Moses and Christ

Posted on by Adrian Clark

”For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.“
John 1:17 NLT

John writes now about the comparison between what is effectively law and grace. The Jews, the Israelite nation, had escaped from Egypt, and were two months into their journey to the promised land when they arrived at the wilderness of Sinai. There they set up camp. And Moses went up Mount Sinai to meet with God. “ … The Lord called to [Moses] from the mountain and said, “Give these instructions to the family of Jacob; announce it to the descendants of Israel” (Exodus 19:3). Then followed the giving of the Ten Commandments and a series of instructions and laws that God had designed for the benefit of His people. Deuteronomy 28 starts, “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the Lord your God will …” (Deuteronomy 28:1), and then there follows a list of all the good things God’s people will enjoy if they are obedient to Him. But the Israelites were warned what would happen if they failed to keep to these commandments. “But if you refuse to listen to the Lord your God and do not obey all the commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overwhelm you” (Deuteronomy 28:15). The down side of being disobedient to God is well documented. Blessings would follow obedience to God and curses would follow if disobedience was the norm. Through the law given to the Israelites came a definition for sin. But there was a problem – no person could become pure enough by following the law to satisfy God’s requirements. 

Paul started his life as a Pharisee, and he was so zealous to protect the Jewish way of life, with its laws and customs, that he even persecuted the early Christians. Galatians 1:13, “You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it.” But there was then that day when he experienced God’s grace in all its fullness after seeing a bright light, a vision of Jesus. We read, “He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”“ (Acts 9:4). Paul’s conversion was total and dramatic. He transitioned from law to grace.

What do we pilgrims think of law and grace?  Jesus didn’t come to this world to replace the Law with something else. He came to fulfil the Law by becoming the final sacrifice. So instead of trusting in rules and regulations, we trust in Jesus. We read in Romans 3:20, ”For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are“. Instead, ”God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God” (Ephesians 2:8). This does not mean that we maintain sinful thoughts and behaviours. We bring them all to the Cross in repentance. The Law shows us what God wants (holiness), and grace gives us the desire and power to be holy.

Father God. We worship You today, deeply grateful for all You have given us. Amen.

Grace Upon Grace

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.”
John 1:16 NLT
“For out of His fullness [the superabundance of His grace and truth] we have all received grace upon grace [spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, favour upon favour, and gift heaped upon gift].”
John 1:16 AMP

We can’t get past the word “grace” in our Christian lives. The reality that Christ took on Himself the consequences of our sin, dying on a Roman cross, so that we could stand before God clothed in Christ’s righteousness, is grace beyond anything we could expect, or even deserve. A reality that can only drive us to our knees in grateful thanks, in worship of God’s Son Himself. The acronym for grace – God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense – is well known but it is underpinned by today’s verse from John 1. There is no limit to God’s grace. 

A church leader I used to know was a great public evangelist, and one of his methods of gaining attention to the Gospel message was to try and hand out a bank note to a stranger in the shopping mall, emulating in a small way God’s grace. Many rushed on by, too busy or too uninterested, to stop and take the gift. Such are those who reject God’s offer of salvation, eyes blinded by the world and its sinful pleasures. They fail to see that the best offer they will ever receive in this life, worth far more than any of the world’s riches, has passed them by. For all those who have turned their backs on God, rejecting His free offer of salvation, spurning that “grace upon grace”, there is an awful alternative. Jesus said, “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” (Matthew 16:26). The alternative to accepting God’s graciousness is eternity spent in a place, as Jesus described it, “where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out” (Mark 9:48). 

For those who accept God’s offer of salvation will truly discover “spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing“, as they journey towards their goal of eternal life spent with God. To send His Son to live and die with human beings was the ultimate act of grace. 

Dear Father God. On our knees we thank You for Jesus and His willingness to die so that we might have life. Such grace! Amen.

Child of God

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.”
John 1:11-13 NLT

It has always been a puzzle to me, that the expression “born again” causes so much controversy. A dictionary definition of being “born again” is “A Christian who has experienced a distinct, dramatic conversion to faith in Jesus, especially a member of certain Protestant groups that stress this experience“. So the implication is that someone who has not been “born again” into a spiritual relationship with God can still be a Christian. Some view such people, the “born again” ones, as being “the unpleasant sanctimonious ones who keep flaunting their beliefs“. They are negatively viewed as being fundamentalists; Bible-believing followers of Christ who set themselves apart from your normal pew warmers.

I have a friend who considers himself to be a “Christian” purely because he is always helping other people, living what he considers to be a decent and “good” life, and having had a grandfather who was an elder in the Church of Scotland. A neighbour of mine considers herself a “Christian” because her name is on the membership role of a church somewhere, but she hasn’t attended that church for many years. Other people will tick the “Christian” box on a census or other similar form, because they were perhaps christened in a church as a baby. Or they go to a church sometimes on Christmas Eve. And that is where the confusion arises. The label “Christian” has become confused and corrupted, and refers to anyone who nominally or vaguely believes that there was someone called Jesus and they will somehow end up in Heaven when they die. So to them, the terms “born again Christian”, or “true Christian”, or “proper Christian” are offensive and to be treated with contempt. 

The reality is that a “Christian” is a follower of Christ. Someone “who believed him and accepted him” and who is reborn in “a birth that comes from God”. John’s Gospel, right here in the first chapter, is very clear about who a “Christian” really is. Being “born again” gives such believers the right to become “children of God”, John writes. The whole Bible hinges on the relationship between God and mankind, and clearly sets out what that entails. There are three verses in the New Testament that, in my opinion, are key to a “born again” experience. The first is in Romans 3:23. Paul wrote, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard”. There has to come that realisation that we are sinners, accepting that in God’s sight we fall far short of His requirement  for righteousness and holiness. The second Scripture that matters to me is from Ephesians 2:8-9, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it“. There is nothing that we can do to earn our salvation – we cannot become a child of God by doing good works, or living what we might consider a good life, or even having our names on the role of church members. The third verse that I refer to is Acts 2:38, “Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit“. These are just a few words that Peter preached but the repercussions of them are life changing. There are many other verses that constitute the Gospel, the good news about Jesus and His gracious saving commitment for mankind. 

A human baby is born physically, through a process we are all familiar with. That baby is a child of its parents. To become a child of God, though, we have to be born spiritually. The process is different in that it happens spiritually, not physically, but happen it must. I became a “born again” Christian on a day when I finally realised that I was a sinner, and looked to Jesus as my Saviour. I found out who Jesus was and what He had done for me and everyone else on this planet. And there then started a long journey. There have been easy stretches, and hard times. But journey I must, always keeping in sight that increasing glow on the horizon, the Heavenly promised land. I invite you, my readers, to join me, wherever you are. You will never regret it. We can journey on together.

But what about those people who consider themselves to be “Christian” but have never come to that point in their lives when they have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour? Those people who have rejected the relationship with God that John wrote about? The people who have never become children of God? Their future is something that is up to God and His grace – something I can never judge or take for granted – but why take the risk of ending up in a lost eternity when there is a wonderful opportunity to become a child of God? Now. Today. This very minute.

Dear Father God. I pray today for all my readers, that they too will embrace Your saving grace and become the children of God that John wrote about. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Word

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.”
John 1:1-5 NLT

The first five verses of John’s Gospel are all about Jesus, and John set out the foundational truths about who He was, who He still is and who He has always been. Jesus is the Word of God. But there were many sceptics then and still are today, who struggle over the concept that a human being could also be God. People in those days saw a man who started life as a baby, who grew up as any other Jewish boy in a deprived area of Israel, and who spent years learning and applying carpentry, presumably following in his earthly father Joseph’s footsteps. Yes, they saw the miracles. Yes, they heard all that He said. But to be God as well? That needed a leap of faith, sadly beyond the reach of the closed minds of most people of His day. 

John wrote that the Word, Jesus Himself, was eternal, just like God. He had always been, and was there when the world was created. In fact, John said that the world was created through Him. But it was God’s plan to bring salvation to the world He created, and that plan involved a Word who became a man. A man who lived and died and is now in Heaven, seated at the right hand of His Father. 

Right at the start of John’s Gospel, we have a stumbling block, because nobody can go on to read, and benefit from, the rest of the twenty one chapters in John without accepting, right at the start, that Jesus was, and still is, the incarnate Son of God.

Father God. We pray today for the revelation that Your Son, Jesus, was, and is, both human and Divine. For those of us who may be weak in faith, I pray that You reveal Yourself to us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Day of the Lord

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“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. Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames.”
2 Peter 3:10-12 NLT

The phrase “day of the Lord” is often used in the Bible. In the context it seems to indicate an event during which an act of God brings about some outcome in accordance with His plans and purposes. An example can be found in Ezekiel 30:2-3, “Son of man, prophesy and give this message from the Sovereign Lord: “Weep and wail for that day, for the terrible day is almost here— the day of the Lord! It is a day of clouds and gloom, a day of despair for the nations“. The phrase is also often associated with the return of Christ, as we read in 2 Corinthians 1:14, “even if you don’t understand us now. Then on the day when the Lord Jesus returns, you will be proud of us in the same way we are proud of you“. There is usually a sense of imminence in the verses about the “day of the Lord”, but near or far, no-one knows when it will be. Peter graphically describes the day as coming “as unexpectedly as a thief”. In Matthew 24:42-44, Jesus said to His disciples, “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected”. Paul picked up the theme as well, as we read in 1 Thessalonians 5:2, “For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night“. 

If we pilgrims allow our minds to elevate into Heavenly themes, we can perhaps imagine carrying on what we are doing at this very moment and then, suddenly, something far reaching, catastrophic even, happens. Our eyes suddenly look up and we see what Jesus said would happen in Matthew 24:29-30, “Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory“. Sometimes I believe it is that close, and, in their day, many in the Old Testament thought the same. Joel 2:1, “Sound the trumpet in Jerusalem! Raise the alarm on my holy mountain! Let everyone tremble in fear because the day of the Lord is upon us“.‭‭ 

Most people in our societies today have no idea that there will be such a thing as the “day of the Lord”. The situation will be as Jesus foretold in Matthew 24:37-39, “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes“. But Noah was ready for the flood. It had taken him a hundred years to get ready, but God was in no hurry. And He is in no hurry today, but there will be a day ….

Jesus went on to teach His disciples about being “a faithful sensible servant” (Matthew 24:45). We pilgrims are all servants of God, and He has entrusted us to administer His interests here on Planet Earth. So we are careful to live as He has commanded, in our personal holiness, in our lives at work or school, home or away. And we take every opportunity to warn those around us of the “day of the Lord”. It took Noah a considerable time to build the ark, and we can imagine the ridicule he would have experienced by those around him. But Noah made it into the Hebrews hall of fame (Hebrews 11). We read in Hebrews 11:7, “It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith“. 

So, fellow pilgrims, the “day of the Lord” could come at any moment. Are we ready?

Jesus, we echo the words at the end of Revelation 22 “Amen! Come Lord Jesus”. Maranatha. Amen,

‭‭

Days and Years

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“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.”
2 Peter 3:8-9 NLT

It was obviously a problem for those early Christians – why was the expected return of Jesus apparently being delayed? Did He really say He would come back again “soon”? But then, what does “soon” mean? Has God changed His mind? In John 14:3, Jesus said that after He had prepared a place for them, He would return to get His disciples, “When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am“. But there can’t be a delay with the Heavenly building work because, after all, God only had to speak the word and something would appear from nothing. But Jesus did say that even He didn’t know when He would come again – Matthew 24:36, “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows“. All He said was that His followers must be ready – He said, “You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected” (Matthew 24:44). 

The Bible tells us much about the End Times, and how Jesus will return. Jesus provided some detail in Matthew 24 and 25. His discourse contained warnings and signs of the end, and He left the impression that he would return within a generation. Matthew 24:34, “I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place“. However the word “generation” can also be translated “age” or “nation”. But comparing current world events with the End Times prophecies, we can surely assume that we are living in the End Times, and must do what Jesus advised – get ready for His return. 

Peter gave a reason for the apparent delay in Jesus’ expected return. He wrote, “He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” That’s the grace of God. The fact that we are currently alive in itself indicates that God is giving many generations the opportunity to reach out to Him and embrace His loving and saving grace. If Jesus had returned when the early believers had expected Him to, then we probably wouldn’t be here. God is patient, and events will happen as He orders.

But what about Peter’s suggestion that “ A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day?” God lives outside of time, or perhaps time lives inside God. But the Eternal Being sees the end from the beginning. All history, all world events past, present and future, all generations and nations, are laid out before Him and He can therefore see many things, that we can’t. But what we do know is that God can be trusted. The One who holds the world isn’t capricious, or unpredictable. He is holy, loving and kind. The accolades we could write about God are many, but one driving factor is His righteousness. His perfect righteousness can be trusted to bring about a conclusion that is right. All we are asked to do is to have faith in Him, believe in Him, put our trust in Him and get ready for Jesus’ return. It may not be in our lifetimes, but that doesn’t matter. What does, is that we follow Him and keep His commandments. Day by day, year by year. Time is unimportant. 

So how are we living? How do we treat those around us? How is our relationship with Jesus? It would be terrible to find that He returns, and finds us unprepared. Especially when His grace is freely available.

Father God. We know You love us, so it is no hardship to return that love. We say “Come Lord Jesus”. Amen.

Scoffers

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.””
2 Peter 3:3-4 NLT

‭‭The resurrected Jesus had a conversation with Peter where He asked three times if Peter loved Him. Towards the end of this we read in John 21:21, “Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?””, referring to the disciple John. “Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.” So the rumour spread among the community of believers that this disciple wouldn’t die. But that isn’t what Jesus said at all. He only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”” (John 21:22-23). Soon after, on the Mount of Olives, we read the account of Jesus’ return to Heaven and we read in Acts 1:11, ““Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”” 

There was an expectation in the early Church that Jesus was coming back to Planet Earth, and this was going to happen within a generation. The problem was that as time went on, He didn’t re-appear as expected, and people died without seeing Him again. But apparently there were some “scoffers” who tormented those early believers by asking them, “Where is He?”. “What happened to the promise?”, they said. And they pointed out that the world around them was as it always had been. The seasons still took place. Crops grew. Rain fell. Mountains remained. Lakes were still full of water. People were born and eventually died. Nothing had changed. 

We still have the “scoffers” today, and there seems to be so much more to scoff at. Science, technology, the internet and social media seem to have combined to bring about a plethora of theories and ideologies, each with their own adherents and opponents, evoking a sometimes violent clash, as opposing sides scoff at each other. And as for those who believe in a Man who was crucified two thousand years ago and who said He was coming again, such a “theory” is so implausible (to them) that the “scoffers” say it isn’t even worth scoffing at. Generations of “scoffers” have never left this earth. Regarding my faith, I have been asked frequently, “You don’t really believe that stuff do you?” We pilgrims have all met then “scoffers”, I’m sure.

There was a character in John Bunyan’s “The Pilgrim’s Progress” called Atheist. He once claimed that he was a pilgrim believer, but apparently he left his country out of curiosity and intrigue, not to find relief from a burden of sin or to escape the wrath to come. He sought for evidence of God’s existence and for the hope of eternal life, but finding none, he resolved to give up and go back to his country. And he became a scoffer, renouncing the gospel. He became a person who rejected all forms of religion and turned into a “scoffer“. From the book, 
“So this man drew nearer and nearer until he came right up to them. His name was Atheist, and he immediately asked the pilgrims where they were going.
Christian said, “We are going to Mount Zion.”
Atheist burst into howling and scornful laughter. He said, “I cannot but help laugh on account of it being so obvious that you are both ignorant persons; for you have committed yourselves to a very tiring journey that will provide you with absolutely nothing for your trouble, other than a fruitless journey.
Christian said, “Why man, do you think it possible that we will not be received at our destination?”
Atheist said, “Received! But there is no such place that you dream of in all this world.”

I once worked with a man like Atheist. He was brought up as a Catholic, but sometime in his journey through life, something happened to make him change and turn on his previous belief in God, and he never missed an opportunity to scoff at me for my faith. Incidentally, it was a bitter-sweet experience for him, because part of my testimony for becoming a Christian was because of him and his atheistic and humanistic ideologies, forcing me to confront my agnosticism and reach out to God instead. So while I had the opportunity I replied to his scoffing with a word of thanks,

So how do we pilgrims deal with “scoffers”? Psalm 1:1 is a good place to start. From the Amplified Bible version, “Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favoured by God] is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked [following their advice and example], Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit [down to rest] in the seat of scoffers (ridiculers)“. About this blessed person, the next verses read, “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And on His law [His precepts and teachings] he [habitually] meditates day and night. And he will be like a tree firmly planted [and fed] by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season; Its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers [and comes to maturity]” (Psalm 1:2-3). The Bible has several references to “scoffers”, but in God’s Word we can find the words we need to bolster our faith and keep us spiritually strong on our journey through life.  No “scoffer” will ever stop God loving us, and His strength will keep us from withering in a land of Godless ideologies and “scoffers”. There will come a day when the “scoffers” will find that God isn’t impressed by their foolishness, and they will suddenly realise that Jesus really did come to this world to save us.

Dear Father God. Thank You for the purity of Your Word and its power, shining like a beacon in a cynical world. Amen.

Uselessness

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“These people are as useless as dried-up springs or as mist blown away by the wind. They are doomed to blackest darkness.”
2 Peter 2:17 NLT

Still referring to false teachers and false prophets, Peter defines them as being “useless”. Harsh words perhaps? But words that describe the pointlessness of being someone who is preaching against God’s plans and ways or distorting His message. In the context of God’s kingdom, they add little that is positive and much that is negative. So Peter describes them as being “useless“.

A big question sometimes asked is about the purpose of life. What are we humans here on Planet Earth for? Are we here, as some will claim, by accident? Are we too just the useless result of our circumstances? The product of a mix of chemicals formed by chance on a lump of rock that happened to end up at just the right distance from a source of light and heat, creating an environment conducive to the formation of life? That is what many evolutionists would have us think. Unfortunately for them, the facts don’t fit in with their theories. We pilgrims know how we got here, because the Bible tells of how it happened. The Genesis account describes the formation of our planet, and then there is the verse, “Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person” (Genesis 2:7). And the man, Adam, ‭‭was given a job to do, “The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it” (Genesis 2:15). He was useful, and, better, he was being useful in a way that aligned with God’s desires for him. We can read on in Genesis, and find that farming for food to live on was the first physical priority. So mankind had to be useful in the sense that if they weren’t then human beings would probably have died out through starvation. And we can see that even us pilgrims have to be useful in our societies where keeping alive is the main requirement. Of course, this is a simplified picture, but it doesn’t answer the question, why are we here? Or, what is the purpose of life? 

We turn to the Bible for meaningful answers. Solomon, one of the wisest men who ever lived, concluded after wrestling with these questions, “That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). Another perspective we must consider is that we pilgrims, Christian believers, are assured of a future beyond the grave. One day, our physical bodies will die. This wasn’t God’s plan, because He originally created perfection, but through sin, our bodies will be corrupted and will die. But because we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, He has granted us eternal life. When we die, our spirits will live on with God in Heaven. This will be the time when we will receive a new body. We read in Philippians 3:21, “He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control“. 2 Corinthians 5:1, “For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands“. 

So we can see that to be useful, we have to have a relationship with God, and work to provide for both ourselves and our families. Those false teachers were going to find, according to Peter, that their uselessness will lead to an end of the “blackest darkness”. The Westminster Shorter Confession says that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. So in whatever we think or do, is our main focus God, or our own selfish desires? Do we align ourselves to God’s ways, or get absorbed into a society where the main driver is sin? There is no middle ground.

Today we pilgrims have an opportunity to shift our focus from the natural to the spiritual, as we do every day. From our mundane existence into something so amazing and wonderful that it is breathtaking in its implications. We don’t have to wait until we pass over the Great Divide into God’s presence before we can “enjoy Him forever“. He is with us now. We can reach and touch Him. He is that close. There is a poem, which includes, “Two men looking through prison bars; one saw mud, the other saw stars.” Where are we looking today? A useless life will only find mud, but those who are useful will find the stars. Let’s embrace the Creator of those stars today while we have the opportunity.

Dear Father God, our amazing Creator. We reach out to You today, and pray that in whatever we are doing, we will be useful to You and Your purposes. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Newborn King of the Jews

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”“
Matthew 2:1-2 NLT

‭Word finally got to Herod. Some men from a foreign land had arrived in Jerusalem, looking for a new king. And worse, they were asking for the whereabouts of the “newborn King of the Jews“. Herod, was a very insecure king in a very insecure land, under Roman occupation, and we read in Matthew 2:3, “King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem“. The consensus amongst the religious leaders was that Bethlehem was going to be the birthplace of the Messiah, and they made the connection with the reference to the King of the Jews. But we know the story, told many times when we were children, and ever since. Nativity Plays with three kings bringing their gifts. Traditional excitement for parents and other relatives. All part of church life and a celebration of the first coming of our Messiah, Jesus Himself. 

Sadly, many people don’t know the story anymore, preferring to focus on the materialism of the holiday season. Strange displays in shop windows stir vague memories or are written off as yet another aid to part people from their money in a season of expense and often stress and anxiety. Any thoughts about Jesus get lost in the leftovers after Christmas lunch, or are quickly forgotten as a New Year with its resolutions emerges from the holiday fogs. Back to work or school dominate. Another year coming with bad news about the climate and taxes and so on. A cynical or negative perspective? Perhaps, but the world around us is locked into a mindset that is dominated by the devil and his influence. As a “type” of Herod, he looks around for any good news of the “newborn King of the Jews”and seeks to destroy it before it becomes a problem to him. We read in Matthew 2:16, “Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance“. There are many people around today, the devil’s “soldiers”, who want to kill off any rumours that there is actually Good News coming. Jesus was, and still is, God’s message of hope. His Good News will never be killed off because we pilgrims propagate it wherever we live. 

So we pilgrims have another opportunity to talk about the birth of the God-man, Jesus. The first advent of our Messiah, the Son of God, has an excitement connected to it that must be communicated. A group of wise men, or Magi, from a far off country went to a lot of trouble and expense to worship at His feet. A group of shepherds were gob-smacked with the angelic vision and song. And 21st Century pilgrims can feel within them a deep sense of gratitude that God had a plan for saving the world. We are a part of that plan, with a mission to tell those around us that Jesus was born to be our Saviour. Man-made efforts to change the world pall into insignificance when compared to the impact of the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

It may come as a bit of a surprise to some, but Jesus will return a second time to this planet. The first time He came as a baby, taking on human flesh, a suffering Servant who gave His life for us sinners. But next time He will come as a victorious King. We read how Jesus finally left Planet Earth in Acts 1:9, “After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him“. But what happened next foretells the way Jesus will return. “As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”” (Acts 1:10-11). 

And how Jesus will return we can read in Revelation 19:11, 14-15, “Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. … The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress“. Significantly, He will no longer be the Suffering Servant but the ” … King of all kings and Lord of all Lords” (Revelation 19:16b). 

We pilgrims have a message of hope, a testimony to God’s goodness. We know the end of the story, and we need to declare it loud and clear to those around us. Psalm 2:12 is a warning to all, “Submit to God’s royal son, or he will become angry, and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities— for his anger flares up in an instant. But what joy for all who take refuge in him!” Let us have a joyful day remembering and celebrating God’s Son Jesus, as we take refuge in Him, worshipping at the foot of a manger in a place far away.

Dear Father God. Thank You that You had a plan for the salvation of mankind. Thank You Jesus for the mission we have and the opportunities it has afforded us. We worship You today. Amen.

Balaam, Son of Peor

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“They have wandered off the right road and followed the footsteps of Balaam son of Beor, who loved to earn money by doing wrong. But Balaam was stopped from his mad course when his donkey rebuked him with a human voice.”
2 Peter 2:15-16 NLT

Peter introduced the memory of a Jewish prophet called Balaam into his letter, a man he considered a false teacher or prophet who had “wandered off the right road”. And he reminded his readers that this man “loved to earn money by doing wrong”. I’m sure we all know someone, or have heard of someone, who has increased his wealth by doing something fraudulent. But Balaam was a man who was expected to prophesy to order, in return for some reward. We can read the story of Balaam in Numbers 22 and the following chapters. The king of the Moabites, a man called Balak, was terrified of the Israelites, a fear that was made even worse by what they had done to the Amorites. But there was a man he knew with a reputation for hearing from God and who seemed to have the power to bless or curse people. So he sent for this man, Balaam, and we read in Numbers 22:6, “Please come and curse these people for me because they are too powerful for me. Then perhaps I will be able to conquer them and drive them from the land. I know that blessings fall on any people you bless, and curses fall on people you curse“. Strangely enough, Balaam heard messages God gave him, but his integrity concerning what he did with these messages was not always as it should have been. In other words, he was a wicked prophet, but not necessarily a false prophet. 

Anyway, as the story goes, Balak, the Moabite king, hassled Balaam until he went with him to deliver a curse over the Israelites. We read in Numbers, that Balaam blessed the Israelites instead of cursing them, and he delivered God’s positive messages three times. Finally, we read in Numbers 24:12-13, “Balaam told Balak, “Don’t you remember what I told your messengers? I said, ‘Even if Balak were to give me his palace filled with silver and gold, I would be powerless to do anything against the will of the Lord.’ I told you that I could say only what the Lord says!” As we can imagine Balak wasn’t pleased! However, Balaam instead came up with a plan that would mean the Israelites would effectively curse themselves, as we read from the words of Jesus in Revelation 2:14, “But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin“. 

The man, Balaam, became infamous in Biblical times and was held up as an example of a man who deceived believers, or at least tried to, in return for money. Jude as well, in his short letter, mentioned him, “What sorrow awaits them! For they follow in the footsteps of Cain, who killed his brother. Like Balaam, they deceive people for money. And like Korah, they perish in their rebellion” (Jude 1:11). Peter was warning his readers about false prophets, but his warning also extended to real prophets who nevertheless led people astray for their own benefit. Today, perhaps this warning may also include organisations who offer an appointment for people to come and receive a “prophetic word” for their life. Perhaps the seeker is looking for God’s guidance at a critical point in their lives and they want someone to deliver a prophecy from God, giving them the answer to their dilemma. These organisations may not set a fee for their services, but they may suggest a donation instead. Not all of them, of course, follow in Balaam’s footsteps, but the warning is there anyway. Any prophetic words must be treated with caution, and checked out to ensure they line up with what the Bible says. And if there is no direct correlation then they must be discarded. God will never lead anyone into sin.

Our enemy, the devil, will want to mislead people, and if he cannot achieve this directly then he will try and use a back door method instead. Balaam apparently showed a way for Balak to leverage a human weakness he knew would exist in the Israelites. In Numbers 25:1-3 we read, “While the Israelites were camped at Acacia Grove, some of the men defiled themselves by having sexual relations with local Moabite women. These women invited them to attend sacrifices to their gods, so the Israelites feasted with them and worshiped the gods of Moab. In this way, Israel joined in the worship of Baal of Peor, causing the Lord’s anger to blaze against his people“. And it didn’t end well for those who sinned – God sent a plague in judgement.

We pilgrims need to be discerning, particularly when we hear teaching, or even a Scriptural interpretation or emphasis, that we haven’t heard before. God will help us as we pray for discernment, and if we are unsure, we must check it out with a trusted friend. In these internet-enabled days, with media outlets such as Facebook or YouTube, there will be many oddball theories or videos out there. We must check out the messenger as well as the message before we end up following a rabbit trail leading to error and sin.

Father God. There are many false paths that lead us back to the broad highway leading to hell. Please help us to stand firm in the faith with all the resources you have given us. Only You have the words of eternal life. Amen.