TEXT: ‘Hezekiah took the letter from the envoy and read it. He went to The Temple of God and spread it out before God. And Hezekiah prayed—oh, how he prayed! God, God of Israel, seated in majesty on the cherubim-throne. You are the one and only God, sovereign over all kingdoms on earth, Maker of heaven, maker of earth’ (2 Kings 19:14-15 MSG) THOUGHT: The biblical account about King Hezekiah gives an interesting perspective on how his prayer life developed. It’s easy to neglect prayer when the going is easy, but when trouble comes we can be left wondering what to do. After his coronation, the first thing Hezekiah did was to re-open God’s house and clear out all the rubbish.1 He was a godly king who had a heart for God. Jesus taught, ‘Seek first the kingdom of God’ (Matthew 6:33) and that’s exactly what Hezekiah did. As a result, blessing abounded and divine healings lifted the nation’s spirit.2 The kingdom of Judah enjoyed a time of prosperity, spiritually and economically as Hezekiah did what was good, right and true before the Lord his God. But trouble is never far away, even during the best of times. The Assyrian army, which had overrun Israel, was looking to add...
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TEXT: ‘I, Simon Peter, am a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ. I write this to you whose experience with God is as life-changing as ours, all due to our God’s straight dealing and the intervention of our God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Grace and peace to you many times over as you deepen in your experience with God and Jesus, our Master’ (2 Peter 1:1 MSG) THOUGHT: Simon Peter is one of the twelve apostles we can more readily identify with. At times he put his foot in it, but on other occasions he got it exactly right. Today’s Teaching is a snapshot of his life which will help us to see the “Simon Peter” in all of us and what areas need attention. 1. Realisation – ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!’ (Luke 5:8) This is our starting point. Unless we see ourselves as a sinner, we will never see the need for a saviour. Simon Peter had been introduced to Jesus by his brother Andrew.1 It’s wonderful when family members respond to our invitation to come. After loaning Jesus the use of his boat, Peter heard His teaching and then experienced the miraculous catch of fish.2 Peter’s despair over his...
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TEXT: ‘That they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord’ (Isaiah 61:3) THOUGHT: Recently reading how Solomon built the temple, I noticed certain trees were used in its construction.1Jesus said, ‘I will build My church.’2 The bible also says, ‘You are the temple of the living God.’3 How the trees ended up in the temple can help us understand our position and function as part of God’s temple. There are five things I want to highlight about the types of wood used. It was Chosen Google search reveals over 60,000 species of trees in the world, yet only five were chosen for building the temple. Cedar – for walls and roof supports. Cypress – for floors and doors. Olive – for the Cherubim, doors and doorposts of the Most Holy Place. Algum or Almug – for steps and instruments. Acacia – for the Ark of the Covenant. Everything in Solomon’s temple was brand new except the Ark of the Covenant. God does not change. Make sure that whatever you are building has God in the midst! Different woods were chosen for different positions and functions. Jesus said, ‘You did not choose Me, but I have chosen you.’4 Peter wrote, ‘You are a chosen generation, a...
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TEXT: ‘Our bodies have many parts, but the many parts make up only one body when they are all put together. So it is with the “body” of Christ’ (1 Corinthians 12:12 TLB) THOUGHT: For twelve years from November 2000, I worked for a healthcare company that started the New Year with a six day European Convention, held in a very nice hotel somewhere a lot warmer than the UK. The company made up a slogan to inspire and maintain sales during the year. “Dare to do more in 2004” and “Double your drive in 2005” were a couple I remember. January is a good time to decide how you will function as a Christian throughout the year. The Apostle Paul taught the Corinthian church the importance of realising all Christians make up just one body – Christ. He also emphasised the role that each Christian should play and be the person God has created them to be. There are three things I want to emphasise from our text and the passage it is taken from. Christians are identical before and after conversion Although we are all different, in God’s eyes we are all the same in two ways. 1. Concerning Sin The Bible says, ‘All have sinned and...
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