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As I start to write this article, we are preparing for the birth of a new grandchild. I have a bag packed, ready to travel to Colchester with minimal delay to look after our two year old grandson, when my daughter goes into labour. It is not long since Christmas time, when we were remembering the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ whose grandparents did not seem to be involved, even though potentially they too may have had to travel to Bethlehem to be taxed around that time.
A Baby in a manger, in a stable sweet with hay,
made the animals around Him and the trough in which He lay,
all the visitors and angels, were the work of His great hands,
as the star that showed His presence to wise men from distant lands,
yet those tiny little fingers were quite swaddled close in bands,
which hid from sight His greatness and those wonder-working hands,
but years later made fine carpentry, healed blind folk, sick and lame,
before nails held Him to a cross. He died but rose again! FCG
In January we made this small snowman with my youngest grandson, but we had run out of carrots. It lasted a few days, but has now melted away. God made the first man Adam, and the first woman Eve, from whom we have all descended through their children; Cain, Able, Seth etc. but we have unfortunately inherited their ability to disobey, or sin, too.
It is not an easy thing to give birth to a child. It wasn’t an easy thing either for the Lord Jesus Christ, as a young adult in his early thirties to be crucified on a cross. He was held on the cross by nails, through His hands and His feet, but held there too, by His love for us, as He suffered and died, taking the punishment for our sin, i.e. all that we have done wrong, on Himself so that we can be born “into His family.” It may not be an easy thing for us to benefit from what Jesus did for us, as it is hard for us to confess that we have failed in any way, but we all have, for instance…
As a driver, in a thirty mph speed limit, it is so easy to go over thirty mph, maybe without realising it. Yet in doing so, we have inadvertently sinned, and unfortunately one sin is enough to keep us out of heaven. If we admit we have done wrong, God will forgive us!
The months between Christmas and Easter are the time of year when new lambs are born. It is a very good time for us too to be born again, but this time into God’s family forever! 
“Supermarket offers have dates of expiry,
as God’s offer, also does too,
it takes less than a minute, to trust Him,
repenting, the best thing forever, to do!”
Our family’s late January baby; Scarlett Celia, has eventually been born!
We are now coming up to Easter, when we remember that Jesus, also called ‘The Lamb of God’, rose again from the dead, after taking our punishment on the cross! We can believe He did, and we will be eternally grateful.
Incidentally, the space inside an Easter egg denotes the empty tomb from which Jesus rose again!
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Well known singer-songwriter Jack Johnson released a song back in 2004 called ‘Good People’, and a part of it went like this:
Well it’s bad, getting worse
Where did all the good people go?
I’ve been changing channels,
I don’t see them on the TV shows,
Where did all the good people go?
He poses a very good question, and it’s one that looking around us we might actually struggle to answer. There are some pretty awful things happening in the world today. Not just the world, but in our own country, right here in our own back yard. You won’t need to be reminded of the Jimmy Saville affair, damning allegations coming from the Hillsborough enquiries, the Boston bombing and now the horrific murder of the soldier in Woolwich, London. The world has been shocked by these instances of depravity, and it’s only right that we all join together in calling for the right and proper form of justice and punishment to be handed to the perpetrators of these dreadful crimes.
Do you know how God would answer Jack Johnson’s question? Well, He already has; in Romans 3:12, He tells us that no one does good, not even one. You see, God’s definition of “good” is sinlessness; in other words, perfection. One answer not enough for you? Well God gives you and I another emphatic reply to the question in 1 Kings 8:46…there is no one who does not sin. So that is God speaking – there are definitely, categorically, unconditionally no good people in this world.
All of this has got me thinking. It is striking in day-to-day life how often we are guilty of “ranking” sin, and trying to convince ourselves that we are actually good people. If you’re not totally sure what I mean, here is the attitude that I’m driving at:
“Sure, I do bad things. But none of mine are the really bad things that people do. I’d never commit those. Like murder. Or adultery. Mine are smaller stuff like bad thoughts, losing my temper, spreading a little gossip, or being impatient and irritable. Everybody does that stuff.”
I really want to share with you what God thinks though. Check it out…Romans 3:23 says this: all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. So the Bible is telling us that all of us have the same problem; we all come short of meeting God’s standard, which is total perfection. That therefore means that whoever you are, and whatever you may or may not have done, you are a sinner.
It’s really not nice to hear that sort of thing, but it’s true. The reason it’s not particularly pleasant for you to hear it or read it is pride. Now when we rank sin, I can guarantee you that pride doesn’t come very far up your list. Humanly speaking, we would put dozens of other sins higher up the scale. Murder. Adultery. Theft. Child abuse. All deeply shocking things. But let’s take a step back for a moment and consider pride from God’s point of view.
Let’s establish first of all that pride, before God, is a sin. Does He take it seriously? Of course He does! Every sin is serious before God, and Proverbs 21:4 tells us that a high look, and a proud heart, is sin. You can’t really get it much clearer than that. That’s not all though, because Proverbs 16:5 tells us what pride is to God: everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; assuredly, he will not be unpunished. So the attitude of pride is repulsive to God. Repugnant. Abhorrent. It is as vile to God as any other sin that you would care to mention.
So…where did all the good people go? I’m hopeful that you can see that the answer to Jack Johnson’s question is that they are nowhere to be found. You may think you are a good person, but I urge you from God’s Word, the Bible, to reconsider your position.
Frankly, every single member of the human race is in a dire situation because everyone has sinned, however “big” or “small” those sins may be. But there is a way out of this terrible mess that we’re in. You know, God is a God of love. We deserve to be left in our sins; we have done nothing to deserve being rescued from them – but God has provided a way back to Him from our sin through His only Son, Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus wasn’t just a historical figure. He is the only man to ever have walked this planet who could lay claim to being a “good person”. But it wasn’t His good works and exemplary life that can save us from our sin and its consequences; when He was 33 years of age, He was crucified for crimes that He did not commit.
On that Roman cross, in 3 hours of intense worldwide darkness, God laid on His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, the entire sin of the world: past, present and future. He was the only one who could do that because He was the only person to have ever lived a sinless life. Then, after those 3 hours, after He had exhausted all of God’s totally righteous and justified wrath and anger against sin, Jesus Christ cried out it is finished and voluntarily gave up His own life. He went into death, and experienced the worst that man and Satan himself could throw at Him.
So is that the end then? Of course it isn’t! If Jesus Christ were still dead and buried, there would be no point in me writing this post. There would be no true Christianity. The Bible tells me in 1 Corinthians 15:17 that if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Three days after His death, God raised His Son from the dead! You see, when the Lord Jesus was raised from the dead 3 days after His death, God was validating the work He had done on the cross. God was saying “MY SON HAS DONE ENOUGH TO SAVE THE ENTIRE WORLD FROM THEIR SIN. I AM PLEASED WITH HIM. HE HAS DONE EVERYTHING I ASKED OF HIM AND MORE.” Right now, Jesus Christ is in Heaven, exactly where He belongs…and He is waiting for your response to what He has done at Calvary.
So how can you be saved from your sin?
Many people say that you don’t have to do anything to be saved – in fact, salvation does require one thing – belief. In the book of Acts, a man asked Paul and Silas “What must I DO to be saved?” They didn’t reply “Nothing”. Instead, they said “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved”. You need to:
I hope you’ve seen what I’m trying to communicate in this post. This is massively important. You may not be a murderer or anything so drastic, but your sin still repulses God and separates you from Him. He has offered you a way back. Won’t you accept it?
At the end of November, the news headlines were constantly based around the tragic flooding that was being endured by Wales and the west of England. Our thoughts and prayers are with those people who have lost much and been affected by flooding.
This reminded me of a time recorded in the Bible when God flooded the whole earth so as to wipe it clean of every living thing. It was deep enough so that the highest mountain was submerged in water. This was an act of judgment from God – the Bible tells us, “God saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every imagination of the thought of his heart was only evil continually.” God cannot abide sin, and as He is righteous He must judge sin. The way sin is judged is by death. We are all sinners because we are born with a sinful nature that is so evident in our lives; in things we have done, or said, which do not meet the standard of a Holy God.
When God flooded the earth there was one man and his family that survived. Noah was a man who was different to the rest of mankind for he had faith in God. God told him that the earth was to be flooded and to build a boat that was going to protect him and his family from the floodwaters. Flooding was a concept Noah had no idea about, as the earth had never seen rain before – but still Noah trusted God and did as God had said. God gave Noah an escape route from the judgment, and today God has an escape route for us – His own Son Jesus Christ. He was completely without any sin. He was the One who left heaven and came to earth. The One who was crucified, and whilst He was nailed to a cross, God poured out all His wrath for our sin and punished His Son, so we don’t have to be punished. Today we can be saved from God’s judgment by asking for forgiveness of our sins on the basis that Jesus Christ has already taken the punishment that we deserved.
November is a month when we are caused to remember. Firstly on November 5th we have Bonfire Night. While sitting around the fire and with the fireworks overhead it is a night when according to the old rhyme we are supposed to remember “gunpowder, treason and plot”. Apparently the tradition of lighting a bonfire goes back to the bonfires which were lit around London to celebrate the preservation of King James’ life following the failed plot of Guy Fawkes to blow up parliament and assassinate the King.
Not long after our bonfires have gone out we have another special day in our calendar – Armistice Day, or Remembrance day on November 11th. On this day we respectfully remember members of the armed forces who have died in the line of duty.
King Solomon also told us something extremely important which we must remember – “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth” Ecclesiastes 12:1
It is vital we remember that we have each been designed and created by an Almighty God and that we are consequently accountable to him. Our great Creator God speaks to us today through His Word – the Bible. In the Bible God tells us we have all sinned and fallen short of His holy standard. However, God also tells us that He has a great love for us and that this love has been wonderfully demonstrated to us by God sending His one and only Son into the world. After living a perfect life, God’s Son was crucified on a cross outside Jerusalem. While on that cross, the Lord Jesus Christ bore God’s wrath against sin. This means we do not have to face the consequences of our sin if we are willing to repent of it and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
The words of Solomon in our verse come with a sense of urgency. Solomon knew it was vital for each one of us to remember our creator right now as the Bible makes it clear none of us are promised another day. Please take time to remember your Creator right now and trust in the saving work of Jesus Christ!
You probably are aware of this but you are being watched, more than ever. With increasing amounts of CCTV cameras on the streets, in shops and in gardens, our movements are being recorded like never before. It doesn’t bother some people, but really annoys others. But it certainly helps make some accountable for their crimes.
How many times have we had CCTV pictures released to help identify and catch criminals? But there is something else that we ought to remember. We are constantly bombarded with statements that seek to portray that God does not exist. But He does and He is watching. He is the all seeing, ever present, and never sleeping Creator God who records every thought, word, and act of every day. There is no area of our minds that He does not have access to, not a room in our homes that His eye cannot penetrate. Now do you still think CCTV is intrusive? Why is God like this? Because we are accountable to Him. One day soon, He will say to everyone of us… ‘This is your life’ and we will be shown an accurate account of our lives. Scary? Of course it is, but it needn’t be. Our sins which are many, can only be blotted out by the death of Christ. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Believe it by faith, confess honestly your sin, and know the joy of sins forgiven and peace with God.
The hard work put in over the last few years we hope for the most part has paid off for those of you who’ve just done your exams. The hours and hours of coursework and all the revision made all the difference and got you that grade you were hoping for – maybe enabling you to get into sixth form or the university of your choice. There are the odd one or two who just seem to be able to drift through and get good marks with no effort but for the most of us, it depends on how hard we work.
All of this caused me to think just how different things are with God. The Bible clearly tells us that no matter how hard we work, however good and pure our intentions – there is nothing we can do of ourselves to secure a place in heaven. In today’s society of doing and making it for yourself, it’s very hard for anyone to believe that someone else could have done everything on our behalf.
Ephesians 2:8 says “For by grace you are saved, through faith, and not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, so no one can boast.” In dying on the cross the Lord Jesus Christ took the punishment due to us for our sins. He was sinless and therefore the only person able to be our substitute. We do not have to work for salvation or pass some exam – the Bible simply says “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” Acts 16:31.
“It’s looking unto Jesus
The holy One and just
It’s His great work that saves us
It is not try – but trust”
We warmly invite you to come and hear how relevant Gods message is to you every Sunday evening at 6:30pm
As Christians, we implicitly trust the Bible’s account of how the universe came into being. None of us at the Gospel Hall are scientists, but we can see all around us with our own eyes the beauty of the world – and we see within it the mark of an intelligent creator…God.
It is this creator God who has also offered us the way of salvation.
As great as His creation is, His love is far greater. Despite the fact that we are all sinners, God sent His only “beloved Son” Mark 1:11 to this world – here, He lived a sinless life for 33 years among the most sinful of men. At the end of those 33 years, He was crucified at the cross of Calvary. In 3 hours of darkness when He was hanging on the cross, this same creator God poured out all of His anger and hatred for sin on His sinless Son.
When those 3 hours were finished and the wrath of God was exhausted, the Lord Jesus Christ cried “It is FINISHED” (John 19:30), and gave up His own life. Then, 3 days later, to prove to the world that He was satisfied with the work that His Son had completed at Calvary, the Creator God raised the Lord Jesus back to life – He is now in Heaven, sitting “on the right hand of the Majesty on high” Hebrews 1:3
Discarding God from our lives is a dangerous thing to do – the very existence of God gives us something to live for. If there were no God, and nothing after death, then life itself would be completely pointless. But there is a point to life – salvation gives the Christian something to live for – namely trying to please God in a sinful world, and telling others about the Lord Jesus.
If you want to hear more about the good news of the Gospel, you can either contact us here, or come along to one of our Gospel meetings.