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What quality should our care be? All our care/ministry for others should be excellent! Question: Why should our ministry both to and for God be excellent? Answer-The first and foremost reason is that our God is the most excellent God. Psalm 8:1 O LORD our Lord, how excellent [is] your name in all the earth! who has set your glory above the heavens. The Lord our God has an excellent name and He is worthy of our very best. Question: why does it matter what we offer to God in terms of our ministry. Answer: All through the Old Testament God made it clear that whatever was offered to him in sacrifice should be without spot or blemish. The book of Leviticus has dozens of sacrifices specified but all without blemish. Lev 19:2 This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD has commanded, saying: ‘Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without blemish, in which there is no defect and on which a yoke has never come. In the New Testament, Ephesians 2:5 Jesus will present his Father God with a glorious church not having spot , or wrinkle or any such thing ; but that it should be holy and without blemish . Jesus offers only excellent ministry to his father . We should copy Jesus. In other words anything that we give to God whether spiritual, material or service it should be excellent in every way. We should never offer anything that is a reject or substandard or second quality nor damaged in any way, Everything we offer to God should be excellent in nature, not defective in any way, not sloppy, ill prepared or executed. For example, if you have three weeks, three days or just three hours to prepare a bible study, God will give you the grace to make up the difference in what you can achieve. However if you have plenty of time we honour God by making excellent preparations. This applies at work too! Obstacles to caring ; sometimes the people we care for look terrible or they have an unpleasant smell, they may be aggressive, unhelpful, unwilling to share and often ungrateful. There but for the grace of God go I. Prayer: Lord, help us to offer excellent care to our fellow human beings which is pleasing to you. Help us to see the poor through your eyes. Amen. In Part 5 we consider the cost of caring

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood... Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood In various places in the Bible we catch glimpses of the unseen spiritual realm. A good example of this is found in 2 Kings 6 when the King of Syria send soldiers to capture Elisha and his servant. 2 Kings 6:14-17 There is also a fascinating story over in Daniel 10 in which Daniel has been praying and fasting for three weeks or so.  Daniel 10:12-14 In this chapter we find angels battling through with the answer to a man`s prayer. In the New Testament a passage which gives us great insight into the spiritual realm is found in Ephesians 6:10-18. 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; The bad news is that the heavenlies [1]  are teeming with a huge host of organized malignant spirits who hate God and his people. The good news is that Jesus Christ has completely defeated them with his victory on the cross, and by his resurrection and ascension. Colossians 2:9-15 Verse 15 ; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.  By His victory [2] , Jesus has made it obvious that these evil spirits were powerless to prevent his resurrection, and because of this, this verse shows us that we should not fear death as he is able to resurrect each believer in turn. He has also given us a full suit of amour [3]  to stand against the devil, which in essence is just living a deliberate holy lifestyle. So, as we are in a battle with these wicked spirits (they are the ones who stir up persecution and write the scripts that set the standard for what goes in society), we must continue to struggle against them and their influence on individuals and groups. But let us not forget that Jesus disarmed them by taking away their ability to put the fear of death into God`s people and hence we can stand against them and bring in God`s will into any particular situation. Amen Personal Prayer Explanatory footnotes [1]  The church is engaged in a spiritual war, and its enemy is Satan and a host of unseen angelic and celestial enemies whose power vastly exceeds our own. With a few exceptions, our enemies remain invisible to our eyes, but they nevertheless are real, and so is their opposition. These celestial enemies come in various forms, as is suggested by the variety of terms used by Paul to identify them: “rulers ” these are the 5 star generals , “powers,” “world forces of this darkness,” “spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places”.  In this war Satan employs a variety of strategies to oppose and to defeat the Christian. Paul does not speak of one single “scheme”, but of his many “schemes” (plural), likewise, there are different parts of God’s armour that we must put on to counteract each of them. Satan’s opposition against the church is not a frontal attack, but a subversive attack through intrigue, deception, and trickery, so we must remain prayerful and alert ( Eph 6:18, 1 Peter 5:8) . [2]   Victory with the devil under our feet Psalm 110:1The Lord says to my lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool  for your feet.” Victory over demons Colossians 1: 15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. Victory over sin and the ability to pull down strongholds 2 Corinthians 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. [3]  When we put on the armour, we are putting on Christ. Of course, the whole armour of God is describing a day-to-day lifestyle lived in the knowledge of all that God has provided to protect us. Please note we should always be praying. Sometimes we can extend the shield of our faith over others, what do you think?It is imp ortant to remember that when we put on the “full armour of God” we are putting on Christ (Rom. 13:14 ) Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. ( Eph 4:23 ) to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Our protection against Satan’s attacks is assured only when we take up the full  armour of God. Satan’s schemes are many, and he attacks us at any point where we are weak. Our armour must be complete. We cannot pick and choose what parts of the armour we prefer, but rather we must put all of it on. We must be completely equipped, or we will be vulnerable to his attacks. Amen Personal Prayer

How do we express our care and to whom? This scripture tells us what is important to Jesus and those situations where we ought show his love and his care. Matthew 25: 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘ Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. ’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Ask yourself if you are a sheep or a goat. It is interesting that neither the sheep nor goats were aware of doing good or evil in the context of showing care . Also please note just how much Jesus identifies with the poor and vulnerable. Who do the sheep target? They feed the hungry, clothe the naked, help the foreigner or outsider, visit the sick and those in jail . How can we do this today in our times and context? Philip’s story - out on the street a beggar (homeless person) asks Philip for money- Philip thinks that he sees something familiar about the tramp. Suddenly recognises him as a former rugby player and police sergeant! What happened to this man? Well it was a tragic story, his wife died, he hit the bottle, lost his job, lost his house – now living on the street and begging! Always remember this, that there but for the grace of God go I ! What resources may be required in caring for the poor? Time, material resources, sympathy, empathy and counsel-Practical help-Sharing faith-Mindful of them in prayer. Prayer: Lord, show me how I can let your love flow through me expressing care to my fellow human beings. Amen In Part 4 we consider the question of what quality should our care be?

Why should we care about our fellow humans? Modern atheistic scientists tell us that humans are in an unimportant species, found on an insignificant planet in an obscure part of the cosmos. What do you think the implications for a single human life are? However this is not what Christians believe... Matthew 22:17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?” 18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” 21 “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “ So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s. ” Genesis 1:26-27 ( Our keynote scripture) Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” There is no clear consensus on what the image of God (or its theological term ‘ Imago dei’ ). Christians of various types think it might include 1. Humans are like God in that we are spiritual and rational beings and exercise free-will choices. 2. Humans are like God in being able to f orm complex relationships. 3 . Humans are like God in being able to perform functions e.g. managing the planet and its resources which in some way represent God on earth. All 3 views have their strengths and weaknesses but together might reflect the different ways that humans reflect the image of God. However what is clear and agreed by the majority of Christians is that the ‘ Imago ’ confers significant importance onto human kind since the ‘image’ was not conferred on any angelic beings or any type of animal. The importance of the image of God is that it causes every single human being no matter how degraded or fallen, to still bear in some way the image of God the Creator . This inspires many including myself to want to help the poor. Whilst we are not necessarily important of ourselves the image of God shows us we are important to God by bearing a ‘family’ resemblance . The depth of God’s love and care was shown in the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This confers importance on us. Prayer; Lord teach us to see of fellow human beings in the way you see them , as valuable and precious souls made in your image. Amen In Part 3 we consider How do we express our care and to whom?

Why should we care? Welcome to our new 5 part mini-series 'Who Cares Wins' with apologies to the British SAS motto 'Who Dares Wins'. Q. Who cares? A. God cares. God Himself is a carer, we know this from reading the Bible; 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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Did you notice that there is a connection between loving, giving and caring? God cared enough to become one of us, to live, to die and to break down every barrier between us and offer an unending relationship with Him. Matthew 10: 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. God cares about the small details, pervasive in depth care for each human being. Jesus expresses his loving care this way: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” John 13:34-35 . Jesus gave us a special duty of care towards our fellow believers which includes all your church family. However, there is a wrong kind of care; 1 Peter 5: 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety (cares) on him because he cares for you. God does not want you to be burdened down with worry but rather to put all your cares in a barrel and roll them over to Him and take both hands off! Who cares? The church of Jesus Christ cares for the vulnerable in various ways; For the widows and orphans. For the hungry and thirsty. For the naked. For the addict. For families (including children) including those needing counselling For people with learning disabilities. For sick people including those with mental health issues For the elderly (dementia sufferers) and for the homeless. Everyone in your church fellowship should care for your brother and sister and that includes your leaders! Who cares? We do. Who cares? I do. Prayer; Lord teach us to love like you love, Lord teach us to give you give like you give and Lord teach us to care like you care. Amen

Total commitment to the Lord We now consider what it means to be totally committed to the Lord. It can be summed up in these verses.   Matthew 22:35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ Loving the Lord your God with all your heart all your soul and all your mind means we are to be totally committed with our whole being to the Lord in the following ways: To the Lord personally and to His commandments and will. Loving your neighbour as yourself means being as totally committed to your neighbour's wellbeing as to your own. The sea captains of old were so committed to their ships that when the ship sank, they went down with it. Marriage without commitment will not last. A sports team without commitment will not be successful. A business without commitment is unlikely to succeed. What about your church fellowship? We must commit ourselves to the Lord and to each other for our fellowship to succeed. Learning Points If you want anything to succeed you must invite the Lord into it. When we commit our ways to Him, and keep trusting, it will happen. When we commit our works to Him, our plans will be established. Remember the examples of commitment from the bible e.g. Noah Remember committing usually starts with a prayer, and we keep trusting until the result comes c.f Philippians 4:6-7. Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God ; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Always remember to consult the Lord before starting any battles, projects, or campaigns. Loving the Lord with your whole being expresses our total commitment to him. Loving our neighbour as ourselves shows that God’s love is in us and moving through us. Amen Personal Prayer

Everything we need to know for the marathon of the life of faith The Race of Faith This message is a word of encouragement for us in our Race of Faith! Our key scripture is from Hebrews 12:1-3 which tells us that we are in a race, but not a race in the sense of racing to work or to the shops to get that item we forgot. Our race is a lifelong race of faith which is a marathon not a sprint! Since our context is the book of Hebrews, we will recall that the two of the main themes of Hebrews (unknown author):  1. Jesus Christ is elevated as superior to anyone and anything else, in order to show that he is worthy of our total trust and devotion. 2. All believers are challenged to remain faithful to Jesus despite persecution. This helps us to keep our reading of the scriptures in context. Hebrews 12:1-3 1.Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking* unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3.For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. Our race of faith that began the moment we asked Jesus into our lives, whom the author of Hebrews calls both “the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” So, the race we are running requires. v1 So like any athlete, we will need to be disciplined; to stay focused and to make sacrifices in order to finish the race in the way Jesus intends us to. The race we are running is the race of faith that began the moment we asked Jesus into our lives, whom the author of Hebrews calls both “the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” So, the race we are running has: ✓a starting line, where Jesus is present (coaching us for the race ahead / firing the starting gun) as the pioneer of our faith ✓and a finish line, where Jesus is waiting for us (cheering us on) as the perfecter of our faith. ✓And on top of all that there is a prize (eternal life) that will help us be serious in running our race to finish it well. Obstacles in our Race of Faith Hebrews 12:1 …let us lay aside every weight , and the sin which so easily ensnares us… a.      Weights: are otherwise legitimate things that hinder us in our race towards God b.      Sin c.      Losing the plot Let us consider these three points; — First, There are hindrances on our race which are not necessarily sins. Secondly, If we would run, we must put aside these. And lastly, If we would put them aside, we must look to Christ. The Greek word "ogkos" refers to a weight or burden, suggesting that believers must identify and eliminate distractions or hindrances in their spiritual journey. As we all know too well, life itself will provide us with plenty of obstacles along the way, distracting us with all that the world wants to offer us - things that seem more appealing and alluring. This could include our amusements, entertainments, pastimes, and hobbies etc. Self-examination is required. And then there is outright sin - the sin in our lives holding us back, entangling us as if somebody had tied the shoelaces of our running shoes together when we weren’t looking, it's sin that comes to entice us with the promise of something more gratifying or rewarding, but in the end it’s real aim is to disqualify us completely and take us out of the race. In the meantime, perhaps some of us will not have even realised we are actually in a race, wondering why everything is so tiring and why we have not progressed in our faith as we would have hoped to; others will be running at a good pace, calm, focused on Jesus for the distance. We must keep our eyes and focus on Jesus otherwise we might lose the plot and not finish our race of faith. Amen Personal Prayer In Part 2 we find the tremendous encouragement that the Lord has provided for our race of faith.

God has provided all the encouragement we need to succeed The Race of Faith Encouragement in our Race of Faith The writer of Hebrews in 12:1 tells us that “… since we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses …"  Have you ever wondered who this great cloud of witnesses might be? Sometimes people today assume, that this cloud are those who have died who we all know family, friends, and acquaintances, and they are watching us from above ... but this is not what the Bible tells us. The "great cloud of witnesses" mentioned here are actually those first introduced to us in Chapter 11 of Hebrews. The ones who have run the race before us, living lives of faith and dependence on God, until they crossed the promised finish line.  We might picture the scene that we toward the end of our marathon of life have entered the last few laps of the race and entered into the stadium for the grand finish. The life examples of these heroes of the faith cheer us on to complete our race of faith by giving us encouragement to finish. Who are these heroes of faith in the Book of Hebrews Chapter 11? Here are some examples. Abel: First Martyr in the Bible. ... Enoch: The Man Who Walked With God. ... Noah: A Righteous Man. ... Abraham: Father of the Jewish Nation. ... Sarah: Mother of the Jewish Nation. ... Isaac: Father of Esau and Jacob. ... Jacob: Father of the 12 Tribes of Israel. ... Joseph: Interpreter of Dreams. Many others; see verses 30-40… Every person named and some not named in Hebrews Chapter 11 give different examples of from their lives of faith by which they served and glorified God. Let us now consider why their names are recorded in the scripture. They were all fallible people just like you and me. Because they all put their trust in God and watched Him do amazing things - in God’s eyes they are all champions Today, we all are running that same race of faith now, in whatever way God has called us to serve Him, so let us stay faithful as they stayed faithful! Amen Jesus’ Race of Faith Hebrews 12:2 looking* unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame,  and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Run the race of faith like Jesus did! The scripture says Jesus went to the cross for you and for me, despite the shame and humiliation he chose to run His race, He kept His eyes on the prize. “Why?”  verse 2 says, “for the joy set before Him” He saw the prize! His prize - He completed His mission to save us sinners (you and me) and to accomplish the will of His Father, and He is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hallelujah! Encouragement to stay the full course of our race of faith. Profiting from our trials  James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. In James 1:2-4, we as followers of Jesus in the race are encouraged to stay the course: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." More encouragement to stay the full course of our race of faith. Look to Jesus  … and win the prize! Let us make Jesus our only prize, our aim, our life.   Colossians 1:18 says that He is to have first place in everything . We are to set our eyes on Jesus always - confident in the knowledge that there is no better trainer who could have prepared us, no better coach who could be cheering us on, and no better champion gone before us and waiting for us at the finish line to catch us, than Jesus himself! Yet More encouragement to stay the full course of our race of faith.  1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. God always provides an escape hatch when we are tempted. Sometimes we need to ask the Lord ‘where is the escape hatch from this temptation’? So with the help of the Holy Spirit let us stand on this truth - God does not abandon us because we have weaknesses. He works through our weaknesses because He knows we are a work in progress.  Learning Points for our race of faith 1. We are in a life-long race of faith which is a marathon. God has surrounded us with a great cloud of witnesses whose lives are an example to us. 2. We must set aside all our hindrances, weights, and distractions –anything that takes our eyes off Jesus. 3. We must repent and forsake all sins that would hinder our race. 4. We must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus at all times in the race until we run into his arms at the finish line. Amen Personal Prayer   Materials Consulted Jacky Wilson: Blog Post ‘Surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses' www.psalmonesermons.com Derek Prince: Commentary of Hebrews 11 and 12 YouTube. David Guzik: Hebrews 12:1-4. YouTube. Alexander MacLaren: Weights and Sins (Hebrews 12:1) Blue Letter Bible Commentary.

An Advent story Today our topic is an Advent message: What happened to the baby in the manger? Advent, (Latin adventus , “coming”) in the Christian church calendar, is the period of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas and of preparation for the Second Coming of Christ. In Western churches, Advent begins on the Sunday nearest to November 30 and then runs for a total of 4 full weeks of Sundays. In 2024 advent starts a four-week observation beginning on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, which began on December 1 this year and will finish on Sunday the 24th of December. The Advent Season is all about reflecting on how we can prepare our hearts and homes for Christ's birth in the world as it is today. It is a time for faith communities and families to remember, through prayer, reflections, special music, and charitable deeds what the true meaning of Jesus' birth is. At this time of year many people think of the baby in the manger, and it is good to reflect on the beautiful story of the nativity. However, Jesus Christ did not remain a baby but became the mighty King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Saviour of the world, and the Bridegroom of his church. So often we can focus in on the wonderful meekness and humility of Jesus (the suffering servant of Isaiah 53; the crucified Messiah) and yet neglect His power and majesty as the mighty conquering King! Through the blood of the cross He defeated him who had the power over death and having risen entered the holy of holies and presented once and for all His holy sinless blood on the mercy seat as a propitiation (turned away God's wrath) for the sin of man. We are now going to consider Jesus Christ as the conquering hero. Psalm 45 is a didactic psalm i.e. Maschil is a psalm that teaches us (about the power and majesty of God). This is a delightful psalm bursting with royalty and nobility, power, and majesty. This is about the Messiah. The first part of the psalm is about Jesus the conquering hero (vv.3-6) and the second part about Jesus the Bridegroom (vv.9-14) see link below for the second part. 3 Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. 4 And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth, meekness, and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach these terrible things. 5 Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee. 6 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. Comments v.3 Get ready for battle with the sword of the spirit, for the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. In the wilderness Jesus defeated Satan with the word of God and at the end of time He will destroy His enemies with the breath of His mouth. O most mighty, there never was anyone else who was able or worthy to this title, the one who defeated Satan, death, and hell by His death on the cruel cross and now has the keys of death and hell. O most mighty Jesus Christ. The Lamb of God is the only one worthy to open the scroll in the book of revelation. v.4 When Jesus preached the Gospel He rode on the Word of Truth and meekness and righteousness not only proclaiming these but living them out before the very eyes of men. The glorious eternal Gospel was His chariot to bring salvation to fallen man. The Gospel prospered, turning certain peoples’ worlds the right way up! Jesus at the right hand of God brings salvation to the humble but a terrible and everlasting condemnation to the unrepentant wicked. There is no hiding place from the Son of God. v.5 His words are arrows and never miss the mark! No one can stand against Him and survive. We are also His arrows in His quiver for he fires us out at the lost so that as we preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ by His spirit, he pierces their hearts with conviction of sin of righteousness and judgement! Some enemies fall convicted leading to salvation others refusing to repent to eternal condemnation. We were once His enemies but now are of His royal household! v.6 This most mighty warrior is none other than God Himself, God the Son, Jesus Christ, the eternal word made flesh, He who was in the beginning was the eternal Word and was with God and was God. It is Him who has an eternal throne not like any earthly king but a divine and everlasting Kingship. Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Praise his holy name. he who was once a babe in a manger shall rule the nations with a rod of iron. His rule, His sceptre is the only right and lawful rule that is fitting to stand for eternity. Soon He is coming for his bride. Even so come Lord Jesus. Amen Conclusion That same baby in the manger is now the risen Lord, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, is seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. Therefore the Christmas story is so very wonderful. Amen.

Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23 Isaiah 7:14 says The Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel. Permit me to explain These gracious words were spoken by the Hebrew prophet Isaiah about 700 years before the birth of Jesus Christ. This prophecy like some other old testament prophecies seemed to have a double fulfilment. That is the prophecy was fulfilled in the days around when it was first given for King Ahaz. However, its second and much greater fulfilment came several hundred years later when Jesus Christ was born. We know this Immanuel prophecy about was about Jesus because the Gospel of Matthew 1:23 quotes the Isaiah 7:14 scripture as follows Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Please note that both spellings are acceptable that is Immanuel and Emmanuel. So, what does Emmanuel or ' God with us ' mean? Emmanuel in a sense is an overview of God's full plan of salvation for mankind. First God becomes a actual man of flesh and blood, he can feel pain and the full range of human emotions. This brings God in a new way into a full identification with mankind. He now knows exactly what it is like to be a human being. This baby born in a manger, grows up to become the Messiah the Saviour, who at the end of his life saves mankind from our greatest foe...not the Romans, not the Egyptians, not the Russians… mankind's biggest foe is sin or we could say acting against God's wishes. This unique baby went on to provide a way back to God for mankind for a ll of us have gone astray. Imagine that, God the Son was with us and is still with us! What does that mean to you? Yes, that little baby in the manger, grew up to become the suffering Messiah who has provided a way back to God for all who want it. We can rejoice in Emmanuel We rejoice that God is with us. We can rejoice in God’s greatest ever gift Christmas gift- Immanuel, Jesus Christ who came to take our sins. If this is new to you then check out the teaching below 'How to be born again'. Amen Personal prayer

Why should we celebrate Christmas? As you all know there are two major festivals about to be celebrated shortly, Xmas the world’s version of Christmas but with the Christ taken out of it, includes Santa, Xmas, reindeer, snowmen, Christmas cards, tinsel, stockings etc. For many Xmas is a time of some happiness but Xmas is a very pale imitation of the real Christmas, the celebration of the birth of the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. As we reflect on the birth of our Saviour today, I pray that immense joy will be your portion today and forever. Let us look at the occasion of the giving of God’s greatest gift to humanity. Luke 2:1-20 Verse 10 ; Good news of a great joy for all the people Verse 11 ; What is this good news that brings great joy, a Saviour, the Saviour of all mankind has been born. After some 4,000 years the promised seed of the woman who would bruise (strike a deathblow to) the serpent's head had arrived. Verse 25-32 ; The consolation of Israel, the Saviour has come to comfort and encourage the few righteous. Isaiah 49:6 The long-promised Messiah, the anointed one had come. Isaiah 9:2-3, 6-7 The promised child called Mighty God That God had become a man, God with us Immanuel. John 1:14 The Eternal Word was made flesh. In the fullness of time, in the exact place named by the prophet Micah that which the blessed Mary conceived of the Holy Spirit was born. Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God was born. About the Saviour So the goods news of great joy was, and is, that the Saviour of all humanity has been born. A Saviour has been born; To save us from the wrath to come. A Saviour has been born; To save us from eternal separation from God. A Saviour has been born, Who restores our souls. A Saviour has been born, Who delivers his people from evil. A Saviour has been born, Who gives eternal life to his people. A Saviour has been born, Who brings justice and righteousness. A Saviour has been born, Who purchased us by the Holy sinless blood of his cross. A Saviour has been born, Who delivers us from the penalty of sin, the power of sin, from the presence of sin. A Saviour for all humanity, for all who have sinned [ Romans 3:23 ]. That Saviour is Jesus Christ the Lord. Romans 5:6-11 ; The Saviour came at the right time to die for our sins, rebellion, unbelief, disobedience. A Saviour Jesus Christ who saves through His blood. A Saviour who saves us from wrath of God. A Saviour who brings the reconciliation of sinful man to God. So what are we going to do with this good news? Romans 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? We can tell them how this good news of Jesus can be theirs. We can tell them it’s for all people. We can tell them God is making Jews jealous through this gospel. The Saviour, God made man, came to die for their sins and whoever will call upon him will be saved. That Saviour is Jesus Christ. Let us celebrate today the good news of the Gospel of Jesus, as partakers in it and also be sharing the good news. Amen Prayer

Psalms for Christmas As we stated Part 1 few people in the western world do not know nativity story. But let us just have a refresh our memory. Luke 2:8-20 Verse 10 ; Angels announce good news, tidings of great joy Verse 11 ; The birth of the Saviour, Christ the Messiah Verse 12 ; The babe will be found in a manger The ‘world’ today is happy to focus on the baby. He is no threat to their lifestyle, whilst in manger. Yet we in the church are filled with awe and wonder. The eternal word made flesh and yet even we can be caught up with tradition by focusing only on Jesus’ nativity. In our joy and celebration we must not forget the reason the Christ child came to earth. So why did he come? What was the mission of Jesus Christ, the Messiah? It can be put in different ways. To save man from sin To restore fellowship with God To destroy the works of the devil 1 John 3:8b... For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. It is this direction we want to remember today. You may be wondering what it has to do with Christmas, but I hope to show you that this aspect of Jesus life and mission is really at the heart of the Christmas story. And may have greater importance than the traditional view of ‘Baby Jesus’. I first came across the underlying ideas as to why is Christmas is so thrilling to Christians whilst reading “ Reflections in the Psalms ” by C.S. Lewis. In this book I was surprised to find that the Anglican prayer book had appointed 4 Psalms for reading on Christmas day. [ Psalms 110, 45 (covered in Part 1) , 89, and 132 ] We are going to look briefly at one of these Psalms now to see if we can discover any connection between Christmas and the Psalm 110. In Psalm 110 there is not a lot about peace and goodwill or anything from the nativity. This Psalm appears to be a coronation poem/song for a new king or perhaps is a song addressed to a king on the eve of a battle. It predicts victory and empire. Some Christians call it David's creed; because it has has many elements of Christian faith in it. Verse 1 ; Right hand - enemies’ necks under foot. Verse 2 ; Sceptre of authority – ruling Verse 3 ; His people – the church Verse 4 ; Melchizedek – combined priest/king Verse 5 ; Shatter kings – enemies’ death, fallen beings Verse 6 ; Dead bodies abound – chief men shattered Verse 7 ; Samson at Lehi – drank head down at death, lifted in resurrection So what has Psalms 110 got to do with Jesus? Two main things. Jesus quoted it of himself in Matthew 22:44 ‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool” ’? Jesus seemed to identify with this Son of David. 2. The Mention of Melchizedek in Ps110:4 (now see Hebrews 7:14-17) 14 For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning [ c ]priesthood. 15 And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest 16 who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. 17 For He testifies: “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.” Lets remind ourselves about this mysterious Melchizedek from Genesis 14:18-20 18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. 19 And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tithe of all. Things to note about Melchizedek; No details of where he comes from Blesses in name of the Mighty Holy God Assumes superiority over Abraham Ministers bread and wine A wonderful mysterious character but the fact that He is King/Priest made him the character in the whole Old Testament most like Jesus Christ. Psalms 110:4 links Messiah to Melchizedek's priesthood and not to an Aaronic or Levitical priesthood. Psalms 110 with the 3 other above psalms restore the ‘ Balance in Seeing Jesus Christ ’ as the victorious King of kings, our conquering hero not just a baby in the manger. Further study Let’s look very briefly at parts of the other ‘Christmas’ Psalms. Psalms 45:3-7 ; Note threatening tone to enemy. Verse 5 ; Sharp arrows in heart Psalms 89:20-29 Verse 23 ; Enemies crushed before Him Verse 27 ; Receives whole earth Psalms 132:17-18 Verse 18 ; Enemies shamed, and His crown is flourishing. These Psalms are very militant with Messiah as a champion, a giant killer, a hero King to fight and defeat death, hell, demon, and hordes. For this purpose Jesus Christ appeared to destroy the works of the devil. If you look at all the Old Testament scriptures quoted by Jesus, the evidence is that this is how he looked on Himself. Not in terms of His infancy but as the all-conquering King yet in gentleness and humility. Paradox: The Messiah came to destroy? Praise His Holy name that is exactly what he did. He defeated death, Satan all the powers and principals cancelled out our debts. Nailing them to the cross disarmed the enemy and publicly triumphed over them. Lead captivity captive ascended on high, gave gifts to men and sat at Fathers right hand far above all rule and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this but in the age to come and is head of His church. Hallelujah!! So when we remember the ‘Baby in the manger' let us also remember the all-conquering, victorious hero King who came and completely fulfilled His mission. Amen Prayer