Gospel Meeting 27/04/2014

Mr. David Heyhoe read Genesis 1 vs.1-6, Exodus 12 vs.2 and John 1 vs.1
                                                Beginnings
Genesis1vs.1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
The formation of the earth.
The formation of man.
The introduction of sin.
The result of sin.

Exodus 12 vs.2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of
the year to you.
The Passover.
Redemption through blood.
A new beginning liberty from Egypt.
The blood saved them from judgement.
Changed from death to life.
We can have a new beginning but we have to do it God's way through faith in the blood of Christ.
They met many problems on the way it was not easy.
We too but God will get us through the problems, once we have been redeemed and had our sins forgiven.

John1vs.1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Jesus is the Son of God.
In Him was life, He became flesh to save His people from their sins.
We have to be born again by repentance and faith to enter the Kingdom of God.
As with the Passover we have to do it God's way.
Hebrews 10 vs.20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
John 3vs.16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Gospel Meeting 20/04/2014

Mr. Mark Reynolds read Psalm 23 and John 10 vs.11-18
He spoke about the importance to Christians of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus and the significance of having a living Saviour.
Mark also encouraged us by speaking about the Lord's work in the prison and on the market stall, and how the Lord is bringing souls to Salvation through His word.
He then went on to speak about the Shepherd and that if we follow our Shepherd (the author and finisher of our faith) we will not receive the injuries and scars that happen when we wander off.
The staff was to lean on to keep us stable and the rod was the measure to guide us - the Word of God.
God loves us and loves to support us He will never give us a burden that we cannot bear.
God sent His Son to die for us on the cross, His blood cleanses us from all sin.
We can have the assurance that we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
He knows our secrets and all about us and yet still wants us and loves us and wants to lead us on to better things - to be Shepherded.
The Son of the living God intercedes for us.

Good Friday

RECONCILIATION

On this Good Friday morning I would like to speak about reconciliation sometimes we think about a reconciliation of convenience or even temporary reconciliation to achieve a purpose.

Maybe a couple have drifted apart and they might go to Relate or somewhere like that to work out a reconciliation, perhaps one or the other has done something wrong that the other can’t forgive  they sometimes cite irreconcilable differences, or there might be a greater reason to make peace say for the sake of the children for example, or money or belongings etc.

Or maybe two countries that are at war with each other will join together to fight a third country whom they hate more.

Or there could be two sides in an industrial dispute that need to go to ACAS to be reconciled.

In all these examples someone somewhere has to make serious compromises even if it is just for a period of time and something they are not totally comfortable with, and quite often some demands are made and conditions laid down to achieve a so called “peace.”

Easter is about reconciliation our reconciliation to God, you cannot imagine two such opposing sides an Holy God and sinful mankind, but with this reconciliation there is no compromise, no demands, no conditions.

Romans5 vs.6 ¶  For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

7  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

9  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

10  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

 

God sent the judgement for all our sin to be poured out upon His only Son so that we could escape His judgement. Jesus paid the price by shedding His precious blood at Calvary so that we could be reconciled to God. God didn’t sweep our sin under the carpet, or say it didn’t matter or that He would deal with it later He completely once and for all dealt with it through the death of His Lovely Son.

Our sin is taken away forever we sometimes sing-

 

 My sin O the bliss of this glorious thought,

 my sin not in part but the whole

 is nailed to His cross and I bear it no more

 praise the Lord praise the Lord O my soul.

 

So you can see that there is a great significance to Good Friday and although it sounds gruesome it is in fact the greatest demonstration of God’s love, He wanted so much to be reconciled to us that He sent His Son.

I am sure most of us have received some sort of gift this Easter whether an egg or a plant but we can receive the greatest gift of all reconciliation with God  through the death of His Son.

So Repent and put your faith in Him to receive this great gift.

 

Colossians 1vs.20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

22  In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

 

That is how great this reconciliation is.

Gospel Meeting 13/04/2014

Mr. Malcolm Neate read Romans 5 vs.8-9, 1 Thessalonians 1vs.10, and 5 vs.9-10, 1 Peter 1 vs.3-5

                                                                THE LORD'S COMING.

No one knows when the Lord is coming back for His own. Are you ready.
All have fallen short of God's righteous standard, and everyone does that which is right in their own eyes, the world is wicked.
The Lord Jesus is sinless - He came to this world to suffer and to die for us and we must repent and put our faith in Him and we will be born again and be saved from the wrath to come.
Hebrews 2 vs.3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
God so loved us and so that we could be accepted into Heaven God sent His Son to die in our place.

Gospel Meeting 06/04/2014

1 John1 vs.5-7, John 1 vs.1-14, James 1 vs.17

The heading we can write over 1 John is “BE REAL.” It deals with absolutes light/ darkness, love/hate, truth/falsehood, etc. We have noticed that although the truths in 1 John are mentioned in other places in the Scripture they are more direct in 1 John and are certainly extremely challenging whether you are a Christian or not.  

 

                                            GOD IS LIGHT

As we think about God is Light there are  various things that spring to mind when we think of light.

Light reveals things that we can’t usually see, guides and makes the way clear, it is often thought of as the battle of good over bad, it overcomes darkness, brings revelation we sometimes say I’ve seen the light when we understand something,

We use a search light to find things that are lost, gives life – many plants do no grow without light, sometimes we can’t handle its intensity and it  dazzles us, we get warmth from light, and it gives energy not just through solar panels. 

I have been thinking about what the term God is Light actually means, and I have looked at it this way God is intrinsically light, you cannot separate God and light. Everything that God says and does is rooted in the fact that He is light.

From Genesis to Revelation from Genesis 1 vs. 3  And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. to Revelation 22vs.5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign forever and ever.

As sinful creatures we cannot approach a God whose Glory and Holiness shine so bright we cannot and have no right to approach Him

1 Timothy 6 vs.15  Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;

16  Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

He could have and should have condemned us to the blackness of darkness forever – Jude 1 vs.13

This is where we see how significant it was that God sent His Son who was the only one who could be an advocate or mediator  between God and men. He said 

John 8 vs.12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. 

We can see that God’s desire was to take us from darkness to light. 

2Co 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Simeon says in Luke 2 vs.32  A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

And so a Saviour came.

This has made me appreciate more deeply what was actually achieved when Jesus died on the cross and there was darkness for three hours, there was darkness for the light of the world, there was death for the life giver. He died to put things right between God and us, His blood cleanseth us from all sin. It is imperative that we take advantage of this Salvation.

 

GOD IS LOVE

 

Why? It also tells us in 1 John 4 vs.16  God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

All that God says or does is based on the fact that He is love, God is Light and God is Love are two things to our minds that are not compatible, but not to God.

 

Ephesians 2 vs.4 ¶  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

God’s righteousness and justice were satisfied in the death of His Son who died in our place.

God has not dealt with us in half measures and He doesn’t expect us to deal in half measures with Him.

We have a challenge, a comfort, a confirmation and a condemnation.

Our challenge is first of all to repent and turn from our sin, then to put our complete faith, trust and confidence in Him, to be saved.

But as believers to live our lives in a way that is obedient to Him and bring honour and glory to Him and His people. To maintain the reputation of God and His people.

 

Our comfort is to know that He loves us and wants to bless us not because of how good we are but because of the worth and merit of His Son our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Our confirmation is that there is no doubt about the outcome of Salvation God has accepted His Son and so must accept us if we are in Him.

 

Our condemnation is that if God has done all this for us and we turn our back on Him and the suffering He put His Son through for you you will end up where God doesn’t want you to be, in Hell.

John 3 vs.19  And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

LIFE

God is light and God is love and He also gives us life more abundant. The Apostle Pauls experience grew and developed as he went along.

 Acts 9vs.3 light from heaven:

Acts 22vs.6 a great light

Acts 26vs.13 above the brightness of the sun,

Pauls light got brighter, will you turn from sin and trust the God who loves you and who sent His Son to make it right for you.

Ps 119:105  Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.