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...
Learn More
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...
Learn More
TEXT: ‘No, dear brothers, I am still not all I should be, but I am bringing all my energies to bear on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God is calling us up to heaven because of what Christ Jesus did for us’ (Philippians 3:13-14 TLB) THOUGHT: New Year: the time to look back and forward. No one could have imagined in 2019 how 2020 would turn out. So it’s with trepidation we wonder what 2021 will bring, especially with new Covid variants causing a surge in infections and deaths, and the imposition of even more restrictive ones. It is also the time of year to make resolutions: goals to achieve; habits to give up; lifestyles to change. While it is easy to start off with best intentions, so often it ends with failure before the end of January! I have been impressed how the Apostle Paul faced the future and overcame personal battles within. There are three aspects I want to highlight. Forgetting the Past – ‘forgetting those things which are behind us’ 2020 is a year most of us want to forget, yet many will find it...
Learn More
TEXT: ‘For unto us a child is born; unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder. These will be his royal titles: “Wonderful,” “Counsellor,” “The Mighty God,” “The Everlasting Father,” “The Prince of Peace”’ (Isaiah 9:6 TLB) THOUGHT: Countless adverts promote the new iPhone 12 with its 5G download speed. People look enviously at the person who now has it. Advertisers choose to ignore the Tenth Commandment, ‘You shall not covet your neighbour’s house ….nor anything that is your neighbour’s’ (Exodus 20:17). Instead they promote the erroneous idea that we must have the latest product for it will make us a better person and one to be envied, when in reality all it does most of the time is make us poorer. The excitement of getting soon wears off, but the commitment to keep paying continues if we have used credit. So let’s consider a 5G Christmas from heaven’s viewpoint. 1G – God ‘In the beginning God’ (John 1:1). Everything starts with God because He is the One who started everything in the first place. ‘All things were made through Him’ (John 1:3). So the first challenge is, “Will God receive an acknowledgement or even get a look-in during my festive celebrations?” 2G...
Learn More
TEXT: ‘Samuel then took a stone and placed it between Mizpah and Jeshanah and named it Ebenezer (meaning, “the Stone of Help”), for he said, “The Lord has certainly helped us!”’ (1 Samuel 7:12 TLB) THOUGHT: My favourite DVD is probably ‘The Muppets Christmas Carol’ and a certainty for watching again during December. Based on Charles Dicken’s novel, the story is about a miserly moneylender called Ebenezer Scrooge. He was so intent on amassing wealth that he did not care who he exploited or what relationship he ruined. On Christmas Eve night he was visited by three spirits who showed him his past, present and future. They helped him discover the true meaning of Christmas as a time for love, joy and giving and revolutionised his lifestyle, much to the amazement of everyone who knew him. Every time I watch it I always say, “If I was Prime Minister I would make everybody watch it at Christmas”, so powerful is its message! Today’s Teaching is about the place called “Ebenezer” and there are four important truths we can learn from the events that happened there. Ebenezer – The Place of a Previous Defeat – ‘Israel went out to battle against the Philistines, and encamped beside Ebenezer’ (1 Samuel 4:1) Israel...
Learn More
TEXT: ‘Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest’ (Hebrews 3:1 NIV) THOUGHT: In Part 1 we studied who Jesus really is; a merciful, faithful, compassionate, sinless, humble and eternal High Priest. Not one word can really describe Christ as a person. He is like a sparkling, many-faceted diamond. Whichever way we look we see something different that is just as relevant and attractive as all the other qualities. In Part 2 we now consider three other aspects of His High Priesthood. His Completion Jesus is now seated – ‘We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens’ (Hebrews 8:1) Jesus came to serve, not to be served and to sacrifice Himself rather than to receive the sacrifices. ‘But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God’ (Hebrews 10:1). He accomplished all that the Father asked Him to do. ‘I have finished the work You gave Me to do’ (John 17:4). He cried out on the cross, ‘It is finished’ (John 19:30). What Jesus did, He did once,...
Learn More
Recent Comments