A King, a Revolutionary, a Murder and a Mystery revealed…

 

“Acting is all about truth….” (so far, so good)….
“…if you can fake that, then you will have a jolly good career.” (eh oh)

   ….thus speaks Sir Laurence Olivier.

      The very idea that truth is not a set figure, a constant thing, indisputable and unchangeable is, in fact, contrary both to scripture and to nature.

      The Bible clearly says that men (or women), because of the wicked intentions of their hearts and minds, actually supress the truth.

    “….they did not honour… God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools…”

    People- you and me- actually ignore the obvious truth which we see when we look at bumble bees and flowers and mountains and rivers, and which we also know in our heart of hearts: God is the Creator King over all. We bottle up this truth and put it into the deepest darkest cellar of our minds. Instead we ‘live as if there was no tomorrow’, we live for the ‘here and now’. We pretend and act as if there isn’t a God.

“Be careful what you wish for… you might just get it.”

     Seeing that we have- voluntarily and with full use of our thinking faculties- chosen to ignore the truth, then God lets us have what we wished for: soon we fully believe the lie and jump in deeper than we originally dreamed. We become thoughtless liars, consumed with self indulgence and petty disputes; gradually we become less like the “Gods” we dreamed ourselves to be, and more like the demons we profess not to believe in.

  

      But God will not allow us to continue in our rebellion forever…

 

“They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?””

   “God is a righteous judge,
          and a God who feels indignation every day.”

    “If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword;
        he has bent and readied his bow;
    he has prepared for him his deadly weapons,
        making his arrows fiery shafts.”

 

    God will not allow wrongs to go unpunished. It is in his very nature that he is a good God. He is perfect. He is Holy. He hates wickedness. He hates rebellion. He cannot allow murderers, liars, thieves, gossipers, dissenters and swearers to go without the punishment they deserve for their crimes.

 

What is the verdict? “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”

What is the punishment?  “For the wages of sin is death”

   We are all guilty, condemned by the Holy Judge. Jesus said that whoever hates someone has murdered them, whoever lusts after someone has committed adultery.  God doesn’t just examine the DNA, the evidence and the witnesses: he also examines the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. He knows that we have ignored and supressed the truth and have followed a lie.

     The truth? God is King over all His Creation, including us.

     The lie? We are Kings! We are the Lords of our own destinies. We can live without Judge and without Law.

   Where does that leave us? Condemned. Awaiting a penalty of death. Eternal, and everlasting death.

 

      Or that is where it would leave us if it wasn’t for God’s great mercy and grace. He loves us. He actually loves us rebels. So much, in fact, that he staged the greatest rescue mission of all time! You have all heard the words of John 3 and verse 16,

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
   

   Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and yet God himself, was born and lived a perfect Holy life here on earth.

   What happened to Jesus?

   He was unjustly tried by an illegal court, he was ignored by the cowardly authorities and he was murdered. He was beaten, humiliated and hung on a tree, where he suffered the wrath and punishment which we deserve. His Father abandoned him upon that cross. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit have been bound together in love for all eternity, and yet, in those moments on the cross, Jesus was abandoned.

   Why? Because God so loved us, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

   But Jesus was not left in the grave where he was placed. No. Death could not possibly attempt to contain the very Author of Life! The Bible says that the ‘sting of death’ is sin. And Jesus had conquered the effects of sin when he was punished on the cross! Therefore death had lost its power.

   Jesus rose triumphant from the grave! He lives! He lives!

  Now we are each left with a vital decision. It is a decision which will mould our entire eternities. Do we abandon the rebellion against God and name Him as King and Lord, confessing our own wickedness and trusting in Jesus’ work for our salvation and hope. Or do we continue with our doomed revolution, desperately trying to cling on to our lies, while simultaneously supressing the truth the Jesus is King.

 

 

For to us a child is born,
        to us a son is given;
    and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
        and his name shall be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
        Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
    Of the increase of his government and of peace
        there will be no end,
    on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
        to establish it and to uphold it
    with justice and with righteousness
        from this time forth and forevermore.
    The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

          (Isaiah 9:6-7 ESV)

The Mountain Spring

 

“YOU MAKE SPRINGS GUSH FORTH IN THE VALLEYS; THEY FLOW BETWEEN THE HILLS…..”

    Imagine all of creation is a Shakespearean play.

   Act 1

   Picture the scene. Mountain peaks. The soaring ranges of the Himalayas. Snow-topped cragged triangles piercing the skyline. You spot a spring…no, wait…. many springs. Bubbling, blue brooks. Ice cold waters gushing and flowing between the fearsome peaks. Streams of surging power, gathering pace as they tumble and fall over the rocky crags- bringing water- liquid life- to the thirsty mountain dwellers.

“…..THEY GIVE DRINK TO EVERY BEAST OF THE FIELD;
THE WILD DONKEYS QUENCH THEIR THIRST.” 

    The donkeys are not alone in their mountain-fortress, they are visited by the feathered minstrels of the skies. Through the solemn, frozen Himalayan air a single bird-song faintly drifts over the crescendo of the northern winds. It is joined, in accompaniment, by others- the beautiful songs intermingle into a delightful cacophony of joy. The brooks and streams of the mountains provide life to the beasts and birds, bringing wonder and fellowship into the inhospitable heights of the hills.

“…..BESIDE THEM THE BIRDS OF THE HEAVENS DWELL;
THEY SING AMONG THE BRANCHES….” 

    Act 2

     A man visits his garden. It is his delight. He loves his garden. He made it from scratch, cultivating the land so as to bring forth trees, flowers and delights. He fed the grass, tending it so that it would be strong and nutritious to provide for his animals. In his garden are tall trees, filled with nests and noises. In his garden are vegetables such as you have never seen, vines and figs to sustain a King. The man loves his garden. He waters his garden. 

 

“…..FROM YOUR LOFTY ABODE YOU WATER THE MOUNTAINS;
THE EARTH IS SATISFIED WITH THE FRUIT OF YOUR WORK.”

 

    The Psalms are bursting with pictures and paintings of our God. I love them. Where else in the whole world could I read about someone who “waters the mountains”?! Our God is truly the almighty Lord of Heaven and of Earth. It is a little thing to the Author of Life to sustain the entire eco-system through his cosmic watering can! Like I might pour a cup of water into my hanging baskets, the Lord God makes springs burst forth, and causes mighty rivers to flow- bringing life to the mountains, valleys and plains!

    Read through Psalm 104, and the many other great Psalms of praise. Let your mind be dazzled and amazed at the wonder of our God!

 

“You make springs gush forth in the valleys
        they flow between the hills;
    they give drink to every beast of the field;
        the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
    Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell
        they sing among the branches.
    From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
        the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.”

Psalm 104, verses 10 to 13

Mice and Custard

     -an epic tale of a mouse and a (relatively speaking) oversized biscuit

 

   Its one of those family stories which, over the many retellings and spin-offs, has achieved legendary status amongst your relatives- up there with King Arthur and the Knights of the round table, Robin Hood, Big Foot and Thor.

    Its a story which only gets better with the retelling- somehow becoming more epic, more gripping, more dramatic and more real with each rendition.

   To an uninitiated outsider it is meaningless, un-epic, and frankly, a tad boring. However to my clan it is the bread and butter (so to speak) of dinner-time conversation.  

   I’d better tell you.

 

  Mice and Custard, and Epic tale of a mouse and a (relatively speaking) oversized biscuit-

     I was still in nappies and sleeping in a cot when this epic tale begins. We were living in a temporary abode - more of a shack, to be honest- and the conditions were basic. The small bungalow, number 64, had seen much, much better days. The current owners have refurbished the building and little remains of the shell we occupied those 20 years ago.

    On good days, the roof leaked. On bad days…… well, you get the idea. If any unwanted visitors were to ‘visit’ then we would graciously give them the most comfortable armchair (directly beneath the leak!)

    Wherever you went in the house you could expect company. Mice would play beneath the dining table, dance in the bath and work in the bedrooms. An entire battalion of the beasts were there with us. And the audacity  of them too! They knew that we were powerless to prevent their frolics! They flaunted their freedom in front of us, without any shame!  One morning my mother awoke to discover half of her supper, on the bedside cabinet, had been whisked away during the night!

   It was with great joy and delight, therefore, that my parents awoke one morning to discover the plight of the audacious and greedy mice! A semi-circular hole, or door, was situated in the skirting board in one room. It was from here that  the mice would rally forth to intimidate and pillage. However this particular night’s raid had ended badly! The mice, after an especially good haul had returned to their hole dragging their loot behind them. Unfortunately one mouse – with eyes bigger than his belly- had failed  to judge  the exact size of the door. He had, to our amusement, attempted to drag an entire custard cream into his storehouse. In his haste, he had succeeded in jamming the  confectionary right across the doorway leaving him and his mates stuck inside their own hole!

    It was some days before we eventually saw our mice reappear- this time looking a bit greener and sickly. They never touched custard creams again after that!**

 

     Can we learn anything from this epic tale? Probably. I firmly believe, as did Jonathan Edwards, C.S. Lewis and many others, that nature around us is wired so as to teach us as much as possible. Of course, we must take these lessons with a pinch of salt; after all, nature has suffered from the fall, just as mankind has.

    The obvious lesson to draw from our mice is the one which mothers are teaching their children at this very moment: if your eyes are bigger than your belly then you will get a stomach ache. Or, as the bible puts it, ‘be sure your sin will find you out.’

   Greed- the desire for more, more, more- is a sin which can creep up on us unexpected. It is essentially covetousness and idolatry, faithlessness and adultery all rolled into one. We pin our expectations or desires onto something other than God, we yearn for something God has not given us. Therefore we place that object above God, we reject what God has given us for that which he, in his infinite wisdom, hasn’t given us. 

   But perhaps you think I am exaggerating.

  Stop and consider.

   Is it really an overreaction to describe ‘a little greed’ as adultery towards God?

   It isn’t, is it? Greed is trusting our own fickle fancies over God’s eternal and omnipotent wisdom. That is sin. That is idolatry.

   Sure, a mouse probably cannot be blamed for its greedy theft of a custard cream; but that doesn’t excuse the sin which it highlights in you and me.

   Proverbs says:

   A greedy man stirs up strife,
        but the one who trusts in the LORD will be enriched.
(Proverbs 28:25 ESV)

   1 Timothy says:

    But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.
(1 Timothy 6:6-10 ESV)

    That is something which we need to remember daily- hourly even.

   But how do you actually stay content when surrounded with all the temptations and goodies which are thrown our way?

   But the one who trusts in the LORD will be enriched. That is the answer. Only the Lord brings true contentedness. We are complete in Jesus Christ. Because he has died for us, we can live for him! All the ‘acceptance’ or ‘fulfilment’ we yearn for, and all the possessions we may need have been achieved in Jesus Christ! It  may take time to accept that truth, and it would take more than a lifetime to understand it. But it is true. Tullian Tchividjian, an American pastor explains it better than I could:

 

“Because Jesus was strong for me, I am free to be weak;

Because Jesus won for me, I am free to lose;

Because Jesus was Someone, I am free to be no one;

Because Jesus was extraordinary, I am free to be ordinary;

Because Jesus succeeded for me, I am free to fail.

This is beginning to define my life in brand new, bright, and liberating ways. I believe God wants this liberating truth to define your life as well…and the life of the church corporately. Because I’m telling you right now, when you begin to understand that everything you need and long for, in Christ you already possess—it enables you to live a life of scandalous freedom, unrestrained fearlessness, and unbounded courage. When you don’t have anything to lose, you discover something wonderful: you’re free! Nothing in this broken world can beat a man who isn’t afraid to lose! And when you’re not afraid to lose you can say crazy, counterintuitive stuff like, “To live is Christ and to die is gain!” That’s pure, unadulterated freedom.”

 

     A mouse eating a custard cream.

    Amazing how God can use a simple illustration in nature to remind us of our desperate need of the Lord Jesus.

 

 

** You probably had to be there!

Sunday’s Specials List

     If each week was a meal then Sundays would be the main course. And I’m not talking about fast food or buffet snacks. No, this is the real deal, packed full of gourmet cooking, honest wholesome food, colour, spices and freshness!
  But I mustn’t get bogged down discussing food! (Although I would love nothing more!)
  The Sabbath day- one day in seven reserved for rest, fellowship and worship. A day given over to God. It is no wonder therefore that a Christian can feel refreshed and healed, full of peace and purpose by the end of the 24 hours.
  That’s normally when the  Monday-morning feeling hits in!
  To help you with the ‘new week blues’ I would like to share a few of the scrumptious treats I enjoyed this Sabbath.

Triumphant     

Last week, like many others, our Church ran a Holiday Bible Club. We had good numbers, enjoyed good weather, preached the gospel to children and parents alike and generally had an enjoyable week. After such a week however, as our visiting speaker pointed out, it can be tempting to want some overt signs of success, some cold hard results; and in the absence of any apparent conversions it is easy to see the time spent as wasted.
    It was a sweet encouragement, therefore, to hear the words of 2 Corinthians 2:14.

    But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.(2 Corinthians 2:14 ESV)

    The scene pictured is that of a conquering army returning home in glorious array, flags and banners flying high over the heads of the King and his mighty lords, while the sound of trumpets and minstrels swells in a majestic chorus across the cheering and adoring crowds.
    It is simultaneously inspiring and humbling to think that through Christ, God will always lead his Church victorious. Despite our failures and stumblings, the gospel of our God will be successful!

 

Thankfulness in Adversity

    Matthew Henry, the famous bible commentator, wrote an interesting piece in his journal shortly after finding himself robbed:

• I am thankful that he has never robbed me before.
• I am thankful that, though he took my purse, he didn’t take my life.
• I am thankful that, although he took all I had, that wasn’t very much.
• I am thankful that, although I was robbed, I wasn’t the robber.

 

God’s Witnesses

  “Isn’t it getting dark early.”
   If you haven’t heard that rhetorical question at least 10 times in the last two days then you obviously are in a different time zone than the rest of the United Kingdom! Although it happens every year, although we have had ample warning, we can never fail to be surprised that, after turning the clocks back an hour, the afternoons are so dark!
   Driving home  I couldn’t help but notice how I was drawn towards every speck of light amidst the gloom- houses, street lamps, other drivers- they all seemed to be something I could associate with to find protection against the overpowering darkness.
  That is the exact principle in play in a Christian’s life! We are to be beacons of hope, lamps of purpose and burning torches for the glory of God. When a non-Christian sees our lives he or she should be drawn to the image of Christ showing from us. That is quite a responsibility!

Living in the mirror of eternity

    8ft below me, in a spare room, a number of new born chicks are huddled beneath the EcoGlow ‘Chick-heater-system’. One slightly younger chick is inside a small incubator along with 3 pre-hatched eggs. If all other noise can be ignored then their little squeaks can just about be heard.
   My sister and her husband accidentally booked their holiday to coincide with the hatching of their new chicks.  It fell, therefore, to us to care for the new born chicks.
   Although they are quite adorable and cannot be seen without an ‘awwww’ escaping the lips, there is also a sense of sadness surrounding their arrival into the world. No mother hen stands over them, no loving wing surrounds and protects them. Rather it falls to man-made incubators and heaters to bring them into their new homes.

O Jerusalem, Jeruslaem the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

    Jesus had a similar, but much greater, grief when he saw how his home city rejected the Lord God. They refused his love and spurned his protection. They would rather ‘make it on their own’ than trust in the true and living God of Heaven and earth. Our Heavenly Father wants to gather his chicks under his wing, but we all have fled from his love and protection. We’ve all wanted our own independence and rules, rather than his love and guidance.
    As the ‘Heavenly…..’ series draws to an end, I hope that you want to rest under God’s wing. There is no greater catastrophe on this planet than when someone rejects God’s mercy and grace. Heaven, as I love to say, is a Gospel place! It will be crammed with wicked, cruel and horrible people. But they will all have been forgiven and transformed through the grace and power of the Lord Jesus Christ!
    Perhaps it might be profitable if I recap some of what we have learnt over the past 5 posts.

• The inhabitants of Heaven have been bought there by and through the Lord Jesus Christ- it is his property and there is no back entrance.
• They will be with Jesus, who will reign, and will enjoy the presence and blessings of God. Heaven- whether paradise, city, house or throne room- is God’s own land which he has prepared for his own people. The citizens of Heaven will have literal and physical bodies, which will no longer hunger, thirst or feel pain.
• Jesus is the Messiah, the Warrior King who became the slain lamb, sacrificing himself for his people. He will one day return to claim his Kingdom. He only waits so that more people may be saved from the fruits of their rebellion.
• Heaven, either symbolically or literally, is pictured as a city. It will be the ‘New Jerusalem’. It will be permanent and no evil will exist within. God will dwell in the city with his citizens who will worship him.
• This ‘New Jerusalem’ will come after the destruction of the earth. This physical world will be replaced with a new physical world. 
• The Citizens of this city will build houses, grow gardens and crops, and will enjoy their work. They will praise and glorify their King, who has bought them to the city of Heaven.

 
    So, where does  that leave us now?
   Earthbound, I suppose.
   But don’t let your Heavenly bubble deflate! The scriptures urge us to live each day looking forward to Heaven! Not as the reward we expect, but as the gift we don't deserve. I have a handy note written and pinned up on my bookcase, it says this:

“May I view all things in the mirror of eternity,
waiting for the coming of my Lord.
May I speak each word as if my last word,
and walk each step as my final one.
If my life should end today,
may this be my best day.”

   When you start to study the bible you discover that a Heavenly outlook was vital to the heroes of the Faith who lived before us. Its an important mentality to have. But it is impossible to keep unless you have been given a new life, a new affection, a new desire and a new purpose through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; I may have mentioned this before: Heaven is a Gospel place!
   Please read Hebrews 11 and 12. Find out how important the promise of Heaven is for you! A Christian must  be living for that day, that day when he or she will finally meet Jesus face to face. As one hymn beautifully puts it:

Lord Jesus, when Thee face to face I see,
When on Thy lofty throne I sit with Thee,
Then of Thy love, in all its breadth and length,
Its height and depth, its everlasting strength,
    My soul shall sing.

   I will leave you with the words with which I first began this series:
‘Stop moaning about petrol prices, VAT and the income tax and start groaning for Heaven!’

Wednesday's Whispers

A few Wednesday thoughts:


Chicken Crossing

Our chickens recently had a shock. They emerged from their coop to discover that the garden had been split into two. A large new wire fence spanning from the workshop to the shed. The bark, soil and arid back end is all theirs, while the luscious and exotic lawn and flower beds are off limits.

What would you do- if you were a chicken I mean? stay inside your area, or break out?
Ethel and Hilda rove backwards and forwards along the 'demarcation line', occasionally, when they have plucked up enough courage, thrusting their beaks through the holes in the wire into 'the other side'.
Once or twice they have even managed to fly/leap over the boundary and have enjoyed a few brief moments on the lawn.

The Bible gives Christians some clear no-go zones. A line has been drawn in the sand. The Lord has graciously established boundaries in our lives. He told the newly-freed Israelites "I have bought you out of Egypt- out of slavery- therefore have no other gods." As Christians, we are free. We are free from the slavery of sin in our lives. I think it was Jason Robinson who said "I used to have no choice but to say "yes". Now I have a choice: I can say "no"."

The Lord Jesus Christ has freed us from sin. So why is it that we try to get as close to sin as we can? We cautiously, while casting glances around us, sidle up to that metaphorical fence, reach out and touch it.... and then scurry away.

If we love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls and minds, then why are we tempting him? Why are trying to live as close to sin as we can get?

Our chickens are so desperate to enjoy the magical, wonderful lands on the other side of the fence that they spend no time enjoying the ground they do have! I think one day we will find that Heaven- and living as Christians on earth- is so so so much greater than the pleasures of sin.

So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

....[Moses choose] rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.  

1 and 2 Kings

Elijah.... what was his problem?


I've been reading 1/2 Samuel and 1/2 Kings recently, and the prophet Elijah has really leapt out at me. What was his problem?! Just when things are going right- when the bad prophets of Baal have been beaten and destroyed and rain has returned to the dry and barren land- Elijah hears that Queen Jezebel (who closely resembles the wicked white witch, Queen of Narnia in C.S. Lewis' novels) has been told by her sniveling wretch of a husband about his contest with the prophets of Baal. She isn't a happy camper.

Elijah is scared. 450 prophets of Baal have just been defeated by Elijah's God who worked wonders by sending fire on Mount Carmal, and yet Elijah is so scared of Jezebel that he runs all the way to Beersheba in the south, 120 miles.

Arriving in southern Judah, Elijah pleads with God to kill him. When the word of the Lord comes to him all he can say is:

 “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”

He is positively dripping with self-pity. So, the Lord shows Elijah his power through wind and an earthquake and fire. And then the Lord speaks to Elijah in a small still whisper. Has Elijah now seen sense? Does he now appreciate the might of his God? Well this is his reply:


“I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”

Hmmm. Nothing changed then. But God doesn't give up on this wreck of a self-pitying worm. Rather he replies that he is going to totally eradicate the line of Ahab and Jezebel. He will purge the monarchy. And you know what? Elijah is going to appoint the new Kings of Israel and Syria. And you know what's more? Elijah is not the only one left. There are 7,000 Israelites who have refused to bow down to Baal.

You know what? We are like Elijah. Faced with God's power and mercy and grace we cower, scared of the apparent might of the world. We are afraid to proclaim Jesus and we are scared to trust the Lord.
You know what else? God will continue to work in us- vessels of clay- and will continue to make us more like Jesus every day, despite our weakness and fear. Isn't that wonderful? I think so.

Former Glory? A Haunt or a Haven?

    Ever revisited an old haunt? Ever stumbled into the past?

     Thats exactly what happened to the Jews returning from their years of exile. They returned to the City of David, the citadel of Jerusalem..... and it was in ruins. The home of their childhood was rubble. It had no walls, no gates and no temple- no protection from their enemies and no place to worship their God.

"But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid"

    The younger generation were rejoicing- they had a land of their own, a city and even a Temple to worship their God! Why wouldn't they rejoice? But the older men, those who remembered the olden days, the days when Solomon's Temple stood in all its glory over Zion, they were not rejoicing. This temple was but a shadow of the older one. Why should they rejoice?
     Who was right?!
     Its easy to side with the oldies- this temple was nothing on the old one. Solomon's Temple proclaimed the Lord's Glory to the surrounding nations, they looked at Jerusalem and feared Israel's God.
     But were they missing the point? The Temple was the dwelling place of God, it was where the Lord met his people and where they went to offer sacrifices for atonement of sins. They thought that the size and magnificent construction of the building honoured God. They were mistaken. The new Temple might be a small one- but they had a big God!
    Years before, King David decided to honour God by building him a 'house'. But God had other plans, David would not honour Him, rather He would honour David.

Thus says the Lord: Would you build me a house to dwell in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling...

Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house.  

David said "I'm gunna build a house for the Lord." God says "No, I'm going to make a house for you, David."

    The Temple was not a place built to honour God, rather it was the place where God dwelt amongst His people. Now we can meet with God through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the atonement for sins He provided on the cross!

    A few days ago I visited a place where my friends and I used to spend loads of our spare time: the base.
    Setting out on our bikes we took hammers, nails, rope, wood, trellis panels and stepladders and we headed down the hill to a woods. There we built an amazing camp! We hollowed out the inside or a thorn bush, utilised a number of felled trees and constructed a two-storey house! Rustic log floors and a beautiful courtyard area added to the aesthetic of our base. Every possible holiday we congregated there with our packed lunches and bikes!
    That was years ago, and I hadn't seen the base for at least 1, if not 2, years. A dull green layer covered the entire plot, much of the walls had shriveled up and composted. The rope was fraying and the stepladder wonky. I attempted to climb partway up our log-ladder before the rotting tree broke under my weight. Leaves and dead foliage obscured the ground and the roof was caving in.
    The Glory days of the base have long gone. It has little of its former glory or (relative) splendour. No longer can we wile away hour upon hour working on the 'garden', or reinforcing the ceiling. It is a shadow of what it once was.

    Strange isn't it? How we build up our own 'nests'. As children we build camps or dens. We hide under our beds or nestle in our wardrobes. Adults do it too, you know. They build up pension plans and 'invest in the future'. Financial 'Safety nets' are created and social circles, which hold little attraction other than in 'acquiring contacts' are frequented.
    As children and as adults, we build safe and secure environments for ourselves. How foolish. None of it will last. One day our souls will be required of us and our 'camps' and homes will offer no security. Only Christ can offer us lasting safety and a rest from fear.

    I'm trying to learn Psalm 27 at the moment. Verse 4 is one of my favourite verses in the whole Bible, it sums up the desire of the Christian- to rest in Christ.

One thing have I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire in his temple.

Grace in Nature #3

   Okay, so todays blog is pushing the whole "Grace in Nature" idea a bit far, I know. But, in the word's of the Apostle Paul, "bear with me in a little foolishness."!


   Two weeks prior to my writing of this blog, my laptop experienced some major problems. It all started one sunny day with a message flashing on the screen.
   "AVG: Threat Detected, Trojan...........
     Remove to Vault? Or Destroy?"
  Knowing how much anti-virus programs love to scare monger, I sent the "threat", or "infection", to the dingy and damp hole in the C-Drive which is known, rather melodramatically, as "the vault". I thought no more of the whole issue. Until, one day later.....
    "This program has been closed. Risk of memory damage."
   Annoying, but again I didn't panic. Until, the following evening.....
    "Windows Host Services has been forced to close."
   And then....
     "AVG: Multiple threats detected, Trojan......"
   Of course, being male, I attempted to fix a problem that I neither knew or understood. My efforts fell far far short. So, instead of seeking out assistance, I ignored the problem, hoping that it would eventually go away. I was content to push any "threats" or "infections" into the vault, where I would ignore them, not thinking about the source or cause of all the issues.
    Rapidly things got worse, soon firefox was failing even to open, more and more messages from AVG and Microsoft were appearing: memory failure, multiple infected files, trojan..., Host Services failing, safe mode etc etc etc.
    Finally I realised the extent of the issue. So, I let my mate Graeme do his magic with the laptop. Unfortunately his efforts, although brave and much more thorough than my own, were too little, too late. The damage had been done. After inquiring of various experts and "dealers" whom I am aquatinted with, I was informed that my only remaining option was to entirely wipe the disc, leaving nothing behind, but destroying the virus in the process.
     Unfortunately I foolishly thought that I could continue to muddle through- even though I was told that my laptop's emergency restore system would do all the work for me!  But, eventually, there came a point whereby I acknowledged what I needed to do (albeit after the screen had totally snowed out and nothing would work!).
    I turned to the system that had been put in place for this very situation: Vista Backup and Restore. I pressed the highlighted buttons and then Vista took the whole thing over. The whole laptop was wiped and restored to its original factory settings. The viruses were gone, along with all my "baggage" (programs, files, pictures, documents: Megabytes upon megabytes of rubbish that I never use or need, that had clogged up my computer and slowed down the system.). It was as if the laptop had a new lease of "life"! It was brand new again.

     So, maybe you are struggling to see the "Grace in Nature" link here? My apologies, maybe "Grace in Technology" would be more applicable! Allow me to unravel the metaphor here for a moment:

    A virus had somehow gained access to my laptop. My igoogle dictionary defines a virus as

  Something that poisons one's soul or mind

   I think that a virus is to a computer what sin is to a man. Everyone sins, and sin is a virus. The prophet Daniel said:

All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him.

    I ignored the virus, thinking that dealing with it would be such a hassle and annoyance. I allowed it to grow, slowly eating away at Window Vista's functions and programming. Perhaps my metaphor falls short here; in our lives we also ignore sin due to the disruption destroying it would cause, but we also like the sins in our lives- we treasure them (which certainly cannot be said for a computer virus!) Even though they eat away at us, slowly poisoning our minds and souls, we still secretly relish them and hate the thought of "putting them to death". The early Puritans saw the wickedness of sin, here are just a few of the books written by them on the subject:
  The Sinfulness of Sin
  The Mischief of Sin
  The Anatomy of Secret Sins
  The Evil of Evils or The Exceeding Sinfulness of Sin
  In his book "Respectable Sins" Jerry Bridges quotes from "The Sinfulness of Sin", and he says that in only a few pages the author managed to describe sin as vile, ugly, odious, malignant, pestilent, pernicious, hideous, spiteful, poisonous, virulent, villainous, abominable and deadly. Thats quite a list! Isn't it time that we saw sin for what it is?
   As I ignored my Vaio's virus, it grew more and more, affecting my internet browsers capabilities, and scuppering "Windows Host Services" (which, incidentally, is quite important!). Likewise, sin is described as "virulent". My igoogle dictionary describes that as:

Capable of causing disease by breaking down protective mechanisms of the host. Intensely irritating, obnoxious, or harsh.

You can see the connection? Sin, like a computer virus, slowly dulls our consciences and tweeks at our ethics. Eventually we are totally compromised.
   However many "good" programs or files we upload to our laptops, the virus cannot be contained or "overshadowed". It continues to grow. I attempted to install a number of anti-virus systems, but the damage had already been done. Likewise, trying to work our way out of sin is bound to fail. Self-help is no help at all.
    The good news is this: a full disc wipe will destroy sin. The catch? We cannot hang on to any "little" or "respectable" sins. Jesus demands it all. Sins is a cancer, none can be left- for our own good! The Lord Jesus Christ died on a cross, to bear the punishment and wrath for his peoples sins, so that they may be wiped clean.

As far as the east is from the west, 

so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

    My metaphor certainly fails at this point! Because the Lord does not only (if I can use the word "only" here!) wipe our sins. But he also gives us his own righteousness. We are perfect and complete in the sight of God! When he looks at us, he doesn't see our record of failures and embarrassments and bad thoughts, no: rather he sees Jesus! How marvelous, how wonderful! Hallelujah!
   You know, all the time the virus was on my computer, I had the solution right under my nose, Vista did it all for me, I just clicked the "start" button. The solution to our sin is free. There is no annual subscription charge to this particular software! The Lord has paid the full price, he died and rose from the dead, the payment is made, the debt is gone.
   Does this mean that we are free to sin? Absolutely not! Why would anyone download a virus onto a clean disc? God has saved us from our sin, we love him, praise him, and wish to live a life that brings glory and honour to him.

   

    Let me leave you with a couple of awe-inspiring verses of scripture...

Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,

and whose sins are covered;

  blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.

This is how God showed his love among us: he sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

   

Grace in Nature: A very real lesson on grace

  Another week, another Sunday, another spiritual message in nature; although this week's symbolic occurance is, perhaps, not as tasteful as last week's forest fable. 

  I was seated, innocently upon a garden bench, soaking up the sun and admiring the fauna and flora. Then, to my left, there was a rustle in the bushes. Turning, I saw a young pigeon crouching furtively amongst the Holyhoks. I looked at it, it looked at me, we both looked at each other. This pigeon was fearless, not at all abashed by my presence. I soon realised why. The creature was  in some poor state of repair. Its feathers were sticking in any which way and were rough and coarse, leaves and other assorted foliage covered its back and chest. It appeared dazed and, aware how foolish this sounds, it seemed to be limping.

    At first a stab of pity hit me. Rapidly this feeling fled, as the poor creature hobbled straight towards me with a determind gaze. As the pigeon closed the distance between us to but a couple of meters, I saw the flies crawling over its body and eyes. The poor young pigeon changed instantly to a fearsome repulsive creature, a hollow croak, for it can only be described as a croak, left its scratched beak and fell on my ears. My nose scrumpled up almost into my eyebrows, and I withdrew toward the protection of the house. As I moved away from the dead-but-alive-pigeon I remembered the bird-poo-smeared windowscreen that had awaited me previous mornings when I had gotten into my car. Very little pity indeed now remained for the creature that was slowly making their way across the lawn towards me. Death, illness and repulsive pigeons can all be dealt with at a distance, but when all three are steadily limping straight towards you (and you are wearing only flip flops on your bare feet) little pity of thoughts of mercy are flowing in your mind. I hastened indoors, and left the said pigeon to continue his trek toward the flower bed.

  Now I wouldnt bring up such an unappealing topic, but for the sudden rush of symbolism that I was hit by when I had re-entered the sanctuary of the house. Two bible verses in particulary jumped to the front of my mind. The first is Isaiah 1 vs 5b-6:

    The whole head is sick,
        and the whole heart faint.
     From the sole of the foot even to the head,
        there is no soundness in it,
    but bruises and sores
        and raw wounds;
    they are not pressed out or bound up
        or softened with oil.

   Or as the King James Version puts it:

From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores.

   Do you perhaps now see how the analogy of a disgusting, sick pigeon, reeking of death, and crawling with flies actually describes us?  When God looks down upon sinful men and women he sees their sin. And this isnt the "sin" of fiction, where the devil is red and has a pointed tale. This isnt the sin Christians can piously talk about in others. No, this is the stagnant, repulsive, sickening, putrifying sin that is in each one of us. Sin is a cancer, and rapidly spreads across the entire being, notice what God says through Isaiah- "The whole head is sick.....From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it"- A small amount of petrol in a diesel engine brings the entire vehicle to a rapid halt. A small amount of leaven leavens the lump. 

   This is alarming, when God looks at me he sees me as I am: much, much, much more repulsive and undesirable than that sorry pigeon. And God has every right to do what I did to the pigeon: abandon me and leave me in my sickness. This pigeon may have survived without my assistance, and might go on to live a long and fulfilling life (relitively speaking), but imagine what will happen if the very "Author of Life", my creator and sustainer, abandons me? Take it one step further; God is Holy and pure, he cannot stand any impurity or sinfulness in his presence (and his presence spans all of His creation). What then is to happen to me?

   

    Well here is the good news, the second verse which I recalled earlier on, and this is good news indeed:

...but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

   How vast is Gods love?! How amazing is our King? He looked upon my putrifying sores, he looked on my transgression against himself... and loved me.  Christ died for me. Christ died so that I may go free. Christ died so that death itself may be defeated. And He did this while I was still a sinner, while I rebelled and swore against him. Isnt this just unimaginable? While we hated and detested God, while we refused his help and wallowed in our own sickly lusts and putrifying pleasures, He died for us, to redeem us!

    Well can I say with Paul: 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in Heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be Holy and blameless before him.

    Shortly after meeting the pigoen I went to the evening church service. Roger preached on John 13, when Jesus said that believers must love one another, "as I love you."  That really sets the gauntlet down! How great is Christ's love, how all encompasing is Christ's love, and I must love as he does?! Roger reminded us how we often look at other Christians and think, "I would love him/her if only they were a bit more loveable. If only they werent so__________ (insert issue here). If only they didnt _________ (insert problem here)." 

That certainly isnt the love Jesus showed to us! If that was the case then we are all hopeless cases! We must love one another as Christ has loved us, however hard that may be. And when we fail at loving one another, might we praise God that he continues to love us!

   One hymn puts it like this:

Here is love, vast as the ocean
Loving kindness as the flood
When the prince of life our ransom
Shed for us His precious blood
Who His love will not remember
Who can cease to sing His praise
He can never be forgotten
Throughout heaven’s eternal days

   How marvelous that God reminds us of his grace and his character through nature! Although we should hardly be suprised when this happens, it is His creation after all! Psalm 148 says:

Praise him, sun and moon,
        praise him, all you shining stars!
     Praise him, you highest heavens,
        and you waters above the heavens!

Praise the LORD from the earth,
        you great sea creatures and all deeps,
     fire and hail, snow and mist,
        stormy wind fulfilling his word!

    Mountains and all hills,
        fruit trees and all cedars!
     Beasts and all livestock,
        creeping things and flying birds!

An Abandoned Forest

   Yesterday I went for a walk through a wood near where I live; back when we had a dog we would regularly take her along the wood track, and she would be running to and fro with her ball, panting and dribling all over our legs!

   But as we clambered around the wooden gate blocking the cart track, and started forward up the hill we soon realised that the woods of 5 years ago were no longer the woods of the now. The track was overgrown and much thinner than before, thistles and nettles encompased us on either side, and the centre of the track was bursting with grass and weeds. The further we went, deeper and deeper into the wood, the worse it became. Side tracks and pathways were totally non-negotiable, hardly distinguishable from the surrounding forest in fact. The remains of long dead trees, and rotting vegetation covered any clearings. This wood had been abandoned by the Forestry Commision long ago.

   But jump back 70 years to the height of the war time Britain and this very wood was a special ammunition dump, a vital cog in the defences of East Anglia. A railway line lead deep into the forest, complete with concealed sheds and shelters. While the war was fought this place was being maintained and was serving a valuable purpose.

   Now, in August 2010, it is not. Weeds and thistles envelop the old train line, the pathways are akin to wild jungle, and even the more modern irrigation systems are dry and barren. Places where Josie used to jump and splash and play are now cracked and empty, more weeds springing up from the ground.

   We reach the far end, and exit the woods, walking along a path that follows outside the trees. From here the forest looks grand and strong, the tall oaks appear sure and steadfast, various nuts and berries hang from the trees and bushes. A kestrel swings through the air with ease, finally resting upon on of the oaks. From our position outside of the woods it looks proud, every bit as important as it was 70 years ago.

   Maybe you can see where this is going? As we trudged back towards the start of our walk my mind wandered to the spiritual application of the natural degeneration of my surroundings.

   In the height of spiritual warfare, when it feels like Satan is throwing all he has straight at us, we turn to God in repentance and seeking His mercy, He builds us up strong and fits us for the battle. But when a moment of rest comes along, or when the battle seems won, then we weaken our defences. The world creeps in- albeit slowly, like those weeds and thistles: 5 years ago we would never have thought that those pathways and tracks could become so overgrown and wild! Oh yes, the world and Satan are prepared to wait, to bide their time. But sure enough the weeds of the world take effect, and days, months or even years down the line the ability to wage war is neutralised.

   But as I noticed earlier, from the outside of the forest it appeared to be fruitful and proud. How similar the Christian can be, while inside Satan tempts him to doubt his very salvation. Be wary of appearances. Christ was.

   It is not too late for Chicksand's Wood. Left as it is, it can do nothing for itself and will creep further and further into disrepair and will be overgrown entirely. But if the Forestry Commision moves in and takes drastic action: removing the dead vegetation, showing no kindness to the weeds and thistles, restoring pathways and tracks, then there is still hope for my wood. Thanks be to God that the same can be said for the believer, may the Holy Spirit work in us, through Christ, and bring us back to the fold!




The Christian's Armour is in such disrepair..... a few months back I found some old notes and copied them in on a blog, unfortunately I cannot find said blog, but here is the substance of it, as I feel it is relevent:



"I've been re-reading some of my old notes and found a despairing "audit" I made of the Christian's weaponary...

'The belt of truth is hanging about the knees; the shoes of the gospel of peace are, indeed, falling to pieces; the breastplate of righteousness was left out in the rain and is rusty; the shield of ...faith is bent and full of holes; the helmet of salvation is intact, but worn at a jaunty angle; and as for the sword of the Spirit- well, that is stuk fast in the sheath. "All prayer" and supplication are on the agenda, but not today....maybe tommorow.'
How have we ever let God's Armour fall into such disrepair? How have I ever let God's Armour fall into such disrepair?"