What about Christmas?

Christmas  2011  A Time to Think

What are the chances of us being remembered in 2,000 years time?

Why does history remember some people and ignore most people?

Consider this:  There was a man named Augustus. He was the first and greatest emperor of the Roman empire.  Augustus ordered a census that brought a man named Joseph and his wife Mary to Bethlehem where he son Jesus was born.  The month of August is named after Augustus. Why don’t we remember his birthday?

This brings us to Christmas. Why, out of the billions of people who have lived is so much attention still given to a  baby born in Palestine 2,000 years ago?  Why have thousands of books been written about his life and teachings. Why in the year 2011 do over a billion people follow him?

The story of Jesus is amazing: It’s about God appearing on earth as a human being.

Why did Jesus come? 

The historian Luke knew Jesus personally.  He wrote extensively about his birth and life. According to Luke, when Jesus was born an angel appeared to some shepherds. Luke wrote that the angel talked  with the shepherds about a baby just born in nearby Bethlehem.  The angel said:  ‘Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born for you; he is Christ the Lord’   (Luke 2:11)

The apostle Paul wrote this about Jesus some 50 years after Jesus was born: ‘When the time set by God arrived, He sent his son, born of a woman. (Galatians 4:4-5)

Here is a mystery:  God sent his son––Jesus came from God, yet he entered our world through the body of a women. No wonder people were still talking about this 50 years later and even  today.

Why did God send a saviour.

God sent a saviour because people were lost from God and didn’t know it.

People hadn’t forgotten God existed. They had just forgotten how to live in relationship with him as creature to Creator.

What happens when people are lost from God? 

We get  pretty much the kind of world we have now.  A world where people  make things of great beauty that enrich life.  Yet at the same time we make things that cause great suffering and destroy life.

When people are lost from God there are consequences.  Individuals and nations fall towards a spiritual and moral vacuum.  Why have family breakdown, suicide and depression reached epidemic proportions in this wonderful land of Australia? Because people are lost from God!

Christmas is a happy time of giving and family re-union for many people.  But it’s also a sad time of loneliness, alienation and depression for many others. 

Why is it that in the last century we saved millions of lives through scientific discoveries and in the same century millions of lives were destroyed by war?

Why are people wiping themselves out with alcohol & other drugs? These are all consequences of being lost from God.

Think about this: Everything that takes away our happiness is a consequence of being lost from God.

What does the coming of God in a person 2011 years ago say to us?

It tells us that although we may be lost from God God isn’t lost from us.

As savoir Jesus came to bring lost people back into relationship with God.

Christmas is about the beginning of the work of the Saviour. He was born to be our Saviour.  And he had to become a man to complete our rescue.

What happened to cause us to be lost from God was so terrible that Jesus  had to die to rescue us.   There’s a mystery here but mystery does not take away truth. Easter completes the story of Jesus coming to be the saviour. Our rescue is achieved at great cost––not to us but to God.

‘“God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have everlasting life’ (John 3:16)

To find and know God in a personal relationship we must first receive Jesus as our eternal leader and follow him through the twists and turns of our lives.

Religion or Gospel

Having just read ‘The Reason for God’ by Timothy Keller I was particularly taken with the thought that we respond to the good and bad of life from one of two motivating principals: Religion or the Gospel. The test to help us know whether we live from a religious or a gospel foundation is answered by how we deal with the good and bad things that enter our lives.

I hope the following comments encourage you to develop a mind-set that raises religious warning bells and guides you to live under the gospel.

There is a great difference between the understanding that God accepts us because of our efforts and the understanding that God accepts us because of what Jesus has done. Religion operates on the principle, 'I obey––therefore I am accepted by God’ But the operating principal of the gospel is ‘I am accepted by God through what Jesus has done––therefore I obey.’

Two people living on the basis of these two different principles may be part of the same church. They both pray, give money generously and are loyal and faithful to their family and community, trying to live decent lives. However, they do so out of two radically different motivations, in two radically different spiritual identities. The result is two radically different lives.

The primary difference is that of motivation. In religion people try to apply God’s standards out of fear. They believe that if they don’t obey they will loose God’s blessing in this world and the next.

In the gospel, the motivation is one of gratitude for the blessing we have already received because of Jesus Christ. The religious person is forced into obedience, motivated by fear of rejection, When we understand the gospel we rush  into obedience, motivated by a desire to please and resemble the one who suffered and gave his life for us.

Religion and the gospel also lead to different ways of handling troubles and suffering. Religion is deceptive and leads people to the conviction that if they live a ‘good’ life, then God (and people) owe them respect and favor. These people believe they deserve a decent, happy life. If, however, life begins to go wrong, religious people (moralists) will experience devastating anger. Either they will be furious with God (or the universe) because thy feel that since they live better than others; they should have a better life. Or else they will be deeply angry at themselves, unable to shake the feeling that they have not lived as they should or kept up to standards.

 The gospel, however, makes it possible for us to escape the spiral of bitterness, self-recrimination and despair when life goes wrong. We know that the basic premise of religion- that if you live a good life, things will go well for you–is wrong. Jesus was the most morally upright person who ever lived, yet he experienced poverty, rejection, injustice and even torture,

The Threat of Grace

When many people first hear the distinction between religion and the gospel, they think that it just sounds too easy. ‘Nice deal!’ they may say. ‘If that is Christianity all I have to do is get a personal relationship with God and then do anything I want!’ Those words, however, can only be spoken on the outside of an experience of life changing grace. No one from the inside speaks like that. In fact, grace can be quite threatening. The religious/moralistic person can find the reality of grace very threatening. Grace calls us to reject our claim––that God should accept us because we are trying to be good. Then the way is open to receive Jesus as Lord. Then and only then will we be free to follow Jesus out of gratitude and ‘do as we please’

Bill Saville

Books In a Book

Reading the Books in the Book

What is the Bible?  The word means 'Book' or 'Writings'.  It contains 66 separate  books written by various people over a period of 1000 + years.

How did the Bible arrive?   2 Timothy. 3:16a All Scripture is God breathed.

2 Peter 1:21 Men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

What is the purpose of the Bible?  (2 Timothy 3:15-17)

- To give  us the wisdom that leads us to salvation

 - Words from God himself (written down by his writers) God speaking.

- Useful for teaching things God wants us to know

- Rebuking (standing against wrong thinking)

- Correcting (Giving the truth where there is error)

- Training in righteousness (equipping us to live God’s way)

The Bible is given to us so that we will be thoroughly equipped for every good work (17) -That is to live a happy life in good relationship with God.

How to read the Bible

Suggestions:  Start with the New Testament.

Questions to consider as you read:

- What does the passage say to the people it was first written to?

- What is the application for me?

- What does it tell me about God?

- What does it tell me about myself? Is there an instruction to obey, a promise to hold, a action to avoid, a warning to heed, a fact to believe or a truth to consider.

The Bible is God actually speaking to us. He does this through the inspiration of gifted people who have written down what the Spirit of God has moved them to write. 

The Bible really is the book that leads to knowing God and living with  eternal life. When we come to read it we should come with the prayer: "What does God want me to know?" And a mind that is open to hear, learn and do what God tells us through the inspired words.

How To Take It With You

 Two important questions: 1. Why do people invest so much time, energy and money preparing for a future that is uncertain? 2. Why do people spend so little time, energy and money preparing for a future that is certain? It’s all about faith, values, short and long term comfort.

Comparing what people value to what God values, Jesus said: “What is highly valued among people is detestable in God’s sight”   (Luke 16:15b)

Jesus teaches that we can identify our true ambitions by identifying the things we value most. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt 6: 21)  Jesus defines treasure to mean that in which we take our greatest delight, and towards which we give our greatest efforts.

Jesus taught that we can actually accumulate wealth in the Bank of Heaven. He manages an investment fund that always gains because he is the perfect fund manager and he will only receive investments that last.

Jesus said: “Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matt 6:19-21)

Jesus tells us we can store our treasure in one of two places. Keep this in mind: He isn’t promoting poverty and he isn’t saying wealth is evil. Jesus is simply helping us see that one line of investments are very high risk and the other is absolutely secure and growing––unable to fail.

How to invest in Heaven’s Treasure (three stories) 

1.    Jesus tells a strange story in The parable of the shrewd manager (Luke 16)

The parable teaches that we should use our material resources to gain friends. Use your worldly wealth to gain  friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into heavenly dwellings.” (Luke 16:9)   This is not about salvation through generosity.  It’s about gaining eternal benefits for those we help and for ourselves. The shrewd and worldly manager only gained temporary friends. Jesus wants us to see that we can gain eternal friends through the wise use of our material resources.

Think about this: There may be people in heaven who will thank you for showing them the light of God through your material generosity.

2. The Parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:15-21)  illustrates that we can store enduring treasure in just one of two places.  This parable has an application for Christians and for those who aren’t Christian. Both can waste their lives storing up things for the wrong reasons. It’s sobering to remember that the moment we die, everything we have accumulated here on earth will be of no value to us.

3.There is to be an award giving ceremony in heaven: ‘If what we have built survives, we will receive our reward’. (1 Cor 3:10-15)

We should invest in heaven now—we may make a quick exit from our bodies.

Some day the heavenly fund manager will present us with our eternal superannuation statement. He will clarify our ‘lump sum’ that has been accumulating as we made  contributions while we were on earth.

For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each may receive what is due to them for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad

(2 Cor 5:10)  Jesus will display his pleasure in those who have used their lives to honour, love and serve him.

The currency that is accepted in heaven: First, we should make sure we are going to be there to access our wealth: Heaven’s first treasure offered to people who are not Christian is the gift of eternal life.  This comes when we determine to follow Jesus as our personal  Lord and Saviour.

Responsible use of wealth. “Command those who are rich  (We are the rich) in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.  Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” (1 Timothy 6: 17-19)

Two things not to do

1. Don’t become arrogant: This happens when we place our confidence in

anything other than Jesus himself.

2. Don’t put our hope in wealth: This happens when we ignore Jesus, and believe we are in control of our lives.

Three things to do 

1. Trust Jesus for the present and the future. (Matt 6) As we do this we free ourselves from the things unbelievers get stressed over.

2. Measure wealth by the good we do with it, not by what we have for our use. 

3. Have a generous attitude by being ambitious to share generously. 

Two Outcomes 

1. The future: Our treasure is secure for us in heaven. And with wise and planned investment here on earth it will continue to grow.

2. The present: We are offered a fuller experience of eternal life now. And we have freedom from the anxieties over the future that those who do not trust in Jesus experience.

What holds people back from investing in heaven?

The main thing that keeps us from investing in heaven’s treasure is  lack of faith. This causes us to opt for earthly rather than heavenly treasure.  Lack of faith also causes us to settle for the minimum investment in heaven.

Jesus must be Master over our hearts: His will, precepts and values must receive our primary attention; then and not till then will everything in our inward person fall into its right place.  Unless our hearts are so ordered, everything will be in confusion and our whole body will be in darkness. 

With global economies wallowing in debt and failure it’s wonderful to know we have a future that is absolutely secure. This should give us great joy. And to know we can increase God’s pleasure in us through investing more of our resources for the growth of his Kingdom should give us a sense of purpose, hope and adventure.

Consider your spiritual investment portfolio—assess the risk and invest wisely.

He Came from Eternity

When Jesus Comes 1 John 1:1-2:2

As a young man, John was attracted by the personality and words of his cousin Jesus. Jesus so attracted him that he left a comfortable life as a fisherman to follow him. Now, much older and still following Jesus John writes this letter.

Over the years the word about Jesus had spread and many people followed him.  Yet from the beginning there were people who polluted the gospel with false teaching. John discovered that in some churches it was taking a hold and destroying absolute faith in Jesus and his word.

 

Much like our times: We hear many voices, often from so called Christian leaders proclaiming another gospel that removes the fundamentals of the true gospel and steals our hope. To name a few false words: The gospel is being polluted by cults, prosperity teaching, words of knowledge that oppose biblical teaching, the minimising of moral failure and distorting God’s word..

John writes with two basic aims: (1) To expose the false teachers (2:26) and (2) To give believers clear assurance of salvation (5:13)

John begins his letter motivated by personal memories of being with Jesus.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. (1 John 1:1-2) What a great start!

Can you grasp the life changing enthusiasm in John’s words?

He says: go back, to the beginning of the universe, then go back further, to before time. There you see Jesus with God––With God because he is God.

(3) We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, (personal experience) so that you also may have fellowship with us (having in common) and our fellowship is with the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ.

 

John says in affect: “Don’t try and tell me I didn’t experience Jesus!”

John can see clearly how false teaching was damaging people. As an apostle his joy in the Lord couldn’t be complete unless his readers shared the true knowledge of Jesus. We write this to make our joy complete. (4)

False teaching disrupts fellowship but truth unites true believers––to one another & to God. our fellowship is with the Father & the Son, Jesus Christ. 

John wants us to know Jesus is proclaimer of God’s message and the message itself––Jesus is the living Word of Life and the Way to complete life.

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. (5-6)

The thing that keeps us from knowing and enjoying God is not allowing Jesus to be God in our lives. John calls this Walking in darkness (6b) Living a lie.

In contrast to walking in the darkness John calls allowing Jesus to be God in our, lives Walking in the light (7a)

If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. (7)

The false teaching John confronts redefines sin. In our times sin becomes relative to social norms. People say we don’t need a saviour because we don’t sin. John won’t accept that. He proclaims the eternal reality and remedy for the consequences of sin. Sin begins with self deception.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. (8)  People do this when they see sin as a moral situation––it’s spiritual.

John: “If we don’t admit we have sinned it doesn’t mean we haven’t”  

Yet sin can be dealt with properly and strongly. (more about this to come)

If we confess our sins, Jesus is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. (9-10)

Unbelief that ignores God’s word is the foundation to all sin––the moral consequences of unbelief. Sin not dealt with interferes with spiritual growth.

Confession of sin ( the moral consequences of unbelief) is essential for a good relationship with God. People need to know they are forgiven by God.

How forgiveness happens My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have one who speaks to the father in our defence––Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (2:1-2)

Hear this  Jesus speaks to the Father in our defence. He is our advocate or barrister but he’s more than this––The way and Remedy. He’s the way to being friends with God (propitiation). And he’s the remedy for our failures.

Two major errors were being taught in John’s time.

1.  That sin doesn’t cut people off from God.  People won’t measure their behaviour against God’s standards, so they make their own and convince themselves that God will be OK with these. He’s not! 

2.  People can be sinless.

No one is free from the consequences of sin. Sadly, many people live out their lives with it unrecognised.  Everyone needs the help offered by Jesus.

His grace and power are sufficient to deal with our past and present failures.

Jesus provides a free legal service  to everyone who comes to him. It’s worth a try––He’s never lost a case. Jesus negotiates our case with God. And he always wins us a pardon. This is because God accepts his life and his cross as both penalty and plea for us.

He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (2:2).

The work of Jesus on the cross and now before God is sufficient for the salvation of everyone––The whole world.  Yet it’s only effective for some people––Those who come to him, believe in him, trust and follow him.

So, John writes, remembering the amazing time it was when he was with Jesus.  This ageing man remembers how his life was changed by Jesus. Now he can look back on a long life rich with personal experiences of the life giving grace of God in Jesus. Is it any wonder that he attacks false teaching. Is it any wonder that he seeks to protect God’s people from false teaching’s devastating affect. We should do likewise.

Fear and the Fearless Friend

Fear and Thoughts

You are my purpose my hope

My reason for being

Without You I am alone

Wallowing in deceptive self esteem

Misery and self pity

When I am with You I am a hero

An adventurer unafraid of

The monsters

I can leap with boundless energy

Across the canyons of life

Without You I am afraid,

Lonely, desperate for encouragement

And inspiration

Dislocated from purpose

You are the difference between success and failure

Without You I am an empty shell

Cast aside by the sea of life

Exposed to the fearful and heavy feet of death

Crushing me into sand

With you I am invincible, protected

Eternal and free

Who are you?

I am a son.

A father.

A friend.

A brother.

A lover

I am your Creator I am

Times Of Fear And Hope

Forced to Think and Tempted to Panic

The world seems to have entered a time of environmental and political upheaval that is worse than any in recorded history. Many people are developing a fearful attitude towards the future.

What is fear? It’s easier to understand the outcomes of fear than to define fear itself. We experience fear as unease or anxiety about what may happen in the future. Fear affects our emotional and physical life. It can be personal or global. Personal fear can be lessoned by friends who provide support and are not afraid of what frightens us. But what of global fear? Who helps us when we’re all afraid?

Foundations of fear: We are bombarded with information from all parts of the world, some of it true and some of it false. I raise the question: What is happening to the planet and its people? Are we out of control ? Did we ever have control? Even if the information we receive is incorrect the fear is real.

How do we live with fear?

Believe the big picture: Since creation, the creator has been moving the world towards one magnificent goal––the merging of heaven and earth. From the bible’s perspective the Creator’s goal includes fearful turmoil.

When fear grips us we are tempted to look to earthly leaders and human wisdom to solve problems that people alone  can’t possibly solve.

Who will we trust as our strong leader in times of turmoil and fear?

From his followers stand-point Jesus is the antidote for fear. When we are in a right relationship with him we can be sure he controls everything that happens to us.  (John 14:1-3)  “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. ……

As followers of Jesus we are to deal with life differently to how people normally face problems (perceived and real)

(Isa 8:11)  The LORD spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people. (godless) He said: 12 “Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, & do not dread it. 13 The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread,..’

When Jesus told his disciples the temple would be destroyed, they found it hard to accept.  (The temple was built out of huge sandstone blocks) Yet some of them lived to see it happen.

Jesus gave his disciples signs to prepare them for getting through that catastrophic event. We also have been given signs to remind us of the final and greatest turmoil.

A sample:  Luke 21:24…….. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.  This has been the situation since 70AD. Even when modern Israel was established Jerusalem remained Gentile territory. 

(25)  “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.

There is growing international anxiety over what is happening to the planet.

(26) Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.

There are pockets of improvement in spiritual, political and environmental matters. However, the bible tells that in these three areas things will get worse as the time of the end gets closer.  This isn’t pessimism it’s Biblical realism.

Think about this: What if we are right now experiencing the wind up of the age? How are we going to cope if the world panics?  What should we do if we believe things are out of control.

What can we do to manage our fears?

We can remind ourselves that God is in absolute control.  Then we remind ourselves that after the troubles ‘the whole of creation will be brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God’. (Rom 8: 2 1) And there his followers will be: alive, safe and well. Living with Jesus forever, in a world in perfect harmony and peace.

Four things that will help us deal with fear.

1.  Knowledge.  a) The knowledge that what is happening is within the plan of God (allowed or deliberate). b) The knowledge that Christians are at the heart of his plan.  And c) The knowledge that all things are moving by God’s power towards providing for our everlasting good.

(Dan. 12:1-3)  “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people — everyone whose name is found written in the book — will be delivered. We should  be certain our name has been recorded.

2. Trust Jesus to be both truthful and capable.

Trust in Jesus’ power and commitment to us will release us from all competing fears.  This doesn’t mean we won’t have the occasional anxiety or panic attacks––particularly if we are personally affected by the turmoil.

Trusting in Jesus doesn’t mean we do nothing and just watch. It means the very opposite. Like with temptation: we aren’t told just to resist it.  We are told to replace it by taking the way of escape God always provides (1 Cor 10:13) 

3.  Live in happy submission to the word of God.

As the world systems crumble Christians aren’t to sit around simply waiting for the end.  We are to live strongly, do good things and gather disciples for Jesus. This means we take on a godly lifestyle.  By doing this we glorify God and make  decisions that match with the lifestyle of Jesus.

4. We pray: Like we pray about death. Not to avoid it but to have a good passage to it. And we have the certainty that we are loved by God.

(1John 4:18) There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…’

Our wonderful future was secured by Jesus on the cross.  Things are going exactly according to plan.  God is still in control of his world.  He has created a people he will love forever.  Don’t Panic! Travel with Jesus––He has overcome the world.