The Son of God Rejected

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Now I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a rich and fertile hill. He ploughed the land, cleared its stones, and planted it with the best vines. In the middle, he built a watchtower and carved a winepress in the nearby rocks. Then he waited for a harvest of sweet grapes, but the grapes that grew were bitter.”
Isaiah 5:1-2 NLT
“Now listen to another story. A certain landowner planted a vineyard, built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country. At the time of the grape harvest, he sent his servants to collect his share of the crop.”
Matthew 21:33-34 NLT

In this, another parable from Jesus, using a vineyard to illustrate His point, he told the story of a landowner who planted a vineyard, equipped it with a hedge, a winepress, and a tower, and leased it to tenants before going to a distant country. When harvest time came, he sent servants to collect his share of the fruit, but the tenants abused and stoned them. After sending more servants, who ended up with the same fate, the householder finally sent his son, thinking they will respect him. Instead, the tenants conspired to kill the son to seize his inheritance, and they subsequently did so. The owner then punished the tenants and leased the vineyard to others who produced its fruit in due season. The landowner represented God and the vineyard symbolised Israel, the people of God. The tenants who had leased the vineyard, and agreed to pay the rent through providing a share of the crops, were the religious leaders in Israel at that time, and they treated the servants sent by the landowner very badly, servants who represented the prophets who were often rejected and even killed by the people they shared God’s message with. The son represented Jesus Christ, whose rejection and subsequent crucifixion fulfilled the central message of the parable.

So, what do we learn from this parable? The story builds the picture that God is patient, and is prepared to send multiple messages to people in the land of Israel, as well as to everyone in the ages and generations since. But there comes a time when judgment replaces grace. Jesus asked the religious leaders who listened to His parable what they made of it. ““When the owner of the vineyard returns,” Jesus asked, “what do you think he will do to those farmers?”” (Matthew 21:40). The next verse provided their response, “The religious leaders replied, “He will put the wicked men to a horrible death and lease the vineyard to others who will give him his share of the crop after each harvest””. An interesting response because they damned themselves in their reply. Finally, the penny dropped and we read, “When the leading priests and Pharisees heard this parable, they realised he was telling the story against them—they were the wicked farmers” (Matthew 21:45).

So, is there anything here that is of help to us pilgrims? I cannot think of any situation where a Christian would reject and even abuse someone sent from God. The problem for the religious leaders in Jesus’ day was that they failed to recognise Him as the Messiah. In fact, it went further than that, because Jesus challenged their cosy little world, with its financial benefits and their favour with the Roman authorities. So it was quite likely that even if they did accept Jesus as the Messiah, the consequences for their lives was something that they could not accept.

So it is with people today. Quite often when we share the Gospel with someone we find that, after initial interest, a rejection follows because the person realises that there is a cost to following Jesus. “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it” (Matthew 16:24-25). Jesus also said the following, a scripture that has been much misinterpreted, “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26-27). There is indeed a cost when we turn from our natural, sinful lives, and instead repent of our sins and follow Jesus and His ways. Too often, a different Gospel has been preached with words that emphasise God’s love and grace, perhaps majoring on prosperity or healing, but one that minimises or ignores His righteousness and judgment, and people entering the Kingdom of God through that route often find that they are not prepared for what is to follow.

We pilgrims are a people who are true believers of Jesus, and we know the cost. We have experienced God’s blessings and, for us, there is no turning back.

Dear Heavenly Father. Thank You for Your grace and love. For just a little while on this earth we suffer and put aside the desires of our flesh. We thank You for all You have done for us. Amen.


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Vineyard Parables: Lessons on Grace and Generosity

Posted on by Adrian Clark
Vineyard rows on rolling green hills with a village and farm buildings in the distance

“Now I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a rich and fertile hill. He ploughed the land, cleared its stones, and planted it with the best vines. In the middle, he built a watchtower and carved a winepress in the nearby rocks. Then he waited for a harvest of sweet grapes, but the grapes that grew were bitter.”
Isaiah 5:1-2 NLT
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.”
Matthew 20:1-2 NIVUK

Here is another parable about a vineyard, this time from Jesus, our Master, who taught about Kingdom truths in the form of parables. We know the story. The owner of the vineyard hired some workers early one morning, and he sent them to work tending the vines. He agreed to give them the standard manual rate for a day’s work in those days – a denarius. But, deciding that he needed more labour, he returned to the marketplace several times during the day to hire more workers. He agreed to pay each of them the standard day’s rate, even though they were starting to work later in the day. Finally, at the end of the day, the owner instructed his foreman to give each worker a denarius, starting with those who had joined the workplace most recently. What followed was much grumbling from the workforce, particularly from those who had worked from early in the morning. We read, “When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. “Those who were hired last worked only one hour,” they said, “and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day”” (Matthew 20:11-12). This is a wonderful picture of God’s grace, so freely given. If we equate the denarius to the gift of salvation, we see that no matter when we receive the gift, we will be accepted into His Kingdom. Jesus finished this parable with the words, “‘But [the vineyard owner] answered one of them, “I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?” ‘So the last will be first, and the first will be last’” (Matthew 20:13-16). Whether or not we have been a Christian for 50 years or 50 minutes, the outcome is the same. God’s generosity and grace know no bounds.

The vineyard in this parable represents the Kingdom of God, and the vineyard owner is God Himself. In the vineyard, the workers are God’s people, but we should note that they are not just standing around, doing nothing. They are working at tending the vines. They will be removing weeds that spring up around the roots. They will pick off harmful insects that might be sapping the strength of the vines. And when harvest time arrives, they will collect the grapes and take them to the winepress to be pressed into wine. A vineyard is a wonderful analogy for God’s Kingdom and the people we find there.

But there are some significant points that apply to us pilgrims. We have work to do in the Kingdom of God, and, incidentally, beyond. On earth, we are part of the Great Commission, working to introduce people to Jesus, and, for ourselves, we have fruit, spiritual fruit, to produce. Galatians 5:22-23, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” And instead of grumbling when we see people we feel don’t deserve it receiving God’s grace, we must rejoice along with the angels in Heaven.

Heavenly Father. Thank You for Your grace and patience. You lovingly accepted even sinners like us into Your Kingdom, something for which we will be eternally grateful. Amen.



Bearing Fruit: Lessons from Jesus’ Vineyard Parable

Posted on by Adrian Clark
Person wearing gloves and a hat pruning vines in a foggy vineyard at sunrise

“I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: my loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.”
Isaiah 5:1-2 NIVUK
“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.”   John 15:1-4 NLT 

The first four verses of John 15 were much referred to in the early days of the charismatic renewal. I can still remember a conference sermon based on these verses, delivered in 1979 or thereabouts, in which the speaker lambasted the charismatic audience for producing lots of leaves but no fruit. The “leaves” were all the charisma and excitement of a new move of God, but where was the Holy Spirit fruit being manifested in people’s lives? But Jesus’ illustration was clear. He described Himself as being like a grapevine from which many branches emanated, and there are as many branches as there are believers. The grapevine has always been of great spiritual significance to the Jews. For example, we read in Isaiah 5:1-7 about a vineyard God planted with great care, but instead of producing a harvest of sweet grapes, its fruit was bitter. And Isaiah finished with, “The nation of Israel is the vineyard of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The people of Judah are his pleasant garden. He expected a crop of justice, but instead he found oppression. He expected to find righteousness, but instead he heard cries of violence ” (Isaiah 5:7). So, when Jesus described Himself as the Grapevine, the people of His land would know what He meant.  

To a Christian, a true, born-again believer in Jesus, His presence in our lives is indispensable. We cannot survive for long without Jesus’ life-giving spiritual nourishment, which sustains us and provides the resources we need for our daily life and pilgrimage. Sadly, some try to live without Jesus. They will read their Bibles. They will do all the right things, singing all the hymns and saying all the prayers, following their denominational liturgies to a fault, but in reality, they have been cut off from the true Grapevine. Their hope is that if they dig in and don’t do anything they shouldn’t, then they will get into Heaven. But Jesus went on to talk about fruit. Which brings us around to the thought – what fruit are we pilgrims producing? 

Jesus’ analogy was that He was the Grapevine but His Father was the Gardener. The thing about a vine is that it can’t just be left year after year, in the hope that the crop of grapes will never end. It has to be pruned. Dead and unfruitful branches must be cut off. The farmer and his staff therefore, and with great skill, know exactly where to prune to maximise the return on their investment. Some parts of the vine will stop producing the sort of grapes that are required, so those branches have to go. Other parts only produce small grapes – they are no good either. And so by careful husbandry, the vine is cleaned and fruitful. In a spiritual setting, the Master Vinedresser, Father God Himself, carefully does His pruning, and by doing so He allows even more spiritual fruit to be realised. What are we doing that we shouldn’t be doing? Can we feel the secateurs starting to cut? Are we producing fruit that is bitter and sour? Cut, cut. And so the process continues day by day, through God’s careful pruning.  

Thankfully, the Master Gardener is very patient. In Luke 13:6-9 we read, “Then Jesus told this story: “A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. Finally, he said to his gardener, ‘I’ve waited three years, and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it down. It’s just taking up space in the garden.’ “The gardener answered, ‘Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention and plenty of fertiliser. If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down.’”” God is in no hurry to lop off unfruitful branches, but in the end, fruitless branches are finally cut off and burned, and there is no way that they can be re-attached without repentance at the foot of the Cross. Thankfully, our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, will never reject a repentant sinner.  

Dear Father God, the Wonderful Master Gardener, we praise and thank You today. Amen.

The Parable of the Vineyard: Lessons from Isaiah

Posted on by Adrian Clark
Rain showers over vineyard with grapevines and dirt path under dark stormy clouds

“Now I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a rich and fertile hill. He ploughed the land, cleared its stones, and planted it with the best vines. In the middle, he built a watchtower and carved a winepress in the nearby rocks. Then he waited for a harvest of sweet grapes, but the grapes that grew were bitter.”
Isaiah 5:1-2 NLT

A song about a vineyard. A strange topic for the lyrics? But there have been many stranger ones. People of my vintage might remember the Beatles song, “I Am a Walrus”, which contains the words, “Semolina pilchard climbing up the Eiffel Tower/Elementary penguin singing Hare Krishna”. A good example of piffle, and reminiscent of an age of drug experimentation, hippies, and general nonsense. But Isaiah penned lyrics that describe the establishment of a vineyard. It belonged to the “beloved” who prepared the ground well, removing anything that would get in the way of the growing root systems. The best vines were planted, and all the infrastructure necessary for the functioning of a vineyard, such as the watchtower and the winepress, were put in place. But all to no avail – the fruit was not the intended sweet grapes, but instead, the fruit was bitter and of no use at all. 

What was there about this song that led to its being included in the Bible, in Isaiah’s writings? The first two verses of Isaiah 5 are part of the “Parable of the Vineyard”, a seven-verse story of God’s love for His people and how they spurned and abused His care. It was a lengthy process to create a vineyard from scratch. The correct location had to be found, with soil suitable for the best crops and free of rocks and stones that would prevent vine growth. The locals in Isaiah’s time would have known very well what was required and how long it would take, and the song’s topic was a good example of God’s love for His people. The song describes how, after his beloved had worked hard in preparation and waited for his first harvest, the grapes turned out to be “bitter.” Instead of the sweet grapes used for making wine, the owner discovers that after all the work he has put into his vineyard, the harvest is worthless. 

The next two verses of the parable continue with a question: “Now, you people of Jerusalem and Judah, you judge between me and my vineyard. What more could I have done for my vineyard that I have not already done? When I expected sweet grapes, why did my vineyard give me bitter grapes?” Why, after all of that hard work and preparation, did the fruit turn out to be sour and worthless? What more could have been done? Was it the owner of the vineyard who had done something wrong, or was it the vines, or perhaps the soil? At this point, the listeners were asked for their opinions. But the vineyard owner acted before any response was recorded, taking remedial action by abandoning the vineyard. Walls and hedges were broken down, and the beautifully prepared vineyard would become a wild place of weeds, thorns, and brambles; a dry and dreary place indeed.

But finally, the song’s explanation was given. “The nation of Israel is the vineyard of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The people of Judah are his pleasant garden. He expected a crop of justice, but instead he found oppression. He expected to find righteousness, but instead he heard cries of violence” (Isaiah 5:7). The verse is self-explanatory and continues the complaint given in previous chapters. Judah was behaving in a way that was against God’s design, a way in which oppression, injustice, unrighteousness, and sin were prevalent, all characteristics that were the opposite of God’s expectations. The vineyard owner was none other than God Himself, and the beloved was the Lord. The vineyard was Israel and Judah, and the Lord was going to great lengths to ensure the people understood that He established His people as His own. They were His vineyard. His desire for them was that of a grape farmer, that his vines would produce good and useful fruit.

What lesson can we pilgrims draw from this parable, since we were not living in Judah nearly three thousand years ago? Our “vineyard” is well established where God has planted us, and we have a manual of expectations, the Bible, that describes the fruit that He expects. Paul even described the fruit, which can be found in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” We would do well to reflect on the “Parable of the Vineyard” and think of our Heavenly Father, who loves us so much, who has done so much for us, and who even sent His Son, Jesus, to ensure that we would one day be in His presence. 

Dear Father God. Thank You for Your care and compassion. Help us to be willing workers in Your vineyard here in our place and generation, that we too would produce the fruit You require. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Isaiah’s Vision: Hope and Judgment in Jerusalem

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“But in that day, the branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious; the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of all who survive in Israel. All who remain in Zion will be a holy people— those who survive the destruction of Jerusalem and are recorded among the living. The Lord will wash the filth from beautiful Zion and cleanse Jerusalem of its bloodstains with the hot breath of fiery judgment. Then the Lord will provide shade for Mount Zion and all who assemble there. He will provide a canopy of cloud during the day and smoke and flaming fire at night, covering the glorious land. It will be a shelter from daytime heat and a hiding place from storms and rain.”
Isaiah 4:2-6 NLT

In his vision, Isaiah could see the day when the Lord would have dealt with the “filth” in Jerusalem by applying “the hot breath of [His] fiery judgement”. He could see a beautiful and glorious city with the survivors, a holy people, washed and cleansed. And the Lord will protect Mount Zion, where Jerusalem was located, with something reminiscent of the flight of the Israelite slaves from Egypt – “a canopy of cloud during the day and smoke and flaming fire at night”.

But what was the “branch of the Lord” that Isaiah could see? Some scholars believe this is a pointer to the coming Messiah, Jesus Himself, the divine descendant of David. There is also mention of the branch in Zechariah 3:8, “Listen to me, O Jeshua the high priest, and all you other priests. You are symbols of things to come. Soon I am going to bring my servant, the Branch.” But is this a prophecy foretelling the First or Second coming of Jesus? Perhaps there is more evidence for the Second, because we have read Revelation and the chapter about the new Jerusalem. However, the picture of a redeemed and holy people, a remnant who have survived the destruction of Jerusalem is an encouragement that God will always bring new shoots of growth as he fulfils His promises to His people. Judgment will ultimately come at the End of the Age, and the “filth [of] beautiful Zion” will be washed away. In the parable of the Wheat and Tares we read, “Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn” (Matthew 13:30). Jesus’ parable describes how good and bad people will co-exist until the “harvest”, which is the End of the Age, the day of Judgment. Isaiah also referred to “the fruit of the land”, perhaps an indication of blessing and peace being restored after devastation and judgment. 

Isaiah could see a remnant of God’s people surviving the destruction of Jerusalem. But what about those, the larger group, who will not survive? They are those whom Isaiah spoke out against in the previous chapters. Amongst them were people who “made alliances with pagans”, who practised sorcery, who were involved in idolatry, and who rebelled against God. God views sin very seriously and sooner or later has to deal with it. Judgment is real and will ultimately cleanse His people, but in each generation, a small group of His covenant people remains. Today we are the people, people of the New Covenant, who Peter wrote about in 1 Peter 2:9, “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light”. 

We notice that Isaiah’s vision did not indicate when the judgment would occur. It was a warning to all those who engaged in sinful behaviour, and many, then as now, refuse to believe that God’s judgment would actually take place. People today live their lives without considering that there will come a time when they will be held to account for their sins. That judgment will occur is without any doubt, because, otherwise, why was it necessary for Jesus to come to this world? He came to provide a remedy for sin so that all who believe in Him will not have to face the terror of judgment. I recently met a man who shared a concern that he needed to move out of London for his retirement, but was at a loss about where to move to. I asked him if he had a faith, and he talked about his Roman Catholic upbringing, but admitted that he rarely gave God any thoughts anymore. I gently reminded him of John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”, after which I talked about sin and the need for salvation in Jesus, as otherwise the only alternative was that he would “perish“. He went away thoughtful, and I pray that the Holy Spirit directs his house move to a place where he will find a Christian community.

Do we pilgrims know someone who needs to hear the same message? After all, there are plenty of opportunities because Jesus said, “ ... The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Luke 10:2). So perhaps we need to brush up on our testimonies and have them ready for the next person we happen to meet.

Dear Father God. Please lead us to the people You want us to share Your wonderful message of hope with. We thank You for Jesus and all He did for us in Jerusalem, two thousand years ago. Amen.

Reviving Moral Leadership in a Troubled Society

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“I will make boys their leaders, and toddlers their rulers. People will oppress each other— man against man, neighbour against neighbour. Young people will insult their elders, and vulgar people will sneer at the honourable. In those days a man will say to his brother, “Since you have a coat, you be our leader! Take charge of this heap of ruins!” But he will reply, ‘No! I can’t help. I don’t have any extra food or clothes. Don’t put me in charge!’”
Isaiah 3:4-7 NLT

The verses this morning describe a society that has collapsed into chaos and dysfunction. Boys and toddlers are obviously unsuitable leaders in society but that seems to be the only option left because, as we read in the previous verses, all the competent people had been removed from Judah by the invading armies. When Isaiah wrote this, he could see in a vision what was to come, but history recorded the fact that it actually happened. The Jews ignored his words and ultimately discovered that God spoke truth through His servants. 

There was no social cohesion following the initial exile and no remedy for the crimes of insults and oppression. Faced with no restrictions the true colours of a sinful people started to emerge, with neighbours trying to benefit themselves at the expense of their fellow neighbours. With young people behaving terribly to their elders, and “vulgar people [sneering] at the honourable” amongst them, things were going from bad to worse. The vacuum in leadership was very apparent and people who had even some insignificant and trivial benefit, such as a coat, were promoted as a leader, only to find that they subsequently refused.

But as we read these words today, we see parallels with society today in the UK. Attitudes and beliefs are polarising in a society that contains many different people groups. The cohesion that is present in a God-believing society has all but collapsed in our secular environment, forcing the government to bring in legislation that enables our overstretched police forces to implement moral laws. Hate crimes are now common place and even Christian pastors are being arrested while they preach the Good News about Jesus in public places, all because what they have to say “offends” someone. “Free speech” now seems to be a thing of the past. And our political leaders lack the ability and vision to lead the country through difficult times, putting the “Great” back into “Britain” in the process.

Thankfully, there are still many Christians in the UK who pray for their communities and government faithfully. Churches still hold services. There are Christians amongst our politicians. We pilgrims pray for a Godly society, one in which peace, justice and love prevail. Such a society is committed to God’s values, particularly those that honour the sanctity of life, is fair, and looks after the vulnerable. Justice and reconciliation between different people groups, coupled with just generosity, must be there, but in it all the roots of the society we need is based in God’s Word, the Bible. All we need for society in the way that God planned is there.

So we pilgrims pray. And keep on praying. We refer to our mission, that we are here “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). Jesus said early on in His Sermon on the Mount, “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your Heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:13-16).

But before we go on a rant about how bad our government is, we note what Paul’s wrote in Romans 13. “Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God” (Romans 13:1). A little further down the page, Paul wrote something else that is a bit contentious, “Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do” (Romans 13:6). We do not have to take matters into our own hands and rebel in some way, because there will be a time when our leaders and tax authorities will be called into account before God’s throne. God will bless us when, or if, we are badly treated by the authorities, because the treasure that matters is being stored up for us in Heaven.

So we pilgrims pray, and keep praying, for our leaders and anyone else in authorities, because that is must what we do as “salt and light” in our society. We are the “glue” that bonds our dysfunctional society and aligns us with God’s will and purposes for our world.

Dear Heavenly Father. Please help us to be Your witnesses in the places where we live, leading us and guiding us as You desire. Amen.

Overcoming Anxiety through Faith and Prayer

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“On that day of judgement they will abandon the gold and silver idols they made for themselves to worship. They will leave their gods to the rodents and bats, while they crawl away into caverns and hide among the jagged rocks in the cliffs. They will try to escape the terror of the Lord and the glory of his majesty as he rises to shake the earth. Don’t put your trust in mere humans. They are as frail as breath. What good are they?”
Isaiah 2:20-22 NLT

The remainder of Isaiah 2 continues with details of what will happen on “that day of judgement” when “only the Lord will be exalted”. The verses list a sobering and depressing series of catastrophes that will impact the Israelites, and all because of their sin, rebellion, and idolatry. It wasn’t just a minor inconvenience now and then, but a series of disasters as their society was dismantled and destroyed. And through it all, “Human pride will be humbled, and human arrogance will be brought down” (Isaiah 2:17a). Chapter 2 ends with the observation, “Don’t put your trust in mere humans. They are as frail as breath. What good are they?” 

The pathetic nature of human abilities can be seen in many national crises over the centuries, as one ruler after another led their people into wars and other catastrophes, often as they chased ideologies that were just as Godless as those the Israelites sought after. And today the practice continues with out-of-touch politicians and business leaders following the sad observation at the end of the Book of Judges – “In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes” (Judges 21:25). That’s human nature without a compass to lead them in the paths of righteousness. So today in the UK, Godless laws are leaving the stain of sin all over society. Abortion is a crime of the highest proportion and God will not allow such an atrocity to continue for long, I’m sure. The US has largely stepped back from the brink but the UK is even seeking to extend its scope. Then we have the ideologues who are promoting celebrations of all sorts of gender deviations. There are even going to be steps to make “Conversion Therapy” illegal, and I’m sure there will be other attempts to reintroduce Assisted Suicide in the Westminster Parliament. Our politicians surely tick the “What good are they?” box. It is no wonder that mental health, or should it be “mental ill-health”, is an endemic problem. 

We pilgrims must pray and keep praying that there will soon be a time when the wrongs are reversed, and the delusions that have gripped so many in our societies are resolved. But one form of mental illness that is increasing is caused by anxiety. Without a moral compass in our societies, people cast around looking for foundations that are solid and immovable, and, while most are debilitated by their feelings and emotions, some are turning to the Church because it is only there that they find the stability that they are looking for. Bible sales are also increasing, because it is only in God’s Word that something to trust can be found. But anxiety is something that is creeping over our society gradually but seemingly unstoppable. 

Are we pilgrims feeling anxious this morning? As I cast my eyes over the news today, there is much there to cause depression and worry. But God has a remedy, and many scriptures are there to help. The first thing that we do, must do in fact, is pray. Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”. We should also turn to Romans 12:2, which reads, “Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect”.  

Father God. We realise that as we think and pray Your way, through the help of Your Spirit within us, we are aligning ourselves to Your will and purposes. And we pray for ourselves, that we will grow in grace to be more like Your Son, Jesus. Thank You, Lord. Amen.

The Refining Process: Purity Through Pain

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Therefore, the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the Mighty One of Israel, says, “I will take revenge on my enemies and pay back my foes! I will raise my fist against you. I will melt you down and skim off your slag. I will remove all your impurities. Then I will give you good judges again and wise counsellors like you used to have. Then Jerusalem will again be called the Home of Justice and the Faithful City.”“
Isaiah 1:24-26 NLT

The previous verses in Isaiah 1 paint a picture of a corrupt Jerusalem. In the prophecy, Isaiah wrote of a series of comparisons between the Jerusalem of old, “Once the home of righteousness and justice” and now instead being “filled with murderers”. The Lord said that Jerusalem was “Once like pure silver, [but had now] become like worthless slag”. It wasn’t, of course, the bricks and mortar of Jerusalem that had become corrupt, but it was the people who lived within its walls. They “loved bribes and demanded payoffs” and refused “to defend the cause of orphans or fight for the rights of widows”. The leaders were a morally flawed people who selfishly lined their own pockets and neglected the social needs of the people. But that didn’t let the ordinary inhabitants of Jerusalem off the hook because they were all pursuing an agenda that was in conflict with God’s and found themselves vulnerable to judgement and punishment.

So with that background, the “Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the Mighty One of Israel” was warning then that a time was coming when He would take revenge on these corrupt and Godless people so that Jerusalem could be restored to what it should have been, “the Home of Justice and the Faithful City”. The process would involve much pain, the Lord said, with the inhabitants going through a refining process and all the dross, the useless rubbish, being removed. And the corrupt leaders would be replaced by honest judges and wise and capable leaders, all of them God-fearing and tasked with restoring Jerusalem’s reputation.

When was this going to happen? That was up to the people. If they repented of their sin and returned to the Lord, then God would not have needed to take any action at all. That was why He chose Isaiah to be His messenger to the people. It was always better for people to change themselves rather than force God’s hand.

A prophet called Zechariah emerged in Jerusalem about 200 years after Isaiah, and he spoke the Lord’s message to the people in Jerusalem, which had been rebuilt after the exile. He had a similar warning to the people as Isaiah’s, and in Zechariah 13, he warned the people that a time was coming when two-thirds of the people would perish. Of the remaining third, the Lord said, “I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure. I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God’” (Zechariah 13:9). The refining process was something that was going to happen under God’s control. A skilled silversmith will carefully refine the silver, watching what is happening closely. The purpose of the process is to remove all the impurities so that the silver becomes pure, and when the silver has been fully refined, the silversmith can see his reflection in the surface of the silver. If we spiritualise that we can see that “silver” is the people, and the impurities are the sins and evil they committed. Once refined, God can see His reflection in the people, meaning that all their sins have been dealt with, and they reflect God to the people around them.

So for us pilgrims today, God’s refining process continues. Through life’s journeys, God carefully and gently deals with our sin. The Holy Spirit within us brings to the surface situations and behaviours that need to be dealt with and cleansed. Sins are skimmed off one by one as we clean up our lives under God’s gaze, until our lives truly reflect the One we love and worship. It can be a painful process, particularly for those stubbornly entrenched in a life of sin and who are reluctant to let go. But God loves us too much to allow us to continue in a life of sin. 

When we find ourselves going through the “crucible of silver”, we need to allow the Master Silversmith His way, no matter how painful that might be, so that one day we will be in His presence, pure and holy, the people that He created us to be.

Dear Heavenly Silversmith. Thank You that You care for us so much that You don’t want us to languish in our sins. Through Jesus, You supplied a remedy for our iniquities, and we come before Him today with deeply grateful hearts, responding to Him in worship. Amen.

From Righteousness to Ruin: Jerusalem’s Spiritual Crisis

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“See how Jerusalem, once so faithful, has become a prostitute. Once the home of justice and righteousness, she is now filled with murderers. Once like pure silver, you have become like worthless slag. Once so pure, you are now like watered-down wine. Your leaders are rebels, the companions of thieves. All of them love bribes and demand payoffs, but they refuse to defend the cause of orphans or fight for the rights of widows.”
Isaiah 1:21-23 NLT

Having provided a remedy for the Israelites’ sin and idolatry, in which God offered to make their crimson sins as white as snow “if you will only obey Me”, God directs His complaint against the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Isaiah lived in the Southern Kingdom, Judah, and probably lived in Jerusalem, so he was well placed to observe what was going on, and he was appalled by what he saw. Jerusalem, once the City of God, “Once the home of justice and righteousness”, had lapsed into sin and evil, so bad that Isaiah likened their situation there to the actions of a prostitute. Jerusalem, once a city of people faithful to God, was now filled with murderers. 

After building the Temple, around 959 BC, Solomon dedicated it to the Lord, with a prayer full of prophetic warnings about what would happen to Israel should they sin against the Lord. Verses such as “If your people Israel are defeated by their enemies because they have sinned against you, and if they turn back and acknowledge your name and pray to you here in this Temple, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and return them to this land you gave to them and to their ancestors” I2 Chronicles 6:24-25). Further on in his prayer, we read, “If they sin against you—and who has never sinned?—you might become angry with them and let their enemies conquer them and take them captive to a foreign land far away or near”. And we know that this was something that really came to pass around 250 years later. The Temple provided a focal point where the Jews could confess their sins before God and receive His forgiveness, but here we are in a situation where Jerusalem has become a place of iniquity.

The worship going on in the Temple had become an empty caricature of what God desired, and He was sick of their burnt offerings and all the other rituals that had become meaningless because they no longer connected with Him. The hands raised in prayer were stained with “the blood of innocent victims” offered by “rebels, the companions of thieves”. And so, Isaiah’s vision was a timely warning to a people whose behaviour and unfaithfulness to God were compared to sexual immorality and “worthless slag”. 

So what do we pilgrims make of all this? Perhaps the people in Jerusalem had become complacent with character traits we can still observe today. They were behaving in ways that were sinful, and yet they thought they were getting away with it. How many people today think the same? They discover that their sins are not found out, and so they decide to continue with them. Our politicians make decisions that are against God’s decrees, such as legalising abortion, but because they are never held to account, they think that their evil decisions don’t matter. No lightning bolt from Heaven stopped them, so they think that God doesn’t care, even if they believe He exists in the first place.

But we live in a moral universe, and one day the scales of justice will be balanced, and punishment dispensed. In Isaiah’s time, the people were punished for their sins, resulting in captivity and exile. But in our season of God’s grace, He is being very patient. Peter wrote, “But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment” (2 Peter 3:8-10). 

Jerusalem was a city in which the people were behaving badly. Our local cities and towns are no different. But God had a plan and He sent His Son, Jesus, to take the punishment we deserved for our sins. We pilgrims have a mission to tell our fellow citizens of the love and grace of God wrapped up in the ultimate message of Good News. In a nutshell, we have a simple statement that says, “Hell is hot, Heaven is real, and Jesus saves”. Let us put it out there wherever we live, and whenever we can, at every opportunity. 

Heavenly Father. Thank You for Jesus, and His willing sacrifice at Calvary. Please be with us as we share You with anyone who will listen. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Israel and Sodom

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“If the Lord of Heaven’s Armies had not spared a few of us, we would have been wiped out like Sodom, destroyed like Gomorrah. Listen to the Lord, you leaders of “Sodom.” Listen to the law of our God, people of “Gomorrah.” “What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?” says the Lord. “I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened cattle. I get no pleasure from the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.”
Isaiah 1:9-11 NLT

Sodom and Gomorrah were two towns in the region around the Dead Sea, but because no conclusive evidence of their existence has been found, their exact locations are unknown. In Genesis 18, we read how Abraham interceded for Sodom, but not just because his nephew, Lot, lived there with his family. We read about the problem in Genesis 18:20, “So the Lord told Abraham, “I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, because their sin is so flagrant”. What was their sin? As we see in subsequent verses, it was sexual immorality, particularly of a homosexual nature, and a word in the English language is “sodomy”, describing such evil behaviour. But the Lord was not specific about the type of sin in His conversation with Abraham, and there could have been more. Faced with the prospect of Sodom’s destruction, “Abraham approached [the Lord] and said, “Will you sweep away both the righteous and the wicked? Suppose you find fifty righteous people living there in the city—will you still sweep it away and not spare it for their sakes? Surely you wouldn’t do such a thing, destroying the righteous along with the wicked. Why, you would be treating the righteous and the wicked exactly the same! Surely you wouldn’t do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”” (Genesis 18:23-25). The two angels, now in Sodom, were going to spend a night in the city square, but Lot persuaded them to be his guests for the night, and then we read, “But before they retired for the night, all the men of Sodom, young and old, came from all over the city and surrounded the house. They shouted to Lot, “Where are the men who came to spend the night with you? Bring them out to us so we can have sex with them!”” (Genesis 19:4-5). Lot subsequently escaped the destruction with his daughters, thanks to the angels, and we then read, “Then the Lord rained down fire and burning sulphur from the sky on Sodom and Gomorrah. He utterly destroyed them, along with the other cities and villages of the plain, wiping out all the people and every bit of vegetation” (Genesis 19:24-25).

But back to our verses today from Isaiah, where we see that the Lord could see a link between the sin of the Israelites and the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah. This was really serious stuff, and Isaiah recorded in his vision that the Lord would only spare a few of the Israelites, wiping out the rest like Sodom and Gomorrah. Were the Israelites guilty of the same sins as Sodom? This vision of Isaiah’s came at a time when the Israelites in the Northern Kingdom were increasingly being harassed by the Assyrians, who were taxing them heavily. In Israel, there was political instability and religious corruption, and, worse, idolatry was common. Over the next few years, the situation worsened, and Assyria utilised a policy of mass deportation to break the spirit of the people, with many inhabitants from the northern territories of Israel (east of the Jordan) captured and deported to Assyria, effectively stripping the country of its population and resources. Isaiah’s vision probably immediately preceded this situation and was an effective warning of what could be about to happen in Judah, the Southern Kingdom. By 722 BC, Israel in the North had effectively been destroyed. 

So what do we pilgrims learn from these verses today? One message for us is to emphasise the destructive nature of sin and how it can lead to the destruction of a nation. In Abraham’s intercession for Sodom, he asked the Lord if He would destroy the city if there were 50 righteous people inside, pleading “Surely You wouldn’t do such a thing …”. Abraham then worked his way down the numbers, 50, 45, 40, 30, 20 and then we read, “Finally, Abraham said, “Lord, please don’t be angry with me if I speak one more time. Suppose only ten are found there?” And the Lord replied, “Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten”” (Genesis 18:32).  

We pilgrims are the “salt and light” in our communities, and we are holding back the forces of darkness and the judgement of the Lord through our prayers and witness. Jesus said early on in His Sermon on the Mount, “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavour? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:13-16). Jesus didn’t just say that because the message sounded good or because it fitted an evangelistic agenda. We are perhaps the fifty or the ten who are protecting our communities from judgement. 

God is gracious and merciful, and He will do as Abraham pleaded, “Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?” God is righteous as well as loving, but He is comfortable waiting for the time when He can judge each person for how they have lived their lives here on Planet Earth. So we pilgrims must be diligent in doing our righteous deeds before men and women everywhere. Do our neighbours know about our faith? Do we care for them in the way that Jesus ordained? I’m sure that we do, and we thank God for His patience and mercy, giving us the time we need to follow the Lord and pass on our faith to the next generation.

Dear Father God. We thank You for Your grace and love, but knowing that one day Your righteousness will be seen. Please help us to be diligent in doing the things You have asked of us as we continue to be “salt and light” in our communities and families. In Jesus’ name. Amen.