The Midweek Bridge 28 July 2021

Prayer:  Holy God, you are faithful and unchanging. Please enlarge our minds with the knowledge of your truth, and draw us more deeply into the mystery of your love, that we may truly worship you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Introduction
How would you complete this sentence: “Life is ……….”?

Over the centuries, many people have made their suggestions. Here are a few – some more serious than others:
“Life is a hard fight, a struggle” (Florence Nightingale)
“Life is very sweet” (George Borrow)
“Life is an onion which one peels crying” (French Proverb)
“Life is an incurable disease” (Abraham Cowley)
“Life is one long process of getting tired” (Samuel Butler)

In today’s reading, “The Teacher” reflects on life, and makes some stark, even brutal observations. He reminds us how little we know, and how much is beyond us.

Reading: Ecclesiastes 9

After 8 chapters of The Teacher’s comments, we know his favourite word to describe human existence – “meaningless” (vanity, emptiness). He emphasises it especially in verse 9: “…all the days of this meaningless life…all your meaningless days.” This is probably not one of our best-loved Bible verses (!), but it warns us against the danger of cherishing comfortable illusions, (such as George Borrow’s in the quotation above).
Ecclesiastes 9 can be summarized by three short sentences, “Life is….”

1. LIFE IS UNCERTAIN (vv1, 4-6, 11-12)
“No-one knows…” (vv1, 12)
We live in a world full of amazing beauty and delight, but also full of ugliness and terrible pain. If we knew about God just from observing the world around us, what would we conclude? Yes – there is evidence of the powerful, glorious Creator. But does he love us or hate us? “Whether it is love or hate, man does not know” (v1).
The uncertainty of life is described poignantly in vv11-12. “Time and chance” happen to us all – and of course death always seems to have the last word. (This is pre-Christian truth!) I read these words of Andy Frost recently: “The Covid pandemic has shown us all afresh the pain of death, the fear of sickness, the challenge of uncertainty.” Even without pandemics, most of our life consists of steps into the unknown.

BUT is this uncertainty such a terrible thing? Do we not need to be reminded that we are not in control? Those who live in relative affluence and security can very easily slip into an attitude of arrogant self-sufficiency.
The uncertainty of life can and should keep us deeply humble.

2. LIFE IS UNFAIR (vv2-3, 13-16)
The same event – the big D – happens to everyone, whatever they are like, however they behave. God is apparently just not interested. The things that are supposed to matter to him (v2) make no difference. Hitler dies. Mother Teresa dies. Everyone dies. This is just wrong (v3). Unfair!
The little story in vv13-16 is another example of the injustice of life. That poor wise man had saved the whole city, but nobody remembered him. Unfair!

Are we concerned about the unfairness of life? Why? What makes us think this is wrong?
To the atheist, it should be no problem. (Why should life be “fair”?) But to those who trust in the loving, wise God, it is a huge problem, as it was to The Teacher. It leads us to lament.
Lament is a thread that runs through our story as people of faith. Lament means an honest, heartfelt conversation with God. We believe that God is just, faithful and steadfast in his love for us. So we bring our perplexity, our lack of understanding, our confusion, and sometimes our bitter tears, into our relationship with the God we trust.
The unfairness of life can and should keep us deeply lamenting.

3. LIFE IS GOD-GIVEN (vv7-10)
In these verses The Teacher recommends delighting in the simple pleasures of life, as he does in 5:18-19 and 8:15. Other philosophies also do that. But The Teacher’s main emphasis here is on God’s grace: “God has given…”, “God gives…”, “…gift of God”.
Commenting on this, Wesley Fuerst writes, “The mystery in life’s meaning lies in the fact that it is given.” No-one can create his or her own life. When we acknowledge that our life is given to us, not seized by us, we can live as God intended.

Centuries after The Teacher commended the enjoyment of God-given life, the apostle Paul writes to the young Christian leader Timothy. Paul warns him against false (pseudo-Christian) teachers, who “forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.” (1 Timothy 4:3-5)
The God-givenness of life can and should keep us deeply thankful.

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Prayer
Merciful God, teach us to be faithful in change and uncertainty, that trusting in your word and obeying your will, we may enter the unfailing joy of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Midweek Bridge 21 June 2021

Who is like the wise man?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

And lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge him,

And he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3 v.5/6

Reading: Ecclesiastes 8 – The text is included in italics below                                                 

Prayer – Lord, as we look at these scriptures, help us to listen to what you are saying to our hearts and not to lean on our own understanding.

The last verse in the book of Judges reads – “In those days Israel had no king: everyone did as he saw fit.” – This is the problem for all peoples – we prefer to go our own way. Israel so frequently tried to live independently of God but God’s wisdom was deeply imbedded in the culture of Israel from the time of Moses and Sinai. In a similar way Christianity is deeply imbedded in the culture of the UK (although it is, sadly, being eroded). As with Israel, we see our desire to do our own thing in conflict with that voice of God from the past; we have grown in such knowledge that, “Surely”, – we say, – “we have gained enough wisdom to choose our own path”. Today we live in a confused culture of inner conflict and tensions as described in this chapter.

Eccl. Ch.8 v.1 – Who is like the wise man? Who knows the explanation of things? Wisdom brightens a man’s face and changes its hard appearance.

For James ch.3 v.13 – 18 the heading in my Bible is – “Two kinds of wisdom.” In v.14/15 James writes, – “if you harbour bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts – – – – such wisdom does not come down from heaven but it is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.” – Then in v.17 James continues, – “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure, then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” The question here in Ecclesiastes ch.8 – “Who is like the wise man?” – does that relate to earthly wisdom or heavenly wisdom? During my life time knowledge has increased at an extremely rapid rate but has wisdom increased? Mankind has gained a deeper knowledge of the creation but has mankind grown in richer understanding of the Creator? The teacher says – “Wisdom brightens a man’s face and changes its hard appearance.” – but do we see happier faces around us? Which wisdom “brightens a man’s face? In this chapter, are we seeing the contrast, and even the conflict, between the two wisdoms?

We see this tension at play in the next verses – v.2 – Obey the kings command, I say, because you took an oath before God. – v.3 – Do not be in a hurry to leave the king’s presence. Do not stand up for a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases. – v.4 – Since a king’s word is supreme, who can say to him, “What are you doing?” When the ruling powers have rejected heavenly wisdom and respect no higher authority than themselves – “a king’s word is supreme,” – then how wise is it for the one who seeks heavenly wisdom to test that supremacy?  1 Peter 2 v.13 says – “Prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set you hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” – The teacher warns us not to act in haste, remember your oath before God, don’t get involved with earthly rebellions, be calm, patient and keep self-control for as we see in the verses below – “there is a proper time and procedure for every matter”.

Heavenly wisdom trusts in the Lord and awaits his perfect timing; sensitivity to the Lord’s timing is a precious gift from God; patience, faith, hope and humble waiting upon the Lord are essential in this unfair world under the sun.

v.5 – Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm, and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure. – v.6 – For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, though a man’s misery weighs heavily upon him.

Prov.16 v.25 reads – “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”  No matter how much earthly wisdom, knowledge and status we gain the reality is seen in v.7/8 – v.7 – Since no man knows the future, who can tell him what is to come? – v.8 – No man has power over the wind to contain it; so no one has power over the days of his death. As no-one is discharged in time of war, so wickedness will not release those who practice it.  – All our efforts at forward planning are based on too many – ‘unknown unknowns’ – so much of our life is outside of our control; earthly wisdom does not prevent wickedness from binding us unto death; we may delay it but we can’t escape from it.

The teacher saw all this. V.9/10 brought to mind Luke 21 v.2 – In the story Jesus told, we saw the rich putting their extravagant offerings of self-importance into the temple but it was the heavenly wise widow whose offering was pleasing to God. – v.9 – All this I saw, as I applied my mind to everything done under the sun. There is a time when a man lords it over others to his own hurt. v.10 – Then too, I saw the wicked buried – those who used to come and go from the holy place and receive praise in the city where they did this. This too is meaningless. The rich who lorded it over the widow might have had a more costly funeral than the widow but it was her offerings that had been acceptable to God; her death was ‘precious in his sight’ – psalm 116 v15.

v.11 – When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong. -There is a judgement to come but God is offering forgiveness and grace so the sentence is delayed but people continue with their own schemes and reject heavenly wisdom, they think they are getting away with it but we read –– v.12 – Although a wicked man commits a hundred crimes and still lives a long time, I know that it will go better with God-fearing men, who are reverent before God. – v.13 – Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow.  – death is final and for the wicked who do not fear God and trust in earthly wisdom there is no way to lengthen their days; the sun determines the length of our shadow. But, yes – “it will go better with God-fearing men, who are reverent before God”.

On earth – under the sun – there is a lot of unfairness; the wicked prosper whilst the righteous often suffer – v.14 – there is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: righteous men who get what the wicked deserve, and wicked men who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless. That, sadly, is the fruit of earthly wisdom, we see it daily in this life under the sun, but heavenly wisdom has justice and righteousness as its foundation; death is still the final outcome; for the wicked – death without hope – but, for the people of humble faith in the Lord – eternal life.

In the parable of the rich fool – Luke 12 v.17 – 21 – it was not the fact that he wanted to eat drink and be merry that was his folly but his rejection of heavenly wisdom and, resting in self-seeking earthly wisdom, his greed and lack of generosity towards God. In recent times we have seen the importance of being able to sit around the table with those whom we love – that is indeed a precious gift from God. – v.15 – So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun. – However,to truly know that joy around the table we need to understand the heavenly wisdom that comes from listening to God.

The teacher has seen the contrast between the two wisdoms and the danger for the man who depends on his own wisdom. v16 – When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe man’s labour on earth – his eyes not seeing sleep day or night- v.17 – then I saw all that God has done. No-one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all his efforts to search it out, man cannot discover its meaning. Even if a wise man claims he knows, he cannot really comprehend it. There is a basic difference between knowledge and understanding.

Heavenly wisdom is not fixed and static; it is like a constant stream of living water that we enter as we commune with the Lord. Let me quote Jeremiah ch.9 v.23/24:

This is what the Lord says:

let not the wise man boast of his wisdom

or the strong man boast of his strength

or the rich man boast of his riches,

but let him who boasts boast about this:

that he understands and knows me,

that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,

justice and righteousness on earth

for in these I delight – – declares the Lord.

Prayer: Forgive us Lord for we do often seek our own way. Help us Lord to listen to your heavenly wisdom and have that constant assurance of a heavenly future with you through Jesus Christ, our Saviour.

Amen

Rom.11 v.33 – 36 –

Oh, the depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counsellor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory for ever! –

 Amen.

The Midweek Bridge 14 July 2021

Prayer: O God, you are near to all who call upon you in truth. You are yourself the truth: to know you is eternal life. Instruct us with your divine wisdom, that we may know the truth and walk in it; through him in whom the truth was revealed, Jesus Christ your Son, our Lord. Amen.

Introduction
Do you believe everything in the Bible?
You may know that the Bible says (twice) “There is no God.” But the words immediately before are rather important: “The fool says in his heart…” (Psalm 14:1 & 53:1)
God speaks through all of his written word, but the Bible contains the words of many different voices. For the past 10 weeks, our “Mid-week Messages” have directed us to the voice of “The Teacher” in the book of Ecclesiastes. Today we continue to listen to his voice.
Warning: we may find some of his words shocking, or offensive.

Reading: Ecclesiastes 7:15-29

As David H pointed out last week, this chapter of Ecclesiastes is full of proverb-like pithy sayings. The Teacher bombards us with reflections, maxims and home truths. Some of them seem rather obvious, some are puzzling, and some are obnoxious. In today’s verses I think we can hear three voices speaking.

1) THE VOICE OF MR SENSIBLE (vv15-22)
“I’ve seen it all” says The Teacher. “Life is unfair. I’ve seen good people dying young, and bad people living to ripe old age. So the best motto to have is “Nothing to excess.” It’s common sense not to commit yourself, because you never know what will happen next. It’s sensible to have some faith: religion will take care of any risks, so you can enjoy the best of both worlds.” (vv15-18)
Mr Sensible is actually recommending moral cowardice. This is the logical result of rejecting the true living God, and thus rejecting any absolute values or claims on our lives. This is more and more the norm in our 21st century western society.

The sayings in vv19-22 are apparently sensible. Taking too seriously what others say about us is asking to get hurt. (Social media followers, beware!) But these verses (20-22) seem to treat our failings too casually – “No-one is perfect: we are all sinners, so don’t worry too much about your sin.” Other Scriptures paint a very different picture: the Lord Jesus Christ said “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin… If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:34-36)

How do we respond to the voice of Mr Sensible?

2) THE VOICE OF MR DISILLUSIONED (vv23-28)
After the cynical voice of Mr Sensible, we hear The Teacher now humbly admitting that he has failed to discover ultimate wisdom. He goes on searching – “What is life about?” (vv23-25)
But after these refreshingly honest and humble words, we find the appallingly sexist claims in vv26-28. Three points we should bear in mind:
a) “The woman” (v26) is the kind of person described in Proverbs 7:6-27 – a seductive predator. The Wisdom literature (of which Ecclesiastes is part) contains several references to an unwise man being trapped by a loose woman.
b) In v28, the word “upright” is not in the original. It reads “one man…. one woman…”
c) The Teacher in these verses is not laying down principles, but simply reporting what he has discovered (“I found…”). As Derek Kidner comments “His fruitless search for a woman he could trust may tell us as much about him and his approach, as about any of his acquaintances.” Like King Solomon (who had 700 wives and 300 concubines – i.e. 1000 women), he would have done much better to cast his net less widely! Later in Ecclesiastes (9:9), he recommends faithful monogamy!

3) THE VOICE OF SCRIPTURE (v29)
After the uncertainties and doubtful opinions of vv15-28, we find in v29 a refreshingly clear conclusion about human nature:
(a) God made humans upright (straightforward).
(b) But we have devised many schemes (made ourselves very complicated).
These words summarise the biblical view of God and humankind, expressed memorably in the first three chapters of the Bible. God created humans in his own image, male and female: he saw all that he had made, and it was very good (Genesis 1:27,31). But humans rebelled against his loving and wise purpose, with dreadful consequences (Genesis 3).
Our “many schemes” (v29) include our clouding of moral issues, our refusal of God’s straight way: we think we know better. But the words “God made mankind upright” are enough to give us real hope, rather than the despair of meaninglessness. God’s eternal purpose will stand: futility will not have the last word.

CONCLUSION
Whose voice will we listen to?
Mr Sensible says “Don’t commit yourself; have an open mind. By all means have a faith, but don’t go over the top with it. You don’t want to be called an extremist.”
The Lord Jesus said “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” (Mark 8:34-35)
Mr Disillusioned says “You’ll never find the real meaning of life. So just accept that, and hope for the best.”
The Lord Jesus said “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no-one can snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:27-28)

Prayer:
Risen Christ, faithful shepherd of your Father’s sheep: teach us to listen to your voice, to respond to your invitation and to obey your command. Amen.

The Midweek Bridge 7 July 2021

Ecclesiastes 7 verse 1 – 14

The author changes his style somewhat and launches into a series of proverb-like pithy sayings.

Life and death

1:  A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth.

2:  It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart.

3:  Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart.

4:  The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.

5:  It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools.

6:  Like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of fools. This too is meaningless.

A persons’ good, well earned reputation is so much better than fine perfume the best of which soon fades and disappears and whilst we rejoice at the birth of a child, recognising their potential as they grow, at a memorial service in our mourning there is substance to our love and appreciation of the deceased. We are saddened by their departure but can appreciate their value to us in their living. Our minds are directed to our own mortality and the question of our own eternal destiny. As Christians we rejoice that we have the hope of eternal life in our Saviour Jesus Christ. As Paul wrote:

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain”. (Philippians 1 : 21)

We have already been told that there is a time for everything but wisdom dictates that it is better to be aware that one day our life will end and we should consider the life beyond. The joy of feasting and merriment is great fun but fleeting and there is little that the wise can gain from it. When thorns are burnt they make a lot of noise but do not last very long and give out precious little heat. As the Psalmist wrote:

“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90 : 12)

We are in God’s hands

7:  Extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.

8:  The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.

9:  Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.

10:  Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is not wise to ask such questions.

11:  Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing and benefits those who see the sun.

12:  Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor.

13:  Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what he has made crooked?

14:  When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future.

The author now turns from matters of life and death into some wise observations about life generally. No one wants to look a fool but the person who turns aside from truth and justice to deception and lies, even though they may gain monetarily, makes themself a fool in the eyes of those who tempt them. It is obvious in our own society that power corrupts, the powerful try to avoid the strictures placed upon the rest of us and look foolish and shamed when they are found out.

Verses 8 and 9 call us to be patient in life and follow things through to a conclusion. We may start off with great enthusiasm, high spirits and pride, but success can only be achieved with perseverance and hard graft. It is far better to rejoice at the conclusion of a successful project than start with fanfares and ultimately fail. We are unwise if we get angry unnecessarily and let it fester within. This type of anger warps the personality and can lead to the breakdown of relationships and general misery. Self-control is part of the character of a Spirit filled life when we allow God the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us.

We have just spent a few days with some friends from a former church and the temptation is to look back with rose tinted glasses. It is a huge mistake to make any comparisons between the present and what happened in the past, in a different church, in a different town with different social circumstances, and when we were much, much younger. I remember a young person asking me in my youth-work days, “Dave, what was it like in the good old days?” (I was 36 at the time)! I hope I replied with wisdom, “These are the good old days, we should live for today”. I have tried to live by that idea, relishing what God is doing among us now.

Verse 11 states that although wisdom handed down from generation to generation is a good thing it can only be helpful to us this side of the grave. Verse 12 asks us to treat wisdom as an asset the same as monetary wealth both of which can be inherited and make life comfortable and worth living although knowledge used wisely is more beneficial.

for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her”.  (Proverbs 8 : 11)

Finally, the conclusion of this section of sayings states that above all we are in God’s hands come rain or shine. We know as Christians that we are called to be obedient to God’s calling on our lives, and that his grace and love for us mean that he has our eternal destiny on his heart and in his hands.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, help us by your Holy Spirit to be wise in our dealings with the world around us, always being aware that we are on a pilgrimage to a far better place in the presence of Jesus our Saviour. Amen

The Midweek Bridge 30 June 2021

 Where the heart is – –

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith,

we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Romans 5 v.1  

Reading: Ecclesiastes ch.6 – text is included below

Prayer: Open our hearts, Lord, that we might receive your word for us at this time.

In David’s prayer of repentance, Psalm 51, he prays – “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.” – How would you answer if I asked you – what is, for you, “the joy of your salvation”? I have been a Christian over 60 years and seen many wonderful things and known many lovely people but my answer would be – “Peace with God”. That has been my joy in all that I have seen and done; that deep peace of his presence is the most precious gift of God and that is all through his grace. It is that peace with God that has enabled me to enjoy all that I have but here in this chapter we have a man who has great “wealth, possessions and honour” but is not able to enjoy them. A man with no joy and no peace – why?

Eccl.6 v.1 – I have seen another evil under the sun, and it weighs heavily on men: v.2 God gives a man wealth, possessions and honour, so that he lacks nothing his heart desires, but God does not enable him to enjoy them, and a stranger enjoys them instead.

It would seem that ultimately, when the man dies, it will be a stranger who will enjoy all that God has given to him; not even a son. That speaks of a lonely existence, one wonders why. A lonely man with no joy – why? – – Why doesn’t God – “enable him to enjoy them”? These are questions we seek to answer in this study.

Do you remember the rich young man of Matt.19 v.16 – 24? (Richard mentioned him last week) He came to Jesus and asked – “Teacher, what good things must I do to get eternal life?” – After a brief discussion about the commandments, during which the young man said he had obeyed them all, Jesus said to him – “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me.” – When the young man heard this – “he went away sad, because he had great wealth.” –  Have you ever wondered what happened to that rich young man? This story in Ecclesiastes 6 brings him to mind; was this the end of his story; a man who had rejected God’s way?

We read on in Ecclesiastes 6 – This is meaningless, a grievous evil. v.3 A man may have a hundred children and live many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he cannot enjoy his prosperity and does not receive proper burial, – Such sadness; a man without hope, unable to enjoy all that he had, and the following verses reveal the bitterness of a life without hope.  I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. v.4 It comes without meaning, it departs in darkness and in darkness its name is shrouded. v.5 Though it never saw the sun or knew anything, it has more rest than does the man – Of course, we that are in Christ grieve because we love but we have the assurance that such a child, swaddled in love, has gone straight to heaven without ever having to say sorry to Jesus. As for that line about darkness, psalm 139 v.12, talking about God, says – “even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is light to you.” – The child will know God’s light in all its glory. Yes, the child didn’t experience the burdens of life under the sun but such a child certainly has more rest and peace with God than this man who lives under the sun but without hope. There is a lovely verse in Zech. Ch.8 v.5 speaking of the heavenly city – “The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.” – Hallelujah!

So, a man without hope, v.6 even if he lives a thousand years twice over but fails to enjoy his prosperity. Do not all go to the same place? – well they certainly all die but what happens after is what was worrying our rich young man who came to Jesus, his question was – “Teacher, what good things must I do to get eternal life?” – Here, we have a man, a very wealthy man, who has no joy, no peace and God won’t let him enjoy his prosperity that God has given him; a man who fears that he will never have rest, even in the grave. This is not necessarily an evil man, our young man said he had obeyed the commandments, but in these next verses do we begin to find understanding of the nature of this man?

v.7 All man’s efforts are for his mouth, yet his appetite is never satisfied. v.8 What advantage has a wise man over a fool? What does a poor man gain by knowing how to conduct himself before others? v.9 Better what the eye sees than the roving of the appetite. This too is meaningless, a chasing after wind.

Do we find here a man who has everything but is never satisfied; a man who continually seeks to better himself; a man, possibly wise in the ways of this world, but a man whose greed has turned him into a fool? A man of self-indulgence. – What else can we find?

v.10 whatever exists has already been named, and what man is has been known;” – Indeed, it is all known to God, every last jot – “no man can contend with one who is stronger than he. v.11 The more the words, the less the meaning, and how does that profit anyone?” – Who do you think is the one stronger than he; the one with whom the man contends? Are those many empty words an attempt at self-justification before God; the one who knows all things? Rather like the rich young man before Jesus – he had obeyed all the commandments but had no peace.

v.12 For who knows what is good for a man in life, during the few and meaningless days he passes through like a shadow? Who can tell him what will happen under the sun after he has gone? – Who indeed? The rich young man came to ask Jesus, the living authority, but the young man couldn’t accept the answer Jesus gave.

I think we can begin to understand this man’s problems but why doesn’t Godlet the man enjoy all the wealth that God has given him? I suggest it is because God loves him. The man only has to humble himself before God and, through grace alone, the man would find peace with God and the joy of salvation but he chooses to battle with God.  What does this tell us of the man’s nature? Our young man of Matt. 19 could have gone back to Jesus and found his salvation; eternal life and peace with God. We don’t know – but then, perhaps, like this man, he continued his life without hope, under the sun, clinging to the wealth that enchained him.

Where is your heart? – Where is your treasure? – Where is your joy?

Prayer:  We can only thank you Lord for the wonder of your grace. Help us Lord to walk humbly with you and live in the joy of our salvation, stepping out in faith, hope and love with the absolute assurance of eternity with you. Help us also Lord to reach out in compassion to those who are depressed with their lives under the sun and yet resist your love. Amen

The Midweek Bridge 23 June 2021

ECCLESIASTES 5: 8-20

RICHES ARE MEANINGLESS!

Money, money, money
Must be funny
In a rich man’s world
Money, money, money
Always sunny
In a rich man’s world
Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh
All the things I could do
If I had a little money
It’s a rich man’s world

You can stop singing along now – but if you didn’t know – this was a song by Abba; Money, money, money. And it leads to a deeper question; I wonder how they came up with the lyrics? Undoubtedly some are there because they fit into the song and rhyme – but these words revealed then (and now) one of the main desires of our culture; money.

And what is of no surprise is that it was no different in the times of our writer in Ecclesiastes. So would you turn to Ecclesiastes 5 and read through from verses 8 to 20. But just before that, shall we pray together:

Lord God, as we look at one of our great desires in our culture, would you so work now as we read your word and understand your message, that we ourselves would value you more than anything else. So once again we would ask that the same Holy Spirit who inspired the writer would now come and apply the great truth of scripture, that through this written word we would encounter the living Word, our own Lord Jesus. And in his lovely name we pray. Amen.

Please read Ecclesiastes 8-20

Money don’t satisfy

In verse 10 we see that whoever loves money – never has enough and is never satisfied. How meaningless is that says the writer. That the person would run after money but even when they get it – it doesn’t really satisfy.

It was said of a wealthy man who was asked what he would now like, given he had so much money. “Just a little more” was his answer! Of course you don’t need to be rich to desire money. If you’ve got money – you want more. And if you’ve not got money; you want it.

So I guess the deeper question is: why do we want money? I heard of a minister who had a young couple in his church and they wanted to talk about money as they had money issues. The husband complained that he was working hard to bring in a good salary but his wife was spending it as quickly as he was earning it. She was going to parties and was constantly buying new clothes, jewellery and expensive perfume. The wife explained that she wanted to look good and feel confident as she went out and about her life. The wife then complained that the husband was always wanting to save money and repay the mortgage and increase pension payments which she didn’t think was a priority. The husband explained that he wanted to be safe and secure whatever happened.

How would you have unravelled that pastoral issue? What the minister said was this: you are replacing God with money. To the wife he said – you want money so you can feel confident. So the foundation of your confidence is not the Lord and what he has done for you but what money can give you. To the husband he said – you want money so you can feel safe and secure. So the foundation of your safety and security is not the Lord and what he has done for you but what money can provide for you.

Do you see that they have replaced the Lord with money? But they have found that their “god of money” does not satisfy. This is not about sensible saving or spending but we are being warned here of not falling into the trap of loving money. We can easily fool ourselves that we are not in love with money – so be warned. Maybe take stock – and ask – do I obsess about money? Do I worry overly about it?

But remember above all: only the Lord can richly satisfy. Maybe it’s not about spending money – but spending time with the Lord. Have you tried that? Just taking time out – on your own. And unburdening yourself – casting all your burdens onto him.

Money worries

Our writer then goes on about the worries money and possessions give (verses 12-14). The problem with having money and possessions is then you start worrying you’ll lose it! As in the case of the rich young ruler who asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life to which Jesus answered: “sell all your possessions and give to the poor” – the rich young ruler’s possessions possessed him.

And people have so many possessions today that they hire storage space to hold all their surplus possessions!

We end up worrying that we will lose our possessions – so we store, lock up, insure, keep safe what we have.

So what’s the point, the writer concludes of having money and possessions – if it just causes you worry? Or that your life is consumed with accumulating and protecting wealth? Our writer concludes in verse 15 that we arrive in this world naked – and leave this world with nothing. So what’s the point or working for money since all we gain is (verse 16) is for the wind? It is interesting to note that the writer writes in verse 17 that such a person is consumed with great frustration, affliction and anger.

One of the marks of our culture is one of anger. Have you noticed how angry people are these days? One of the causes of this is that someone without God is on their own. They have to make their mark and if people cannot do what they want to do; they cannot make their mark – one of the effects of this is anger. Praise God that to live for God is to start to understand that in any situation, God himself can use that for good.

The rightful place of wealth

Our writer then thinks and realises that there’s nothing wrong with eating and drinking; clearly we need food and drink to survive (verse 18). There’s nothing wrong in enjoying our work. And notice the difference. The person who says there is no God – has to derive meaning from their work; namely money, possessions, power or even providing for the family or for the future etc. But for the believer, we can simply enjoy work for what it is. For providing an income through which we can live; to enable us to use our brains and our bodies and our abilities. To enable us to serve not ourselves but God himself as we serve others in our work.

And interestingly the writer concludes that the giver of wealth and possessions is God himself. It is God who has placed you where you are. This difference this makes is huge. If God has placed you at your place of work; or in the road you live in – there must be purpose in that. He has a reason for this. That means there are people you can serve; opportunities to serve God today. So maybe we need to open our eyes to where God has placed us today. In the journeys we take and in what God has given us.

So the writer concludes that our possessions are not actually ours but are leased from God for us to use and enjoy. One day they will be gone – but if they were a gift from God – they weren’t actually ours in the first place. What he is saying is that we can only really enjoy wealth and possessions when we place them in their rightful place; which is certainly not in God’s place. Then, when God is in his rightful place in our lives; we can then start to enjoy these things for the fleeting time we have them without fear of losing them – because we possess the greatest treasure, Jesus, in our hearts.

And finally in verse 20 do you sense the lightness of spirit of our writer? What possesses him is not his possessions, but to live for God. Do you remember that old hymn:

So maybe this is something we simply need to do; turn our eyes upon Jesus and away from possessions that possess us.

Let’s pray

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in his wonderful face

And the things of this world will grow strangely dim

In the light of his wonder and grace

Father God, would you reveal to me anything I have that has come to possess me and know that only you can truly satisfy. Would you help me to place you in your rightful place in my life and enjoy you forever.

In Jesus name.

Amen

The Midweek Bridge 16 June 2021

Prayer:  Almighty God, you search us and you know us: may we rely on you in strength and rest on you in weakness, now and in all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Introduction
“The Father uttered one Word; that Word is his Son, and he utters him for ever in everlasting silence; and in silence the soul has to hear it.” (St John of the Cross)
“By your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Jesus Christ, in Matthew 12:37)

Reading: Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

In these verses “The Teacher” urges his readers to take great care with their words, especially in worship. His advice is razor-sharp. He is not addressing hypocrites or particularly bad people. His target is “the well-meaning person who likes a good sing and turns up cheerfully enough to church; but who listens with half an ear, and never quite gets round to what he has volunteered to do for God. Such a person has forgotten where and who he is; above all, who God is.” (Derek Kidner)
The Teacher cuts to the heart of the matter – when we worship, we have a problem with words.

1. WORSHIP: MANY OR FEW WORDS? (vv1-3)
Watch your step! Listen! (i.e. pay attention and obey.) Danger: beware of many words!
The noted American evangelist D.L.Moody had a practical mind that never let a meeting get out of hand. Long public prayers particularly irritated him. Once he told his song leader, Sankey, “Lead us in a hymn while our brother is finishing his prayer.”
The Lord Jesus warned his followers against religious leaders who “for a show make lengthy prayers” (Mark 12:40). In teaching the disciples about prayer, he told them “Do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words” (Matthew 6:7). Perhaps Jesus had in mind the prophets of Baal in the showdown with Elijah at Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:25-29).

In our worship (together or individually), do we value silence, or are we frightened by it? Do we spend more time singing or speaking to God, than listening to him? Why do we repeat songs, but not repeat Scripture readings?
When pedestrians approach a railway track crossing, they should “STOP. LOOK. LISTEN.” That instruction applies when we approach God.

2. WORSHIP: EMPTY OR REAL WORDS? (vv4-7)
 The Teacher is concerned not just about the number of words. Far more important is the reality of those words: do the worshippers actually mean what they say?
“When you make a vow to God…” (v4) echoes the command God gave the Israelites through Moses (Deuteronomy 23:21-23). Scripture warns us “It is a trap for a person to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider his/her vows” (Proverbs 20:25). Perhaps the most appalling and tragic example of a rash promise to God is Jephthah’s vow (Judges 11:30-40). By contrast, Hannah’s vow was clearly honoured by God, as she became the mother of Samuel (1 Samuel 1).

We do not often make vows – but we do make promises to other people. “I’ll phone you tomorrow.” “I’ll pay for the holiday.” And we are certainly aware of the promises made by politicians. The recent G7 Summit Meeting included national leaders making promises about supplying Covid-19 vaccines to poorer countries – “Vows for Vaccines”.
But what about promises we make to God? The Teacher is scathing about people whose vows to God are not fulfilled: they are “fools” (v4). To be casual or offhand with God is a sin – to be punished (v6). This is not just “Old Testament harshness”: the New Testament has similar warnings about pious but empty words. Jesus uses strong language: “Not everyone who says to me “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven…. Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”” (Matthew 7:21, 23)
In the context of worship, to be foolish is “to pour out a stream of pious phrases which trifle with our Sovereign and outrun our actual thinking and intending” (Derek Kidner).
When I think of some of the words I say or sing to God, I tremble. “O Jesus, I have promised to serve you to the end…” “I will offer up my life in spirit and truth…” “Refiner’s fire, my heart’s one desire is to be holy, set apart for you, Lord. I choose to be holy…”
Should we utter those words, or should we be silent?
            Dear Lord and Father of mankind, forgive our foolish ways:
            re-clothe us in our rightful mind; in purer lives your service find,
            in deeper reverence, praise.

Prayer:
Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord: keep watch over the door of my lips.

O God, we come to you, and we draw near to listen.
Lord, do not let our speech lead us into sin:
let us not go back on our promises,
but stand in awe of you,
our Judge and our Redeemer. Amen.

The Midweek Bridge 9 June 2021

Ecclesiastes 4 verse 1 – 16

Power and it’s abuse

Qoheleth now reflects on the realities of political power and it’s abuse.

1:  Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed–and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors–and they have no comforter. 2:  And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive. 3:  But better than both is he who has not yet been, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.

Twentieth century history is a prime example of how tyranny can easily occur even from a democratic background. Human nature has not changed and it is very often the case that when given any amount of power and influence human nature will inevitably abuse it unless checks and balances are in place. This can happen on a world, national or local political level.  Even the workplace, the office, the school or even the Church are not exempt.

We know from our news outlets that even in the home abuse can occur leaving the abused without comfort or help resulting in them being mentally desperate.  It is indeed deeply saddening that Qoheleth states that the dead and those not yet born are better off than those who have to live under this oppression.

Ambition and motivation

4:  And I saw that all labour and all achievement spring from man’s envy of his neighbour. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.5:  The fool folds his hands and ruins himself.6:  Better one handful with tranquillity than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind. 7:  Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:

Qoheleth now turns his thoughts to ambition and motivation. He observes that there is a competitive nature to work, one vying with another to gain advantage of position or remuneration. I have experienced this in my banking career where people tried to ingratiate them selves with the boss in order to get on. Regrettably all to often it worked and people got promoted beyond their capabilities causing frustration and unrest among their staff.

As a Christian in management I believed that God had placed me where he wanted me to be and I always tried to do the best I could, investing my time in encouraging and training my staff to do their best. Generally speaking this led to a happy and efficient office with everyone maintaining a good balance of work and home life and usually good results for our employer!

In verse 5 Qoheleth contrasts the workaholic with a lazy person who does not attempt any work at all and so condemns themself to hunger and poverty. Sadly in any society there are those who through circumstances beyond their control are unable to work and any just and equitable community would make provision for them.

Verse 6 confirms present thinking that a good work / life balance is essential to not only a happy family life but a fruitful and satisfying working life as well. This is all well and good if your bosses are enlightened enough to agree!

Companionship

8:  There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. “For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?” This too is meaningless–a miserable business!

9:  Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:

10:  If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! 11:  Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? 12:  Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

There is a temptation for those who are on their own to focus entirely on work and the accumulation of wealth but unless that wealth can be shared and enjoyed Qoheleth states that it is quite meaningless. He then applauds the idea of working with a partner who shares the labour and adds a measure of protection against misfortune. It is not explicit in the text but this could just as easily apply to a marriage partnership adding mutual love and affection to the advantages. Quite what is meant in the second part of verse 12 is open to interpretation. He could mean that a third person would make the partnership even stronger. In relation to a family it could mean that children would add to the strength of the unit as it certainly did in an agricultural society. On the other hand as a Christian having God, through Jesus Christ, as the third cord works for me.

 Public acclaim

13:  Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to take warning.14:  The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom. 15:  I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king’s successor.16:  There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

In a democracy the voters can be very fickle. The recent history of our country has demonstrated this. Both Margaret Thatcher and later Tony Blair came into power on a wave of popularity but both eventually managed to disconcert the voters as they revealed their true personalities and political ambitions. Fortunately in our democracy the mechanics are in place to make political changes as otherwise we would be back to verse 1 of this chapter and under the rule of tyrants like those leaders in some Eastern Bloc countries (or indeed the USA)  who think nothing of manipulating the voting system to get the results they require.  Qoheleth certainly understood human nature and the society of his day and things have barely changed.

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

As far as we have responsibility help us to respect those who look to us for leadership and help us to seek only the best for those you have placed over us. May we learn to love one another as Jesus loved us by dying on the cross to reconcile us to our Father God. In his name and in the power of the Holy Spirit we pray. Amen

The Midweek Bridge 2 June 2021

Prayer:  Holy God, you are faithful and unchanging. Please enlarge our minds with the knowledge of your truth, and draw us more deeply into the mystery of your love, that we may truly worship you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Introduction
I can be spent. I can be wasted. I can be passed. I can be killed. What am I?
(If you want to know the answer now, see the end of this message!)

What is the point of life? What are human beings? What brings real satisfaction? Big questions like this are not often spoken aloud, but they lie beneath the surface of our mind. In Ecclesiastes, “The Teacher” does not shy away from such questions. Today’s reading faces them head on.

Reading: Ecclesiastes 3

1. THERE IS A TIME FOR EVERYTHING, BUT…… (vv1-11)
“A time to hug, and a time to refrain from hugging” (v5). In early 2020, who would have thought that the day would soon come when we wouldn’t be allowed to hug?
The memorably haunting poem in vv1-8 speaks of the rhythms of life and the inescapable pendulum of events – to and fro, to and fro. Are we just puppets, dangling on a string at the mercy of forces we cannot control?
The Teacher describes what he has observed, “the business that God has given people to be busy with” (v10). He also knows the truth expressed wonderfully in v11: God has made everything (literally) “to suit its time”. So we can see all these changing events as part of a God-given pattern. They are not just random, mindless occurrences, but can reveal a dynamic, divine purpose.
So, “Through all the changing scenes of life, in trouble and in joy,
       the praises of my God shall still my heart and tongue employ.”

Furthermore, The Teacher knows that God has “put eternity into human hearts/minds”. We are not imprisoned by the “now”. We know enough of eternity to be able to compare what is temporary with what is eternal. As the apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)

BUT…… we do not fully comprehend what God does (v11b): indeed, sometimes we may be deeply perplexed – “O God, I just don’t understand…”. We are like a very short-sighted person (as Richard described himself in last week’s mid-week message), who is faced with an enormous mural or tapestry. We inch our way along, trying to take it all in: we cannot stand back far enough to appreciate the whole picture.

2. THERE IS FULFILMENT IN LIFE, BUT…… (vv12-22)
Deep within every human heart is a yearning for real satisfaction and fulfilment in life. The Teacher knows this well. He has already stated that a person “can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their work” (2:24). Now he repeats that the best we can do is to be joyful and do good as long as we live, to eat and drink and find job-satisfaction (vv12-13,22).
These good gifts are not to be disparaged or scorned as “unspiritual”. Paul the apostle wrote to Timothy warning him against “hypocritical liars” – teachers who “forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good…” (1 Timothy 4:1-5). As a wall-banner in St Christopher’s reminds us, these gifts are from “God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:17).

BUT…… even God’s good gifts are subject to distortion or misuse or abuse (v16). And sooner or later death comes along and spoils the party (vv18-21). And who knows what will happen next? (v22).

CONCLUSION
Are you a pessimist or an optimist? Glass half-full or glass half-empty? What about The Teacher? In this chapter he shows he is a realist – he faces the facts of life and of death, of time and eternity. He tells us that the despair which he describes is not his own, and need not be ours. Clearly his ultimate confidence and hope are in nothing less than God himself.
God’s desire, God’s purpose is that human beings “revere him” (v14). This reverence or fear is revealed in the New Testament as a relationship of loving obedience and trust, through the Lord of life and death, of time and eternity, Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!
So, “Fear him, you saints, and you will then have nothing else to fear;
       his service shall be your delight, your needs shall be his care.”

Prayer:
God, our Judge and Saviour, teach us to be open to your truth and to trust in your love, that we may live each day with confidence in the salvation which is given through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

++++++++

Answer: Time

The Midweek Bridge 26 May 2021

ECCLESIASTES 2: 12-26

Morning everyone. I hope you’re ok. Let’s pray together as we consider the giver of all wisdom:

Heavenly Father, we bow before you thanking you for your word, the Bible and the Holy Spirit who inspired the writer to write these words. And we would ask once more, dear Father, that that same Holy Spirit who inspired the writer would now come and apply the truth of scripture to our hearts; that through this written word, by the spoken word we would meet the living Word, our Lord Jesus Christ. And it is in his lovely name we pray. Amen

Do you know the song Imagine written and sung by John Lennon? Here’s the first verse….

Imagine there’s no Heaven
It’s easy if you try
No Hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people livin’ for today

Great tune – but what completely depressing lyrics! Actually if you look at the rest of the song – if it wasn’t so serious – the lyrics are almost laughable when we consider what has happened in the world since those words were written.

David, John and Ian have unpacked the first chapter and a half and there at least appears to be some link between King Solomon and Ecclesiastes. Jewish tradition inferred that Solomon wrote Song of Songs when he was young; Proverbs when he was middle aged and Ecclesiastes when he was old and bitter!

And here we may have someone looking back over their life from a cynical view point and it is almost a tongue-in-cheek sarcastic look at life without God with the expression “under the sun” being repeated continually. This expression “under the sun” essentially means “life without God”.

So it is as if the writer is singing

“…Imagine there’s no God….”

So here’s our reading in Ecclesiastes – so shall we read this with this and all we have learned in the previous weeks in mind. So here we go – Ecclesiastes 2: 12-26

Wisdom and Folly Are Meaningless

12 Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom,
    and also madness and folly.
What more can the king’s successor do
    than what has already been done?
13 I saw that wisdom is better than folly,
    just as light is better than darkness.
14 The wise have eyes in their heads,
    while the fool walks in the darkness;
but I came to realize
    that the same fate overtakes them both.

15 Then I said to myself,

“The fate of the fool will overtake me also.
    What then do I gain by being wise?”
I said to myself,
    “This too is meaningless.”
16 For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered;
    the days have already come when both have been forgotten.
Like the fool, the wise too must die!

Toil Is Meaningless

17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 18 I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. 19 And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. 20 So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labour under the sun. 21 For a person may labour with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. 22 What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labour under the sun? 23 All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.

24 A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? 26 To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

In verse 12-14a we see that the writer considers wisdom on one hand and madness & folly on the other. He concludes that there are clear advantages of having wisdom over folly but then the shattering truth hits him: the same fate befalls them all; both wise and foolish will both die. So if we’re all going to die – what’s the point? What’s the point of gaining wisdom if we will die and that wisdom with it? It will all be swept away.

So our writer writes in verse 15: life is meaningless and then even if there was a crumb of comfort that a wise person would be remembered by his friends and family – he realises that soon everyone would be long forgotten.

And he hated life because all that he worked at was meaningless as he would soon be dead. Even what he worked at would have to be left to someone else and (more than likely) they would squander it and of course they would then die. So what’s the point? And what’s the point of working hard with all the anxiety and hassle and stress – and then sleepless nights? When you have possessions – you just worry about it.

So our writer concludes – it’s all meaningless. This life is utterly meaningless. So you may as well do as you like (eat, drink etc) and live for today – which is where John Lennon got to on the first verse of “Imagine”.

It is as if our writer collapses in a heap of despair. How grim life is without God. It’s all a matter of chance what happens. But good or bad, wise or foolish – the result is the same. There’s no escape. Death makes life meaningless. And what’s more you’re on your own. How utterly empty and pointless life is.

Then it is as if a thought springs into his mind like an email pinging into our mailbox. There’s something missing. What if there is a God?

He realises in verse 25 that if there is a God then one can find enjoyment. Or to put it another way – life without God is a life forever waiting for death – and you cannot enjoy anything for what it is because in the background death may sweep away the very thing you need in order to enjoy anything which is life itself. It is as if the stench of death overpowers any enjoyment of anything. It is like waiting for bad news to arrive. You know it’s on the way but you can’t really appreciate anything truly in that time as you wait.

But what if there is a God? Then wisdom, knowledge and happiness have meaning? Why? A few reasons:

  1. If there is a God – there is more to life than life itself. And if there is life after death then death is not this black chasm we fall into when we die.
  2. If there is life after death then it is at least possible to enjoy the things of this earth without fearing your impending doom. So therefore we can enjoy things in life for what they are – unspoilt by death.
  3. It’s interesting that the writer says that God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness. These are gifts of God. So they are connected to and flow from God. All that people chase after in this life is actually a gift of God! For non-believers they are things to be attained and gripped onto for fear of losing them – but lose them they will. But for the believer these are given by God himself – and can be enjoyed as a gift forever linked to the giver.

So the writer now sees that how life can be meaningful can only be if there is a God.

I am very short sighted and when I go to the optician, they put on this pair of glasses which have no lenses in. If the optician asked me to read the letters on the screen – it would be impossible. What would be the point of looking? I couldn’t see the screen let alone the letters! But when the optician puts the lenses in – it all comes into focus and I can see.  Without God – life is meaningless – it makes no sense. But add God – and life makes sense.

Just a couple of final reflections:

Going back to verse 26 when we see God is the giver of wisdom – can I draw you to a lovely passage in James 1 (verse 5-8):

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

Our Lord loves to give wisdom; not just for tough situations but for all situations. And reading this and our passage surely what we are saying here is that these gifts are a continual flow; not something that is gained and pocketed. Therefore these gifts are conditional on continually asking and trusting. And of course typically we don’t ask for wisdom until we’ve exhausted every possibility! So why don’t we consider, in all situations – where we feel confident or not – asking the Lord for his wisdom. In this situation or that situation – asking him for it and resting in his promise. And making that a pattern of our life.

Secondly, just as I was working through this, reflecting on the sheer misery of John Lennon’s utterly depressing Imagine – there was one hymn that was so glorious – so majestic – that contrasted so vividly with the hopelessness of Imagine – and that is Thine be the Glory. Here we have a hymn that rejoices in our Lord Jesus who is alive today – who has conquered death. And what’s more he has done it for us. What a Saviour who would smash into smithereens the grisliness and desperation of death? And what’s more this Saviour longs to save people; that is he delights in having saved you – in saving you today and in the saving that he will do.

What a contrast! What joy!

Thine be the glory
Risen conquering Son
Endless is the victory
Thou o’er death hast won

Angels in bright raiment
Rolled the stone away
Kept the folded grave clothes
Where Thy body lay

Thine be the glory
Risen conquering Son
Endless is the victory
Thou o’er death hast won

Lo! Jesus meets us
Risen from the tomb
Lovingly, He greets us
Scatters fear and gloom

Let the church with gladness
Hymns of triumph sing
For her Lord now liveth
Death hath lost its sting

Thine be the glory
Risen conquering Son
Endless is the victory
Thou o’er death hast won

No more we doubt Thee
Glorious Prince of life
Life is naught without Thee
Aid us in our strife

Make us more than conquerors
Through Thy deathless love
Bring us safe through Jordan
To Thy home above

Thine is the glory
Risen conquering Son
Endless is the victory
Thou o’er death hast won

The Midweek Bridge 19 May 2021

In Search of Happiness

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Prov.9 v.10

Prayer: – Help us Lord to understand your word and what you are teaching us today.

Reading: Ecclesiastes ch.2 v.1 – 11

Jewish scholars attribute Ecclesiastes to either Solomon or a writer, who calls himself the Teacher (Koheleth), using the words of Solomon. This chapter presents a life style very much like that of king Solomon in his later years so let’s take a brief look at Solomon’s life. – To understand what the Teacher is saying in this chapter, it is first necessary to see what is not there and then to examine what is there. Solomon was very young when he became king and died in his fifties after 40 years as king; these writings are the words of an old man looking back on the key lessons he has learned in his relatively short life; a life spent in the pursuit of happiness and the meaning of life.

From 1 Kings ch.3 v.1 – 15 we can get the story of Solomon’s beginnings as king of Israel in Jerusalem. In v.3 we read – “Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the statutes of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.” It was at one of those high places that he prayed (v.9) “give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.” In v.12 we find God’s answer – “I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.” After this encounter with God, we find in v.15, “He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.”  From this Solomon went on to build the temple in Jerusalem to provide a place for the ark of the Lord’s covenant and a dwelling place for God in the centre of Jerusalem. God had given Solomon the gift of wisdom and perhaps his greatest project was the building of the temple.

Before we go on, I feel I should give you a little reminder of a lesson learned by some of the great men of the old testament:

  •  In Num.20 v.1 – 13 – at the waters of Meribah – Moses, in his anger, frustration and grief, left God out of his actions and struck the rock to give the people water; he was denied entry to the promised land.
  • In Exod.32 v.1 – 4 – at Mount Sinai – Aaron, trying to calm the people of Israel, left God out of his plan and produced the golden calf which the people then worshipped.
  • In 2 Sam.11 v.1 – 17 – David – in his affair with Bathsheba – left God out of his plans and caused the death of a faithful soldier.

If we leave God out of our plans it ends in tears.

Now, if you read the verses 4 – 9 of our reading below, you may see what is not there.

v.4 I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. V.5 I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. V.6 I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. V.7 I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. V.8 I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well – the delights of the heart of man. V.9 I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.

What do you see as the difference between these projects and – perhaps his greatest project – the Temple?

“I undertook great projects” – Do you think he had invited God into these projects?

What would you say was the main aim of these projects?

“In all this my wisdom stayed with me” – where had he got his wisdom?

If we go back to v.1 – 3 we might gain some understanding of what the teacher was trying to do and the lessons he is now trying to teach us:

v.1 I thought in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. v.2 “Laughter,” I said, “is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?” v.3 I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly– my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.

There is deep within our nature the desire for knowledge and to grow in understanding; it is a God given gift. Another gift from the Lord is the freedom of choice. How did the teacher choose to seek knowledge and with what purpose?

Whose mind was guiding him and with whose wisdom?

From v.10, below – had the teacher achieved his objectives?

v.10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labour.

But when we come to v.11, we see the fruit of all this seeking for knowledge but from a source that was not of God:

v.11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after wind; nothing was gained under the sun.

The word – meaningless – is an inadequate translation from the Hebrew. To try to explain the sense of the word I wish to put a picture in your mind; for that we need to go to Genesis ch.2 v.7. – When God had made Adam, we read – “God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” –  Do you gain a picture of the man before and after God had breathed the breath of life into him?  – The Hebrew word Hevel – (meaning – vapour, breath, steam) – which, in this context, we translate as meaningless, has the sense of just vapour, a passing breath – empty of the breath of life.

If I now rewrite v.11 – “Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was just a vapour, a passing breath – empty of the breath of life, – a chasing after wind; nothing was gained under the sun.

Had the teacher found happiness as reward for all his toil?

When we leave God out of our plans does our wisdom become as folly?

How should we use the gifts and abilities God has given to us in order to gain the most satisfaction and happiness?

Is there a message in the book of Ecclesiastes for modern generations?

Prayer: Forgive us Lord because we so often push ahead with our own plans and don’t consult you until after the event. Help us Lord to realise you are present in every aspect of our life and wish to be invited in to lead us in all that we do. You have given us gifts and abilities – we thank you Lord – help us to offer them back to you in service and not to use them for our own gratification. Keep us Lord from folly. Amen

O Breath of Life, come sweeping through us,

Revive Thy Church with life and power,

O Breath of Life, come cleanse, renew us,

And fit Thy Church to meet this hour.

The Midweek Bridge 12 May 2021

Prayer: O God, you are near to all who call upon you in truth. You are yourself the truth: to know you is eternal life. Instruct us with your divine wisdom, that we may know the truth and walk in it; through him in whom the truth was revealed, Jesus Christ your Son, our Lord. Amen.

Introduction
A gloomy, suicidal treatise.” “A cheery, worldly alternative to the gloomy life of monasticism.” Those are two descriptions of the book of Ecclesiastes.
So if we believe, with the apostle Paul, that “all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16), we may well wonder why Ecclesiastes is included in the Bible. (In fact, some people over the years have tried to exclude it.)
This small book has a unique message in the Old Testament. “It poses harder questions, raises graver doubts, and arrives at more despairing conclusions than any other book.” (Wesley Fuerst)
Yet Ecclesiastes has also been described as “an appropriate preparation for Christ”, and as “the most shattering messianic prophecy in the Old Testament”. I read  recently that one “Yakar” Christian from southern Russia has requested 10 copies of Ecclesiastes (in her own language), because she wanted to present them to all her relatives in her home village. She said “When I read this book in my own language, it becomes so close and touches me so deeply…I have shivers running up and down my spine.”
What about us, living in 21st century Britain? Ecclesiastes reminds us of uncomfortable facts – facts from experience, facts of life and death, facts about God. Living as we do in a society that often tries to run away from such facts, this book has a vital message for us. May we get spinal shivers also!

Reading: Ecclesiastes 1:12-18

Last week David H led us through the opening poem of the book, with its motto-theme “Meaningless, meaningless… everything is meaningless” (v2). On last Sunday’s Radio Solent service, I heard Jamie Jones-Buchanan, a professional rugby league player, talk of how true he had found that message to be: the euphoria of great sporting achievement evaporates in a few days, and is replaced by a feeling of emptiness – “meaningless”.
Now, in Ecclesiastes 1:12 – 2:26, “The Teacher” describes his search for satisfaction. Can anything on earth have lasting value? In vv12-18 he speaks of his search for fulfilment through wisdom.

1) A GREAT UNDERTAKING
The Teacher was a professional “Wise Man”, who spent his time seeking wisdom, thinking about wisdom, writing about wisdom. “I devoted myself (literally “I applied my heart”) to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven” (vv13, 17). He acquired more wisdom than any of his predecessors (v16).
BUT what sort of wisdom was this? The Teacher does not mention here the first principle of true wisdom – namely, the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7 & 9:10). His book will conclude with that (Eccles.12:13), but here he seems to be relying on humanistic thinking – the best that man can do on his own. So this great undertaking has led him to

2) A GREAT DISAPPOINTMENT
The Teacher’s search for satisfaction leads him to a stark realisation:- life is characterised by frustration and restlessness. What is more, he sees that this is God’s will! “It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of men to be busy with.” (v13) The Teacher knows that, as a result of mankind’s disobedience, God imposed a purposeful discipline on all human endeavour, marked by pain, toil and sweat (Genesis 3:17-19).
Hundreds of years after Ecclesiastes, the apostle Paul wrote that the whole of creation was subjected to frustration (futility, meaninglessness) by the will of God. A hopeless situation? NO! Paul knew, and we can know that by God’s grace, his creation will be set free from its slavery (Romans 8:20-21).

CONCLUSION
In his search for satisfaction through understanding and knowledge, The Teacher discovered that even the greatest human wisdom does not answer our misgivings about life; it just sharpens them. Wisdom is all about truth, and truth compels us to see that nothing on earth is permanent.

In the universal human quest for meaning and fulfilment, people seek satisfaction in all sorts of ways. Some seek it through their work, some through art or sport. Many look for it in friendships or relationships or family. Others may seek it through doing voluntary service or through religious observance and church work.
In themselves, all these efforts will result in ultimate disappointment, as The Teacher found. So is that the end of the story?
Listen to St Augustine: “Thou hast created us for Thyself, and our heart is not quiet until it rests in Thee.”
Listen to the Psalmist: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.” (Psalm 42:1)
Listen to God’s word through Isaiah: “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters… Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labour on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live.” (Isaiah 55:1-3)
Listen to the Lord Jesus Christ: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

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Prayer: God our Father, whose Son Jesus Christ gives the water of eternal life; may we thirst for you, the spring of life and source of goodness, through him who is alive and reigns, now and for ever. Amen.

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Midweek Bridge 5 May 2021

Ecclesiastes 1 verse 1 – 11

Ecclesiastes is found in the poetic and wisdom part of the Old Testament in our Bibles. Over centuries scholars have failed to find a consensus about its date and authorship or indeed about its predominant theme or meaning within the whole canon of the Hebrew Bible. So for these introductory verses let us read them and try to apply them to ourselves.

1:  The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:

A narrator opens the book stating that he is quoting from someone he refers to as the Teacher. This is not a name as such but a title which has no real equivalent in English but is translated for us in the NIV as “Teacher”, in other translations as “Preacher”. Many scholars now just like to refer to him as “Qoheleth” or “Koheleth”.  The narrator then describes him as the son of David, king in Jerusalem. (Our minds turn immediately to Solomon who had a reputation for wisdom although in his later years he unwisely turned away from God under the influence of his many wives and concubines.) The narrator chooses not to actually name Qoheleth as Solomon so we are left wondering. It is clear however that the narrator wants us to accept that the  words of wisdom that follow come from someone who had experienced a full life of luxury and material wealth having all that the world can offer.

2:  “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” 3:  What does man gain from all his labour at which he toils under the sun?

Other translations have “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity”. Qoheleth starts on what seems to be a note of despair. Is it meaningless for a man to work to feed and care for his family? In the final analysis he is only part of the great cycle of creation which for humans inevitably ends in death.

4:  Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.

5:  The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises.

6:  The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. 7:  All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again.

This idea of an endless cycle is contrary to the message of the Bible generally where we are told that creation although cyclical in seasons did have a start and is progressing to an end in its current form when the Day of the Lord comes with a new earth and a new heaven. As we have discovered in lockdown however life can seem tedious in the extreme and for people who have no faith in Jesus and his promise to come again may appear futile if this is all there is.

  8:  All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.

It is like the child of wealthy parents at Christmas or on their birthday who has so many presents to open that no sooner is the first parcel opened than it is discarded to move onto the second and so on  until they are surrounded by so much stuff they don’t know where to turn. Nothing has any value, it is meaningless because of its sheer volume. In reality the child would probably want to play with the cardboard boxes rather than their contents!

9:  What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. 10:  Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time. 11:  There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow.

The extravagant palace of Emperor Nero, the Domus Aurea, which boasts some 300 rooms covered in dazzling polished white marble, was first uncovered in 2009 by a team of French and Italian archaeologists. Recently, the luxurious palace revealed another surprise – a revolving dining room which once served the illustrious guests of the infamous ruler. Archaeologists called the 2,000-year-old revolving platform one of the most peculiar and sophisticated structures of antiquity.

People have always been creative and learned to work with the available technology of their time and we often wonder at what they achieved and how they did it. This phrase, “there is nothing new under the sun”, is often quoted and in its context it seems to be a sigh of despair as if there is no point in being innovative and creative as someone, somewhere has been there, done that before.

The question for us thinking about this opening statement,  “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless,” and in our further studies,is this,does this represent the accumulated wisdom of Qoheleth or is he putting forward the wisdom of the Godless world he sees around him and will he eventually reveal the wisdom of a God-fearing person?

Paul wrote to the churches in Rome:

“Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.” Romans 16 : 19

A Prayer

Heavenly Father, we pray that you will give the wisdom to understand your love for us expressed in the life, death and resurrection of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Help us to live as wise about all you have given us and innocent of the temptations of the evil one. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask this Amen.

The Midweek Bridge 28 April 2021

Prayer: Eternal God, whose Son Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life; grant us to walk in his way, to rejoice in his truth, and to share his risen life; who is alive and reigns, now and for ever. Amen.

Introduction
This is the last of our series of mid-week messages based on the New Testament letters of the apostle Peter. These two letters are quite different, for they were written to two very different situations. 1 Peter addresses Christians who are facing persecution. 2 Peter is for Christians who are facing the danger of false teaching. So, while the key-note of 1 Peter is hope, the key-note of 2 Peter is true knowledge.
Our Bible passage today is chapter 3 of 2 Peter, but we ought to read it in context; so please will you first read 2 Peter chapter 2.

Reading: 2 Peter 3

What do you know? I am amazed by the stupendous knowledge of people in quizzes like “Mastermind”, or “University Challenge”. But what is the use of such knowledge?
The 13th century philosopher Thomas Aquinas wrote “A scrap of knowledge about sublime things is worth more than any amount about trivialities.” In fact, “a scrap of knowledge” about the things of eternity, the things of God, is what really matters. And that knowledge is available to all, by God’s grace, through his word. In 2 Peter 3 we find what every Christian should know.

1. WE SHOULD KNOW THE SCRIPTURES (vv1-2)
Of course, Peter’s first readers did not have the whole Bible. But:
a) They Knew of the Old Testament Prophets
Peter urges them to remember the words of those prophets. In chapter 1:19-21, he describes the prophets’ message as “a light shining in a dark place”, and affirms that their words were both human words and divine words (i.e. the “dual authorship” of Scripture).
b) They Knew of the Teaching of Jesus Passed on through his Apostles
In vv15-16 Peter refers to the letters of the apostle Paul. He acknowledges that some of Paul’s writings are “hard to understand”, and can be distorted or misquoted. (That is certainly still true today!) But, Peter says, behind those writings is God-given wisdom (v15). And Peter places those writings in the same category as “the other Scriptures”.

Do we realise how privileged we are to have the whole Bible freely available in our own language?
“I prayed to Jesus to have my own Bible. I always wanted my own to keep with me – this is the best gift I ever received!” These were the words of an 11-year-old Egyptian Christian after receiving a children’s Bible in a support package provided by Barnabas Fund recently.
At The Queen’s coronation she was presented with a copy of the Bible, described as “the most precious thing this world affords.” But I am sad that today in the UK so many people are almost totally ignorant of the wonderful and life-changing message of the Scriptures. Even some long-term church-goers have scant knowledge of the Bible. St Jerome said “To be ignorant of the Scripture is not to know Christ.”
So let us lay hold on the Bible until the Bible lays hold on us!

2. WE SHOULD KNOW THE DAY OF THE LORD IS COMING (vv3-13)
Peter describes the day of the Lord as:
a) Day of Judgment (vv3-9)
In Peter’s time (and still today) some people scoffed at any notion of a time when the Lord Jesus Christ will return, a time when everyone will be accountable, standing before God’s judgment seat (Romans 14:10-12). God’s timing for this is not limited by our own sense of time. In his patience and mercy he longs for all to reach repentance, to receive his salvation (vv9, 15).
b) Day of Destruction (vv10-12)
Peter uses graphic, fiery picture-language (called “apocalyptic”), to describe purification and the total destruction of evil when God comes to judge his creation. Peter recalls and adapts the words of Jesus himself (e.g. Matthew 24:29,35).
c) Day of New Creation (v13)
Peter urges us to look forward to “new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness is at home”. This is the fulfilment of God’s ancient promises (e.g. Isaiah 65:17-25). Sin, which has spoilt God’s perfect creation, will not have the last word. The universe will be renewed, and the will of God shall be perfectly fulfilled in earth and heaven. Peter did not know precisely how this would happen. Neither do we! We cannot conceive what our resurrection bodies or a restored universe will be like. But we can and should look forward to that, with joyful hope.

4. WE SHOULD KNOW THAT OUR LIFESTYLE MATTERS (vv11-17)
The false teachers, whom Peter warns his readers about, taught that spiritual things were important, and physical things were not. So they said “It doesn’t matter what you do with your body” (see chapter 2 vv18-19).
That is nonsense!, says Peter. To know the Scriptures, and to know that the Day of the Lord is coming, should spur us to holy living (vv11, 14). This will not happen if we just sit back and “chill out”. We are to “make every effort”, to be diligent and eager (as Peter wrote also in chapter 1 vv5, 10). We are to be on guard, so as not to be carried away by erroneous teaching of any sort.

Peter ends his letter, not with “What do you know?”, but with
WHOM DO YOU KNOW? (v18)
In last week’s midweek message, Richard B focussed on the opening words of 2 Peter, showing that all we need to live as God wants comes through “the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” (chapter 1:2-3). Now, as Peter concludes his letter, he urges his readers, including us, to grow in that knowledge of our Lord and Saviour. For physical growth, good nourishment and exercise are needed. So to grow spiritually we need the nourishment of Scripture applied to our lives, we need to pray  in the Spirit, we need to encourage one another, we need to serve.
Whatever age we are, however long we have been followers of Jesus Christ, we are to keep on growing, by his grace.
For his glory, both now and to the day of eternity.

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Prayer: Grant me, Lord,
                        to know what I ought to know,
                        to love what I ought to love,
                        to praise what delights you most,
                        to value what is precious in your sight,
                        and to hate what is offensive to you. Amen.

Wednesday 21 April 2021

2 Peter 1: 1-15

GOD’S COMPLETE FUEL

Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who through the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:

Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Confirming one’s calling and election

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is short-sighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters,make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Prophecy of Scripture

12 So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. 13 I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, 14 because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.

Just going to look at verse 3 of this lovely reading…which says

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness

Imagine we went back in time – say to the 1950’s – and looked in our kitchen cupboards we might find they were looking a bit bare. So what we need to do is to have a good shop. So we stroll down into the town and go into the bakers for bread, the grocer for our fruit and veg, the butcher for our meat, the newsagent for the newspaper, the hardware store for some more glass containers and then struggle back home.

Now of course we go to the supermarket where we can buy everything we need under one roof (and buy lots of other stuff we don’t need too!).

It’s a wonderful thing to consider that God himself has given you and me everything we need for a godly life (v3). We don’t have to shop around and go this way or the next. We don’t need to use teaching from one religion or another. No – it is all under one roof. God’s roof. He has given us all we need to lead the life that our Lord wants us to lead. So what has been given?

His divine power not yours

Note first that this divine power (surely the Holy Spirit) is something that God has given. Or rather the power to lead a life pleasing to God is not something that we do from our own resources; no – it is through the Holy Spirit. There is a danger in our Christian lives that we think we need to do it all by ourselves. Or that it is all down to us and if we haven’t got what it takes – then somehow we are deficient as a Christian. Utter nonsense! We could never have what it takes. Or to put it another way – if we did have what it takes – why then does Jesus have to come and die on a cross and be resurrected? It makes no sense at all. No – we have to realise – we have to know that this Christian life is all of God.

So it maybe today, you have woken with an ache in the heart, and you feel somehow that this Christian life is utterly impossible – you feel useless, a failure or just simply fed up with what life has thrown at you. You are frustrated, worn down, empty. Is that you? Quite often an event or a series of events come together to bring you to this place. But this God of ours is far greater than those things that frustrate us. This God is more than able to take what life has thrown at us, what Satan has plotted, to weave his plan around the schemes of humankind. And this is often how God works. The Holy Spirit somehow draws our attention to the fact that God IS sovereign. He IS in control and – marvellously – that he has a divine purpose in this mess that we see before us.

The wonder is that it is actually our complete lack of power to lead the life he wants us to lead that is the door through which God’s empowers our lives. Paul writes in Romans 8: 26 that the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. It is to realise that this Christian life is so utterly impossible in our own power that almost opens a door through which the Holy Spirit can work.

In one of the Mr Bean movies there is a section where he cycling and it’s all rather hard work but a van overtakes him and somehow Mr Bean grabs hold of it – whilst on his bike – and off he goes being pulled by this van. The van then veers off at a junction and Mr Bean carries straight on – not empowered by self but by the work of that van. In fact such was the speed of the van he was able to speed by the Tour de France!

So are we relying on our own power in this Christian life – if you are you will find it impossible. Instead bring yourself to God – and give it all to him. Confess your weakness – and you will find that God does not reject you but will strengthen you. Because that is what he does.

Don’t forget – you have already been given this power

Notice how this verse is constructed. God’s divine power HAS given us everything we need. It is in the past tense. I simply take that as meaning that this power (the Holy Spirit) HAS been given to us as Christian people. If you have a moment, it’s worth reading Jesus’s teaching on the Holy Spirit in John 14-16.

Now – you might not remember the precise moment when this happened. So this is simply about trusting God. He says he has done it. So done it he has. Trust him.

I have to confess I can’t remember every birthday present and every Christmas present Karen has given me – but I know she would have. How much more, then, can we be sure that if God himself has said he has given us his Holy Spirit – that he has.

So don’t forget this. Often we battle on our own – flustered, flummoxed and confused in the Christian life. But the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.

What is the key purpose of this power?

The purpose of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our lives is that we would lead a godly life. The life that God intends for us. But not only that, but that we would live that life how he intends. So it’s not just what we do – it’s the way that we do it!

My car uses unleaded petrol. Now if I go to the garage and fill up with diesel fuel I’m going to have a problem. My car engine was not built for diesel. Well – in the same way if we want to lead this Christian life we need to be filled with Holy Spirit – not our own fuel type! Christian lives don’t run on the wrong fuel delivered by self-service – but are run on the Holy Spirit already given to you by God.

And all of this is possible through our knowledge of him. So read your Bibles. Take a promise of God and read and read it. Know it inside out – let it run deep. Because the author of that promise to you is God himself. And as we get to know the promises of God, we begin to know God himself. What he is like. And this same God calls ordinary people to live this Christian life. And that includes you. He has called you – not because there is any self-redeeming feature in you at all but because that is what he is like. He calls you not for your glory – not for your goodness – but his.

What an extraordinary claim – that God in saving helpless people is actually doing this for his own glory and goodness.

So let us therefore be people of one power – the power of God himself in all that we do.

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 

For ever and ever

Amen

The Midweek Bridge 14 April 2021

Be Shepherds of God’s Flock

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.   Galatians 5 v.22/23

Prayer: Help us, please Lord, to grow in understanding of the responsibility that you have given to us as shepherds of one another.

Reading: 1 Peter ch.5 v.1 – 14

You might wonder why I should put the fruit of the Spirit as the heading. The points listed as fruit can also be described as principles of leadership and also indicate the first principle of Christian Leadership, – “Live to the Spirit.This chapter of 1 Peter starts with – “To the elders among you.” It is addressed to those in church leadership. Let me first establish a definition of the term – “Elder.”

In Exod.18 we find the story of Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, advising Moses in v.21 – “Select capable men from all the people – men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain – and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.” – These are an early example of elders. Later – in Num. ch.11 we find 70 of these elders were anointed with the Spirit; and were able to provide the support Moses needed. Thus began a system of administration and leadership in Israel; in the Gospel story we find the Sanhedrin who were the elders of that time. In Acts ch.6 we are told of the appointment of deacons in the church – “Brother, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom.” – The church in Jerusalem was led by the apostles and elders; where new churches were founded elders were appointed. To put that into a modern concept – I suggest that any person who has any responsible position in the church – practical, domestic, administrative, educational or spiritual – can come under Peter’s use of the term elder in this letter. What is Peter’s command to those who hold any form of leadership position? – “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care.” – His appeal is as “a fellow-elder and witness of Christ’s sufferings.”

So where do we go to understand Peter’s use of the word – “shepherd”? We should remember that Peter was basically a student of the Old Testament. In Gen.48 v.15 – when Jacob is blessing Joseph – he says “God has been my shepherd all my life to this day.” And again in Gen. 49 v.24 – in his blessing over Joseph – he says “because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.” We are all familiar with Psalm 23 in which King David declares “The Lord is my Shepherd” and then goes on to describe the ways in which the Lord had been a shepherd to him “all the days of my life.” Isaiah tells us more of how the Lord shepherds his people in ch.40 v.11 – “He tends his flock like a shepherd. He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart, he gently leads those that have young.” Peter’s early understanding was of the Father Shepherd.

Peter learned more of the ways of the Shepherd in following Jesus – in Jn.10 v.11 – 18 Jesus said – “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” And in v.14 – “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” In following Jesus Peter gained understanding of the Servant Shepherd.

In Jn.21 v.15 – 17 Jesus gave Peter the commission to be a shepherd – “Feed my lambs – – Take care of my sheep – – Feed my sheep.” (Note: Jesus said, “My sheep”) He also gave Peter the motive for such a service – “Do you truly love me?” The motivation for being a shepherd is our love for the Lord. In 1 Peter ch.5 Peter is passing on that commission to all those in leadership – “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care.” (Note: “God’s flock”) From this, the person in leadership position should:

  • Have the heart of the Father Shepherd
  • Have the nature of the Servant Shepherd
  • Be overflowing with the fruit of the Spirit
  • Be motivated by love for the Lord

In a modern church there are many different types of teams and the team leaders come from a range of backgrounds – no matter what sort of team the commission to be a “shepherd of God’s flock” is there. As many are both leaders of a team and members of other teams, we find ourselves to be both sheep and shepherds in the church; we have a responsibility for one another. Do we fit this model of a perfect leader?

Of course we don’t – we are sinners saved by grace and full of human weaknesses. Our personalities have been forged and tempered in different fires. We are as different as a trombone is to a violin or an oboe to a kettle drum; even in shape and size we differ as much as a flute to a cello. Yet, somehow, we are to offer our praise to the Lord in perfect harmony. We want to be true shepherds of God’s flock or at least well-behaved sheep in the flock but we find we frequently fail. What God wants are shepherds who are honest before him, we are not witnesses to our own perfection but God’s grace and forgiveness. Peter had soon learned these realities and this letter to the church is written to help us cope with the fact that the sheep fold is not on a gentle, south facing meadow with perfect sheep and shepherds. In these closing verses he gives us some warnings and helps.

Chapter 5 v.2 continues through v.3 warning us to be sure of our motives in serving the Lord in a leadership role. Do we enjoy the title and status but we don’t accept the responsibility? The leadership role can be very miserable if the motive is not love for the Lord but v.4 tells us that as we sincerely seek to – “Be shepherds of God’s flock.”  – “When the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.”  We must always remember that it is – “God’s flock.”

Now come the warnings and the basic advice – v.5 starts – Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older.” Each generation is responsible to train and equip the next generation. However, we can fall into generation clash – the young don’t wish to stick to Zimmer frame speeds but they should listen to those, older folk, who have gained wisdom from their many mistakes. The advice is – “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility towards one another, because, – ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’” –  There are many such conflicts in the sheep fold and if we make our stand on our own dignity, – because of course, we know we are right, – then the tensions grow deeper and more bitter. So, Peter continues in v.6 – “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” All of us, at times of such tension need to stop, examine ourselves and humble ourselves before the Lord. This is not always easy either for sheep or for shepherds but the promise is there that when we do, he will lift us up – grace and forgiveness in humility bring healing.

Such tensions are very stressful for all the flock, shepherds and sheep, leading to discouragement but Peter continues in v.7 – “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” –  The sheep fold is similar to the family situation and sibling rivalries occur but we always have to return to the Shepherd of our souls and remember we are all sinners saved by grace and loved by God; forgiveness is the key to fellowship life and is essential to good shepherding.

In v.8 Peter warns us – “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” –  The nature programmes have shown us how the lions etc. try to scatter the flock and take the vulnerable. The verse actually starts with – “Be self-controlled and alert.” – as Christians we have become free from religious laws and traditions but we struggle to learn the responsibilities of freedom – the laws of love, compassion and forgiveness – the laws of self-restraint – so we often provide the devil with the tools which he uses to make us fools. Self-control is listed under the fruit of the Spirit so we come back to – humbling ourselves before God. Slightly modifying the text, we can see that we are – as sheep or shepherds – to “Be self-controlled and alert – and – Resist him, standing firm in your faith.”  Faith – hope – love and humility seem to be our weapons against the devil’s attacks on the flock and remaining constantly alert to those attacks. It also helps to remember – “you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” Throughout the world the “Holy Nation” – the people belonging to God – are suffering, we are not alone. Last week John reminded us of so many being persecuted for their faith; there is a sense in which we are responsible as shepherds for them, both in prayer and practical ways where possible.  Peter was well aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the church and suffering has been a central theme in this letter; his purpose in writing was to be a “Shepherd of God’s flock.” – and he still is some 2000 years later.

In v.12 to 14 – Final Greetings – Peter gives reference to Silas and Mark but then says – “She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends her greetings.” – Many people have debated as to who is meant by “She who is in Babylon” – the interpretation that I find most comfortable is that Peter is giving a greeting from the church in Rome where he was. –  Why Babylon? – We are in the world but not of it. Like Israel in exile in Babylon, the church, this Holy Nation, is far from its own land; it suffers from attacks from within and from without; but it has the assurance of God’s presence and purpose in all its suffering and the positive hope that one day these living stones will be forever with the Lord – God dwelling in the midst of his Holy Nation.

Peter closes his letter with two key phrases. The first in v.10 “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. – To him be the power for ever and ever amen.” – The second is in v.14 – “Peace to all of you who are in Christ.”

The God of all grace – Grace – of course we, the sheep and shepherds, are not perfect but, as we humble ourselves before the Lord, we have all the promises of grace – forgiveness – compassion – love and restoration. Elsewhere, God is called – “The Lord of peace.”Peace” – in the huge panoply of meaning covered by the word – “peace” – there is a sense of bringing together many people of diverse backgrounds in perfect harmony. So, I close this with the words of Paul in 2 Thess. 2 v.16 – another church suffering in Babylon –

“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.”

Prayer: – Help us Lord to walk humbly with you and one another that we might enjoy the peace of your presence and be shepherds of one another.

Amen

The Midweek Bridge 7 April 2021

Prayer:  Almighty God, through your only Son Jesus Christ you have conquered death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: by your grace put good desires into our minds and, in your mercy, help us to bring them to their fulfilment, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Introduction
In the 20th century, more people were killed for being a Christian than in all the previous centuries together. Recently Archbishop Ben Kwashi of Nigeria wrote, “Still today, in various countries and situations, many who come forward for baptism, do so knowing that they will be turned out of their homes, disowned by their family and abused by their former friends.”
I have very little experience of suffering for being a Christian. What about you?
What does it cost you to be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ?

Reading: 1 Peter 4:12-19

Throughout Peter’s letter he refers to the sufferings of Christ, and to the sufferings of Christ’s people. Today’s passage has the most focussed teaching about Christian suffering. N.B. This is not about the afflictions that may come to anyone in the ups and downs of life. It is about hardships that a person faces just because she or he is following Jesus faithfully.
In this passage, Peter writes about

1. THE RESPONSE TO SUFFERING FOR THE SAKE OF CHRIST
How do we respond to hardships for the sake of Christ?
“No-one told me that I might lose friends if I followed Jesus.”
“I thought that God would bless me for being a Christian, but I’m having a really tough time, especially at work. What’s gone wrong?”
Let’s see what Peter says about it.

a) Don’t be Surprised! (v12)
In Peter’s day, Gentile converts would be unused to religious persecution (unlike Jewish believers): so they’d see suffering for Christ’s sake as a strange misfortune which seemed to contradict the promised blessings of the gospel. Even today, the so-called “prosperity gospel” encourages such an attitude, and has great popular appeal.
But Peter had heard Jesus say “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first….No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.” (John 15:18-20)
So Peter says to his readers, including us, “Don’t be surprised!

b) Do Rejoice! (v13)
You have the privilege of sharing in the outworking of God’s eternal purpose. Jesus Christ entered his glory through suffering (Luke 24:26). So to share in his sufferings now is to be on the road to sharing his glory. Hallelujah!

c) Praise God! (v16)
 Even in our relatively safe and tolerant 21st century UK culture, we may be tempted to keep quiet about being Christ’s followers. Peter urges us “Don’t be ashamed, but praise God that you have opportunity to glorify him by the way you live.”

d) Commit yourselves to the Faithful God! (v19)
He is absolutely trustworthy, so when you suffer for being a Christian just keep on doing what is right, doing his will.

Why these responses?
Because of

2. THE RESULTS OF SUFFERING FOR THE SAKE OF CHRIST
Peter writes to encourage his readers – including us – by referring to the results: they are wonderful!

a) The Refining of Faith (v12)
Literally, “Don’t be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you.” Peter has previously likened the testing of faith to the refining of precious metals by fire (ch.1 vv6-7). God in his loving wisdom refines the quality and character of our faith; and the way he does this is through suffering. The apostle Paul writes of this: “We know that suffering produces perseverance…character…hope…” (Romans 5:3-5).
The only way to refine metals is by fire. The only way to refine faith is by suffering for Christ’s sake.
We sometimes sing “Purify my heart, let me be as gold and precious silver…” Do we really want God to grant that request? If so, we should expect to suffer.

b) Deeper Fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ (v13)
Peter writes, “…you are sharing in the sufferings of Christ.” This is a deep and wonderful truth, which is also expressed in Paul’s letters.
“We are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings…” (Romans 8:17)
“..the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives…” (2 Corinthians 1:5)
“I want to know Christ…and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings…” (Philippians 3:10)
Of course, we could never atone for our sin: Jesus did that, once for all, when he died on the cross so that we might live (1 Peter 3:18). But he suffered for us also as an example, that we should follow in his steps (1 Peter 2:21).

c) Blessing (v14)
This is nothing less than what the Lord Jesus promised, in the “Beatitudes” (Matthew 5:3-12). “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”
This truth is counter-cultural: the world doesn’t understand it.
And it is counter-intuitive: I don’t understand it, unless God’s Spirit reveals its truth to me.

d) Glory to God (v16)
When Christians endure suffering for Christ’s sake, they are blessed, other people are challenged, and God is glorified.
If you call us to a cross and its shadows come,
turning all our gain to loss, shrouding heart and home;
let us think how your dear Son to his triumph came,
then through pain and tears pray on, “Glory to your name!”

CONCLUSION
Those results of suffering for Christ’s sake can radically transform our response to it. They can change our perspective, as we read in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18: “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

++++++++

Prayer (from Philippians 3:10)
Loving Father, we want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead, in Jesus our Lord. Amen.

The Family Prayer: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen.

Midweek Bridge 23 March 2021

Live in the Spirit        1 Peter 4 : 1 – 6

Last week Ian opened up for us several aspects of suffering. In this reading Peter sums up his ideas by telling us that if we persevere our suffering leads to a complete change in the way we live our lives. Instead of seeking earthly pleasures we turn to Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit we learn how to live more like him. As Jesus said,

“ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6 : 31 – 34

Enough time has been wasted on idol pursuits we now have to get on with living as God wants us to. Our friends and neighbours may find it odd that our lives are focussed in a different direction and may persecute us for being different. They think that the life of a Christian is grim without the joys of the world and that death comes to us the same as everyone else. They don’t understand that death for Christians, who escape judgement by virtue of their faith in Jesus, is a glorious new beginning, but for the those who reject the gospel death means that they will have to give an account to God.

Live in Love                1 Peter 4 : 7 – 11

Peter reminds us that we should live as if Jesus were coming back any day now. Being in a state of continual readiness and fully understanding where we stand before God we are able to pray effectively.

The New Commandment given by Jesus at the last supper to his disciples is echoed here in Peter’s instruction to love each other deeply. If we are all obedient to this Commandment then we are able to forgive each other freely when we make mistakes, say the wrong words, or do the wrong thing, this kind of love really can cover a multitude of sins, Jesus said,

 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. Matthew 18 : 15

Our love for each other also enables the community to operate at its spiritual best giving each individual opportunity to exercise their Spiritual gifts for the benefit of the whole. Peter explains that these gifts, given to each and every member of the body, are an expression of God’s grace to the church and as good stewards of all that God has done for us we should encourage their use.

There are two main categories of gifts and both are equally essential for the healthy growth of the community. If we are called to speak God’s word, in whatever context, we should ask God for inspiration through his Holy Spirit. If it is our calling to serve, in whatever context,  then we should do it in the strength that God gives. In my experience these are not exclusive, we may on occasion be called to speak or serve or both at the same time. The important thing is to be obedient to the call of God.

For further reading on Spiritual Gifts read Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, 13 & 14 and Ephesians 4.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, as we seek your kingdom empower us by your Holy Spirit to love each other deeply, to seek your word in each other, and to serve each other humbly. In the name of Jesus Christ our Saviour and Lord. Amen

The Midweek Bridge 17 March 2021

Suffering for righteousness sake

Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.         Rom.8 v.17

Prayer: – – – Help us Lord to receive your word to our hearts and to grow in understanding of your love.

Reading 1 Peter 3 v.8 – 22

I have difficulty these days when I ask somebody how they are and they reply – “I’m good”. It clashes with my childhood understanding of the word good. For what follows I need to define the word good before we look at “Suffering”. In the table below, in the left-hand column, I have taken the commands written in v.8 of the reading and added honesty and truth in order to define “The Good”. The right-hand column uses the opposites to define – “The Bad”. – – – Where are we in the table?

The Good     The Bad  
Live in harmony  –  – –Provocation – discord  
Be Sympathetic  – – –Cold indifference  
Love as brothers  – – –Jealous bitterness  
Be compassionate  – – –Judgmental rejection  
Be humble  – – –Arrogant pride  
Don’t repay evil with evil  – – –Retaliation – revenge  
Repay insult with blessing  – – –Malign – curse  
Be honest  – – –Falseness  
Be truthful  – – –Deceit  

The underlying elements in the table are – emotional – mental and even spiritual; it is this form of suffering that I have in mind. The heading above the reading in my Bible is – “Suffering for doing good.” I wish to change that to – Suffering for doing the good. – Now I feel we can look at various forms of – “Suffering for doing the good.” I will use 5 headings.

Suffering in our internal world:

Peter’s letter is addressed to the church, our Christian community, our place for “home-learning”. At the end of the day, we may well kneel and pray – “I tried to be good for I know that I should” – but often, when we look back at the circumstances of the day, we see how many times we have fallen into the traps of doing the bad; we have to acknowledge our failure to do the good – we cannot truly say – “I’m good”. In the anguish of our sleepless night, we cry – “Lord, why can’t you just zap me into perfection?” He will never do that because, if he did, he would be taking away many of the freedoms he has given to us. One is – the freedom to choose. Another is – the freedom to grow in understanding. These are precious gifts of love.

Peter, in v.10 – 12 quotes Psalm 34 – – v.12 – For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer. – but Lord we cry – we are not righteous. Then we begin to learn that it is not our righteousness but Jesus Christ is our righteousness (1 Cor. 1 v.30). We begin to grow in understanding of grace. As we come back time and time again to confess our failures to the Lord, peace with God begins to take hold of us and we grow in understanding of forgiveness – of mercy – of compassion – of the Lord’s love and faithfulness. This emotional suffering in our failures causes us to grow in understanding of what it is to walk humbly with our God; we begin to understand our limitations and his greatness.  Our internal world – our personal life – in which we struggle, is God’s school room for preparing us for service – his ears are attentive to their (our) prayer. We also make a discovery in Heb.2 v.18 – “Because he himself (Jesus) suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” – In our battle against temptation and failure we are actually experiencing, in a very small way, his suffering; he was tempted as we are. We are being equipped to help those who are being tempted and we are growing in understanding of the battles Jesus fought.

*****

The blessing for the Lord’s people from Num.6 v.24 – 26 is – “The LORD bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The LORD turn his face towards you and give you peace.” However, the quote from Ps.34 continues in v.13 – “but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” To not have his face shining upon us; that is quite a frightening thought so let’s look at the next heading.

Suffering in a confused world:

V.13 continues – “Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?”  Who? – this first brings to my mind the “Whos” of Rom. 8 v.31 – 39 and the assurance that indeed – none of the “Whos” “can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” That is our stand of faith in the battles of life. Peter advises us in v.15 – “In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.” – Nevertheless, when we endeavour to do the good we pay a price, we live in a confused world. In v.14 Peter quotes Isaiah 8 v.12 which reads – “Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear and do not dread it.”  There is so much fake news and false teachings in the modern world people are no longer sure what to believe; often they indeed “try to be good because they know that they should” but they find it easier to just go with the flow. When we choose the good we cut across the flow; we have highlighted the bad and enlivened their conscience; we have troubled the waters. The consequence is we have gone against – our family, our work colleagues, our neighbours, our friends. Some cut us off but there are also those who want to understand; they come to ask questions. Thus in v.15 we read – “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” But it is not so much what we say in answer as to how we give the answer. Peter continues – “do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience.” If we have remembered the lessons of our own struggle, a time in which we grew in faith and in understanding of grace, forgiveness and compassion, we will be able to help those who are seeking peace with God. If we sit in self-righteous judgment then we need to return to the school room and re-examine ourselves.

Ezek.34 v.16 reads – “I will search for the lost and bring back the strays, I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak.”- Luke 19 v.10 tells us – “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” – As we share our hope in Christ with those who seek help, we are growing in understanding of Jesus the shepherd; we are continuing his ministry and we share in his joy as the seekers respond and turn to follow the Saviour; the fruit of our suffering, of our choosing the good, is joy.

*****

Suffering in a rebellious world:

We have to accept that there are also those who will resist – the bullies – the control seekers, those who want things to go their way. These are those who seek to destroy – they oppose and make life difficult for those who are eager to do the good; life can get tough,we experience rejection, we are even mocked. There is a sad verse in Isaiah 26 v.10 – “Though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and regard not the majesty of the LORD.” – As we see those around us struggling, we begin to see the need for judgment yet God is patient for he wants all people to be saved. We grow in understanding of the cross of Jesus – the anger and hatred that seemed to rule and yet – “God so loved the world” – as Peter says in v.18 – “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” – We remember our own folly when we chose the bad. We read in Isaiah 30 v.18, when the Lord is speaking to those who rebel against him – “Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you, he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him.” – We are moved by God’s patience and his continued offering of grace. We grow in understanding of the – “Father of compassion” – of the depths of his mercy and grace; we know we must go on in his service even in a world that rejects him and us as his people because he “So Loves”.

*****

Suffering for a lost world

In v.20 we read – “God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.” –  In Gen.6 v.22, Gen.7 v.5, v.9 and v.16 we are told –“Noah did everything just as God commanded.” – The Lord said that in seven days he would flood the earth – (creation in reverse??). During those seven days that huge structure was plainly evident for all to see as a witness to Noah’s obedience, even the animals obeyed, but – “only a few people, eight in all, were saved.” – Can we imagine how Noah felt when God finally closed the door; no hope of any more to be saved? His childhood friends – his cousins – his neighbours – his work colleagues were all lost. How did God feel when he finally shut that door? In the suffering for a lost world – the weeping for the lost – we are now beginning to grow in deeper understanding of the love and the pain of our Father of compassion. Isaiah 22 v.4 reads – “Therefore I said, ‘Turn away from me; let me weep bitterly. Do not try to console me over the destruction of my people.’” In Luke 19 v.41/42 – “As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said ‘If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace, but now it is hidden from your eyes.’” Do we have just a glimpse of the emotional pain of the cross? As we look at the state of the world around us and see so much suffering, do we share in the Lord’s pain; do we suffer because of love; do we carry a burden for the lost?

*****

Hope in the midst of suffering

In v’s, 21/22 Peter brings us back to faith and hope. He uses the story of Noah to remind us of our first real commitment to following Christ; that moment when we identified with Jesus in his death and so are raised up in his resurrection; that moment from which there was no turning back. “It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand – with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.” Our suffering for choosing the good is minimal but, as we submit ourselves to the Lord, we grow in understanding of the love and faithfulness of our God.

 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.”  –  – 2 Cor.1 v.3 – 5

*****

Prayer: – – – Yes Father, so often we have to return to you to confess yet another failure but we can only humbly praise you for in all these things you are teaching us and we are growing in understanding of you, your love, your pain, your grace and your faithfulness. Help us Lord to reach out to all those around us in love and comfort them with the comfort we have received through Jesus, our Saviour.

Amen

The Midweek Bridge 10 March 2021

1 Peter 3: 1-7

FAMILY LIFE

Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behaviour of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewellery or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

Submit (Jesus Style)

This word submit sounds a bit off to our 21st century western ears – however – there are a few words that will help us here. Peter writes – “in the same way”. So Peter here is referring to something he has already written. This whole section (including the previous chapter) is related to Peter’s discussion of “submission” of believers to Government (1 Peter 2: 13-17) and submission of believing slaves to their masters (1 Peter 2 18-20) and ultimately of Jesus himself submitting to his and ours Father’s will (1 Peter 2: 21-25). So submission from the Bible’s perspective and from the Lord’s perspective is not a negative term – as it describes Jesus himself.

So what is the purpose of wives submitting to husbands here? What Peter has specifically in mind are wives whose husbands are not believers. The way to win them over to the Lord is through their wives purity and reverence. I guess almost everyone who has become a Christian has done so because of someone they knew who shared something of the love of God. But often it was not necessarily what they said so much – but about what or who they were. That somehow God had done something in that person’s life which was so moving that they would be won over to Jesus.

I heard it said that there is one reason why people become or do not become Christians. The reason why someone becomes a Christian is because they have met a Christian. And the reason why someone doesn’t become a Christian is – because they have met a Christian!

So which are we?

Husbands need to be considerate and respectful

At work we often have a sign outside our building sites that say: Considerate Constructors. What does it mean to be considerate? Thoughtful, understanding, taking appropriate action, assuming the needs of others are just as (if not more) important than your needs.

For men, we love getting our sleeves rolled up and sorting stuff out. Sometimes if Karen has had a tough day at work, she starts to describe what has happened and deep inside me is this desire to sort it out. “What you need to do (or say) is XYZ.” And maybe one reason is that we are too busy – so the quick short, sharp answer – is the answer. That might be convenient for me – but not that considerate.

I was listening to J John and he reflected that God rarely runs. He walked in the Garden of Eden. Jesus walked with the disciples. There is a rhythm to walking. It is to slow down. What we tend to want to do is run on ahead – or sulk slowly behind. So maybe we need to slow down, take time out and walk with the Lord and with our other half. J John went onto say that the only time in the Bible where we see the Lord run – is when in the parable of the lost son – and when the younger son returned – he ran to greet him.

So be considerate – and maybe that is about walking in time with the Lord and our other halves. 

We are both (all) heirs

Often life can get a bit stressful – deadlines here – pressures there – expectations – demands. And it is our other halves that often bear the brunt of this and for those not married – it will be someone else. And all these pressures – which can build up in our hearts – the comments made here and there – the hurts felt all can swamp us so that these things become overwhelming and God seems millions of miles away. Prayer can be the last thing on our mind. Or in other words, how believing couples treat one another affects their relationship with God.

But whether you are married or not – Peter records these lovely words – that we are heirs (indeed co-heirs) of this gracious gift of life. Paul records in Galatians that there is no Jew or Gentile – slave or free – nor male or female for we are all one in Christ Jesus. So whatever your status in life – remember this – the most important status you have is as a child of God. That trumps everything.

And it’s more than that we are heirs. And in order for an inheritance to be received, someone, somewhere along the line has to die. And our Lord Jesus died so we can be heirs to this life of being a Christian, a precious child of God bought by and through the death of Jesus. And it took as much of God’s great kindness to save me as it did to save you. God bought you with the same price: Jesus. So you are no greater or less than anyone else in God’s kingdom – we are all heirs. So maybe this is about looking at your other half (or indeed any Christian) as a precious child of God and thank God for them.

Shall we pray together….

Thank you for this lovely reminder that you are our Father and we are your children. Would that truth run deep through us so that we would reflect you more and more in all we do.

For Jesus sake we pray

Amen

The Midweek Bridge 3 March 2021

Prayer:  Almighty God, by the prayer and discipline of Lent may we enter into the mystery of Christ’s sufferings, and by following in his way come to share in his glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Introduction
We continue with our mid-week series on the first letter of Peter. (I do hope that you have been able to read through the whole of 1 Peter.) Christianity is all about relationships, and from chapter 2 verse 11 to chapter 3 verse 12 Peter gives instructions about living in relation to other people.

Reading: 1 Peter 2:13-25

How does God want us to live? In today’s passage, Peter writes about the duties of Christians as citizens, and as employees. In both cases, the key command is “submit yourselves” (vv13, 18). (Peter uses the same root word in 3:1 & 22, and in 5:5.)
To “submit” does not sound attractive! Does it mean to be a doormat? It reminds me of a wrestling match: when one wrestler is pinned to the mat by their opponent, they may slap the floor with their hand as a sign that they acknowledge defeat. They have to submit: they have no choice!

But actually when Peter urges Christians to “submit yourselves”, he is describing a voluntary choice.  To submit myself means I deliberately and freely decide to put myself in a subordinate position.
And submission is not just to be to authorities and to employers. All Christians are to “submit yourselves to God” (James 4:7). All are to “submit to one another, out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:21).

How does God want us to live? In verse 16 Peter explains further what it means to “submit ourselves.” He gives a principle to guide every part of our lives: “Live as free people….live as servants (slaves) of God.” This is a wonderful paradox!

1. LIVE AS FREE PEOPLE
Peter is writing to a wide variety of people – young and old, wives and husbands, slaves and non-slaves. Many are going through very difficult times, suffering painful trials.
But Peter urges them all, “live as free people.” In other words, “You are free, so behave like it!” But what does Peter mean by this? What sort of freedom is he talking about? What is Christian freedom?

There are many Bible references to freedom: here are three especially significant ones:
a) Jesus’ words in John 8:31-36
“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
b) Paul’s words in Romans 8:1-2
“Through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”
c) John’s words in Revelation 1:5b
“To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.”

So we see that we are free because of what the Lord Jesus has done for us, particularly through his death and resurrection and by his Spirit. Christian freedom is freedom from slavery to sin & selfishness which leads to separation from God.
The world’s idea of freedom is “I’m free to do whatever I like.” Actually that is slavery to myself, my desires, my appetites. What a contrast with true freedom through Christ!
Charles Kingsley wrote “There are two freedoms – the false, where a man is free to do what he likes; the true, where a man is free to do what he ought.”

Live as free people!

2. LIVE AS SERVANTS OF GOD
“Servants” here means “slaves”. In Bible times, slavery was an accepted and widespread institution. People could be bought and sold and owned as property. The Old Testament scriptures regulated slavery: slave-owners were not to have absolute rights over their slaves. In the New Testament, seeds are sown which would lead to the end of slavery; e.g. Galatians 3:28 “There is neither…slave nor free, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (We are familiar with the story of William Wilberforce, an M.P. about 200 years ago, whose Christian faith led him to fight perseveringly against slavery. In 1807 the slave trade was abolished in Britain, and in 1833 slavery was outlawed.)

Peter describes himself as a “slave of Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:1), as does Paul (Romans 1:1 etc.) The New Testament often uses slave terminology to refer to the experience of Christian believers: “You were redeemed…” (1 Peter 1:18); “You are not your own; you were bought at a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20); “a people belonging to God” (1 Peter 2:9).  

To be servants or slaves of God means that we gladly acknowledge that he has full rights over every part of our lives. It means that the supreme goal and purpose of our life is to please and honour him.

CONCLUSION
“Live as free people….live as slaves of God.” To do this will determine our attitude to authorities (vv13-15), to our fellow-Christians and to all people (v17).
About 40 years ago I read a little book which had a big impact on my life – “Freed To Serve”. That expresses the wonderful paradox which should be at the heart of every Christian. For we follow the one who “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45) – the Servant-King. And to serve him is perfect freedom.

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Prayer: O God, you are the author of peace and lover of concord: to know you is eternal life, to serve you is perfect freedom. Defend us your humble servants in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defence, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Family Prayer: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen.

The Midweek Bridge 24 February 2021

Jesus a Living Stone

Reading: 1 Peter ch.2 v.1 – 12

We finished chapter 1 last week with a wonderful promise from the Lord – that as we consecrate ourselves to him, he will indeed keep us and protect us as his holy possession equipping us for all circumstances of life through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit; all this was made possible through Jesus who first sanctified himself so that we can indeed be sanctified. Thus, chapter 2 starts with a – “Therefore.” –  As we start to look at this next chapter let us obey the words of those first 3 verses – “Now that we have tasted that the Lord is good.” –  and ridding our thoughts of all folly – “crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it we may grow up in our salvation.” 

Prayer: – We can only praise you Lord for what you have done for us, that we can indeed say – “Our Father”. Yes Lord, we do want to grow up in our salvation so help us to clear our thoughts of those things which hinder us that we might receive your word to our hearts.    Amen

The first temple was in fact a tent – the tabernacle in the wilderness – which was placed in the very centre of the camp; this was where God met with Moses every day. A key image to Israel was that God was in the midst of his people wherever they went; he led them, provided for them and rested them, his presence being ever with them. The centuries passed, a solid temple was built and destroyed, Israel was divided and carried into exile but this central lesson remained, as Isaiah 57 v.15 says – “For this is what the high and lofty One says – he who lives for ever, whose name is holy – ‘I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.’” The presence of God, he makes his face to shine upon the righteous; the humble in heart.

In these verses in 1 Peter ch.2, we now find a new and wonderful thing – v.4/5 – As we come to him, the living Stone – rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him – you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. – In these present times this is a key verse for St. Christopher’s so I wish to expand it a little.

The leadership of Israel established in the wilderness was under two headings – The Prophets and The Priests. The prophets proclaimed and taught the word of the Lord – the priests ministered in the tabernacle – the temple. Every priest had a role in the tabernacle as they progressed through the wilderness. Those roles differed but each was vital to the other; they could only move forward as each person had fulfilled his task. Peter is telling us that we are a holy priesthood – that we each have a vital role in moving forward as a church. But the image is even stronger – we also “are being built into a spiritual house” – living stone upon living stone, supporting one another and being supported by one another. During this Covid time we have seen this in action – supporting and supported – as we grieve, as we rejoice, as we share each other’s burden, as we reach out in our loneliness, as we see each other on zoom; this is a holy priesthood in action, –offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. It is rather lovely and we pray it will grow on even as we come out of lockdown. When the first tabernacle was made, it was put together by God’s people working to God’s plan using the provisions supplied by God’s people as God had provided to them; this new – spiritual house – is again a picture of God working with his people as he provides and we build one another up in love.

If I jump to v.9 – 10, we see yet again (I will change the you to we) – “We are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that we may declare the praise of him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light.”  This – spiritual house – exists to declare to all creation the praise of him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light.”  But first we must come to the –, Living Stone to Jesus – for he is the chief cornerstone, the reference point in the whole structure – v.10 Once we were not a people, but now we are the people of God, once we had not received mercy, but now we have received mercy.” – The wonder of God’s grace – this precious cornerstone – the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”

As Peter started in v.1 – 3, he reminds us in v.11 – 12 – to abstain from sinful desires – that we are – aliens and strangers in this world – that in fact this temple – this dwelling place of God – is here as a witness to his grace, his love and faithfulness, before those who are in the world. This precious, living stone has indeed caused men to stumble but to those who have received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. (ref. John 1 v.12). Let us in St Christopher’s reach out to one another, and to those who live around us, as we are being built into the living temple of God.

Prayer: Please Lord, as we as a church, built on one foundation, offer ourselves in your service, help us Lord to serve one another in love.

Amen

The Midweek Bridge 17 February 2021

Called to be Holy

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.      Ephesians 1 v.4

Prayer: – – – We thank you Father, it amazes us that you chose us in Christ to be holy, to be separate unto you, and blameless in your sight; – to be ever assured of your presence in love – thank you Father. Help us to understand and to enjoy the richness of your word to us at this time.    Amen

Reading: 1 Peter ch1 v.13 – 25

Last week John wrote of the wonder of the – “Hope – Salvation – and Joy” – we share in Christ Jesus. The question now is – how do we retain and experience the benefits of that joy in a suffering world?

Peter takes us back to the book of Leviticus to teach two key principles for Christian survival. The first in v.15 – But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” – Israel had been delivered from slavery in Egypt and was heading for the promised land. That land was occupied by people of unclean living – it was full of many forms of pollution – spiritual and physical. The nation of Israel needed to be prepared – they needed physical, spiritual and emotional protection for survival. Leviticus ch.20 v.7 provides the key elements –

“Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God. Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy.” – (who sanctifies you – – who sets you apart as holy)

In simpler terms: It’s a two-way action – you consecrate yourself unto God and he will sanctify you as his treasured people – but – in order to survive you need to take up your – Personal Protection Equipment – PPE. For Israel that was the decrees, the laws of cleanliness and worship, that were laid out in Leviticus. They were there to equip them for living in a polluted world and to protect them – physically – spiritually – mentally and emotionally.

We today are also living in a polluted world and the principles remain the same – consecrate yourself to God and he will sanctify you – then take up your PPE. – We see an example of this in Eph.6 where Paul writes of the PPE for the Lord’s people only then it was called “The Armour of God”; it was recommended to protect his church from the unseen enemy and from the pollution of the world.

  •  the belt of truth
  •  the breastplate of righteousness
  •  feet ready with the good news
  •  the shield of faith
  •  the helmet of salvation
  •  the sword of the Spirit.

In the reading – v.13 – Prepare your minds for action – be self-controlled – set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. –  tells us to indeed to consecrate ourselves – it is an action on our part. “Be holy” is not a static – one off – state but is an action that requires refreshing frequently; hence Peter uses the words – prepare – be – set, there is responsibility on our part. Self-control is listed in the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5 v.22) in 1 Peter 1 v.2 we find the phrase – “through the sanctifying work of the Spirit” – are those verses in Gal.5 presenting us with yet another picture of the teaching – consecrate yourself to God (live to the Spirit) – take up your PPE and enjoy the fruit, the benefits, of the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit?

Basically – Don’t go with the flow of a polluted river – ‘it takes a live fish to swim against the current’ – but you won’t survive if you don’t take up your PPE.

The phrase – “set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed” leads us to the second key principle that Peter has taken from Leviticus, it is found in v.17 – “Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.” Again, as Israel was about to enter the promised land, a warning is given in Lev.25 v.23 –

“The land must not be sold permanently because the land is mine and you are but aliens and tenants.”

They were told to settle in the land and build villages but to always remember that they were God’s people in God’s land; they were tenants, they were passing through. In Hebrews 11 v.13, we read that the great people of faith – “admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.” – In Hebrews 11 v.9, we read that Abraham – “By faith made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents.” – Hebrews 11 v.10, explains why – “For he was looking forward to the city with foundation, whose architect and builder is God.” – and again in Hebrews 11 v.16, we learn the people of faith, who admitted they were but aliens and strangers on earth – “were longing for a better country – a heavenly one.” – On what have we set our hope – where are we looking to and what are we longing for?

It is worth noting that Peter addresses this letter to “God’s elect, strangers in the world.” Perhaps we can understand what Peter is telling us if we look at the prayer of Jesus in John 17. He is praying for those who have consecrated themselves to follow Jesus – in v.14 – 19 we read:

“I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.”

In Christ we are indeed strangers in the world – ‘in it but not of it’. Jesus continues his prayer –

“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.”

Sanctify – make them holy – by the truth and the word – are these, yet again, key elements in our PPE such that we can survive in the world?

Then Jesus says the following wonderful words –

“For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.”

He made himself holy so that we can become truly holy. Is this what Peter is thinking when in 1 Peter 1 v.18/19 he says that we weren’t redeemed by any of the perishable things of this world but – “with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”? Peter tells us in v.15 – Just as he called you is holy, so be holy in all you do.” This, because we are so often drawn into the ways of thinking in this world, is a daily need for us – to consecrate our life to God with the assurance that he will indeed sanctify us, then to take up the PPE provided by the Holy Spirit and continue to follow Jesus through the land as strangers heading to the eternal city of God.

Basically – Keep your feet firmly on the ground but continue walking humbly with your God protected by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit and looking forward to the heavenly kingdom.

1 Peter 1 v.21/22 – “Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.  – Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply from the heart.” –

“Love one another” – Over the last few months we have seen so many frontline people, medical staff and so on, setting their own lives aside then taking up their PPE to protect themselves so that they can serve others. Again, in the prayer of John 17 Jesus says – “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.” –  We are not of the world but we are asked to serve the Lord in it; the church is on the frontline in a polluted world. Is this another reason why we should daily consecrate ourselves to God – take up the PPE provided through the Holy Spirit – and assured that we are sanctified in Christ – reach out to serve in love?

In Christ, when in your heart you lay yourself aside, God fills the empty space that is left. 

“Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God” – and so – retain the hope and joy of your salvation.

“the word of the Lord stands for ever and this is the word that was preached to you.”

Prayer: – – Lord we can only praise you – – you sanctified yourself so that we can be sanctified; – indeed Lord, through your grace, we can look forward in eager anticipation to your return to eventually lead us to that heavenly city. Help us Lord to take up our PPE daily and serve you in holiness, enjoying your presence in all that we do.  Amen

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.          1 Thessalonians 5 v.23/24


Category: Prayers , The Bridge

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