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.

The Joy of Fearing God (Part 2)

Outcomes of fearing God (See Isaiah 40: 18-31)

There’s a sort of quick fix Christianity about today––Fast feel good theology.  Some people look for an experience of God in meetings and moods. This falls very short of experiencing God in his revealed greatness.

In part one we discussed the joy of fearing God. A healthy fear of God is our response to thinking about his presence, character, word and work.

True fear of God affects us as we discover him in history, nature and Jesus.

In History (Discovering God in the Bible) 

He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. 23 He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. 24 No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. (Isa 40:22-24)

God is involved powerfully in the actions and destiny of rulers. Psalm 2  speaks of the kings of the earth challenging God. Hear God’s response: The one enthroned in heaven laughs and scoffs at them––and they are terrified 

In Nature (Discovering God in the physical worlds)

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?.......... (26) Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. (Isa 40:12)  The Lord knows them all.

 There are roughly 100 billion galaxies, each with about 100 billion stars.

God determines the number of stars and calls them each by name. (Ps 147:4)

God in Jesus: We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

When the disciple Thomas, who doubted, understood who Jesus was he said correctly: ‘My Lord and my God’ Thomas responded out of respectful awe/fear.

We exist to enjoy God and everything he has made. When we receive Jesus we enter a close relationship. We are joint heirs with him of everything he receives. (Romans 8) The thought that we can know and experience God like that is & awe-inspiring, yet true.

In the first part of this series we considered what it was to fear God. My main aim now is for us to think about the gifts and outcomes that come to us when we truly fear God. Now hear this: God enjoys us enjoying him.

The gifts. God has placed a basic fear (respect) of himself in the soul of every Christian. Two points: First,  God says he will give singleness of heart & action to his people so that they will always fear him. I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good (Jer 32:39)

It took the nation of Israel 70 years of exile in Babylon before thy realised that.

Second point: He promises to inspire us to fear him. As we respond to God with respectful awe/fear we become aware of his gifts to us. Here’s a small example of what we receive by fearing God.

From the Psalms: (25:14, 34:9-10, 103:11,17) Notice the relationship.

- The Lord confides In those who fear him & makes his covenant known to them.

- Those who fear him lack nothing & no good thing.

- As high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him.

- From everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him.

From the Proverbs: (8:13, 10:27, 19:23)

- To fear the Lord is to hate evil. New life brings new values.

-  The fear of the Lord adds length to life. How’s forever sound?

- The fear of the Lord leads to life. – We discover what we had wasn’t life.

From Isaiah: He will be the sure fountain for your times, a rich store of salvation of wisdom & of knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure. (33:6)

The treasure is Jesus: All that he has is available to his people: Rescue, Refreshment, Wisdom, and Knowledge. Then there is the great retirement plan: An everlasting and indestructible retirement home in heaven.

Outcomes from fearing God. True fear of God actually produces a great love of life and many happy days. Fear of God isn’t just an emotional feeling that hits us at times then fades away. True fear of God is a motivating life affirming value. It grows within us as we grow towards spiritual mature––We begin to see what the Lord is really like

We really do receive life changing gifts that come from a proper fear of God.

We may not have the overwhelming appearances of Old Testament prophets or New Testament apostles. We may not have the rich history of God interacting with the Jews. But we have Jesus. And he has a plan: We are in it, and every detail of it will be achieved––For the world and for the universe.

As we live in awe of him our lives will produce outcomes that build for eternity.

Hear the writer to the Hebrews:

 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptable with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. (Heb 12:28)

The Joy of fearing God (1 of 2)

Fear does terrible things to us. It can create anxiety over the future.  It can prevent us from doing things.  And It can reduce our ability to enjoy life. I want us to think about a different kind of fear: Fear of God.

Fear of God is different to being afraid of God. True fear of God is awe and deep respect. This causes us to enjoy and glorify God and motivates us to actions.

Fear of God is the solution to worry over the future. Why? Because we can be sure that God supervises everything that happens to us. (Psalm 34:7)

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, & he delivers them. 

Fear of God puts us in the right state of heart and mind to grow in the best way.

( Prov 1:7) ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge’

 (Prov 9:10) ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom’

Wisdom is knowledge correctly applied.

Let’s explore this a bit!

We experience the fear of God as we live our lives in awe of him. 

-  Awe is an emotion in which dread, honour, devotion and wonder are mingled.

-  Awe is a submissive and admiring fear inspired by good authority.

-  Awe is fearful respect inspired by a supernatural person––a God.

Jesus is the perfect example of what it is to truly fear God. 

The Spirit of the Lord will rest upon him––the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord––And he will delight in the fear of the Lord. (Isa 11: 2-3)

In his humanity Jesus sees God from our perspective and he responds by living in joyful, respectful and loving awe/fear of God

Some people have no fear of God ‘There is no fear of God before their eyes’  (Romans 3:18) These people either don’t believe God exists or they don’t care, or they think if God does exist he isn’t interested in them.

Should we be afraid of God? Adam ignored God then he was afraid and hid from him. (Gen 3:10) We should be afraid of God if we ignore his instructions.

Back to the positive fear of God––‘respectful awe’ 

Bible commentator John Murray says: ‘The fear of God is the soul of Godliness’

He explains, ‘The fear of God in which Godliness lives is the fear which powerfully produces adoration and love.  It’s the fear which is made up of awe, respect, honour, and worship, and all of these on the highest level of activity.

 It’s the reflex in our consciousness of the supreme majesty & holiness of God.’ 

True fear of God keeps us on the right path as we journey through life. True fear of God is more than just a feeling or an attitude, it’s a feeling and attitude that changes our lives in the most wonderful ways.

I must bring in a warning at this point: If we don’t  understand the grace of God and his acceptance of us through Jesus we can easily fall into a performance or religious relationship. That’s when doing becomes more important than being.

If we live like that we will see God as a hard taskmaster who distributes punishment and occasional rewards. Our rule for life will be ‘perform or perish.

 True fear of God produces trust in God.

We can’t separate trust in God from fear of God.  We will trust him only to the extent that we genuinely live in awe of him: The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love (Ps 33:18)

We may not see God doing miracles as he did in the old days, but we can read about them and be amazed: Let all the earth fear the Lord.....For he spoke, and it came to be, he commanded and it stood firm.  The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.  But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. (Ps 33:8-11)

How to develop a healthy fear of God

We need to recognise his presence and encounter God through the world the Scriptures and his involvement in our lives These responses should awaken in us the awe, respect, humility  and worship that is our right response to our God.

This God of ultimate power not only reveals himself in the world and word.

God appeared in space and time in the person of Jesus Christ. In Jesus we see God in a man. In Jesus we see true fear of God in a person. We also see the joyful relationship with the creator that comes from truly fearing him.

The Voice of God and Human Thoughts

David; writer of psalms, shepherd, soldier, great King of Israel, major sinner and prophet learnt about God by observing the natural world, believing the bible and applying both to his life.

In the Psalm 19 David talks about the outward word of God (Bible) and the inward thought about God that comes from looking at the natural world

This is still the main way God reveals himself to us.

Outward Word: Through the bible

Inward thought: Thinking about what God has done and is doing.

David as shepherd or soldier  perhaps feeling a bit lost or lonely looks into the night sky and his thoughts bring him to say  "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." (1).

Declare: Announce, give a report, bring news, Make a loud statement. 

Glory: Reveals what God is like - Expression of his active presence.

Proclaim: Shout out, illuminate, Inescapable announcement––God did this!

The heavens speak of the existence, intelligence and power of God. The skies, infinity of space proclaim the work of God––both complex and beautiful

God is not hiding and he is not silent

The voice of God is heard throughout the cosmos, in all languages. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth (2-4)

The apostle Paul in the New Testament uses the natural world as part of his proclamation of the gospel  (Acts 14:15b-17 and Romans 1:19-22)

(4-6) David contemplates the sun and sees through its blinding heat that the power behind it is God. He and millions of others have looked at the universe from a great distance and still been amazed. Try it!.

We know more about the cosmos than David did. Do we get it?

David does not stop at ‘Star gazing’, he acknowledges that God has also spoken through the written word––The scriptures are of great value to him.

The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. (7-8)

David didn’t just read the bible he applied it to his life. As he did this he found his soul revived, his mind developed, his heart warmed, his eyes opened and his life was enriched.

Israel’s great king learnt through his experience that God's word (bible) was perfect, trustworthy, right for his life, illuminating––giving him understanding and warning him of danger He learnt from his bible, to fear the Lord and to know the Lord and he wanted more of God, his thirst for fellowship and relationship with God was overwhelming. That's what a taste of the glory of God can do.

David felt from observing the universe and applying God's word that there was still a gap, an emptiness. He knew he was an unworthy person in need of help. He admitted his need of protection, acceptance and cleansing from sin. Who can discern their own errors?  Forgive my hidden faults.  (12)

David speaks directly to the only one who can help, the one who will love and accept him even in spite of his hidden faults. He knows God will forgive, heal, help and accept him.

What should we do with the voice of God if we hear it in the natural world and the written word?

We could respond as David did: May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

On the Beach

Daytime Dreaming

Two Worlds in Conflict

Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, the kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation,(of rules, rituals and good morals) nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’  because the kingdom of God is within you. (Luke 17:20-21)

What does it mean: The kingdom of God is within you?

The Pharisees were very religious people. They tried hard to live in ways that in their opinion should be acceptable to God. They observed ceremonies and rituals. They applied strong moral discipline. They believed they were just the sort of people to be well received in the kingdom of God, or so they thought!

Sadly, everything the Pharisees did to appeal to God was external––Of the physical world, not of the kingdom of God. So Jesus says to them: The kingdom of God is within you.

The Pharisees were just like people these days who believe the kingdom of God can be found through observing religious ceremonies or conducting certain rituals and/or through living a morally good life. (as they see it)  Jesus taught that anyone who chooses to live that way will never find the kingdom of God or qualify to enter it. The Pharisees were seeking their reality in the wrong world. They were citizens of the physical world when they should have learned how to become citizens of the spiritual world––The kingdom of God where Jesus rules.

Being a citizen of the kingdom of God

 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)

According to the Bible there is a difference between the followers of Jesus and other people. this isn’t always noticeable at first look. Followers of Jesus have an extra dimension to life. They have access to a hidden resource––An invisible reality, which other people don’t have. The apostle Paul mentioned this earlier in this letter, Christ in you, the hope of glory.  This extra something is an invisible dimension within us. It’s the wonder of the Christian life.  It’s also the source of our motivation, strength and joy. If you haven’t discovered this yet  you haven’t  begun to live as you can and should. We truly have access to a new world: If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come ˆ(2 Corinthians 5:17)

Summing up: Followers of Jesus are to continually remember who they are, who we will he when Jesus returns. That’s the true basis for living an authentic Christian life.

How then should we live?  It’s simple really.

Set your hearts and minds on things above...where Christ is..not on earthly things. Jesus has freed us  from everything that keeps us away from God. We are now free to experience the enjoyment of God’s presence. That’s the world we are made for. Hear the apostle: Your life is now hidden with Christ in God  (3b) The new creation has already begun for the authentic Christian.  We can begin right now to enjoy the life of the age to come. Then when the new age comes we will be with Jesus and his people to fully enjoy the new world forever.

How do you respond to that?