The people at the cross of Calvary

Have you ever thought about the different groups of people there at the cross of Calvary? There are many ways you could look at this subject but it occurred to me the other day that there were 3 groups of people who were described in relation to their position. There were those that STOOD, those that SAT and those that PASSED BY. I enjoyed this short study and we will share some simple thoughts here.

Those that STOOD

There were many people standing in the vicinity of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ that day 2000 years ago, but I wanted to just focus this study upon the women that came from Galilee to be at the cross. Luke says;
"and all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things." Luke 23:49 ESV

I don't know if you have ever thought much about this, I know I hadn't until I looked at this properly! Why should these women follow him from Galilee? Why would it specifically be recorded that women followed him from Galilee?
Remember that this was a day when women were treated unequally, and were seen as second-class citizens. The Lord himself rebuked the Pharisees for their harsh treatment of women and widows in particular.

It was then that my mind turned to the frequent times when the Lord Jesus brought blessing, comfort, and protection, honour and respect to the lives of the women of his day. Here are just a few occasions, there are many more:

• He had compassion upon the woman of Canaan and her daughter


• He had time to bless the widow of Nain by restoring her son


• He protected the woman taken in adultery when the men of her day were ready to stone her


• He made a specific journey through Samaria to speak with that woman by the well


• He cast evil spirits out of many women including Mary Magdalene


• He gave special place to their children - "suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God" I think these women appreciated this and were drawn to the Saviour due to his gentle and kind nature. Well might we sing "gentle Jesus meek and mild, look upon a little child" and "there's a friend for little children..."


• He had a special address for those joyful daughters of Zion as he entered Jerusalem on that triumphant day. Interestingly He also had a specific address for those weeping women that day that he was led out of Jerusalem bearing his cross.


• Finally remember that touching moment at the cross when the Saviour made provision for his mother that day. Surely only he truly understood those words spoken of her that "a sword shall pierce through your own soul also"...

Those that SAT

"and sitting down they watched him there" Matt 27:36

Again, I don't know if you have ever thought much about this, or whether this verse had struck you at all. Upon reading this passage it struck me afresh the callousness and cruelty of men, that they should torture, abuse, humiliate and then crucify an innocent man, one who had exhibited nothing but goodness, love, compassion, kindness and grace in his life and then watch him, mocking him and deriding him as he dies. Not only this but they were not prepared to suffer an ounce of discomfort as they did so, but rather they would take their comfort and ease as the Saviour died in agony. Is it no wonder that the Word of God reminds us in Psalm 1 (words which ultimately are fulfilled in the Saviour) "blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers..." ESV

Interesting that in a future day the tables will be turned, and the Lord himself shall sit and laugh in derision at the futile rebellion of those armies of men in a future day; "he who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision" Praise God that the Lord Jesus Christ has risen and ascended to his Father's right hand and one day will be glorified and acknowledged as Lord by all, and will be victorious over all his enemies!

Those that PASSED BY

Even more so than the other 2 points, I genuinely had never thought about this one or noticed this before. Only Matthew and Mark record this (interesting as Matthew speaks primarily to the Jew and Mark to the Gentile)
"and they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads..."

Once again the heartless cruelty and casual wickedness of man's nature is shown. These people were passing by, going about their daily business as if nothing had happened! Here they pass through the scene at Calvary, not stopping to take in the significance of the event, or to show sorrow or even a modicum of compassion towards the blessed man who hung upon that cross! Think about it - what on earth could have been more pressing or more important to them at that time? But no, they put if from their minds, merely shouting their derision and scornfully mocking him as they pass by. I am reminded by the poignantly prophetic words of Lamentations 1:12 "is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? Behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger..." It was nothing to them!

Praise God the Lord Jesus was not marked by their same spirit! He would not pass the suffering one by! Think of that parable of the Good Samaritan, a picture of the Lord Jesus and the stricken, helpless and needy sinner. He would not pass us by, but saw us in our need, wounded, destitute and ready for death but he stepped in and moved in love and grace toward us, praise God for the lovely character of our Lord Jesus Christ!

May God bless these thoughts as we continue to remember and worship our Lord and Saviour.

Yours in Christ, Mark

Christ the spotless Nazarite (2)

Following on from our previous look at the Lord Jesus as the spotless Nazarite in relation to the touching of dead things, I wanted to look this time at that other feature of the Nazarite life: "he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink" (Numbers 6:3). I am looking at these Nazarite features purely with our blessed Saviour in view, so this is a devotional rather than a practical look at these things.

Throughout the Bible, wine and the fruit of the vine are typically a picture of earthly energy and joy, but we will come onto that in more detail later. Wine is also often linked to the Holy Spirit, I am thinking now in particular of Ephesians 5:18 "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit" The idea here is that believers should not be filled with the excess and recklessness of wine which speaks of this earth but that we should be driven and controlled by the Holy Spirit as befits the believer. With this in mind I looked at a few scriptures from the beginning of the Lord's earthly ministry to see what it said about his relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 4:1 says on that occasion that he was LED by the Spirit into the wilderness. The idea is to be led up or guided, and how lovely it is to think that the Saviour was guided by the Holy Spirit, his steps were always in sync with the Spirit and the Father, those 3 persons of the godhead!

Mark 1:12 records the same incident but says that he was DRIVEN by the Spirit into the wilderness. The word really means "cast out" so it carries with it a forceful and decisive act. An alternative rendering indicates to us that He was driven from within, so we have now the idea of the Saviour moving decisively, with passion and purpose driven from within by the Holy Spirit.

Luke 4:1 again records this but here the language is"Jesus being FULL OF the Holy Ghost" The word means "full up" and the verse also carries with it the idea of being "controlled by". Here we learn that Christ was filled by and controlled by the Holy Spirit! It filled and controlled Him and directed His every thought, word and deed.

We recall that in OT times the Spirit of God would come upon men and enable and empower them to accomplish some might deed for God, but these men were always marked by failure or sin in some area of their life. Not so with our Lord of course, as we said last time - He was the perfect, spotless example of the Nazarite, ultimately separated to God for his service and glory!

Let us return to the idea of wine speaking of earthly joy, what does it say about the Lord Jesus and joy? Well, I was interested to see that in the gospels the references to joy are almost always in relation to other people:

• There was Joy at his Birth - Matt 2:10, Luke 2:10


• There was Joy in his Life - Luke 13:17


• There was Joy at his Death - John 16:20 (these are sad and solemn words indeed...)


• There was Joy at his Resurrection though - Matt 28:8, Luke 24:41


• There will be Joy at his coming again - John 16:20 and 22 (praise God!)

Of the Saviour himself though, we remember that it was prophesied of him that he would be "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief", this was the portion of our Saviour own here! Lamentations 1:12 also ultimately speaks of Christ "look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow", there was no sorrow like that which the Lord Jesus experienced at the cross of Calvary for you and for me. Isaiah goes on to say "surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows", how this should humble us and affect us in our lives. Let us lift our hearts and offer up thanks and praise to our God for his beloved Son and our Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ.

I trust these simple thoughts will have warmed our hearts towards the Lord Jesus Christ and that they will be of enjoyment and benefit to God's people.

Yours in Christ, Mark

Christ the spotless Nazarite

So this week I have been looking through Numbers chapter 6 and learning something about the vow of the Nazarite. It has been a really useful study with plenty of practical challenges about living a separated life for God and bringing him glory and pleasure through our walk and Christian life for Him.

However, from a devotional point of view I was thinking about how the Nazarite ultimately speaks of the Lord Jesus and in Him we see the perfect fulfilment of the Nazarite vow.

If we read Numbers 6 we will there realise that the ultimate purpose of the vow was to bring honour and glory to God. This was made possible by the individual following strict rules and showing tremendous discipline! It required human effort, willingness and endeavour in order to fulfil the law concerning the Nazarite.

Of course when we come to our Lord Jesus Christ we shall see that he did not need to vow the vow of the Nazarite in order to show his devotion to God. He did not need to strive from a human point of view to fulfil that Nazarite law, and there was no need for discipline or effort on his part to walk a pathway that brought pleasure and glory to God! He did this intrinsically because of who he was - the sinless, spotless Son of God. God manifest in the flesh! We love to remember that the Lord Jesus was daily his Father's delight, he did always those things that pleased the Father, and the Father was well pleased with Him. The life of the Lord Jesus brought infinite pleasure and glory to God!

However, we may remember that one of the Nazarite conditions was not to be in contact with or near any dead thing, even if it was close family that had suddenly died. This was because he would be defiled and made unclean. We recall that on several occasions the Lord Jesus was in contact with dead bodies, but praise God he could never be defiled or tainted by sin! Heb 7:26 tells us that he is "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners..." 

I looked at just this one feature of the Old Testament Nazarite and found much that touched my heart concerning our Saviour. I am thinking now in particular of those 3 occasions recorded in the gospels, let's look at them briefly here now.


Remember there was Jairus' daughter (Matt 9, Mark 5, Luke 8), that 12-year-old girl tragically struck down in her young years. Here I am struck by the power and authority of the Lord Jesus. Remember that the Saviour spoke of her as being merely asleep, and the people laughed him to scorn for saying this. But to our blessed Saviour, her dead state was to him just as if she was asleep, he could easily awake her from death such was his power! It was God that breathed life into man in the first instance, now here he could restore life again just as simply! We remember the people who had once mocked the Saviour were now overcome with amazement! This same Jesus is our Lord and Saviour, he is powerful today and mighty to save and transform lives just as he did then.

Now I turn to Luke 7 and see that tragic scene at the gates of the city of Nain. Here the only son of a widow has died and is being carried out in the funeral procession. Notice how that nobody actually tells the Saviour the facts of this sad situation, he knows all things. He knew that this was the only son of this poor woman, he knew that she had also lost her husband and so would have known much sorrow, anxiety and concern for the future. He sees her, he has compassion on her, he reassures her and he touches the coffin. He restores to that woman her only son, he brings in life where death was, he gives her back her joy, comfort and support and hope for the future with just one act! Here I marvel at his wonderful grace and compassion, and surely this has been shown and bestowed upon us as sinners saved by grace!

Finally I look at John 11 and the raising of Lazarus, the dear friend of the Lord Jesus. Here I notice his deep love, for at the tomb of his friend he wept and the Jews commented "behold how tenderly he loved him!" (Amp). How this should move us and warm our hearts to see the Saviour who is all-powerful and knows all things, moved to tears as he contemplates the sadness and sorrow that sin has brought into the world. It touches the lives of everyone, and here the Saviour stands at the grave of his friend whom he loved dearly. I am reminded of such scriptures as "the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me", "he loved them unto the uttermost", "greater love hath no man than this..." and "hereby perceive we the love of God..." Surely we have known, experienced and have come to appreciate the tremendous love of the Lord Jesus Christ! Praise God that he loved us and died for us at the cross of Calvary.

There at the cross we see that he "offered himself without spot to God" (Heb 9:14). The perfect example of the Nazarite - holy and sinless not only in his life, but also in his death, he offers himself as a perfect sacrifice for sin.

Let us kindle our hearts in thanks and praise for our blessed Saviour!

"A perfect path of purest grace, unblemished and complete,
was thine thou spotless Nazarite, pure even to the feet!"

Yours in Christ, Mark

Prove, test, examine, discern

I've been looking at this word translated 'prove' in the King James Bible, and it has revealed some practical and challenging thoughts. I will share them here so that hopefully they may prove to be also beneficial to others. I have quoted below from the New King James Version for a little easier reading, and here the word is translated as prove, test and examine.

DISCERNING HIS WILL

"do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Romans 12:2

In other words what the Apostle is saying is that we shouldn't copy or imitate the ways of this world. There is nothing more sad than a worldly Christian! The Apostle John could say "Do not love the world or the things in the world." (1 John 2:15) and the end result of such an attitude was known only too well to the Apostle Paul - "Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world" (2 Tim 4:10) how solemn! We should continually guard against becoming more and more like the world, how do we expect to have a testimony for Christ if we look, sound, act and behave exactly like the world around us? The answer to the danger of worldliness is given in our headline verse - we should let God continually renew our mind and change the way we think so we are more like His Son. Only then may we learn, know and discern God's will for our lives and the Apostle says this is good, pleasing and perfect. If we want to know God's will and his design and purpose for our lives then surely we need to be 'renewing our mind' by continually reading his Word, learning more about Him and letting this impact and affect our lives.

EXAMINING WITHIN

"Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified." " Cor 13:5

Here is a solemn passage. Sadly there were obstinate, continual sinners at Corinth who claimed to be Christians. Paul challenged them directly and severely, to examine themselves to see whether they were in the faith. God does not envisage that a believer should lead a sinful life, Romans 6 teaches us that: "How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?" If there is continual and unrepentant sin in our lives this is most unusual and we should examine ourselves and see if we understand this truth of Christ dwelling in us and the Holy Spirit possessing our bodies. Of course we cannot be sinless, and so IF we sin the scriptures declares that Christ lives to make intercession for us and if we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us. Let us be challenged and exhorted to live holy lives for Him!

TESTING ALL WORDS

"Test all things; hold fast what is good." 1 Thess 5:21

So if we truly are believers on the Lord Jesus Christ and wish to know him and live according to his desire and will, then we must be vigilant and test everything that is said and make sure that we hold on to the good things. As a Christian you will encounter many different teachings and doctrines, and we must test them according to what the scriptures say, if we are to hold fast to what is good and be profited and built up in our most holy faith. John in his epistle told the believers "do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God" We should therefore be very wary when new teaching comes our way! Our spirit should be that of the Bereans in Acts 17 who "received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so."

SCRUTINIZING OUR WORK

"But let each one examine his own work..." Galatians 6:4

As we live for Christ in this world we are also exhorted to carefully scrutinize our own work, service and motives. This is very challenging as the passage assumes that we should all HAVE our own work! What about us today? Do we have a work we are doing for Christ? Is there a ministry that we are particularly exercised and burdened about? What are we doing personally for our Lord? On the other hand, the verse challenges us that we should not get carried away in our zeal and enthusiasm and lose focus or confuse our reason for the work in the first place! Our motives and our service will be reviewed in a coming day, we know this as believers and the scriptures say "each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is." 1 Cor 3:13 Let us be encouraged to examine carefully our own work for the Lord so that there may be more glory and honour brought to Him both down here, and up there in a coming day!

PROVING OUR LOVE

"I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others." 2 Cor 8:8

Here is another practical challenge from the Apostle Paul. The Corinthian believers seemed to excel in so many things - their faith, their gifted speakers, their knowledge and enthusiasm (v7) but there was an area in which they were previously well exercised in but had now forgotten about and that was the practical matter of giving of their substance to meet the need so evident in the churches round about.The Apostle reminds them of their previous exercise and brings to mind the generous grace of the Lord Jesus Christ (the perfect example of one who gave all for others), and that by giving in this way it would be a practical way of showing the sincere and genuine love that should characterize every child of God. Other churches were proving to be eager and diligent in this matter (v8) but the Corinthians needed a timely reminder to give as God had enriched them. We challenge ourselves, how is our giving? Not just donating money randomly to the Lord's work, but do we identify need (in whatever form that may be) and do we feel an exercise and seek to meet that need? There are many ways in which this can be done, but let us be challenged about helping and encouraging our fellow believers in whichever way we can!

We trust these simple thoughts will be for our mutual blessing and encouragement.

Yours in Christ, Mark.

My new acquisition - Two Version Bible from Crimond House Publications (Ards Bookshop)

Let me say at the outset - I love this Bible. It is without a shadow of a doubt the finest quality Bible that I have ever owned or even handled and I find this is important, to me anyway having owned other Bibles in the past that have fallen apart! I should say at this stage that there is an excellent review of this Bible on the Bible Design Blog, I would also recommend that you bookmark that site in your favourites! I have a link for that site and also a link to Ards Evangelical Bookshop where you can buy this Bible from in my links section in the sidebar. Anyway back to my review...

Often times in a teaching meeting or Bible study group I will hear fellow believers quote the Revised Version, especially at our church where the King James Version, or AV is commonly read. For what it is worth I grew up with the AV and happen to love it, although I frequently use other versions for alternative renderings such as the Amplified or indeed the Revised version. This Bible contains the Authorised text with the differences from the Revised version in the margin. Genius! This Bible therefore, is extremely useful for people like me who use the AV all the time in meetings, but like to 'refer' to an alternative version where perhaps better renderings of words or phrases can be found. So without further ado, here are some of my thoughts about this new Bible of mine.

Compact dimensions but thicker, no doubt due to the heavier paper weight being used...

The Bible comes in a not unattractive burgundy coloured cardboard box, and this feels like it should take a beating, should you decide to store and carry it in there as I have done. Once out of the box the quality of this Bible immediately strikes you: the grain and superb smell of the supple calfskin leather, the stitching around the edge of the cover, the way it flexes in your hands, all indicating that this is a quality product and will almost certainly outlast me. The dimensions are compact at 21cm x 14cm (page size) yet the Bible is deeper or thicker, whichever you prefer. This isn't down to an abundance of study helps (for there aren't really any at all!) but must be down to the better quality, heavier paper that the publisher has decided to use.

I am all for this as it means that you can potentially mark the Bible (using the appropriate pens or pencils) and it means there is less bleed-through or ghosting from the other side, making it nice and easy to read. Plus the pages turn better and last longer than these Bibles with poor bindings, bonded leather covers and see through paper that creases and folds with the slightest bit of heat/moisture from your hands! I would happily pay a few extra few pounds for this, there seems little point in cutting costs in this area when a proper study Bible is there to be read a lot and possibly marked as well.

The paper used here is first class. As you can see the light is shining through the paper, but hardly any ghosting from the reverse side.

The calfskin leather is beautiful. Below left you can see the grain and the stitching around the edge for added strength. A nice touch as most Bible makers just glue the yapp down.

The cover and binding in general of this Bible deserves special mention, as it is top quality, and unlike any other Bible I own. It smells great (yes this is a mark of a great Bible!) and it has a lovely matt finish to it, with the grain of the leather fully visible - lovely! It is worth mentioning as well that this cover is so soft and supple, my other Bibles are nothing like this! I've tried to show you in one of my poorly taken pictures but the cover just folds open without any weight and the cover is truly limp meaning that this Bible is ready to fold to the shape of your hand.

The super-limp, beautiful leather cover of the two version Bible from Crimond House.

All of these features not only make for a beautiful and long-lasting Bible but a nicely usable one as well. This Bible will sit comfortably in the hand, on the lap, on the table or anywhere, it just folds and flexes to suit!

Now what about the text? Is it readable? Well this is the other good bit of news for the print is of a good size, not too big or too small (in fact usually it is smaller on a Bible this size, certainly on my Thompson chain reference) and is clear and well-printed, albeit in an older style. This means our eyes aren't straining to read passages and makes it a good Bible to read aloud from in public. I find the text clear and well-printed and of a good size too. This helped by the weightier, opaque paper of course!

The margin references are very good, pretty much the same on my other Bibles but the real value comes from the two version system which we will come onto now.

Having the Revised renderings in the OUTSIDE margin is very helpful. For the most part I read the Authorised text as normal, and then either have a brief scan of the Revised notes, or refer to them only if puzzled with the AV. Often times this can she light on the passage and help with my understanding and study. So not only is this Bible fantastic quality and very good to read (in terms of a physical book, I fully realise as a believer that the Word of God is ALWAYS good to read!) but it is also bringing something extra to the table, as those Revised differences are extremely handy to have in a Bible class!

Close up of the Two Version Bible text, taken from John's Gospel.

In the close-up above you can see for yourself how the system works. If I'd had more time I could have found some good examples of where this system has been really helpful. I will jot these down as I notice them and post some of these in the near future.

So all in all I can thoroughly recommend this Bible to any believer who predominantly uses the King James or Authorised version and doesn't want to give that up, but would like some alternative renderings close at hand. This Bible is not cheap (£90 currently from Ards Evangelical Bookshop in Northern Ireland), but I think having a good quality Bible is well worth it in the long run, and is not an investment that you will regret!

Here is a link to the Bible at Ards:

Opening pages of the two version Bible. Crimond House, Nigel Lynn, Jongbloed - take a bow, this Bible is beautiful.

So in summary, this Bible has quickly established itself as my favoured Bible for taking to any type of church gathering due to its handy size, good print and helpful margins. I think I just need to find a suitable Bible case/bag for it now, to keep it in good condition! So if you have seen this Bible advertised and wondered if it was any good, then I hope this post has been useful and informative.

Yours in Christ, Mark

We have received a gift from God... use it for His glory!

"As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." 1 Pet 4:10

If you are a believer on the Lord Jesus Christ then you have been given a gift from God to be used for the benefit of fellow believers and for the glory of God. A gift is a gracious divine endowment, it is something that has nothing to do with any natural ability we may have but is a work that God has enabled us to do through the Holy Spirit. We are not going into the specifics of spiritual gifts here, but we will do a fuller more expansive post in the near future.

Paul encouraged Timothy in the matter of his gift - "therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you". It is important that as believers we look to understand the gift God has given us, and stir it up, use it and develop it - we should not be lazy Christians content to coast along in our spiritual lives! Paul exhorts us to be good stewards in this respect. A steward means a manager, governor or chamberlain, so we are to be busy, wise and resourceful as we seek to serve God using the gift he has given us. The idea is put across by the Lord Jesus in Luke 12:42 when there were faithful and wise stewards who served him well in their master's absence and received due reward at his coming again. This similar idea is put across in Luke 19 and Matt 25, although we haven't the time to go into these scriptures in detail. Suffice to say that the lesson is clear; we need to use the divine gifts God has given us and be active in the employment of them in His service so that God will be glorified and that we as good and faithful servants will be blessed both here now and in a future day of review as well.

As we close we should remember that the exercise of spiritual gifts should always be with the glory of God in view, and for the profit, or benefit of all (1 Cor 12:7). It is not for our own glory, or our own personal advancement, neither should it draw attention to ourselves, for this would be of the flesh. Later on in verse  of 1 Peter 4 Paul says concerning gifts "...that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ..." I can think of no stronger motivation for serving God than this! What a privilege that we should ever be involved in the service of God!

We pray that we may be challenged and encouraged by these things, and that each may seek God's face concerning our spiritual gift and how we may use it for the glory of God.

Yours in Christ, Mark

Onwards and upwards in 2013

I've been challenged recently by Phil 3:14 about pressing on and making spiritual progress in 2013. The verse reads "I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upwards" Amplified Version. I trust that the challenge is something for all of us, no matter what stage we are at in our Christian pathway.

The Apostle has in mind here in this verse a future day of reward, what the Bible calls the Judgement Seat of Christ (Rom 14:10, 2 Cor 5:10). The Authorized Version is slightly misleading here, as the prize that Paul speaks of is not the 'heavenly' calling itself but rather the prize associated with that upward calling. In other words, there is reward in store for faithful servants of Christ at his Judgement Seat! Here every believer will stand before Christ and "receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad" (2 Cor 5:10).

The Judgement Seat of Christ is to be viewed as a positive thing, yet it was clearly something that weighed heavy on the Apostle's mind for he revisits it in some of his last writings in 2 Tim 4:8 "Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." Let us all be encouraged and motivated by what we read here, for there can be no doubt from scripture that every believer on the Lord Jesus is destined for heaven and glory, and also that place of reward, where our lives of service will be reviewed.

In Philippians 3 the Apostle Paul uses the phrase "I press on toward the goal" the Apostle is keen, hungry and motivated! His life of service had been hard, and he had endured much for the preaching of the Gospel but here he was, zealous as ever and encouraging other saints to be like-minded! He wanted to continue to make progress, to press on and to have goals and aims in his spiritual life. There is nothing wrong with this motivation about our spiritual life! Granted we should not treat it as a profession or a career, but we should seek to make progress and grow, that much we can see from the scriptures "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" 2 Pet 3:18 

As we begin a new year wouldn't it be great to take stock of our lives and make some spiritual goals or aims for 2013? It could be something like "I'm going to ensure that I have a time for reading the Word and praying every day" or "I'm going to start taking part publicly at a Church gathering" or perhaps "I'm going to talk to someone about the Saviour and the message of salvation each day". What a beneficial impact this would have on our lives and on the lives of our friends and colleagues, both saved and unsaved. Let us be encouraged together and press onwards and upwards in 2013, for there is a prize to be had at the finish!

Yours in Christ, Mark

New things

As we look towards another New Year my mind has been exploring some 'new things' that we read of in the scriptures. I hope these thoughts are encouraging and uplifting and may spark further study among you.

New doctrine - Mark 1:27

"And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him."

Correctly rendered, the question is more of an exclamation; "what new or fresh teaching!". As we approach the end of 2012 and look to the year ahead, we do well to continually meditate upon the incredible earthly ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. The people of his day had never seen anything like it! Time and again we read in the gospels that the people were 'astonished', 'amazed' or that they 'marvelled' in fact there are over 40 mentions of these 3 expressions alone. Shouldn't we ever be amazed by the life of our Saviour whilst down here upon this earth? His walk, his ways and his words, every facet was filled with power, purpose and authority. Surely testifying to that truth that here was one who is God manifest in flesh!

A new testament - 1 Cor 11:25

"After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me."

There are several passages that relate the institution of the remembrance supper, and each brings out a subtle shade of meaning:

• Paul here brings out the remembrance aspect. When we gather on a Lord's Day morning, it is always to remember him, his person and his work. Sometimes we may dwell almost exclusively on his death on Calvary, or on our blessed position and our future in heaven with him, but Paul correctly reminds the believers that it is to remember him.


• Matthew in his account identifies the cup as speaking of his blood which was shed "for the remission of sins", and this too brings out another aspect. Remission means pardon, deliverance, forgiveness and all this has been made possible by the shedding of his precious blood.


• Mark says that it was "shed for many" and we should thank God daily that we are included in the many!


• Finally Luke brings a more personal meaning as his account says "shed for you" and this should move us as we hear the words of the Saviour to us personally. How it should move us to serve him and worship him with all the more dedication and fervour!

A new tomb - Matt 27:57-60

"And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock..."

This reference reminds us that the Saviour became despised and rejected by men, and suffered and died on the cross. However, throughout this tremendous event we as believers can rejoice in that we see God's will being carried out and fulfilled to the letter at Calvary! Nothing was done that should not have been, and all things were done that should have been. Matthew tells us that the new tomb was Joseph's own, fulfilling the prophecy found in Isaiah 53:9 "And they assigned him a grave with the wicked... yet he was with a rich man in his death" Surely here was a perfect work, finished and completed by our blessed Lord and Saviour. As we go into a new year we take heart in the fact that God's Word is perfect and endures forever, and his purposes will be fulfilled, always!

A new song - Psalm 40:3

"And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God"

Now finally as we close these thoughts my mind went to this verse in the Psalms, which reminds me of the daily occupation of worship and the joy that should be ours as we consider our Saviour and offer praises to God.

David, the sweet psalmist of Israel tells us 3 important things about the new song:

• It is FROM God - He has given us this new or fresh song, and has put it into our mouths.


• It is ABOUT God - the subject and character of the new song is spiritual, as the word song here means a psalm or a hymn and it is described as praise unto God.


• It is TO God - He is the object and recipient of the praise!

What a lovely thought as we celebrate the beginning of a new year - To be found meditating upon the person of Christ and occupying ourselves with the praise and worship of God! We have been given a new song when we came to know him as Lord and Saviour, so let us live with this in mind for 2013!

May God richly bless his people everywhere and may we all be encouraged and strengthened in our testimony, both collectively and as individuals.



Yours in Christ, Mark

Things that weren't told

John 21:25

And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.

It seems that from what John indicates here at the close of his gospel, that we are only told a fraction of all the things that could be told about the earthly ministry of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ. When one looks at the first chapter of Mark's gospel we see there an action-packed full day from v21 to v34 for the tireless servant of God. We see also in v35 that the next day he rises a great while before day for prayer! Sometimes we think we've had a busy day but I think nothing compared to the full days of the Son of Man. The example of Creation in Genesis 1 must surely be our guide as to how God uses his days. Each day there was mighty accomplishments and awesome creatorial feats, each divided by the statement "and the evening and the morning were the xxx day". There must have been so much more that went unrecorded in those 3 and a half years f public service! Perhaps we will know more of this when we get to glory and spend eternity with Him.

1 Corinthians 2:9-11

Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

If our first reference took us to the PAST, then this reference takes us to the PRESENT. Sometimes we here v9 quoted in relation to our future in Heaven, but then v10 reminds us that these things are for us here and now, as revealed by the Spirit of God!

We are reminded that these things are the deep things of God and v11 may be better rendered "the thoughts of God", what a tremendous thing! That we can know the thoughts and mind of God should surely thrill the heart of every believer. They have not been told or revealed to the world, they can know nothing of this, these things are revealed to believers by the indwelling Holy Spirit, later on we read "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." What a privilege! There is always more we can obtain from God's Word, we shall never exhaust it, the Spirit will always reveal new things to us, but we must apply ourselves and read and study the Word if we are to benefit from it. As we have learned though, these things are not obtained by academic achievement or intellectual prowess, but are available to every believer by the Holy Spirit who "shall teach you all things."

1 Kings 10:4-8

And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built,
And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her.
And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom.
Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.
Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom.

Sometimes we apply these verses to our present experience with coming to know the Lord Jesus Christ, but I would like to look to the FUTURE with this reference. After all, these words were spoken as the Queen of Sheba met King Solomon face to face, so I would like to encourage our hearts by reminding us that one day soon we shall meet the "greater than Solomon", great David's greater Son. John tells us in Revelation 22; "And they shall see his face..." how this should lift our hearts!

So the Queen surveys the scene before her and she took it all in - the glory of the king, and surely nothing will compare to the glory of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords in that coming day. She takes in the glorious abode he had built, and surely our minds turn to John 14; "In my Father's house are many mansions... I go to prepare a place for you." She sees the multitude of servants and their apparel, and my mind went to Revelation 19 when John describes the Church - "And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints." 

The Queen proclaims - "Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom" and my mind once again turned to the future scene described in Revelation 22 - "And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him" No more sadness, sorrow or suffering!

The Queen is overcome and amazed, for the half was not told her and surely this is will be our response when we see all that God has in store for us! I think of that chorus we sometimes sing:

"Wonderful Savior, wonderful Friend,

Wonderful life that never shall end;

Wonderful place, He has gone to prepare,

Wonder of wonders I shall be there!" 

 

There's no disappointment in Heaven

I was talking with an older brother in our assembly at the weekend who isn't enjoying the best of health but was able to make it to the meeting on the Lord's Day. He recited most of an old hymn to me which I have looked up online and thought I would post here for our mutual encouragement. It is written by Frederick M Lehman in the early 1900's.

"There's No Disappointment in Heaven"

There's no disappointment in Heaven,

No weariness, sorrow or pain;

No hearts that are bleeding and broken,

No song with a minor refrain.

The clouds of our earthly horizon

Will never appear in the sky,

For all will be sunshine and gladness,

With never a sob or a sigh.

Refrain:

I'm bound for that beautiful city,

My Lord has prepared for His own;

Where all the redeemed of all ages

Sing "Glory!" around the white throne;

Sometimes I grow homesick for Heaven,

And the glories I there shall behold;

What a joy that will be

When my Saviour I see,

In that beautiful city of gold.

 

Amen!