Tag: glory of God

September 8th 2024: Nathan Munday

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John 7:37-52. John 8:12

Do you remember the light? It is so dark already! Come with me to Jerusalem, to a festival of remembrance, a week of people gathering from near and far to celebrate the longest festival in the Jewish calendar – the Feast of Tabernacles (7:2). The people are remembering a time of movement, (the tents), a time of salvation, (when they were saved), and a time of reliance on God. The festival was a time of celebration of God’s provision for Israel in the wilderness, the old desert, the Sinai desert, which was instrumental in their history.

In the gospel of John, the writer has been weaving the wilderness narrative. In chapter 6 the 5,000 had been fed, bread is provided, just like the manna was provided in the wilderness. Jesus then declares, “I am the bread of life.”

In John chapter 7:37-39 the Feast of Tabernacles is underway and they remember how God provided water in the wilderness. They perform a ceremonial water drawing. Jesus steps in again and says, “I am the one that will give living water.”

In chapter 8, Christ Jesus steps into the dark and says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  (John 8:12).

Come now with me to the scene. It is dark. It’s the end of the festival. We are in the court of the women. In the temple lots of people gathering. Along the walls there are chests with coins, maybe they are glimmering in the light of the great candelabras. There are lots of burning light, four huge lamps in that space. Imagine Jerusalem being in darkness, but the light is beaming out from the temple during the festival. People are dancing through the night with torches, trying to re-enact the time when God had been a pillar of fire for them, guiding them through their desert days. When the festival is nearing the end, the lights are being extinguished. Darkness ensues. Another festival over. But it is then, after the dark, Jesus proclaims, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Remember this verse, in the dark, when you are dying, when the hopeless Red Sea of death is before you, when God is guiding us through the sea to the promised land.

John is shining a big spotlight on Jesus of Nazareth. Remember:
1. Who the Light is.
2. Why that Light was necessary.
3. What we are to do with that light.

  1. Let us remember who that light really is.

“I am.” Charged words! When we read these words we should remember the prophet Moses, who heard at the burning bush, ““I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14). There is no other God. He simply is, was and will be. Hundreds of years later, the Israelites saw this God in action – the one who opened the sea, the same Lord who led them personally to a better land, a better country, the Promised Land. He reminded them throughout, “The Lord is my light and my salvation.” (Psalm 27:1). He is the one who provides light in the darkness. This is the God who saves people from oppression, from dark situations. Is that you this morning? This is God who deals with guilt – past, present and future. This is a God who led the people of Egypt.

But John goes further back at the end of his gospel, which is written so that we may believe in Him, “This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.” (John 21:24).

John mirrors the creation in his writing, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5). The second person of the Trinity, who interrupted the darkness of the beginning of the book of Genesis, who is the same one who can interrupt your darkness here today. Jesus is the Light of the world. He is the light of everything. He is the true light, true light that lasts forever. John is saying that Jesus Christ is better than candles! He is what the candles are pointing to. Our life is like a flower that fades. Time is kicking. By nature, our life will run out. What happens then? Remember who He is – an answer to the darkness of life, to the end of life.

  • Remember why the light was necessary.

Before He came, there was death. He has power over death. He is the one man in history who stormed out of death. The bible tells us, our ancestors tell us, we fell. We need light. The world needs light. Pembrokeshire needs light. Habakkuk 3:3-4 talks of God’s splendour like sunrise. The prophet Malachi talks of the sun of righteousness, “But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.”  (Malachi 4:2). Malachi is talking about end times but also the experience of a Christian; when you are converted taken from one realm and put in another. You are no longer a creature of darkness, you are a creature of the day. If you are a Christian, you are already saved. You are being saved and will be saved at the end.

Reject Jesus and your doom is already written. When the Son comes back, are you a creature of night or walking in the day? By nature, we’re walking in the dark. But the good news of the gospel is that God interrupted that darkness. Salvation is of the Lord. God, in His mercy, calls you. Jesus of Nazareth interrupts. He strides into darkness and says, ‘I’m here.’

Paul calls us stars in the sky. Isn’t that lovely! The dust of earth, you and I, can come to know Him. He came to save. Remember why He came. It was for you, to led you out of darkness.

3. What are we to do?

When the people of Israel were slaves in Egypt, can you imagine them wanting to return there? But that’s what many people are doing. They have been told about the Light but reject Jesus. They will not follow Him or walk in that light. They do not want Jesus Christ to rule over them because they will have to change. Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  The first statement is stunning! He is the light of the world. The proof is in the whole story of Jesus Christ. There is an immediate consequence to Jesus’ words, “Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness.” What is He saying?

After the festival, turn to Chapter 9. He will give sight to the blind. Only God can do that. Chapter 11 – it gets better. Lazarus is raised from the darkness of death. Only God can do that. In chapter 13 we see He will wash the disciples’ feet. Then we hit the darkest point of the whole gospel in chapter 19. The very embodiment of light and life is arrested, beaten in my place, taken up a hill to the place of execution – the cruellest form of execution. He is stripped, nailed and lifted up on a Roman cross. Darkness. The sun disappears for three hours. This is a day of judgement. The Light takes our sin upon Himself. The Father turns His face away. Even the sun darkens as the Light of the World dies. He breathed His last that you might breathe forever. He is the great High Priest who goes into the holy place, but He is also the sacrifice.

Remember the one who was born into a dark world, who bore your darkness, who experienced my hell so I would never have to go there. But darkness could not hold Him. He was raised from the dark on Easter Sunday. “Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” What He has done for a Christian is guaranteed. A follower of Jesus lives.

Are you in the dark this morning? God Himself says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  (John 8:12).

I would rather look forward to a real land of light. We are heading to a new creation, when we will be face to face with Jesus. Will you know Him? Remember who Jesus is, why He came and to follow Him all the way. Are you following the Light today into the promised land? The lamb is the lamp. The glory of God gives light.

September 1st 2024: Phil Swann

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John 9

This wonderful, dramatic account reminds us that the gospel of Jesus Christ calls us to a new life. Here is a man born blind, who, as a result of Jesus’ intervention, can now see. He is repeatedly referred to as the man who was born blind. The point is made, he is no longer blind – there is a radical transformation.

As we read this passage, we see that all is not well for this man as a result of what Jesus has done in his life. We can see a problem, difficulties. The two themes of Christ’s blessing and the challenge of living in the light of that, is a major theme in this chapter.

At the heart of the Christian gospel is the invitation for you and me to say, ‘Jesus is Lord.’ Against the backdrop of the New Testament, of the Roman Empire, there was huge pressure for people to say that Caesar was lord, to acknowledge him as the name above all names. The Christian gospel calls us not to acknowledge men but to acknowledge Christ, who is both God and Man. The phrase, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ is the reminder that we have come to Him in faith. We no longer live our lives serving Caesar, we say, ‘Jesus is Lord’.

In John’s gospel we see a lot of hostility towards Jesus (John 7:1, 19, 25). Chapter 8 ends with an assassination attempt. In Chapter 7 we see an attempt to physically arrest Jesus. Twice we’re told He is under official surveillance. In John’s gospel there is growing hostility towards Jesus. There is also increasing opposition to His teaching (7:15). List of all, we are told in chapters 7 and chapters 8 people say He is demon-possessed, that He is not the Christ.

Why was there such hostility towards Jesus, the friend of sinners? The great reason is His clear claim to be the Messiah. The religious authorities reject this. There is a long war against Jesus. When Paul writes to the Corinthians, in chapter 1 he reminds people, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18). He goes on to say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” (1 Corinthians 1:19). The message of the gospel does that – it challenges, destroys the preconceptions that we have as human beings, about the world, life, ourselves, God. The gospel comes as an intrusion into that. Just as Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah is a massive intrusion into the established Jewish thinking of His day.

As we come to this chapter, we see Jesus responding to the need in this man’s life in a remarkable way. We see that this story is in four parts:

The healing by Jesus
The response of the neighbours
Interrogation by the Pharisees
The follow-up by our Lord and Saviour of this man.

It is a very moving account.

The healing by Jesus (v1-7)
 This man has only ever known blindness. The disciples, when they see him, ask a curious question, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (v.2). The assumption is he is blind because someone has sinned. But Jesus’ response tells them, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.” (v3.). Jesus then heals him. It is rather dramatic. The blind man is a new man. He is transformed, suddenly and wonderfully.

The reaction of the neighbours (v8-12).
 We see a very human response. They struggled to make sense of it. A conversation goes on. People ask, “How were your eyes opened?” (v.10). How is it that they saw him shuffling down the road that morning, blind, bow he sees?

Interrogation by the Pharisees.
This leads to the interrogation by the Pharisees. It’s unpleasant. The evidence appears compelling (v.15). But then we see the healing is denied. The Pharisees were divided amongst themselves. A consensus happens – they refused to accept Jesus of Nazareth had power to do these things. (v.16). They thought there must be another explanation (v18) and thought the man had not been blind and received his sight.

They then called for his parents. Maybe they had rejected him after birth (v.20). The parents do not rejoice that they a son has now received his sight; they just want to get away from the Pharisees. They were afraid of the religious authorities (v.22). The man is not only interrogated by the Pharisees and surrounded by the confusion of his neighbours, he is effectively rejected by his parents and finds himself in a very bleak situation.

When you pull these reactions together you see a pattern of what we often see from people when we seek to bring the news of Christ to them. When we seek to share the gospel, people may be confused. We may experience hostility from some. We may even experience rejection from some.

The fourth movement in this account is most wonderful and glorious. Jesus has been present at the beginning of the chapter. He heals the man then seems to disappear. It’s all about the man, his neighbours, the Pharisees and his parents. That’s the bulk of this chapter – until we read in verse 35 that the man had been thrown out of the synagogue. Being thrown out of the synagogue was a really serious thing, effectively becoming an outcast in the whole community. You are regarded as being unrighteous, a pariah. People would not have wanted to have had anything to do with you at all. You were little better than a leper. This man could see, but now he is incredibly lonely and facing the full rejection of the whole community.

Against that backdrop we read, “Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” (John 9:35). The phrase, ‘The Son of Man’ is an important one. It’s a phrase that has it roots in the Old Testament, particularly in the book of Daniel. One of the visions that Daniel sees is of Christ, the second person of the Godhead, in all His glory and He is referred to as looking like a son of man. When Jesus uses that phrase, He is using it in a theological way to speak of Himself as being the Messiah.

“Do you believe in the Son of Man?” What could make all the rejection that this man had gone through, worth it? The man expresses his ignorance (v.36). Jesus draws attention to Himself (v.37). The man came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ (v.38).

What difference should this passage make to you and me? We see the centrality of Jesus. He is central to the blind man, to the neighbours, to the Pharisees, to us. When God is at work, Christ is always central. The Son was sent to do the will of the Father. In all the works of God that go on in the world, Jesus Christ is always at the centre. It is He who answers the disciples’ question about blindness. It is He who calls Himself the Light of the World (v.4). It reminds us that as long as it is day, we must do the work of Him who was sent. Jesus Christ is the centre of the purposes of God, who sent Him into the world with the fullness of the Spirit. It is Jesus who is the centre of everything.

In the church, in all that we do and in all that we seek to do, particularly in our relationship with the unbelieving world around us, we need to make sure that Jesus Christ is the centre of everything. Not just the centre in our praying and in the acknowledgement of the need of God’s blessing upon what we do, but to be the centre of all that we do. When we have opportunities to speak to people about our faith, we need to make sure they hear of Jesus Christ – why He came and what He’s done. We need to point people to Jesus Christ, the one who transforms life.

As well as the centrality of Jesus, we see the power of Jesus. If we would see life and growth in the church, if we would see change and impact into the communities around us, it will be because the focus is on Jesus – for that is where the power is. The power is the power of the Holy Spirit whose great passion is to glorify the Son

The healing of the blind man is utterly supernatural. This reminds us of the radical nature of Biblical Christianity. Paul says the Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but power. “For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.” (1 Corinthians 4:20). That power is seen in bringing people out of the wisdom of this world to faith in Jesus Christ.

The message we have is proclaim Jesus Christ, who has been raised from the dead. It is ultimately a message of power. Coming to an awareness of the reality of sin is not natural. We need the power of God to do that. What can convince neighbours, friends, you, that you’re a Sinner? The power of God. The church is confident is always in the Holy Spirit. How can we imagine the community of Roch being saved? Humanly speaking, it can’t. But the church rests on the power of God, the power of the Holy Spirit, the power of the gospel. This is why we need a big vision. We must never be comfortable with the way things are.

We see power most clearly in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Christian’s life, having come to see and know Christ, is to be lived for the glory of God. “Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.” (v.3). To many, this statement is offensive to modern thinking. Why? Jesus is saying, ‘This man was born blind that one day the glory of god might be seen in his life.’ This is seen through his healing. It is being seen now as we recount these words 2,000 years later.

Our lives are to be lived for the glory of God. What is the glory of God? The glory of God is God being God – God doing what only God can do. God acting in ways that only He can act. This is to be seen in your life and in my life as Christians. This is why we are called to live now according to the word of God. We are to live lives which show the fruit of the Spirit. We are to live sacrificially, loving our enemies. We live following Jesus Christ, being more and more like Jesus Christ.

This passage ends on a most wonderful moment. The man who was being rejected by his parents, the religious leaders and confused neighbours, ends with the compassion of Christ. With almost total rejection, Jesus finds him and, in His hum humanity, Jesus didn’t know where he was. He looked for him and went to him in love and compassion. The question, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ Jesus is asking, ‘Was it all worth it?’

The answer is ultimately new life in Jesus Christ. He saw. His understanding was opened. Jesus tells him He is the Son of Man, the Messiah, Christ, and to worship Him, trust Him and come to Him.

Whatever might be the consequences for us living for Christ in this world, of acknowledging His centrality, His uniqueness, wherever His power may take us, He is always compassionate towards His people.

August 6th 2023: 201st Anniversary Service (p.m.) Gaius Douglas

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John 17:20-26 Unified by God’s Glory

This morning, we looked at the unity that exists through prayer, in the preaching of God’s Word, and in fellowship. Pray underpins all we do for our Saviour. You cannot function without prayer. People may not speak loudly in prayer meetings, but may be great prayer warriors. This scripture in John chapter 17 tells us that Jesus prayed for you and for me. One of the results of this prayer is that we may be unified, “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one.” (John 17:22). Christ stresses the importance of oneness.

I see sadness when I see division – sometimes because of little things, sometimes because of big things. Division may occur when someone says, ‘This is my work, you’ve taken over my work.’ This is God’s work. The gospel is God’s work.  Paul would preach and teach that the gospel is the power and unto salvation. Jesus prays we may be one with Him and His father. It is His work, for His glory and His praise. When Jonah was vomited out of the belly of the whale, he declared, “Salvation is of the Lord.” When we read the Bible, serve the Lord with the children, whatever we do, it’s God’s work. We join in the work, wherever that work is, and we can partner the work through prayer.

Lord Jesus Christ says, ‘The glory you have given me, I have given them.’ The Lord Jesus Christ speaks of the present, but also the future. The future is the result of the present. We can enjoy God’s glory, being in His presence and being like Him now. Jesus is now looking forward to the glory that awaits him, “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” (John 17:5). He came here, laid aside His glory, and now He was looking forward to being back at the right hand of the Majesty, looking forward to the glory that was His.

He looks forward to bringing us into His glory. ““And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one.” (John 17:22). What an honour! He has already imparted that glory to us, “As You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.” (John 17:2). That thrills my soul! The greatness is He longs for us to be there much more than we long to be with Him. His love is so deep, His love is so strong, His love is so protective that He will never let us go, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6). This is the assurance He gives to you and me. He has already completed it. It is ours to enjoy. The glory which His disciples experienced when He was with them, grew with them.

We see something of this amazing glory when we look in the first few chapters of the book of Acts, which speaks of the early church. We have gone so far away from that experience. We can do so many things that they could not do, but we have gone so far away, “Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.” (Acts 4:32).

I don’t know how you look upon another believer, but every believer who has repented of their sins to God and confessed the Lord Jesus Christ as their saviour, is one with every believer in Christ, wherever that believer is. The Lord Jesus Christ prays that they may be one with them, and for us to be one with each other, bringing unity. This unity comes from being unified with Christ. During those 40 days Jesus lived on this earth after He rose from the dead, he told His disciples they would be scattered. They didn’t believe him. Jesus was seen by at least 500, who were expecting the Lord Jesus Christ to be proclaimed king. In those 40 days, I believe Jesus used this time to draw the disciples back to Himself and He did this by showing them His glory.

In John 20 Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene. When Mary spoke to the risen Lord Jesus He said, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’” (John 20:17). She saw the glory of God, the risen Lord. On the first day of the week, after the crucifixion, the Lord Jesus appeared through shut doors and the Lord appeared and stood in the midst of the disciples. They had never seen that before; they had seen the healing of men and women, miracles such as the water turned into wine, the multiplication of the bread and the fish, but here the doors were shut and Jesus appeared. 8 days later, the doors were shut again, and He appeared again. He told Thomas, who was not there previously, to put his fingers into His scars.

In John 21, several of His disciples with fishing. They did not catch anything. One of them recognised the Lord. What was He doing? Jesus was cooking breakfast. He had bread and He had fish. John writes, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”(John 1:14). Peter writes, “We were eyewitnesses of His majesty.” (2 Peter 1:16). This is often referred to as the transfiguration, but was it also part of the glory of God that they had seen?

The glory empowered the disciples. It’s energised and unified them. They had seen something different in those 40 days which brought them together. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8). When they saw Jesus go back into heaven, they were empowered.

At Pentecost we see Peter preaching. In chapters 2 to 4 they were unified as one because they had seen something of the glory of God, something they had never seen before. This motivated them, so they continued daily with one accord. They ate their food with gladness and simplicity. They were united, fellowshipping together. They were being renewed with power. Peter and John went to pray. The glory of God brought them together. When they were forbidden to speak and were arrested, they were brought to the high priest. They were released but then preached again! They defied the high priest. This word is powerful.

There is something missing today in my life and maybe yours – the glory of God and the appreciation of it. When Moses asked, ‘Show me your glory,’ oh, that we would ask that. Do we stop praying because the Lord has prayed for us? No! We reach the word and pray, ‘Lord, open my eyes, show me your ways, teach me your path to lead me into your truth.’ The glory of God which empowered and energised the early church is needed today. We need to focus on him. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Do we enter into the presence of God? Do we have a desire to seek him, to see all the things he would display? Is it a reality that way two or three are gathered, He is in the midst?

If that is a reality, how should we act? “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6). If the Lord Jesus Christ is my saviour and I value the work of Calvary, then surely I would want to keep looking into His face. We can’t do the work if we haven’t seen His glory. When we have lost sight of His glory, we are a disunited bunch. We should long to see more of the Saviour’s glory. This is something we should pray for and long for.

When we studied the book of Job we spoke about the inconsistency of grief in Job’s life. He was more down in the dumps than he was up. But there were times in Job’s life when God would so encourage him. One example is Job 19:25, where Job would rise up above his boils, rise above the dust, the worms that were crawling out of his wounds and sores, and says   “For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth.”

This is such an encouragement. Job would rise above. Even in his suffering God would bless him and open his eyes to see something of His glory. Job says,

“Whom I shall see for myself,
And my eyes shall behold, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!
(Job 19:27)

‘My heart years within me!’ Is your heart yearning to be with my Saviour, as He longs for us to be with him? Do we appreciate him and long for him? Is he your desire? “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” (John 17:24). We see this deep, deep love Jesus has for us. We see the depth of love when He went to Calvary’s cross and died for us, as He prays for us and longs for us to be with Him. The apostle Paul writes may this be our desire, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” (Philippians 3:12).

Peter writes, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.” (1 Peter 1:3-4).

July 30th 2023: Geraint Morse

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Exodus 33: 7-23

This is an account of an incredible conversation between the man of God, Moses, and his God. I am struck by this man’s boldness; he came into God’s presence with bold confidence and the assurance that he will be heard. As he comes before God Himself, he makes several requests, in ascending order. They raise the level, one after another.

Moses’ first request is found in verses 12 to 13, “Teach me your ways.” That is what Moses desires. He wants to find favour with God, as a leader. Then, Moses puts in this request, “Remember this nation is your people,” (verse 13). Is that our request this morning, that above all other things, we want to know God’s ways better? Do we want to be a better teacher, a better child, a better believer? We belong to the people of God. We are the people of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, that we may be taught in His ways.

The second request that Moses has is to do with leadership, being led. Moses says there is no point going one step forward unless God is with us. Have you got plans? Are you considering a change of location, a change of occupation, or a change of direction – individually, as a group of people, or as a fellowship of God’s people? May this be a cry from the heart. Unless the Lord is leading you in a situation, there is no point going forward. May you know His way ahead at Penuel.

I get a sense of increased intensity in Moses’ requests. His third request is, “Lord show me your glory.” Was there ever such a request made by any man in the Old Testament? What did Moses expect to see, to happen, to experience? I imagine it was to see and to feel something of the majesty, the glory, the honour, and the holiness of God himself and Moses standing before him.

God answered him, ‘It’s not quite that easy Moses; no man can see my face and live.’ Such is His Holiness. God continued, ‘But I tell you, there’s a rock over there Moses, you’ll hide in that rock and I will pass by. As I pass by, I will shelter you. My hand will protect you from the glory you’ve asked to see. As I pass by, you will see a partial glimpse of my glory.’

If you walk along the Pembrokeshire coast, you will see curves in rocks caused by deep movements within the earth, twisted and lifted up. Faults arise. As winds and rain beat into the rocks, clefts are caused. Sometimes, you will see a split in a rock. Sometimes, you will see just a stack left above. Think of the power that has formed this geological formation. It was in such a cleft that Moses hid. He hid in a cleft in a rock, in a split in the rock. Moses hid, sheltered, and the glory of God passed by. God removed his hand and Moses saw just a glimpse – no more. God gave him as much as he possibly could have. Moses saw something of the glory of God. Is that your desire?

John speaks about the glory of God in Jesus Christ, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14). This story from Exodus 33 is a picture of what God has done for us in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is through Him the glory of God is revealed to us. John, who was with Jesus on the mount of Transfiguration, saw for a moment something of the glory of God as Jesus was transformed in front of his eyes. He saw the glory of God in the face of Jesus. That’s where we see it.

We have all sinned, we have all broken God’s laws, we’re all guilty. We deserve punishment. But the wonder of the gospel is God sent His Son to be an atonement for our sin, so that we might be forgiven. This is the work of Calvary. Through trusting in the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ you can come before God and confess your sins, believing Jesus died for you as you ask for forgiveness, and ask for a new life in him. Jesus is our cleft in the rock. It is hiding in Jesus that we are safe and see the glory of God. Have you believed in His teaching, in His leadership and in His revelation?

We praise God as we believe in Him and as He leads us. As you walk along the coastal path, when you see a rock with a cut in it, just remember the Lord Jesus Christ, broken for us, His blood shed for you and me, that we may have peace with the Father.

September 4th 2022: Mike Viccary

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To watch this service, click on the link to our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/2MXwJSXuij8

Jeremiah 17: 12-14

Jeremiah was a prophet who had the dubious privilege of prophesying when Israel was about to go into captivity. Here we have the chapter opening with a very clear state of the nation. In verses 5-8 a great contrast is shown between those who trust mankind and those who trust God. There are only two religions: trusting in man – humanism, man-made ideas, or trusting in God. The contrast between the two kinds of people is followed by a statement about man. Then we come to a glorious statement of the Lord and His rule, in verses 12-13, and what will happen to these two types of people. This is followed in verses 14-18 by Jeremiah’s prayer. The passage ends on keeping and breaking the Sabbath day. This is to remind us that the law still stands. Christ has kept the law for us.

In verses 12-14 we see:            The glory of God
                                                 Those who forsake the Lord
                                                 A plea for healing and salvation

  1. The Glory of God.

In chapter 9 we read, ‘Thus says the Lord:

“Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
Let not the mighty man glory in his might,
Nor let the rich man glory in his riches.”’

This is a picture of the glory of the Lord. There are three points to note here in Jeremiah 17:12-14:

a). The glorious high throne from the beginning.

“A glorious high throne from the beginning
Is the place of our sanctuary.”
Jeremiah 17:12

This is a remarkable description. God rules not in Jerusalem, Moscow or Parliament, He rules from heaven. God’s rules has always been. From the beginning there has been this glorious high throne which is the place of our sanctuary (Revelation 4/5, a picture of the throne room in heaven). The Lord Himself is our sanctuary. At this time, Jerusalem was going to be over-run by Nebuchadnezzer and the temple was going to be destroyed. Jeremiah’s contemporary, Ezekiel, prophesied at the time when they had been over-run. Whilst Ezekiel is prophesying, the Lord says to him, “Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Although I have cast them far off among the Gentiles, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet I shall be a little sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.” (Ezekiel 11:16). Remember, the Lord Jesus told the woman of Samaria that it was no longer in a location, Jerusalem or Samaria, that people would worship; it was in spirit and truth.

 The glorious high throne, where Christ has ascended – He who took our sins and paid for them in full – because we are in Him by faith, we are seated with Him in heaven. Remarkable! This book is written in Hebrew, and we miss the beauty of the Hebrew language; it is a very melodic, alliterative language. This is something to get excited about. A glorious high throne, from the beginning, is the place of our sanctuary. Where do you live? I live with Christ, in heaven. The sanctuary is the holy place. If you’re in Christ, you’ve dealt with the issue of sin.

This throne is spoken of, particularly in the Psalms: 11:4, 104:19, 47:8, 93:2, 97:2, 89. God is sovereign. Whilst we rejoice that we dwell with God, judgement will come (Psalm 9:7). Given that we are with Him, this is emphasised in Hebrews 12:22-24, we are in that throne room by the Spirit. We too have the authority that’s vested in God. We have power over the devil (James) but can’t do it on our own, we need Him every moment. You have the power over the sin in your life. Go to the Father and you will have power. Why? Christ has paid for our sin. We also have the power of preaching, teaching and sharing the gospel.

b). The law of the hope of Israel.

“O Lord, the hope of Israel,
All who forsake You shall be ashamed.”
Jeremiah 17:13a

The law of the hope of Israel (also in Jeremiah 14:8). The law is our hope. We are concerned with knowing Christ. ‘Taste and see that the Lord is good.’ He is our hope. It’s a sure hope (Hebrews 10:19). Peter describes it as a living hope which comes from new birth. This hope is knowing Christ in His fulness. One day I will see Him! Paul talks about the ‘hope of the call.’

We’re given this hope as a gift. What shall we do with it?
 
– Be ready to give a defence. How are you going to show or tell other people? I’d like to encourage all of you to come along to Bible Study.
– Having this hope leads us to further purification. ‘Be holy for I am holy.’
– Hope also comes with patience (1 Thessalonians 1:3). Because we know Christ, we know He is going to do all things just at the right time.

c). The fountain of living waters (see also Jeremiah 2).

“Those who depart from Me
Shall be written in the earth,
Because they have forsaken the Lord,
The fountain of living waters.”
Jeremiah 17:13b

Astonishing! Every time we take our eyes off Christ, we stumble. The nation of Israel had gone far, far away from God. This fountain of living waters speaks of pure satisfaction. It is the Lord God Himself. The fountain continually supplies the water. Running water is living water, which is fresh. Christ, our Triune God, supplies life. He made us, we did not make ourselves. Living waters are the very source of life.

These are three remarkable pictures of our Lord.

  • Two things for those who forsake the Lord.

“O Lord, the hope of Israel,
All who forsake You shall be ashamed.

“Those who depart from Me
Shall be written in the earth,
Because they have forsaken the Lord,
The fountain of living waters.”
Jeremiah 17:13

  1. They will be shamed. Sadly, Jeremiah had to report that they sinned with no shame (chapters 6/8). Sadly, that’s the day in which we live. Adam and Eve had shame when they sinned. We only declare sinfulness, for example, pride celebrations. Even though that is the case, there will come a day when it will be shamed. The truth will win. Eventually, they will fail. When the light of Christ will shine on the world, it will show the world’s ugliness.
  2. “Those who depart from Me shall be written in the earth.” This is in contrast to those whose names have been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. There is condemnation for those who forsake the Lord (Revelation 20:15). ‘Your name will be written in the earth’ means you’re earthbound. The Lord offers gospel calls for people. If they continually reject Him, the Lord will harden their hearts. They will be eternally condemned to destruction.
  • The start of Jeremiah’s prayer: a plea for healing and salvation.

“Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed;
Save me, and I shall be saved,
For You are my praise.”
Jeremiah 17:14


Here is the grace of God. What a confidence to say that. But remember the phrase at the end, “For you are my praise.” Is Christ / God the thing that you want most? It’s worth pausing and thinking about. People who put Christ first, ‘Behold His glory.’ (John). Paul writes, ‘God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 6:14). See also Colossians 2:3 and Song of Songs 5:10.


What is your praise? If you have the confidence to say Christ is everything, then you can say, “Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved.” To heal is to mend or to stitch together. We can pray for healing, but it’s not just the healing of the body, it’s also healing of the mind. Jeremiah was the weeping prophet. He says, ‘Heal me Lord and I shall be healed.’

The work of Christ on the cross was completed and finished. Nothing needs to be supplement that. He paid the price for sin. If you trust Him, all of your sins have been cast out. The Bible speaks of new birth and being regenerated. When you accept Christ, you will be born again. At that moment when you say yes, that’s the moment when you accept Him and receive Him, you will be born again in the Spirit. Then, you need your life to be set on this course.

Along with new life comes hope and patience (2 Peter 1). Eventually, one day you will see Him in heaven. Salvation has this three-fold aspect:

Christ saved us 2,000 years ago. Fully.

You were saved at that moment when you came to the point in your heart of accepting Him.

You will be saved when He comes again or you are taken into glory.

Hebrews 10:14 is a depiction of what happens in salvation, “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” God has done it! You can say, ‘Save me and I will be saved.’ I encourage you to keep on and trust Him.

May 30th 2022: Ian Middlemist

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Ephesians 2:11-22

The purpose of the Church.

You can look at taller buildings using an electric drone. Gou can see on screen what the drone is looking at, see how it is looking up there. How is the church looking from up there today? How is it looking from God’s perspective? How is our heavenly Father looking at us today? What do you think of when you think of the church? You can go on a computer and zoom in on Google Earth, zoom into London, into Canary Wharf, into the Bishops Gate area and see enormous, magnificent office blocks made out of glass. Bishops Gate was largely obliterated in the Blitz. There’s a large church – St. Helens. When you see it from the office blocks it looks tiny. Some of those office workers, on their breaks, high up, can look at the little church down there and wonder why it’s there. Worshippers can look up today and ask how they fit in. I encourage you today to raise your vision to God’s perspective. Hi is the one who has created the church for His own glory.

The church is a heavenly assembly.
The church is an earthly assembly.
The church is for the glory of God.

The church is a heavenly assembly.
The New Testament translation of church is ‘ecclesia.’ It actually means an assembly. We’re assembling today. Assemblies in schools haven’t happened for the past two years because of Covid. Schools can now come together, one school, one message. The New Testament has two kinds of assemblies, one is in heaven and one is on earth.

The universal church gathers in heaven, the local church gathers on earth. The Church is fundamentally a gathering. This must be first in our thinking. The local Church is equally important, but the invisible, universal church must come first.

When you become a Christian you become part of the universal church. You didn’t join the church. Scripture invites us to see things from His perspective. Jesus Christ has joined not just individuals to Himself, but a people, all invited to Him. When Adam and Eve sinned, the immediate effect was division occurred. Their relationship and communion with God was broken. They became afraid of Him, uncomfortable before Him. They hid, hoping to disappear from the face of the planet. The relationship suffered. God seeks out that unity between human beings. Because of this rebellion there was no harmony. But God came through His Son, to have a people He will cleanse and purify. Today, He is calling a people out of this world, out of dominion of Satan and death, to be His people in oneness.

He has raised us up with Him, “raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,” (Ephesians 2:6). Upon saving us, He has given us a place in God’s heavenly throne room.

“12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. (Ephesians 2:12-16).

What are the two groups? The Jewish and the Gentile groups. God is uniting these two groups through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. United together, one in the glory of heaven. If you’re sitting with Christ in heavenly places, you are also seated with the heavenly assembly.

The earthly assembly.
This is the local church. God’s purpose is that His heavenly church, one in the Spirit of God, show up on earth through the existence of local churches. God has declared us righteous in heaven, seated with the saints. It’s real, in the here and now. He has declared us righteous for the here and now. Earth, this globe, this time – May 2022, matters to God. We are not merely to be thinkers of how we live out our lives, we’re doers and need to get on with it. Our God acts in this world. Look at Jesus Christ Himself – how God demonstrated His love, not merely by making declarations of His love. But Jesus became a man, entered into this world, came in flesh.

As soon as a Christian becomes a member of the heavenly assembly, they want to become part of the earthly assembly. They want to become part of the local church. They want to be with other Christians, wanting to be in a local church. We put on the heavenly, we get involved. We’re putting on the new self, working it out with other Christians. The glory that is done to the Lord will be revealed to the world through His church. Membership in the universal church must become visible in the local church. Committed Christians, committed to one another. The ideas of a Christian who doesn’t want to become part of the church is impossible.

The purpose of the Church.
Some will emphasise that the church is heavenly; what matters is we’re walking with Jesus, trying to do our best. Others will say that the church needs to be active. The Protestant Reformation say it was possible for someone to be part of the visible, local church without being part of the church of Jesus Christ. These days, we seem to emphasise the local church.

We’re united with all churches, one with other churches. The church is universal. The Almighty God has created the church. He has brought it into existence. What is the purpose of the church? We’re here today for the glory of God. So easily we can be caught up with the concerns of the day – evangelism, bank accounts, so much so we forget we’re here for the glory of God. We’re here today to glorify Him and Him only.

The church is not ultimately for seekers. It doesn’t exist for those enquiring about the gospel. Jesus did pay attention to the needs of crowds and unbelievers. He teaches them (John 6). There’s a danger we become more and more like the world if we exist to be attractive to the world.

The church doesn’t exist to be more attractive for the disciple either. It doesn’t exist for the Christians. The church doesn’t exist for you. We’re not to go around taking surveys for our needs. We’re not to ignore people’s needs but our goal and purpose is for the glory of God.

Our God has come down to us and reached us, lifted us up to the heavenly places. All of our needs are found in Him. We’re here for Him. The church exists in the people of God. Lour primary occupation is the glory of God.

What a wonderful thing it is to be part of the church. It’s our joy to discover that. It’s wonderful to be built on the sure foundation of Jesus Christ. We have a church that is firm and secure. None can destroy His church. Praise His Name.