Tag: scripture

April 20th 2025: Easter Sunday – Gaius Douglas

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1 Corinthians 15: 1-4.

The gospel in a nutshell: “Christ died for our sins” must be the declaration of every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Anyone who does not believe this and the facts recorded in our text cannot be called a ‘Christian.’

[1] He died.
At the cross there were four people standing there. These were: Jesus’ mother Mary, Mary’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene (John 19:25). As they stood there and watched what was going on, Mary the mother of Jesus might have cast her mind back to what Simeon said in the temple when Jesus was presented at eight days old for circumcision: “a sword will pierce through your own soul” (Luke 2:35). Imagine her feelings at this time. Later on the risen Christ would join two disciples on the road home to Emmaus as recorded in Luke 24. One of these was named “Cleopas” and this was probably the husband of the Mary who is referred to as “the wife of Clopas” in John 19:25.

So we have these two disciples trudging the seven miles home from Jerusalem. They were discussing all that had happened and were trying to ‘work it all out,’ with their reason. At this point the risen Christ (unbeknown to them) came alongside them. In the course of their conversation with the Lord He “expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:27). Then after He went to their house for a meal and He revealed Himself in the breaking of bread, we read that “their eyes were opened and they knew Him” (Luke 24:30,31). Jesus then vanished from sight but even though they had travelled the seven miles home, nevertheless we read that “they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem” (Luke 24:33).

It seems clear that being with the risen Christ empowered them to rise up and head straight back to Jerusalem! They had an energy from having their eyes opened and have recognised that Jesus was risen. Christ died for sins. They felt forlorn at His death but now they are excited with strength renewed like the eagles. Paul was led by the Spirit of God to write these words in 1Corinthians 15:1-4. Christ is central to Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. He is the author and finisher of our faith, the altogether lovely one, the alpha and omega, the resurrection and the life. Is He your Saviour? Is He your beloved One?

Christ died for our sins. He willingly sacrificed Himself. He laid down His life for us. No one took the Lord’s life from Him, for He laid it down of His own will (John 10:18). The Lord Jesus came to do the Father’s will. He came not to do His own will but the will of the Father. He willingly went to Calvary and He willingly paid for sins. John 3:16 teaches us that the Father sent the Son so that whosoever believes will never perish.

Christ was buried. He had literally died and He was placed in a tomb as a corpse. All our sins were taken by Him and paid for, and so our sins have been buried too. But death had no power of the Lord Jesus! So on the third day He rose again having fully satisfied all that the Father gave Him to do. In Romans 6:23 we learn that the wages of sin is death and that the free gift of God is eternal life. The Lord Jesus bore our guilt and the penalty of our sins. He paid the debt He did not owe, and He bore my sins on the tree. Now, since He paid in full, sin and death no longer has any grip over Him. So He lives! I am alive eternally because of Him (if I believe truly). The Lord Jesus shared our likeness for the purpose of destroying him who had the power of death (the devil) (Hebrews 2:14). The devil is the enemy of souls. He hates us. He was determined to bring us down to hell. But the Lord Jesus paid the penalty for sins and in the process destroyed the one who had power over death. Death is therefore no more to be feared. The Lord defeated sin, He conquered the devil, and He has overcome the world.

Paul writes a bit later in 1 Corinthians 15 that if Christ is not risen, then faith is of no account and we are still in our sins. But the facts of the matter are clear. Christ did die for sins. He was buried. He did rise. So our faith is true. We believe in Christ for salvation. We believe His death was sufficient to pay for sins. We believe that He was raised from the dead for our justification. These are sure and certain truths. Christ ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father, and one day He will return to receive His people into glory.

[2] The vital importance of Scripture.
The Spirit of God stresses here the importance of Scripture. We are told that Christ died for our sins “according to the Scriptures” (1Crinthians 15:3). And we are also told that His burial and resurrection on the third day was “according to the Scriptures” (1Corinthians 15:4). The Scriptures are vital. What Scriptures is Paul speaking of here? It was the Old Testament for much of the New Testament was still to be written. Psalm 22 which records much prophecy of Christ’s work on Calvary was written about a thousand years before His death. In Psalm 16:10 we read a prophecy of Christ’s resurrection. Seven hundred years before the first advent of Christ Isaiah records another detailed prophecy of the Lord’s work on Calvary in Isaiah 53.

We cannot do anything except through Scripture. We must do all “according to the Scriptures.” The word of God is truth. The Scriptures tell us all about Christ. The Scriptures are the very word of God to us. Peter’s first sermon makes use of important Scriptures. Paul quotes the Scriptures in his letters. When Jesus met the two disciples on the road to Emmaus He pointed to the Scriptures. It is not ideology, nor opinion, nor what man has made up. The Scriptures are that which we have “received.” They are not man-made but detail the very words of God.

[3] The importance of the resurrection.
Why is the resurrection so central? Well we have noted already that if Christ is not risen then faith is of no value and we are still in our sins. Without the resurrection we have no good news, no gospel. Christ Jesus is alive! But all other gods, and all other ‘pretenders to truth’ are dead. But what of all those who have died? If Christ is not risen then these have died in vain. If we have a hope only in this life we are of all people to be pitied.

The night before He died, the Lord Jesus told His disciples not to be afraid. He said they were not to be troubled for the Father’s house has many mansions or rooms (John 14:3). He then said that he was going to prepare a place for His disciples and that he would return or come again so that His disciples could be with Him. Because He paid for sins in full, and because He is faithful, the resurrection guarantees the fulfilment of His promises. What about all those who have ‘fallen asleep’? I once knew a pastor who purchased an area in a cemetery for all his congregation so that when the Lord returned they could rise all together!

In 1 Corinthians 15:42 we read that the “body is sown in corruption” and that “it is raised in incorruption.” The Lord said the night before He died: “because I live, you will live also” (John 14:19). In 1Thessalonians 4:13-18 we learn that the dead in Christ will rise first when the Lord returns and that living believers will be caught up in the air to be with the Lord forever. The resurrection proves who Christ is and that he has power to save. The resurrection is a guarantee that the bodies of believers will be raised anew. We will have new resurrected bodies when Christ returns. Christ described Himself as “the resurrection and the life” to Martha Lazarus’ sister (John 11:25). Was He late in coming to Lazarus? Never! He is the resurrection and He is the life.

March 23rd 2025: Graham John

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Acts 9:10-29.

            The ministry of encouragement is one of the most important ministries in the Christian Church. Everyone finds themselves at one time or another in need of encouragement. It is not just pastors, preachers, or Church officers who can exercise this work, for all Christians ought to be encouragers. Some may have a natural ability of enthusing others. For many this is not part of their natural makeup, but every Christian can develop this gift of encouragement. Perhaps you can look back over your Christian experience and point to others who have encouraged you along the way?

            God is described as “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort” by Paul (2Corinthians 1:3). The Holy Spirit is the One who ministers encouragement for He is described as the “Comforter” (John 14:216,26; 15:26; 16:7 – KJV), and He exercises this ministry of comfort or encouragement to believers (Acts 9:31). The gospel or good news is, of course, a comfort to needy sinners, If we want to be like the Lord then we ought to be encouragers. If we want to be godly people and Christlike, then it is imperative that we engage in a life of encouraging others, especially when there are great difficulties to be faced.

            We shall look at this ministry of encouragement under three headings.

[1] God’s high value on those whom He has redeemed.

            The Lord highly values His own people and their welfare. This is evident throughout Scripture, but perhaps supremely in the coming of Christ Jesus to save sinners. If God so values those whom He has saved, we too ought to set the same high value on believers.

            By nature the sinful man is proud, boastful, arrogant, idolatrous, selfish, greedy and so on, but with all of these characteristics we discover that God still sent His Son to die for us (Romans 5:8). In Romans 14 the apostle Paul speaks of how we ought to treat those who are “weak in the faith” (Romans 14:1). Towards the end of the chapter Paul wrote:

Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. (Romans 14:15).

If Christ gave up His life for the Church, even when each individual was still a sinner, we ought to hold our brethren “for whom Christ died” in high esteem. The basis for our ministry of encouragement, then, is the high value God placed on believers in sending His Son to die in their place.

            Let us seek to reproduce the love of God towards the brethren, not as a duty but on account of the love we have for God who first loved us. Are we willing to overlook past offences and forgive one another as Christ forgave us? Christ never asked: ‘are these for whom I am dying worthy of me’? Is Christ’s love for me transforming me to be a useful, loving, and kind believer? God has highly valued His people.

[2] The importance of Scripture in the ministry of encouragement.

            Paul wrote these words to the Romans:

For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. (Romans 15:4).

Of course Paul was referring to the Old Testament here but we are justified in applying them to the New Testament too. The Scriptures are given to us as a gift, but it does require us to put some effort into grasping them. Amongst many other themes and subjects, the Scriptures give as lessons about:

  • Christ, His person and work.
  • The unspeakable love of God.
  • The Kingdom of God and how we enter this and live within it.
  • The life of a disciple of Christ Jesus.

These eternal truths are the same for all ages and all cultures the world over. There are two points we need to make here concerning the importance of the Bible.

[a] The entire Bible is important.

            The text we quoted from Romans 15 tells us that “whatever things were written,” and this leads us to the idea that all of Scripture is important for us. There are ‘less well know’ parts of Scripture that are often neglected. But all of the Bible is the inspired word, and every word that comes from God’s mouth is needed. In some of these ‘less well know’ parts are to be found great gems and pearls. A study of the temple and the tabernacle in its imagery is well worth making even if it takes time, for these speak supremely of Christ and His work. The history of Israel and her failures are worth the effort of study too, for in these we see our failure and rejoice in the One true Israelite who succeeded in keeping the Old Covenant on our behalf, (i.e. Christ Jesus). Some parts of the Bible are less clear than others. Undoubtedly some parts may be ‘weightier’ than others. The Lord Jesus reprimanded the Pharisees because in the zeal for detail, they had “neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith” (Matthew 23:23). Whilst some parts need more time to study and digest, we dare not neglect these!

            I remember a communist man who was converted in his 90s. He was in a care home and often had visitors, but he was in the habit of asking them to leave him because they were taking up his valuable time in reading and studying Scripture! He was desperate to ensure he missed nothing and wanted to go through the whole Bible before he ran out of time! I also remember a Buddhist who was converted and began to read the Bible from Genesis, but we convinced Him to start at John’s gospel so he could discover the love of God in Christ first. These examples teach us that we need to be wise in our approach to Scripture, but we do need to consider it in its entirety. We need to change our attitude from ‘duty,’ to ‘delight’ for the Scriptures are God’s very word to us. Do we love Him? Then why would we not want to read all that He has said and written down?

[b] There is a practical purpose.

            We ought to have some pattern and policy to our reading and study. Make a plan to read and study all of Scripture. We need to be able to receive encouragement from others and we need to grow in dispensing encouragement too. The Scriptures will show us how. For example there are many places where we are taught to look beyond the current difficulties we face towards the glory to be revealed. We are exhorted by Paul to “comfort one another” with the words concerning Christ’s return (1Thessalonians 4:18).

[3] Barnabas – the ‘son of encouragement.’

            In Acts chapter 4 we come across a man named “Joseph” (he is called “Joses” in the NKJV but is the same name), who was a native of Cyprus and a Levite. This man sold some land he owned and gave the proceeds to the apostles so that those in need could be looked after (Acts 4:36,37). He was “named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement)” (Acts 4:36). It is perhaps speculation, but it would seem that Barnabas’ action was not something done out of duty or simply through necessity, but was rather done from a heart full of love towards God. Barnabas gave freely not because he had to, but because of his love for the Lord. And this action motivated the apostles to give the name “Son of Encouragement.” Everything Barnabas owned was the Lord’s. Perhaps his Levitical upbringing helped here?

            Now the ministry of encouragement is much more than the passing on of words. It includes sharing our wealth, our time, our homes, and even our very lives. We next find reference to Barnabas in Acts 9 which we read earlier. He was the one who introduced Paul to the apostles in Jerusalem. Everyone else was suspicious of him because of his former reputation as a persecutor. The disciples at Jerusalem were afraid to welcome him because they thought he was going to revert to his persecuting ways. Many were not convinced of his genuineness. But Barnabas took him to the apostles and explained to them all about his conversion and the fact that he was now preaching Christ as the Son of God (Acts 9:27). Barnabas was bold enough to risk his own life and reputation by taking Paul, about whom many thought of still as a persecutor, and he recommended him to the apostles.

            Was anyone praying for Paul during those years of persecution I wonder? Were they guilty of thinking that Paul was such a person beyond redemption? He was a fierce enemy of the gospel and hounded Christians mercilessly. But were any moved to pray for him to be converted? Now Barnabas had such a high view of Christ’s saving power that Paul’s conversion was something that he accepted readily. Others may have had their suspicions but Barnabas knew that Christ could save even Paul. Barnabas also had such a high view of the Church and Christian Fellowship that he couldn’t allow the newly converted Paul to be ignored or feared and so he brought Paul to the apostles so that he could be accepted into the fellowship of believers. I wonder how much weaker would the Church have been if Barnabas did not do this? Barnabas could not know that Paul would be so important to the Church, nor that Paul would be responsible for a large part of the New Testament. We do not know where our ministry of encouragement to another believer will ultimately lead. Are we encouraging others as we seek to bring men, women, boys, and girls to Christ and His word?

February 11th 2024: Paul Daniel

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Philippians 2:1-11

As you travel, you keep an eye on what is going on. You notice changes. If you examine the difference in Wales between the 80s and now you will see many changes; the population has increased and there are many changes in churches. The number of churches has increased and there are different varieties of worship. There is natural growth. Have you thought about why churches rise and fall? There are different reasons for this. Sometimes, people leave and don’t come back. There is natural movement of people because of age or jobs. There is a difference in church. Sometimes, there’s a health change and you must move to be closer to hospital or family.

There is some rise and fall in churches. Disagreements also arise. There is a lack of unity. Scripture talks about this – our unity. It is such a joy, “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.” There is a wonderful joy, a unity we share in our Lord Jesus Christ. Consider the alternative – no unity, no joy, because the Lord Jesus Christ didn’t come. Imagine the alternative. It is such a joy Jesus Christ has come, put His body on the cross. Sinners are welcomed into God’s family. The cross stands there as the only solution that can bring permanent peace and reconciliation.

Philippians 2 reminds us of the blessings of being a Christian Church in unity. We read in Acts of the Church in Philippi being born. Here we read of a slave girl, Lydia, and the gaoler, who were converted. Lydia opened her home up. Can you imagine the diversity in that house – a slave girl taken advantage of, Lydia, a businesswoman, and a jailer? Such incredible diversity. We hear in the news of all types of scandals. What might it have been like for a slave girl? It might have been a challenge. In Philippians 4 Paul writes to the church for people to agree with each other. They were tensions, little disagreements.

Unity is crucial. It is being paid for by Jesus with His precious blood. He humbled himself and was obedient, even to death. “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” (Hebrews 12:14). We are to strive for peace because Jesus Christ has shed His precious blood for the church. The very expensive price has been paid for by Jesus. There are expensive consequences if you are not in Jesus.

Invest in talking to one another, invest in relationships. Do we still talk to each other or email or text each other? Communication has changed. In one sense, we communicate more but have less deep and meaningful relationships. We need to invest in our relationships. Chapters like this reminders Jesus Christ has paid the ultimate price so we belong to each other.

  1. What is your outlook?

“Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.” (Philippians 2:2). Paul says you need to have the same mind. We’re all different but we need to have the same love and be united in spirit and purpose. There is a diversity in our churches, but in this there is a oneness in attitude, a oneness in affection, a oneness in direction and cooperation. We see it in the Trinity; there is a oneness there.

It is this collective effort, where everyone has a part to play, we are all in a relationship to one another. We are to be of one mind, in unity, for the cause of the gospel. Time is precious. There is a world out there that does not know Jesus. Jesus Christ is coming soon. We are to work together, that we can see others come to know Him too.

  • Where is our humility?

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.“ (Philippians 2:3). Each of us needs to be moved in humility. Others are more important than ourselves. We should have no selfish ambition or vanity. Each of us, no matter what position or role, should examine our own hearts. There should be a positive move to treat one another more importantly than ourselves – not because we’re told to but because we want to. It comes from the heart, from holiness. It is very much about our attitude to others to be humble. Where is our humility? Humility comes from reminding ourselves that every good thing comes from the Lord.

  • Do we consider the interests of others?

“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:4). Each of us should be concerned about the interests of others. What does that look like in church? The Lord Jesus Christ came, died, brought salvation, equipped us for every good work. We should use our gifts to serve one another. All are valuable. All are useful. We should be interested in what others have to say and do. It might not always be the right thing, but we need to listen.

Look for the interests of others, even if it seems insignificant. What did Jesus see in us? Something wonderful, attractive? No! Yet He loved us, came down, went to the cross and shed His blood for you and me. Be interested in Bethlehem, not just Jerusalem. Why shouldn’t we use the gifts that God has given us, to serve Him? We should have unity on our radar. We should not take unity for granted. I’m not talking about passive unity that we have, but active unity. Don’t take your unity for granted. Engage in relationships. Talk to one another. Remember Jesus Christ considered the interests of others.

What is the Lord asking you to do as an individual, as a corporate body? What does that unity look like? In the new heavens there will be people from every tribe and nation, giving Him praise, glory and honour.