Helions Bumpstead Gospel Hall

Tag: God

  • A Guide to Christmas

    A Guide to Christmas

    A Guide to Christmas

     

    What does Christmas celebrate?

    We often think of Christmas as a time of year where we spend time with family and friends, and where we give and receive presents. Although we enjoy doing these things, they are a long way from the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas is really about the birth of Jesus Christ, a man whose whole life on earth was very different to those who lived around Him. In John 1 we are told who Jesus is. John introduces us to Him as “the Word”, who is with God, and who is God. John states that ‘the Word’ came into the world, and lived among men. John does not leave us wondering who this ‘Word’ is – it is Jesus Christ.

    John is not the only person who tells us who Jesus is – the apostle Paul also does this in Philippians 2:6-8. Here Paul confirms that Jesus is indeed God, before going on to say in verse 7 that He was “born in the likeness of man”. This is very important when we look at what He did while He was on Earth.

    When was He born?

    It is commonly believed that Jesus Christ was born between 4 B.C and 4 A.D. When we read the record of events in the Bible, Luke 2:1 tells us that the Roman ruler at the time was Caesar Augustus, who demanded that everyone should return to the town where they were born to be taxed. For one couple, Joseph and Mary, this meant they had to leave their home in Nazareth whilst Mary was heavily pregnant.

    Where was He born?

    Mary and Joseph were both descendants of King David so they had to travel to Bethlehem, a small town in Israel. When they arrived they were unable to find any room in the inn, so the baby Jesus was laid in a manger (Luke 2:7).

    What did He do?

    The Bible gives us a detailed record of what Jesus did. In fact, in John 21:25 it says that “all the books in the world could not contain everything that Jesus did.” Jesus was able to walk on water, make the blind to see, raise the dead to life, make the lame walk, turn water into wine and feed a multitude with a few loaves and fishes. We also learn that He knows our thoughts and our actions because He is God and knows all things. All these things were recorded so that “we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:31).

    However, the most important thing that Jesus did happened when he was about 33 years old. It was then that he died on a cross to take the punishment for our sins, even though He was truly perfect and had no sin Himself. After He died, He was buried and rose again from the dead three days later – something we think about at Easter.

    Why does it matter to me?

    All of this may seem like history – you might not think it concerns you. Actually, it does.

    The Bible also says a lot about you and I. Romans 3:23 says that we are all sinners. We all fail to meet God’s standards because we have a corrupt and sinful nature. Therefore, we are deserving of God’s punishment (Romans 6:23). This punishment will separate us from God, and stop us entering Heaven where He is.

    We can’t earn salvation by good deeds, and our wealth won’t buy us entry into heaven. However God sent His holy, righteous and sinless Son into the world to save us. Jesus Christ could not sin but in loving kindness towards us, he bore the punishment for our sins on the cross.

    He has done everything that He can do, it is now up to you. You need to accept that Jesus is the Son of God. You need to believe that He died on the cross for your sins before He was raised back to life, and that He is alive in Heaven today. You then need to call on Him and ask God for your sins to be forgiven.

    If you have questions or would like to speak to us, follow this link to visit our contact page.

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    Happy Christmas from Helions Bumpstead Gospel Hall

  • Can we “rank” sin?

    Can we “rank” sin?

     

     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:

     

    • Acknowledge you are a sinner before God.
    • Believe that the Lord Jesus Christ and His perfect work on the cross of Calvary is enough to save you from your sins.
    • Repent of your sin. This is a complete change of mind and direction, to consider the horror of your sins and to make a deliberate decision to turn from them.


    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?

  • Floods, floods, and more floods

    Floods, floods, and more floods

    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.

  • “In the beginning, God created the Heaven and the earth”

     

    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.