Category: Thought for the day

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
(Mark 1:14-15 ESV)

I’ve heard many people try to claim all sorts of stuff about Jesus, people are always trying to make out that Jesus is just like them. Perhaps John the baptist could make that claim because when John is arrested Jesus just carries on with the same old stuff that John already said.

Today this message is still important but it has become a very unpopular message. We live in a time where people want to claim that no one ever makes a mistake or is wrong – after all to tell someone they are wrong is putting them down. Claiming that you know a truth that others don’t is also frowned upon – unless you are an atheist scientist of course.

Jesus says in this simple message that we are all doing something wrong – deep down we know this is true despite what others say – deep down we all know that there are things about our life that are not in accord with the way God wants us to live.

But Jesus doesn’t say this to make us feel bad – far from it – instead he wants to expose what is wrong so we can know God’s forgiveness. Repent and believe the Gospel is all about turning your back on the old wrong ways and choosing God’s loving forgiveness.

For some reason as I’m preparing my Christmas services there is one theme that keeps coming through – God is with us. Last Sunday I was speaking about how God goes ahead of us, this week I’m thinking about a nativity service and using the names of Jesus  – Immanuel or God with us.

Sometimes though we just need to hear God news. Maybe its the weather but there seems to have been an awful lot of bad news lately and sometimes I find myself yearning just to hear something good.

What better news can there be than God is with us?

So my challenge to you is to keep this truth with you all through the Christmas period – God is with us – and hopefully it will be good news that will stick with you for ever.

I’m reminded that on his death bed John Wesley said that the best of all is that God is with us – how right he was.

I’ve been reading a book about the Cromwell Street murders. Fred and Rose West were caught in the mid-nineties after multiple murders and abuse. It is a horrible book and I hate reading it but it is also important to understand what happened and who was involved. It is important that the families of the victims see justice for what was done.

But then what is justice in this situation? The capture and incarceration of those who did it? Yes. but somehow that doesn’t really do justice in this situation.

I am very happy to talk only about the love of God and we could spend a lot of time talking about the importance of forgiveness. These are very important subjects indeed and don’t mistake my talk here about justice as in any way taking away from the important of these subjects.

But when I look around at the world there are lots of things that I think its important there is ultimate justice for.

What about the truth that most of us are too fat and yet children die from starvation each day?

What about the victims of dictatorships? Innocent people who suffer just because they disagree.

What about child abuse?

What about racism?

I could go on but I think I’ve made the point.

There must be justice for the wrong of this world. But who can give such justice? Not us. We just don’t have the ability to undo the wrong that is done. What price can we ever pay to undo the wrong that has been done.

But sometimes wrong happens innocently. People don’t understand the wrong that they are doing. I think a lot of racism happens in this way – people are ignorant of the harm they cause and yet they still cause the harm. Ignorance can never be a defense against wrong doing – the wrong is done even if you didn’t know you were doing it.

Ultimately only God can administer such justice.

But where does this leave me? I may be a pretty good person but I still do some things wrong. Just like everyone else I can’t undo the wrong I have done so no matter how much I try the wrong and its effects are always there.

People have the luxury of living with the wrongs that are done to us. We can learn to forgive with nothing more than an emotional cost.

But if God is to bring justice then God does not have the luxury of simply ignoring wrong. So all wrong must bring judgement.

Ooops. That means I, like everyone else, face judgement. Not being a perfect person (despite my best efforts) means that I must face judgement.

Of course God comes to the rescue by bringing justice on the cross. On the cross Christ brings the justice that is needed for us all.

I’m sorry that my mistakes would do that but it doesn’t change the fact that I need it. So I must depend on Jesus to help me.

The bible is full of images of Jesus doing this. How he will look at me and see Jesus. How I am clothed as it were with Christ that removes my punishment for the wrong I do. That Jesus stands by my side at judgement and pleads on my behalf. Wonderful images that make me feel very inadequate. I don’t deserve it but Jesus does it anyway.

So I may be a pretty good person but I still do wrong. Because I want justice for others it means that I must face that same justice myself. So I must put my faith in Jesus who has promised me forgiveness through his own death and resurrection.

I know this is greatly simplified and there are issues you probably want to talk about here but I’ve already written too much. The simple truth is that I want God to be just but wanting that means being prepared to face the consequences myself. Thank God that Jesus comes to my rescue.

Luke 4: 14-30 is the story of Jesus preaching in the Synagogue of his own town. It all goes very well until Jesus starts saying that he can’t do for them what he does for others because they know him and won’t respond. Incensed they want to throw him off a cliff but he walks away. It’s a very dramatic story and Luke goes to great lengths to explain all the detail.

I have had some bad reactions to sermons from time to time but I’ve never been threatened with being throwing off a cliff. It seems like a really extreme reaction to what Jesus said. Yet, what is saying is that all those devoted religious people in his own home town won’t listen to God. He says, in effect, that they are cut off from God because of their familiarity with Jesus.

It seems to me that this can be a warning to us. In our time we who go to church are the people who have become familiar with Jesus. Of course, we know Jesus in a different way than the people in the Synagogue in Nazareth but that doesn’t stop us being very familiar with Jesus.

How do you feel when the gospel is read? Do you find yourself thinking – oh I know this one, and then perhaps switch off and don’t bother listening. How do you feel when it comes to prayer times? Preachers often don’t bother with the gospel reading but pick on the old testament or the espistle to preach from, not because they don’t like the gospel but its easy to assume that the people listening will have heard it all before many times over.

Then again, do we really expect Jesus to do anything? Do we believe that Jesus has the answers to our lifes need? Do we believe that God can perform miracles through Christ in our own life? Do we think we even need Jesus to go to the cross for us (you may think it strange but many people think they are pretty good really and don’t need all that forgiveness stuff all the time)? Have we become so familiar with Jesus that we take what he said and did for granted and aren’t much bothered by it from day to day?

I have certainly met Christians (some of the leaders in the church) who think this way.

I was privialedged to go through a conversion experience in my teens that left me very grateful for Jesus and that gratitude and wonder at all God does in Jesus stays with me even today. This is not to boast because there are times in my life that I remember that I regret and would wish Jesus had been in them as well. Yet that conversion experience does help. Many Christians don’t have that feeling and memory as they accepted Jesus without having to go through a time without him. If we are not careful we can become so familiar with Jesus that he loses much of the impact that he can have on our lives.

So I encourage you to take some time out of your day today to think about Jesus and who he is. Try to rekindle some of that excitement you once had about a God who loves you and would do anything for you. Think about the things that Jesus did for you, the suffering on the cross just for you and be grateful for who he is. Then commit yourself today to being a true follower of Jesus and allow him to work in your life again.