The Parable of the 5 Wise and the 5 Foolish Virgins

Sermon notes from Friday 27 September 2019

Matthew 25 verses 1 - 13

The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins

This is an interesting parable.  I look sometimes for portions of scripture that are appropriate for certain times and services.  At a Watchnight Service this portion could be used in relation to the cry that went up at midnight.  At harvest I could speak on the oil in the lamps, what a wonderufl treasure we have in oil.  This parable could certainly be looked at during a Gospel Mission.  Let`s put the parable in first century village life context.  10 young ladies are invited to be bridesmaids for a special occasion.  The instructions were to bring their lamps with them and to have oil in their flasks.  The heart of the story is that the groom was late - why was that?  This wedding was different than ours.  The groom left home in the morning to go to the bride`s house to bring her to his home.  That is where the wedding ceremony would take place.  Most weddings were held in the summer and would last for a week with feasting and celebrating.  The day has come when the groom goes to fetch his bride.  He would have been on an animal, when he left home he would take the shortest route but when he collected the bride he took the longest route because he wants to show off his bride to his friends and family.  He was delayed on his wedding day.  These bridesmaids and the lamps.  They had lamps which were very important in this country.  They would illuminate the wedding procession as it went to the groom`s house.  The word in the original was lampas.  It is used 5 times in this passage.  In John 18 verse 3 it is the word meaning torch.  In Acts 20 verse 8 it was the word meaning lamp, in Revelation 4 verse 5 again it is the word lamp and in Revelation 8 verse 10 it is the word for torch.  This was an outdoor lamp and gives the idea why this lamp was not filled with oil.  The lamp would be hoisted onto a pole and carried in the air.  The lamp would illuminate the whole procession.  The lamp was always transported without oil.  Trimming their lamps meant taking a drop of oil out of the flask and putting it into their lamps and light the lamp.  What was the different in these 10 individuals - 5 were wise and 5 were foolish.  The 5 wise had oil with them while the 5 foolish had no oil.  This was particularly insulting to the bride and groom.  Imagine being invited to be a bridesmaid and turn up without oil.  These bridesmaids were having a trial run for their own wedding day in the future.  To turn up without oil would be an insult the bride and groom.  Suddenly the cry goes out "the bridegroom cometh."  It was late in the day and everyone was startled, they attempted to trim their lamps.  The foolish asked the wise to give them some oil for their lamps becuase they have gone out.  If you had no oil with you why would you have said their lamps have gone out?  For the simple reason the lamps were never lit.  There was a residue of oil in the lamp that would give a bit of bluff and smoke.  No life and no light was seen.  That is the parable Jesus tells.  Jesus is telling us this story in the context of his teaching on the second coming.  In every mission why do we preach about the cross and the coming of Christ?  2 messages - the devil hates the preaching of the cross because it shows Christ defeated.  He also hates the second coming being preached because it shows the devil will be totally defeated, he will be bound and cast into hell for ever.  There are 4 things from this parable:

a window for the future

a picture of a fool

a mirror to reveal a truth

a door that will close

A window to the future.  All about the return of Jesus Christ.  Chapter 24 verse 30 and 42.  I hope we believe that Jesus Christ is coming back to this world.  There is a global warning.  All sorts of things going to happen.  We don`t hear it mentioned enough that Jesus is in absolute control and is coming back to receive his own unto himself.  That is the message of the gospel.  Jesus said in John 14 "I will come again."  That is the clearest promise in scripture in relation to Christ`s coming again.  That can either be set aside or explained away.  The signs that Jesus spoke of in these 2 chapters are being fulfilled before our eyes.  "But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark. And knew not until the flood came and took them all away." (verses 37 and 38)  Today we have it in our society - gross immorality, sexual perversion, words that used to be kept quiet are now actively promoted.  We are seeing the onslaught of this today, we are moving fast to the returning of Jesus Christ.  We are living in the last of the last days.  A window to the future - Jesus is coming again

A picture of a fool.  The Psalmist said "the fool has said in his heart there is no God."  Translated that should say "the fool has said in his heart no God for me."  It is actually very difficult to find a genuine atheist.  The scriptures are clear that the picture of a fool is someone who shuts God out of their lives.  An example of a fool in the bible is the rich farmer.  He pulled down his barns to build greater.  That was not his real problem.  His problem was that in the midst of prosperity he forgot his own soul.  God said to him "thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee."  Keeping God out of our lives.  There are 3 things to notice about these girls identified foolishness.  First there was their quiet confidence.  These girls were confident to step out and look their best on that occasion.  They thought they had all they needed.  After all the instructions were clear - bring your lamps.  They turned up all right with their lamps knowing they were polished well for the occasion.  There are thousands of people tonight absolutely confident they have all they need in terms of religious obedience, are a regular church goer, good giver to charity, good member of the community, proud of the fact that they don`t do anyone any harm, confident they have all they need.  Some put their trust in baptism and the sacraments.  No man can see you fully tonight - only one who can and that is Jesus.  Through his death on Calvary and resurrection.  "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name; Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man but of God." (John 1 verse 12)  They were secondly content.  A sign of contentment was in the fact that they slept.  The tragedy was however they had no oil.  Brownlow North was a agreat evangelist from Scotland used mightily in 1859 revival.  He wrote a book on Luke 16 and said "if you are without God (not saved) and you are content no demonic act in the days of our Lord is completed in the hands of God."  These girls misinterpreted the delay.  It is an indication of his forebearance, longsuffering and patience.  Thirdly they were counterfeits.  They were fakes.  When the bridegroom comes there were those who were ready go into the wedding procession and the feasting begins.  The other 5 try to find oil for their lamps and when they come back and bang on the door to gain entrance, the bridegroom says to them "I don`t know you."  These were the ones invited to be part of the procession.  They had no oil.  It is possible in evangelical Northern Ireland to have a profession of faith but to be without oil.  This is a clear picture of it.  It is not what we say about our relationship to the Lord, it is what he says about it.  Have you been converted?  Born again of the Spirit of God?

There is a mirror to reveal.  These girls were obviously depending on last minute preparations.  They thought it would work, they would borrow from the other 5.  The bible makes it clear - "now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation."  The scripture only records one deathbed conversion.  J C Ryle said "there is one deathbed conversion in scripture, one that should despair but none that anyone should assume."  There is always hope that someone will call on the Lord at the last moment.  Not many get that opportunity to call on the Lord in their dying moments.  Do not rely on the last minute preparation.  They were relying only on the preparation of others.

The door that was closed.  This door points to the door of heaven that will close just as God closed the door of Noah`s ark.  It was forever closed.  Are you among the 5 who have oil in their lamps?  How do I get oil?  In scripture oil is one of the emblems of the Holy Spirit and you can have the oil of the Spirit by just asking God to fill you with his spirit.  You can never bypass Calvary.  Many people talk about the experience of the spirit but have never come to the cross.  If you bypass Calvary you will never have the experience of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is given when you receive Christ in repentance and faith.  You are born from above and born of the Spirit.  The new birth of the Spirit.  Those that had the oil went down to the feast.  Those who did not get in had no oil.  If you have no oil you will not find an open door, you will find a door that is fast closed, shut and then you will hear him say "I never knew you."  Be careful of empty profession.  Do you know him?  Does he know you?  Is your name in the Lamb`s Book of Life?  Is he really yours?

Choose Life!

Sermon notes from Thursday 26 September 2019

Matthew 7 verses 13 and 14, Deuteronomy 30 verses 11 - 20

There is a very annoying programme on television called The XFactor.  There were twins who appeared on this programme and became known as The Tuneless Twins.  They were from Dublin and every time they appeared they had tshirts with 2 words written on them "choose life"  Without knowing it these 2 words come directly from scripture  Of course the pro life campaign group also use this as a slogan.  God says to you tonight - choose life.  

Let`s put this passage in context.  God is leading his people, the children of Israel, directing them, endeavouring to take them on the right way.  He has put before them the choice - if you will follow me, obey my commands, walk in my statutes I wll bless you but if you do the opposite I will curse you.  On the one hand life and on the other hand wrath.  God`s blessing or God`s cursing.  Triumph over your enemies or haress them and have a difficult time.  Some more theologically aware people might say that the Old Testament was under law, God set the way before them.  The greatest sermon ever preached was the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus made it clear in that sermon that there are 2 ways.  Parallel teaching in the New that we have in the Old Testament.  God set before them the way of life and the way to enter in is at the strait gate.  Strait is not in the sense of a straight line.  It is strait in the sense of a constricted way.  If you had a big workshop with a sliding door and it gets off its rollers it would be very hard to move it, not easy to push.  What the design idea was that a smaller pedestrian door was cut into sliding door.  To get in through the door you have to bow you head, bend your knees, pull your shoulders in.  That is what Jesus meant when he said these words.  For an individual person to come face to face with sin, they must acknowledge Christ is the only Saviour, confess their sin, bow their knees and enter into the strait gate.  If you do you will come in to a narrow way that leads to heaven.  You can fly your kite on the broad way, bring all your friends because there is room for all, for all of your ideas and philosophies and enter in at the wide gate that leads to destruction.  In another part of the bible it is taught that the broad way leads to hell.   That is the choice explained - I set before you the way of life and the way of death.

The conditions outlined.  God set this before them, now he outlines the conditions they needed to know if they want to know God`s blessing on them.  "If you will turn and return" verse 3.  What does that actually involve?  For a private in the drill yard when his sergeant shouts at him to turn that means he needs to turn 90 degress.  That is what is meant by turning.  If the sergeant shouts to turn and return that would involve 180 degrees.  He would turn in the opposite direction of the way he was facing - it is what the New Testament means by repentance.  It really means an about turn.  We have this idea that all we have to do is say sorry for our sins.  That is not the absolute truth.  We must come to God in repentance and faith, doing an about turn.  Isaiah 53 "all we like sheep have gone astray we have turned every one to his own way."  Many people say "I just believe, I just think by doing this, going my own way that everything will be OK."  That is the very thing God calls us to turn from, to turn our back on our own way and go God`s way.  It means sincere repentance is the first thing.  Verses 10 and 11.  If you will obey the voice of the Lord.  It means implicit obedience - to obey the voice of God.  3 times here when he speaks to us, he wants our obedience.  That is what God calls us to do, to obey the voice of the Lord.  In 1  Samuel 15 we read of Saul`s disobedience.  The Lord told him to go out and utterly destroy the Amalekites.  Saul blames the people.  Through the prophet Samuel he is convicted - "what meaneth then this  bleating of the sheep in mine ears and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?"  God said to him "to obey is better that sacrifice."  In other words he was saying "I don`t want your sacrifices nor the fat of your lambs, I do not want sacrifices, I want your obedience."  Turning from our own way, following God in his own way.    A hallmark or kite mark on it, that identifies the child of God.  Thirdly a wholehearted allegiance.  People in our part of the world are certainly complicent in their allegiance in following a football team.  Here`s what God says "if you repent, obey and love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul."  We are talking about consecrating our lives utterly and entirely to Christ.  To love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.  A W Tozer speaking about the text "if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me" said "a man on the cross is facing in one direction, a man on a cross has no future plans of his own, no thoughts of turning back."  If you profess to be a Christian then the capital I is struck out.  You are facing in one direction.  Is that your purpose in living - glorifying God in your living?  Supreme purpose is to honour and glorify God, have got no future plans of their own.  Some people are building castles in the sky, going to do this and that God willing.  In the purposes of God what plans has God for me?  There should be no thought of turning back  That is what Jesus teaches - Matthew 22 verses 37 and 38.

The blessing that is promised.  Verse 3 why obey, respond and follow the Lord - "I will bring you back and have compassion on you."  When we surrender our lives to God, come in our brokenness, God has compassion on us.  It is of the Lord`s mercies that we are not consumed.  Our merciful God from everlasting to everlasting.  Justice is getting that which we deserve.  Mercy is not getting what we deserve.  Grace is getting what we don`t deserve.  If you will come to me I will bring you back and have compassion and mercy.  Verse 5 kindness and grace will do you good.  How many times younger people say "if I surrender my life to Christ he will take all the joy out of my life."  That is a lie from the devil himself.  "I am come that you might have life and have it more abundantly, have it in all its fulness."  God wants to take us off the broad road that leads to hell and put us on the narrow way that leads to heaven.  1 Peter 3 verse 5 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."  Not a dead hope but unto an inheritance that is incorruptible and undefiled.  What an inheritance we have.  "He will do you good"  Becoming a Christian is not killjoy but real joy and life.  The words "prosperity and riches" is talking about spiritual wealth.  Where you are rich toward God.  "Do not lay up treasure for yourselves on earth but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven."  This treasure in heaven is the real inheritance.  You may not be rich as far as the world is concerned but spiritual health is more important.  Growing in grace, manifested spirit in the Holy Spirit.  That is real.  Spiritual prosperity.  The blessing promised now.  "The word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth and in thy heart that thou mayest do it."  Verse 15 God is saying to the children of Israel there are no excuses.  How many have said "why does God not send someone back from the grave to tell us what it is like."  He has - he has sent his only son into the world and will do it again one day.  Christ has been raised from the dead.  People say "I will see how it all pans out."  Scripture is clear about the word of faith which we preach - what is the word of faith we preach?  In Romans 10 verse 9 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved."  That is the righteousness of God that is apart from the law.  Galatians 2 verse 16 "no flesh shall be justified."  Is it possible you have professed faith in Christ some time in the past but can now say "I am really struggling, some times I think I am a Christian and some times I think I am not."  You are struggling with assurance.  Yes it is so important that we believe in our hearts but confessing with our mouth is also important.  "that God hath raised him from the dead."  There is no such thing as a secret disciple.  Part of the assurance of our faith is in confessing Christ before men and the Holy Spirit witnesses with our spirit we really are the children of God.

The reality faced - verse 17.  "If your heart turn away" - that means I hear what you say, I know I need to be saved, I will do it some time later but not now.  Your heart is being drawn away so that you will worship other gods.  You will perish as a result.  When God speaks to us by the Holy Spirit we must repent and obey.  The choice is before us.  Turn away or obey his voice, opening the door.  A changed heart to worship him.  Verses 18 and 19 "choose life"  We are here with a capacity to choose life or reject Christ as Saviour - will we repent?  In repentance and obedience take Christ as Saviour and Lord or will we turn our own way?  I denounce unto you you shall surely perish.  Perish - a word in which you can hear the very hiss of hell.  Choose life!

What think ye of Christ ... He is altogether lovely

Sermon notes from Wednesday 25 September 2019

Matthew 22 verses 34 - 46

"What think ye of Christ? (Matthew 22 verse 42)  "He is altogether lovely." (Song of Solomon 5 verse 16)  We live our lives by asking and answering questions.  What will I cook tonight for the family tonight?  You ask the question and you make the decision.  A trivial question which doesn`t really change things much by the answer.  Another important question we might ask is "is this the right person for me, is this my life`s partner?"  That question will make an enormous difference to a person`s life.  The most important question we will ever give an answer to - hat do you think about Jesus Christ?  Billy Graham said "what we think of someone determines what we do with them."  What we do with Christ determines where we will spend eternity, whether we will be in heaven or lost in hell.  Of course we need to understand tonight that this question is a plain question.  There is nothing complicated about it.  Not what kind of person are you, that`s not the real question.  Not what church do you attend.  Are you from a good family, that is not the question.  Not the question do you give to charity, do you work well.  The question is not do you believe in God.  The devil believes in God and he trembles.  He knows God is all powerful.  A plain question negatively but positively what do we really think of Christ today.  The question that comes to us - do we see Jesus Christ as the eternal son of the living God?  Do we understand who he really is?  Peter, that big burly fisherman, up front, blurted out things - what did he think of Christ?  His answer - "you are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  That confession of Peter is known as the great confession that transformed and revolutionised his life.  He understood who God really is.  Think of Thomas,  He was a doubter, a fickle kind of person.  He would swing this way then that way, doubted things.  He found it very hard to make up his mind.  He was full of doubts.  There was a day when he had a revelation, an understanding of who he really was "my Lord and my God."  Peter had a transforming moment.  Thomas had a transforming moment.  He embraced Christ for who he was.  Well you would expect that from 2 of Jesus` disciples.  What about an ungodly person?  The centurion over the soldiers, he commanded the nails to be put through the hands and feet of Christ.  He was no softie, not an emotional individual.  He watched as his men put Christ on a cross, dropped the cross into its socket.  The centurion listened and heard Jesus praying "my God, my God why hast thou forsaken me?"  He was listening to this one praying that those who had done this terrible deed should be forgiven.  He looked on as he endured pain and agony.  He watched and listened as he spoke salvation to the dying thief.  He watched it all.  We might think this man Jesus was just another criminal.  When it was all over that centurion said "truly this was the Son of God"  Do we think idly of Christ?  Where there any women able to give a view?  What did they think of Christ?  There was a house Jesus spent time in - Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus.  Lazarus died and Martha told Jesus "if you had been here my brother wouldn`t have died."  Jesus challenged Martha "do you believe that I am the Christ, the resurrection and the life?"  Martha responded "yes Lord I believe you are the Christ."  A transforming moment in Martha`s life.  She realised who Jesus really was.  The writer to the Hebrews "God hath spoken unto us by his Son whom he hath appointed heir of of all things by whom also he made the worlds."  He upholds all things by the word of his power and by him all things consist.  Imagine the solar system, the sun spins on the axis, the planets rotating around the sun, amazing universe of ours.  I believe in the sovereign Lord who upholds all things by the word of his power.  What think ye of Christ?  Whose son is he?  The prophet Isaiah 700 years before Christ came wrote of someone coming "For unto us as a child is born, unto us a son is given, his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."  If it is not fulfilled to the last letter scrap it.  You will not find the prophecy in the Old Testament that has not been fulfilled in the New Testament.  This is why I have confidence in the word of God.  "For unto us a child is born" not a son is born.  Why not a son is born?  He was always the eternal Son of the living God.  Isaiah 9 verse 6 "a son is given."  Who is he?  The Wonderful Counsellor.  We live in an age where we need counsellors.  Jesus is the Wonderful Counsellor.  In the Old Testament the word wonderful is used exclusively of Christ.  Wonderful means full of wonder and he is wonderful.  What think ye of Christ?  Do we see him as the Son of God, the only Saviour of the world.  The apostle Paul said to Timothy "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners."  He is the only Saviour.  Matthew 1 verse 21 "he shall save his people from their sins."  He came "to seek and to save those who are lost."  I have met people, very religious people who enjoy the life of the church but at the same time believe that to get to heaven you have to work hard.  Why do we worship Jesus?  He came to save us.  We will only be in heaven if we embrace him as Saviour.  Do you believe he is the only way to be in heaven?  The Saviour of the world.  Do we also see him as the redeemer of mankind, to redeem is an interesting word.  Redeem means to buy back.  You and I are lost in the mud of sin.  We are separated from God.  Jesus came to restore, redeem.  Restore us to our rightful owner.  Jesus Christ comes to where we are.  Restores us to our rightful owner through his shed blood.  He shed his blood on Calvary.  He has not redeemed us with corruptible things such as silver and gold.  Do you see Jesus as the redeemer of mankind?  What do you think of Jesus?  Do you really think of him as the Son of God?  Do you see him as Saviour, your personal Saviour?  What you think of him determines what you will do with him.  If you think rightly of him tonight there is only one response - open your heart, soul and life, come in Lord, save my lost soul, be my Saviour and friend, come and transform my life, change me, give me the gift of eternal life.  It is in a person.  When you have eternal life you have an eternal person.  When you let him in and he reigns in your heart and life you will say "he is altogether lovely."  He is all of that, wonderful Saviour - do you know him personally?

"Lord remember me when you come into your kingdom"

Sermon notes from Tuesday 24 September 2019

Luke 23 verses 32 – 46

The passage we read is part of the account of the crucifixion.  We read 2 or 3 times where Jesus spoke on the cross.  Do you remember the last words of a relative?  You remember them well, you think of those last words they said.  I can remember last words people said to me on their deathbed.  They are not all that important.  The last words Jesus said are extremely significant.  He spoke 7 times on the cross.  Let’s remind ourselves of those 7 expressions.

First – “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”.  Man had done his worse, put Christ on a cruel wooden cross, driven nails into his hands and feet, spat on his face, pulled his beard, mocked the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and yet he simply prayed “Father forgive them.”  That prayer was striking at the very heart of your greatest need tonight.  Forgiveness.  Not just someone that we need to say sorry to or someone who needs to forgive us.  Sin is against God.  We need God’s forgiveness.

Second time he spoke – “behold your son” and “behold your mother”.  They are moving words.  The earthly mother of Jesus, Mary was by the cross watching her son.  She had given birth and was watching him now being put to death.  Jesus looks down from the cross and spots her.  He said to Mary “behold your son” and to John “behold your mother.”  Jesus with tender hearted compassion seeing his earthly mother wanted her to be taken care of.  I meet people who say “no-one cares, I am just a number on a system, a speck on a computer.”  You may be in a terrible situation and feel no-one cares about you.  Jesus cares and he loves you.  No-where is that more demonstrated than when he spoke to his mother from the cross.  Forgiveness.  Compassion.

The third time he spoke was “I thirst”.  Can you grasp this tonight – this is the one who created the oceans, Nicaragua and Victoria Falls, all the babbling brooks, streams, rivers, the cloud that would bring rain showers on the earth.  He is now hanging on the cross with parched lips simply saying “I thirst”.  The expression of the suffering of Jesus.  Jesus hung on the cross and he was exceedingly thirsty.  We cannot even imagine that thirst.  He was there bearing our sin so that if you and I will ask him he will give us a drink after which we will never thirst again.  In John 4 Jesus met a woman at a well.  He told her drinking the water he would give her she would never thirst again.

The fourth time he spoke was “my God, my God why have you forsaken me.”   Jesus Christ the lovely son of God who had come into the world entered the stream of man, took our sin on his body on the cross.  His father turned his eyes away – why – because he is of purer eyes to behold iniquity.  He who knew no sin became our sin.  The intensity and pressure and isolation as he hung on that cross.  He was forsaken that you and I might never be forsaken.  If we are outside of Christ sin separates us from God.  We will be separated for ever one day in that awful place called hell.  For every believer Jesus says “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”    He wants you to call upon him and trust him so that you might never be forsaken.

The fifth expression is the one I want to preach on so will come back to that.

The sixth time Jesus spoke was with words of triumph – “it is finished”.  A word of victory.  Jesus was proclaiming to the world everything that needs to be done for soul’s salvation.  Jesus accomplished it on Calvary.  Isn’t it a tragedy when people, so many good living, churchy, religious, moral, kind people don’t see this.  The way to heaven is through Christ and him alone.  He did it all on Calvary.

The seventh expression was “into your hands I commend my spirit.”

The fifth words Jesus spoke was to the dying thief – “today you will with me in paradise.”  Notice the prayer of the thief and the promise of the Saviour.

Firstly – Jesus Christ nailed on cross between 2 convicted criminals, one on the right and one on the left.  They deserved to be crucified.  One was repentant and one rejected Christ.   There was one who called on the Lord – “Lord remember me when you come into your kingdom.”  Sometimes we can, when preaching, tell people they need to be saved, to have their sins forgiven, to be able to go to heaven but someone in the congregation is asking “how do I get saved?”  What do I need to do?  I want to spell it out from the bible how you can get saved.  Here was a man lost and he got saved.  The first thing he did was – he acknowledged his lost condition.  He previously mocked Jesus.  We are all sinners, we have broken God’s law, fallen short of God’s standard.  Secondly he admitted that he was a sinner.  The first step to being with God is to admit our lostness.  “The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked.”  The carnal mind is at enmity with God.  This thief realised his lostness.  There wouldn’t be any point in telling him to turn over a new leaf, to cancel out his bad deeds.  He was lost, utter helpless to do anything about his lostness.  Not talking about some physical incapacity, without strength.  You and I have no capacity to save ourselves.  We are without strength.  Paul said “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.” (Titus 3 verse 5)  Mercy is not getting what we deserve, justice is getting what we deserve and grace is getting what we don’t deserve.  This thief could not walk the paths of righteousness.  He could not perform good works, turn over a new leaf.  Thirdly the thief not only acknowledged and admitted his sin but he apprehends something.  This thief who was under sentence of God has just listened to the dialogue.  It was common for the air to have been blue with cursing, swearing.  The dialogue on this occasion was different.  One of these thieves says to the other “do you not fear God?”  That was a revelation.  This man is repenting, calling on the Lord.  He has a grasp on it.  He knows he will meet his judge, will face his punishment for ever, expressing his repentance.  Repent means something far deeper than saying sorry.  It is doing an about turn, going in the opposite direction.  A W Pink “repentance is not intellectual action.”  Fourthly he attempts no defence at his judgment.  We receive the reward of our deeds.  He acknowledged his guilt, recognised he was a transgressor, knew he was a sinner.  Until we take our place as sinners we cannot be saved.  That is what that man came to acknowledge – his lostness, admitted his helplessness, understands that God is judge and attempts no defence of his judgment.  It is before God we stand.  Fifthly he approaches the Lord with his prayer “Lord remember me when you come into your kingdom.”  There has to be a king if going to be a kingdom.  Whose the king – the one on the middle cross is king.  Jesus.  This is the Son of God.  He recognised who he is talking to, grasped the kingdom of Christ.  Saving faith is intellectual perception in a spiritual reception.  Head and heart coming together.  Assent of the mind, consent of the heart.  This man has his heart resting savingly on Jesus Christ. “Lord remember me.”  Not everyone prays this prayer.  Another prayed “Lord be merciful to me a sinner.” We do not have to be in a cathedral, with anyone special, we can call upon the Lord wherever we are.  God sees the attitude of the heart.  The prayer of the thief. 

The promise of the Saviour “today you will be with me in paradise.”  Jesus was saying to the thief “I am taking you to heaven, you will be with me in paradise.”  Can we be sure of heaven?  Read this story, ask yourself did that sinner know where he was going or did he not?  Of course he did.  How did he know?  Jesus told him “you will be with me.”  That little statement of Jesus to the dying thief drives a horse and cart through what good religious people believe.  They believe that if they try as hard as they can, hope for the best, that it will work out.  We can be saved and we can know it.  If you want to be saved I invite you to do what the thief did.  Come to the Lord tonight, in his mercy and grace call upon him.  Just as Jesus spoke salvation to the thief he will speak salvation to you.  “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  Is it really that simple?  Yes.  With a genuine faith come repenting of your sin.  He speaks the word and salvation comes into your heart.

2 ways, 2 gates and 2 people

Sermon notes from Monday 23 September 2019

Psalm 1

I am sure every one of us is aware that the greatest sermon ever preached was by the Lord himself and is contained within Matthew chapters 5, 6 and 7.  It is called the Sermon on the Mount.  One of the greatest truths contained in this Sermon is that there are 2 ways – the narrow way and the broad way.  People in every day life use language from the bible – “keeping to the straight and narrow.”  They have no concept that Jesus taught about this in the Sermon on the Mount.  That is the message of the bible – there is a narrow way and it leads to heaven and there is a broad way that accommodates all sorts of everybody and will eventually lead to destruction.  In short Jesus tells that the narrow way leads to heaven and the broad way leads to hell.  The entrance to the narrow way is a through a straight gate and the entrance to the broad way is through a wide gate.  That is the clear teaching of the bible.  Some people would say they are not fully on the narrow way but they are certainly not on the broad way either.  In case there is any misunderstanding - there is no middle road.  By nature we are born in a sinful state, we naturally choose the broad way.  It is only when we come to realise our sinfulness and turn to Christ that we begin to walk the narrow way.  I want to illustrate that truth from this Psalm.  There are not only 2 gates and 2 ways but from this passage there are 2 individuals clearly talked about here – the godly and the ungodly.  The Psalm was written by king David.  Verse 1 “blessed is the man.”  Man is generic to mean men and women.  Some translations interpret this word blessed as happy.  The word conveys the idea of plural happiness, multiple happiness.  “O the happinesses” – might be bad grammar but good theology.  There are 3 things he doesn’t do.  The Psalm can be divided in 2 – 3 verses deal with the godly man and 3 with the ungodly man.  Firstly look at the characteristics of the godly man.

Firstly he doesn’t “walk in the counsel of the ungodly” nor “standeth in the way of sinners” nor “sitteth in the seat of the scornful.”  Notice the progression – walk, stand and sit.  The person walking in the narrow way, putting his faith in God doesn’t listen to the ungodly for the decisions in life, does not take guidance from ungodly people, does not take morals from soap operas, does not take advice from crooked individuals.  This man in Christ does not walk in the path of the sinful.  He has a different attitude, a different mind, he doesn’t listen.  Secondly he doesn’t linger “nor standeth in the way of sinners.”  The bible has a lot to say about the company you keep.  You can tell a lot about a person by the company you keep.  One of the marks of a Christian, truly converted, walking with God, is that they are careful about their company, Company can either enhance our lives, build us in our walk with God.  The best illustration of this is from the bible.  The greatest godly man in the bible is Abraham.  A man of faith.  The bible paints a true picture of him.  He walked with God and was called the friend of God.  On one occasion he went down to Egypt, he failed to trust fully in God.  He was in a place he shouldn’t have been living in, disobedient, ended up telling a little lie about his wife saying she was his sister.  If we find ourselves in the wrong company or the wrong place we will compromise our Christian principles.  I could illustrate that from Abraham’s nephew Lot.  He was a shrewd operator.  As a farmer he could see a good field of land from miles away.  When he and Abraham parted Lot chose the well watered plains of Sodom.  He could see the good and fruitful land, overheads would be low, cattle would thrive.  He ended up being the city governor in the city of Sodom.  Sodom was synonymous with sin, immorality, sexual perversion.  Lot was a righteous man – how did he end up here?  He lingered with the sinful and lost his testimony.  When he warned his sons-in-law they laughed at him.  It is not just enough to witness for Christ, we need to have the life to back it up.  Lot lost his testimony.  The mark for the man or woman on the narrow way is they do not laugh with the scornful.  It is disconcerting to meet someone who once walked with God.  People get hurt.  Something has happened.  Thought they should have known better, you get wounded and hurt, it is not easily handled.  We must never be bitter.  What happens then – become snippers and scoffers.  They take a swipe at other Christians.  It is easy to sit on the sidelines but harder to walk in the narrow way and glorify God.  That is the godly man’s path.

The pleasure of the godly man.  Verse 2 “his delight is in the law of the Lord.”  We live in an age where people are all into soundbites through multimedia.  The Psalmist’s sound bite is this – his delight is in the law of the Lord.  The Psalm is full of emotion.  Not only is this godly man separated from the world but he is satisfied with the word.  You don’t know if you are on the right road – one of the acid tests is do you have an appetite for the bible?  A desire to read the scriptures, to understand the word of God, to know the God of the word through the word of God?  A spiritual appetite is an indication of a spiritual reaction.  Different counsellor, different company, different cause.  His delight is in the law of the Lord.  The word has claimed his full attention.  “In his law he meditates day and night.”  That word “meditate” means to chew over, to think through.  That is a good thing to do, to listen to others, to think and meditate.  What do we need to think about?  To think about what it would mean to be in a lost hell and without Christ.  To think about how Christ died on the cross and what price it cost him.  Do you ever think about the fact that if you went to bed tonight and never woke up, think about where your eternal soul might be?  One of the marks of a man or woman walking with God is his appetite – to think, to chew over the word of God.  Think about it carefully. 

The godly man’s prosperity - verse 3 “and he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water.”  Notice his position – “he shall be like a tree.”  Here is a beautiful tree planted by the rivers.  When you and I are in Jesus we are planted in Christ.  If we are not growing more Christlike every day it is not the soil’s fault because that is Christ himself.  Everything we need is found in him.

His produce – “bringeth forth his fruit”.  For the Christian who is walking in the narrow way they have the fruit of the Holy Spirit in their life – Galatians 5 verses 22 and 23.

His perpetuity – “his leaf also shall not wither”.  Isn’t it lovely when you meet people and there is a spring in their step, a smile on their face, a sense of joy and peace, confidence and direction, they have got it all together?  No actually, they have got Christ. 

“Whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”  Not saying you will become healthy, wealthy and wise.  The bible does not teach that.  How do you qualify that with Jesus’ own words “the foxes have holes, the birds of the air have nests but the Son of Man hath no where to lay his head.”  There is prosperity this world cannot give.  When you have received eternal life there is no greater prosperity that any man can know – to know it is well with my soul.  Is it well with your soul? 

What does the ungodly man look life – “like the chaff”.  We have had the image of a beautiful tree planted by rivers of water decked with fruit then on the other side there is a basket of chaff.  What do you do with it?  Throw it into the fire, it is rubbish, good for nothing.  Here’s the comparison.  Outside of Christ?  Yes it is possible to be a religious and moral person but that only represents chaff in the scriptures “which the wind driveth away”.  Chaff has no direction and that is what the man or woman without Christ is like.

The 2 ways – the broad and narrow ways.

The 2 gates – the straight and wide gates.

The 2 people – the godly and ungodly.

Where are you tonight?  The beautiful thing is that God loves us.  He reaches out to us in mercy.  He saves us by his grace.  He wants us to put our roots down deep into him, to grow spiritually and know spiritual prosperity.

Not ashamed of the gospel of Christ

Sermon notes from Sunday 22 September 2019 pm

Romans 1 verses 1 – 17

Politicians and public speakers very often on a first occasion before people set out their stall.  Paul was setting out his stall in verse 16 when he said “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”  The gospel of Christ in a nutshell.  There is everything you need to know about the gospel in this verse.  It shows us salvation and the way to hell.  Why was Paul writing like that?  He was writing to people who were ashamed of the gospel, not prepared to stand for the gospel.  Why were they like that?  In Paul’s time there was a lot of opposition, particularly Jewish opposition.  They had looked for a king who would set up his throne.  They had seen one who they had looked to but he had died.  That caused shame to them.  Many of Jesus followers at that time held very insignificant positions in society, ordinary people, farmers and fishermen.  Ordinary people who had become followers of Christ.  Paul said “you should not be ashamed of this gospel.”  Paul was standing foursquare with them, encouraging them not to be ashamed.  You should never be ashamed if you are a believer.  “Nevertheless I am not ashamed for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” (2 Timothy 1 verse 12)  There are 3 types of shame – firstly intellectual shame.  Some people think that if you believe in the gospel you have to be soft in the head, if that helps you through life, a crux for you in life that is OK.  They feel they are superior.  Paul was an intellectual, a heavy weight, there was no one with a more brilliant mind than him.  He was coming alongside ordinary people.  Never let anyone tell you that you are simple in believing in the gospel.  There is also social shame.  It moves through ever strata with society.  It touches the down and out as well as the up and out and everyone in between.  It transforms, changes men and women.  There is also moral shame.  The gospel demands severance from sin, there is a leaving behind the old and following a new life in Christ.  There are 5 things in this verse I want to share with you.

The source of the gospel – “the gospel of Christ”.  In verse 1 we read “separated unto the gospel of God.”  Paul interchanges the gospel of Christ and the gospel of God.  In 1 Thessalonians 2 we read this same phrase 3 times in verses 2, 8 and 9.  The gospel is good news.  God’s only son provides eternal life.  There are many people who cannot differentiate between good news and good advice.  Many mix the 2 up.  Suppose you had cause to see your GP who runs some tests and calls you in.  He tells you that something has shown up in these tests, yes you have got an illness but he is determined to offset this illness, he tells you that you might have to adjust your lifestyle.  The doctor is telling you that you have a problem and advises you how to deal with the problem.  You will listen to the advice he gives.  Or perhaps the doctor looks at you, he is not as stressed.  He tells you that the tests they have run show some problems, that you do have an illness but it is not serious, he can put you on a drug which will not fail to help and within a month you will be back to work fully fit and well.  On the one hand the doctor gives you advice on how to cope and on the other he gives you good news.  The gospel is not about trying harder, turning over a new leaf, climbing a ladder in reading the bible and praying more.  Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.  It is his precious blood that deals with the problem of sin.  When Paul says I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ he is telling us the source of the gospel.  If some person said they had a revelation from heaven you would have reason to doubt it.  This is the gospel of God himself, the creator of the world whose son came into the world to save sinners.  Good news speaks of God providing a guarantee.

The nature of the gospel – “for it is the power of God unto salvation”.   This is one of the most significant phrases in the Bible.  It is the difference between Christianity and other religions in the world.  Not just an ethic spiritual dynamic but a spiritual power.  It enables the believer to reach the goal, to realise the ideal ethic in their life.  In many cults and world religions there is a standard to aim at, to have a go at.  People trying their best and believe will go to heaven.  In the Christian gospel the gospel is the power of God.  Nothing short of the power of God itself.  From the word power in the original language we have our English word dynamite.  The gospel is more powerful than any explosive.  The gospel of Jesus Christ is the dynamite of God, it blasts its way through sin and self- righteousness until God’s own righteousness is planted in its place.

The purpose of the gospel – “unto salvation”.  When the terrorist sets his bomb he has a purpose in mind – to cause as much damage, injury, mayhem as he can.  When the quarry master sets his explosives into the rock, he can calculate how many stones it would result in.  He has a purpose.  God has a purpose for you.  It is the power of God unto salvation.  God’s great purpose for men and women is that they should be saved from sin.  In the New Testament salvation is spoken of in a 3-fold tense.  We can look back to a past tense – the bible calls that justification – just as if I had never sinned.  Delivered from the penalty of sin.  Not just dealing with the past, there is a powerful present.  He delivers us from the penalty of sin and the power of sin.  That is sanctification.  I am being saved.  We do not grow into salvation, we step into salvation by faith.  The evidence is the walk with God.  Not only delivery from the penalty and power of sin but the presence of sin itself, that is glorification.  Past, present and future.  Justification, sanctification and glorification.  Do you not want that?  It is the power of God unto salvation.  Deals with past life, gives you dynamic living in the present and an assurance of one day living in heaven.  If I had a policy that I could sell you, that this could underwrite every blunder you have made in your past life, provides for your present life and guarantees surety of home in heaven one day.  What we are talking about is not an insurance policy backed by any insurance firm, we are talking of God’s salvation.  Deals with your past sin, pardons you, takes away the guilt, fear and depression.  God gives you a hope for the future.  Everything you need for living in this world, assurance that it is well with your soul.  It is the power of God unto salvation.  A salvation that works.

Who it is for – “every one”.  God’s salvation is for you, for everyone.  Don’t let anyone tell you that you are outside God’s scope of salvation.  It is a worldwide provision.  Salvation is for everyone, for every sin.  There is not another religion that can provide that. 

It is for you – ”for every one that believeth.”  There is a world of difference between giving mental asset and really believing with your whole heart.  The faith that is going to be the detonator that will set an explosive charge in your heart. It is an intellectual perception.  You understand it with your mind.  Christ died for me on the cross.  If I take him as my Saviour he will save me.  It is also spiritual reception.  Lots of people are upright, morally deeply religious, believe in their heads but don’t believe in their heart.  There was a man called Nik Wallanda who was challenged to walk along a tightrope across the Niagara Falls.  He walked with his balancing pole and was able to walk from one side to the other.  He was then challenged to walk again by putting his pole in his wheelbarrow and walk from one side to the other.  People were excited and apprehensive.  He did it without a wobble.  People were elated.  One man was very excited and congratulated him.  Wallanda turned to this excited man and asked him “do you believe I could take you across that tightrope in my wheelbarrow?”  The man replied “of course I believe.”  Nik Wallanda told him to get into his wheelbarrow and he would take him across.  The man replied “no, I really believe you could do it but I am not going to trust you.”  If he really believed he could do it he would have stepped into the barrow.  If you can get into God’s wheelbarrow and trust him to take you to the other side, he will not fail you or let you down.  There is only one thing to do – to trust him.  That is the kind of faith spoken of here in Romans 1 verse 16.  The power of God to everyone that believeth.  People describe themselves as believers but they haven’t the power of God.  You can believe tonight, step out of the wheelbarrow and take Christ as Saviour.  Experience the power and peace and joy in your life – will you?

The marks or features of revival

Sermon notes from Sunday 8 September 2019 am

Acts 10 verses 1 - 8, 34 - 44

Revival is something we all pray for.  We pray for the Lord to revive, to open up the windows of heaven and pour out his Holy Spirit.  As we consider our mission I want us to think of it like Cornelius.  "O for the floods on a thirsty land, O for a mighty revival, O for a sanctified fearless band ready to hail its arrival."  That is the crux of it.  I want us to see what happens when a man or woman seeks after God in a real way.  See it through this Roman soldier, a lonely solitary figure sitting in his own room.  Everyone else is away from him.  It is only him and God.  He is on his knees lifting his heart because of the great vacuum in his life.  "Lord I need you to come and help me."  Then we see the word of God coming in verse 44.  Peter opens the door into the house, amazed at all who are gathered there.  While Peter spoke the gospel the Holy Ghost fell.  It all stemmed from one man alone with God, seeking after him.  The Holy Ghost falling on the congregation.  See much of that through the Bible.  Hezekiah brings a whole nation back to God.  What a difference one man can make when wholly sold out for God.  The woman at the well coming to faith in Christ, how she goes into the city.  One woman and the message is spread througout all the region thereabouts.  Gideon threshing alone in his home when the Lord comes.  How he implicated a nation to come back to the Lord.  Cornelius at this point is not saved, a helpless man who could do nothing for himself.  Helpless and hopeless.  He comes with a real hunger and thirst, that something needs to be done.  God moves in a mighty way in his life.

Here was a man who had a leaning in prayer.  In verse 1 we read that he was a "devout man".  He was not a proselyte Jew.  If he had been Peter would have had no problems coming to him.  His heart leaned towards the things of God.  "He feared God" a reverential fear.  He respected and esteemed God "with all his house."  He led by example.  This man walked in the light that he had.  The people in his house in response had respect to him.  not just talking about family but his servants as well.  They all knew that when he said something he meant it.  "He prayed to God always" leaning to prayer.  Notice the feature of prayer in revival.  God heard his prayers.  God is no respecter of persons.  It is not a question of someone graduating in the school of prayer.  It is not a matter of God looking down and seeing someone who can really pray.  God can hear your prayers.  You say "I could not pray like the others in prayer meetings" but God hears you.  He is no respecter of persons.  He can hear the humble prayer as well as someone who prays for 20 minutes.  We are not told what Cornelius actually prayed but the Lord heard him.  He has a respect to the Jewish religion.  Verse 3 refers to the ninth hour - look back to Acts 3 verse 1.  Cornelius was aware that the Jewish people came together to pray at the ninth hour.  He is sitting in the place of prayer at the ninth hour.  It is at this time that God gave him this vision.  We do not know how many times he had prayed at that exact time before.  Psalm 55 verse 17 "Evening and morning and at noon will I pray and cry aloud and he shall hear my voice."  The ninth hour for us is 3 pm in th afternoon.  He was praying, meeting with God.  I`m quite sure Cornelius was a centurion.  I`m sure he was asked to conduct many activities yet he found time to pray.  We need to find time to pray, to get back into the prayer times.  It meant that he would have to leave aside some commitments to be alone with God.  The scriptures were the means to lead him to prayer.  In those early days in the Christian church this was something that was established.  On the day of Pentecost 3000 souls were saved and we read "they continued in prayer".  They learned that lesson.  Cornelius had also learned it.  He prayed and God heard his prayer.  In Acts 2 when the people heard the gospel lives were tranformed and they began to follow the apostles doctrine which was prayer.  In chapter 6 they gave themselves over to prayer and the word of God.  Young converts realised what prayer really meant.  Things happened as a result.  The great awakening in Ulster refers to 4 men in a Kells schoolhouse who opened up the word of God then got down to prayer.  Revival broke out as a result.  What a great thought.  A leaning to prayer.  Let`s get into serious times of prayer.  Cornelius while waiting on Peter coming rallied the people together, inviting them to come into his house.  

A longing for God.  We can come into the prayer time and know what we have to pray for but there has to be a longing for God.  Cornelius wanted to be directed by God.  We are not told what words he used in prayer.  It must have been for God to fill the void in his heart concerning spiritual matters.  He saw a need in his heart for change and for God when we see how he gathered his friends together.  Verse 24 he saw the state of his own heart but also of those around him.  One man seeing the state of his own heart, of those around him and doing something about it.  He asked for more from God.  This man wanted a living experience with the living God.  Praying and living for change.  We will never see revival if we don`t want change in our hearts.  God will not revive something that never had life.  The Laodicean church had so much going for them but the Lord said "I am on the outside."  Solomon when he was newly appointed king realised he was in charge of a great nation.  The Lord came to him and said to him "what will you ask of me?"  Solomon reflected on his role sitting on the throne as king.  He thought of the people around him.  1 Kings 3 verse 9 he opened up his lips "give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people that I may discern between good and bad; for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?"  Solomon finished building the temple and the spirit of God came down and filled the place, Solomon asked God "will you keep your eye on this house and this people  because there may come a time when this people will turn from you and rebel from you, if they stand up in this house will you stand for them?"  God`s reply - "I have heard thy prayer."  Remember Isaiah the prophet in chapter 6 when he saw the Lord high and lifted up.  He declared "I am a man of unclean lips and I live amongst a people of unclean lips."  In Philippians 3 verse 14 Paul said "I press towards the mark."  He was not sitting still, not waiting but pressing on.  Pressing speaks of endurance.  There were many enemies trying to keep Paul down.  Nothing was happening.  It was a discouraging time.  We need to be growing, stretching, pressing on, going through with God.

He is looking to God.  This is a reality for this man.  When I get into prayer am I looking for God?  Has the devil got into our minds when we pray, to take us away from looking to God?  There is a battle for each of us.  When those 4 men prayed in the Kells schoolroom they knew they needed what only came from God.  We need to pray for a movement from God.  We see that in Nehemiah`s day.  When Nehemiah heard what was happening in Jerusalem he was very sad.  The king noticed his countenance and remarked on it.  To be sad in front of the king could have meant death.  Nehemiah lifted up his heart to God for an answer.  When he went down to Jerusalem and told the people what to do the people rose up to build, they were one in tune with God.

He is listening to God`s word.  There was a course for Cornelius to follow.  He needed to send for Peter who was in Joppa.  He was listening for God.  We need to listen for God to speak when we pray.  In Acts chapter 8 we read the story of Philip.  In Samaria great things happened as he preached.  People with unclean spirits were released, those that were lame and with palsies were healed.  Then God called him down to the desert place of Gaza to speak to one man, a eunuch in his chariot.  The chapter finishes with these words "But Philip was found at Azotus and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea."  Now we read of this man Cornelius who lived in Caesarea.  Why did the Lord send a message asking Cornelius to send for Peter when he was in Joppa 30 miles away when Philip was near at hand?  Much work was being done through Philip yet God chose Peter to speak to Cornelius.  He was the man that was needed at that moment in time.  Really it was to remind Cornelius that it was to the Lord he needed to look to, he would be the one to move in a mighty way.

A crisis to face

Sermon notes from Sunday 18 August 2019 pm

1 Peter 5 verses 1 - 10

The crisis that was faced.  We too have a crisis.  If you are not saved there is a decision you have to make.  The crisis is that you were born in sin and shapen in iniquity.  Heaven will never be your home.  What should I do with Jesus who is called the Christ?  Remember the woman at the well.  When she went out into the city she told everyone "come see a man that has told me all things that ever I have done, is not this the Christ?" (John 4 verse 29)  She had a conversation with Christ that day and this was the outome.  Would you not come and see this same man who suffered and bled and died for you?  A crisis is a sudden change of events.  There is no greater crisis in any man`s life than the nature of sin.  Think of the man in Acts 10 Cornelius, a Roman centurion who had a crisis in his life because he was made aware of his sin.  He was sitting on his knees before God.  He was aware of his sinful nature.  He couldn`t go any further.  Maybe you have come to a crisis in your life tonight.  The weight of sin is bearing you down.  That is where Cornelius was.  He had thought of the Lord and how his sins could be forgiven but he didn`t know how to go about it.  As he lifted up his voice and cried out to the Lord an angel came down to where he was and told him "your prayers have been heard, send for Peter in Joppa, he will tell you words whereby you can be saved."  Cornelius realised his sin was separating him from God.  The wages of sin is death.  Death means separation.  We will be separated in this life because of our sin.  If we die in our sin we will be separated from God for all eternity.  If you are not saved, you may be religious, go to church regularly but if you have never come to Christ, trusted him as Saviour you are not saved tonight.  You are separated from God.  The Lord wants you to come and take from his hand tonight.  In Revelation we read of heaven, we see such a wonderful description, a pure place, a precious place created by the hand of God.  When God made this world he put his stamp of approval on it - he saw all that he had made and said it is very good.  He even made the heavens.  Revelation 21 verse 27 "and there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth."   Sin will not enter into the glories of heaven because it will defile heaven itself because of what Jesus has done on Calvary.  He took our sins on his own body on the tree.  That can cleanse us and we can enter into heaven one day.  The only one who can awaken you tonight is none other than the Lord himself.  I would plead with you.  If you have never been awakened, saved by the grace of God.  David in the Old Testament took Bathsheba`s husband out into the front of the battle knowing he would be killed.  He then took Bathsheba as his wife.  Nathan came in and told him a story of a man with a lamb.  An unjust man took the lamb away.  David was outraged and demanded that the man should be punished.  Nathan said "you are that man."  God showed him his sin

The comfort that is promised.  Verse 7 "casting all your cares upon him for he careth for you."  That is the comfort.  Think of the Lord as he travelled down to Lazarus` home on hearing of his death, as he stood at the tomb he wept.  Such was his care and concern.  He came into the world, took on himself the form of a servant.  He took your sin on himself.  He bore it on his own body, died that he might save you.  What a tremendous Saviour we have.  Remember how the disciples went across in the boat and a wind got up.  The disciples could do nothing more.  They wakened the master sleeping in the boat and asked him "carest thou not that we perish?"  The Lord is not willing that any should perish.  He is not slack concerning his promise.  He has done everyting to save your soul but he waits for you to come to him.  He could do nothing more.  He loved the world so much he sent the Lord into the world not to condemn but to save you from your sin.  That is what he wants to do tonight.  Will you let him?  See how grieved he was as he looked over Jerusalem, he looked on it and said "how often he had preached there in the streets, performed miracles but they would not come to him."  He is still weeping for you and your soul tonight as he looks on you.  Maybe he knows it is for the last time.  "Tomorrow might be eternity hidden from view"  If it was not for the Lord not one of us could make it to heaven tonight.

The command that is set before us - verse 7 "casting all your care."  That is the command.  What does the Lord say to you - "bring your sin to the cross and cast it down."  It is not something done for us.  We cannot do it for ourselves.  The only thing we can do is take it to him.  We cannot do it ourselves but taking it to the Lord can mean so much.  The Lord will take that in and cast it into the sea of his forgetfulness never to be remembered again.  Would you come?  Remember the last day of the great feast in Jerusalem when Jesus walked among the crowd.  "If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink."  He was speaking in the physical but he meant it in the spiritual.  He wants people to come to him.  There is a command tonight.  Will you come?  Is there a crisis in your life, an awareness of sin?  There is a comfort - the cross of Calvary.  You will see your sins forgiven.  There is a command tonight - he bids you to come.

An open door

Sermon notes from Sunday 18 August 2019

2 Corinthians 2 verses 1 - 13

"a door was opened unto me of the Lord"

Paul was writing about the service for his king.  Was there a day when the Lord reached down to where you were and he saved you?  You were dead in your sin and trespasses, blinded by the God of this world.  Then God in his great love and mercy reached down to where we were and showed us our need of salvation.  He pointed to Calvary.  His son died there just to save you and became your Saviour.  Paul was talking about Christ his king as well.  He wanted to serve him.  Have we a Saviour today but not a king?  That we want to serve? 

The door that Paul had.  He didn`t pray to be released from prison.  He wanted an open door to preach the gospel even where he was.  What a driving force was in the apostle Paul - was it in his own ability?  No it was in gratitude to Christ for what he had done.  Somehow he couldn`t stop serving him.  As he went into the office of the priests to receive letters and papers to give him authority that if he found a Christian who was disobedient to the law of Moses and trusting in Christ as Saviour he could arrest them and put them in prison, even put them to death.  There on his journey at midday he was brought down to the dust.  This man was stopped in his tracks.  From that day he had gratitude in his heart that he couldn`t stop serving the Lord.  Here he is serving the Lord yet again.  Somehow we can get so acquainted with what the Lord has down for us that we lose out on what the Lord really has done for us..  When the Lord reached down and prevented us from going to hell.  Think of the man in Luke 16 who lifted up his eyes and saw the poor man in Lazarus` bosom.  He just wants a drink of water on his tongue - why - because he was in torment.  That is where we are going.  The Lord reached down and saved Paul.  Are we just glad today that we are saved, on our way to heaven, have so much going for us?  He gives a peace that sins are forgiven, that we are justified and sanctified. He does not want us to be content with that.  He wants us to reach out to others.  Romans 1 verse 14 "I am a debtor"  That is how he saw himself.  "both to the Greeks and to the Barbarians, both to the wise and to the unwise."  The only way I can repay the Lord is to go and tell others about the lovely Saviour we have.  That is what we want to do as we go into the winter work.  This is an open door.  When men and woman have the opportunity to hear the gospel of saving grace for our families, that we might do all we can.  Paul saw himself as a debtor when he considered all the Lord had done for him.  Matthew was a tax collector shunned by all the people.  He was prospering the Roman empire by lifting taxes.  One day the Lord came by and he said to him "follow me".  What was the first thing he did?  He went into his home and invited many in as he could.  He had something that he could never pay for.  Why would the Lord ever look at me or give me a second thought?  Mark 16 "Mary Magdalene out of whom he had cast 7 devils."  That was someone with gratitude for what the Lord did.  She never left his side, followed him to the cross and the tomb.  On the first day of the week she was there again.  The young man of Gedarra was living amongst the tombs.  He couldn`t do anything for himself, driven out into the wilderness, he cried out day and night.  No-one could help him.  One day he met the Lord and the demons were cast out into the pigs.  That young man had a desire in his heart to follow Christ but the Lord said "no, go back into your own village and tell them of what the Lord has done for you."  That is what the Lord wants to do for us.  Not just to be sitting in the house of the Lord but rather telling others of what the Lord has done for us.  Remember when Paul travelled to Macedonia, as he preached by the wayside he realised an opportunity was being opened to him.  An open door from heaven to hear about Christ.  Do we realise we have an opportunity for the gospel today?

The discovery Paul made - "a door was opened unto me of the Lord."  When we find the desire to serve the Lord always opens a door.  God opens a door very specifically for you.  Troas was a great commercial city, a bustling city, Paul came to Troas to preach.  His mission, his goal was the gospel.  It was a place of selling and buying.  When Paul stood in Athens there was great architectural all around him but Paul saw however a whole city given over to idolatry.  A people lost in sin, going out into a Christless hell.  The Holy Spirit was moving within him.  He is coming to preach the gospel.  When he came to Corinth the Lord opened up the door for him.  We cannot sit back and take things for granted.  We need to be up and doing.  Amos the Old Testament prophet warned of what was about to come on the land.  This people had grown careless about their worship.  They turned their backs on God.  They grew careless.  Amos 6 verse 1 "woe unto them that are at ease in Zion."  Amos told them to lift up their eyes, to look around them because the the enemy is at hand.  Haggai 1 verse 4.  There is a desire in our hearts to go forward.  Paul was writing to the churchat Philippi comforting those who were anxious.  He sees it as an open door.  Imagine being imprisoned today, seeing it as an open door.  Phillippians 1 verse 20.  There are those with him who would never be saved but look what happened in the very heart of Caesar`s palace.  Imagine being a soldier in that day, getting the duty to guard Paul.  When he opened the door to his cell Paul would see it as an open door to tell this man of Christ.  They were taking it out right through Caesar`s palace.  People were saved because of Paul`s desire to further the gospel where he was.

There are the difficulties in service.  1 Corinthians 16 verse 9 "and there are many adversaries."  He was in Ephesus travelling down to Corinth but something happened.  He couldn`t go to Corinth.  He had to tarry where he was in the place where the Lord would have him to be.  There were battles and difficulties.  People were opposing the gospel message.  He received a message telling him to stay there and he remained for another year and a half.  Adversaries come in different forms in places in Ephesus and Thessalonica.  The devil used large members to oppose him.  Acts 17 verse 5 would have turned the city apart if they got hold of him.  When Paul went down to Berea he began to preach.  A member came from Thessalonica who tried to do the same thing.  We need to pray that children will hear the gospel and be saved.  Other difficulties you will find too.  There will be those who will not oppose you to your face.  In Acts 14 some of the Pharisees opposed Paul and as a result there was a dispute about circumcision.  If there is a desire to serve the Lord you will discover the doors opening but don`t be put down because the Lord is on your side.