“Teach Me Lord”

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Teach me how to live, O Lord. Lead me along the right path, for my enemies are waiting for me. Do not let me fall into their hands. For they accuse me of things I’ve never done; with every breath they threaten me with violence.”
Psalm 27:11-12 NLT

David is back worrying about his enemies again. But he has made a strange association between the Lord’s teaching and relief from attack. He wants the Lord to lead him along the “right paths” and we can see why. To avoid being the brunt of verbal attacks, false accusations and violent assaults, he needs to weave a path that avoids political intrigue, contact with the wrong people and unwise decision-making. Proverbs 3:5-6 is highlighted in my Bible, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take“. Verse 5 emphasises the tendency that human beings have to “do whatever seemed right in their own eyes” (Judges 21:25). The writer of the Proverbs was also aware of this – Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, But its end is the way of death“. Even we pilgrims make bad decisions or take the wrong paths some times, but at least David knew his weakness and was aware of where true wisdom could be found. Do we also? But did David follow that advice? Do we, come to that? David was always praying for guidance, almost as a routine. For example Psalm 25:4-5, “Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you“. 

One way that we can avoid taking the wrong path can be found in another Proverb, 11:5, “The righteousness of the blameless will smooth their way and keep it straight, But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness“. What is the source of this righteousness? The only true and dependable source is God Himself. Only He can see the end from the beginning, and we can only gain His insight by living a life where we can hear Him. But even that is not enough. Paul wrote, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Through Jesus we find the righteousness we need to keep our paths straight and smooth. We also have to be obedient to what He says. We used to sing a chorus in Sunday School, “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way”. But the first verse of the hymn shows the insight of its Victorian composer, John Sammis, 
When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
The phrase, “The light of His Word” nails it. The place where we will find insight to God’s righteousness and direction is found in His teaching from the Bible. When we read it we do indeed find the Light, because regardless of when and where we live, there will always be some wisdom that will apply. The Bible is a complete manual of how to live life God’s way, and when we do that we will find the teaching and wisdom we need to take the “right paths”. 

A difficult position though is found when we are the focus of false accusations, as David seemed to be. People in certain professions are particularly vulnerable, foster parents, teachers, social workers, policemen and women, in fact anyone who is in regular contact with children or vulnerable adults. We live in an evil and wicked world and being able to navigate through life unscathed is rare. We need to constantly pray for protection and wisdom from the Righteous One. And if we find ourselves ensnared, as David was at times, we continue to trust in the Lord. We may find ourselves in the middle of a minefield but God knows the path to safety.

The Lord is the best Teacher because He knows exactly the course that we need. He sees right into our hearts and His course of teaching is custom made just for each one of us. His precepts and commandments will keep us on the straight and narrow path, and His presence will lead and guide us. His teaching will not be a three-year university course because it will take a lifetime for it to be completed. But He will never refuse the plea from one of His children – “Teach me Lord”. The challenge for all believers is will they will stay the course.

Dear Father God. Your are the Mighty Teacher, the Saviour of mankind. We praise You today. Amen.

Laws, True and Fair

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them.”
Psalm 19:9-11 NLT

David wrote that “the laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair”. Of course they are. They were in David’s day and still are today. Most of the laws in the UK, where I live, are based on Biblical laws and principles that have stood the test of time and have established a stable and peaceful society. But Jesus said in Matthew 5:18-19, “I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven”. When the Kingdom of God (Heaven) and the kingdom of this world coincide in its laws and behaviours then we find the sweet spot where all human beings will live without trouble and strife. Utopia? Potentially, but, as we know, man’s tendency to sin spoils all that God has planned.

But why did God introduce laws in the first place? Why were they needed and what purpose did they achieve? The Law given through Moses started with God providing stone tablets with the Ten Commandments written on them. By following them, the Israelites were separated and made distinct from the nations around them, setting them apart as God’s people. Through the Law, God demonstrated His character, holiness and righteousness, and exposed the importance of dealing with sin. The Israelite society eventually became marked by legalism, something exposed by Jesus through His encounters with the Pharisees, who thought that by following the Law and all the rabbinical teachings, they would achieve the righteousness demanded by God. Jesus challenged the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and the other religious leaders, but He said, “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose” (Matthew 5:17). The purpose of the Law was to provide an earthly copy of an eternal, heavenly, unchanging standard of holiness, Psalm 119:89, “Your eternal word, O Lord, stands firm in heaven”. 

Jesus was once asked what the greatest commandment was and we can read His response in Matthew 22:37-40, “Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments”. When we read these verses we can see how Jesus fulfilled the Law. Through our love of God, we receive insight for living lives God’s way, and all the Laws of Moses drop into place. Paul wrote, “For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfils the requirements of God’s law” (Romans 13:9-10). 

The twentieth century saw the introduction of laws that specifically contradicted God’s Laws and Principles, and civil confusion has resulted. The transition from a society based on Christian principles to the secular society of today has introduced certain legislation that would not have been necessary for a people who “loved the Lord Your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind”. So we have ended up with laws such as the Abortion Act of 1967, which enables medics to effectively destroy a foetus even though the Bible specifically states that life starts at the point of conception. In God’s Kingdom, life lived God’s way would have rendered this law unnecessary. And there are others, with two pieces of legislation currently proceeding through Parliament, the Conversion Therapy and Assisted Suicide Bills. O Lord! What a mess, all caused through the abandonment of God’s Law.

Of course, we pilgrims can wring our hands in despair, thinking that we are impotent in attempts to set society back on the right track. But of course we can pray, and the Lord’s Prayer has these words, “may Your Kingdom come, may Your will be done”. We pray these words daily because as we do, God listens and continues to hold back the forces of evil that would desire to overflow our society. And we pray for our politicians and law makers, that the Holy Spirit will reveal to them how they can pass laws that are “true and fair”. There will be a day when God’s Law will prevail over all other laws, and Jesus will indeed accomplish its purpose, as he said he would.

About God’s Laws, David wrote, “They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them” (Psalm 19:11). He knew that one day there will be a reward for keeping God’s Laws, and we know that those who don’t have been warned of the consequences of disobeying God.

Father God. You gave us the principles for living life Your way for a reason. We understand the consequences of disobeying You and pray that we will follow You all the days of our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Sun Bursts

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“ … God has made a home in the heavens for the sun. It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding. It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race. The sun rises at one end of the heavens and follows its course to the other end. Nothing can hide from its heat.”
Psalm 19:4b-6 NLT

In our enlightened days, we know that it is not the sun that moves across the heavens; rather, the earth rotates on its axis causing the illusion of a moving sun. But regardless of what moves, the effect is still the same. The sun bursts into a dark world every day, bringing light and heat, without which mankind would be unable to exist. And at the end of the day, it disappears in the same way it appeared, but over a different horizon. We very much take the sun for granted. All our lives it appears and disappears, so predictably that our weather scientists are able to determine to the minute the sun cycle each day. And around the world, the times of the sun vary because of the earth’s rotation. But this will not always be so.

In Matthew 24:3 we read a question that the disciples asked of Jesus, “Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?”” Jesus then told then about a series of events that will happen as the current age draws to a conclusion, and we eventually reach Matthew 24:29, “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“. The extinguishing of the sun precedes the next event which we read in Matthew 24:30, “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“. The prophet Joel also wrote about the sun in the end times, as we read in Joel 2:31, “The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and terrible day of the Lord arrives”. But we can be assured that the sun will never disappear, stopping its life-supplying powers, until the time is right.

The sun provides light for our physical bodies and for all the functions necessary to sustain our planet. But there is another side which we mustn’t forget – nourishment for our souls. The sun cannot penetrate there but the Son can. Jesus said, “ … I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life” (John 8:12). There is a strange thing about human beings, in that they can walk around in their lives physically alive but spiritually dead – Ephesians 2:1, “Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.” Colossians expands on this theme, “You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins”(Colossians 2:13). ‭‭We know that when sin entered the world a spiritual death followed, because the warmth and light of a relationship with God was cut off. But as Jesus said, because He is the Light of the world, our spirits become alive when we confess our sins and find righteousness before God, relationship restored. 

The importance of God’s Word, the Bible, is essential to maintain life for our souls. God’s Word is constant and available, just as the sun is, but in both cases we have to do something to maximise the benefits so that our lives can function properly. The psalmist who wrote Psalm 119 understood the importance of God’s Word. “The teaching of your word gives light, so even the simple can understand” (Psalm 119:130). But although the sun will one day disappear, We read in Isaiah 40:8, “The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever”. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear” (Matthew 24:35). As we face into our mortality, we can be assured that our spirits will live on, refreshed and kept alive through the Word of God.

In Psalm 113:3 we read, “From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised”. We pilgrims have the opportunity to obey the Psalmist’s command to continual praise the Lord’s name. This is not to say that we ignore every other purpose in our work-a-day lives, but in all that we do we consider the importance of our relationship with God, keeping His name honoured. So today, as we face into all that is before us, we praise and worship our awesome God, behaving as prophesised by Malachi, “But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture” (Malachi 4:2). 

Dear Lord God. Today we worship the Son. There is none other who has the words of eternal life. Amen.

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Entering The Sanctuary (1)

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill? Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts.”
Psalm 15:1-2 NLT

David asked a difficult question, as he started to write Psalm 15. It was a straightforward question, that highlights the differences between a sinful man and a holy God. A gulf impossible to bridge, or so we think, because mankind is unable, by his own efforts, to reach the standard of holiness required by God. There will be nothing that is impure or unholy allowed, or even able, to be in God’s presence. God gave Moses instructions about how God could be accessed in the Tabernacle, because just to walk in when he felt like it would have dire consequences. Leviticus 16:2, “The Lord said to Moses, “Warn your brother, Aaron, not to enter the Most Holy Place behind the inner curtain whenever he chooses; if he does, he will die. For the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—is there, and I myself am present in the cloud above the atonement cover”. The rest of Leviticus 16 provides instructions about how the High Priest and the people can be purified of their sins, a process of which we’re grateful we don’t have to follow today. But David was aware that a person’s sins would exclude them from God’s presence, hence his first answer to the question – “those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts”. But such an answer created more questions. Who is really absolutely blameless? Who speaks absolute truth? 

During the time ever since David took up his pen, the same questions have hung in the air. The Pharisees of Jesus’ day had derived a code of conduct based on the Mosaic Law, with additions from the Rabbis, through which they believed they could achieve personal righteousness. But Jesus knocked that thought on the head in His Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5:20, “But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!”

How do we become righteous? We start off with the verse part way in the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus in John 3:16-17, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him“. And Paul guides us to the next step, “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:22-24). Through repentance of our sins, through our faith and belief in Jesus, and through God’s grace, we embark on our journey to Heaven “justified freely by His grace”.

It is only righteous people who can enter God’s presence. We pilgrims enjoy “imputed righteousness”, righteousness that is credited to us because we have been made right with God. Jesus took on the punishment for our sins and gave us, in exchange, His righteousness. What a Saviour! A double exchange that cost Him everything and gave us right standing before God forever. This is a message that is News so good that we cannot but share it with anyone who will listen and at every opportunity.

Dear Lord Jesus. We love You, we worship You, we praise You, we thank You. Your grace has saved us forever. Amen.

Lips and Hearts

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Neighbours lie to each other, speaking with flattering lips and deceitful hearts. May the Lord cut off their flattering lips and silence their boastful tongues. They say, “We will lie to our hearts’ content. Our lips are our own—who can stop us?””
Psalm 12:2-4 NLT

‭‭Strong stuff here – “flattering lips” and “deceitful hearts”, “boastful tongues” and “lies”. According to David, it was a problem in his day, but, as we know, it is still a problem thousands of years later. David associated such behaviour with his neighbours. The politically disillusioned today will perhaps immediately think about the behaviour of one or more of our politicians. Some will know that our 21st Century lawyers spend a lot of time untangling lies from truth. Human nature hasn’t changed much at all, it seems. David was quite dramatic in requesting action from God to cut off the “flattering lips” and the “boastful tongues”, but did he really expect God to do such a thing? Imagine the scene if God had in fact performed the surgery that David had asked for – all the people wandering around, unable to communicate, lips and tongues no longer present, because, after all, who has never told a lie? 

David continued, expressing the attitude of heart that is a symptom of the people indulging in lying behaviour. And of course what people think will be expressed verbally – David referred to this as people having “deceitful hearts”. Today we know that in our hearts, our thoughts and imaginations, we brew all sorts of scenarios and outcomes. We process what we see, we consider an uncomfortable situation, we receive negative and accusing comments, and we even imagine situations that might happen to us but haven’t just yet. And in consequence our minds produce a response that more often than not has considered lying as an option. Our sinful nature sometimes considers a lack of truth as the best outcome, because, so we think, the truth instead might dig us into an even deeper hole. And so today, all the problems with hearts, tongues and lips prevail, just as David observed with his neighbours. 

The Apostle James wrote much about tongue problems. James 3:2, “Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way”. He continues, “And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself” (James 3:6). And James really hit home with this thought about tongues, “Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!” (James 3:9-10). I don’t think anyone would disagree with James because he expressed a sobering reality that impacts everyone, even us pilgrims. 

If we left things there, we would all be depressed. We would end up in the same place as the Apostle Paul, who wrote, “I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” (Romans 7:22-24). But the next verse explodes with hope and a solution to our sinful lips. “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin” (Romans 7:25). We turn the page and start reading Romans 8, and the warm glow of hearts now thankful and free from condemnation overflow us. Lips redeemed and free from deceit and lies. Praise be to God! Heavenly surgery takes place, not with a scalpel, but with the blood of Jesus redeeming us from our sins. Of course, we endeavour to clean up our lives, and pursue righteousness even if it causes us short term problems. But as we do, God’s peace and love will follow us all the days of our lives.

Dear Father God. Thank You for Your patience, Your grace and mercy. Instead of dispensing the punishment we all deserve, You sent Jesus, to free us from our sins. We are so grateful. Amen.

The Righteous Lord

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“But the Lord is in his holy Temple; the Lord still rules from heaven. He watches everyone closely, examining every person on earth. The Lord examines both the righteous and the wicked. He hates those who love violence. He will rain down blazing coals and burning sulphur on the wicked, punishing them with scorching winds. For the righteous Lord loves justice. The virtuous will see his face.”
Psalm 11:4-7 NLT

We hear much today about the love of God. And after all, this might be the reason why we believers first came to know the Lord. A loving and compassionate God, who sent His Son Jesus to die in our place as a punishment for our sins. What love! But some unbelieving people, with whom we share the Gospel, argue that if God is so loving then why does He allow so many bad things to happen. Such people read John 3:16 and think to themselves that surely a loving God would put a stop to the wars and strife that blights the world He loves. They read verses such as Matthew 13:42 and think surely a loving God would never send anyone to a place called hell, where unbelieving people will spend eternity in torment. And to explain away the scenes of judgement from Genesis, such as the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, or the devastation of the Flood, such people declare that this was the Old Testament and everything changed after Jesus came. But here in Psalm 11 we read David’s words about a God who punishes people. Just Old Testament? Not if we believe Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

It is unfortunate that so often the presentation of the Gospel from the pulpit lacks the balance about God’s character. Preachers today are perhaps too afraid to upset anyone in case they take the huff and go to another church where God is presented in a way that fits with their own God-is-love ideology. Such “old school” preachers and teachers are often just indulged and ignored, even if they exist today. Quite what modern congregations would make of John Knox is an interesting thought but I know someone who was radically saved in the 1970’s through the ministry of a man, a retired miner, who presented hell in the Gospel context, and it had a lasting impression.

But as well as being a God of love, He is a God of righteousness and justice. David knew that, and he wrote, “[God] hates those who love violence” and “For the righteous Lord loves justice”. David visualised a scene where the wicked found themselves being rained upon by “blazing coals and burning sulphur”. Such a scene would be a nasty shock to those who never thought God would do such a thing. But David ends this Psalm with the thought that the “virtuous [upright] will see His face”. Jesus taught in Matthew 5 about righteousness. We read, “But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!” (Matthew 5:20). There is only one way in which such righteousness can be achieved and that is through Jesus. By believing in Him and repenting of our sins, we will find that He has given us His perfect righteousness, and that is the only way anyone will ever be able to spend eternity in God’s presence. 

Loving Heavenly Father. We know that You are the beginning and the end and desire that everyone will be saved. We experience Your love and compassion in times of trouble and yet we understand that You hate sin and will judge everyone one day to balance the scales of justice. With that sober thought, we confess our sins before You today, grateful for Your grace and mercy, and forgiveness. Amen.

End the Evil

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“End the evil of those who are wicked, and defend the righteous. For you look deep within the mind and heart, O righteous God.”
Psalm 7:9 NLT

Wouldn’t it be nice if evil could be banished from this world. We look around at global events, and see the wars and strife that decimate nations. As I write, the war in Ukraine continues. The Middle East appears constantly in the news, as one nation, faction or religious group battles against another. Evil people doing evil things to other evil people. There seems no let up in the wickedness present in this world. We yearn for the day prophesised by Isaiah, when he wrote, “The Lord will mediate between nations and will settle international disputes. They will hammer their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore”(Isaiah 2:4). 

But then we look closer to home and see the evil present in our societies. Communities blighted by drugs. People dying at the hands of drunk drivers. Children abused. Fights at football matches. The list seems endless. Wouldn’t it be nice if evil could be banished from this world.

But then we perhaps stop to think about ourselves, and the evil thoughts that emerge from time to time in our minds, redeemed even as they are. Perhaps we echo what Paul wrote in Romans 7:23-24, “But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” We find ourselves in a place where we would dearly love to see the end of evil but accept that we are as much the problem as any other person. Thankfully, through Jesus, we have the remedy for our sin as we read on in Romans. “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death” (Romans 8:1-2). 

Jesus told a parable of the Wheat and the Tares, which we can find in Matthew 13, and which pictures a farmer planting good seed but the enemy comes along later and plants weeds. The wheat and the weeds grow together, and when the workers observed the weeds, they wanted to leap in and pull them all up. But the farmer asked them to wait until the harvest time, when the weeds could be separated from the wheat crop, and burnt. Applying that to today, God created human beings to be like Him (in His image) but the enemy, the devil, corrupted His creation (the Fall in the Garden). Through Jesus, believing and repentant people become the crop of the good seed but all those who prefer evil will be separated at the End of the Age.

There is another thought. If God removed all evil from the earth today, would there be anyone left? As Paul wrote, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23). There is coming a time when evil will be dealt with, at the End of the Age. We don’t know when that will be, but happen it will. God sees what is going on in people’s hearts. He sees the righteous people saved and forgiven of their sins. But he also sees the hearts and minds of evil people, and takes note. God is righteous as well as loving. He wants all people to respond to His love and be saved from the judgement to come. But equally, He allows all those who prefer evil to continue in their ways. He created mankind with the ability to choose their destinies. 

Dear Father God. Sobering thoughts this morning. We come once again to the Cross, looking once again at our Saviour and asking for forgiveness. Not for us, Your children, the ways of evil. And we pray for both for domestic and world events, that You will hold back the tides of evil and protect Your people. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Controlling Anger

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Think about it overnight and remain silent. Offer sacrifices in the right spirit, and trust the Lord.”
Psalm 4:4-5 NLT

There is much to be angry about in today’s society, just as there was in David’s. Today, as we interface with the fellow members of society around us, we inevitably come up against situations that have the potential to make us angry. We watch a news report, or read a social media post, and feel the anger starting to well up within us. Operating a motor vehicle can always have the potential to initiate a personal angry episode, as we observe the behaviour of other drivers. But it’s ok to be angry – we just need to make sure it doesn’t get to the point where it controls us. To be clear, if the anger we feel is negatively influencing our attitudes and actions, then it is controlling us, and that is sin.

Jesus became angry one day with the behaviour of the people in the synagogue. We can read the account in Mark 3:3, 5, “Jesus went into the synagogue again and noticed a man with a deformed hand.  … He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored!” But Jesus didn’t let His anger about the unbelief present in the people control Him. Instead, it led to a sadness about how or why people should have hearts hardened against the wonderful miracles that were possible with God. And His anger resulted in a positive outcome, particularly for the man with the deformed hand. On another occasion, Jesus became angry with a situation that had brought so much distress to the people He loved. John 11:33, “When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled“. Again, Jesus didn’t let His anger control Him. Instead He did something about the situation that turned mourning into joy. John 11:43-44, “Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!””. 

The Psalmist David brought us good advice in Psalm 4 about anger. When faced with a situation that causes us to be angry, he wrote, don’t react straight away. Instead, go away and think about it, preferably overnight. Get before God and ask for His perspective, and trust Him to bring about a righteous conclusion. When we become angry about something we face, perhaps an injustice or similar, we should ask God what he wants us to do about it. And if it is beyond our ability to bring about a remedy, then we should pray and ask God to deal with it. But if we do that, we should really leave it with Him, and not repeatedly pull the situation back, chew over it, and get angry again. David’s advice was timeless – we should, in the “right spirit and trust the Lord”.

Father God. When we face into the injustices of life, please help us to channel our anger righteously and in accordance with Your will and purposes. In Jesus’ precious name.. Amen.

Conviction of Judgement

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.”
John 16:7-11 NLT

The Holy Spirit, or the Advocate, as Jesus referred to Him, has a ministry to both believers and unbelievers. Jesus said, “And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment“. Jesus didn’t come into this world two thousand years ago to judge it. His mission was to save it, as we read in John 3:17, “God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” Jesus went on to say, “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil” (John 3:18-19).

So, inevitably, the sin of unbelief, and all that follows it, will one day have to be judged. And the Apostle John, in his Revelation on the Island of Patmos, wrote down what will happen. “And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books” (Revelation 20:11-12). It is often a great comfort to me, and others as well, that one day the scales of justice will be balanced. The people who have committed crimes against God and their fellow members of society will be called to give an account. Every careless thought, every misdemeanour, every sinful act, will all be written down in Heavenly books, and one by one they will be read out for everyone to hear, followed by the pronouncement from the Throne – guilty. We read in Revelation 20:15, “And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.” A terrifying occasion don’t we think? But thankfully, those who believe in Jesus will find that their names are written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

When will all this happen? We don’t know, although the previous chapters of Revelation provide some sort of timeline of events that will happen before Jesus returns. In a sense though, judgement has already started, as we read from John 3:18. The influence of the Holy Spirit in an unsaved person’s life will lead that person to the realisation that he is guilty, that God is just, and that all sinners are deserving of judgment. And we’re so thankful that God has it all in hand.

Dear Father God. Thank You for Holy Spirit, without whom we would be disempowered people. Amen.


Conviction of Righteousness

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.”
John 16:7-11 NLT

The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, will come after Jesus has left this world. We know what Jesus promised to believers – Jesus said, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth ….” (John 14:16-17a). But Holy Spirit also has a mission to unbelievers. Previously we considered the ministry of conviction of sin, and now come to the second part of His ministry, the conviction of righteousness. God’s righteousness is absolute. His standards are far above those of human beings, and human efforts can never attain to them without God’s help.

In human terms, righteousness relies on a set of rules, regulations and morals, which, if kept, lead to a claim of self-righteousness. But if we bring our rules, regulations and morals to God and allow Him to show His spotlight of truth upon them we soon find that, in fact, they do not come anywhere near the standards that God requires. Isaiah wrote, “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind” (Isaiah 64:6). We may feel that what we do, or how we behave, falls into the category of righteousness, but Titus 3:4-5 says differently, “But— When God our Saviour revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.”

The Pharisees believed that if they completely kept to the Law of Moses then they would become righteous in God’s sight. But Paul wrote otherwise, “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” (Romans 3:20). In Matthew 5:20 Jesus said, “But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!” I’m sure those religious leaders were quite upset by Jesus’ words.

The Holy Spirit convicts people of their lack of righteousness by pointing them to Jesus. He was, and is, the only Man who has ever been totally righteous. He is God’s only standard of righteousness. He is the only source of truth, and is the only way to Father God.

Dear Lord Jesus. We worship You, the only Source of sinless righteousness. Only You are the way, the truth and the life. Amen.