would be for them and what the Lord would provide. Those people are going to bless you. The people who had enough faith a saviour would come were right.

Jesus lived for you! He got to Easter. He died. Can you imagine the smell, the heat, the sounds, the jeers of watching our saviour die? Horrible! Yet, He went through that, He went through death, He created new life. All the sins we have done, He knows. He says, ‘come. There is room at my cross.’ There is room for His love. His grace is lavished upon you because He loves you so (Ephesians 1-2). In His great mercy. Hallelujah!

There was a time, when we first became a Christian, we couldn’t go five minutes without praying. The love of the Lord was real. Through baptisms we see how the Lord has worked. Stunning! You may wish you could go back to that point. But now you are further along. You have membership of a church. He is still looking after you, even before you were born. He knew you when you were saved. He knew you when you experienced love at your baptism. Think how many times the Lord has brought you through a situation, how He has loved you in the past, the present and the future. Just because we are going through times of despair, His love is still exactly the same – all-encompassing and all amazing.

We need a child-like joy. We need to remember all the beautiful things the Lord has done when we face those challenges.

November 12th 2023: Alan Davison

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“For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.”
Romans 9:3

The Israel-Gaza conflict has opened up divisions across the UK. There are pro-Palestinian protests and anti-Israel graffiti on church walls. There is anger and angst that we did not see in the Ukraine and Russia conflict. We have become a divided nation. How do we react as Christians? We spend a lot of time thinking about individual responses, church responses, but what about our nation? How does the current state of our nation grieve us?

In verses 1-5 of this chapter Paul is clearly grieved for his nation. There are positives here to motivate us. Let us consider the following:

1. Should Paul be grieved?
2. Why was Paul grieved?
3. Should we be grieved?

  1. Should Paul be grieved?

Yes! Paul covers this in chapters 9 to 11. In verse one Paul wants to show this is of such importance. In earlier parts of Romans, Paul draws attention to Jews who have done many wrong things. Paul was viewed as being anti-Jewish. He had every right to hate the Jews (2 Corinthians 11:24). They we’re trying to kill him. They hated him and must have assumed that he hated them back, but he didn’t. Paul is simply saying here he speaks as a Christian, not bound by earthly things.

Paul states, “My conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 9:1b). Our consciences tell us when we do something wrong. Our consciences leave us without excuse. Paul testifies of his great sorrow over his people and nation. He has continual grief. He has this feeling because he is a Christian who wants people to follow after our Lord Jesus Christ.

  • Why was Paul grieved?

Paul was grieved because he had seen what his countrymen, for the most part, had not (verse 3). Some might suggest Paul is simply being nationalistic. But he could simply be patriotic – someone who loves and serves his country. But Paul’s love for his countrymen is so great, that he could wish “that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers.” Paul recognises that the singular problem here is his countryman are accursed from Christ, separated from Christ. Paul cannot be separated from the love of Christ. He knows he is beloved of Jesus Christ, who will not let him go (Romans 8:38). He will keep you.

Paul expresses his deep concern for his countryman. He cannot save them. There will be a separation of sheep and goats which will have eternal consequences. Spiritual sheep and goats do not understand each other. To be a Christian is to be in Christ, to be different, to follow after the word of God.

We see in the rest of the chapter Paul acknowledges that he has two types of brothers: he has his fellow countrymen, then there are those who are in Christ. Paul frequently refers to those he is writing to as his brethren. He specifies that the brethren he is speaking of here are his brethren according to the flesh.

Salvation is not dependent on nationality. Paul clearly prayed for his homeland, so shouldn’t we be motivated to pray for our own countries?

As Romans 9 goes on you can almost hear the exasperation in Paul’s voice. He lists the great privileges showered upon the Jews: they were Israelites, a term of honour given by God. But they were also God’s adopted people. More than that, they had the glory – God’s presence among his people (2 Chronicles 5). The Jews also had the covenants of God (Jeremiah 31:31). God’s law was initially given to Israel. They also had the promises of God. The greatest promise of all was that he would send the Messiah. This would lead to the Messiah coming. Even from the cross, whilst dying, he offered salvation.

  • Should we be grieved?

Yes. We live in a culture that has turned its back on the things of God, yet our nation has been blessed. We are adopted children of God who bear the name of Christ (9:6b). We are known as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have access to God by adoption because He has chosen us. God has always drawn Gentiles into His family, even in Old Testament times. Paul’s appointment as apostle to the Gentiles has shown that this adoption is openly offered to all nations. Nationality is no barrier to the salvation of God.

 As Christians, we now have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our hearts (2 Corinthians 4:6-7). We have this treasure in earthen vessels. The comments that God made both to literal Israel hold true for spiritual Israel because God will never break a covenant He has made God’s law was initially given to Israel. They were to follow it, and thus be an example to the whole world of God’s perfect and just law. It was God’s guidance to them how to live their lives.

Our nation has a legal system which was founded on God’s law, even though, in recent times, many laws have been passed that contravene God’s law. There are groups who campaign to shut churches down, to remove all references to God, for example, removing prayer before council meetings. Having said that, the promises of God remain open to us. Most importantly, whilst the Jews were promised the Messiah, we know the Messiah has come. Therefore, we can embrace the promise that He will come again.

We too are spiritually descended from the founding fathers and continue to have their lives as examples and lessons for us in the Holy scriptures. The Bible is still there for those who truly want it and seek it. As a nation we have been truly blessed by God. His word has been freely available here for a long time. The Bible is available to us.

We can see something of great privileges being disregarded. It is one thing for an individual to reject salvation, but then to go further to seek to deny access to others!

What can we do? We can challenge this in the courts. We can support the Christian institute and Christian Concern. Individually, we can appreciate the great privileges that we are afforded by our great God. We can get on our knees, literally or metaphorically. We can pray for God’s mercy to be poured out on our country men and women, that we would know once again the movement of God’s Holy Spirit upon our land and our nations. God calls us to live holy lives in the power that He provides, that we may be witnesses to those around us, that we may be salt and light within the nation that God has placed us. May our grieving motivate us to pray for our nation, to pray for the salvation of God to break out once again, to pray that God’s name would once again be upheld in the honour and the glory that is due Him. May this be our experience because God chooses to bless us again in that way.

November 5th 2023: James Allan

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Psalm 113
Mark 14:26, “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”

This is a very short verse, which might seem incidental. The Lord Jesus Christ, on the Thursday afternoon and evening, before the Friday on which He was crucified, said many things to His disciples. If you want to get the fullest description in the gospels of what He said, the best chapters to go to are John chapters 14-17. Jesus was there in that upper room with His disciples. In Mark’s gospel we have the record of the institution of the Lord’s supper. After that, we have this little verse, “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” The gospel writer Mark is known for being brief. He has been described as ‘the gospel writer in a hurry.’ He doesn’t give us long details but he gives us this detail – after the Passover meal had been eaten, they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

The Lord Jesus Christ had been with His disciples and then He goes out into the night. We look at the familiar events that follow. Jesus speaks about Peter’s denial, they go to Gethsemane and we know about the agony of Gethsemane. Then comes His betrayal, His arrest, His trail before the Jerusalem council, His delivery to Pilate, being beaten before Pilate delivers Him to be crucified. He is mocked and then crucified. Though all that was ahead of Jesus, and before they left that place, what did they do? They sang a hymn.

What was the hymn in Jesus’ mind as He faced all of that? We don’t know what this hymn would have sounded like that the 12 men sang (Judas had departed). But we can think about what they sang. There are two Jewish sources from the second century, both of which set out the proceedings of the Passover meal. They tell us that before the meal was eaten, a family would sit down and sing Psalms 113 and 114. Then after the meal they would sing psalms 115-118 and they would sing Psalm 118 twice.

Some of you might be wondering if these sources are from the second century, this event in Mark was two centuries before, so how do we know Jesus sang these psalms? The rabbis of the second century were writing down the oldest traditions, what had been the tradition for many, many years. So, we can be quite certain that the songs Jesus sang, the Psalms Jesus sang before He went out into the darkness of that night, were psalms 113-118. They are known as the Egyptian Hallel, or the Egyptian Hallelujah. They remember the account of Israel leaving Egypt, making their way as the Lord brought them out. That makes perfect sense. It’s the Passover meal, these are the Passover psalms.

With this background, I want us to look at Psalm 113 and the Lord Jesus Christ singing this psalm. Here was a psalm prepared for Him. Luke 22:22 says, “For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” Everything about these events is determined. Richard Dawkins described the Bible as ‘a complete hotch-potch of books.’ In other words, it’s incoherent. The longer I’ve been a Christian, the longer I’ve been a pastor, the longer I’ve had the privilege of every day being able to study God’s Word in order to preach it, my breath is taken away by this book, which is one coherent whole – from beginning to end. From the very beginning God says, ‘Let there be light,’ and yet there is no sun until day 4. The light is the glory of God. The book begins with creation, light yet there is no sun. How does the book end? With no need for any sun because the glory of God is the light. The Bible begins with a wedding and ends with the marriage supper of the Lamb. There are so many themes, but sometimes there are things like this as well, that takes your breath away.

As we go through this psalm, think of the Lord Jesus Christ singing this psalm. Think about the significance of Him singing it. This psalm was written for a specific occasion. It is a psalm sung for generations by Jewish families, yet one night came, 2000 or so years ago, when it was sung by the Lord Jesus Christ. At that moment, this psalm was prepared for Him. For hundreds and hundreds of years it had been sung, but it was prepared for this moment. “And when they had sung a hymn.” Think of this through that lens. The psalm begins,

“Praise the Lord!
Praise, O servants of the Lord,
    praise the name of the Lord!”
Psalm 113:1

If you consider yourself to be on the Lord’s side, to be His servant, here is a call for you. Praise Him! Praise the name of the Lord. There is significance in a name. The name of God reveals who He is. A name tells you something of what a person does. In Hebrew Bibles, there are names of God. The one where you see Lord in capital letters in the Old Testament, it’s the name YAHWEH, the name the Lord reveals to Moses at the burning bush. It shows the self-existence of God. He is the God who is with us. It’s the covenant name of God, the God who promises to be with Israel. To praise the name of God is to praise Him for everything you know to be true about him. You know that He is holy, praise Him for that. You know that he is eternal, praise Him for that. You know that He is faithful, praise Him for that. Praise Him for His love. Praise Him for His grace. Praise Him for everything you know to be true Him.

Blessed be the name of the Lord
    from this time forth and forevermore!
Psalm 113:2

It is a call to worship but you were called to worship in a great congregation. Think of the congregation who sit in Penuel. Think of congregations who have sat here before. Go back to before there was ever a church in Roch. You are part of a congregation that is ‘from this time forth and forever more.’ You are joining a congregation where the praise will never cease.

From the rising of the sun to its setting,
    the name of the Lord is to be praised!
Psalm 113:3

Praise God everywhere. Wherever the sun rises, there the Lord is to be praised. That is our glorious future. You might be despondent today when you see the state of this world, but the Bible tells us this is not how things will always be. A day will come when the Lord Jesus Christ will return for judgement, and for His people. He will return and those believers who have died will rise to be with Him. Those who belong to Him will go to Him. He will set up a Kingdom which will be forever, where the name of the Lord will be praised everywhere. In the new heavens and the new earth, the name of the Lord is to be praised.

What is the significance of the Lord Jesus Christ singing these words?

The Lord is high above all nations,
    and his glory above the heavens!
Psalm 113:4

That’s who God is. He is above everything. We are the pinnacle of God’s creation, we are made in the image of God, made to know Him, to be in a relationship with Him. Yet we are in the category of created things. God is above all things. He is high above all nations. The heavens declare His glory, but His glory is above the heavens. In Romans chapter 1 we see His eternal power and divine nature.

Who is like the Lord our God,
    who is seated on high,
Psalm 113:5

Are you still looking through the lens of Jesus Christ singing these words on the night in which He went out, would be arrested and the next day crucified? Generations had sung this psalm at a Passover meal. “Who is like the Lord our God?” He is! For the first time ever, a real man is singing this psalm who really is like God. The writer of Hebrews tells us, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, (Hebrews 1:3). He is the exact imprint of His nature. Whatever is true of God is true of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Son of God isn’t like God – He is God.

What does this God who is above all things do?

who looks far down
    on the heavens and the earth
Psalm 113:6

That is a comfort. The God of scripture is involved in creation. He looks far down on the heavens and on the earth. How low does he go? Here is the answer. As far as Mark chapter 14. He took to Himself human flesh, human nature. He became like us. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, at the Incarnation, remained what He always was. He did not cease to be the Son of God. He continued to do what Hebrews 1:3 says, to “uphold the universe by the word of his power.” He retains His divine nature, yet He took to Himself something He did not have before – human nature. He retains that human nature now, in heaven.

When the Lord Jesus Christ took to Himself human nature, in His ministry He did all things according to His human nature. That is why we read of Him being tired, being hungry, being thirsty. He was made like us in every way, yet without sin. How low would He go? He went that low. He took to Himself human nature. He would go all the way of Philippians 2. In Philippians chapter 4 we are told of two women who are not agreeing with each other, they are arguing with the church. Paul encourages them to agree in the Lord. Is there a problem with unity in the church in Philippi? It seems perhaps there was some disunity. So, Paul encourages them, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,[c] being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:3-8). He humbles Himself to the point of death.

Is your mind blown by the scriptures here? Here is Psalm 113, sung for hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years. And we read in Mark 14 of Jesus singing a hymn. What hymn was it? Here is the beginning of it.

“Praise the Lord!
Praise, O servants of the Lord,
    praise the name of the Lord!”
Psalm 113:1

He sings it. It describes Him. It describes the God who looks far down on the heavens and the earth. We see how low He goes – to the Incarnation. He goes to Philippians chapter 2. He goes to the cross. What does it all bring about?

He raises the poor from the dust
    and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
Psalm 113:7

The poor from the dust. That’s where we’re all going. You’ve been to funerals and heard those words, ‘Dust to dust.’ What does Jesus do? He raises people from the dust. What else does He do? He raises people from the ash heap, from the rubbish dump. Your life is rubbish. God is clean. He knows all about me. I know the real me, how I can assassinate a person with my words. Maybe your life is rubbish? Jesus died on a rubbish dump. But God looks down to take people from that rubbish dump. Where does he put them?

to make them sit with princes,
    with the princes of his people.
Psalm 113:8

Isn’t that remarkable? You come to the conclusion that you are a sinner. Under the conviction of sin, under a miracle of grace, you see you need Him. Jesus makes them sit with princes. One day we will reign with Him. We are heirs with Christ. What an incredible thought! This God has sent His son, the Son of God has come (Colossians 2), gone to the cross to take all the wrath you and I deserve. At the end of two Corinthians chapter 5 Paul says Christ became our sin bearer. We became the righteousness of God for stop He sees us dressed in His righteousness.

He brings blessing to the sorrowful people.

He gives the barren woman a home,
    making her the joyous mother of children.
Praise the Lord!
Psalm 113:9

The barren woman was under a double curse. Not only was she heading to the grave herself, back to the dust, she doesn’t know the joy of bringing new life into the world. What will life be like for her? For those who follow Christ, they will lack nothing. They may lack things in this world, but nothing can take their inheritance away. Nothing can strip from them the blessing that they have in eternity.

“In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?  3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. (John 14:2-3). In the old Authorised version it says ‘In my Father’s house are many mansions.’ I used to like that. ‘Mansion’ came from a Latin word ‘mansio’ which simply meant a dwelling place. It also means the same in Greek. It’s a room in the Father’s house. Jesus has a building project going on, enough rooms for all His people. You are going to live with Him. That’s the joy of eternal life. God will dwell with His people. You could lose everything in this life and have nothing in the life to come, or you could have nothing in this life and God in the life to come. You could be a millionaire in this life, but money doesn’t help you when there’s a bereavement or a terminal illness. Do you know the blessing of life with God forever more?

October 29th 2023: Jonathan Scott

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Mark 1: Everyone’s Talking

There are moments in history that stand out in our lives that last for a lifetime. Can you name any that stand out for you? Whether that could be the birth of a family member, the death of a monarch, a tragedy or disaster? I’m sure we can all remember a time like this.

There are significant moments in history, like the death of Queen Elizabeth 11, that are remembered for generations to come.

Today we will be looking at an event in the bible which had been talked about and was foretold for centuries. This had everyone talking about something so amazing and significant they couldn’t stop talking about it until it actually happened. They lived in the hope and trusted in the promises given by God that one day He would send the Messiah, the ultimate sacrifice for each and every one of us.

The first questions you may ask are ‘Who is talking and what are they talking about? This account found in Mark chapter 1 has many people talking about the arrival of the Messiah, including the Old Testament prophets, Malachi and Isaiah, as well as New Testament followers and disciples, the four gospel writers, everyone in between The Testaments, those in heaven, those in hell, people today. Jesus is a historical fact, even included in secular history. Time 100 magazine did a list of the most influential historical figures and Jesus Christ came number 1. Even the secular world is talking about this event.

So, if there were so many people talking about this, what was this amazing event that everyone was talking about?

  • Isaiah is talking about The Messiah coming, the messenger that is preparing the way for the Messiah and extraordinary things are going to happen that we don’t expect.
  • Salvation – talked about by the 4 gospels and John the Baptist
  • Hope, One is coming who is Yahweh, Jehovah the Son of God the Messiah.

Malachi is talking about a messenger being sent ahead of one who is the Messiah, who will prepare the way for Him. This messenger mentioned in Malachi and Isaiah is John the Baptist, the most famous prophet and the one who was noted to be the greatest amongst people, Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. (Matthew 11:11).

Jesus Himself said no one would rise up greater than John the Baptist. This is high praise, but he is only here to pave the way for the one who is the Messiah and redeemer, Jesus.

“As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare your way”
Mark 1:2

John the Baptist’s ministry represents a fulfilment of the promise of a new exodus in which Israel is delivered and finally enters into the Jordan river to receive God’s promise of salvation. He was pointing the people to the true Messiah, one who was much greater than him. He was the messenger, preparing Judea for Jesus’ life-changing ministry. Freedom that they had never known – baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin. Confessing their sins, the people were baptised by him in the Jordan River (Mark 1:5).

John the Baptist was calling people to repentance, turning away from their sins and turning to God for forgiveness of sins. The act of repentance had to precede baptism, and therefore baptism was not the means by which sins were forgiven but rather a sign showing that a person has truly repented. John the Baptist’s ministry in the wilderness was once again a fulfilment of prophesy found in Isaiah 40:3, “A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare    the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”

This is John the Baptists message: ‘After me comes the one who is more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.’ (Mark 1:8). The unfastening of someone’s sandals in Jewish times was seen as a task reserved for the lowest of slaves, and certainly wasn’t meant to be done by a Jew. Jewish instructions said that a disciple should do everything for his teacher that a slave would do. However, Jesus is so great, John the Baptist, who was considered the greatest of the prophets, is not worthy to do the most menial of tasks of a servant for Jesus.

John the Baptist Continues: ‘I baptise with water, but He will baptise you with the holy spirit. (Mark 1:8). This is the true reason behind why Jesus came into this world – to die so that our sins can be forgiven on the cross at Calvary, the innocent lamb of God dying for us when we don’t deserve it. John the Baptist’s baptism could wash sins clean temporarily, but Jesus Christ can wash away sins for eternity, including the forgiveness of sins in the past, present, and future. He does this for us because He loves us unconditionally.

Colossians 1:13-16 tell us that:

13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.

Who is this special person that everyone is talking about? Mark 1:1 gives us this answer,

“The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah the son of God.” What a way to start a gospel! Who is Jesus? The meaning of the name Jesus is ‘to deliver, to rescue.’ 

When we talk about Deliver, we are used to that from the Old Testament in the likes of Exodus when God delivers the Israelites from the hands of the Egyptians. However, the idea of complete rescue is a new concept which Jesus brings to completion in His new age of ministry. Romans 10:13 says, “For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Not just a few, but everyone! This is a gospel truth not to the elite, but to the many.

Jesus’ humility and love for others is unparalleled, flowing from the infinite love of God for His people. The ‘ransom’ of Christ’s life was paid to God the Father, who accepted it in full, as a just payment for the sins of the world, past, present and future. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rmans 5:8).

Has there ever been a time when they have not been talking about the Lord Jesus, the Messiah? Isaiah had been talking about the Lord Jesus the Messiah at least 700 years before Jesus or John the Baptist came on the scene. Malachi had been talking about this 400 years before this account in Mark 1.  Then after Malachi there was 400 years of silence. This is the period between the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. There was nothing shared in the Bible of what happened during this period. The people had to live in Hope that the Messiah was coming soon. There was suspense of when the Messiah might come. Not knowing when His arrival will be and with this silence of 400 years between the old and new testaments the expectation grew with time, generation after generation.

They were looking forward to the physical coming of the Messiah, but Jesus has been present from the beginning. There has never been a time when Jesus has not been there. In Genesis 1:1-2 reads, ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.’

At first glance the account of creation found in Genesis 1 v 1 seems to focus on God the Father and the Holy Spirit. However, the opening words of John’s gospel adds clarity to show that the Lord Jesus, the Son of the God was present as an integral part of the Trinity,

‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.’ (John 1:1-5).

This tells of the Word being there in the beginning. The Word is Jesus Christ. He wasn’t just there at Creation; He was part of every aspect of it, working in total unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit. This is amazing that the One who died for our sins on the cross and who came to earth to walk amongst us, was the same One who created all things with God the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is the thread which runs throughout the Bible. He was there through it all, at the beginning, middle and end of the Bible. From Genesis every story points to Him and whispers His name. ‘Jesus says I AM the alpha and omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end (Revelation 22:13)’. He is there from beginning to the end of time. Jesus is this thread which leads to a roadmap in the Bible going from the Old Testament in Genesis to Revelation in the New Testament.

When we talk about this roadmap, we see Isaiah pointing to Jesus. However, the Israelites and Isaiah were in a completely different place spiritually than the Jews we find in Mark chapter 1. Isaiah was in agony with all the oppression going on around him. However, he writes in Isaiah 64 and in other chapters about a hope. Firstly, that a messenger is coming to point to the long-awaited Messiah, which is John the Baptist. Secondly, and more importantly, there will be one coming who is greater than John the Baptist. Isaiah is not looking to someone who is merely a human but is looking further to Heaven – to God and Jesus, who is fully God in human form. Isaiah 64:1-3 reads,

Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,
    that the mountains would tremble before you!
2 As when fire sets twigs ablaze
    and causes water to boil,
come down to make your name known to your enemies
    and cause the nations to quake before you!
3 For when you did awesome things that we did not expect,
    you came down, and the mountains trembled before you.

This is a plea from Isaiah to God, Why? Well, he is in agony. He pleads that God will ‘rend the heavens and come down.’ This is fulfilled with Jesus coming to earth. The mountains were the most solid thing of their time; Isaiah believes that the power of God can make even the most solid thing tremble and he is pleading for it to happen.

There is hope! Someone is coming that will do all this. Isaiah isn’t pleading for John the Baptist, he is pleading for Jesus. He is not settling for the greatest in human form but looking to God.

But then looking at this roadmap it points directly to this account in Mark 1, to the baptism of Jesus, and all the way to Jesus on the Cross. As he died this all came true. The mountains tremble, nations quake and the enemies knew your name on that cross. The things in Isaiah also are reiterated in Malachi about a messenger preparing the way for Jesus, “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the LORD you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.”” (Malachi 3:1).

In the Old Testament the LORD is in capitals in this section. This is interesting to look into to see the context of who Isaiah and Malachi are describing. The LORD, when in capitals in the Old Testament refers to the Hebrew name Yahweh which describes God in the most sacred of ways. The name suggests that God simply is. He possesses an underived existence; He is the eternal “I AM”.

Malachi is saying that John the Baptist is preparing the way for Yahweh, Jehovah, God in His most sacred form. Although it hasn’t been revealed as to what form this will take at this time, we know with hindsight this to be the divine Messiah, Son of God, Jesus, and in this most miraculous and beautiful act of baptism in Mark 1 we see the fullness of the holy Trinity displayed.

We find the Baptism of Jesus in Mark 1 vs 9-11.

Jesus, is the perfect lamb of God, the Messiah, who is free from sin, yet He identifies with the sins of His people. Even though He Himself was free from sin, He was still baptised (Mark 1:9-11). This is to fulfil the prophesy in Isaiah 40.

Mark is known as the whistle stop gospel. He attacks it at full speed, but he doesn’t miss the important details. Anything that is mentioned due to Mark’s brief nature must be taken into consideration as the fact that it is mentioned means the details given are hugely important.

In verse 10 as Jesus came up out of the water, this is the unexpected event that was prophesied in Isaiah 64. “Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.” (Mark 1:10). This is the moment we see the trinity in its entirety. The Holy Spirit was there at the beginning of creation, hovering over the waters, and also the Holy Spirit is described in the gospel of Mark descended like a dove and hovering over the waters. This account in Mark’s gospel links straight back to creation, the roadmap as mentioned earlier pointing to Jesus.

Jesus is commissioned for a unique purpose and to finally complete God’s rescue plan for humanity. God the Spirit anoints Jesus as Israel’s long-awaited King and Messiah and commissions Him as God’s righteous servant. (Isaiah 42:1)

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
    my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
    and he will bring justice to the nations.

At Jesus’ baptism the heavens were ripped open and the heavenly voice of father comes down, confirming the eternal, loving Sonship of Jesus and the eternally existing relationship of divine love that the Son and Father share, as well as Jesus’ identity as the messianic Son of God, “And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:11). The heavens ripping open is a violent picture of the awesome power of God the Trinity. Imagine actually being there. This foreshadows to the events at the cross. When Jesus died the curtain was torn top to bottom in the temple.

This beloved Son is the triumphant King, yet He is also the humble servant into whose hands the Father is well pleased to place the mission to bring Salvation to the nations

Then, in Verses 12-13 of Mark 1 Jesus is sent by the spirit into the wilderness for 40 Days where Jesus is tempted and equipped for the start of His ministry. In verses 14-15 we read, “

14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God.15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

This is the final fulfilment of the prophesy in Isaiah 40; Jesus announcing to the world, the wait is over. Finally, the time has now come, I am here. But there is one small clause, life-changing clause, “Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15b).

All you have to do is repent and believe to receive the gift of salvation and be a part of the kingdom of God, His chosen family. However, when you look into it a bit more in depth, it isn’t as easy as just saying sorry and believing in God and be done with it to get a free ticket to heaven. Repenting is not just saying sorry. It is a complete change in character, in nature and a clear transformation in your life. It is a full 180-degree spin to acknowledge that we are all born with sinful natures, (Romans 3:23). All the things we have done wrong is not just against others or ourselves, but deeply hurts our Heavenly Father and Jesus. We need to completely turn from our sinful ways and not do these things, but I know that this is not an easy task. This is where God in His goodness to us, left the Holy Spirit as a helper and comforter to all who believe in Him. You can ask for forgiveness from Jesus and He will give you the Holy Spirit’s help to change you from the inside and help you fight against our human nature, living for a far greater purpose. When you accept Jesus, it is a wonderful day, especially knowing that the best is always yet to come. Jesus promises to take your sins away, as far as the east is from the west, and we know that He always keeps His promises.

Summary

We have gone on a road trip through the bible, from Genesis to Revelation, including Old Testament prophets Isaiah and Malachi, to New Testament scholars in Hebrews and Romans, from Old Testament through the silence to the New Testament, eventually crash landing looking at the events in Mark 1 about, John the Baptist and Jesus.

I would like to summarise with 3 points and a challenge.

  1. Declaration of Isaiah and Malachi saying that a ‘messenger is coming’. Also looking forward with expectation and suspense to the Messiah Jesus is coming. John the Baptist paving the way for the Messiah.
  2. Confirmation – God ‘This is my Son’. Everyone who has gone before calling for repentance and the sacrifices that have been offered to Himself will one day be finished and completed in Jesus.
  3. Proclamation – ‘The time has come. Repent and believe the Good News.’

    Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. – John 14:6

I encourage you to turn your eyes upon Jesus, and in His strength we can move mountains.

So, everyone is talking. What should everyone be talking about? The good news – Jesus died for us and rose again to a glorious ascension to heaven, to be at the right hand of the Father. Mission complete. He has WON. Victory Assured. Death defeated, sins forgiven. IT IS FINISHED!!!

Then, as stated in Matthew 28:18-20, we are called to make disciples of all nations, knowing that the Lord is with us always even to the very end of the age. Put our trust in Him, repent and believe. Share the good news that ‘He Has Risen’ each and every day and in His strength, we can do immeasurably more through our Saviour the Messiah the Lord Jesus Christ.

October 22nd 2023: Dylan Brady

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Acts 4:32-36: The Family of God

Families are complicated. No families in this broken world are perfect. The church’s family is something we see throughout scripture. The Church is God’s family. It sheds a new light on our relationship with God. It brings us closer to other believers. Yet some of the church are not easy to love. Society is becoming more and more individualised. In our secularised society, breaking away from the confines of family and community are encouraged. This moves us away from life together. We are doing more and more things alone. Headphones are used to watch t.v. and movies alone. Decisions are made independently. The Biblical challenge of loving family and church seems radical. Christians we meet in the New Testament are varied in ages, backgrounds and temperament. Each one has a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus. But that doesn’t mean we can be a lone ranger.

We can sometimes treat church as a social club, stopping if we don’t like it. A church is the family of God and needs sacrifice. You may move away but must always be part of a church family. A church family is of one heart and one soul, a family united around the Lord. In Act 4 we see the people were to serve others. Throughout the pages of the New Testament, we see striving together for God’s people. “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:9-10).

How can I spot a Christian? John tells us you can tell who is another Christian by how they treat other brothers and sisters in Christ, “By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.” (1 John 3:10). A personal, private faith without interacting with other believers is unbiblical.

How do we become part of this family? Are those born to Christian parents, Christians? It is a privilege to be born into a Christian family, but it doesn’t automatically make you part of the family of God. To belong to it, you must be born again. There are two ways of joining a family; you can be born or you can be adopted. Can you imagine Nicodemus’ face when Jesus told him he needed to be born again? Why does Jesus use the picture of new birth? When we become Christians we start afresh. We are born into new circumstances. We have a new heavenly father. Birth isn’t something you can claim credit for. We don’t boast in our birth, it just happens to us. In the same way, we don’t earn our salvation. We are saved by grace and grace alone. It is through Jesus that God becomes our Father.

The process of God becoming our Father is described as adoption. Adoption is a process when someone is helpless, alone, so often in need, is graciously made part of a new family. they are treated as flesh and blood. You may not look like your parents physically, but as you spend more and more time with them, you pick up traits and habits, and act more like them. That’s an incredible picture of what God does to the Christian. God is kind and merciful. We’ve been given this wonderful privilege of adoption – not because of anything we have done, not because we’ve earned it, or there’s anything special about us.

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12). It is all submissive language. The Spirit tells us that we are God’s children (Romans 8). The spirit works within our hearts. When we become Christians we trust in Jesus and realise how sinful we are, and that He covers our sin. God sees us as He sees Jesus. God the father is our father.

When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, He started with those amazing words, “Our Father.” What does that make Jesus? “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:50). He’s a wonderful big brother. We share the gifts He has been given by the Father. A Christian shares a family resemblance. As time goes on you will look more like the heavenly Father and look more and more like your older brother Jesus. We are part of the same family, all over the world. There is a wonderful privilege – how quickly we get on, despite cultural differences. Brothers and sisters. Wonderful!

If we inherit this new, global family of Christians, how do we treat our own family? We have a duty to care and respect for our parents – as we live in their home and as we care for them as they get older. Paul says these strong words, “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (1 Timothy 5:8). The example of the care we have for our families is seen in Jesus on the cross, as He tells John to take care of His mother Mary as if she was his own mother. In marriage we are to love and honour each other in the same way as Christ loves the church.

Our commitment to truth may lead to division in our families. When a Muslim converts to Christianity he is cut off from his family. Sometimes, the gospel will come between families, but the Lord Jesus must always come first.

10 ways to show love to our Christian family:

  1. Come to church.
    A family that never sees each other is still a family, but in name only. They become distant. We need to spend time with each other. Come to bless others, come to encourage fellow believers.
  2. Pray for each other.
    Commit people around you to God. If you don’t know how to pray for them, ask them. They may say they need prayer for a doctor’s appointment. Pray for this and then the following week ask them how the appointment went.
  3. Eat together.
    Jesus ate and drank with people with such frequency, people called Him a drunkard and a glutton. We need to bless others with food and good conversation, and be blessed by others.

4. Share.
Whether it be lifts, food, time or in other ways. See that everything you have as a gift from God and you are merely passing on that gift.

5. Bear one another’s burdens.
Celebrate and cry with one another. In family life we will see births and deaths. We will see weddings and funerals, heartbreaks and happiness, people joining the church and people leaving. There will be disappointments and joyful surprises. Jesus was there for the hard times and the good times. He wept with Mary and Martha as they mourned their brother’s death. He celebrated with a new couple in Cana as He turned water into wine. He was filled with joy as He received the children, as He saw faith in the life of the centurion. Be there for the hard times and the good times. Share one another’s burdens as believers.

6. Serve alongside one another.
When we serve in church, when we welcome on the door, share refreshments, do the children’s work, cut the grass, whatever it might be, we grow closer as a church. When we do so, this strengthens and unifies us. We do it because we serve the Lord Jesus Christ.

7. Be competitive.
The Bible encourages this. Show kindness (Romans 12). Jesus says, in the Sermon on the Mount, to go the extra mile. Go and out-do each other in being loving.

8. Encourage one another.
When we fail and when we fall, we need to encourage each other. Do not go and give people empty flattery, point them to Christ. Remind them that they are sons and daughters of the living God.

9. Forgive one another.
In times of hurt and sadness, don’t harbour grudges. Be quick to forgive.

10. Be honest with one another.
True and authentic Christianity requires us to be true authentic, to be willing to be vulnerable with others when things are difficult for ourselves. Also, be willing to ask those uncomfortable questions if it is done in love.

Here are 10 things we can do, there will be many others. Let us be clear, that removed from Jesus there is no point to any of those things. We can only do these things effectively through the work of the Spirit. The Christian faith is extremely practical. The transformation that goes on within the Christian heart will result in outward action. There are 59 specific ‘one anothers’ in the New Testament, which gives us great insight into how the Lord sees us living with each other.

The people sitting next to us must be more than strangers that you share a pew with an hour a week. They are your brothers and sisters. It is a great challenge. Through Christ’s death and resurrection we have been born again. We have been adopted and now have a heavenly Father and a new family. It is all through Christ, not through anything else. Not through church attendance or who our parents are, it’s all through Christ. In Christ alone.

October 15th 2023: Alun Johnson

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John 14:4-7

I wonder if any of you can remember your school days? I remember being in class and didn’t have a clue what the teacher was on about but was too afraid to ask, too afraid to raise my hand, hoping someone else would ask. We have a similar situation here, “And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” (John 14:4-5). Jesus makes this great statement, but the disciples having mental gymnastics, they are confused, not knowing what Jesus is referring to. Only Thomas is brave enough to ask.

The disorientated nature of the disciples. This is part of a farewell discourse. Jesus had predicted his death as a sacrifice for sin, Judas’ betrayal and Peter’s denial. It is a tough time for the disciples. For Jesus himself, it is a particularly dark time. He is soon to be sacrificed, yet He is ministering to the needs of His disciples. What a saviour we have! Here Jesus gives His disciples grounds for comfort, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:1-3). Here we have the encouragement of the hope of heaven. In verses 4 to 11 we have a second encouragement – in Christ we have a certain way to heaven.

“And you know the way to where I am going.” (verse 4). Jesus is trying to provoke a reaction. Thomas doesn’t hold back. He turns Jesus’ statement on its head, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” He has a refreshing honesty.  God respects an honest, seeking heart, “But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 4:29).

Thomas’ statement, “Lord, we do not know,” was the state of the disciples and of our world today.  “He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.” (John 1:10). Ignorance is a killer. There is so much ignorance of Christianity in our world today. People are being fed a never-ending atheistic diet. Part of the problem of ignorance is it comes in many forms: some have never been to church and never had a Christian explain the gospel to them. Others know of claims of Christianity and choose to go no further, sitting on the fence. All of us have an inkling we’ve been made for another world, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

There is another form of subtle ignorance. There is a part of Pilgrims Progress where Christian and Hopeful walk along and meet Ignorance, from a town called Conceit. Christian asks him how he will enter the celestial city. Christian warns Ignorance he has come the wrong way. Ignorance probably knows his Bible well, does many commendable things, but he’s lost his way and is ignorant that in Christ alone is salvation. He has turned a blind eye to eternal life. But Jesus says in John 10:1, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.” We can see ignorance on many levels around us, yet ignorance is very hard to see in our lives. It takes time to remove it. If you are like that, ask the Lord to show you your ignorance and remove it.

When Thomas asks, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”He gets an answer. And what an answer he gets! Thomas was imagining a physical way but in verse six he got far more than he bargained for, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus says He is the way, the truth, the life – not a way, a truth, a life. He is the real deal – the meaning of life.

This grant statement wasn’t watered-down after His resurrection, “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:36). “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among me] by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12).

In helping Thomas to find the destination, Jesus provides Thomas with the road and the way, Jesus says he is the way, he is the truth – the whole substance of true religion. Christ meets and satisfies every desire of the human mind. In the Old Testament the priests had to give daily sacrifices. They were not enough to atone for sins. Then, in Hebrews we read, “Such a high priest truly meets our need – one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.”  (Hebrews 7:26-27).

In our natural state we are under judgement. We desperately need our sins forgiven. Jesus is the one answer to sin. Believing and trusting in Jesus saves you forever. We need this truth because we believed a lie – we could save ourselves and there are many ways to heaven.

Jesus is also the life, showing we do not have life outside of Christ, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins.” (Ephesians 2:1). What is wonderful in Ephesians 2 is that it doesn’t stop at verse one! “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” (Ephesians 2:4-5).

Whether you believe in Christ or not our souls will live beyond the grave. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” (John 3:36). It is not just about living forever, it is knowing God. That is the essence of eternal life, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3).

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10).

The Christian life is the best life there is. We are resurrection people. Our cup overflows with blessing upon blessing. Are you truly alive? Jesus is the way. Jesus paid for our sin once and for all. The curtain is torn into two and sinful man can enter into Shekinah glory. Not only is Jesus the way to eternal life, but for all who travel on not road He is our constant companion, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20b).

The great privilege of having the Holy Spirit is Jesus is with you throughout eternity. You have the Holy Spirit with you forever. If you are outside of Christ, you are 1,000,000 miles away from Christ.

Jesus also tells His disciple about the destination. He tells them the destination of which He is the way, “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6). Jesus’ Father, God the Father, is the destination. Here is another blessing of the Christian life, “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” (John 14:2). We are going somewhere for eternity. Our God is the end of the journey. We are going to someone! To God! There is no better person to spend eternity with. That is what makes heaven, heaven. God is there. Jesus is there. “But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.” (Revelation 21:22). Mind-blowing! Wow!

Are you looking forward to going to God? Is that what you were living for? There is a seriousness – no one goes to the Father except through Jesus. Without Jesus you cannot be saved, you cannot get to heaven. Today, if you are not yet saved, you need to be saved, you need Him to be the truth. “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among me by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12).

October 8th 2023: Steffan Jones

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2 Corinthians 9:10-15

The Bible is full of instructions about giving thanks. In the Old Testament people sometimes used stones. There were established regular feasts and festivals. Pentecost acknowledged the first fruits. Harvest is an especially important time of year. This summer there were lots of concerns about the rainfall in August and how it would affect silage. People prayed for sunny weather and we had an Indian summer. In our reality, children go to Tesco and don’t know where vegetables and fruit comes from. Also, we’re living in an increasingly secular society, where God is being squeezed out. To thank God for harvest is becoming alien.

Last summer, I had the privilege of visiting America, linked to churches in New England. Boston has a common with a significant mural as a thanksgiving to God, thanking Him for Ether and the discovery of anaesthetic, which could transform the medical world. Whilst there, I also saw the Pfizer headquarters which states, “Science will win.” 150 years ago the Boston people wanted to acknowledge God, but in those 150 years God has been forgotten and science is the answer! It is important for us, as much as possible, to be reminded of God’s goodness to us.

  1. We have a go to supplies all our needs.

“Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness.” (2 Corinthians 9:10). People give praise to the deliverer, to the farmer, to the factory worker. It is right to do so, but we need to go deeper, to the source behind the sower, behind the bread maker. We need to go to the one who provided the seed, the grain, the wheat. The most fundamental problem of our society is the lack of awareness of God, the One who provides blessings, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” (Psalm 118:1).

What is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? Do you stop and pause to acknowledge the God who gave you that new morning? All that we have is from the One that provides for all our needs. God deserves all the glory (Matthew 5). Stop and acknowledge the many material blessings: family, food, health, a chapel, harvest and so much more. Pray if you haven’t got those blessings, pray to the God who gives the seed. He knows what you require. Trust He will supply your daily needs. Be satisfied and content.

  • The God who enables generosity.

The context of this letter is important. The apostle is a middle-man. He is writing to the Corinthians to pave the way for a generous gift the Corinthians have pledged to the Macedonians. He establishes the principle of this in verse 11, “While you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.” It is a reminder that the generosity you receive from others is from God also. All that you have has been given to you to help others. It is not just wealth for yourself and your own comfort. Use it to bless others.

When you receive gifts from others, don’t just thank them, thank the One who enabled them to do this. Go to the sauce. They only had the means to bless you because God gave them the means. If someone is kind to you, God has prompted that kindness. None of us has the inclination to do this as we are – we want to live lives of comfort. When anyone displays kindness, we give God the glory, whether unbelievers or believers. When unbelievers give, it is God’s common grace. When believers give, they are displaying the fruit of the Spirit. If the Lord has given to you, will you use that to bless others? When you receive, will you thank them and the One who enriched them.

  • God has given an indescribable gift.

Paul tells the Corinthians that the people of Macedonia are praying for them, “And by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you.” (2 Corinthians 9:14-15). As the Christians in Macedonia think about the church in Corinth, they are grateful for gifts, but more, they experienced the surpassing grace of God. You’ve known grace that surpasses all human blessings. Paul speaks of surpassing greatness, even greater than physical blessings. God is so gracious. God is so kind. The greatest act of all was God sending His Son to be the Saviour of the world. It is beyond our means to express it in words. It is a grace that transcends all human understanding.

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15). What is this gift? Back in eternity the Son of God was with the Father. He was God Himself. He had divine nature Himself. He created everything. The Word of God did not consider equality something to be grasped. He laid aside it all to become a servant. The Son of God appeared as a man, to live in this world not demanding to be served, but to serve. He was obedient to sinful parents. He was obedient to the terrible dictatorship (giving to Caesar). He was tempted to be frustrated with people, but He lived a life of purity and holiness. He went to the cross, obedient to death. He died for your sin and mine, taking on the penalty of our sins so we might be loved, accepted and approved. He took the darkness of judgement upon Himself so we might have light of life.

The Spirit was sent as a gift after the resurrection. The Spirit comes into the souls of His people, awakening us. We have the gift of everlasting glory, worship and praising Him for all eternity. That’s the gift! The gift of the Son to be our Saviour, the gift of the Holy Spirit, the gift of forgiveness of sins. It is an indescribable gift. We need all of eternity to explore this gift.

Have you trusted in Jesus for your salvation and everlasting life? As we live our lives, remember we have a God who supplies all our needs. He is the one who enriches us and others to be kind. He is the one who gives surpassing grace and an indescribable gift. It’s a gift you need, a gift the village of Roch needs, a gift that Pembrokeshire and beyond needs. He offers that gift, will you receive it?

October 1st 2023: Owen Jones

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“And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.” Luke 7:37-38

Generally, people are judged by the company they keep. If you go to church, lead a sober life, are morally upright and have a clean tongue, you’re considered to be good. It was very much the same in the time of Jesus. Morally loose people were avoided because the more time you spent with them, the more likely you’d become like them. This is the story of Jesus and the ne’er-do-well of his day.

We can see three things about our Saviour:

  1. Jesus, the friend of sinners
  2. Jesus, the forgiveness of sins
  3. Jesus, the faith that saves.
  1. Jesus, the friend of sinners.

“The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’” (Luke 7:34). Sometimes, those who oppose Him, identify Jesus correctly. Some demons knew He was the son of God before the disciples did. He spent time with sinners. “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:13). It is a world full of self-righteous people. They didn’t need what He had to offer, they didn’t need Him as a friend. He came to the home of Zaccheus (Luke 19:5). This little man was a big crook, working for the occupational forces of Rome. He embezzled money out of his own flesh and blood, but Jesus went to his home.

“And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment,” (Luke 7:37). Would you commend your love for such a person as that, a piece of street garbage? Jesus befriended those who you and I might not be seen dead with. Do you think He could be friend you? Some say, ‘You can keep your religion, you can keep your Jesus. I don’t need what He’s got to offer.’

Paul was guilty of second-degree murder, the one who sanctioned the death of the first man to die for Christ. Yet he later wrote, “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:10). Jesus is the one we have considered our enemy in the past, who says guilty as charged, yet He becomes the means of our peace and acquittal. He is the one who came to bear our sin and take it away from us. What a friend we have in Jesus, the friend of sinners. Have you made him your friend in this gospel?

  • Jesus, the forgiveness of sins.

Jesus sticks closer than a brother. Here is a woman who sold herself daily, from the red light district, even then. Jesus forgave her sins, then she showed the fruit of repentance. Her many sins were forgiven. This is evidence of who Jesus is. He is God Incarnate. In showing forgiveness, He is showing He is God. Are you aware that God, who alone can forgive you, is the friend of sinners?

When our brother died on the cross, He shed His blood for our sins. He was bringing us back to God. You are alienated if you are not His friend. He was bringing us back to God, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,” (1 Peter 3:18). Do you know what it is to be brought back to God?

The reaction of Simon, the Pharisee, was understandable. But Jesus says to Simon, “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.”  (Luke 7:41-43). The man who owed the most was forgiven and had such a sense of gratitude. We shouldn’t forget how much we were in debt to the Lord Jesus Christ – every little sin, every big sin. The enormity of our sins were crushing, yet He can sort everyone’s past, present and future sin.

I wonder if this woman had met Jesus before and had come back to thank him? Simon did not thank Jesus, “Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”  (Luke 7:44-48). Simon gave no water for His feet, no kiss, no oil. Our love and adoration for Christ is shown in the giving of our lives to him. Does your heart go out in gratitude to him?

  • Jesus, the faith that saves.

“And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 7:48). As this experience peaks, Jesus forgave her and her sins and made it a public proclamation. How did she go home? “And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:50). Where does faith come from? Faith comes from and through the gospel. Repentance and faith are not always mentioned together, but they are implied together. When God brings you to repentance He brings you into the state of godly sorrow – repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. It takes us to Calvary and we put our whole weight of sin upon him. This is the grace of God that comes to us, from heaven, the gospel which lands into our soul, “Testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Acts 20:21).

“Go in peace.” You have been justified through faith in His blood. You are no longer enemies but as one. You know the atonement, brought one with God. His peace, the fruit of the Spirit, is always in blossom. There is something sovereign about it. It may be that you have lost that peace? It can be restored, it can reign. He says, “Go in peace.” Can you go in peace this morning? If you want that peace, God gives you that peace because He is the friend of sinners who comes and gives peace. Is he your friend? Do you know your sins are forgiven? Are you saved?

September 29th 2023: Harvest Service Geraint Morse

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John 12:20-33

As I look back over my life, I’ve seen a great change in farming methods in Pembrokeshire. When I grew up there were small farms of 6 to 8 cows, two churns of milk and people made a living. Unbelievable! I’d hate to imagine how industrial it has all become. The size of equipment has changed. The entrances to fields have changed in size – today they are wide double gates to allow in all the machinery. Yet, there is consistency, there is still a miraculous way God has in providing seed for harvest. The wonder of it all has not changed – a seed falls into the ground and there it germinates and grows. From that dying seed, shoots come and in time there is a harvest. Do you like grapes? Some grapes have seed in them, some don’t. How on earth do you get seedless grapes? Some oranges have pips, some are without pips. How do they do this? The interesting thing is this – when God created all things, the fruit was created with seed in it. They would be planting for a new generation. The same mystery, the same wonder is at work – the seed falling into the ground and from that dying seed, harvest comes.

Jesus speaks about this. This was an interesting time in his ministry, when he was approaching the last week of his life, half of the chapters in John’s gospel are to do with the last week of Jesus life. The emphasis is on the last week, building up to the cross.

We have this incredible statement of seed falling into the ground and dying. The Greeks asked to see Jesus and meet with Him, to know more about Him. “Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” (John 12:20-21). This was the request of the Greeks via Philip, who was himself from a Greek background, and Andrew. John doesn’t tell us if they met. Jesus then spoke about Him falling into the ground as a seed, to die. Maybe this was how the harvest would reach the Greek nation and all nations?

 John spoke after about ‘the hour.’ “Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” (John 12:22-23). At this point in His ministry, Jesus says the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. It was for this purpose that He kept Himself free from sin, to offer Himself as a sacrifice on the cross. The route, the plan, would bring Him to glory and all who believe on him.

So, this background of a Greek request and His hour coming, has a double act application. Firstly, it has to do with Jesus’ own life. He would have to lay down His life, to go to the cross, to be willing to offer Himself as a sacrifice on our behalf. Because He did this, He was raised again. The harvest is being collected. Without this, there would be no harvest. He offered himself as a perfect sacrifice, that we might have peace with God, forgiveness of all sins. He speaks about His own death and harvest.

Secondly, He speaks about you and me and our willingness to die to self, no longer relying on our own good works – which will never manage it. We have to submit to the way God has purposed for us. We need to confess our sins and trust in the one He sent to be the propitiation of sin. We have to daily deny ourselves and follow Him. We need to set aside our own purposes and to seek to lift up His name. Are you seeking Him? Do you know Him as your Lord and saviour? God will honour you for your faithfulness and sacrifices, what you go through for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus was troubled. “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.” (John 12:27). He knew the path to glory was via the way of suffering, of sorrow, of enduring the cross, of the anguish of the cross that lay ahead of Him. He is the God man – fully God, fully man. These were real concerns for Him, what it would mean to be separated from His Father. They had been in perfect unity, but because He bore our sins on the cross, He was separated from His Father. He was punished in our place. This was the anguish. Did He turn away? Certainly not! “But for this purpose I have come to this hour.” (John 12:27b).

I don’t know what’s ahead for you, what hardships might come your way, but we have a Father in heaven who will keep us, who will sustain us, and who will bring us to glory, “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” (John 12:27-28).

A voice came from heaven. This reminds us of the baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ. “Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.” (John 12:30-31). There was a spiritual battle. Jesus was not just working with the antagonism of religious leaders He met, there was spiritual warfare going on. Yet he overcame the evil one, through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with spiritual forces at work. We need the spiritual armour that God provides. Through faith in Him, we too will be overcomers. These attacks from the evil one are often associated with times of blessing or post blessing. Sometimes, these attacks come before blessing. Struggles and opposition come and through overcoming them, blessings come. ‘Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.’

“And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” (John 12:32). Not every person will be saved. Those who believe, who trust and come the way of the cross, through repentance and faith, will be saved. Through the cross all are saved. “Lifted up from the earth.” What did He mean? The way to glory was through the cross, being lifted up to the cross. The Jews stoned people to death. They knew nothing of crucifixion. The Romans crucified. The crucified one was lifted up. Jesus said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.

Isaiah 53:1-13 is something that you would normally reserve for Good Friday. I see the image of a seed and harvest here,

“He shall see the labour of His soul, and be satisfied.
By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,
For He shall bear their iniquities.”
(Isaiah 53:11).

He will be satisfied seeing the fruit because of the joy that was set before Him He endured the cross.

There is a harvest going on all around us, not just a harvest of the land, but a harvest of people. In other parts of the world that is great reaping. We continue to sow the seed, the seed of the gospel. I pray the Lord will bless you here at Penuel and other churches tonight. May you be encouraged to keep sowing with joy.

September 24th 2023: Dave Norbury

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Luke 9:51-62

If you were going on a path and you knew it was dangerous, would you go there? What about the Lord Jesus? What did he do?  “Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem,”(Luke 9:51). Here, we see very clearly the Lord Jesus does something very remarkable. He could have stayed in Galilee, but now He sets his face towards Jerusalem. He is God. He knows the pain and the agony ahead. At the Mount of Olives He prayed was there any other way. He chose to walk on the Calvary Road, knowing what was going to happen – the events, the pain. Jesus sets His face towards Jerusalem.

700 years before, the prophet Isaiah said the same,

“I gave My back to those who struck Me,
And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard;
I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.

7 “For the Lord God will help Me;
Therefore I will not be disgraced;
Therefore I have set My face like a flint,
And I know that I will not be ashamed.
8 He is near who justifies Me;
Who will contend with Me?
Let us stand together.
Who is My adversary?
Let him come near Me.”

(Isaiah 50:6-8)

A flint is a very hard rock. Jesus is not just going to Jerusalem, He sets His face like a flint. He is determined to achieve the task His Father has given Him, whatever the cost. There are hints in this passage in Isaiah what trials are ahead. He will be treated in a terrible, terrible way but His Father will vindicate Him. We see the perfect One will be mocked, made fun of. He will be struck. He will be shamed. He will be spat at. His beard will be plucked out. Yet he had to set His face like a flint.

What would make Jesus do this, to so selflessly give up himself? “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2). Why? For the joy set before him. When people like you and me become Christians, there’s joy! There is joy in heaven, a celebration. Why should anyone celebrate me? He forgives, He cleanses. It is truly wonderful!

What was Jesus thinking about as He went to the cross? Himself? No, He was thinking about you and thinking about me. He set his face for all, for the joy set before Him. He simply wanted to serve His Father and to rescue me.

What happened to the disciples? As you go through the chapter you will see a lot of interesting things just in this chapter alone. We see the feeding of the 5,000, “When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.” 13 But He said to them, “You give them something to eat.” (Luke 9:12-13). Before this, there were miracles after miracles. The disciples had seen all these miracles. Now they say, ‘Our situation is impossible.’ Yet Jesus feeds everyone. The disciples didn’t get Jesus could meet their needs.

It is easy to point at the disciples, but when we do we have three fingers pointing back at us. We can say, ‘My situation is too bad.’ But you know, He is a great and wonderful saviour. The disciples hadn’t put their trust in Him.

In Luke 9:28-32 three disciples saw the most glorious things – two glorious Old Testament Saints with Jesus, yet Peter and those with him were heavy in sleep. Fast asleep, unconscious at what God was doing! Sometimes, we are like that.

We also see the disciples were afraid to show their ignorance, to ask. “And they were all amazed at the majesty of God. But while everyone marvelled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, 44 “Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.” 45 But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying.” (Luke 9:43-45). The disciples were with Jesus, close to Him, yet they are afraid. We can point the finger at them, but we are the same. Fear can make us not seek Jesus and ask about our problems. We can pretend it’s wrong to admit our weaknesses. The church should be the safest place in the world where we can admit we don’t know what to do. Fear can stop us. But the great thing is we can pray to God to give us courage. God dwells with the humble and contrite heart.

“Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. 47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, 48 and said to them, “Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.” (Luke 9:46-48). The Lord Jesus did not give up on his disciples. I would have. What a crew! Jesus never ever gave up on them. Luke wrote the book of Acts, which shows God works through weak people. Yes, Jesus succeeded. He never gave up on them. Jesus won’t give up on you, despite your weaknesses and failures.

What a wonderful truth – the Lord Jesus Christ takes people like you and me, turns us around and helps us to walk on the Calvary Road. Have you set your mind on the Calvary Road, to bring glory to Him? We can’t do it ourselves. The Holy Spirit is able to do what you and I can’t do. He strengthens us. The spirit of God brings glory to the Lord Jesus as He walks the Calvary Road. God is at work. He wants you and I to follow on that Calvary Road. Sometimes, we may think it is too much.

There is a story about a magic penny where a choice has to be made – whether to accept 1 million pounds and walk away or have a magic penny which will double in value for 31 days then it must be given back. If you take the magic penny, after 20 days you may think you haven’t got anywhere with your magic penny, the amounts increase in such small steps. Yet, after 31 days you will have 10 million pounds!

If you are on the Calvary Road, there are small steps. You read the Bible, pray, help folk, live for others. There are lots of small steps. It can be a struggle but in the end all the small steps lead to so much more because we’re going on His journey, with Him helping us on our way. We have Jesus with us every step of the way. He is with us. He is helping us. At times, we will think it is so hard, but amazing things will happen. God will show you His goodness and His kindness. You will see a little glimpse of heaven.

Which road are you walking on – your way or His way? He has loved us, given Himself for us for the joy set before him, so you and I could be forgiven and join him on the Calvary Road.