Category Archives: Christian life

GREATEST LOVE

Christian life

T here is a chorus that we sang from time to time, and its words went some-thing like this “It’s love, it’s love, it’s love that makes the world go round. So pass it on so pass it on to every one, so pass it on so pass it on to every one. It’s love that makes the world go round.” Yet this is one of the most important commodities that our society lacks today. Far too often children become casualties as a re-sult of loveless marriages. A young girl was asked during a counseling session who showed her the greatest love in her home. Her reply was “MY DOG” The problem with many folk is that they have never ever experi-enced the love of GOD. They have never understood or accepted the fact that God redeemed mankind through His perfect love. So what I am about to write is a true reflection of God’s word.
Firstly we see that God’s love is a divine love John 15: 9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love.”
Then we see that God’s love is a sacrificial love. John 15: 13 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” This is exactly what Jesus did for us. When Jesus stood in Pilot’s judgment hall, He saved us from standing in God’s judgment hall, because He considered us to be His friends.
God’s love is also a constraining love. 2nd Cor. 5: 14 “Whatever we do, it is because Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for everyone, we also believe that we have all died to the old life we used to live.” What more can we say? Except that Jesus became our mediator. When He stood in the gap between God and man and justified us through the shedding of His precious blood, Jesus paid the penalty for our sins. His redemptive power made it possible for us to become the “HEIRS OF SALVATION” Hallelujah what a Saviour.

“It is finished” were the last words Jesus spoke as He hung on the cross.

New Year Blessing

Christian life

Once again we have entered into a new era, with the beginning of the New Year. The old year has faded into history leaving many people with unresolved issues. This causes some folk to long for something better, so they make a lot of New Year’s resolutions in order to change their life style for the better, but somehow before the first month of the year has ended those resolutions fail to be adhered to. Prior to the beginning of every year, the common saying is, “I wish you a happy and prosperous New Year.” I made it my business to look at the meaning of “Prosper” and this is what I came up with. Flourish, Thrive, Succeed, Progress, Get ahead, Grow, Develop, Profit, Gain, Become wealthy, Grow rich, Make one’s fortune, Make good.” In order to be prosperous according to the system of this world, involves much time, effort, and even taking risks. If you have shares on the Stock Market, there is a possibility of losing the investment that you made. Let us not be blinded by all the glitz and glamour of the world, but let us focus on the things of God. As a child of God, it is His desire to prosper us. His boundary’s are unlimited, His love so immense that it cannot be measured. The Apostle John in third John verse 2 expresses this. “BELOVED, I WISH ABOVE ALL THINGS THAT THOU MAYEST PROSPER AND BE IN HEALTH, EVEN AS THY SOUL PROSPERETH.“ Physical prosperity is temporal, but spiritual blessings are eternal. Psalm 1: 1 & 3 reminds us that a relationship with the author and finisher of our faith is full of promises. “BLESSED IS THE MAN WHO WALKS NOT IN THE COUNCIL OF THE UNGODLY, NOR STANDS IN THE PATH OF SINNERS, NOR SITS IN THE SEAT OF THE SCORNFUL;“ Verse 3 “HE SHALL BE LIKE A TREE PLANTED BY THE RIVERS OF WATER, THAT BRINGS FORTH ITS FRUIT IN ITS SEASON, WHOSE LEAF ALSO SHALL NOT WITHER; AND WHATEVER HE DOES SHALL PROSPER.” May God’s richest blessings be your portion, may you lack for nothing, may God protect you constantly, may you be a blessing to your family and friends, may you enjoy good health, may your purse always contain an extra Rand or two to bless someone less fortunate than you, may your relationship with the Lord Jesus be the best ever.

Colin

Why Did He Come?

Christian life, ,

Ebenezer Family Church

Sunday 15th December, 2013

            WHY DID HE COME?

INTRODUCTION

Everyone knows that Nelson Mandela passed away last Thursday night. I heard the news early on Friday morning from a friend in California who heard it on the news from President Obama! Since then there have been snippets of his life and achievements on every TV channel and every newspaper around the country.

People everywhere are urged to celebrate his life and honour him for what he did for the country but I have read not one word about his birth! Funny, isn’t it? Every time I log in to FNB, the first page I have to get past has a picture of Nelson Mandela’s face with these words written across  his forehead – SACRIFICE, FORGIVENESS, FREEDOM.

Don’t these words sound familiar? They belong to someone else who is worthy to wear them.

When the apostles went out to take the good news of God’s kingdom to the world, they had to contend with claims made by the Roman rulers of their day. Because they refused to honour Caesar as Lord, and preached that Jesus, not Caesar, is the Son of God and the Prince of Peace, they lost their lives, as did thousands of people who believed their message and followed Jesus.

Without detracting anything from the greatness of the man who is being buried today, I want us to focus on the One whose sacrifice brings true forgiveness and freedom. Madiba may have modelled and propagated forgiveness and freedom because he was prepared to make sacrifices to bring about political transformation in South Africa but he could never do anything to effect change in the hearts of the people.

At this time of the year the people of the world, even those who do not acknowledge Jesus, celebrate the birth of a baby in Bethlehem by the worst of human behaviour — overindulgence, debt, carnage on the roads, suicide etc., without ever realising why He came. Now South Africa is celebrating the life of a man who made sacrifices, forgave and was part of the initiation of political freedom in this country. But none of this would be possible without the sacrifice that Jesus made that brought the forgiveness of sin and freedom from our worst enemy, ourselves to become sons and daughters of God.

1. SACRIFICE

Nelson Mandela made many sacrifices to achieve his dream of political freedom for his country. He spent 27 years behind bars because he believed in what he was doing. No one can play down what he did or what he suffered to make the day possible when he stood before the nation to take the oath of office as president of a new South Africa. Everything he suffered was geared towards one goal, the right of his people to vote. On 28th April, 1994, in spite of the fear of civil war and a bloodbath in South Africa, the people voted and a new era began in this country.

But Nelson Mandela’s sacrifice could never pay for the sin of the world. Even if he had shed his blood, it would not have brought us back to God. He was a human being like us. He was responsible for his own debt of sin he could never pay. What did his sacrifice achieve?

Now, after almost 20 years of so-called democarcy, what do we have? We have a nation that is free to vote in the same corrupt government run by the same corrupt politicians and civil servants as we voted in in 1994. Nelson Mandela’s sacrifice won political freedom but it did not change a single heart. It could not because Nelson Mandela was only a man.

The world also celebrates at this time of the year — with trees and ornaments and tinsel, and turkeys and ham, and snow and reindeers and sleighs and presents, and Santa Claus and toys! What are they celebrating? A baby born in a stable and asleep in a feed trough! Shepherds and wise men and a star!  And we hear Christmas carols blaring out in the supermarket while people shop to indulge their children and their appetites with money they need to pay their bills and buy school uniforms and books for next year, all in the name of Jesus!

Is that why Jesus was born?

In a few months time the world will celebrate Easter. How will they celebrate Easter? With Easter bunnies and Easter eggs, with crosses and mournful songs, with communion or mass. Some will even carry crosses and beat themselves. But what will that accomplish? Most will carry on as usual the next day, no different from the day before.

Is that why Jesus came?

We can celebrate great people’s lives and even learn lessons from them; we can celebrate great religious events and even go to church but unless the meaning of Jesus’ sacrifice enters our souls and changes our lives, it will mean no more in the end than the sacrifice Madiba made to give his people political freedom.

2. FORGIVENESS

The world also admires and celebrates the forgiveness Madiba exended to those who arrested, tried, and had him incarcerated for 27 years, sometimes in solitary confinement and sometimes doing hard labour for his crimes. I often wonder whether there was a Gideon Bible beside his bed. Did he pick it up and read it when he sat alone in his prison cell,? Did he capture the heart of Jesus when He said, “Father, forgive them; they don’t know what they are doing?”

The debt South Africa owed Madiba is a drop in the ocean compared with the debt the world owed God because of its offences against Him. No one person could pay that collective debt. We all have to pay our own. But God’s solution was to send His own Son to live as a human being, debt free in His relationship to God and then to pay our debt so that we can go free.

This is the miracle of God’s forgiveness. There is no longer any debt to pay. Jesus paid for all  the sin of all people for all time. The means that there is nothing we owe God, not even the debt we owe Him for the sins we will commit in the future. That clears the obstacle between us and God forever. That means that Madiba owes God nothing, whether he knew it or not.

Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice. He didn’t spend 27 years in prison to pay for our sin. He shed His blood and gave up His life as an atoning sacrifice to satisfy God’s wrath and the settle the debt we owed Him so that we can go free.

But He was not only a sacrifice of atonement to guarantee our forgiveness. He was also a terumah offering, the firstfruits offering which belongs to God, guaranteeing our resurrection. Let me explain.

God requries the first portion of everything we gain through our work. In the old Testament that meant that the first portion of their crops and the firstborn of their flocks and herds belonged to God. It became an offering when it was given to Him and was His guarantee that the rest of their crops and animals would be blessed. For it to become ‘terumah” or an offering, it had to to lifted up, i.e., offered to God and then given to the high priest for him and his family to live on.

When Jesus was crucified, He was “lifted up” on the cross, and He placed His spirit into the hands of His Father. Paul, in 1 Corinthians, explained the significance and implications of what He did. “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep…for as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn; Christ the firstfruits; then, when He comes, those who belong to Him.” 1 Corinthians 15:20,22-23 (NIV).

Jesus’ sacrifice not only made provision for the debt we owe the Father; His resurrection also guarantees that we will be resurrected when He comes again, to live with Him in perfected human bodies.

But what about the debt we owe one another? Are we still liable for the offenses we commit against each other? Can we still demand payment from those who are indebted to us?

Unless we realise that all sin is against God, we will think that those who have offended us owe us. When we refuse to forgive, we don’t understand that the debt someone else owes us had already been paid. We allow our feelings to dictate to us because what we believe is false.

The first miracle is that God has forgiven us.

The second miracle is even bigger, not that we HAVE TO forgive, but that we MAY forgive. We have the privilege and honour of forgiving any debt against us because Jesus has cleared it away and the other person owes us nothing. The opposite is equally true. Whatever debt we owe others has also been paid. We owe no one anything and, if he or she refuses to forgive, they pay the penalty, not we.

3. FREEDOM

This leads to the third word  written on Madiba’s forehead – freedom. What is freedom? Is it freedom from all laws and restrictions? Are people free when they can do as they like? No! This is what the Hebrew people called hell. Hell is a situation where there are no boudaries. Your home can be hell if the members of your family live as though there were no boundaries. Society can be hell if everyone does as he pleases without considering anyone else.

I drove to East London in the pouring rain on Wednesday. It was a nightmare trip. In spite of the poor visibility, many of the drivers, especially those with red number plates, drove at breakneck speed. As if that were not bad enough, instead of staying in the fast lane after they had passed another car to stop the spray from making visibilty worse, they pulled in front of the car they had just passed, shooting up a cloud of water on his windscreen. Thoughtless and careless — the attitude of many people who think they are free..

The forgiveness Jesus bought for us provided freedom from guilt and the pernalty of our sin but that is only half of the story. How can we enjoy the freedom God gives us through His forgiveness when we still hold other people accountable for the debt they owe us? When we try to make others pay for what had already been paid, we are out of sync with God; we are sinning and God’s forgiveness no longer applies.

My friends, the greatest freedom we can ever experience is not the freedom to vote, or the freedom to do as we like. It is the freedom to forgive because that is the only thing that sets us free to enjoy the blessing of fellowship with God. Jesus paid all debt but He said that we can only enjoy the benefit of God’s forgiveness when we forgive others.

Madiba experienced that because he forgave, even if he may not have understood why he was free to forgive. He sat in prison a free man long before he came out of prison a free man, He would have been free had he been in jail for the rest of his life. It was not what he did for South Africa or what FW de Klerk did for him that set him free. It was Jesus, who died on the cross to pay his debt that set him free.

Madam Jeanne Marie de la Motte-Guyon was imprisoned for her faith in France in the seventeenth century. She wrote these words in her prison cell:

“A little bird I am,

Shut from the fields of air;

And in my cage I sit and sing,

To Him who placed me there;

Well pleased a prisoner to be,

Because, my God, it pleases Thee.

 

Naught have I else to do;

I sing the whole day long;

And He whom most I love to please

Doth listen to my song;

He caught and bound my wandering wing,

But still He bends to hear me sing.

 

Thou hast an ear to hear,

A heart to love and bless;

And though my notes were ere so rude,

Thou would’st not hear the less;

Because Thou knowest, as they fall,

That love, sweet love, inspires them all.

 

My cage confines me round;

Abroad I cannot fly;

But though my wing is closely bound,

My heart’s at liberty.

My prison walls cannot control

The flight, the freedom of the soul.

 

O, it is good to soar

These bolts and bars above,

To Him whose purpose I adore,

Whose providence I love;

And in Thy mighty will to find

The joy, the freedom of the mind.

CONCLUSION

Today a great man is being laid to rest at Qunu but we need to understand that without Jesus, Madiba could never have achieved greatness. However, his greatness has all the limitations of his frail humanity.

Whatever he may have sacrificed could achieve only one thing, the right of his people to cast their vote and choose their government. After that they were and are at the mercy of those who rule.

He could only forgive those who were indebted to him because Jesus paid the debt of all people including the debt Madiba owed others.

The freedom Madiba enjoyed was only his own. He could do nothing to set another single person free. The freedom he experienced was the freedom he gained from the privilege of forgiving his debtors.

Today is decision day. There are people in your life that you think still owe you. There are people you are still trying to punish when their punishment has already been taken by Jesus.

Start with your father. Will you recognise today that Jesus has paid the debt your father owes you for not being a perfect father. Will you look him in the face and tell him, “Dad, you owe me nothing?” When you do that, you will be free to embrace your heavenly Father as a perfect father.

What about your mother, your siblings, your teachers, your friends, your colleagues at work, whoever has wronged you? Will you look them in the eyes and say, “You owe me nothing?” When you do that. you will step into freedom you never would have believed possible.

Jesus’ sacrifice paid your debt so that God could forgive you and so that you can forgive others. When you do that you will step through the door into real freedom, freedom from bitterness, resentment, and anger, from being a slave to yourself; freedom to be kind and generous and to love.

Words To Rattle Your Cage Or Give You Hope

Christian life, , ,

WORDS TO RATTLE YOU CAGE OR GIVE YOU HOP 

“Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess but confessed freely, ‘I am not the Messiah.’

“They asked him, ‘Then who are you? Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the prophet?’ He answered, ‘No.’ Finally they said, ‘Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?’ John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, ‘I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord.'” John 1:18-23 (NIV).

John caused a real stir! People flocked from all over to listen to the fiery preacher who emerged out of nowhere. The religious leaders were getting worried. Their comfortable lives were being shaken up and they didn’t like it — especially because of what he had to say about them!

They sent their representatives to interrogate John. ‘Who are you?’ There were two things on their minds. Elijah or ‘the prophet’. Why Elijah? They knew what the prophet Malachi had said about Elijah — not necessarily Elijah come back from the dead but another prophet in the disposition and ministry of Elijah.

“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents, or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.” Malachi 4:5, 6 (NIV).

Malachi, like all the other prophets, was calling God’s people to return to Him. Judgment day was coming and only those who turned back to the Lord and showed their sincerity by doing whatever they could to restore the family unity would escape the “flames” of the refiner’s fire.

A symptom of the depth to which God’s people have fallen is evident in the disintegration of the family unit. Even so-called believers are abandoning marriage through divorce, or “shacking up” so that they can walk away if it doesn’t work. There is very little commitment and children are left fatherless, without security and without identity. God said, ‘It’s got to stop! Get the family back on track. That’s the first step towards restoration.’

Who was “the prophet”? Moses reminded the people, “‘For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, ‘Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire any more, or we will die.’ The Lord said to me, ‘What they say is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in His mouth. He will tell them everything I command Him.'” Deuteronomy 18:18 (NIV).

The people were waiting for this special prophet to come. It is quite natural that they thought that John was he. But John denied it.

Then how did John view himself? The apostle John, looking back, saw John the Baptist as a man who understood who he was and what his role was in this crucial time in Israel’s history. He made no extravagant claims for himself, and yet his very words set him apart as a prophet with a unique ministry. He was a voice proclaiming the beginning of a new era for which God’s people had waited for four long centuries after the last prophet.

‘I am the one who is telling you that the Messiah is here.’ What an astonishing declaration! After all this long time, God was actually doing what He said He would do. He would send His representative, the Messiah to put everything right that had gone wrong since the beginning of their existence as a nation. They could hardly believe it.

What do you suppose the priest and Levite contingent told the Jewish leaders when they got back to Jerusalem? ‘This man says he is the prophet God promised He would send as the forerunner of the Messiah,’ or something like that? Possibly! Did the Jewish leaders believe them? Not likely.

All the evidence, in their attitude to and treatment of Jesus suggests that they rejected John’s response and were ready with their campaign to deal with any challenge to their comfortable position as spiritual leaders of the people. When Jesus came along, they were ready to use their power and influence to maintain their authority, whatever the cost.

Do John’s words, ‘I am the voice,’ rattle your cage or give you hope?

In the midst of trouble

Christian life

As we pause for one moment and have a good look at past experiences that we have had to endure in life, the one thing we have had to face is trouble, which came without warning and when least expected. What is trouble? Trouble can be related to distress, worry, concern, difficulty, discomfort, unpleasantness, inconvenience, vexation, grief, affliction, suffering, tribulation, adversity, misfortune, and a host of other things. Job 14:1 has this to say about trouble: “Man that is born of a woman is of few days old and full of trouble.”
In spite of being a Christian, life isn’t without trials. There are times when we have to run the gauntlet because of the problems that we face, and this results in us having sleepless nights, as well as anxiety. The one thing that causes us to rejoice is the fact that we are not alone. We have a Saviour that pilots us through troubled waters. No matter what we endure as Christians, God’s word is still the source of hope and comfort. Romans 5:3,4 confirms this: verse 3 says, “ We can rejoice too when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us they help us endure” and verse 4, “and endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation.” In the school of hard knocks we have been taught not to depend on called friends. because when we needed them to stand by us, they seem to have been relocated to some other place. The area in which we fail, is that we don’t share our problems with Jesus. Jesus is a friend that never lets us down. His telephone number is 333 Jeremiah 33:3, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Whenever we have disappointments, problems, or matters that are beyond our control we need to run to Father God and not from Him. “Trust in the Lord, always” Isaiah 26:4.