Marching Forth!

" Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. 15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honour him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him, a nd show him My salvation ." Psalm 91:14-16 God makes amazing promises to those who set their love upon Him.  This is to be an exclusive and special love, even as a husband loves his wife or a parent loves their child.  My love of God is a response to His unfailing love which He graciously has extended to me.   Those who set their love upon God, having trusted Him for salvation, find all other genuine loves flow from this supreme one. These promises God offers are conditional upon our obedience to Him.   1 John 5:1-3 says, " Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. 2 By th...

" Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them. 18  Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralysed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him ." Luke 5:17-18 This scene provides a dynamic contrast between those who place their faith in Jesus Christ and those who will not.  Fame of Jesus due to His teaching and miraculous power spread throughout Israel.  The passage says Pharisees and teachers of the law assembled who hailed from all Israel - even from Jerusalem.  These masters of the Law of Moses viewed Jesus as a troublemaker, a young upstart, an untrained layman, a prophet at best but most likely a wicked deceiver of the people who needed to be silenced.  I do not believe these men thought Jesus could teach them anything, and likely He couldn't....

As a young kid I was introduced to hard work.  "Work before play" was a well-known saying for us, and many summer mornings we signed up for chores we were responsible to do that day.  It could be washing the dogs, mowing and raking the lawn, spraying for fleas, cleaning windows and screens, doing the washing (laundry), cleaning bathrooms, washing the van, and the list went on.  I remember being about 10 years old when I proudly put in my first solid eight-hour work day, nailing the floor of our upstairs room addition.  That was a fun kind of work - much better than pulling weeds or gardening. One thing as a kid that was not work was the tradition of going to my grandparent's home in Ramona on Christmas Eve to enjoy time with family and a wonderful meal.  A stocking with my name on it hung on the mantelpiece, and piled around the Christmas tree were many gifts.  A few of those also had my name on them.  Receiving and opening one of those gifts wasn't...

" The LORD lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let God be exalted,  t he Rock of my salvation !" 2 Samuel 22:47 Only the living God who created all things can save.  The One in whom is life was able to create life from nothing, and He alone can save our souls for eternity.  God can do everything because He is alive.  He is infinitely greater than man, but in living men we see a shadow of God's greatness.  The God who created the eyes of men to see sees all; the One who made ears to hear also hears all.  This God who formed man's mind to consider and think possesses infinite wisdom and knows all.  He created the mouth of man to speak intelligible words can speak clearly to all people.  Whatever a man can do God does infinitely greater. No spirit, man, thing made by man, or beast can be likened unto God or rightly compared with Him.  He alone is God and is exalted forever without end.  How can an idol of wood, stone, silver, or gold co...

" Come now, and let us reason together," s ays the LORD , "though your sins are like scarlet,  t hey shall be as white as snow;  t hough they are red like crimson,  t hey shall be as wool ." Isaiah 1:18 There is a great example in the Bible of people reasoning together during the siege of Abel.  After David was restored to the throne in Jerusalem, a rebel named Sheba the son of Bichri blew a trumpet and gathered men after himself.  Joab received word that Sheba had taken shelter in Abel of Bethmaachah, and therefore he built a siege mound and battered the wall to bring it down.   2 Samuel 20:16-19 records, " Then a wise woman cried out from the city, "Hear, Hear! Please say to Joab, 'Come nearby, that I may speak with you.' "  17 When he had come near to her, the woman said, "Are you Joab?" He answered, "I am." Then she said to him, "Hear the words of your maidservant." And he answered, "I am l...

" Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. " Genesis 24:1 When I read this verse last night, a slow smile spread across my face.  Think of it!  The LORD had blessed Abraham in all things:  he had been blessed in his travels, in his marriage, with his children, in necessities, in growing older, and even concerning his temporal and eternal future.  There was no part of his life which had not been blessed by God.  This means he was blessed by God even before he knew God or believed Him!  How great is our God to bless in such a manner.  But having said this, often our ability to receive and walk fully in the blessings God provides is conditional.   Do you want to be blessed by God?  Blessed is the man who delights in God's Law and shuns evil ( Psalm 1 ).  The one who has clean hands a pure heart by grace through faith in God is blessed ( Psalm 24:3-6 ).  Jesus listed m...

Yesterday the results of the Australian same-sex marriage survey were revealed.  The LGBTI community and their supporters celebrated a strong majority result.  Though the laws have not yet been changed to reflect this result, the government and members of parliament are working to pass legislation changing the Australian constitution to approve gay marriage.  In the context of our secular society this result does not at all come as a surprise to me.  I am without fear; I am not worried for in Christ I stand firm.  I am resigned to acknowledge the opinion of the majority of Australians, but that does not deem it righteous. And this is the place where the victory for same-sex marriage rings hollow:  even when the government legalises and acknowledges gay couples as married, the perversion of God's institution of marriage will never be acceptable in the eyes of God and many who hold a biblical worldview.  My heart breaks to consider the smiles and cele...

As we follow Jesus Christ and mature in faith and knowledge of His Word, He broadens our understanding.  Studying the scriptures led by the Holy Spirit enables us to connect ideas which provide greater insight into God's truth.  When I was a child after I knew how to count I enjoyed dot-to-dot puzzles.  What began as a mess of dots and numbers became a recognisable object which could be coloured in with crayon.  In a similar way, the more we heed the scriptures the better we comprehend what the Bible says, what it means, and how to rightly apply it in our lives. Looking back, I believe my views of scripture used to be more rigid than they are now.  My views were rigid because my understanding was limited.  Truth and the Christian walk is narrow, and we cannot deviate from obedience to God and His Word.  We do not need to compromise truth to hold a broader view than we once did.  I have held views in the past which were not wrong in themselves, ...

It is a strange thing when a Christian goes from trusting God for salvation and begins to look to his own strength or abilities in daily decisions.  David provides a compelling example of this in 1 Samuel 17 .  God's assessment of David was he was a man after God's own heart, but even he was prone to lean on his own understanding.  His life provides a compelling illustration of what is common to all men - even godly ones.  Just because we have trusted God in the past doesn't mean we are trusting Him today. When David was a young man he was sent by his dad on an errand to the front lines of battle where a few of his brothers were.  He was shocked when Goliath the champion of Gath stood before the army of Israel and defied and cursed them by his gods.  David wasn't awed by the imposing size or the verbal threats of the giant, but was incredulous Goliath was permitted to reproach the armies of the living God whilst the men of Israel hid in fear.  News ...

In a sermon I recently heard, the difference between "commitment" and "surrender" was a point of emphasis.  In warfare conditions of surrender are negotiated, but not so in a life which is surrendered to Jesus Christ as LORD.  Since our lives have been purchased with the shed blood of Christ, we are not our own.  As Jesus laid down His will before the Father, we are to voluntarily lay our lives down before our Saviour.  The comment by the preacher was if all we do is "commit" our lives to Christ, we seek to dictate our own terms or will even withdraw our commitment when it pleases us. In light of this thought, the Oxford definition of "commitment" is interesting.  It means, " The state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, activity, etc.; a pledge or undertaking; an engagement or obligation that restricts freedom of action ."  Men are fickle and often do not keep their commitments.  We make promises we do not or cannot keep, and...

All human beings are susceptible to all manner of deception.  It is one thing to be intentionally deceived by another person, but far worse is when we are deluded by self.  This sort of deception we often do not recognise.  We are most blind to the deceptions which lurk in our hearts, and since no man can know the depravity of his own heart we are susceptible to it. In addition to revealing God to us, the Bible is a primary means of warning against and identifying common deceptions for us.  The clear implication of God’s warnings against deceptions is we indeed can be deceived.  It is important for us to examine our hearts, admitting we too can be deceived.  If we do not heed God’s Word we blindly head to ruin.  Because God knows the thoughts and intent of our hearts, loves us and is the source of all wisdom, He faithfully reveals our common faults and the path of righteousness. Deceptions take place in our minds and hearts.  The way we natur...

" The LORD is your keeper; t he LORD is your shade at your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, n or the moon by night ." Psalm 121:5-6 How good it is to know God protects and provides for our needs!  Day or night we need never fear, for God is faithful.  A great illustration of this scripture is seen in the life of Hagar when she was sent out by Abraham.  In response to God's direction, Hagar and Ishmael her son were sent out from Abraham with bread and a skin of water.  They wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba, which means " well of an oath ."  Before long they were stricken with thirst, for the water in the skin was used up.  Hagar desperately placed her son in the shade of a shrub to protect him from the searing heat.  Hagar hopelessly retreated to a distance where she could not hear his cries.  She reached the point that all she could do is weep, and in that moment God spoke. Genesis 21:17-19 reads, " And God h...

“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Genesis 1:27-28 In my lifetime I have observed an erosion of what once was called “morality” according to biblical principles.  This gradual movement has gathered speed to the point it could be likened to a destructive avalanche, leveling all which once stood upright in its path.  This opposition of God, His Word, and ways has often been too subtle to notice in real-time but the effects are widespread and pronounced.  When seeds of wickedness are sown, those doing the planting deny anything bad will happen.  Eventually the corrupt and ugly fruit is displayed for all to see. Man has rebelled against the order and laws established by...

Peter referred to Noah as a " preacher of righteousness " ( 2 Peter 2:5 ) and pointed out how God preserved him alive from the judgment of the great flood which destroyed the ungodly.  Pastor Drew shared this morning at Calvary Chapel Sydney how Noah testified of this coming judgment in two primary ways.  The first was with words as a preacher of righteousness for over a century.  God had told him plainly in  Genesis 6:13 , " The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth ."  Believing this to be the case, Noah warned others.  The second way he demonstrated his belief was through the building of a massive wooden ship.  As he was commanded he built the enormous ship and loaded it with provisions for a voyage - nowhere near a large body of water on dry land. Ultimately the word of God was fulfilled, and Noah and those who sought refuge in the ark were pr...

The world awoke to news of a calculated but senseless attack on random citizens in New York which claimed the lives of at least 8 people and wounded many more.  To think a person's life is at risk walking or leisurely riding a bike with friends targeted by a rampaging driver is alarming and tragic.  So where does an overwhelmed soul go from here?  Assembling in a show of angry defiance?  Fear and isolation?  Justice is needed for the perpetrator, but not vengeance upon potential suspects.  The LORD God, He will repay. Recently I read Psalm 91 , an encouraging passage for all those who place their confidence in God.  The terrible things we hear and the news and painful circumstances we face threaten to rob us of joy given us by our Saviour Jesus Christ, but by His grace we can rest peacefully as we look to Him and remember God's promises.  Fear prevents us from being strong and courageous.  Bad things happen to believers and unbelievers a...