Gospel Meeting 28/01/2018

Mark's Gospel ch1 vs1-15

Verses 14-15 give a clear precise message - 

...the kingdom of God is at hand: repent and believe the gospel!

John the Baptist prepared the way for The King, The Lord Jesus Christ.

What is the Kingdom of God like? ...

1) CHARACTER .

Christ is absolute King and ruler over all.

He is righteous through and through.

He entered Jerusalem humbly, on a donkey, but wins hearts by His great love and devotion.

What a wonderful eternity it will be for all those who will be with Him!  To be ruled by Him is a great blessing.

The Gospel is the best news to all mankind ever!

Normally, citizens die for a king, but Christ The King dies for His subjects!

At Calvary's Cross Jesus Christ showed the extent of His love for us all, being crucified as the sacrifice for our sins so that we can be forgiven. This sacrifice was fully accepted as He was God's sinless Son, and He arose from the grave three days later, triumphant over sin, death and Hell.

2) MEMBERSHIP QUALIFICATIONS.

Genuine repentance is essential!

"Godly sorrow brings repentance to salvation and leaves no regret, but wordly sorrow brings death”
 – 2^nd Corinthians ch7 vs10.

These are different sorrows…

People may grieve sorrowfully over many things, based on wordly considerations.

The rich man of Luke’s Gospel ch16, in Hell, was sorrowful but without any mention of repentance… Judas Iscariot was remorseful, regretful, but it was wordly sorrow.

Having Godly sorrow for our sins brings us to God, having sorrow before Him.

“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight…”–   Psalm ch51 vs1 -4.

We have all disgraced Holy God with our sins against Him, but our Godly sorrow produces repentance unto salvation.

The death and resurrection of God’s beloved Son, Jesus Christ, has removed our offence - for those who will personally receive Him as Lord and Saviour of their hearts and lives.

In the parable of “the prodigal son”, he was in his lowest condition before he finally came to his senses. It is so today, that many people need to be brought to this point before God touches their lives and they truly repent of their sins and turn from them.

“And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him: and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again: he was lost, and is found…”
 – Luke’s Gospel ch15 vs21 – 24.

Our loving Heavenly Father is always happy to receive us through accepting His Son as our Saviour, in repentance and faith!

“… joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth…”

-   Luke’s Gospel ch15 vs7.

Repentance is sincere – putting God firmly in the centre of our lives.

It involves a radical change of mind and heart – a real turnaround in our daily lives, surrendering them to The Lord Jesus Christ.

One profession of faith and no change in our ongoing life is not repentance!

“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth them shall have mercy”
 – Proverbs ch28 vs13.

A loathing of our sin is always a good sign.

3) FAITH

The Gospel is about a person – the Son of God –  having faith in Him and His great work of redemption at Calvary.

This was the power and promise foretold around 6,000 years ago!

There are different types of faith…

temporary faith – as in the parable of the sower ( Matthew’s Gospel ch13).

dead faith – without obedience and without works following.

real, saving faith – steadfast, going on for Him and His work.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting”. – Psalm ch139 vs23 – 24.

Dear friend, the Kingdom of God is indeed at hand. If you have not yet done so, please repent and believe the gospel, while there is yet still time!

Come to Christ tonight, in genuine repentance and faith, accepting Him as your own Lord and Saviour for now and eternity.

Gospel Meeting 21/01/2018

Romans ch5 vs1 – 15.

“Stop being God’s enemy, make peace today” …

1) Sin –

Look what sin has done to the world!

Lives are ruined, countries are corrupted.

Just one person can have a devastating impact on mankind – Stalin was responsible for around 40 million deaths. Pol Pot, Hitler and many others are examples of how much one person can affect millions of lives for the worse.

However, one person’s sin was responsible for affecting every single human being in the whole world… Adam’s sin against God in the Garden of Eden. His sin brought death to all who followed –

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” – vs12.

We are all of Adam’s bloodline and we are all sinners.

We did not do what Adam did, but we too are all without excuse.

2) Enemies -

Hitler again, is an example of how one man can make enemies, but if we are without Jesus Christ, God’s Son, then we are all an enemy of God.

“For God so loved the world, that he have his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”

–        John’s Gospel ch3 vs16.

“… but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance”

–     2^nd Peter ch3 vs9.

Ours is a God of mercy!

We are reconciled from being enemies to God through The Lord Jesus Christ.

This is through having personal faith that Jesus Christ is God’s eternal and holy Son.

If we come in repentance and believe that He paid the price of all our sins in the sacrifice of His own body and shed blood on the Cross, inviting Him to be Lord and Saviour of our hearts and lives, then we will be saved from condemnation and have a home in Heaven.

Then we will have…

3) Peace with God –

Only The Lord Jesus Christ can bring enemies together and reconcile us.

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”

-    1^st Timothy ch2 vs5.

We, the believers, as the “Bride of Christ”, are invited to the greatest wedding reception ever – in Heaven, and what an incredible occasion it is going to be!

Friend and reader, are YOU invited? Are YOU saved from your sins? Have YOU made your peace with God through accepting Jesus Christ?

Ensure your sins are forgiven tonight without delay, and that you have been made righteous for Heaven through Him.

Gospel Meeting 14/01/2018

Romans ch6 vs1 – 23

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

 God forbid. How shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” – vs1 -2.

Being “dead to sin” evokes a high ideal… what does it mean? -

We who know Christ as our Lord and Saviour should not want to sin, especially knowing what the cost of His love was for us at Calvary’s Cross.

“Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” – vs4.

“Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof” – vs11 – 12.

We could not do this living under Law, but through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ we can!

With His Holy Spirit indwelling us, we have power to be delivered from the dominion of sin in our lives.

Why, and in what way did Jesus Christ “die unto sin once”? – vs10 …

The only One who never sinned because He is the Holy Son of God, died for our personal sins and the sins of the whole world.

God the Father made Him to be sin for us as a sacrifice on The Cross, so that we can be forgiven and cleansed.

In love, Christ came to us in our need and gave everything, laying down His own body and shedding His blood to save us from the penalty of our sins –

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” – vs23.

Friend, have you confessed your own sins to this most wonderful Saviour, and accepted His full and free Salvation? Have you asked Him into your heart as your Lord?

His sinless sacrifice was fully sufficient for Him to be raised from the dead, ascended and seated at the right hand of The Father – he is absolutely our Surety too!

“When Satan tempts me to despair,

And tells me of the guilt within,

Upward I look, and see Him there

Who made an end of all my sin”

-         (hymn by C L Bancroft).

 “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace” – vs14.

The Christian’s freedom from the power of sin is truth -  in and through Jesus Christ!

What a wonderful blessing to have and enjoy!

Nothing compares to the glorious news of the Gospel!

The love of The Lord Jesus Christ for us is beyond compare.

More Law = more sin, more death… only the Gospel brings freedom from the Law and dominion over sin, through grace.

The Gospel is pure and should never be changed in any way.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” – Romans ch8 vs1.

Calvary’s Cross is where our true freedom is found, and our hearts are transformed

 – The Lord Jesus Christ sets you free!

Gospel Meeting 07/01/2018

Romans ch5 vs1 – 11.

“Four Great Blessings of Justification”.

But what is it to be  “justified”?...

This is a legal term.

We can see it like this – before Holy God we are sinners, as criminals stood in the dock, with crimes so serious against Him. The Judge convicts us by law that we are completely guilty and worthy of the death penalty on many accounts.

Even a single one of our crimes is punishable by death.

But the Judge having passed the sentence of death, comes round to you and says “I will pay your sentence in full – you are free to go”.

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. – Romans ch6 vs23.

This is exactly what happened when Jesus Christ, God’s beloved Son, took our sentence and paid it in full through His grace and love. The only One who never sinned gave His own life and blood on Calvary’s Cross that we may be forgiven for all of our sins and their death penalty, then to have an eternal home in Heaven with Him.

He has declared us righteous – in Him – and it is just as if you had never sinned at all!

It is amazing that there are not thousands of people cramming into Church halls tonight to hear this fantastic news!

Dear friend, if you have not yet done so, simply come to The Lord Jesus Christ in faith tonight - while you may - and confessing you are a sinner, ask His forgiveness and for Him to be your own Lord and Saviour.

1)      PEACE…

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”. – Romans ch5 vs1.

All obstacles have been taken away – we are washed and cleansed by our faith in The Saviour’s blood given on The Cross!

We now have “… the peace of God, which passeth all understanding…”

-   (Philippians ch4 vs7) .

What an amazing feeling to have and enjoy!

2)      ACCESS BY FAITH…

“By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand…”

-   Romans ch5 vs2.

The saved believer can turn to God and speak with Him anytime, anywhere, about anything! 

Don’t hold back dear friend – speak to Him often every day!

“For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father”.

-   Ephesians ch2 vs18

“In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him”.

-   Ephesians ch3 vs12.

How does one get this entry on approach? – by personally confessing our sin and believing on The Lord Jesus Christ.

3)      HOPE…

“… and rejoice in hope of the glory of God”.

-  Romans ch5 vs2.

Hope is expectation and desire.

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ”.

-  Titus ch2 vs13.

 We are expecting it and wanting it!

Hoping in the things concerning Jesus is a living and sure hope – not in the way the world hopes!

4)      GLORY…

“And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also…” –

Romans ch5 vs3.

The believer can even glory in tribulations? Why?

Paul tells us that our sufferings produces perseverance, which produces character, which in turn produces hope…

“And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with this love”.

-  Romans ch5 vs5.

        

Sometimes things can seem impossible for us to cope with, whether trials of ill – health, unemployment, or family problems, but they can produce these good qualities in us, and build us up in our spiritual growth.

We who know Jesus Christ are able to view things differently, as we experience His love in our lives day by day.

Know Christ and keep your faith in Christ!

Gospel Meeting 31/12/2017

1^st John ch5 vs20

Ephesians ch3 vs14

Romans ch8 vs37 – 40

Philippians ch3 vs10

In Jesus Christ we have a unique Saviour, foretold from the beginning.

He is greater and better than we could ever imagine.

His birth, life, miracles, death, resurrection and His coming again are all unique – because He is absolutely the Eternal Son of God, The Messiah.

Jesus Christ is perfect in every way. All His characteristics are perfect – not one diminishes any other.

He is full of grace and truth,

He came in love with a purpose and fulfilled it.

“That  Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God”. – Ephesians ch3 vs17 – 19.

Here, it seems like Paul is really trying to find all the words to describe His most wonderful love!

No matter how deep or dark your personal circumstances may be, God and His love is there for us. As with the “Prodigal Son”, The Father is there waiting for us.

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever”. – Hebrews ch13 vs8.

“That I may know him…” – Philippians ch3 vs10.

Each person must come to Him in repentance and faith – being sorry for our sins and trusting in who He is, God’s sinless Son, who died as the sacrifice for our sins on Calvary’s Cross. When we ask forgiveness and invite Him to be Lord and Saviour of our lives, we become born again – raised in newness of life…

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”. – 2nd Corinthians ch5 vs17.

From being unsaved to saved – not only a few settings of ourselves are altered, but we are a completely new person in Christ!

With these rich blessings comes responsibilities,  but because we  love Him it is not a hardship, but a pleasure.

We are brought into a greater understanding of His knowledge and love.

It is a tremendous privilege to be in this eternal relationship of such love! To be a Christian led by His Holy Spirit and able to submit our lives to Him, the One who is always in control of all.

Amidst all the turmoil and hatred at Calvary’s Cross, Jesus Christ was still ever in control – death did not take Him but He chose death!

He did this for you and me that we can all have forgiveness and a home in Heaven with Him.

It is a great reassurance knowing that Jesus Christ is also in full control of our lives if we simply ask Him and let Him.

“…For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”. – Romans ch8 vs 38 – 39.

This makes us feel safe, sure and good!

In response, we should do what is good and right by surrendering all parts of our lives to Him, for His further glory.

Trust Him to change your life for the better!

“And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life”. – 1^st John ch5 vs20.

Again, it is tremendous that these things are revealed to us!

Personal thoughts…

Am I closer to Jesus Christ than this time last year?

Do I have a greater understanding of Him?

How deeper will your relationship be with Him by this time in 2018?

Will Jesus Christ have returned by this time in 2018?

“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ…” –

2nd Peter ch3 vs18.

There is no more satisfying life than living to please God.

Is your life God – centred and committed to serving Jesus Christ?

Know Him and know the blessings!

“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according the power that worketh in us”. – Ephesians ch3 vs20.

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” 

-  1^st Thessalonians ch4 vs16- 17.

How amazing is that!

To be welcomed into Heaven by the loving arms of Jesus Christ Himself!

Not worthy of ourselves, but made fit to enter in by the work of our Lord Jesus Christ.

May each of us personally know Him, and come to know Him even better in this coming year.