Grace will disagree with our sense of Justice

Grace puts our sin into perspective

Grace looks to restore & not condemn

(EG)

How good to sing praises to our God!
    How delightful and how fitting!
³ He heals the brokenhearted
    and bandages their wounds.
⁴ He counts the stars
    and calls them all by name.
⁵ How great is our Lord! His power is absolute!
    His understanding is beyond comprehension

As Spafford travelled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write these words as his ship passed near where his daughters had died. 

“When peace like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to know, It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain: It is well, (it is well), With my soul, (with my soul) It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin — oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! — My sin — not in part but the whole, — Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: If Jordan above me shall roll, No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life, Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait, The sky, not the grave, is our goal; Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord! Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.”

There are several verses in the Bible which specifically talk of thankfulness.

eg Give thanks for everything  Ephesians 5 V20

Always be thankful  Colossians 3 V 15

Sing with thankful hearts  Colossians 3 V 16

Have a thankful heart  Colossians 4 v 2

Be thankful in all circumstances  1 Thessalonians 5 v 11

Be thankful for the unshakeable kingdom Hebrews 12 v 28

The Question is. Can the Christian really expect to be thankful in ever circumstance given the bad things that happen in this world?

When God speaks we need to recognise His voice & act. (cf James and the mirror)

“Acts” follows the gospels. Jesus spoke & after Pentecost came mission.

Examples

Adam & Eve   –   “What did God say to me?”

Jonah              –    “I hear you but I don’t like what you are saying”.

Moses              –   ” hearing on holy ground” but still wanting someone else to go.

8th June Sunday am TC

Its not a word commonly used today but it does describe passion, enthusiasm and fervour towards something.

The Bible encourages us to have spiritual fervour and zeal for God and His way of life.

Its easy to fall in to the trap of working up a passion & to try hard in our own strength to do all the things we think we should do to please God.

In Galatians the Christians  had made a similar mistake. Having become Christian by spiritual new birth & life they then tried to live this life without the power of God.

We need to realise that God has given us His Holy Spirit (John 14) to enable us to live His life of Zeal in us.

Thanks  Ian  (22nd June 2014)

Paul says in Romans:- For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.^[]

2 Corinthians4 v 5 says:-

 You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake. ⁶ For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

⁷ We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

God doing in us what we can’t do on our own.

Phil 4 v 11-13

¹¹ Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. ¹² I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. ¹³ For I can do everything through Christ,^[c] who gives me strength

Matt 16 v24 to end

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. ²⁵ If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. ²⁶ And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?^[l] Is anything worth more than your soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. ²⁸ And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”

Will we allow the Holy Spirit to  a makeover in our lives?

RO April 27th Sunday Am

A Song about the Lord’s Vineyard (Isaiah)

5 Now I will sing for the one I love
    a song about his vineyard:
My beloved had a vineyard
    on a rich and fertile hill.
² He plowed the land, cleared its stones,
    and planted it with the best vines.
In the middle he built a watchtower
    and carved a winepress in the nearby rocks.
Then he waited for a harvest of sweet grapes,
    but the grapes that grew were bitter……..