A Christmas thought

Why did Jesus Come?

At this time of the year Christians remember with gratitude how our Blessed Saviour was prepared to come down from the glories of heaven and live in this sin cursed earth. So why did he come? Why would He leave his exalted position in heaven to be born in poverty and obscurity down here? I think the Lord Jesus answered this question perfectly in John chapter 10 when explaining how He is the Good Shepherd. In verse 10 of John 10 Jesus said: -

‘I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’

There is something obvious here that needs very little comment. He came to give us life. We were all children of Adam’s fallen race, born in sin and shapen in iniquity. The just desert of our sins was death, for the ‘wages of sin are death’. By way of contrast Jesus gives us life not death, He died on the cross that we might have life, praise his wonderful name.

However, there is something more in this statement for not only does Jesus tell us that he has come to give life but He goes on to describe it as abundant life. Are you living an abundant life?

Generally speaking the unsaved are living a substandard life, they do not live for God but rather for themselves. They see the restrictions of the Christian life in terms of God trying to spoil their fun. They do not realise that God made us and knows what is best for us; he has therefore given us guidance for living a full life in His word.

True freedom in life is to be found by living in God’s will. For example humans are generally by nature selfish and want to take rather than give, but Jesus told us that ‘it is more blessed to give than to receive.’ You really get a good feeling when you do something for someone or give a random gift and yet still human nature makes us want to grab for ourselves. All parents know that they have to teach their children to share with their siblings for it just does not come naturally to us.

To live a life of service to others in obedience to God’s word actually is an abundant life. Most people are living for material gain but if they actually sat back and analysed where they are they would have to admit that their material gain has given them no lasting happiness.

As you read this Christmas message I trust that you not only have found eternal life in Christ but also an abundant life as well.

‘He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.’ John 3 v36

A big thank you to all of the readers of this ‘blogspot’ for your interest in my ramblings through 2010. I want to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a Blessed 2011.

Gob Bless
Maurice

Sodomite Set Up

A pair of Sodomites tried to book into a Guest House in Cornwall run by a Christian Couple knowing that the guest house had a policy of only allowing married couples the use of a double room. The guest house owners Peter and Hazelmary Bull were then sued by the sodomites who claim that their policy discriminates against them.

The case has now been heard and the Judge has reserved judgement and is likely to make a ruling early in the new year. Please pray that God will lead the Judge to vindicate the couple for taking their conscience based stand and to rule in their favour and not in favour of the Sodomites. Also pray for the Bull's that they will know God's strength as they wait on the outcome.

What a state our nation is in when people cannot even live by their own Christian values under they own roof, surely our nation is ripe for God's judgement? By the way your taxes are being used to fund the Sodomites case through the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

'Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.' Proverbs 14 v34

JLS - Just a Lewd Song

I was doing a spot of Christmas shopping with my wife tonight when my ears were accosted by the strains of the JLS song 'The Club is Alive'. This is the one where they borrow part of a line and the melody from the Famous Julie Andrews classic 'The Hills are Alive - to the sound of music'. It has to be said the Julie Andrews original was a lot more wholesome!

I had been aware of this song but had never really had a chance to listen to the lyrics before so I took the opportunity of having a good listen while I was in the shop. It will probably not surprise you to learn that the lyrics are filthy.

The basic theme of the song is about a guy going to a night club with his mates, he sees a girl that causes him to lust and he propositions her suggesting that they go to a quite corner for some sex. If you don't believe me 'google' the lyrics. Below is the chorus of the song, this is about as much of their filth I could bring myself to type.

You could be the DJ I could be the dance floor
You could get up on me (On me on me)
You could be the DJ I could be the dance floor
You could get up on me(On me, On me, on me, on me)

Now I don't know about you but without too much explanation these lyrics are clearly a euphemism for sex!

This group JLS are the heartthrobs for millions of teenage girls and many as young as 11 and 12 are listening to this filth and going to their concerts. As Christians we need to expose this garbage lest our daughters or nieces are having their young minds corrupted by the filth being poured out by the world of popular music.

The Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5 v22 to 'Abstain from all appearance of evil', this stuff is clearly evil. Teach those under your influence to avoid this stuff like the plague.

30 Years & Still Dead

During his life former Beatle John Lennon had a lot to say about the Lord Jesus Christ. In a Interview in 1966 with a Journalist from London’s Evening Standard Newspaper Lennon said:-

‘Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue with that; I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first - rock and roll or Christianity.’

Sadly there was not much of reaction at the time in the UK but when the quote was republished in August that same year in the American teen Magazine ‘Datebook’ there was a backlash from Christians with public burnings of Beatles Records. As a result of this reaction the Beatles had to cancel planned concerts and in fact they were never to play a commercial concert again.

In response to the outcry Lennon tried to calm the situation by claiming that his remarks were only reflecting the reality of falling Church attendance and Christian influence in the western world. Had Lennon left his comments at that I suppose one could have forgiven him, perhaps as a non-Christian he was not aware of Christ’s promise, ‘I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’ Matthew 16 v18 However, his claim that the Beatles were more popular that Jesus was a blasphemous comment that said more about Lennon’s overly inflated ego than anything else. Imagine claiming to be ‘more popular that Jesus’.

No doubt Lennon had and still has devoted fans but I would imagine that as the years pass his popularity will, to borrow a phrase, ‘vanish and shrink’. You see there is one vital difference with Lennon and the Lord Jesus. 3 Days after the murder of the Lord Jesus Christ He rose in victory over the grave and now lives in the power of an endless life. By way of Contrast 30 years after the murder of John Lennon he is still dead and even though his earthly remains were cremated he will one day along with everyone else who ever lived be resurrected to stand before God in judgement. ‘And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:’ Hebrews 9 v27

On this the 30th Anniversary of John Lennon’s murder no doubt the media will make a big thing of it. There will be tribute shows on Television and Radio where he will be hailed as a great thinker and a man of peace. As Christians we should be careful not to become swept along with the nostalgia and media propaganda. We should never forget that John Lennon hated our Saviour and said as much.

While on this earth the Lord Jesus asked His disciples ‘Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?’ Matthew 16 v13 At that time the disciples, via Peter their spokesman Peter, confirmed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. John Lennon asked a very similar question in his own mind and answered it in his book ‘A Spaniard in the Works’ where he concluded that Jesus was ‘A Garlic-eating, Stinking little yellow greasy fascist b*****d catholic Spaniard’

I have to be honest I don’t think much of someone who comes to that conclusion about the greatest person who ever walked this earth. The writer to the Hebrews quoted below came to the correct conclusion. I for one will not be buying any Lennon tribute albums.

‘Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;’ Hebrews 7 v25-26

The Unequal Yoke

‘Be ye holy; for I am holy.’ 1 Peter 1 v16

Holiness of life has always been what God has asked of His people. The word Holy really means to be separate. God of course is Holy in His very nature that means He is separate, set apart form everything and everyone that is sinful.

As a consequence he calls upon His children to lead holy lives or separate lives. In other words we should strive every day to live apart from sinful activities that would displease our heavenly father. We cannot of course do this perfectly because we are sinful beings but we must strive to be holy.

In order to get us into heaven we have had to have had the imputed righteousness (holiness) of Christ put to our account and once we are there we shall be made like Him and be in essence perfect and holy. But what of the here and now, how can we be separate.

One way that we can strive to be holy is to avoid become entangled in alliances with the world. These alliances could be in business partnerships or even alliances with churches where one of the parties is not wholly committed to the fundamentals of the faith. However, there is another alliance that we are more likely to be tempted to have that is as equally dangerous to the child of God, that is, in relationships which could lead to the marriage of a believer and an unbeliever.

When God choose the nation of Israel in the Old Testament to be His peculiar people he wanted them to be different, to be separate, to be holy. The devil sought to corrupt the Children of Israel in many ways and one of his favourite tactics was to unite them in marriages with the pagan nations around them. The Lord’s servant Nehemiah tackled this problem in his day and Chapter 13 of his book records:-

‘In those days also saw I Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab: And their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews' language, but according to the language of each people. And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves. Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin. Nehemiah 13 v 23-26

Nehemiah reminded the people that bad choices in marriage had caused the wise King Solomon to sin and he warned that the same thing would happen to them. At this point you might say, well that does not apply to me, I’m not a Jew. Well, Paul the Apostle teaches the exact same principle in 2nd Corinthians chapter 6.

‘Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?’

Clearly Christians are not be yoked together with the unsaved. This language that Paul uses is borrowed from the Law of Moses where God had forbidden the Israelites to yoke an Ox and an Ass together unto the same plow.

‘Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.’ Deuteronomy 22 v10

If a man was to plough his field, he must use two oxen or two donkeys but he was never to yoke together an ox and a donkey. Paul borrows this principle to illustrate the truth that Christians should not yoke themselves with the unconverted.

This teaching is clear and plain for everyone to see and yet sometimes when a Christian guy or girl takes a fancy to and unsaved person of the opposite sex they shelve this principle. If challenged they will often use the excuse that they would hope to influence the person for good and lead them to Christ. The history of such relationships often shows the opposite to be true and it is usually the unsaved partner that influences the Christian to lower their standards.

Perhaps you have used this rationale to help justify your disobedience to God’s revealed will for your life. If you have think about this, what you are actually saying in effect is this, ‘I know what your word say’s God but actually I know better that you’.

God’s loves His children and knows what is best for them. In Paul’s teaching above he asks ‘what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?’ We need to realise that the unsaved around us are infidels as Paul said in Ephesians 2 concerning the unsaved they are ‘the children of disobedience:’ why would a Child of God want to be yoked with a child of the devil? This may seem harsh language but this is how God’s sees it. May we have a godly perspective in these days!