Read Your Bible, Find Your Saviour.

“Come and see the shining hope that Christ’s apostle saw;  On the earth, confusion, but in heaven an open door...  Love has the victory for ever!” ( Mission Praise , 86). “On the earth confusion” - Is this all that we have to look forward to, or is there more than this? Is there nothing but bad news, or is there Good News - from God? As we head towards Easter, we need to be reminded that there is hope . Where does our hope for the future come from? Are we just hoping that everything will turn out fine, or are we looking beyond ourselves - to Jesus Christ, the risen Lord. If, in our reading of the story of Jesus Christ, we stopped after we had read about His crucifixion, we would be asking ourselves, “Is there any hope?” When we read about His resurrection, we move on - from “Is there any hope?”, to “There is hope”. When we look back - from Jesus’ resurrection to His crucifixion, we see that there is love . At the cross of Jesus, we learn that we are lov...

A Benediction song (Noel Grant, tune: What a friend we have in Jesus) God be with you through the night-time, God be with you through the day: Angels guard and keep you always, as you journey on your way. God be with you, ever bless you, as the days and years go by; Till we meet at last in glory, in the mansions of the sky.

“You get nothing for nothing. You only get what you pay for.” Is this cynicism – or realism? Let’s think together about something else – something that lifts us above all of this – the love of God, the grace of God, the mercy of God, the gift of God, the peace of God, the joy of God. “Amazing love! how can it be that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?…  He left His Father’s throne above – so free, so infinite His grace … ‘Tis mercy all, immense and free; For, O my God, it found out me!” These words, from Charles Wesley’s great hymn of praise – “And can it be that I should gain an interest in the Saviour’s blood?”, lift us into a way of thinking that is, truly, out of this world. We leave the world and its way of thinking behind us. We turn our thoughts to Jesus, our Saviour. We think of all that He has done for us – and we rejoice. We think of all the blessings that He gives to us – and we give thanks to Him. * God’s love is amazing. We see His love in the d...

Jeremiah 31:15-20 The human situation, the divine solution  * “She refuses to be comforted” (Jeremiah 31:15). Often, we dig a hole for ourselves.  * “Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears” - This is what “the Lord” says to us (Jeremiah 31:16). If anyone else says this to us, we might well say, “It’s all right for you to say that. You’re not suffering like I am.” God gave His only Son - to die for us. He knows what we’re going through. He’s been there, and He hasn’t forgotten it, He came out the other side for us - the resurrection.  * “They shall come back from the land of the enemy; there is hope for your future” (Jeremiah 31:16-17) - “more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). How are we to understand our times of suffering?  * “You disciplined me” (Jeremiah 31:18) - There is a purpose of God in our suffering. “Bring me back, let me come back, for You are the Lord my God” (Jeremiah 31:18) - the story of t...

"God is our refuge and our strength..." (Psalm 46;1). "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). First, the truth about God; Then, our feelings are brought into line with the truth about God, Facts; Faith; Feelings * Facts - Christ's death and resurrection for us * Faith - I believe the facts. My faith is built on the sure foundation - Christ, the rock of my salvation. * Feelings - Never start with feelings. They will lead you astray. Safety; Certainty; Enjoyment * Safety - We have been saved by the Lord. It's His doing - not ours. * Certainty - We believe His Word. We stand upon His promises. * Enjoyment - We enjoy His blessing.

2 Chronicles 7:12-22 The gathering together of God’s people - “I ... have chosen this place for Myself” (2 Chronicles 7:12). Note also 2 Chronicles 7:15-16 - “... this place... this temple.” The key verse is 2 Chronicles 7:14. Taking this verse together with Acts 1:12-14, we may say, ‘This is the kind of prayer that leads to Pentecost.’ What we have here is humility, prayer, longing for God and repentance. We must ask, ‘How are we to pray?’ * We are to pray with humility. Remember the parable of the Pharisee and the publican (Luke 18:9-14). * We are to pray with longing for God. Prayer is more than just words. There is to be intensity and persistence. The parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8): She kept on praying until she received an answer. We are to “cry out to God day and night” (Luke 18:7). * We are to pray with repentance. Our words are to be backed up by our life. When God hears this kind of prayer, arising from our hearts and lives as well as ...