Author: Penuel Baptist Roch

May 7th 2023: Ian Jones

Published on by Penuel Baptist RochLeave a comment

To watch this service, click on the link to our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/bjalsdNO5I4

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.“

Psalm 23:6

The last verse is important; we recognise when David wrote these words it was in relation to how he saw his life – from two different perspectives. Today, many people only view their lives from one perspective – what this world offers them. They will spend all their time and energy on this. For example, focusing on their career, family or hobbies. It takes up all of their time. Going to church will only be relevant to them at certain times – for funerals, weddings, when times are hard. When times are better, they forget about God.

David was very different. He walked by faith, not by sight. His first perspective was how he could relate to this world. He also had this other perspective, in relation to eternity. Friends, how do you see life? Is it from only a single perspective? Are you willing to give up everything so that you might serve Him? (Parable of the precious pearl of great value). You may be like the rich young ruler who felt the way of eternal life was too costly. Sadly, he turned and walked away from the Lord Jesus.

The first five verses of this psalm all relate to this world, how Christ looks after people. In verse 1 we see the Lord is our Shepherd. David gives the explanation of this in the verses that follow. These are verses which speak of how the Lord blesses us in our lives. Even as we approach death, we have nothing to fear.

But the last verse is linked with the world and all eternity. David is now taking us from this world to now focus on eternity. If Christ is my Shepherd in this life, He will be my Shepherd for all eternity. Wonderful! People at their wedding promise to love one another, but this is ‘til death to us part.’ But David reminds us that if Christ is my Shepherd, He will be with us forever more. Death will not part us.

Mary Magdalene was so distressed on seeing the empty tomb. She thought the man she met was the gardener, but when He says her name she realises it is the Lord. Her immediate response is she wanted to hug Him, to hold onto Him. The encouragement is, if you love the Lord, He promises He will always be with us.

Shepherds in this country use sheepdogs. When David was around, in the Middle East, shepherds went ahead to lead the sheep. Today, sheepdogs chase the sheep in a certain way as they respond to the shepherd’s whistle. God has two wonderful sheepdogs, one called goodness and one called mercy. Goodness is God giving us what we don’t deserve but mercy is God not giving us what we deserve.

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life.”

David looks back over his life, his experiences, and says with absolute confidence it is the Shepherd’s provision which has led him and kept him close to Him all the days of his life. Here we find God’s commitment, His goodness and mercy. It is easy to speak of when there’s a lot to be joyful about, but it is much harder to speak about when things are difficult. But even then, God’s goodness follows us. James writes, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”  (James 1:2-4). Count it all joy that God is working His good in us through these trials.

Joseph was sold as a slave in Egypt, then went to prison. Later on, when God revealed to him the purpose of all of this, he could say to his brothers, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good,” (Genesis 50:20a). Friends, God’s goodness keeps us close to Him.

Imagine if God’s judgement followed us all the days of our lives, knowing we’re sinners. But God’s mercy follows us every day. It helps us to keep close to Him. He is full of mercy, full of grace, full of truth. We are reminded of God sending His Son to die for us. Sin has been paid for. If I sin against God, I know He will forgive me and restore me if I repent. He is willing to forgive all who come to Him in repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.

What effect should this have on us? How do others relate to us? What do we leave behind in our footsteps? Am I good to the Lord’s people?

“I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.“

Here is a man who is coming to the end of his life and sees death approaching. He doesn’t want to cover up death. Here is a person who does not fear what lies beyond the grave. He looks forward to eternity. Here is a content, happy sheep. This sheep is coming home to the house of the Lord, heaven above. He is going to be with God in glory. There will be no more pain, no more suffering, no more tears. The wanderings of this world will be no more.

It’s a picture of our life; whilst we’re in this world the Lord has saved and protected us through times of joy, suffering and temptation, bringing us closer to Him. Now, it’s a reminder, our home is not in this world but in glory forever more. Death will come. If we know and love the Lord Jesus Christ, we will be taken up with Him forever more, in glory.

Oh, what joy lies before us. We will really appreciate what Christ has done for us when we reach heaven. To cross the finishing line is our focus. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”

Lastly, what about those who want to be their own shepherd in this life, to captain their own ship? There’s a place prepared for them too, which is the exact opposite. Jesus spoke more of hell than heaven. We need to warn people. The gospel message is very serious. It is the way to salvation. Rejecting this leads to a time of punishment. Friends, may I encourage you, if you’ve not done so, to come to the Shepherd. There is only one way of salvation – through Jesus Christ.

April 30th 2023: Gareth Evans

Published on by Penuel Baptist RochLeave a comment

To watch this service, click on the link to our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/930h1aAZaA4

Isaiah 55

Have you ever been to a busy market place where vendors are shouting at you to buy their wares? They may have a roll of fake goods. In a sense we see here the voice of God calling people to come to buy from Him, through grace, the way of salvation. From this passage of scripture we can learn four things:

  1. Verses 1-3, 6-7: Come. There is an urgent invitation. God is telling us what we must do in order to come to Him. God is summoning us to come to Him. The Almighty God is calling little me to come to Him. God is going to summon us to come back to Him.
  2. Verses 2-5, 7: A precious promise. This is a picture of what God does for unbelievers. God will satisfy our hunger for Him. There is a promise of free and wonderful salvation. 700 years before Christ, He is already talking of the promise of the gospel.
  3. Verses 10-11: The method God uses when reaching out. He will do this by the preaching of the Word.
  4. Verses 12-13: The glorious destiny. There will be a wonderful glory, a momentous event when God’s people are joined to be with Him.

  1. An Urgent Invitation

Isaiah the prophet speaks the Word of God. You can’t think of any richer food than wine or milk. There is nothing richer in God’s gospel, the promise of eternal life. There is a three-fold repetition – come, come, come. You must come. It’s not a suggestion, it’s a command. ‘Incline your ear’ make sure you are hearing properly. Lean forward because your life depends on this message of the gospel. God is speaking to us.

The price for the goods has already been paid. He is concerned for our eternal welfare. All of this urgency is shaped by you and I coming to the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, repenting of sins and believing and trusting in Him. The problem God is addressing, why it’s so urgent, is to be seen in verse 2,

“Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
    and your labour for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
    and delight yourselves in rich food.”

Don’t waste your life on things that don’t matter. In our brevity of life be prepared to meet with God. Unless you come in God’s way to God, you’ll shatter your soul’s health. Don’t pour your time into things that don’t matter; it can’t satisfy you or save you. Isaiah is challenging us to think of the end of life in this world, for us to prepare to meet with God.

It’s a free offer,

“Come, everyone who thirsts,
    come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without price.”
(Isaiah 55:1)

It’s an interesting call – you don’t have to pay for it, it’s not ours to pay. Your poverty of soul you bring to Christ, knowing He has paid the price already. The gospel is not free, pardon is not free. In the Lord Jesus Christ, God has already paid the price at the cross in the suffering of His Son (Isaiah 53). He has purchased it by His own blood. It is free for us today because it has cost Him everything. Philippians 2 is a wonderful hymn of praise. The gospel offers satisfaction for us today. People live as in the days of Noah, but one day God will call time on the world and then we’ll answer to God. Come to Him. Come to Jesus Christ for a heart renewed, in order to be united with God through Him.

It’s also an universal offer, “Come, everyone who thirsts … he who has no money. Who is invited to come? All who are thirsty, who have no money. In other words, you come to the point where you’re bereft of any other method of saving yourself or finding yourself at peace with God. You’ve failed to find another way. You realise that in your sins you are without hope, you realise you’re lost. Come as you are, recognising your needs.

  • A Precious Promise.

There’s a precious promise in verse 2,

“Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
    and your labour for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
    and delight yourselves in rich food.”

You’ve recognised Him as the only way. The promise of life to us has been bought and paid for by the Lord Jesus Christ. He has the authority to give eternal life to those who come to Him. Think of these words. Just come. Don’t be held back by your guilt from the past. The only way to rid yourself of that guilt is to come to the Lord Jesus Christ. Get yourself to Jesus today. He will abundantly pardon those who come to Him. Why delay the loving heart of Christ?

  • A Wonderful Method.

God uses a wonderful method,

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
    and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
    and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”
(Isaiah 55:10-11).

The whole of verse 10 is taken up with an illustration so we can understand verse 11. This book, what do you think of it? Paul, in speaking to Timothy says that the Word of God is useful for all things “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,” (2 Timothy 3:16). It is primarily through the Word of God that people are transformed. The promise of mercy, the promise of a pardon, the promise of salvation will never fail to bring a harvest. That’s the promise of God.

Listen to the public Word of God, to the Word being preached. Come prepared; ask the Lord to make the most of everything the preacher says. Come to respond. Be serious about being a pleaser of God. You want your life to be an act of worship to God. The way of God is the voice of Jesus Christ. He speaks. Listening to His voice new life the dead receive.

  • A Glorious Destiny.

There’s a glorious destiny for the Christian,


“So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
    and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

12 “For you shall go out in joy
    and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
    shall break forth into singing,
    and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
    instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the Lord,
    an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

(Isaiah 55:11-13)

It maybe you have been wandering away and He is calling you back. The joy that you taste here when you read the gospel, when this world come to an end, all things will forever be correct and right – as God intended from the beginning. The curse that fell on the world because of the Fall (Genesis 3), will one day be undone,


13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
    instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the Lord,
    an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

(Isaiah 55:13)

The one who became a curse for us on the cross will have made His blessings flow. The curse will be eliminated entirely. “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.” (Revelation 21:3). Here, we have a foretaste of heaven: a new creation, a new forever home. It is a wonderful thought. Who would not want that? Who can reject the love of Jesus Christ in light of all He has promised? Jesus Christ continues to offer the urgent invitation, hope of glory. This is the gospel age – salvation offered to all. Will you answer, will you respond to this urgent invitation, this precious promise? Will you trust it, because at the end of it all, there’s a glorious destiny for the Christian? Will you inherit eternal life by coming to God, by responding to His gracious invitation?

“Come, everyone who thirsts,
    come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without price.”
(Isaiah 55:1)

April 23rd 2023: James Hughes

Published on by Penuel Baptist RochLeave a comment

To watch this service, click on the link to our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/Qhq1Khth4po

Jonah 2 – 3:4

Jonah was a very nationalistic prophet who had been sent to Nineveh, a particularly vicious and cruel empire, to proclaim God’s judgement. From my previous sermon we learnt that the God’s judgement on Nineveh is just. It is an act of mercy – there is an opportunity for repentance. The prodigal prophet Jonah believed that the mission he has been given is wrong because the people of Nineveh don’t deserve God’s mercy and he decides it’s not for him. He was also the sleeping saint. The one man who had all the answers to the storm going on is asleep.

The terrified travellers, hardened sailors who had done this journey before, recognise it is no ordinary storm and are desperately looking for answers. There is surprising salvation; one man sacrificed to save everyone onboard. Then we have the penitent pagans; the impact of the storm becoming calm was immediate and life-changing. Our picture of Christ is one person sacrificed to save everyone else. Christ takes on the storm and sacrifices Himself for us.

Like those in the boat, the world is searching for answers. It knows something is wrong, that this world is a mess, but it looks to politics, charity, morality – all the wrong places. We need to wake up, like Jonah, and tell the people of this world what the answer is.

Another lesson we heard was God saves those who aren’t even looking. The people on the boat weren’t giving God a second thought, yet He sent a storm that directs all their attention on Him. Have you been sent a storm recently to lead you to consideration of your soul? If you’re a Christian, perhaps you’ve been sent circumstances because you may have wandered from God’s love. That doesn’t mean that every storm that you go through is a result of disobedience, but in these things God can draw our attention to Him.

Finally, God works despite our disobedience. We cannot mess up God’s sovereign plans to save sinners. These pagans were saved because of Jonah’s disobedience. It’s a bizarre paradox. That doesn’t excuse our sin.

Today, we continue the story in chapter 2. It is a wonderful prayer that Jonah cries out.

The Sorry Seer.
In Jonah’s prayer we can note three points:

  • He recognises the circumstances he finds himself in are God’s doing (Jonah 2:3).
  • He sees his circumstances but as his prayer develops, his main concern is his relationship with God (Jonah 2:7).
  • Jonah cries that he’s been delivered while he’s still in the fish (Jonah 2:6).

God’s Grace.
The judgement of being in the fish is part of God’s grace; it drives Jonah to God. It’s the best place to be. When he was safe on the boat, he was far away from God’s presence. God restores His relationship with Jonah. From his prayer, Jonah has that sense once more of God’s gracious presence. God’s grace brings him through the circumstances and safely through the other side.

Fresh faith.
Jonah had nothing going for him in his situation. In the fish, deep in the ocean, he seems to be in a hopeless situation. He is aware of this. He recognises that this is the end, yet faith gives him hope because he knows who is in control. Salvation belongs to the Lord. Jonah knows, even though his circumstances are dire, it doesn’t matter because God is in control.

A Preserved Prophet.
The fish vomits Jonah out onto dry land. Possibly, this is the most staggering part of the story, “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.” (Jonah 3:1-2). Some of the most precious words. Jonah has deliberately disobeyed God, he has done the exact opposite of what God had said. God had every right to say to Jonah, ‘I’ve saved you from your sin and rebellion, you’re out of the fish, but I’m never going to use you as a prophet again, I can’t trust you.’ Yet God is willing to say to Jonah, ‘I still want you to take my message. I still want to use you to share the grace and mercy that I have for the people of Nineveh.’ He is a preserved prophet – not just alive but still being used by God.

Powerful proclamation.
What would your strategy have been for Nineveh? ‘Come and see the man who was swallowed by a fish and survived!’ People would have been captivated. Instead, Jonah walks a day’s journey and declares, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” (Jonah 3:4b). Nothing about a fish, simply a message of God’s judgement on Nineveh. It’s a powerful message.

Pointing to Christ.
Matthew 12:38-42. Aside from the fact that Christ mentions this, it authenticates the story of Jonah as real and not a myth. He directly references that as Jonah was three days in the fish, so He would be three days in the tomb. That’s very important because in this world lots of people have ideas of who Jesus was and what He was doing. There is a fundamental misunderstanding of the cross. Christ is not a victim but victor. It is finished! The victory of the Resurrection is happening on the cross, before He is raised. ‘Tis finished! The Messiah dies.’ The victory comes from the cross. It is important we are not under the illusion that the death of Christ was unfortunate. Christ knew exactly what he was coming to do. The reference to Jonah shows He knew He would die and three days later rise.

The most important part of life is our relationship with God, not our circumstances. Jonah’s priority, when in the fish, was to turn to God and address his broken relationship with God. If you’re a Christian struggling with circumstances, the most important thing is having a right relationship with God. If you do find yourself in difficult circumstances, it doesn’t mean necessarily that your relationship with God isn’t right. If your relationship with Him is right, everything will fall into place, all things will work together for good. You may not get to see this at the time, but it will work for good. If you’re not a Christian and struggling, I don’t want to belittle whatever you’re facing, but it’s not the biggest issue you have now – it’s having a right relationship with God.

God forgives and restores us when we fall. Like Jonah, we disobey God, we break His commands by our words, our actions and our thoughts. There is a lesson here for practical forgiveness for Christians. If anybody in this universe has a right not to forgive, it’s God. He doesn’t have to forgive, yet He forgives us over and over again. Even better, God just doesn’t forgive us, He restores us and wants us to be useful for Him again. The glorious news of the gospel is God’s grace and mercy is always available to those who call on Him.

The Word is all that is necessary. Don’t look for signs. Jonah had no interest in exploiting the incredible story of his salvation; he had a message he was given and simply gave it. For Christians, we are in danger today of thinking the Word of God isn’t effective. Remember the Word of God is effective. There is nothing wrong with using creative ideas when sharing the gospel, but the important thing to remember is, is the trust in the messenger, the method or is it in the source and power of the message?

Jonah’s ministry was incredibly effective. It’s likely he was quite a mess at this time, but he gives us great hope. If Jonah can cause a revival in an utterly barbaric city simply by calling out the message of judgement that God had given him, by the Holy Spirit working, then hearts and lives can be changed today.

The Spirit can work. Don’t’ be put off by a lack of supposed inability or past failings. You’re not going out to moralise, you’re not going out there to say, ‘Look at me, how I live and be like me.’ What you are going to say is, ‘I’m a sinner but look at what the Lord has done for me.’ Don’t be put off by failure or lack of ability. Simply share your story, ‘I was a sinner but God rescued me.’ The pattern of the Christian life is mirrored in Jonah’s story: confession of sin, restoration through the love of Christ by the Spirit of God, then service in bringing the gospel to a needy world.

If you’re not a Christian today, what are you waiting for? Are you looking for a dramatic sign? Jesus has some very hard words for those looking for signs, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” (Matthew 12:39) The only sign you can be certain you’ll be given is the sign of the Resurrection.

Jonah simply preached that Nineveh would be destroyed in forty days and people repented. You have been given a message that you stand under God’s judgement and you need Jesus Christ to save you. What is your response?

April 16th 2023: Jonny Raine

Published on by Penuel Baptist RochLeave a comment

To watch this service click on the link to our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/coaSyWRjLXo

Ephesians 3:14-21

“Child as he was, he was desperate with hunger, and reckless with misery. He rose from the table; and advancing to the master, basin and spoon in hand, said: somewhat alarmed at his own temerity:

‘Please, sir, I want some more.’ The master was a fat, healthy man; but he turned very pale. He gazed in stupified astonishment on the small rebel for some seconds, and then clung for support to the copper. The assistants were paralysed with wonder; the boys with fear.

‘What!’ said the master at length, in a faint voice.
‘Please, sir,’ replied Oliver, ‘I want some more.’”

God is the complete opposite of those men who ran the workhouse. When we ask for more, He gives willingly gives over and over again. Where are we landing in the Bible? We are three quarters of the way through the Bible, in Ephesians, a letter written by Paul, who encountered Jesus when He was trying to kill Christians and close down the church. Jesus sent him on to tell others about Jesus. The church also recognised him and sent him on to tell people about Jesus. When other people became Christians through Paul telling them about Jesus, they then started churches. Paul then went on to other places, to tell other people about Jesus.

Paul would often write back to new churches which had been formed, to encourage them in the gospel, and to teach them how they are to be as God’s people. That is what he’s doing in the letter of Ephesians. So far in the book, he has told them how God has worked in eternity and in time to make them His own people, and how this results in a growing Christian life (chapter 1). In chapter 2 Paul is explaining how God has made Christians spiritually alive, even though we were previously dead in our sins. He is spiritually drawing each believer to each other. So, regardless of whether our background was Jewish or Gentile, we are made one together as a church in Jesus. When we normally create divisions, as human beings, the gospel – the good news of Jesus, breaks them down.

Just as Paul is about to tell them how he prays for them and what his prayer is for them, he interrupts himself and explains God’s plan to unite Jews and Gentiles, what it means to be God’s people. For us, whatever our background or ethnicity, the message is that we are welcome to come to God in Jesus. Paul then goes back to speak about the prayer he prays for his people, then he goes on to explain what it means to live a Christian life because of the change that has been brought to us.

Paul’s prayer shows how he prays in light of all God has done in Jesus. Quite simply, it is a prayer for more. Before we come to the prayer itself, we see the approach to prayer; we need more and more humility, “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” (Ephesians 3:14). I don’t know if you’ve ever knelt when praying, it’s not a requirement in the Bible. Another posture, which is mentioned in the Bible, is to pray with your hands raised.

Paul points out God’s greatness, His high position. Recapping God’s greatness leads to humility. Paul is not demanding of God, rather he comes humbly submitting to God. He refers to God as his Father. We might have had negative experiences of an earthly father, but God is our perfect Father. We need more humility.

Paul essentially has three requests. If we are asking for more, we already have had some. These are things Christians can never get enough of. God’s supplies are endless. He can keep giving more and more of Himself, “That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,” (Ephesians 3:16).

  1. More Power.

The power Christians have access to has already been a theme of the book, especially at the end of chapter 1. It’s the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. That’s the power that we have access to. Here the focus is first on how this power is brought to us – through the Holy Spirit. Every Christian has God’s Spirit living within them. He is co-equal with God the Father and the Son. He is the means by which God’s power is available to us. Because He lives within us, we have the power of God available to us.

“May be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height,” (Ephesians 3:18). Paul speaks about how he might grasp the four dimensions: width, length, height and depth. This might refer to God’s love, but Paul leaves this thing of immense measurement unspecified – it might be the limitless of God’s power for us.

Why do we need such limitless power? In order to grasp the more of other things God has for us, we need the power of God for us to be able to do. In order to live the Christian life, we need the limitless power of God to do so, to live faithfully for Him. That power is made ours more and more.

  • More Closeness

“That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,” (Ephesians 3:17). That’s intimate language. The Spirit lives in our hearts. The Spirit and Christ are so united together in oneness; as the Spirit lives in us, so Christ lives in us. The fulness of the Father lives in us, Christ dwells in our hearts and the Spirit within us. This is something we already have as Christians. As Christians, we already have a closeness with God. We have been made one with the Father through what Jesus has done for us, as the Spirit unites us to Christ.

It’s something we can have more and more of. The closeness we have in God, through Christ, in the Spirit, grows and grows. Sometimes, as Christians, our faith fluctuates, but He is always giving more and more. We can pray we can have more and more.

  • More Love.

“That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,” (Ephesians 3:17). The root and foundation of love is the beginning point of love. He loves us, so we can love Him. “To know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:19). This is a prayer that we would know this love that surpasses knowledge. We’ll never be able to explain the deepness of God’s love for us, but we can have more of it. Just as you think you might be able to understand the extent of God’s love, to begin to grasp it, you realise how vast and limitless His ocean of love for us is. God loves you.

When you realise He loved you even when you were sinful, you realise He loved you more. When you realise that He loved you even when you were an enemy of His and yet He still loved you, then you love Him more. When you realise that it cost Him the death of Son to show you the greatness of His love, you realise how much more He loves you.

When you realise that it took Jesus to take our sin upon Himself and endure the hell we deserved, you realise that He loved you more than you even realised before. When you realise that He holds you securely in His love and His love will not let you go, you realise that He loves you even more. When you realise He loves you despite your wavering faith and continued sin, you realise that He loves you more.

When we think we’ve grasped the fulness of God’s love, you realise something more of what God has done for you. He loves you more than you previously thought. As you see He loves you more, so you love Him more.

The result of this is more praise. When we realise all the ‘mores’ God has in store for us – more power, more closeness, more love for each one of us, we just have to tell Him how grateful we are, how much we love Him and appreciate what He has done for us. The final two verses are quite simply that, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21).

Even in that overflow of praise, Paul can’t help but squeeze in whatever we think or imagine, God is bigger, God is more. Such is the awesome, infinite greatness of God who works in us, who has glory in His people, and in His Son, and whose glory continues from generation to generation, forever.

What difference does this actually make to us? What difference does this make if you’re not a Christian or if you’re not sure, or if you want to share something of this with people who aren’t Christians?

The question to ask is. ‘Is this the kind of God I would want to know?’ If I don’t know this God, is this the kind of God that I would want to know – a God who is generous, kind and ready to share all of His immense riches, all of His glory with His people, a God who empowers His people, a God who draws His people closer to Himself?

If that’s you and you’re not yet a Christian, or perhaps thinking about Him, you can come to Him today. He opens His arms to welcome you today, whatever our failings, whatever our sins, we bring them to Him. In Him we find complete and full forgiveness. In Him we are made His children so that we can call Him our Father. He has shown us His love in Jesus and He want to bring us all to Himself, to give us a life that we can then live for Him. If there is something you are not sure about, then why not start reading about Jesus’ life? Read about how He has revealed God to us. Come back to the church here. Keep coming back week by week and hear about the good news of Jesus.

If you are a Christian, no doubt you have a desire for more. We realise we don’t have it all.  So, we can pray for ourselves; we can ask God to give us more of Himself. As we come before Him humbly, we can ask Him to give us more power, more closeness and more love from Himself.

We can pray that for each other – that’s exactly what Paul is doing here, he is praying for other believers a long, long way away from him. He is praying that they would experience these ‘mores’ of God. As a church you can pray that for each other. You can pray for those who preach week by week. Even when we’re at the end of our capacity, He keeps on giving of Himself to us. He keeps giving out of His grace, out of His loving kindness to us. We keep leaning on Him, we keep looking to Him.

April 9th 2023: Easter Sunday – Gaius Douglas

Published on by Penuel Baptist RochLeave a comment

If you would like to watch this service, click on the link to our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/VLuFxHwsL_M

Luke 24:1-12

We are raised with Him! Death is dead! Love has won! Christ has conquered! It’s a wonderful thing when we read the Bible; we learn the beginning and the end of the world. This book thrills our hearts when we read it. The more we read, the more we know about the One who is on high.

“Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee,” (Luke 24:5-6). I read from Psalm 24, a wonderful chapter which speaks about the One. David wrote a little bit about himself but also about someone else. Throughout the Bible we can see writers God would use to write about someone else – about the future. When we read it we need to see the current situation but also look ahead.

“Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?
Or who may stand in His holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully.”

Psalm 24: 3-4

When we read the Bible we need to be looking at what the writer says about the current situation, but also looking ahead, to the future. In the above verses from Psalm 24 we read, ‘Who may ascend into the of the Lord?’ The writer speaks about someone who would come – none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Just think about the different hills He would climb when He came into this world, when He walked this life. He had to climb up a hill of the religious authorities, the arrogant people, the obstinate people, the people who hated Him. Finally, He ascended the hill called Calvary, where He laid down His life for you and for me.

He ascended many hills. Why was He able to do that? Because He had ‘clean hands and a pure heart.’ He did not bow down to idols. He ascended that hill, He died, He gave His life for you and for me. He is no longer dead, no longer buried. He is alive! He had to destroy death in order that he would rise in victory. 2 Corinthians 5:21 confirms the same thought, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” He was the only man who ever walked this Earth who was able to do that.

A perfect path of purest grace,
Unblemished and complete,
Was Thine, Thou spotless Nazarite,
Pure, even to the feet.

Wylie McLeod

It’s wonderful, as we celebrate today and everyday of our lives. He is ascended to God, awaiting that day when we’ll come again and receive us to Himself. That is our home, where we’ll one day be because we are raised with Him. We are celebrating a risen Saviour! Even now, in our current situation, we are raised with Him. We should be living with Him. “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)

Today, there are those who would say that they are Christians. They may be found in churches and chapels, but they deny that Christ ever rose from the dead. This is nothing new. The Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection of the dead. This is what the writer of Corinthians says, “But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. 16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!”   (1 Corinthians 15:13-17). If you don’t believe the Lord Jesus Christ has risen from the dead, you are a miserable person. That is what the Bible says.

Those of us who have trusted Him as our Saviour are not just living for this life, we are raised with Him. Christ died for our sins. He was buried and rose again. Because He lives, we should be the happiest people. The Resurrection confirmed that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Son of God. In Acts 2 Peter preached the first gospel message – Christ died for our sins, He bore our own sins. By rising from the dead, we have the proof that He is victorious over death. We see the physical demonstration of God’s power over death, over sin, over Satan.

“Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” (John 10:17-18). The power that has saved you and me, given you life, comes from God Himself. Christ has risen! God’s power is over everything, including death.

“Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen! (Luke 24: 5b-6a). The scriptures are the infallible word of God, inspired by God. We must believe them. If people who struggle to appreciate Christ see us doubting the word of God, doubting the fact that He is risen from the dead, living as if our life is for this world only, then what are we preaching, what are we teaching, what are we living?

The purpose of the Resurrection is the power over sin and death. The women who followed Jesus Christ cared for Him; the fed and made sure He never went hungry. They went to take spices to embalm His body. The tomb was empty. Today, in Israel, there will be thousands of people visiting a tomb. The tomb is empty! That is evidence that Christ is not there. The angel asked the women, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” How often we forget what God has said in His word. We forget His promises. The women were so distressed. The religious people knew Jesus had said He would rise again, so they made sure the tomb was sealed. Imagine these women running to tell Peter and them all that Jesus is risen! The dour men thought it was women’s gossip. They did not believe.

Later, we read of two travelling on the Emmaus Road who were sad. Jesus joined them but they did not recognise Him. He took them back into the scriptures. I wonder if He took them back to Psalm 24? He spoke to them. They invited Him into their home. They said, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32). Wow! This is exciting. Seven miles, in the dark, on the road to Emmaus, they would run back to Jerusalem to tell the others Christ has risen, risen from the dead. This is proof of the Resurrection.

One of the truths of the Resurrection is the transformation that took place in the life of the disciples and of us today. Are you living? Are you alive? “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”  (Ephesians 2:4-7)

You are sitting today in Penuel Chapel, but you are also alive in glory. We are raised with Him. We are a testimony of His grace and favour to us. Do we appreciate who we are in Christ? He has resurrected us. The Resurrection power is what has occurred in your life and my life. We were dead in trespasses, in sins. We are raised with Him! He has destroyed the power of Satan. In Christ, God sees us sitting in heavenly places, raised with Him. If that doesn’t excite you, nothing will! We are raised with Him. Wow!

The Lord Jesus Christ travelled to Bethany because He was told his friend Lazarus was dead. The disciples said, ‘When you heard he wasn’t well you didn’t go, but now he’s dead you’re going.’ He met Martha, who was very sad and said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” (John 11:21-22). Jesus replied by saying, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26). Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Do you believe it? We are raised with Him. Oh, my friends, if only we can grasp that today.

 “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.” (Revelation 1:18). Wow! He is alive and we are raised with Him. If that doesn’t move your heart, nothing will. Knowing Christ is one thing, but living in the power of an endless life, living in Him, relying on Him, living in Him – amazing!  

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 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. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:1-3).

Are you ready to go with Him? He may come today.

April 7th 2023 – Good Friday: John Scanlon

Published on by Penuel Baptist RochLeave a comment

Matthew 27: 27-46

To watch this service, click on the link to our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/53IMrkxSip0

Imagine a spaceship hovering over a planet in which people can beam down. The spaceship can move from place to place in a flash – the ultimate form of travel. You can end up not only in another place but also another time. Imagine something went wrong and we do not know where we are or in what time we are. We start to look for familiar landmarks. As we walk along, we find ourselves on a hill facing a bright sunset. You can see three crosses – no people, nothing else, no signs of activity. Absolute silence. But in your mind’s eye, as you move forward, you get the feeling that you have just missed something. You draw nearer, looking for clues as to what you’ve missed. You see marks on the crosses – nail holes. There are patches of blood stains on the ground. You realise you have missed a barbaric form of death by crucifixion by the Romans. You now know where you are and the time frame. You have perceived from the blood on the ground the life that ran out of three men.

In times past, life wasn’t so precious. The death penalty was given for offences today we would consider quite mild. 250 years ago, in this country, a boy would be sentences to death for poaching a rabbit to feed his family. The scene we are standing at is a sight of battle, battle against sin. The one who died at the end of the fight was the victor. “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13). If we’re not familiar with the gospel, we can wonder, ‘What does this mean?’ Can it be that one of the men who died was innocent of any crime and died in the place of someone else, that He laid down His life for others? If so, which one was it? Who benefitted from this unselfish act?

In the gospel we find the incredible but true story of how mankind had become so sinful down through the years, that our just God could not look upon us because of the terrible state we were in. A righteous God demanded that a penalty should be paid to atone for our sins, “And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.” (Hebrews 9:22). A righteous God demands a penalty of death. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23).

We learn from this that there is hope. Jesus has paid the just penalty for our sins. In the shedding of blood, He has purchased our forgiveness. The forgiveness of sin is extended to all who repent. But we can’t do what we like. This isn’t just saying sorry, expressing regret or putting on a sad face. Only in true repentance can we reap the benefits of what Christ has done on that cross. Repentance means a complete turnaround from your own way of life, following a different path. It means having in our hearts a saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” The whole idea of redemption was not an afterthought; it was planned from the foundation of the world. Its fulfilment was announced by Jesus in His final breath when He cried out, “It is finished.”

We are told in the gospel that it went dark for three hours. In this modern world we don’t know what real darkness is like. Imagine what it would have been like before God said, ‘Let there be light.’ Jesus is the Light of the world. When that darkness came as Jesus was crucified, I believe it was the time when Jesus was dead. There was no light anymore.

There were three crosses. Three crosses, three men. Two of the men were thieves, one on either side. They had received the death sentence, which means they were not just pick-pockets. They had been caught, tried and sentenced. The poor man who hung in the middle was ridiculed. We know very little about these thieves. We assume they were both guilty of their crimes. But we see one difference between them – one continued to curse Jesus. He was angry and wanted to blame everyone else for what he had done and showed no regret for what he had done.

The other one thief was different. He had been just as evil but he admitted he was getting the punishment which he deserved, “But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” (Luke 23:40-41).

What had happened to this man? How did he have this change of heart? He was stuck on a cross in full view of everybody else. Somehow, he knew that no matter what he did, nothing would change. He had come to realise that he had brought all this suffering on himself. But within his heart a miracle had taken place. He saw himself as a sinner; he saw the terrible condition of his soul and he could no longer face up to being the man he was. On that day, the Holy Spirit reached out and touched the heart of that man. The miracle of repentance. He felt a burning need for the cleansing of his soul, so he turned to God – to the pitiful bleeding wreck next to him on the cross. He recognised Him for who He really was and said, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42). Those words were welcomed by the man next to him who said, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43). There was no baptism, no Sunday School – only repentant faith was needed.

Three men hung side by side that day. The one on the left died in his sins. The one on the right died free from sin. The one in the centre died for the sins of others. One died in love, one died in despair, one died in faith. In the centre was our Saviour, paying the price for us in the deepest of love, dying on our behalf. On the left of Him stood the man who had no regrets for his sins. He cursed those around him as if they were to blame. He did not care about his past, his present or his future. He was heading for the deepest hell. There are far too many in this world who are in the same state. On His right was a man who saw the error of his ways, who freely confessed his sin, and in true repentance had been welcomed into the Kingdom of God.

Let me ask you today, what about you? Where do you stand? Are you standing on the left of Jesus with unrepentant sin and no care for the future, seeing nothing wrong with the life you’ve led, content to walk on the broad road that leads to destruction? Or do you stand on the right with those who acknowledge their sinful state and throw themselves on the loving mercy of a God, in Jesus Christ?

The choice is yours. It serves no purpose to say, ‘I’ll have to think about it,’ or ‘Maybe next week I’ll start going to church and start reading the Bible.’ You fail to realise that nobody can say how much time they have in this world. Today is the day of salvation. The repentant thief knew that his time was coming to an end and he needed to put it right. Could Jesus have rejected him? Could the man have been told, ‘No, your sins are too many and too great to forgive? Never! In Luke 19 Jesus Himself tells us, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:9). This man was lost – to himself, to the crowd, to the world – but not to God, in Jesus Christ. In His agony and suffering, Jesus reached out to this thief, who was now a child of God. He brought another sheep into the fold, then brought him into heaven. Hallelujah!

We hope that these fictious time travellers would seek a signpost to show them which way to go next. After all, they had been lost once. The cross they saw before them would point the way to God. Anyone who needs to find their way home must look to that cross, to the One who not only knows the way, but He is the Way. He is still reaching out to us, still waiting for us. Follow that sign.

April 2nd 2023: Nathan Munday

Published on by Penuel Baptist RochLeave a comment

To watch this service, click on the link to our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/8FtUOP19b6w

The king is Coming

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
    Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
    righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Zechariah 9:9

This precious prophecy, the coming of the promised king, was given 500 years or so before the events in the gospel of Luke (Luke 19:28-38). Why do the disciples always refer back to Zechariah’s prophecy? When we approach these old texts in the Old Testament, it’s like coming into a building: the ground level here is in Zechariah’s time. Go upstairs and we see elements of the prophecy fulfilled before Jesus came. Go upstairs again and we see some prophecies are fulfilled in Christ when He came. Go out to the roof top and we can look forward to some prophecies still to be fulfilled, especially the end of this lovely chapter.

We live in a time of sadness in Wales; we don’t shout and praise as in verse 9. Many of us are even fearful of raising our voices. Many of us live as if the King has never come and that the King will never come back again. The prophecy Zechariah has been given is a vision of how the church will one day be restored. Paradise will be restored through that King. The King will bring joy and give us boldness. In ancient times their hope was found in the same King, Jesus Christ, just like we hope in Him today.

In this verse we see:

  1. The promise of a humble King
  2. The Righteous King
  3. Our Saviour King.

Is He your Saviour? He’s mine and I thank God for that.

  1. The promise of a humble King.

We have a king in Wales called Arthur. Prophecies are usually grand. He is talked of as Arthur the sleeping Lord, a mighty character of mythology who will one day arise and restore Wales. Arthur is never going to restore Wales! There is only one King, one name under heaven by which we must be saved. Whether He is your Saviour or not, one day, we will all bow the knee and confess He is Lord.

But the man is on a donkey in Jerusalem. Imagine we’re in that passage in Luke (Luke 19:28-28). Palm leaves are being swayed. People are cheering, ‘Hosanna.’ Help. Save. Why? The one they’re calling Saviour is coming towards Jerusalem. He takes pity on prostitutes and the outsiders. He even raises people from the dead. He loves children. He doesn’t turn them away when they’re crying. Imagine standing with this crowd. The Messiah is coming closer. Is He on a chariot? No. Is there a triumphal arch ready to welcome Him? No. Are there white stallions in the afternoon sun? No. He’s on a colt. The attention to detail is phenomenal.

In Luke’s story let’s ask people what is going on.

Excuse me. Why are you cheering?
              The King has come.
But He’s on a donkey!
              Yes, He’s riding a donkey like the kings of old. He will surely save us from the Romans.
A conqueror on a donkey. Really? You’ve been waiting for this?
              Oh yes, we’ve been waiting for years (tears running this man’s cheek). It’s been tough  
             but things are going to get better.

The triumphant entry of this humble King is no surprise. Prophets had foreseen this very event. He’d come on a donkey. But the people had forgotten that bit.

What is His name? Some call Him Shiloh, some Jehovah Jireh, others call Him the Messiah, the anointed One. Do you know this man – the Lion of the tribe of Judah? But when He was born in a manger, He wasn’t called these grand things. The angel said to Joseph, ‘You shall call His name Jesus.’ Why? Because He would save the people from their sins.

Our text tells us that this King would be humble, a lowly donkey rider. He would be an unlikely king. His kingdom will be one of peace.

2. The promise is of a righteous King.

This King is not just lowly, he is just. This promise is of a righteous King. Let’s delve deeper now. Go back further than Zechariah to an ancient death bed. Some of the oldest words in the Bible talk of a humble, righteous King. Back in Genesis 49:10-12. Jacob is dying. He blesses Judah and starts looking forward saying,


10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah,
Nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
Until Shiloh comes;
And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
11 Binding his donkey to the vine,
And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine,
He washed his garments in wine,
And his clothes in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes are darker than wine,
And his teeth whiter than milk.’


Jacob says to Judah, ‘You shall be king until the one to whom it belongs appears.’ Shiloh (v.10) means someone greater is coming, someone not just for the Jews. He is for you and me. Someone greater is coming whose Kingship extends beyond Israel – it extends to Roch. Isn’t that wonderful?

What does that Kingdom look like? It is a picture of plenty. The King is described as having dark eyes and white teeth – the ancient idea of beauty and perfection. Old Jacob, on his deathbed, was trusting in this King. Old Jacob mentions a donkey, the stained garments that would reappear in Isaiah. This relates to judgement, humility and the death of the servant King.

Let us return to Zechariah. Chapter 9, verses 1-8 uses the language of judgement. It mentions nations and kings. In their midst is little Israel, now a kingless nation. The Judeans are instructed to look for this coming King, that death bed vision that Jacob had. This would be a ruler that God would send. He is just. That is always repeated. The prophecy was relevant for the people of Zechariah’s time. The coming King is righteous and having salvation. The King is declared righteous by God. The King is both accused and attacked by the enemies but is vindicated and saved. This vision of the King didn’t just see this tall, good looking fellow. They saw a wounded man, but this King will not fail. Isaiah says,  

“Behold! My Servant whom I uphold,
My Elect One in whom My soul delights!
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.”
Isaiah 42:1

The king who establishes justice is none other than the One whom God is pleased in. The real King, after God’s own heart, was obedient. Even today I have sinned (illustration of worrying about being late whilst held up in traffic). Jesus never sinned. He achieved perfection. Isaiah saw Him as a bridegroom figure, decked in robes of righteousness. That clothing I don’t have by nature.

He was attacked. He was accused. He was killed. Yet by His stripes we are healed. The Bible says that even our good deeds are like filthy rags. We need new clothes, spiritually new clothes. Only the King can do this. That comes from sacrificial death, the perfect righteousness from the King of righteousness. The cloak that Jesus weaved for us, through His obedient life, is stained red. It’s a spiritual covering given to every Christian. Because of it, we can rejoice.

3. Our Saviour King

He not only came with righteousness, He came with salvation. This means you can be saved. You are going to die one day, you need to be saved. You need to be perfect before a perfect God. Only Jesus can help you.

When we speak about our Saviour, we often distinguish between His person and His work. Jesus is qualified to be our Saviour and Lord because of His person. He is perfect, as verse 9 celebrates. But it is in His work on the cross that He actually achieves our salvation.

And the horse from Jerusalem;
The battle bow shall be cut off.
He shall speak peace to the nations;
His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.’

Zechariah 9:10

The work of the King on the donkey is that He brings peace to you and I. The key to understanding this verse is that Israel was to be different from other nations (Deuteronomy 17). Verse 10 tells us that the Lord will take away worldly sources of strength from His people and lead them to trust in Him. Many of the Jews were waiting for a conqueror, even though He was on a donkey.

“As for you also,
Because of the blood of your covenant,
I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.”
Zechariah 9:11

That special relationship, a covenant between God and His people, involves the shedding of blood. 

What was His great work?

Your ultimate enemy is sin, with its power and penalty of guilt. It has a hold on us. Isaiah 63:1 gives us a glimpse of King Jesus who is both the humble donkey rider as well as the great conqueror on the cross. He was fighting death itself.

“Who is this who comes from Edom,
With dyed garments from Bozrah,
This One who is glorious in His apparel,
Traveling in the greatness of His strength? –
“I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.”
Isaiah 63:1

The coming King is righteous. He saves. This is the same man who Zechariah saw in his vision, the same man riding on a donkey, the same man dying for you on the cross, the King who conquers sin by means of the cross, by His own blood, to fulfil God’s covenant of grace. He died and shed His blood to pay the price for sin.

What do these verses mean to me?

Isaiah 9:10 sees a people restored to God in faith. They no longer trust in their army of flesh and chariot, but in the Lord God of Israel.

And the horse from Jerusalem;
The battle bow shall be cut off.
He shall speak peace to the nations;
His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.’

In the same way sinners must turn to Jesus in faith. We become Christians, when we believe and turn from the ways of the flesh and the world, trusting in Him alone because of the blood, we are free from that pit of corruption, the pit of guilt, the pit of being separated from God. Are you separated from God? Don’t you want to be liberated from that pit? The psalmist writes, “He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.” (Psalm 40:2). Is that your testimony? This is, in a posh word, justification. We are declared righteous, not because of what we have done, but because of what He has done.

What do these verses mean for you?

‘Because the sinless Saviour died
My sinful soul is counted free
For God the Just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.’

Hallelujah! What a Saviour!

‘Behold Him there, the risen Lamb
My perfect spotless Righteousness
The great unchangeable I am
The King of glory and of grace.

One with Himself, I cannot die
My soul is purchased by His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high
With Christ, my Saviour and my God.

Before the throne of God

We’re no longer tied to Adam and that doom that was before him. Zechariah was given a glimpse of how these wonders would come to be. The coming of the King saves me from everlasting death and hell. The coming of the King meant the shedding of blood. May faith must not be just in a teacher, not just in a good Jew. No. My faith must be in a crucified Saviour! Do you know this King? Do you know this Saviour? Who can lay a charge against God’s elect? I beg you, if you’ve never known Jesus, taste, see. He is good. He is the King on the donkey, but He is also my righteousness. He is my Saviour and my God.

March 26th 2023: Ian Middlemist

Published on by Penuel Baptist RochLeave a comment


Joshua 1

In this passage of scripture we have a war theme. When marching to war three things are vital:

  1. There needs to be clear direction and purpose for the mission ahead. A regiment needs clarity for its purpose.
  2. To know unity, togetherness, camaraderie.
  3. We are to actually go, to make those first steps with bravery and courage.

These things often seem to be absent in church life.

  1. People appear to be proactive but they are motivated by a fear of inability that can lead to just doing something.
  2. Someone can have a clear idea in their homes and expect every one else to get it, but their vision isn’t communicated clearly to everyone.
  3. There can be such lethargy in church life. We become depressed and don’t get engaged, preferring to build more walls. It’s just disobedience. Jesus Christ said to His disciples, ‘Go!’

By the presence of the Holy Spirit all of these three things are present in this passage. As God’s people march onwards, they have the sure promise of God’s hands.

  1. God’s word and His promise.

As the Israelites stood to enter the Promised Land, they are ready, posed to march forwards. God’s main emphasis to Joshua is upon the law of God. Very early on in history of the planet, people were ready. They were a people of the Book. A spiritual reality of Christian life must be being a people of the Book. These people weren’t merely readers of the book, they were lovers of the words. They loved the writings of Moses. Without the book of the law of God, they would be lost and confused. They read and loved the book. They engaged with it.

Joshua was to have special revelations from God through the priest, “And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the Lord. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the people of Israel with him, the whole congregation.”  (Numbers 27:21). Joshua was to stand before the priest, receive special communication from God and tell the people.

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8)

There are three things are in this verse. The law is to be on his mouth. He was to talk about, meditate on it and do the work of God.

  1.  He was to keep it on the mouth, speaking it, not just internalising it.
  2. He was to meditate on it day and night. We have increased as Christians in our love to grow and meditate on God’s word. We can draw deep lessons and be taught new things when we read the word. We are to absorb the word, chew over its truths – God, His person, His ways, His gospel.
  3. Do it. This word is to be living and active in our lives. Are you keeping the word on your lips, meditating on it, as if it were your life? Are you putting it into practice?
  • God’s Presence.

When he commanded Joshua to conquer the land, God said, ‘Do not be afraid.’ Joshua didn’t need to be afraid because God was going to be with him every step of the way. The command most frequently found on the Lord Jesus’ lips was ‘fear not.’ Men and women are prone to fear under the shadow of death. The Lord assured Joshua He was going to be with him.

Today, we are more and more a people who are afraid to make a stand, therefore we don’t often have fear. We hide ourselves away. We’re not afraid because we fall often or because we tried and failed. We’re afraid because we haven’t made that step and tried. If we’re going to see revival, we need to become a people who know reality, who are courageous in the midst of our fears.

The greatest gift the Lord Jesus gave the church was the Holy Spirit. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are not the most important, it’s the Holy Spirit. The pinnacle of Christian experience is the Lord Jesus Christ. “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,” (John 14:16).

Jesus Himself is the first comforter. The Holy Spirit is the second. Have you trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as the first comforter? In Jesus Christ we have the help of the helpless. He will abide with you. If we’re to be involved in the battle, we need all the comfort and reassurance we can get. If we’re truly in the work, we will know this comfort and encouragement. The encouragement and strength you really need is the Holy Spirit. Comfort comes from the Latin words meaning strength.

The Holy Spirit, the paraclete, comes not to console after the battle, but to fortify us before and in the midst of the battle. He will be with us through it all. You are going to face difficulties again and again. Right now, get to appreciate, to look to and to believe that the Spirit of God is with you. Christ is sufficient. He speaks comfort. That’s the strength of the Holy Spirit.

  • Let’s go! The first steps.

Joshua is a vital book. It bridges the gap between the Torah and the history teachings section of the Old Testament. It speaks to us of God’s redemptive purposes. Moses is dead but the purposes of God are not. The Israelites spent 40 years in the wilderness of wandering with Moses.  Then Moses dies. Surely, there must have been people there wondering if God’s purposes had also died? There is temptation to think, because a strong leader has died, other purposes have died. How dejected some must have felt. The Kingdom of God isn’t dependent on such things. The purposes of God are sure, so is the strength God gives for us to move and take those first steps.

Joshua stands in a moment of transition. God says, ‘Remember my promise.’ So we need to go and believe. The purposes of God are not over – not in your personal life, not in this church, not in the global church. We have Christ’s own promises which cannot fail.

March 19th 2021: Adrian Brake

Published on by Penuel Baptist RochLeave a comment

To watch this service, click on the link to our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/0TQwH5ZyGxY

Genesis 6

If someone asked you, who was Noah? What would you say? He lived long ago, he was married, had 3 sons and was a ship builder. But I want to look at the most important thing about Noah, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” (Genesis 6:8). That, in a sense, is Noah in a nutshell.

That’s the first time, in Genesis 6:8, that the word grace appears in the pages of scriptures. Grace is at the very heart of the message of the Bible. Grace is woven into the very fabric of scripture. The Bible is from the beginning to the end, the story of God’s grace towards human beings. The Bible is a story; one, unified, developing, growing story of God’s grace through Jesus Christ to human beings. If you’re a Christian, if you don’t get excited about grace, you need a renewing of your heart. Every hymn is a celebration of God’s grace. Every hymn is a response for us to God’s grace. Grace is the beating heart of the church’s hymnary.

What is grace?

First of all, grace is not an object. It’s an attitude. We don’t receive grace, we are shown grace. It describes the way somebody thinks about us, the way somebody relates to us and the way that somebody acts towards us. To receive grace from God means to receive something we don’t deserve, something we have no right expect. It is something we have no claim upon.  Grace is unmerited kindness, something which hasn’t been bought, something which hasn’t been worked for but has been gladly, freely, lavishly shown. That is how God dealt with Noah.

God gave Noah something he didn’t deserve, something he wasn’t entitled to, something that if God has acted purely in justice, he would never have received. “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” (Genesis 6:8).

God was gracious to Noah. We forget that Noah, by nature, was no different to other people that lived. We almost think here the world was in a terrible mess, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually,” (Genesis 8:5) but that Noah was a shining light whom God rewarded for his inherent godliness. It’s not that at all. Noah, by nature, deserved to perish with everyone in the flood, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23). There’s no exception clause for Abraham, Moses, David and others. All those great men of the Bible were not great by nature. They were sinners by choice. Noah began life in the same boat as his contemporaries. He was under God’s condemnation.

How is it that Noah ended up on the ark? God was going to save Noah, “17 And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. 18 But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark – you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.”.  Genesis 6:17-18).

God marks Noah out. Why? What was there about Noah that led God to treat him in this remarkable way? Nothing! “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” (Genesis 6:8). There was nothing about Noah that he could bring before God and say, ‘Lord, you can’t do that to me.’ Noah found grace. He didn’t deserve it, he wasn’t entitled to it. He hadn’t bought it, he couldn’t claim it, he hadn’t worked for it, he was simply shown it.

God shows Noah grace. Why? Because He chose to. Because God, in His heart, provided a way of escape from His judgement, a way of rescue. Noah didn’t deserve it but God choose to be gracious and merciful, generous and kind to him. It’s a wonderful act of a large heart that God has.

“Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.” (Genesis 6:9b). Perfect means blameless, he wasn’t guilty of great public sin. He was perfect in his generation and walked with God. Hang on! Noah was a godly man, so he did deserve a place on the ark. No. He didn’t begin like that. Noah found grace – that’s the foundation (verse 8). But in verse 9 we have the fruit of grace, “Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.” (Genesis 6:9b). Noah was what he was in verse 9 because God had first shown him grace.

God’s grace to Noah is seen in two things:

  1. Before the flood waters were ever mentioned, God was gracious to Noah and gave Noah a new heart. There became a point in Noah’s life when he became a different man. When other people were hating God, he began to love God. Once Noah had shown no interest in relating to God, now he wanted to walk with God. He reaches out to God. He looks to Him. He longs for Him. He listens and speaks to Him. He fellowships with Him. Why is he so different? “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” (Genesis 6:8).

  2. God gave Noah what he didn’t deserve in the form of safety from judgement. Noah’s story was a story of receiving that to which he had no claim: a new nature and a Saviour.

We are dealing with historical facts here but what happened in those days was a warning, a warning given by God to the whole of the human race. What happened in Noah’s day was a foretaste, a glimpse of a day yet to come. The flood was an expression of God’s wrath against sin and against sinners. We see the consequences of sin, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5). The destruction that comes on the Earth is a settled, judicial response to man’s sin. “And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.” (Genesis 6:13). Because of sin, God is bringing this judgement, “And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die.” (Genesis 6:17). It was a deliberate, decisive, purposeful act of God – judgement upon Man’s sin.

God doesn’t always act in that cataclysmic way to deal with Man’s sin, but there are occasions in scripture where He does that. Sodom and Gomorrah is an example of a dramatic way in which God pours out His wrath upon sin. Sometimes, God needs to make an example of somebody, or a generation, as a warning for others.

On occasion, God, in His grace to us, shows us what sin will bring about if it is not dealt with, not repented of. The flood was God speaking to us today saying sin is serious, it’s not to be taken lightly. Sin grieves God, “And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.” (Genesis 6:6). God was wounded to see His creation so reject Him. It’s almost as if He wept over Man’s rebellion against Him. It brings down God’s wrath. Paul tells us not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God.

In grace, God issues warnings. The warning is that what happened in those days is a glimpse of the Day ahead, the Day of the Lord. This is the day when God’s wrath will be poured out. As sinners, we store up judgement for the day of God’s wrath. God acted in Noah’s day there and then to deal with their sins.

Generally, God holds off, He waits. He has already appointed a particular day in history, which hasn’t come yet, when He will call all men and women to account. We will have to appear before Him to answer for our rejection of Him. That day is coming. The judgement poured out on that day will make the flood waters seem like a bath, when we will be cut off from the presence of God forever. We will experience throughout eternity no trace of God’s mercy, no trace of God’s grace, no trace of God’s kindness, only his righteous wrath upon us.

That day is coming. God has appointed that day. He has appointed the judge. We are moving closer and closer to it. Through a chapter like this God, in His grace, comes to us today, comes to Roch today through you bringing the message out, saying the day is coming, flee from it.

If you are a Christian, like Noah, it’s a reminder that on that day when Christ returns, when judgement comes, you will have nothing to fear. Nothing. The flood would have been an horrific experience for the people, but Noah wouldn’t have been perturbed at all because God had already, in grace, provided a way of safety for him. The day of the Lord will be a terrifying day for those who have rejected the gracious offer of God in Jesus Christ. But the astonishing thing is that although it will be terrifying, for Christians it will not be terrifying at all. It will be a day of joy and celebration. It will be a day when we will go to be with Christ.

How will it be a very different day for you than for others? Will you not be judged because you don’t deserve to be judged because you decided to turn over a new leaf? No. You will have nothing to fear for one reason, and one reason only, because you will have found grace in the eyes of the Lord. You don’t deserve that, you have no claim to it, but that will be you experience. Because just like with Noah, God graciously provided you with a way of escape in Jesus Christ, and God graciously, by His Spirit, provided you with a new nature.

Your story here today is that you are somebody who has found grace in the eyes of the Lord. People might ask, ‘Who are you? Tell me something about yourself.’ We think about where we were born, what we do for a job, what family we have, where we live and our hobbies. But friends, surely our first response should be, ‘I am somebody who has found grace in the eyes of the Lord.’ That is our story. That is who we are. Our epitaph includes our name, but it would be wonderful to have engraved, “He/She found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” What do you want people to know about you? What is your legacy? What is your testimony? It is that you found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

This is our story, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). Sometimes, people tell us we need to forget the past, but sometimes, as believers, it is good to remember the past. It is good to remember where we came from, how we began. Then we marvel at where we are and who has brought us there. Paul says,”Let me remind you of how you once were, “in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.” (Ephesians 2:2). You began dead to righteousness. You were under the power of Satan, a child of disobedience. In verse 3 the great apostle Paul says he was like that. By nature, we are no different to everyone else in this world. On that last day you won’t be safe because of anything you’ve done. Christians here in Roch this morning, by nature you are no different to anyone else in this world. On that last day you will not be saved because of anything you have done.

In verse 4 Paul says, ‘But.’ Something has happened, “But God.” We are immediately taken away from ourselves. Paul begins by saying this is where you were, but something happened. God! “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),” (Ephesians 2-5). ‘But’ says Paul. God, who is rich in mercy and love made us alive. He raised us from the dead. By grace you have been saved. You didn’t do anything. God, in His rich mercy and great love did something. He made us alive. He raised us from the dead.

In the ages to come God is going to showcase the exceeding riches of His grace. How? “that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,” (Ephesians 2:7-8). How is God going to show the exceeding riches of His grace? In His kindness toward us kin Christ Jesus.

If you want to know how gracious God is, look at His church. Look at how He’s dealt with sinners. Look at the transformation He’s brought about in the life of sinners. Look at what divine grace can produce. We are trophies of grace. It is all from Him. He has lavished something on us which we don’t deserve: a new nature, a Saviour, a new life, eternity. It is all from Him. Everything you have is a gracious gift from God.

Paul reminds Titus to tell the people he is pastoring now, “To be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. Paul is basically saying, ‘Don’t go round condemning people, tutting and shaking your head.’ We do that as Christians. We see the government passing a new legislation, a new law, and we see the sin there is repulsive. But let’s not go condemning people about how awful they are. Paul reminds us, “For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.” (Titus 3:3)

Paul says, ‘Here we are, the church of God, this is what we like to begin with. But there’s been a change. What have we done? Nothing.“ 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 34-7). Look at what we were. Look at what we are. What produces this astonishing change? The kindness, the grace, the love, the mercy of God toward us.

“11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” (Titus 3:11-14).

There, but for the grace of God, go I. It is only the grace of God that put you in the community of the redeemed today. If you have a love for the Bible, God gave it to you. If you have a love for God, God gave it to you. If you have a hatred for sin, God gave it to you. It’s all of Him.

God is most wonderfully gracious. We read of an abundant God, a lavish God, an exceedingly rich God. God, in His grace today, warns you if you do not know Him, of the day of judgement that is coming. He urges you, He pleads with you to come to Him, to climb on the ark that He has provided – the ark that is His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

If you are a believer here today, let us never forget what we have been shown. Let us never find grace to be something common. Something incredible has happened to us. God lavished upon us the riches of His kindness. That’s our story. Don’t you want to go out and tell somebody that you have found grace in the sight of the Lord? To tell them, ‘Let me tell you what I was, let me tell you what I am. Let me tell you what I would be if it wasn’t for the grace of God.’

That’s your message to Roch. We are a people who have found grace in the eyes of the Lord. We are different. We are what we are because of God’s grace. We want you to experience that and enjoy it too.

We want to celebrate, we want to praise God, but remember, as Paul says, “Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.“ (Romans 12:1b) Everything you have, devote it to the service, worship and praise of God. Lay it all on the altar before God. Serve Him. But Paul doesn’t begin there. Before that he says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,” (Romans 12:1a). In other words, Paul says first of all, before I give you any command or instruction, I encourage you to think on the mercies of God. Think of what God has done for you. Think of how God has dealt with you. Think on your salvation. This will let you offer your body as a living sacrifice, as you serve Him.

March 12th 2023: Paul Daniel

Published on by Penuel Baptist RochLeave a comment

To watch this service, click on the link to our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/WIPdbbdB3KI

Psalm 1

The first psalm sets the tone of how we are to read the psalms, in your walk with God, in your experiences, your emotions, your knowledge and your worship. It’s the gateway to the psalms.

Have you ever had an argument with your husband or wife? Sometimes, we are told that we do things, but we tend to do easy things. We tend to put off the more difficult things and don’t want to do them. Easy things we like, we’ll do without question. There are things that are hard to do, and we put them off.

If you’re a Christian, do you really want to be a committed Christian? There are degrees of being committed as a Christian. You might be a Christian but are you committed to being one? Being a Christian is a gift of salvation. Once you’ve been saved, are you committed to your walk with Jesus?

Psalm 1 sets the tone of what it looks like to be a follower of God. The follower of God is fully committed,

“Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;”
(Psalm 1:1)

This person is wholly committed to following the Lord. It’s a challenge to us. How committed are we? Is our Christian life deliberate? We can be passive as we listen to preaching and join in singing. Do we engage? What do I need to repent of, to delight in the law of the Lord, day and night? As we come to Psalm 1, what does the Christian life look like to be blessed? God wants us to be a happy believer. It’s a psalm about being blessed. If you’re a committed Christian, in the sense that you are wholly committed to the Lord, you will find blessing. But the reverse is also true. If you’re a Christian and not fully committed to the Lord, you will probably find yourself in paths that are not going to be blessed and take away your blessing of salvation.

Psalm 1 was written in the context of an Israelite worshipping the Lord. What does God say in the Old Testament about following Him? “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse:the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known.” (Deuteronomy 11: 26-28) That was the pattern for Israel, if they followed the Lord they would be blessed, that they would be rescued from Egypt. They were told that if they followed the Lord and obeyed His command, that is the path that leads to blessing. But if you don’t do that, it’s going to end up badly.

We see in Ephesians 1 the New Testament context for us, Christians today, who have every spiritual blessing in Christ, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.  In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight.”  (Ephesians 1:3-4). Extraordinary!

As New Testament Christians we’ve been spiritually blessed with every spiritual blessing. You’ve got it all! You might not have the sort of career or house you’ve always wanted, but if you are a Christian you have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. You have redemption. You have been forgiven. You have God living in you. You are truly blessed.

When we look at Psalm 1. The first question we ask, in the context of being a New Testament Christians, is ‘Are you happy? Are you blessed?’

The world tells us that we are happy if I …. It’s conditional. Sometimes, it’s an economical term; it’s a relative measure – I’m happy compared to my neighbours because I have more than them. For us, what does it mean to be blessed?

“Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;”
Psalm 1:1

God is completely happy in Himself: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When we listen to God, this is what it looks like to be blessed. To be blessed is to consider the company we keep, the direction of that company and the environment. If we persistently keep the company of the ‘counsel of the wicked,’ standing in the way of sinners, sitting in the seat of scoffers, there is a direction of travel here. To walk – that’s a kind of dabbling a little. Then standing – mixing with. Then to sit is to get cosy with it.

To follow the path of the ungodly – standing, mixing and sitting – there’s a direction to the path. There’s a cosiness to the direction of unhappiness. The path of being blessed is staying well away from what is evil and wicked, running a mile away from it. Instead, to be blessed is,

“but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.”
(Psalm 1:2)

My friends, we can sometimes look at the world and think that what it means to be truly happy, to be truly better, is to maybe have what they have, or maybe what the tv adverts say you should have because it’s good for you. But to be truly blessed is to delight in God and His ways. God is the Creator is the one who made us, the one who loves us. God is the one who wants to protect us. He sent His Son to do just that. If you do that, look at what happens,

“He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.”
(Psalm 1:3)

Yes, we are thinking of the Old Testament here, where there was a blessing followed by obedience. But what does it look like for Christians today? If we look at the imagery we see a tree that looks healthy; it’s planted by a stream of water, it yields it’s fruit in season and grows as it should. There are signs of life.

For today, there’s a sign of life, health, stability. When Israel was not being obedient, they were full of problems. When they repented, they had a period of peace and blessings. When we’re Christians we want the things of God, we cling to the promises of God, who is able to provide all things.

Secondly, we see that stepping away from God leads to chaos,

“The wicked are not so,
    but are like chaff that the wind drives away.”
(Psalm 1:4)

It’s an image of wheat and chaff. When the wheat is thrown into the air the chaff falls away and the wheat falls down. The chaff in the wind goes all over the place. When you step away from God there is chaos. It’s not the same picture you see in verse 3, where there is a picture of stability, of health and of order. Consider what the world takes offence at, what churches sometimes do. Stepping away from God’s will leads to chaos. It is chaos when God’s ways and God’s laws start being re-written. It is chaos when God’s plan, the Creator’s plan, starts to be re-read and re-ordered in many different ways.

The law of the Lord is for everyone. When you tinker with God’s Word it says it will affect the next generation and the generation after that. Whatever we decide, whatever we teach, stepping away from the Lord can lead to chaos. Don’t’ step away from God’s Word.

Finally, as a Christian, are you aware that there is no in-between, no grey area?
 
“Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked will perish.”
(Psalm 1:5-6)

It’s God’s way or it’s chaos. There is no opinion. It is God’s Word. God very clearly defines for us His Word. Nothing is subjective. There is no philosophy that we’re meant to listen to. There’s no politics. There is no opinion. God is the one we need to listen to. The righteous will be watched, the righteous will assemble. If you are a Christian you have this wonderful inheritance, this wonderful hope that we are heading to. We are going to be with Jesus Christ, we are going to see Him face to face. We will have that ultimate blessing of no more pain, no more mourning, no more sickness, no more death.  We will be with Him.

The ungodly, the unrighteous, will not stand. This is why we have to take the message of the gospel to the ends of the earth. There are no ‘what-if’ scenarios. Either you walk with the Lord or you don’t. It’s why, when churches are looking for a pastor or calling a pastor, it’s not whether you like him or not, or whether he does this or is able to do that. Those things matter but it’s not what it’s all about that. What matters is that the church asks someone to come who is going to preach the word of the Lord in a way that people will listen. This is what it means to be blessed, to meditate on the Lord both day and night. It’s getting somebody who can teach and when they teach, we listen. He’s going to be able to teach not just in here, but out there as well because you want everybody to hear the Word of the Lord.

When we come to church we don’t sit on top of the Word, we sit under the Word. In Titus chapter 2 Paul talks to younger men and older men, younger women and older women, to the whole congregation, about what can often happen as we grow in our Christian walk. As we get older we can start to get grumpy and stop wanting to listen. Keep listening. He says to the women things like ‘don’t drink too much, don’t slander, don’t gossip.’ He talks about things that you and I are very prone to, which leads us to start challenging God’s word. We say, ‘Well, actually I’m a Christian but I don’t want to submit to these particular things.’ My friends, there are no grey areas.

To be blessed is to be obedient to God’s Word, to be in that path where God calls us, where we find peace, contentment and joy. The Christian life is not an easy life. But when you start to see those signs in your Christian life where things are not going maybe as well as they should, in the sense where something in your own Spirit does not sit right, God is asking you to deal with it. Come to Him, do not ignore it. Work out whether it’s because it’s external, whether it’s actually something to do with others – that we’re standing in the wrong place, or where we’re sitting where we shouldn’t be.

There are common things that you and I do, as Christians, which eat away at that blessedness that we’ve been given. There are certain things that we might experience as Christians, that often happen, which take away that joy that we’ve been given. We have every spiritual blessing in Jesus Christ, why would you want to move away from that? Sometimes, it comes down to our attitude. “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” (James 3:13-18).

When you find, as a Christian, you are slightly unsettled, when there’s something eating at you and you don’t feel peace or joy and you’re restless, it becomes an obsession and you’re troubled by it. Just ask this, is it your attitude coming from heaven? Is your attitude out of purity? Is your attitude after this wonderful peace that you can have from God Himself? We sometimes lose that joy, that blessedness, because our attitude is not from heaven but from a selfish heart.

Then, there’s anger. Anger takes away that blessedness and joy. Listen to James again, “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?” (James 4:1) James talks about quarrels and fights. When we argue and when we fight, James says it comes from our desires that battle within us. Is it the other person or the frustration that comes from within? Often or not, the reason we get angry is not because what someone else has said but because we’re frustrated with our own inability. God calls us and challenges us when we’re unsettled and fired up, just don’t look at the other person, look at yourself.

Anger and anxiety grates at you. It troubles you. You can’t have that sense of joy of the Lord that is yours. Philippians 4 reminds us to, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7).

God wants to bless us. Yes, we’re anxious and worried, but God says to come to Him. You have received every spiritual blessing. Pray with thanksgiving, and God’s peace will guard you. My friend, when we find ourselves walking away from that path of blessing, that spiritual blessing in Christ, it unsettles us. If it doesn’t unsettle us, we might have walked too far. What are we called to do? We are called to come back, look at our hearts, then look to the Lord.

The Lord Jesus Christ left glory. He lay aside His own happiness. He put that aside so that He could go to the cross for you. When He went to that cross for you and me, He went so that you and I would be fully blessed. He did it so that we could be one with the Lord. He did it so we could be one with each other. Sometimes, how pathetic I can be, and how pathetic you and I, as Christians, can be. We forget that God sent His Son in order to bless us. He wants us to keep staying close to Him, both day and night. He doesn’t want us to dabble and to go back. He doesn’t want us to get angry and troubled, to fall out and to overthink anything. He wants us to stay close to Him. When we stay close to Him we will find that peace, joy and contentment. One day, it will be complete and we will stand in the assembly of the righteous.