Sunday 14 December 2014

Simeon

Read Luke 2:25-35

Although the events in this passage take place just after the birth of Jesus they illustrate very clearly why Jesus came. In our reading we learned that Simeon was 'just, devout', that he was 'waiting for the Consolation of Israel’, and that 'the Holy Spirit was upon him.' God had graciously promised that he would see Christ before he died.

In the old time the Holy Spirit came upon a man for a brief period only. Here it would seem that Simeon had a rare pre-Pentecost experience of the abiding presence of the Spirit. So let us consider Simeon under three headings.
  1. Simeon the seeker
  2. Simeon the finder
  3. Simeon at peace with God
Simeon the seeker
We find Simeon in a state of anxious expectancy. Three characteristics of Old Testament piety are found in the man Simeon. He is described as ‘Just’ that is in regard to his relations and bearing before God and man. He is ‘devout’ (that is he fears God) as opposed to the boastful self-righteousness of Pharisaism. Lastly he is ‘waiting’ (longing expectantly) for the fulfilment of the great promise of the coming of ‘the Consolation of Israel’.

Note he expected to find. Had he heard the story that was rumoured by the shepherds? Strange goings on in the Bethlehem hills. The Temple courts would be buzzing with conjecture as to what was happening. Could this be the time?

Some think Simeon was a priest, although there is no direct evidence that he was, some rate the probability high. Even according him the rank of president of the Sanhedrin. What is not in dispute is that he was evidently well known both in the city and in the Temple, and that he was a deeply religious man who knew the scriptures well.

If he was indeed a priest, he contrasts starkly with the rank and file priests, he was clearly fully aware of the scriptures concerning Messiah, and he was waiting for His coming.

Whilst many of the other priests had more interest in ceremony and ritual. Though they taught that Messiah was to come - they were not looking for Him - nor were they expecting Him - but Simeon was. Simeon belonged to the few who at that time were like Anna looking for 'redemption in Jerusalem (v38). Joseph of Arimathea was another (Mark15:43). The promise of God is, if we seek Him with all of our heart we will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13).

Many people make the excuse that they are too busy. Simeon would have been extremely busy as a priest yet he was looking, watching for Messiah. Nor did he allow every day events to crowd out his cherished hope, as he received and assisted the worshippers with their offerings etc. Uppermost in his mind would be the question, ‘Would today be the day?’

Simeon the finder
Eventually patience is rewarded. For a long while he had clung to God’s promise to him. How long he waited we are not told, nor do we know his age. It is assumed he was an old man by the manner of his prayer.

Inconspicuous in the crowds thronging the temple precincts are - Mary, Joseph and the infant Jesus. But led by the Spirit, Simeon is drawn to the infant Jesus. Here we may say that when the Spirit of God is at work in our lives to reveal Christ to us, we find His overtures become increasingly irresistible as we are drawn closer to Him.

  At last with the Christ child in his arms, The Spirit reveals to Simeon this babe is the Christ. What joy, akin to holding ones own heir for the first time. God has kept His promise. This is the Christ, this is God’s salvation. To the true seeker there comes the time when he finds, thus realising this is it, this is what I have been seeking. I have found it. My seeking is ended. Then the true seeker acknowledges that it is God who has been faithful to His promise, He has provided the answer, Thus it is ‘Your salvation’ (v30) which, ‘You have prepared’ (v31).

Also the true finder is one who identifies with the thing found. Simian recognises this child is the fulfilment of Gods word to him. And he acknowledges the fact My eyes have seen Thy salvation. Thus Simian links himself with Gods salvation. Making it personal to himself. We too must: First, recognise that salvation is from God. Secondly, that we must accept that salvation for ourselves.

Simian also sees beyond himself, sees that God has prepared salvation for all peoples, ....the Gentiles, .....and Your people Israel (vv.31-32). Edersheim comments in The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, ‘With this Infant in his arms, it was as if he stood on the mountain-height of prophetic vision, and watched the golden beams of sunrise far away over the isles of the Gentiles, and then gathering their full glow over his own beloved land and people.’ Simeon was well ahead of most in his day - as he envisaged God’s salvation spreading as a light to the Gentiles. There are few Jews who today would go this far.

Simeon at peace with God
When having sought for God we find Him and identify with Him, - We have peace with God. Therefore having been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ’. (5:1)

No wonder Simeon could now say: 'Lord, You are now letting Your servant depart in peace'. Your word has been fulfilled, my soul is at peace. The antithesis of peace is enmity: '..the carnal mind is enmity against Christ’ (Romans 8:7), but Christ 'Himself is our peace' (Ephesians 2:14), having made a way back to God for us by His death upon the Cross.

To recognise the Christ child, to identify with Him, to accept Him, is to accept God’s salvation making peace with God through Jesus Christ. This is what Simeon did here. Simeon by the aid of the Holy Spirit recognised 'Gods salvation', and acknowledged a personal promise fulfilled.

Today we still need the aid of the Holy Spirit to enable us to find Christ for ourselves and to accept the personal salvation He offers. But we have Gods promise that when we seek Him with all of our hearts we shall find Him. Simeon found Him that first Christmas long ago.

May you find Him for yourself as your Saviour this Christmas time.

Peace at Christmas

Have you done your Christmas shopping yet? The countdown to the big day is well under way, and to the delight of the retailers, we are constantly reminded how many shopping days there are still to go. Those same retailers have been enticing us with their special Christmas television adverts too. This year’s offering from John Lewis has drawn lots of attention with its cute little boy and even cuter penguin, but if anything, perhaps the Sainsbury’s commercial has caused more conversation, marking as it does the centenary of the Christmas Day truce in the beginning of World War I.

Made in conjunction with the Royal British Legion it is based upon the football match that took place between British and German soldiers in ‘no-man’s land’ on Christmas Day in 1914. Though there would be a far more important football match between the English and the Germans fifty years later, the Christmas Day game has gone down in history. Amidst all the carnage of war, especially that particular war, the idea that men could put down their guns and share an hour in their common humanity has always been inspirational. This retailer is hoping the story inspires us to part with our cash!

The first Christmas, the real Christmas story, is also about peace breaking into war. The incarnation of the Son of God took place in a time of military upheaval too, as the Roman Empire sought to establish its stranglehold on the known world by imposing the tax and census which took Joseph and Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem. There, amidst poverty and squalor, a baby was born, a real helpless baby, but One who was also ‘Mighty God’ (Isa 9:6). With his birth, and with his life, death and resurrection, human history changes completely. Two millennia later we are still celebrating His birth.

One of the other titles given to the baby Jesus by Isaiah seven centuries before was ‘Prince of Peace’. That reflects the reason why He came into the world. The Bible tells us that you and I are enemies of a holy God. That is because of our sin – the things that we say, think and do that are not perfect in God’s evaluation. Because we are sinners, a state of enmity exists between God and us. That enmity has consequences far worse than those when countries fall out with each other. It means we will be eternally separated from God, and shut out of Heaven.

Jesus came into this war-torn world to reconcile God to man. He brought peace by living a life of perfect obedience to God’s law, the life that we cannot live. That life, which was spent preaching the good news of the Kingdom, healing the sick, and transforming the lives of individuals, was snuffed out as He was taken by wicked hands and crucified on a cross outside of Jerusalem. But that death was God’s plan. It was Christ’s innocent blood which pays the price for our redemption. God’s charge on us is paid in full by Him. We can now be at peace with God. That peace doesn’t just last for a day, as it did in 1914, but for eternity.

Sunday 5 October 2014

Lesson from a Spider

It’s that time of the year again when our homes play host to some of God’s most interesting creatures. With the colder autumn evenings, they are attracted by the warmth of our houses and so we find them in the bath or, worse still, the bed. Spiders! Love them or hate them they’re here again. This year’s weather, the experts are telling us, has been ideal for these arachnids, and so not only are they more numerous than normal, but also larger! Thanks to ‘global warming’, we are told, one or two ‘foreign spiders’ are taking root in the UK, and although they are not venomous like the ones you might find in Australia, one or two people have been hospitalised following a nasty bite. Something to think about as you clobber the next big one you see with your slipper!

But, hang on a minute! The Bible speaks to us about spiders in more than one place, so perhaps we should learn from them before we remove them, by fair means or foul, from our houses. In Job, a book that is very rich in its descriptions of the animal kingdom, we are warned that the “hope of the hypocrite”, and “the paths of all who forget God” are like “a spider’s web” (Job 8:14). There are few things more beautiful on an autumn morning than seeing a spider’s web in the garden, particularly with frosty dew on it. But put your hand on it and it will collapse. Beautiful but fragile! How right the book of Job is. And yet many people are just like that. They live their lives as though God doesn’t exist, and even if they pay lip-service to God, their lives show that it is just hypocrisy. Though their lives might have an outward beauty, on the Day of Judgement they will be lost. Is that how it is with you?

Another Old Testament book that constantly encourages us to learn lessons from God’s creatures is Proverbs. That’s not surprising because we know that not only was its author, Solomon, blessed with the gift of great wisdom (1 Kings 3:1-15), but he was an expert on all living creatures (1 Kings 4:32-34). In Proverbs 30:24-28, he points us to four things “which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise”. One of those is the spider, about which Solomon says “The spider skillfully grasps with his hand, and it is in kings’ palaces” (Prov. 30:28).

The great J C Ryle, writing to children more than a hundred years ago, said this about that verse; “The spider creeps into grand houses. And there she spins her web. There seems no keeping her out. Your mother comes and brushes the web away. The spider sets to work at once, and makes it again new. No insect is so persevering as the spider. She does her work over and over again. She will not give up! Now I want you to make the spider your pattern about your souls. I want you, like the spider, to persevere in sticking to what is good. I would like you to determine that you will never give up. I want you to keep on trying not to do what is evil—and trying always to do what is good, and pleasing to God.”

So put that slipper down and think again!

Monday 7 July 2014

Floral Display

People often remark about how attractive the chapel looks when you turn into Lancaster Road on a winter Sunday evening. The lights in the windows of the church building stand out against the darkness in an inviting way that is very pleasing on the eye. But now the view of the chapel in the day time has been improved too. The large area of wild flowers, on the green next to the chapel, has suddenly become a blaze of colour, enhancing the bare patch that was there before. What we thought was just a ruse to give the council less grass to mow (!) looks like a great idea after all. The hope is that in time they will also attract butterflies and bees. There, and all over New Inn, these wild flower beds have come to life and look beautiful.

They are a good thing to have in our mind as we enter the chapel for worship too. There are some Bible verses that should come to our mind as we approach the chapel, see them, and prepare for the great privilege ahead of us. The one that came first to my mind was what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount; “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field … will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith” (Matt. 6:28-30).

Sometimes, on a Sunday, our thoughts can be filled with the concerns of the week that has just ended, or our minds can be distracted by worries relating to the week just beginning. As we come to church we are reminded that we are coming to a Heavenly Father to whom we are precious, and to whom we can bring all our cares and worries. He will provide all our needs, and our trust should be fully in Him.

But perhaps there is another part of the Bible which is even more helpful to remember as we see those wild flowers on the way to worship. Isaiah tells us; “All flesh is as grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, because the breath of the LORD blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:6-8).

As beautiful as these flowers are, we know that they will not be there for long. They will eventually fade and fall away. That was even truer in Israel where the fierce Mediterranean sun meant they had a short life expectancy. Here they are more likely to be spoilt by the rain! But either way, we have to enjoy them while we can. Whether we like it or not, those flowers should remind us of our own mortality. We are like the wild flowers - here for just a short time. But there are some things that are eternal and one of those is the word of God that we come to chapel to hear. It offers us eternal life through the same Jesus who preached about the lilies of the field. We can trust Him not just for the worries of this life, but for eternity. Have you done that?

Sunday 8 June 2014

Two Promises and a Program (Acts 1:4-11 & Luke 24:50-53)

Ascension Day is one of those days that like Palm Sunday and Pentecost is gradually falling from the church calendar. However, Ascension Day marks a very important event in the life of the Church that is scarcely less significant than the Birth of Jesus. Although it is only Luke who records this event, briefly in his gospel and with a little more detail in Acts.

The Birth of Jesus heralds His entry into this world, and Deity taking upon itself the form of man. Whilst Ascension Day marks the end of the Lord’s earthly ministry, it also marks the day ‘the dust of the earth’ entered into the very presence of God in heaven itself. Arguably it marks the inauguration or founding of the Church more accurately than Pentecost, which really celebrates the empowering of the Church.

Ascension Day took place forty days after the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. During those forty days Jesus made some ten appearances to the disciples, not only ‘The Twelve’, but the wider body of disciples (up to 500 at one time 1 Corinthians 15:6), sometimes sharing a meal together (John 21:12).

It would be vital for a large body of witnesses to bear testimony to the fact of Jesus resurrection and being alive, to give credence and validity to the glad tidings they were to announce to all men everywhere. John gives his personal testimony in his epistle 1JOHN 1:1 where he seems to have in mind the Lord’s appearance to the disciples (Luke 24:39).

Paul gives a list of witnesses 1COR 15:1-8. Such a body of evidence cannot easily be denied. Furthermore, being a witness to ‘His resurrection’ would become an essential requirement for Apostleship (Acts 1:22).

So for the last time we find Jesus in company with his disciples (Acts 1:4), some think they shared a meal at this time (NIV and AV margin, based on ancient texts). It was certainly a special event, for the Greek word used here is nowhere else used in scripture. Unlike the Last Supper, this meal is not established as a memorial and an ordinance. It is more akin to the eating of the Passover Lamb when Israel stood ready to depart from Egypt. The disciples are about to depart to the ends of the earth, to usher in the Church age, extending the kingdom of God.

Then Jesus led them out as far as Bethany (Luke 24:50), to Mount Olivet (Acts 1:12). Both places have featured prominently in Jesus ministry, so it is no surprise that Jesus should chose a familiar place for His final meeting with His devoted followers. Perhaps we should take note of this, fellowship with the Lord is to be found in the old ways, the familiar places (Jeremiah 6:16). Here to, we like them, will receive instruction and empowerment.

Program.
It is perhaps understandable that the disciples would have been excited by such a gathering together, and at being led out from Jerusalem by Jesus (Luke 24:50). Surely this will be the time when Jesus will take His place in restoring the kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6). Picture the scene, the last stragglers arrive and they surround Jesus expectantly. Will this be a call to arms? Somewhat impatiently they put to Him the question, ‘Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’

The rebuff, ‘It is not for you to know times and seasons which the Father has put in His own authority’ (v7) . God’s ways are not our ways. God works to His own time scale and agenda. God’s kingdom is not a physical kingdom but a spiritual one. The only sword will be the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God, the only shield the shield of faith (Ephesians 6;10-17). ‘You are to be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’ Witnesses to the grace of God in sending Jesus!

The Eleven disciples had already been commissioned to make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things. (Matthew 27:19,20). They have known for some time the nature of the task ahead, like troops preparing for a crucial battle or daring raid. But now they are informed where the action is to take place, this is their final briefing.

So, charged with being witnesses, they are to commence their work not in some far outpost of the Roman Empire, but right here at home, in the very place they were being persecuted, in the very place where they hid in an upper room for fear of the Jews, the place where Jesus was crucified, in Jerusalem itself.

For many today the hardest place to be a Christian is at home, especially if there is no other Christian in the family. Much easier to go to some distant place where you are not known. But no, Jerusalem is where the spiritual battle must first be fought, and won.

And in Samaria, the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans, they are a despised people. Yet we find Jesus going out of His way to meet a Samaritan woman at the well side. If witness at home is hard who would chose to go to the despised, the outcast? Well they are the next on Jesus list, He Himself sets the program and sets the example for us to follow.

Only then can the disciples go to the end of the earth, to far distant lands, so too for us mission must start on our doorstep, our Jerusalem.

Promise 1.
Many times during Jesus ministry the disciples had found themselves powerless in the absence of Jesus (Matthew 14:22-33; Matthew 17:14-21; Luke 5:5). So how will they cope on their own? For such a mammoth task they will need assistance, help.

Jesus has already taught them concerning the coming Helper (John 14:15-18; 16:5-15), now He tells them they are about to be empowered by a personal encounter with the coming of the Holy Spirit (v8). Throughout the Lord’s ministry on earth there had been times when without the personal presence of Jesus the disciples had been powerless, even fearful. But now, the Holy Spirit, promised by Jesus is to be the Comforter, the Helper who will dwell with you and be in you (John 14:16). So that at all times, whatever the circumstance, divine power is at hand to help.

What a wonderful resource, to have divine help at all times, and in every situation. Sadly we too often neglect the leading and guidance of the Spirit, and that neglect is reflected in our powerless lives and witness, and in stunted spiritual growth. Oh that we would seek the Spirits empowering then we might see the result the disciples saw at Pentecost!

They are to wait in Jerusalem not many days (v5) (actually ten days) until they are baptised with the Holy Spirit. They must not be hasty, there is business to attend to, a replacement for the traitor Judas must be elected. And they must come together in unity and harmony with one accord (Acts 2:1). When that unity and harmony was present then the Spirit came.

Note how Jesus describes the coming of the Spirit to each one. You shall be baptised with the Holy Spirit. However we understand the manner or form of baptism, we are to expect a life changing event, which will turn cowardly cringing disciples into powerful witnesses of Jesus Christ. For it will be only when they are thus equipped, empowered, that they will be able to take the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth, facing all manner of perils, persecutions and even martyrdom.

Promise 2.
The Lord lifted up His hands and blessed them (Luke 24:50,51). Then as they watched Him rise into the air a cloud enveloped Him. As they gaze steadfastly toward heaven two men in white addresses them.

First, note the cloud in scripture almost always indicates God’s presence, Sinai, Shekinah, pillar of cloud etc. So although Jesus is leaving them, this event has Heavens seal upon it. God is present.

Why do you stand gazing into the heavens? To anyone who has stood on a railway station waving goodbye to a beloved one, and standing looking with longing down the line at a fast disappearing train, this question seems rather harsh. Jesus, their beloved Lord has just been received into the heavens and they gaze longingly after Him, no doubt if they could they would have willed Him back with them.

The two men in white have some wonderful news. This same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven (Acts 1:11). The news that Jesus would return is not new information, Jesus had promised this when He was still with them JOHN 14:3, MATT 26:64. This is confirmation from heaven itself that this same Jesus, the One they love, the One they have followed, the One they saw hanging on a cross, the One they saw after His resurrection, the One they had handled, and eaten with, would return. God will not send an angel or archangel to gather the redeemed into heaven. He will send this same Jesus. As the visible presence of God enveloped Him as He left earth for heaven, so the visible presence of God will be the clouds upon which this same Jesus returns to take His people home to be with Him.

So as we remember the Lords ascension into glory let us be encouraged to follow the Lords program for mission, to seek a fresh enabling of the Spirit, to anticipate more eagerly the return of this same Jesus.

Against the Law

Thirty five miles an hour in a thirty mile per hour zone! The evidence apparently was there, on film, in the possession of the South Wales Constabulary. And so I found myself, one Friday afternoon a few weeks back, on a Speed Awareness Course at the YMCA in Newport. Four hours of watching videos, group exercises and listening to the professionals, rather than three points on my license and a hefty fine. But I don’t need to say much more, because quite a few of you reading this have been on a course like this too, haven’t you? Some of you have even admitted to it!

I wasn’t on my own that afternoon. There were almost thirty others, from a seventeen year old to a chap in his seventies. They were male and female, of all shapes and sizes. The only thing we had in common was that we were all in the wrong. Our driving had broken the law. We were guilty. I was reminded of what the Bible says about our lives on a far greater scale. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

The afternoon started with us giving a list of reasons why we might occasionally (!) break the speed limit. They ranged from the understandable – to get someone to the doctors because they were ill, to the farcical – ‘I needed to get to the petrol station before I ran out of petrol’, but our instructor reminded us that there was no good reason to break the law and that the consequences of speeding and illegal driving were serious. Sometimes it leads even to death, either of the driver or of another motorist or a pedestrian. I thought again of sin and how we can always think of an excuse to justify our breaking of God’s law, but there is no excuse. What is more, “the wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23).

By this point in the article, I know what you are beginning to wonder. Did he learn anything about driving, or did he spend the whole afternoon jotting down sermon illustrations? Well, yes, I hope I did learn a few things. Apparently wherever you are driving you are never more than 20 yards away from a clue to the speed limit on that road, particularly if you keep an eye on the lamp-posts. If they’re in a regular pattern, you should expect it to be thirty miles an hour. Otherwise there will be plate size signs on them declaring what the speed limit is. We are without excuse. But again I found myself thinking of spiritual realities. All around us; in creation, in our conscience, in the Bible, and ultimately through Jesus, God has spoken to us about our sin, and our need of His forgiveness. How good God is! How without excuse we are!

The best part of the afternoon was right at the end. The instructor told us that because we had completed the course, he could press a button on his laptop and send our details back to the office. That meant the slate was wiped clean. Our speeding transgression had been dealt with. No more punishment. No fine, no penalty points. Gone! Your sins and mine can be forgiven, dealt with in an instant too, but not by our doing a course, but by Jesus dying in our place, and giving us his righteousness. Are you still guilty … or forgiven?

Tuesday 20 May 2014

A Christian Nation?

Is Britain still a Christian country? That is the question that was dominating the political agenda, and with it the television and news media, just a week or so ago. It followed some comments that the Prime Minister made at Easter, and which were seized upon by his opponents and then by those who oppose any sort of faith influence in public life. Though many saw David Cameron’s comments as little more than a pitch to get back potential voters ahead of the coming elections, voters angered by the Gay Marriage legislation, what he said certainly stirred up a debate.

The first problem with answering a question like that, of course, is the need to define what we mean by a ‘Christian country’. The number of people who define themselves as ‘Christian’ in surveys and censuses declines decade by decade, and even though this would still be a majority of the population, we are far from a position where we could say that the whole of the population is broadly ‘Christian’. Indeed the same politicians rejoice in the diversity of faiths and cultures that mark Britain in the twenty-first century. We are probably on safer ground when we recognize that Britain’s history and cultural heritage has been so immersed in the Christian faith that large areas of national life are still affected by it, and to that extent we might still be regarded as a ‘Christian nation’. Judging by the last few decades and the legislation that has been introduced, one wonders whether that level of influence will be maintained.

But in answering the question, we need to go back one step further and make our definitions even clearer. Before we can define a ‘Christian country’ we need to define what a Christian is. That’s a discussion that I haven’t seen taking place in the media in the last few weeks. But it is of ultimate importance that we get that definition correct. Whether or not Britain is ‘Christian’ is not of eternal significance to you and I as individuals, but that we understand what a Christian is, and that we have become one, certainly does matter in that way.

A Christian isn’t just somebody who is kind, moral, clean living, charitable and a good citizen. People of most religions would fall into that category. Nor is it one who has a high regard for the life and teachings of Jesus. Most Muslims would have that, and they wouldn’t regard themselves as Christians. On the authority of the Bible, we would have to say that a Christian isn’t even somebody who regularly goes to church, has been christened or who reads their Bible. We can all do that without being a true Christian.

No, a Christian is one who has believed in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation. They have been ‘born again’ by God’s Holy Spirit, have confessed and turned away from their sin, and are now consciously living under His lordship. Though there are many things that they now ‘do’ as response to God, they do not trust in those things, but in what Christ did on the cross at Calvary.

Never mind Britain, what about you?

Sunday 20 April 2014

See Where His Body Lay

Jesus tomb, as was common practice, with kings, was sealed with a large circular stone, sealed with a Roman seal 27:66. A guard of soldiers was also set (Matt 27:66). Early on the first day of the week an earthquake occurred as an angel of the Lord descended. Despite the earthquake the stone was not moved - the angel did that (Matt 28:2). Earthquakes produce chaos and disorder but on this day there is peace and orderliness. The women on the way to the tomb mused as to who should roll away the stone (Mark 16:3).

A single angel is more powerful than a watch of soldiers, has more authority than Imperial Rome itself. Having opened the tomb the angel sat upon the overturned stone with its broken seal. The stone represents the limit of man’s power. The seal represents the limit of Rome's authority.

From this angelic being, his first task complete, now a word of comfort to the women. 'Do not (you) be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified'. The disciples had scattered but the women, devotedly, were back at the tomb. Some would censure the women for their lack of faith in not expecting the Lord to rise as He said He would. The angel does not upbraid them for their lack of faith but sees their devotion, and rewards them.

Following that word of comfort, an invitation 'Come see the place where the Lord lay'. That is the invitation we hear again each Easter morning. It is an invitation to strengthen our faith - at an empty tomb. However we must come not as an Historian or Archaeologist would come, we come as the women came - ready to minister to the Lord. Those who minister to others, themselves receive great blessing. The women certainly were greatly blessed that day.

Luke 24:3 tells us they were 'greatly perplexed' because they found no body. Having embalmed His body they had every reason to be perplexed. Indeed the lack of a body caused no small stir then - and still does today. Not only were the women perplexed, so were the chief priests who offered bribes to the soldiers to say the body had been stolen by His disciples (28:12-13). Just think, the responsible authorities had lost His body!!!

Then there was His disciples LUKE 24:23,24 Cleopas on the Emmaus road, tells how they had not believed the women and how they went to the tomb but did not see a Him either alive as the women said, nor His body: 'And when they found not His body, they came saying that they had seen a vision of angels which said that He was alive. And certain of them which were with us went to the tomb and found it even as the women had said, but Him they found not'.

The lack of a body causes many problems even today. The life and death of Jesus is so well documented both in religious and secular history that few would be foolish enough to deny Jesus had once lived on earth. But His body - disappeared - no body, no proof! The world wants a body - to believe. The Christian, does not need a body to believe, for a body in His tomb would destroy our faith, and hope of resurrection. An empty tomb, and a risen Lord is the guarantee that we shall rise again to be with Him.

The women looked for a body, but did not find one. What did they find? An angel with a glorious message of hope - 'He is not here He is risen'. A commission - 'Go and tell My disciples, and Peter'. Peter, who later visited the tomb only saw a pile of linen burial clothes. Now I wonder why? As Peter had been mentioned specifically by the angel. Clearly Peter had doubted the testimony of Mary Magdalene: 'And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe' (Mark 16:11), and 'Their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they did not believe them' (Luke 24:11)

What will you see at the tomb on Easter morning? Will your doubting heart cause you to see just emptiness - a pile of burial clothes? Or will you like Mary receive confirmation in your heart that He is who He said He was, and that He is alive forever more. Your faith strengthened.

You may have to struggle through the darkness and coldness of doubt and unbelief - BUT DO COME. The women pressed through the darkness of the night, through the pre-dawn chill, through their natural fears of a graveyard - and found not so much an empty tomb, but a Risen Lord. The promise in the Word is that if we draw near to God, he will draw near to us. This is brilliantly fulfilled with the women at the tomb.

The Outcome of That Morning: 'They departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to bring His disciples word' (Matt 28:8).

First we note the sense of urgency - departed quickly - ran. Next we note their - fear and great joy. Fear - because of the majestic, holy angel, and the message Jesus is alive. Great joy - because their friend, their Lord was alive – alive - alive. So they ran to proclaim the good news.

Hardly had they been entrusted to spread the word - they're off, at speed. It is at this point that something happens beyond their wildest dreams. 'As they went to tell His disciples, Jesus met them, saying "Rejoice" and they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him'

The Lord who honoured their devotion to Him by sending His angel to them, now in the face of such utter devotion - REVEALS HIMSELF TO THEM. The doubting disciples must wait to see the Lord. The devoted heart will meet Him at the empty tomb.

So how will you approach the empty tomb this Easter morning? Do you have doubts in your heart concerning the Lord, who He is etc.? Then all you will find is a pile of burial clothes, like Peter did. But do you come to His tomb, ready to minister to Him, from a heart totally dedicated and devoted to Him. If so, then you will find your Lord waiting to reveal Himself to you in all His risen glory, so strengthening your faith and trust in Him. JESUS IS ALIVE!

Friday 4 April 2014

Two Hundred Years Ago, in Anglesey

The Principality of Wales has a long history of being blessed by God with spiritual revivals, some of which have affected the whole of the country and beyond, whilst others have been more localised in their affect. Two hundred years ago this summer, such a spiritual outpouring took place on the Island of Anglesey, where Christmas Evans had been preaching since 1791. Christmas Evans is regarded as perhaps the greatest preacher Wales has seen, and alongside CH Spurgeon, the greatest Baptist preacher Britain has ever heard. The revival centred around Ebenezer Church, Llangefni, in the middle of the island, where eighty members were added in just a few months. In the churches across the island, however, it seems that over 600 people were converted in just over a year, and an island that had been known for its violence, superstition and immorality was transformed by God’s grace. 

 Like so many of the revivals in the history of Wales, it followed the prayers of God’s people. One of the evidences that God is about to work in a place always seems to be that He gets people to see the need and pray to Him, and that was certainly true in Anglesey. There is a wonderful story of a man called Hugh Jones, from Feillionen, who was wrestling in prayer with God for Him to bless the church when the revival came. He had been a deacon in the church there for almost its whole history, and was known as a wise and discrete man with a peaceful, tender disposition. 

The Baptist Magazine of February 1817 records of him that “At the beginning of the revival in July, 1814, on a Saturday evening, he was in a private meeting of the church, and was observed to pray and wrestle with God with much more than his usual importunity, ardour, and holy fervour; entreating the great Head of the church, in the language of his own promises, to pour out his Holy Spirit on the pastor and members of the church, and to carry on the work newly begun, like a spreading flame of fire throughout India and the whole world. He prayed especially for the young converts, until all hearts were melting, and streams flowing from all our eyes; and a cordial Amen attended his requests, like hammers beating nails into a sure place.” 

History records that that night Hugh Jones retired to bed at an early hour, and rose again before daybreak that he might seek God for the Sunday worship services to be blessed. When his family rose soon after, to their great astonishment, they found him upon his knees in a praying position; but, as the Baptist Magazine so delightfully describes it; ‘his soul, like the bird of Paradise, had escaped from its cage of clay, and sped its flight far above the sun, into the presence of his dear Jesus. It is presumed he commenced prayer, by entreating the blessing of God upon the work of the day; and ended it by bidding farewell to the world, and sin and sorrow.’ 

Though Christmas Evans was undoubtedly the mightiest preacher in Anglesey, it was while he was away touring South Wales that the revival really came to Llangefni. Evans would travel south every year to preach and to raise funds for the churches he had planted and established in Anglesey where people were very poor and most fellowships were in debt. 

Christmas Evans asked one of the ‘lesser’ preachers to take his place in Ebenezer, Llangefni while he was away. Robert Williams had been the preacher in Brynsiencyn for some years, and though it was difficult to leave his own chapel, it was even more difficult to refuse a man like Christmas Evans! As Brynsiencyn wasn’t far from Llangefni, Williams knew he would still be able to visit the flock at home and so reluctantly he agreed. 

Robert Williams found the church at Ebenezer to be at a low ebb. Many of the members had lost their zeal, and seemed careless about spiritual things, despite the work of Christmas Evans, who was greatly saddened by the situation. Very few came to hear Evans at the midweek meetings, and so Williams wondered whether there would be any point in continuing with them. 
“How can I expect them to come to hear me?” Williams asked, but Christmas Evans was a man of great faith, and with the ability to encourage the faint-hearted; “O no!” he said, “you keep to the preaching, and I’ll keep to praying for you.” This brave and believing statement of Christmas Evans was a special means of encouraging Mr Williams, and he threw himself into his work with an unexpected degree of confidence and bravery. He continued to preach in the midweek evenings as well as on the Lord’s Day. One such midweek evening, a revival so powerful broke out that before the end of the meeting at Ebenezer, many had fallen on their knees, praying. There was a great cry from many of the people for mercy for their souls, and real evidence that the Spirit of the living God was applying the ministry to the hearts of the hearers for their salvation. By the time Christmas Evans returned from his journey to the south, the congregation had increased greatly, and many were asking to be baptised, having become disciples of Jesus Christ. 

In heavenly rapture Evans cried out, “Where have these come from to me?” The two godly brethren rejoiced together in the success of the Church of Christ, and the salvation of souls. In the body of that year about 40 to 50 were added to the church. 

We leave the last word to Christmas Evans himself; ‘Despise not the day of small things, but confidently preach the word earnestly, in season and out of season, waiting for the breath of God to blow and quicken the dead who lie in trespasses and sins: remembering that He is able to bless a midweek meeting, and He has done this many times before, to the conversion of many sinners.’ How we need the God of Christmas Evans to come in power on New Inn, where the same violence, superstition and immorality is found as was in Anglesey two centuries ago!

Wednesday 2 April 2014

Looking to Jesus

At the family service last month we thought of the way the Lord Jesus ministered to a man who was profoundly deaf. From the story recorded in Mark chapter 7:31-37 we saw how He used his own version of sign language to show the man what he was going to do … and then wonderfully did it. We were reminded that if we have ears we need to hear (Mark 7:16)! 
One of the things that always fascinate me when I see it is someone signing for those who are deaf and hard of hearing. Occasionally when there is a news bulletin on the television you see someone signing in the bottom corner of the screen and I can’t take my eyes off it, so much so that I often forget to listen to the news report at the same time. Though I have ears to hear, I don’t hear because I’m too busy focusing on the little person in the corner. I read this week of the sign language used to ‘say’ Jesus. Do you know what it is? To make the sign, apparently, you simply put the tip of your index finger of one hand into the palm of the other, and then the index finger of the second hand in to the palm of the first. With Easter coming up, I’m sure you can work out why. To think of Jesus you must think of the nail prints in his hands. 
On Good Friday we will remember the death of Christ. After the mockery, the scourging, the spitting, the stripping, the striking and the humiliation, those hands that had ministered to, and healed, so many were taken and nailed to a cruel cross. He died, not just because he was taken by cruel hands, but because God’s perfect plan for our salvation could only be executed if He was (Acts 2:23). Without the shedding of his blood our sins could never be forgiven (Heb 9:22). On Good Friday we will remember his death afresh. But on Easter Day we will celebrate the resurrection of the Jesus put to death on Good Friday. He is the Son of God! He is the Resurrection and the Life! He has conquered death and the grave, as well as sin and Satan, and gives eternal life to all who will trust in Him. That truth is so wonderful it cannot be anything but true! The early disciples struggled to believe it and even to recognize the risen Lord when they saw him. But the nail prints were still there. John 20:20 tells us that the fears and doubts of those disciples hiding away at the end of that first Easter Day were gloriously removed when they saw His hands. Then they were glad because they knew they had seen the Lord! 
Whoever had the idea of making the sign for Jesus revolve around the nail prints was very perceptive. As important as the life of Jesus was, with its perfect obedience to the law of God, and its endless outpouring of compassion to those who were in need, it is the death and resurrection of Christ that is key to our understanding of him. He came to give his life as a ransom for our salvation. It is his death and resurrection that gives us hope. It is trusting in the Christ of Easter that will bring us salvation. Have you done that?

Tuesday 4 March 2014

Counterfeit Christianity?

Shopping!  Whether that one single word brings a smile to your face, or a feeling of terror to your heart will depend on many things, not just whether you are male or female!  For some, a Saturday afternoon’s ‘retail therapy’ is the ideal form of relaxation, but for others there are a thousand other places they would rather be.  But for all of us, there’s one moment at the shops which is always a little bit unnerving … and I don’t just mean paying.
    How many times have you handed over a ten or twenty pound note to the cashier, only for them to put the note under the ultra-violet light they have attached to the till?  Maybe as they do that you feel a little annoyed.  ‘Do I look like a counterfeiter?’ you ask yourself!   Maybe in annoyance you have similarly held the £5 note you have received in your change up to the light to make the point that you feel insulted by their suggestion.  Or is that just me!
    The simple fact is that there are an awful lot of counterfeit notes in circulation.  Many of them are so good, both in appearance and in ‘feel’, they easily pass as the genuine thing.  They might even have fooled you and so you simply pass on in the shop what has been passed on to you.  But the special light at the till isn’t fooled.  It spots the counterfeit, and you’re left embarrassed.  The fact that the note might have done a lot of good as it’s passed through previous owners is of no consequence. It might have been given as a present from a grandparent to a child, or as a donation to a person in the depths of poverty.  It might have been put in the collection in church just weeks before, or in a charity box.  But it’s still a fake, and like all fake notes it will end up being destroyed.
    A Christian writer, Warren Wiersbe, in his book ‘On being a servant of God’ uses this illustration when talking about counterfeit Christians.   Like banknotes, there are a great many counterfeit Christians about.  Like the banknote, we can have the look or feel of the genuine article and do a lot of good as we pass from person to person.  We may give to charity or to the church too, not just our banknotes but our time, energy and concern.  But that doesn’t make us real Christians either.  Sooner or later we too will stand before a light that will show up all our failings.  That will be on the Day of Judgement.
    When He was on earth, the Lord Jesus Christ warned people about that day.  His words, spoken as part of the Sermon on the Mount, and recorded in Matthew 7 tell us that there will be people who seem like Christians, even casting out demons in His name, but Jesus will say to them; “Depart from Me, I never knew you.”
    For to be real Christians we need to know Christ.  We need to know Him personally and intimately, because Christianity is a relationship not a religion. We need to have come to put our trust exclusively in Him, and His death on the cross at Calvary alone. We need to be living every day in obedience to His word.  Is that true of you?

Saturday 1 February 2014

Floods Because of Sin?

It is not often that the words of a local councillor makes the news headlines, but David Silvester, a UKIP councillor in Henley-on-Thames managed just that last month, but has now been suspended as a result of it.  He faced a barrage of mockery and criticism, after stating that the country had been ‘beset by storms’ since the passing of the gay marriage legislation last year.  He had, apparently, previously warned the Prime Minister that if the government went ahead with the bill, God would punish the country.  The recent flooding, especially in the South of England, has, he claimed proved him right.  Despite the abuse and loss he has suffered, Mr Silvester has stuck to his guns!

    I wonder what you thought of his views.  Maybe somebody, knowing that you go to church, asked you what you thought.  What did you say?  How do you approach the issue biblically?  Because if we believe the Bible is the Word of God and profitable for every area of our lives and every question that life throws up, that is what we should do.  That appears to be what the councillor in question has done, and we should thank God for those in public office who do so, and pray for more like them.

    The Bible teaches the reality of God and his consistent opposition to sin.  It teaches that God reserves the right to punish sin in this world, and will certainly do so when this world is over.  It teaches that societies that reject God, his Word and His law, must expect to experience his judgement.  It teaches too that the weather is under the control of the sovereign God, and sometimes is used by God to punish wrongdoers.  The Bible in both Old and New Testament shows us that marriage is exclusively between a man and a woman, and all sexual activity outside of biblical marriage is wrong. Mr Silvester is absolutely right in his statement of such truths.

    Where we are always on less safe ground is when we try to go further.  God’s ways ultimately are beyond our knowing.  Is the bad weather due to the Marriage Act?  We can’t say for sure one way or the other.  If the floods are a punishment for sin, there are a thousand other sins that God could be dealing with in the UK at the moment.  As a nation we have rejected His Word, His law, the day that he has given us to worship Him, and ultimately and worst of all, His Son Jesus Christ.  Though God is angered by sexual sin, it is not the unforgiveable sin.  There will be men and women in heaven one day who were guilty of such sin (1 Corinthians 6:9-11), but there will be nobody in heaven who has consistently rejected the Lord Jesus. 

    Which is where we have to stop thinking about others and focus on ourselves!  Never mind the sin of others, what about mine?  Do my sins call to God for punishment, or do I know they have been forgiven because I have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ and his death on the cross? If so, my sins are cast not into a flood, but in the depths of the sea itself (Micah 7:19).

Wednesday 15 January 2014

Three Hundred Years Ago This Month (January 2014)


         Howell Harris, one of the greatest Welshmen ever to have lived, one of the great preachers of the eighteenth century revival in the Principality, and a man who had a formative influence on the fellowship here at New Inn, was born on January 24th 1714.  Along with men such as Daniel Rowland and William Williams in Wales, and the Wesley brothers and George Whitfield in England, Harris was mightily used by God to call the nation back to himself.

         Harris was born in Talgarth, Breconshire, the son of a farmer.  Though he had little education he grew up to become a schoolmaster.  The great change in his life began to take place on Palm Sunday, March 30th, 1735, when Harris attended the Parish Church at Talgarth. During the service the Vicar, Pryce Davies, announced that there would be a Communion Service the following Sunday, and said that he knew there were many people who did not come to the Communion because they felt they were not fit to partake of it. He went on to say, 'If you are not fit to take Communion you are not fit to pray, if you are not fit to pray you are not fit to live, and if you are not fit to live you are not fit to die'. These words hit this thoughtless schoolmaster with great force. He had never been a riotous person but he had lived a loose life; so these extraordinary words of the Vicar announcing a Communion Service began a process of conviction of sin which from then on led to an agony of repentance. 

He continued in an agony of repentance - trying to find peace and unable to find it - until Whit Sunday, which was May 25th, when he went again to a Communion Service in the same church. He describes how during a part of the service he had a tremendous fight with the devil. He had found a certain amount of peace in a neighbouring church, where he had given himself to God as best he could in his ignorance. That gave him a measure of peace, but the devil came and attacked him in this Communion on Whit Sunday, violently trying to shake his faith in everything. However, before the service was over he had found peace. Here are his own words describing this: 'At the table, Christ bleeding on the Cross was kept before my eyes constantly; and strength was given to me to believe that I was receiving pardon on account of that blood. I lost my burden; I went home leaping for joy, and I said to my neighbour who was sad, Why are you sad? I know my sins have been forgiven. Oh blessed day! Would that I might remember it gratefully evermore'!   

He immediately began to tell others about this and to hold meetings in his own home encouraging others to seek the same assurance that he had of Christ's forgivenessHarris was refused ordination in the Anglican Church on four occasions, because of his “Methodist” tendencies, but remained a lay preacher throughout his life, both in North and South Wales, tireless in his determination to bring the good news to the lost of the Principality.  His home in Trevecca became a centre for mission work and the training of preachers.  This was in part due to his association with the Countess of Huntingdon, who helped finance students to train and go out with the gospel.  He might not have been an accomplished theologian, but he was a zealous evangelist, whose preaching was powerfully accompanied by the Holy Spirit.  Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones says of him, “I have scarcely ever read of any man who has worked as hard as Howell Harris did. He would preach many times during the day, and after that would hold private societies with the converts, and after that would write his diaries. Very often he had no sleep at all, and would go back to his school the next day; or he would have a couple of hours' sleep and then travel and preach somewhere else. On and on he went, working in an almost superhuman manner. His voice became permanently husky quite early on in his preaching career, but he still continued.”  Harris has been described by one historian as ‘the most successful preacher that ever ascended a platform or pulpit in Wales.’  He died on July 21st 1773, and over twenty thousand people were reported to have attended his funeral, when nine sermons were preached!

         His preaching often led him into personal danger, and he endured considerable persecution.   People formed into mobs that reviled and opposed him, while magistrates threatened him and imposed fines upon those who met for worship in their homes. Even the clergy were opposed to Harris and preached against him, branding him a false prophet and deceiver. 
Mobs often attacked Harris in all kinds of ways. He was shot at with pistols and pelted with apples and pears, dung and dirt, eggs and stones, and even a dead dog. In 1740, while ministering with William Seward in Caerleon, the two preachers were attacked so severely that that Seward eventually went blind in both eyes. 

         Although the exact details of the link between Howell Harris and the congregation here at New Inn are lost in the mists of time, there is good evidence that he preached here on numerous occasions.  Harry Lewis’s fine history of our fellowship records that Daniel James, minister at New Inn during the late eighteenth century, stated that ‘The Gospel was first introduced into this place by a Society of Methodists, many of whom had been awakened under the preaching of the eminent Mr Howell Harris who, finding the Established Church in those parts filled with carnal ministry, formed themselves into an independent church’.  We know that New Inn was a convenient meeting place for the Methodist Society Association meetings between 1744 and 1750, when Harris and Daniel Rowland often preached.

         The tercentenary of the birth of Howell Harris reminds us that God can suddenly break into the life of Wales, like He did again in 1859 and 1904, raising up ordinary men and using them to turn the nation to Himself. Our need of spiritual revival today is, if anything, greater than it was three hundred years ago.  But our God is the same God.  We need to pray urgently that He will visit us again. 

Saturday 11 January 2014

A True Messiah


The death early last month of Nelson Mandela, the first democratically elected President of South Africa, and one of the icons of the twentieth century, was perhaps the most widely reported event of the whole of 2013.  Even in the UK, thousands of miles away, hour after hour of television and radio time were given over to coverage of his death, state memorial service and burial.  Many people here, though they might have had no connection with South Africa, and had never seen Mandela, let alone known him, seemed to share in what seemed like a worldwide sense of loss.  It was interesting to compare the reaction to his death with that of Margaret Thatcher earlier in the year.
         Watching the coverage as a Christian believer greatly interested me, particularly in the way that he was pictured almost as some sort of Messianic figure who had led the country out of the dark ages of apartheid into the light of a fully-fledged democracy.  Though one would have to recognise that the impact of Mandela’s life was truly remarkable, it would have been good for somebody to point out some of the other facts: that Mandela never renounced violence, or as far as we know, repented of the deaths of many, Christian missionaries included, for which as head of the ANC he was responsible.  The gap between the rich and poor in South Africa is greater now than ever.  We remember present day missionaries visiting us who spoke of the dangers of life there.  Perhaps it will be many years before his impact can be truly measured.
         What was, perhaps, even more interesting was the way in which he was set up as a great example of forgiveness.  Much was made of the way in which he had shown great kindness towards those who had been his captors on Robben Island, insisting they have the best seats at his inauguration as President, never forgetting their children’s birthdays etc.  We saw again, as we have when victims of IRA terrorism have been interviewed, how human beings are fascinated by forgiveness and envious of those who find it within themselves to act in such a way.
         Which brings us surely to Jesus!  He is the true Messiah, and the greatest example of forgiveness.  His ‘long walk’ was to a cross, rather than to freedom. Even as he hung there, numbered with terrorists but innocent of every charge laid against him, he prayed for his executioners and their forgiveness.  The kingdom that He brought in is an everlasting one, marked by universal peace and freedom.  The life of Jesus Christ not only means that you and I can have a better life here and now, but an eternity in heaven.
         Though many were happy to state that Mandela was now in heaven, making such statements is wrong, though I hope that he is.  The way to heaven for Mandela was the same as it is for you and me.  We must trust in the Lord Jesus Christ with all our heart.  Only by his perfect sacrifice being applied to our sin laden hearts can any of us be saved.  Is that true of you?